Adeleine Whitten
- May 2, 2022
- 3 min read

The best and worst marketing of April

I get it. Marketing is a tough profession to be in. All eyes are on your work, and your manager still doesn't understand why you can't just make something "go viral". Having your stream of income dependent on your ability to stay creative and innovative can drive anyone insane.

That being said, I see some really good marketing from time to time. Ads that make me stop and think or — even better — make a purchase.

But on the other side of that, I also see ads that make me laugh when I'm not supposed to and cringe when that definitely wasn't the intent.

Recently I've been paying more attention to the marketing that comes across my feed. I've been taking the time to really think about the strategy behind it and whether or not everything is doing what it's supposed to.

Call it an exercise to keep my marketing skills sharp. Or maybe it's just a way to make me feel better about the duds I've definitely put out in the past. But I've pulled together what I consider to be the best and worst marketing of the month.

And here they are.

The Best

The health and fitness craze of recent years has forced treat-centered companies to get creative with their marketing. So while Krispy Kreme is no stranger to deals revolving around their classic Glazed Dozen, they've found a way to capitalize on the rising price of gas with a deal that will get any donut lover through the doors and making purchases.

This social post (and entire campaign, frankly) is a hit.

The Worst

The intention is good. A 90s bar crawl? I can get down with that.

What I don't love about this email is that I had no idea it was about a bar crawl from the subject line (considering I could only see the first few words, which were very confusing without context). The text-heavy email didn't tell me anything about the when or where the event was. And then, finally, when I still somehow decided I wanted more info, the button is right there, hiding in plain sight. I'd be embarrassed to say how long it took me to locate, except Bar Crawl Live should be even more embarrassed that they sent this out.

This email, overall, is a miss.

The Best

Crumbl Cookies has officially announced that their famous Classic Pink Sugar cookie will no longer be a menu staple.

While other companies may have just made a post explaining their decision and reassuring customers it will still make an occasional appearance, Crumbl took it one step (or five steps) further and held a funeral over Instagram Live — complete with pink-clad mourners and tear-filled eulogies.

This not only got people talking, but it also created a sense of urgency to get one of these cookies before they say farewell. And now, when it does come back for a limited time, people will always remember this fantastic marketing campaign to make sure this special cookie is never forgotten.

This campaign? A definite hit.

The Worst

Usually I'm all about SoFi's marketing strategy. I love their ability to make finance seem modern and simple.

However, this weak attempt to appeal to Gen-Z (complete with one of their TikToks on loop) comes off more cringy than anything. Nobody is looking at this email and thinking, Yup, this is the one that convinced me to convert.

I declare this email a miss.

The Best

We did it! Mexican Pizza is returning to Taco Bell! And it's all because of us! ...Right?

Or is this just a really good marketing tactic to keep people posting about their menu faves? Because word of mouth marketing > anything else. Oh, and Doja Cat hyping them up at Coachella probably didn't hurt either.

Taco Bell's strategy to bring back this all-time favorite is a definite hit.