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Print signage fail: Why digital is better

November 13, 2013 by Laura Miller — Director of Marketing, Kioware

Mega beverage brand. Extremely poor font choice.

One Pepsi advertisement turned a Japanese clothing line from "Aape" to "Rape" (visually). If you haven't heard this story, you can read about it from the American Marketing Association, the Huffington Post, or if you are really daring, the play-by-play on Reddit.

Human error is always a factor to consider when evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of the various signage mediums.

Why digital is better: Human error and irreparable harm

This sign is reason No. 673 as to why digital signage is better. The major snafu between font, design, editing and brand, which led to passersby seeing this print sign until it was taken down could have been relegated to the Internet archives with only the touch of a digital button.

Deployed and connected to the internet in thousands of locations across the globe?

Digital signage allows companies to roll back ads, clear typos and/or update signage with the click of a button. One server. One solution. One fix. Instant.

In comparison, the print version of this sign had to be manually removed, reprinted, redistributed and/or considered a loss, with the advertiser and/or promoter taking down the original with no replacement readily available. Major headache.

Digital signage could save a brand thousands not only in brand equity, but in actual removal/replacement costs.

What other marketing fails have you seen that would have benefitted from a digital "undo"? How much brand equity did Pepsi lose from this sign font fail?

Photo credit: Imgur

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