LEON’s latest marketing ploy is making me cringe

Creating unique and memorable ad campaigns is no easy task in the internet age, but some online marketing trends are just an instant flop. I regret to inform you that the latest offender is none other than fast food chain LEON, which is guilty of one of my biggest marketing pet peeves to date – fake 'leaked' emails.

From static billboard advertising to large-scale interactive campaigns, marketing is a fluid and unpredictable world that requires innovation to stand out from the crowd. Among recent trends, the accidental email 'leak' trick comes across as a cheap and disingenuous tactic that lures in audiences through deception – appropriating candid human error to soullessly flog the latest products.

In a recent promotional email to subscribers, Leon launched a sneaky campaign that appeared to leak a series of confidential internal emails about the return of the popular 'Lucky Katsu' meal. With bland design and red text at the top of the email reading "CONFIDENTIAL – INTERNAL ONLY", at first glance it seems convincing – but one look at the copy instantly blows its cover.

"Imagine crispy, golden chicken nuggets covered in our creamy katsu sauce, finished with tangy pickled radish and fresh herbs, all served on brown rice. Plus, it's gluten-free! We think it’s time for a grand return. What do you think?" the email reads – very natural, totally not salesy and on the nose at all.

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Click across to see the whole 'leaked' email chain.

Click across to see the whole 'leaked' email chain.

The responses aren't much better – "A katsu with a LEON twist. What’s not to love?" the email exchange continues, "P.S. Don’t worry - your secret is safe with us ;)". The mixture of cringy copy paired with the unnatural marketing tone creates an uncanny combination that feels extremely forced and a little belittling to Leon's subscribers – masquerading marketing under an awkward and dishonest ploy.

It's not the first occurrence of this type of misleading marketing – a similar tactic was used back in June by cosmetics brand Charlotte Tilbury, 'accidentally' leaking before and after results for its new Unreal Skin product to newsletter subscribers. Staged as an email between Charlotte Tilbury herself and the brand's Director of Scientific Development, at least this campaign had a bit more nuance and believability behind it, leading some subscribers to be momentarily fooled.

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While this marketing tactic certainly gets people talking, it's the very definition of low-hanging fruit, luring in customers with cheap, sleazy practices. As a consumer, it's off-putting to be baited and deceived by a brand, regardless of whether or not it's intended as a playful marketing scheme. Not only does this method erode trust between a brand and its audience, but disregards the power of clever copy and thoughtful graphic design – a tepid attempt at the anti-marketing marketing trend that just reads as desperate and painfully forced.

It's not to say that anti-marketing can't be done well. Oslo’s recent sarcastic tourism ad breaks every marketing rule and still succeeds thanks to its delightfully clever dry humour. With rises in anti-design like Charli XCX's Brat marketing, it's increasingly clear that consumers want a more human approach to branding. Shedding the conventions of corporate marketing is a tricky task, but until brands are brave enough to let loose, the result will be a cringy hybridised attempt at relatability that's held back by polished marketing speak.