4 minutes read time.
A day or two ago, I stumbled upon a post on LinkedIn claiming that mistakes have no place in a successful process. To put it mildly, I passionately disagree. Mistakes, particularly happy accidents, are a key part of what makes things interesting—especially in creative fields like advertising, art, or filmmaking. Especially in an age where we’re surrounded by perfect filters and polished visuals—but that’s a topic for another day. Right now, let’s dive into a few projects where mistakes transformed them from solid to iconic.
Some of the best “oops” moments turned into classics.
Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl “Oops”
In 1979, Coca-Cola aired what would become one of the most iconic Super Bowl ads of all time, featuring NFL legend “Mean” Joe Greene. The synopsis was simple: a young fan offers Greene a Coke, he takes a sip, says thanks, and walks away. Not much to it. Well, Greene, in what was essentially a mix-up, drank the entire bottle of Coke instead of just taking a sip. It wasn’t planned, but the visual of him downing the whole thing added a layer of sincerity and relatability.
That unintentional moment of refreshment redefined the tone of the ad, leading to a tender and memorable scene where Greene, in gratitude, tosses the kid his jersey. This happy mistake catapulted the ad into pop culture history. The scene has since been parodied on everything from Family Guy to Coca-Cola’s own 2009 tribute commercial with Troy Polamalu. If Greene had just sipped the Coke like he was supposed to? The ad would’ve still been good, but it probably wouldn’t have become a timeless classic.
When a Shark Didn’t Bite
In 1975, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws was poised to be a monster hit (pun intended), but only if its star—a mechanical shark named Bruce—would actually work. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
The shark, which was supposed to make frequent appearances on screen, was a mechanical nightmare. It either broke down or flat-out refused to work, which put Spielberg in a bind. With the production dragging on and money running out, he had to improvise. Instead of showing the shark directly, he leaned into suspense, allowing the audience to imagine the terror lurking just beneath the surface. The film became a psychological thriller, with the eerie score (those iconic duunnn dun… duuun dun) building the tension.
What may have looked like a disaster while filming became a masterclass in suspense, largely due to what wasn’t shown on screen. Spielberg’s “happy mistake” (which might have felt like a “nerve-wracking malfunction” during filming) turned Jaws into a genre-defining film.
McCartney’s “Scrambled Eggs” to “Yesterday”
Music has its own share of happy mistakes. We’ll skip the most well-known, Louie Louie by The Kingsmen, a 1963 song that is practically the anthem of happy accidents (a messy song, with lyrics made up on the spot that later launched an FBI investigation, recorded in a single take) and go directly to Paul McCartney’s legendary song Yesterday.
The tune came to him in a dream, but when he woke up, the only words that came to mind were “Scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I love your legs.” Well, not exactly chart-topping material, especially not in the sixties.
Luckily, McCartney didn’t toss the melody out with the scrambled eggs. He let the tune simmer, refining the lyrics over time until it evolved into the melancholic ballad we know today as Yesterday. This little lyrical mishap resulted in one of the most covered songs of all time. If McCartney had held on to perfection, we might never have heard it.
The Power of the Vuvuzela: A Sonic Branding Win
Returning to the world of advertising with one more happy accident. In 2010, during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, an unexpected sound made its way into the world’s living rooms—the droning buzz of the vuvuzela. What was supposed to be a local fan tradition suddenly turned into an international sonic phenomenon. Brands were quick to pounce on it.
Take Hyundai, for example. They used the vuvuzela’s “annoying” sound (and it is annoying) in their commercials, even incorporating it into jingles. The company even constructed the world’s largest functioning vuvuzela, which was about 35 meters long, as part of their campaign. What started as a noisy, unintentional disruption became a brand’s creative moment. Hyundai’s clever twist made the vuvuzela part of their World Cup identity. So, that supposedly obnoxious noise became a tool for memorable branding, sticking in consumers’ minds—for better or for worse—long after the Cup was over.
Embracing the Beautiful Missteps
Mistakes are not just allowed—they’re often what lead to the most enduring cultural moments. Creativity doesn’t come from getting everything right the first time—some of the best ideas, ads, films, and songs we know and love today exist because something didn’t go according to plan. Even penicillin was… well, a mistake in our context. Perfectionism is overrated anyway, and even if things go wrong, they can also go very, very right.