Ads Gone Bad
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Burger King
Burger King's 7-inch Ad
The ad: With the tag line "It'll blow your mind away" and a picture of a woman about to bite into a 7-inch long tubular burger, this Burger King ad doesn't leave much to the imagination. While the ad isn't being used in the U.S. -- it's for a product being distributed in Singapore -- it is making the rounds on the Web, and causing quite a stir. Click through for more ads gone bad!
For more information and to see the ad, see the Asylum. -
Courting Controversy
Of course advertising is supposed to be original, catchy and -- if done well -- thought-provoking. But some ads cross the line from creative to controversial.
Our writers review commercials that have brought scandal and shame on the companies and products they were intended to promote. Did these ads deserve the complaints? You be the judge. -
The ad:Camel may have violated a ten-year promise by the tobacco industry to stop using cartoons in ads. Attorney generals in nine states sued camel over a nine-page ad spread in a 2007 Rolling Stone that used illustrations. A court in Philadelphia ruled recently that the drawings, produced by the magazine and promoting independent music, is a violation.
For more information, see the Wall Street Journal. -
Six Flags
The ad: Six Flags ran a series of ads in which a Japanese spokesman compared the humdrum routine of ordinary life with the thrills to be found at a Six Flags park.
The complaint: The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund found the spokesman a demeaning stereotype.
The verdict: Unlike the figure in the ads, the company remained mum.
More on Six Flags Ads
Next: Wendy’s -
Terry Gilliam, AP
Wendy’s
The ad: Office workers suck helium, then float around the ceiling talking in high voices. One man in a red pigtailed Wendy's wig looks thoughtful and refrains, "Don't fill up on just anything." A voiceover calls for eating a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger instead.
The complaint: The National Inhalant Prevention Council complained the ad was promoting dangerous inhalants.
The verdict: Wendy's spokespeople felt the complaint was ridiculous; consumers agreed.
More on Wendy's Ads
Next: Cablevision -
Ed Betz, AP
Cablevision
The ad: To sell its 'Triple Play' package (cable, internet and phone), Cablevision hired famous reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, who was shown rapping and cavorting with three nubile young women.
The complaint: Some found the rapper-style ostentation demeaning to the Spanish-speaking public. Others took offense at the "Triple Play" tag, a slang reference to a particular sexual behavior.
The verdict: The company stonewalled.
More on Cablevision Ads
Next: Dunkin Donuts -
Dunkin' Donuts | AP
Dunkin Donuts
The ad: Rachael Ray drinks a Dunkin Donuts Cool Latte in a brief online ad. She is wearing a black-and-white fringed paisley scarf.
The complaint: Conservative pundit Michelle Malkin likens the scarf to the keffiyeh, a traditional Muslim headdress worn by some Palestinian extremists, calling Ray to task for promoting terrorism.
The verdict: While the paisley scarf was not a keffiyeh, and in fact was chosen by Ray's stylist, Dunkin Donuts pulls the ad.
More on Dunkin' Donuts Ad
Next: Public Storage -
Public Storage
The ad: The television spot featured the voice of a frugal New Yorker pondering the shrinking value of a dollar and using the Yiddish exclamation, “Oy!”
The complaint: Some viewers complained the ad was anti-Semetic.
The verdict: A Spike TV blogger called it the most anti-semitic ad ever. Our blogger disagrees.
More on Public Storage Ad
Next: Nike -
AP
Nike
The ad: Nike created print ads depicting basketball players dunking over one another in potentially homo-erotic positions with slogans like 'That Ain't Right.'
The complaint: One of the slogans on the ad campaign, "Punks Jump Up," was the title of a rap song promoting violence against gays.
The verdict: After initially supporting the ads despite wide criticism on blogs, Nike decided to pull the ad campaign with apologies.
More on Nike Ads
Next: Dolce & Gabbana -
Mark Mainz, Getty Images
Dolce & Gabbana
The ad: The noted fashion house has run an ongoing series of sex-charged ads, including one where a woman is pinned down by one man as four others look on.
The complaint: There are lots, but the ad cited above caused an Italian minister to accuse the company of inciting gang rape.
The verdict: Despite public outcry, the company thrives.
More on Dolce & Gabbana Ads
Next: Taco Bell -
Taco Bell
The ad: Running from 1997 to 2000, Taco Bell's ad campaign featuring the chalupa-loving chihuahua was one of the most popular ever. The Taco Bell dog also made appearances in Hollywood films and late-night talk shows.
The complaint: Some Hispanic groups thought the spokes-canine was an ethnic stereoptype.
The verdict: The ad was a hit for the company, but our blogger, and many others, found it annoying.
More on Taco Bell Ads
Next: Carl’s Jr -
Carl’s Jr
The ad: In 2005, the chain hired Paris Hilton to shill its new Spicy Burger. Her orgasmic car wash scenario may have sold some burgers, but it also raised the ire of many social conservatives.
The complaint: The Parent Television Council termed it "soft porn."
The verdict: Perhaps it's only a coincidence, but the company's stock is down 20% since Paris burned.
More on Carl's Jr Ad
Next: Go Daddy -
Go Daddy
Go Daddy
The ad: In the aftermath of Janet Jackson's Nipplegate, internet registrar GoDaddy.com made a Superbowl commercial showing a busty model struggling to keep her top on as she "testifies" before a group of politicians.
The complaint: Some viewers were amused, but others found it tasteless and borderline obscene.
The verdict: Fox TV pulled it after one appearance.
More on Go Daddy Ad
Next: Verizon -
PRNewsFoto | Verizon Wireless
Verizon
The ad: In the commercial that ran this summer, a guy scaled a junkyard fence and faced off two angry, chained up pitt bulls to get his hands on a new phone.
The complaint: Animal activists say the casual depiction of abused and neglected pits, the most abused breed, makes abuse seem acceptable.
The verdict: Verizon pulled the ad. And, wait, what was that phone doing on a car hood inside a junkyard anyway?
More on Verizon Ad
Next: Miller Beer -
Miller Brewing Company | AP
Miller Beer
The ad: A poster promoting The Folsom Street Fair, the culminating event of Leather Pride Week in San Francisco which was sponsored by Miller, showed a group garbed in kinky leather posed like Da Vinci's Last Supper.
The complaint: The Catholic League launched a boycott.
The verdict: Miller Beer could not backtrack fast enough from its sponsorship.
More on Miller Beer Ad
Next: Snickers -
Masterfoods USA
Snickers
The ad: The television spot shows two mechanics who find a Snickers bar so delicious that they accidentally kiss while eating from both ends. Then they need to prove their manly non-gayness by ripping their chest hair.
The complaint: Belittles gays.
The verdict: Snickers ran, then pulled, a second gay-themed ad. Maybe they got too much attention from the first?
More on Snickers Ad
Next: SalesGenie -
Salesgenie.com
SalesGenie
The ad: Salesgenie.com extolled the virtues of its lead-generator service by way of two talking pandas, complete with Chinese accents and bamboo-furniture store.
The complaint: Viewers were appalled by what they considered a racist representation of Asian-Americans.
The verdict: The company agreed to stop running the ad.
More on Salesgenie.com Ads
Next: Calvin Klein -
Calvin Klein
The ad: Calvin Klein's most controversial ads featured videos that mimic screen tests for low-budget skin flicks, in which lightly-clad young men and women answer creepy, innuendo-laden questions from an off-screen interviewer.
The complaint: The company faced accusations of child porn and threats from retailers to quit carrying the line.
The verdict: Klein pulled the ad.
More on Calvin Klein Ad
Next: McDonald’s -
Scott Olson, Getty Images
McDonald’s
The ad: An online banner ad shows a young man looking longingly at a double cheeseburger and then flashes "I'd hit it."
The complaint: The youth slang in question actually means, "I'd like to have sex with him or her," not, "I'd like to eat that cheeseburger" as the copywriters apparently thought.
The verdict: McDonald's halted the campaign, but bloggers find the gaffe endlessly amusing.
More on McDonald's Ads
Next: Thomas Edison -
Thomas Edison
The ad: Ads that court controversy aren't new. Back in 1903, to make his case that DC was safer than AC current, Thomas Edison "Westinghoused" -- his term for electrocuted – Topsy the elephant and distributed films of the event.
The complaint: Animal rights advocates were up in arms.
The verdict: For the next 100 years, the world would disdain Edison's DC current in favor of competitor Westinghouse's AC.
More on Thomas Edison
Next: More From AOL -
Everett Collections
DirecTV
The ad: DirecTV takes a classic movie scene from 'Poltergeist' to promote its TV service. It features Craig T. Nelson, who played the dad in the 1982 movie, and Heather O'Rourke who played little Carol Anne.
The complaint: Many say the ad is in bad taste and exploitative, given that O'Rourke died tragically at age 12.
The verdict: O'Rourke's mother reportedly approved the concept and thought the finished spot was "a wonderful tribute to her daughter." DirecTV has no plans to pull the ad.
Next: Motrin -
YouTube.com
Motrin
The ad: Animated text with voice-over by a mom talking about her back pain from wearing her baby in a sling. See the ad!
The complaint: Moms who favor "babywearing" didn't appreciate the ad's negativity, especially during International Babywearing Week.
The verdict: Motrin pulled the ad immediately from TV and Internet rotation, and issued an apology on its Web site. It attempted to pull all print versions, but some were already on newsstands.
More about the ad.
Next: Burger King -
Burger King
The ad: Burger King is running its Whopper Virgin ad campaign showing a taste test between a Whopper and a Big Mac. The participants are villagers from around the world who have never eaten -- let alone seen -- a burger.
The complaint: Critics say the ads ignore the poverty and hunger in these areas of the world.
The verdict: Burger King global marketing president Russ Klein replied to critics, saying that food "was bountiful in all of those communities." Either way, bad press is still good press if it sells more burgers.
Next: Coca-Cola -
Coca-Cola Co. is publishing ads in Australia newspapers correcting an earlier ad campaign with Australian actress Kerry Armstrong that claimed the soda doesn't cause tooth decay or obesity and is not over-caffeinated. The original campaign featured Armstrong addressing the "myths" about the health consequences of drinking Coca-Cola.
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Cassandra Hubbart, AOL
The ad: Cheerios has long been claiming health benefits to its cereal, specifically for the last two years that it is "clinically proven to lower cholesterol." So now the FDA is warning General Mills that statements like that will classify the product as a drug and subject it to regulation.
For more information, see the Wall Street Journal.
Next: Six Flags -
AP
Budweiser
The ad: Budweiser is courting the adult crowd with a viral ad that first sprang up in February and is making the rounds again. The ad features a man buying beer and a pornographic magazine, who ends up in being pretty embarrassed by his purchases. Time Magazine looks into the controversy -- or lack thereof -- and contemplates a kind of "porn creep" that is making pop culture reference to porn not as shocking today as they once were.
For more information and to see the ad, see the Time Magazine. -
In Your Opinion:
More Stores in Decline
Is there a store in your mall or local shopping district that looks like it has one foot in the grave? You know, clothes in disarray, lightbulbs out, no crowds ...
Share your stories of shops that have seen (much) better days.
Share What You've Seen: This Store Is Doing So Poorly ...More in Money & Finance:
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Recent Comments
Spiritheart745 01:05:18 AM Nov 21 2009
Most ads nowadays are annoying,but that's what works.Like them or not,the more annoying the ad,the more people remember it.
Mozartadel 01:34:03 PM Jul 06 2009
I wonder why all you complainers do not cook an excellent meal for yourselves. At home. In your clean kitchen with absolutely fresh ingredients. If you insist on being a slob you are usually treated like a slob. Who needs Burger King?
Vettman1963 03:22:01 PM Jun 29 2009
My opnion of Burger King is that they are the filthiest fast food chain around. Next time you go through the drive thru look inside and check out the kitchen and see the conditions and how your food is prepared. Add this to the employees sitting around outside smoking, trash in the lot and around the dumpsters. WOW !!!!!!!!!!
SHam786364 01:03:46 AM Jun 27 2009
PART TWO OF MY FIRST SEEN BELOW? ............. the blue collar black worker all the way up to the White House would have the ad agency and MIller swinging from the gallows!!!
SHam786364 01:01:05 AM Jun 27 2009
The most disgusting, race inciting ad that has me totally unscrewed in the Miller Beer commercial. The one where the large tough looking chatter box goes into a true private booth at the horse track, and the night club. Sashing through talking the trash and stealing the beer back that the people have paid for. The acting as "The Robin HOOD" and giving the beer to the other people in the hood. This one commercial has taken the US race relations and thrown it back forty years! If I were black I am sure that I would still the same. Another thing, among a ton of other completely disgusting ad, is that the people were the upper crust of the population. All in, what seems to have been, private entertainment of friends. Maybe a large business treating clients letting them live the rich and famous for a day. I am sorry to have ever seen the ad. What would have been said if it were a big tattooed white guy engaged in the same act of piracy? I am afraid that evey one from the blue co
Shamarwon 10:15:47 PM Jun 26 2009
Every single ad, whether it is analog, digital or hard copy (on paper) will be found offensive by at least one person. We all look at the ads and everything around us from our moral point of view, that is why these ads affect us differently and to different levels. If we are uptight and repressed then we will see sex in everything and think of a woman showing her ankle as dirty. Someone who is free and ummm...giving, will not think anything of these ads because they have no morals. Advertisers make these ads because they get noticed and it is what people love to see they may object in public but they are still watching it. They will still go out and buy the products, even though they say the ads are objectionable. The only way to avoid all this is to go live with the Amish, they live separate and apart from anything modern. You will be quite satisfied there.
Maggiemutammy 10:12:42 PM Jun 26 2009
Freedom of Speech and Advertising. Get a grip and clear your minds. Are you gonna pick everything apart. Turn off the tvg, don't frequent these places, but lets still have a choice.
CPerky 7 09:51:59 PM Jun 26 2009
I think Hardee's "Meat" ad is in the worst taste ever. It is the one that should be pulled from that air.
Lynnyj8 08:55:16 PM Jun 26 2009
<Once again America's obsession with sex. So So SAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No wonder other countries hate us!!!>Apparently you've never seen European TV.
Bdingohellsk8er 08:34:22 PM Jun 26 2009
first off burger king food sucks~i was offended by the earlier commercal "I LOVE SQUARE BUTTS~NOW THATS BOOOTY~AND WAS AIMED AT CHILDREN????BURGER KING HAS DONE LOST THIER RETARDED MINES~SORRY~PLUS LIKE I SAID THEIR FOOD SUCKS~
