There’s good advertising that makes you convinced you can’t live without the product or service. Then, there's excellent advertising that proves it’s a form of art, just like these mind-bending and clever billboard ads.
And then, you've got hilariously bad advertising. When you see one, you know it. Whether it’s product placing that has gone wrong, a slogan that sounds way off, or an overall design that gives people second and third thoughts, these are the ad fails worthy of the prize.
So let’s buckle up for a fun ride which is basically a masterclass on how not to “create and produce an ad,” as compiled in this list by Bored Panda. Take notes, kids, it’s about to get heavy.
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This Ad For Graduation Photography
I Pass This Billboard Everyday And Everyday I Think He’s A Vampire
There are so many ways an advertising campaign, a billboard, a print ad, and a commercial can go wrong. But one of the greatest faux pas is “false advertising.” The term refers to ads that use misleading, dishonest, and plain “false” assumptions in their content in order to promote or market products and services.
One should remember to respect the consumers who, as a result of the ad, may feel lied to and fooled. Such negative ads rapidly create a very bad image of a brand, and it can lead to various biases about it.
As a result, sales immediately suffer and it takes ages to gain back consumers’ trust in the brand. Thus, false advertising is one of the most dangerous mistakes you can make while advertising your product and it never, ever pays off.
This Ad Placement
This looks like my phone, everything I even think about something, out of nothing come all the advertising.
I Used To Be Able To See The Towel On Her Head
Another form of unethical advertising is ads that employ misrepresentation of a product or a service in a way that use a subliminal message to fit the brand's hidden agenda. These kinds of ads often use deception and manipulation to make consumers want their product or service and believe they can't live without it.
For example, Reebok launched an infamous “Cheat On Your Girlfriend, Not Your Workout” ad campaign back to 2012 and received immediate backlash. Initially, the ad was intended to motivate consumers, but in turn, it spread the wrong message and encouraged infidelity.
This Guy Must Be Feeling Pretty Great On This Ad
I Think She Should Go To The Hospital Instead Of Booking A Flight
The sportswear brand acknowledged the ad was offensive and pulled it, as many consumers were boycotting the brand. They wrote an open letter that stated: “This form of advertising shows a dishonest and disrespectful attitude towards women and your company should be ashamed to have even placed this ad in various places thinking it would be perceived in any other way.”
Moreover, the Federal Trade Commission deemed the campaign false advertising in its unsubstantiated claims about exercise benefits, and Reebok was made to pay a $25 million fine.
Math Is Hard. Don't Let It Get You Down
Well, Now That The Floors Are Clean
A Bag Of Apples With A Character On It That Got Poisoned By An Apple
Just wondering —does anyone know what language this is/ what country it’s in?
Another controversial ad example that made a tremendous negative impact on brand image was the series of ads by Protein World released 5 years ago in London Underground. One of its posters asking "Are you beach body ready?" caused public outrage and even sparked vigilante acts of vandalism.
There were 378 official complaints regarding the body-shaming campaign filed to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority. Moreover, a petition to have the ads removed was launched, and demonstrations followed.
How Did They Not See This?
Yeah, Very Flexible
"Join Hands" To Make Hospitals "Infection Free"
I’m Certain They Could Have Used A Better Slogan
Wow! What A Bargain
If You’re Going To Use The Dumbbell As An “I” Then You Don’t Need Another “I”
In 2017, Dove released an ad clip on Facebook for Dove body wash where a black woman was pictured removing her top and morphing into a white woman after she used the product. Such portrayal was not only horrendously racist, it promoted “whitewashing” and sparked a well-deserved outrage.
Coming from a powerhouse like Dove, which, according to their slogan, champions "real beauty," the ad seriously damaged the brand's reputation.
I Followed This Bus For 4 Blocks To Wait For It To Pull Over To Share This Beautiful Work Of Art
Finally, A Shower That Works With My Broken Neck
Mother-Daughter Bonding At Its Finest
The Implication That This Tooth Has Genitals
Sometimes The Answer Is In The Box Too
Do you really need to cheat by going outside the grid AFTER you took 6 turns to your opponent’s 3?
According to the Online Marketing Institute, “bad commercials often try for a quality that the good ones have, and fall short of the mark, or else lack it completely.” And one of the worst things you can do as a brand building an ad campaign is treating your customers like fools, which “means talking down to them and trivializing their values, beliefs, or experiences.”
Bread So Emo It Slices Itself
The Brazilian Vaccination Mascot Looks Like KKK
Even though it looks creepy you have to take into account that there is no KKK in Brazil and most Brazilians wouldn't think about KKK.
I Only Saw The Left Window At First And Got Very Confused
Let God Arse
took me a minute to figure out the sword is meant to be an 'I' and it's Thursday, not even a Monday #PrayForMe
It Almost Seems Intentional
In reality, consumers are humans and a good ad needs a human touch to it to be convincing, appealing, and interesting. Sometimes, though, brands decide to take a shortcut into consumers' hearts by manipulating their feelings, which in turn results in lazy, tone-deaf, and appalling advertising disasters.
Fantastic Ad Placement
We Cut Kids
The Quotation Marks On This Sign Gives It A Malevolent Undertone
This Guy's Frog Legs Featured In An Ad
Creating a good ad is somewhat of a form of art, and although mistakes happen even to the best of us, some are forgivable, and others, not so much. In the end, the sales and brand perception tell it all.
Saw This Ad For A Shirt That’s Supposed To Say Saturday
"Hide The Pain Harold" Becomes Face Of French Coronavirus "Thank You, Heroes" Campaign
This Woman Turning Into A Fish Roll
Finally A Realistic Mannequins In Women's Lingerie Store
This Monstrosity
Found This In An Ad Today
Then Why Should I Buy One?
Hard Hats Are For Safety
This Colon Cleanse Ad Is So Bad It's Hilarious
This Ebay Advertisement For A Sleep Mask Photo Shopped Out Her Nose And Left One Nostril
This Really Odd Advertisement For Transit Around My City (Where Did The Bus Driver Come From?)
Seriously?
Yes, The Earth
That’s A Pokemon In The Bag
This Library Poster
Looking at these ads, i'm sure they're smoking something. Maybe a clichee but a true one. 😂😂
This is a library in the Netherlands, so you know what they've been smoking.
Load More Replies...There are loads of businesses where I swear they’re not just smoking or chewing on edibles, they must be snorting something too. Copiously. Not just ad designers, either. Look at fashion, architecture, furniture, and other design jobs where people either fancy themselves as “artists”, or really “clever” when they definitely are NOT either.
I think we just notice things better and we do not walk past it without taking a proper photo
It says: "The Library, Service point ship loudspeakers" According to Google Translate. W U T
It's not too bad if you only look at one side at a time, but you can't do that, can you?
Makes no damn sense...even if the pic hadn't been divided like that.
Ou eh la biblioteque ? Ah, that French I learned in middle school is constantly coming in handy
My dreams are going to be about this girl and she's the person in the Brazilian vaccination mascot costume.
This is just pure laziness. Using the mirror image was faster than taking the other half of this photo.
Ah Yes, China, My Favorite Food
Actually, On Second Thought, I’m Not So Hungry
Enjoy A Nice Massage In A Moving Car With Your Eyes Closed
Probably It's More Convenient This Way
Why Would Red Block When He Could Win?
Me And My Clones On The Job
Boredpanda comment section seems to be getting a little poisonous. Not everyone is good at english, and some people make mistakes. But people just rush to that particular post's comment section and explode about how the OP were shitty people. Bro, you came here to chill, so just do that. Don't show off your righteousness here.
"In 2017, Dove released an ad clip on Facebook for Dove body wash where a black woman was pictured removing her top and morphing into a white woman" um no. do your homework. that ad showed different women with each shirt pull. stop making s**t racist that absolutely isnt.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/south-dakota-s-meth-we-re-it-campaign-funny-state-n1086071 An official state sponsored campaign in South Dakota.
This was excellent! I came here looking for material for a student and ended up getting a good laugh. Well put together and well captioned!
Some if them really make u wonder. Cluelessness or extremely dark humor?
Seriously have tears running down my face 😂 Haven't laughed this hard in a long time
These could be worse, at least they're not insulting . . . just dumb. I am old enough to remember some really horrible advertisements... men spanking their wives for buying the wrong coffee...the "my wife, I think I'll keep her" campaign for Geritol and the whole "happy women in pearls and heels dancing while scrubbing toilets" thing they did back then.
Yawn. What century are you living in sweetie? This was lazy and low-effort for a troll in the 1990s.
I think i remember that, used to be in the UK, telling to get beach body ready, making outrage that its sending out bad message about peoples body, different shapes, sizes and how its supposed to be. Not sure how its related to this post
Boredpanda comment section seems to be getting a little poisonous. Not everyone is good at english, and some people make mistakes. But people just rush to that particular post's comment section and explode about how the OP were shitty people. Bro, you came here to chill, so just do that. Don't show off your righteousness here.
"In 2017, Dove released an ad clip on Facebook for Dove body wash where a black woman was pictured removing her top and morphing into a white woman" um no. do your homework. that ad showed different women with each shirt pull. stop making s**t racist that absolutely isnt.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/south-dakota-s-meth-we-re-it-campaign-funny-state-n1086071 An official state sponsored campaign in South Dakota.
This was excellent! I came here looking for material for a student and ended up getting a good laugh. Well put together and well captioned!
Some if them really make u wonder. Cluelessness or extremely dark humor?
Seriously have tears running down my face 😂 Haven't laughed this hard in a long time
These could be worse, at least they're not insulting . . . just dumb. I am old enough to remember some really horrible advertisements... men spanking their wives for buying the wrong coffee...the "my wife, I think I'll keep her" campaign for Geritol and the whole "happy women in pearls and heels dancing while scrubbing toilets" thing they did back then.
Yawn. What century are you living in sweetie? This was lazy and low-effort for a troll in the 1990s.
I think i remember that, used to be in the UK, telling to get beach body ready, making outrage that its sending out bad message about peoples body, different shapes, sizes and how its supposed to be. Not sure how its related to this post