This year marked the 30th anniversary of Liebeck v. McDonald’s, the lawsuit that changed disposable drinking cups forever. Prior to Liebeck’s infamous case, McDonald’s had already burned more than 700 people, including children, by knowingly serving coffee heated to 190°F—hot enough to cause third-degree burns in seconds. When Liebeck suffered such injuries, a jury awarded her $3 million, and warnings like “Caution: Contents Hot” started showing up on cups everywhere.
We might consider the warning redundant, as a customer ordering a hot drink expects it to be hot, but we know in communications every word we do (or don’t) say matters. Small oversights can lead to big consequences, including financial and/or reputational costs.
Whether drafting a descriptive message, putting together a product package, or even crafting clues for a gameshow, paying careful attention to content is crucial. Let’s look at a few recent examples in the news and see what we can learn.
1. I Can't Believe It's Butter
Costco voluntarily recalled approximately 80,000 pounds of butter after discovering its ingredients label missed mentioning the word: “milk.” 
According to the FDA, the recall was classified as a Class II, which means the use of, or exposure to the butter “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences” for those allergic to milk. It’s unknown whether anyone suffered from an allergic reaction to the mislabeled butter, but Costco proactively chose the path of protecting people (and its reputation). Even if all 80,000 pounds of butter are returned, the financial cost—estimated around $300,000—pales in comparison to Costco’s reported $7.37 billion profit in 2023. By acting swiftly and transparently, Costco reinforced its commitment to customer safety and trust.
Short of avoiding the error in the first place through a careful content review, Costco did everything right here. The company acted immediately, clearly, and prioritized the safety of its customers.
2. Oh, Mattell!!! No Rest for the Wicked.
Mattel made a major messaging mess of its own just in the last few weeks when it released special-edition dolls to celebrate the premiere of the new movie Wicked. Mattel’s mistake was in the same vein as Costco’s, but instead of leaving something off its product packaging, Mattel included the wrong URL on it—a web address which accidentally pointed you toward a porn site versus the movie’s website.
In a public statement, Mattel said:
“Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel ‘Wicked’ collection dolls, primarily sold in the U.S., which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page. We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect websites are not appropriate for children. Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link and may contact Mattel Customer Service for further information.”
While Mattel’s response hit many of the right notes, it stopped short of a full recall—a move some critics argue was necessary. Social media reactions were far less forgiving than those toward Costco, likely because Mattel’s mistake involved directing children to inappropriate content. Regarding the erroneous website in question, searches for the URL spiked to their highest levels in over a decade, compounding the fallout.
3. How to Bring Home the Bacon?
And finally, the long-running quiz gameshow Jeopardy! made an unforced messaging mistake of its own. A clue in the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category caused contestants and fans to react, with the show’s host, Ken Jennings, making an apology on stage.
The clue in question read: “Men seldom make passes at…”
And the correct response was: “Girls who wear glasses.”
The phrase originally was coined by poet and fiction writer Dorothy Parker in the 1920s-1930s. Parker was known for her caustic wit, and this clue allegedly has been used on the show in some form many times since the 80s. But before this moment, it hadn’t made an appearance on Jeopardy! in more than a decade.
Heather Ryan, health program director, was the only female contestant that day and happened to be wearing glasses. After the clue and answer were read aloud, host Jennings said, “Yeah, a little problematic… Sorry, Heather.”
Fans took to social media, not finding the clue funny and questioning its continued use. Ryan has responded to reporters since with, “I think it made everybody in the audience and onstage, and Ken Jennings, too, a little uncomfortable… Maybe we choose better rhyming phrases in 2024.” Despite the very public criticism, Jeopardy! has been silent on the matter.
At minimum, a thorough check for outdated clue content is clearly in order. At best, it would have been nice to see the gameshow share a statement apologizing and affirming it will apply an inclusive lens to clues going forward.
… 🦗🦗🦗 …
A Closing Thought
These three examples made the news, but in all fairness, I want to note that this can happen to any of us. We at Fearey often include a line in our job postings that seeks to uncover candidates with great attention to detail (see the last bullet below and note the purposeful misspelling in the word).
And while this is not a total dealbreaker to get hired at Fearey, applicants that do flag the misspelling absolutely find their way to the top of the review pile. Because as we’ve learned, these seemingly minor copy errors can have an enormous impact.
Onward we go until the next PR failure. Drop me a note about what you’re seeing out there in the wide world of communications.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, and I’ll see you next month!
Best,
Aaron Blank
President and CEO
Fearey