Was the 100 Flowers Campaign a failure?

Basically the title. The more I read about it, the more it seems like an abject failure to capture the nation's mood which let to greater repression (something the campaign was trying to avoid). To what extent can it be considered a failure?

As an added thought: alongside the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, I'm questioning Mao as a statesman. Obviously he wasn't working alone, but he has been pointed to in places as the primary driver behind these policies. Is that convenient finger-pointing, opportunistic anti-communist propaganda, or something else?