Recent marketing fails: posting for the algorithm VS connecting with consumers

When ideating a marketing campaign that’s going to resonate with your target audience, it’s vital to prioritize messaging that fosters authentic consumer connection. Pandering too much to an algorithm or relying on one-dimensional data to maximize virality can have adverse effects on your efforts — there’s no hack for making your way to a real connection.  

With multiple high-profile marketing campaigns making headlines this year for being alienating to just plain tone-deaf, we’re attributing the trend to over-prioritizing social algorithms instead of truly engaging with consumers in a way that resonates with their needs and values. Recent examples include the E.l.f. beauty Matt Rife campaign, the American Eagle “Good Jeans” ad featuring A-list actor Sydney Sweeney, and The Ordinary’s alienation of their largely vegan audience by selling eggs – not animal product-free skincare – during a national egg shortage.  

A focus on conquering the algorithm might get your brand a flash-in-the-pan style boost in engagement, but the attention has the potential to skew negative or even scandalous if you’re not doing the boots-on-the-ground research that makes your target consumer feel seen, understood, and generally positive about engaging with and buying from your brand. 

The algorithm isn’t everything

Prioritizing algorithms with one-dimensional data can often come at the price of sacrificing consumer trust.

Brands like E.l.f. learned this the hard way when they relied on numbers alone rather than gleaning real customer sentiment before launching their campaign with controversial comedian Matt Rife. Kory Marchisotto, E.l.f. Beauty’s global chief marketing officer, told Business of Fashion that Rife was chosen for the campaign because of his TikTok following, which was 80% female and 75% under the age of 34. Rife’s own social media profile showed positive engagement, and this was a major factor in the casting decision. “We’re very surprised,” Marchisotto said. “There is a big gap between our intention and how this missed the mark for some people.” 

E.l.f.’s misstep is a prime example of how relying on pure statistics are not enough. Had E.l.f. examined the sentiment around Rife with their own audience, the community they’re actually marketing to, they could have avoided the whole debacle with casting decisions that resonated. It seems obvious in hindsight, but the demographic of who already followed and engaged with Rife was irrelevant to what E.l.f.’s consumers care about. Looking at that data in a silo and not extending their market research to their own audience resulted in major backlash, complete with calls for a brand boycott from highly influential creators.  

American Eagle’s high-budget Sydney Sweeney campaign drew views and attention from all sides, but was largely critiqued as tone-deaf, outdated, and lazy. Making reference to an outdated Calvin Klein ad featuring Brooke Shields was not resonant with contemporary audiences to say the least, especially Gen Z.  

Brands sometimes design campaigns that optimize for reach, trends, or an edgy virality – which have the potential to get accusations of outrage marketing – but miss the mark emotionally or ethically with their audience. These marketing nightmares are totally avoidable with the right kind of holistic market research that delves into what your audience really wants to see.   

Signs a brand is “posting for the algorithm”: 

• Over-reliance on endorsements or collaborations with celebrities and influencers who aren’t meaningfully connected to your audience  
• Clickbait copy that misleads more than it informs or undermines your audience. 
• Lack of alignment between campaign values and longstanding brand values 

Authenticity as a value add

Consumer-first marketing outperforms algorithm-first strategies in building long-term brand equity.

When campaigns are rooted in real consumer insight, they resonate more deeply, even if they don’t always “go viral”, especially not with a virality that came at the cost of brand reputation.  

According to Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer, 81% of consumers say they must trust a brand before buying from it. Smaller, insight-driven campaigns continue to build long-term trust and community, despite not always topping algorithmic trends. Brands that participate and comment on the cultural zeitgeist show a willingness to connect with audiences based on what they thought was just theirs, whether that be value-wise or by collaborating with beloved public figures that represent relatability and mutual understanding. The recent Gap campaign “Better In Denim” featuring the diverse K-pop group KATSEYE – released just weeks after American Eagle's “Good Jeans” – came at a poignant time, serving as an antidote to those who felt alienated by the latter. By casting a group like KATSEYE and focusing on a message of self-expression and empowerment, Gap was able to appeal to Gen Z while relying on the same marketing approach they have for the last 30 years without ever coming off as out-of-touch.  

Real resonance requires real connection

The smartest brands use algorithms as amplifiers, taking them into consideration to leverage potential of a viral moment that comes off positively. They don’t use them to lay the foundation for an entire campaign. Algorithms can help surface authentic content to the right audience, but only if the content itself is grounded in consumer truths and values. 

Consider the strategy of cult-favorite brands that have risen to iconic status – like Glossier, a brand that grew by leveraging community engagement first, then used social platforms to scale that authentic connection.  

In other words, our formula for building authentic consumer resonance is simple: Start with behavioral insights → Craft an authentic story → Use and consider algorithms strategically, not as a single consumer to appeal to. 

Marketing missteps don’t have to be the cost of doing business

This year’s marketing fails show what happens when brands try to shake coins loose from the algorithm, instead of creating moments of connection with consumers that lead to long-term loyalty. Authenticity builds trust, while algorithm-chasing risks alienation and backlash. 

As we move forward after a year of all kinds of very publicly fumbled messaging, the brands that win will leverage campaigns use algorithms as simply a consideration for better distribution – not as the end-all be-all of resonance. The heart of any winning strategy lies in making consumers feel seen, understood, and valued.