Malaysia Airlines were forced to rename their latest marketing campaign to win back customers after the ‘Ultimate Bucket List’ giveaway was deemed insensitive.
The airline opened the competition to residents of New Zealand and Australia who were being given the chance to win free flights by describing destinations that were on their ‘bucket list’.
Customers were invited to submit a 500 character entry about their desired destinations
The backlash from the contest happened almost immediately, as the airline was criticised for its word choice, which was said to be of 'poor taste'.
The campaign backfired in the wake of a tragic year for the airline that saw the MH370 and MH17 disasters, with the loss of 537 people.
Bucket list is a phrase used by people when they are describing something that they want to do before they die or ‘kick the bucket’.
The company quickly moved to rebrand the competition, and is now asking customers to describe their ultimate to do list.
The airline also stated that they had not intended to cause offence with the promotion.
