Really Bad Ads

Jan 8th, 2010 by Samurai Jack

Companies only get one shot with print ads. A good one delivers the intended message upon first glance. A bad ad either leaves the audience severely confused or risks ending up being ridiculed on the internet.

Can pass off as an eye test chart!

Clearly the ad agency for this billboard faces challenges in driving home the message! I drive pass it almost every day, but have yet to figure out what are they advertising. I am not a professional ad-critique but it is as simple as exercising sheer common sense. And check this out …

Poster for the latest Pontianak movie blockbuster?

Wait a minute, it’s an ad for a medicinal wine. Why is this woman clad in office attire waving in the middle of the night at oncoming traffic? I just don’t get it. Are you supposed to glow in the dark after drinking this product?

Just wrong from any possible angle!

Can somebody please tell me what is wrong with the picture? (Hint: the child is not suffering an epileptic fit)

This ad should be banned for obvious reasons! Where is the censorship board when you need it? Camera man zooms into the bottom half of the kid’s face, those moist red lips are kept slightly apart and vanilla ice-cream smeared across the mouth to highlight the irresistible effect of the product. For crying out loud, can’t they see that this is bordering child porn, or am I short of a pure mind? And to make matters worse, this bunting is parked in the middle of a busy family mall with kids running around.

In the world of advertising, you will tend to remember the really good ones and the really bad ones but never the in-betweens. So in a way, these ads have succeeded. After all, they have managed to gain my attention and are worthy for this blog post!

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