Malaysia Airlines has been associated with two major tragedies this year - the disappearance of Flight 370 and the downing of a jet over Ukraine. So the company's decision to launch a 'Bucket List' campaign, where they asked customers about places they'd like to see before they die, was probably ill advised. 

The company ins't alone when it comes to marketing missteps. Freelance advertising strategist and veteran ad man Hilton Barbour lists six of his favourite advertising blunders.

Groupon Superbowl commercial

A 2011 Superbowl television ad, launched by then-startup company Groupon, played on the plight of impoverished and oppressed Tibet and seemed to make light of Tibetan refugees to sell online discount coupons.

Kenneth Cole "Arab Spring" social media tweet

A tweet by fashion designer Kenneth Cole caused controversy when he used the unrest in Egypt to plug his latest collection. The tweet ignited a media firestorm and the Twittersphere responded with the hashtag #boycottKennethCole.

Hoover's free flights fiasco

In 1992, the British division of The Hoover Company promised free airline tickets to customers who purchased more than £100 worth of their products, in a promotion to sell off a large surplus stock of washing machines and vacuum cleaners. Their campaign backfired when huge numbers of customers started buying Hoover products not because they wanted the actual appliances, but simply because they wanted the tickets. The company subsequently found itself overwhelmed by the demand for tickets and the cost of the flights.

Parker Quink Pen

Parker Pen in Mexico wanted its advertisements to tell potential pen purchasers that their product "won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." But the company mistakenly used the Spanish verb "embarazar" - which sounds like it might mean "to embarrass" - but actually means "to impregnate", so the ad read: "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."

Coors Light briefcase challenge in Toronto

A summer marketing campaign run by Coors Light Canada forced the closure of a major Toronto intersection. Streetcars were diverted and police were called after a briefcase was found attached to a metal railing at a busy intersection. It turned out the briefcase was part of a month-long challenge to find prizes using an online map and through clues from Twitter.

Toronto anti-littering campaign

The City of Toronto rolled out an ad campaign using brand-name packages and unlicensed corporate logos to spell out insults directed at litterbugs like "Pig", "Dipstick" and "Lowlife" with the tagline "Littering says a lot about you". The graphics cleverly incorporated corporate logos to spell out the slogans - but the campaign had to be scrapped after those companies raised copyright concerns.