Santa's Naughty List 2024
The Worst Communication Moments of 2024
I’ve combed the news all year for stories that illustrate WHY communication is such a valuable skill.
This list is sure to include names and moments you remember — and maybe ones you don’t.
But they all highlight WHY communication is such an important skill.
Poor communication costs you.
It can costs you your relationships, your reputation, and your livelihood.
And, as these examples show, it only takes one bad comment (or image) to damage a brand.
See whose communication skills earned them a lump of coal — and a spot on Santa’s Naughty List this year…
12. Nike Forgets Women Play Basketball
After the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, Nike Basketball posted:
"And that's that… a week without hoops smh," with the upside-down smiley face emoji.
Of course, they seemed to forget that there was plenty of hoops to be seen by the WNBA – 15 games in fact – before the men’s NBA Finals began.
Fans – and competitor Under Armour – were quick to correct Nike and remind them that not only do women play basketball, but that Nike sponsors the WNBA.
Nike quickly deleted their post, but mistakes on the internet are hard to erase.
11.The Hall & Oates Award Winner
When you’re a millionaire, it’s probably not that hard to get a mortgage in the UK.
But most people in the UK aren’t millionaires — and anyone who reads the news should know that UK house prices have soared over the years.
And it has been widely reported that many people are now finding it difficult to get on the property ladder.
So congrats to Sir Howard Davies, NatWest Chairman, for showing how out of touch he was when he suggested it wasn’t “that difficult” to buy a house.
He not only earned the wrath of the internet, but also my Hall & Oates “Out of Touch” Award of 2024!
10 .Time to Retire the Ageist Ads
In 2023, I wrote about sexist, ageist ads LinkedIn was running that insulted mothers and women.
But instead of retreating, LinkedIn decided to double down and insult dads, too, with another version of the same ad earlier this year:.
Sigh…
Let’s call a spade a spade – not only is this campaign lazy, but it’s also sexist and ageist.
And I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
An article in Forbes in March revealed that LinkedIn was pulling the ads after “months of backlash.”
9. Math is Hard for the Team at Lyft
An earnings report from Lyft had stocks soaring in February.
Company documents projected their adjusted earnings margin to expand by 500 basis points.
Lyft saw a 67% surge in their shares following the announcement, but there was just one problem…
The figure was wrong.
It should have said 50 basis points, not 500.
The share price pulled back after the company corrected the error.
Lyft CEO David Risher appeared on CNBC and Bloomberg to clarify what happened and take responsibility for the “bad error.”
It might be the only time I’ve heard a CEO say “My bad” on Bloomberg…
8. Dinosaurs Aren’t Extinct
In November, UK MP Christopher Chope said in an interview he wouldn’t be supporting Kemi Badenoch, a woman (and mother of three) running for leader of the Conservative Party, because she was "preoccupied with her own children" and "spends a lot of time with her family.”
Interestingly, Robert Jenrick, the candidate Chope was supporting, also had three young children…
Chope’s comments meant Jenrick also had to go into damage control, as he stressed that he was “raising three young daughters himself.”
Chope was vilified in the press for his comments — and Badenoch went on to become the leader of the Conservative Party.
And speaking of Conservative Party politicians…
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson felt like another dinosaur when he shared his latest reason against remote working.
The man who once claimed the problem with working from home was that one could get distracted by cheese suggested this year that the “Bridget Jones of today” will “never meet their Mr. Darcy” if they work from home.
This is not an office romance that HR would approve of
Never mind that Bridget Jones didn’t meet Mr. Darcy at work. Or that her office romance with her boss would not be HR-approved.
Johnson was mocked not only for his strange argument, but for failing to know basic plot points of Bridget Jones.
As one commenter quipped, “Read a book Boris.”
7. Wendy’s Needs a Thesaurus
Anyone who has faced off against Ticketmaster knows the pain of the words “dynamic pricing.”
In February, fast food chain Wendy’s told investors they were going to start testing features “like dynamic pricing” early next year.
The blowback was instant, with consumers likening this to the practice companies like Uber and Ticketmaster have used to rapidly change prices based on demand.
The public vented their anger online, and even politicians called Wendy’s out for taking advantage of American families.
Wendy’s had to issue a statement clarifying that they weren’t looking to introduce “surge” pricing, as some media outlets had reported, and that they had “no plans to raise prices when our customers are visiting us most.”
6. The Royal Photoshop Disaster
They say a picture is worth 1000 words – and more than 1000 words were written about the photo Kensington Palace released of Kate Middleton and her children on Mother’s Day this year.
Royal watchers were quick to identify the image had been photoshopped – badly.
The Associated Press and Getty Images were among those who issued a “kill notice” to media organizations around the world, saying the image failed to meet standards that protect the public from misinformation.
This decision put internet sleuths and conspiracy theorists into overdrive, as they began to hypothesize what was “really” going on in the Royal Family.
The photo — and the odd apology that quickly followed it — resulted in scandal, damaged reputations, and a loss of trust for the Royal Family.
5. Creepy Guys Named Gregg
Sports journalist Gregg Doyel found himself benched (hehe) in May after a creepy interaction with Indiana Fever basketball star Caitlin Clark.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and sports journalist Gregg Doyel
His awkward exchange with Clark during her first local press conference saw him suspended from his job at the Indianapolis Star, and banned from attending any Indiana Fever games in person.
And across the pond in November, MasterChef host Gregg Wallace found himself getting cooked (hehe) after a baker’s dozen of allegations of misconduct came to light.
He did not help his case when he took to instagram days later to blast the “middle class women of a certain age” who had raised concerns over his inappropriate behaviour in the workplace over a 17-year-period.
His MasterChef career may be over, but he did inspire a new line of merchandise…
4. CEOs Being Creepy Online
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wanted to hire actor Scarlett Johansson to voice their Sky AI model.
But she declined.
He then released a Sky model that sounded eerily similar to Johansson — and even tweeted the word “her” (a nod to Altman’s “favorite movie” — where Johansson voiced an AI assistant).
Coincidence?
Johansson hired legal counsel, and Altman announced they were pausing Sky’s voice “out of respect” for Ms. Johansson.
“We are sorry to Ms. Johnsson that we didn’t communicate better,” read the statement.
Riiiight…
What Altman did wasn’t just a communication failure — it was an ethical failure.
And speaking of CEOs being creepy, I’m still scratching my head about why Elon Musk posted this message to Taylor Swift in September:
Variety’s headline said it best:
“Elon Musks’s Offer to Father a Child with Taylor Swift Elicits Disgust: ‘You’re Creepy. Full Stop.’
3. Cowardly CEOs and Companies
Speaking of Musk, let’s not forget how Tesla laid off some of their workforce in April this year…
Some employees found out they lost their job via email — while others were informed when their access badge stopped working.
This rings true with how Musk has let staff go from Twitter.
But it’s still a cowardly – and cruel – way to treat employees.
Creepy, cowardly and cruel?
You earned your coal again, Elon!
And Musk wasn’t the only one showing a lack of courage communicating difficult decisions…
When millennial activewear brand Outdoor Voices abruptly closed its stores in March, employees were quick to call out the company’s poor communication — and the cruelty of the company’s chair, Ashley Merrill.
“Please be kind to the team if you do choose to shop, we are all losing our steady jobs,” read a sign on one of the store doors, announcing the shop’s closure.
“Ashley Merrill our CEO has not told anyone a reason why she chose to do this and was posting cat memes on her instagram the day everyone was told.”
2. Kyte Baby is a Dysfunctional Family
Ying Liu, CEO of children’s clothing company Kyte Baby, probably had a lot of sleepless nights after her company went viral — for all the wrong reasons.
Kyte Baby claims to be a “family” on their website, but felt like a dysfunctional family after they failed to support their employee when she adopted a 22-week-old baby (who was in the NICU).
Instead of showing their employee care or empathy, they threatened to fire her.
And then the story went viral.
While Kyte Baby’s decision may have been controversial, it was the cold, unfeeling way it was communicated by the Kyte Baby CEO (in TikTok videos, no less) that led to customers trashing the brand and calling for a boycott.
1. Don’t Mess With Us
When Internet Brands wanted to “inform” their employees it was time to return to the office, they chose an interesting way to communicate the message.
Their CEO and other leaders appeared in a bizarre video where the Mardi Gras staple “Iko Iko” played in the background, as they told employees they had to get back to the office in order to “crush” the competition (emphasized with a visual of a can being crushed).
Oddly, many of the leaders in the video appeared to be in front of green screens — and I’m still wondering why people were seen dancing at the end while “we mean business or don’t mess with us” appeared on the screen!?
Companies may want to change their employees’ work arrangements — but this is not how they should communicate it.
This is one of those “you have to see it to believe it” stories, so here you go.
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Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and “Best and Worst” lists.
She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.
Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm, and an endless supply of pop culture references.
To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com
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