How Businesses Can Ruin Their Advertising and Waste Their Marketing Budgets

How Businesses Waste Their Marketing Budgets. Design Fails and Ad Placement Disasters

I knew I had to write this piece the moment I spotted it an “All You Can Eat World Buffet” advert proudly displayed on the tiled wall of a gentlemen’s toilet. There it was, in all its glossy, full-colour glory, staring back at me from above a urinal.

It wasn’t the photography that killed my appetite, it was the placement. Because no matter how delicious the food might be, no one wants to associate their next meal with a public loo. And yet, somewhere, a marketing team paid good money to put that advert there.

That single misplaced poster perfectly sums up how businesses can waste their marketing budgets — and even damage their reputations — through poor design choices, bad judgement, or sheer lack of context. Here’s how (and why) it happens far more often than you’d think.

1. Poor Design and Kerning Disasters

Good design sells, but bad design can destroy your message in seconds. One of the most common culprits? Kerning, the spacing between letters. It might seem trivial, but a misplaced millimetre can completely change the meaning of your words.

Imagine a cinema promoting the film “Burn Notice.” Without proper kerning, it read as “Bum Notice." 

Or a message of encouragement that completely misses the mark when "We are all in this together is rendered as "We are all in this to get her."

Or a sign that says “Click on Line” but appears as “Click onLine”, confusing at best, and laughable at worst. Poor kerning and font choices can turn your expensive print advert into a social media joke within hours.

Always, always,  test your advert at full size and get a fresh pair of eyes to review it before you sign off.

2. The Wrong Ad in the Wrong Place

Another classic marketing blunder is context blindness, when businesses place adverts without considering where or when they’ll appear.

The “All You Can Eat Buffet” in the gents’ toilet is one example, but I’ve seen worse. When a beloved relative was in a nursing home for end-of-life care, a huge billboard for a funeral director was placed directly next door. Every visiting family member had to walk past it, a stark and upsetting reminder of what lay ahead.

No one at the advertising agency or funeral firm had stopped to think how that placement might feel to the people inside. It was probably chosen for visibility, not sensitivity, but it turned a simple advert into a distressing symbol of poor judgement.

Even online, algorithms can create similar awkwardness. A fast-food chain’s “Grease-Lovers’ Feast” advert might appear before a YouTube video about heart disease. Context matters, and ignoring it can make your business look careless, insensitive, or downright foolish.

3. Throwing Money at the Wrong Audience

It’s tempting to believe that “more exposure” equals “better marketing”, but if you’re paying to reach people who will never buy from you, you’re wasting your budget.

Advertising luxury watches on a discount coupon site? You’ll get clicks, but not conversions. Promoting a vegan café in a steakhouse magazine? Wrong audience, wrong message.

Modern marketing tools let you target very specific demographics, so use them. It’s better to reach 1,000 genuinely interested people than 10,000 who couldn’t care less.

4. Too Clever for Their Own Good

We all love witty campaigns, but there’s a fine line between clever and confusing. Some businesses try so hard to be quirky or ironic that their audience can’t even tell what they’re selling.

If your advert needs explaining, it’s failed. Simplicity sells; confusion doesn’t. Remember, the aim is to communicate, not to prove how creative your agency is.

5. Neglecting Proofreading and Quality Control

A single typo can undermine your credibility. “Buy one, get on free” or “Public Meeting on Pubic Health” aren’t minor errors, they’re reputation-wreckers.

I recall having to point out that a health promotion campaign that the local newspaper I was working for was aimed at promoting supporting prostrate health issues rather than prostate health issues.

Spelling, punctuation, and grammar might not seem glamorous, but attention to detail shows professionalism. Proof everything twice, and then let someone else proof it again.

6. Not Tracking What Works

The final (and most expensive) mistake? Spending money without knowing if it’s working.

If you’re not measuring conversions, clicks, calls, or visits generated by your campaigns, you’re throwing money into the dark. 

Use tools like Google Analytics, promo codes, or unique landing pages to track performance. Advertising should always be an investment,  not a gamble.

Key Takeaways: How to Avoid Wasting Your Marketing Budget

Check your design... and your kerning. A single spacing mistake can change your entire message (and make you go viral for all the wrong reasons).

Think about placement. Your advert might look great on paper, but does it still work in context? The world’s best buffet poster won’t tempt diners if it’s hanging near the urinals.

Target wisely. Spend your budget reaching the right audience, not the biggest one.

Proof everything. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are part of your brand’s credibility.

Track results. If you’re not measuring what works, you’re just guessing. Use analytics and feedback to make smarter marketing decisions.