Welcome back to Corporations Doing Stupid Stuff, Chapter 500. Few things can ruin reputations like ignorant marketing. Bottom line: See what these guys did and don’t repeat them.

Good Good Gone Bad – This one includes Callaway Golf, which, with Good Good Golf, released an online commercial showing a guy slamming a woman to the ground and telling her not to touch his co-branded club. Good Good and Callaway representatives reportedly greenlit the ad. Yay, let’s promote something that reflects domestic violence. WTH?

PR SIDEeffect – “This is not what we stand for” made its way out of the excuse dumpster again. In other words, if you have to say it … Instead, do what you say, say what you mean and own your errors. Each company is flooding the PR machine, including firing staff, to try to regain consumer trust, but a lot of damage was done in a short time. (How did that ad get anywhere near a whiteboard, let alone make media light?)

Just no, Nick – Has the NCAA done much right during the last dozen years besides run tournaments? It continues to spend money in court fighting to curb athletes’ rights instead of solving the problems it caused. Now former Alabama football coach Nick Saban is campaigning for a congressional bill that could work — but ONLY if it changes language that, as of today, strips college athletes of many of the rights they recently earned. I’d like to see athletes’ counterargument aired during games, too. And on a reel before every practice. 

PR SIDEeffect – If you’ve spent a decade (or more) fighting in court and taken more Ls than … no one has taken more losses … you’ve lost the fight. Instead of hemorrhaging more millions to get others to solve your problems, join forces with the people you claim to support, in this case, athletes, and fix them — and don’t try to pull one over on your beneficiaries again.

Incidentally, the NCAA’s nonsense further disrespects fans. Desperate college athletics programs are treating flush fans like money troughs every time they go back to the well. Don’t treat your customer base the same way and you’ll survive and thrive with dignity.

Target off-center again – Target still hadn’t recovered from its diversity, equity and inclusion decisions and resulting customer boycotts of 2025 when it released a kids’ Halloween costume that mimicked a racist minstrel character. Did they know the costume’s connotation? Unlikely. Or they ignored it. Result: more public backlash as Target fights to regain market share it lost more than a year ago.

PR SIDEeffect – How many times does a company have to apologize for bad decisions before consumers look for somewhere else to shop? I want you to put more than first-grade thought into your products. There’s a lot of competition in Target’s market. Continued missteps will only drive buyers through other retailers’ doors.

Neutrogena’s negligence – The skincare and cosmetic company’s criticism of Hayden Panettiere’s postpartum depression years ago came back like a bad rash after the actress’s passing last month. Some say it’s too late for Neutrogena to dig itself out of this PR debacle. To say it was ignorant to criticize its longtime ambassador for revealing what millions of women experience is giving stupidity a mulligan.

PR SIDEeffect – Again with “This is not what we stand for …” Really🤦🏻‍♀️? Neutrogena reacted to Panettiere’s untimely death with a hollow statement days later saying it would donate to an unnamed charity.

Please, SIDEbarians (yes, I just named you), in addition to not using the “not what we stand for” stuff when you’re in PR jail, don’t make up excuses and causes you can’t name. If you donate to a cause to try to right a wrong, include a quote from the credible nonprofit’s leader or beneficiaries about how that money will be used. It’s a baby step in restoring your reputation that you can’t let brew like Neutrogena did.

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©2026 Gail Sideman; gpublicity.com; SIDEbar