Tell me about a campaign that failed. How did you spot it, what did you do, and what did you learn?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests ownership & bias for results. Owns outcomes including failures, moves quickly to fix underperformance and explains what they learned.
• What to bring out: Honest ownership, early detection through metrics, a quick response and a lesson applied to later work.
• Expect a follow-up like: How did you communicate the failure to stakeholders?

Another way it may be asked: Describe a marketing effort that did not work. What happened and what would you do differently?

A structure to follow: STAR, with the weight on Action and Result

1. Step 1

   Situation

   One or two sentences: where, when and what was at stake. Pick a real example you were close to.

2. Step 2

   Task

   What you personally were responsible for. Say "I", not only "we", so the ownership & bias for results you showed is visible.

3. Step 3

   Action

   The two or three things you did and why you chose them over the alternatives. This should be about half your answer.

4. Step 4

   Result

   What changed, in your own measure of it, and what you would do differently. Only use numbers you can stand behind.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Describing what the team did without saying what you did.
• Choosing an example with no clear outcome, or one you cannot answer detailed questions about.
• Ending on the action and skipping the result and what you learned.

How to practise it

Write two bullet points for each STAR letter, then say the answer aloud in about two minutes.

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