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.
Because you've spent years telling the algorithms exactly who you are PLUS have in-turn allowed yourself to be moulded by the algorithms. There's no mystery. Masses of people are informing machines how to fool the human species, to the benefit of a small few. It's bad enough that we have such difficulty determining what is real and what is imagined - what is a part of our psychology/physiology and distinguishing that from objective reality. Now we're adding to that complexity with another layer of control that is, again, beyond our ability to understand, but already has profound consequences and will only get more-so in time.
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A Swedish newspaper once ran a full page advertisement for cruises...with the opposite facing page being about the Costa Concordia disaster...
Hide that body in style in one of our mirrored 5 door wardrobes make with cedar to mask any pesky odors...only 599! Includes free duct tape
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/husband-lived-flat-dead-wifes-12052113.amp
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I originally had the same thought but then it came to me that Joanne is most likely a city or town somewhere.
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includes free home assembly and someone's dead wife. There is a deadline on this offer.
Who ever was in charge of ad placement did a really poor job of proof reading where it was supposed to go!
The punctuation is so bad, it reads as though , he spent 48 hours , in the wardrobe WITH her body .
My mom worked at our local newspaper for her entire career. This is part of the editor's job, to make sure things like this don't happen. Mom told me that when there is an air tragedy, all airline advertising was pulled; no two ads for the same product could be on the same page, stuff like that. One of the funniest fails I saw was during the Lorena Bobbitt trial, an article about the severed naughty bits ran just above a photo of a huge sausage in a pot of beans. . . I think it was a local interest story of some kind. One of the editors saw it, yelled "I've found Bobbitt!' andit was changed in the next edition.
What's with that headline? 'Joanne husband'? If they aren't giving out her husband's name, why put her name out there, like it's her fault that he lived with her body?
Yes. They do this on purpose. It's not a coincidence. It makes you pay more attention to the ad, which makes the advertising business happy. The confusing part is why any person in their right mind is paying any attention whatsoever to ads - but then I guess that explains itself.
Hey...I bet they sold a lot of wardrobes, though. Much cheaper than coffins.
I saw a newspaper ad for pressure cookers right in the middle of a multi-page article on the Boston Marathon Bombing.
No...this is like when I watch Top Chef and Hot Pockets commercials come on...🤭✌
Makes me think of when there was a camera adverticements with make the best pictures of your children next to an article about child porn
reminds me of the dead ant in national lampoons vacation
That's one super cheap wardrobe! Intern did the page layout that day, obviously
This just seems wrong. what was the paper thinking after seeing that ad I would refuse to have a wardrobe in my house !
Well done "The Evening Herald" its an Irish newspaper, and bargaintown is where you get really crap, poor quality furniture
Juxtaposition of ad to newspaper story equals algorithm working perfectly.
But do we know if it's the same kind of wardrobe? I want to get my money's worth!
mufin fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
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. 😂😂
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
Note: this post originally had 87 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
My stomach hurts from trying NOT to laugh as much!
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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.
My stomach hurts from trying NOT to laugh as much!
Load More Replies... 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.
