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Bad Ads
Most advertising sucks. But these ads suck even more than usual.
Last Updated
May 16, 2008
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The Best Buzz
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Scarlet
Business Buzz Don't get all excited, there's nothing to see here. You may have noticed an ad campaign online over the last month or so for a TV show called Scarlet, starring Natassia Malthe. As it turns out, there is no show, only a new line of LCD HDTVs from LG, as disappointed celebrities like Lindsay Lohan found out at last night's "premiere." Ha ha! Hoaxes: The new marketing frontier.
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Tom Ford’s Banned Ad
Style Buzz This time, Ford has pissed off the Italians. One ad in a campaign for his sunglasses has been labeled "markedly vulgar" by an Italian ad organization and must be reprinted. Worth noting: Another ad in the campaign, which was not banned, features a naked woman grabbing a man's crotch.
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Gossip Girl Ads
TV Buzz The ad campaign for the return of the CW teen show is raising eyebrows. OMFG! Teens having sex!
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9/11 Exploitation Ads
Business Buzz A new anti-smoking ad featuring two cigarettes standing in for the Twin Towers is just the latest in the 9/11 exploitation ad genre. From advertising newspapers to various public service announcements, 9/11 is apparently now fair game if you're hawking something.
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Creepy Anti-Statutory Rape PSAs
Culture Buzz A new ad campaign targeting men who father children with underage girls makes everyone feel uneasy (thanks for the tip!) These ads are disturbing, sure, but nowhere near as disturbing as the high incidence of statutory rape in Milwaukee, where they originated.
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Super Bowl Ads
TV Buzz Once again, violent antics and broad stereotypes win the day. Despite some assertions that this year's crop of ads would be kinder and gentler, the majority of Super Bowl spots couldn't help basing their jokes on brutal pratfalls and thinly veiled racist jokes. Here's a roundup of what you missed while replenishing your snacks.
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Ice Breakers Pacs Look Like Drugs
Food Buzz Hershey's is stopping production on candy they say looks too much like street drugs. After catching flack from police and teachers for creating a breath freshener that glamorizes drug use, Hershey decided to pull Ice Breakers Pacs. Joining the ranks of bubblegum cigarettes, we'll now have to look for 'dime bags of freshness' on the black market.
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Vagina Ads
Culture Buzz A fit of vagina obsession hits the advertising world. Feminist blogs, ad blogs and corporate watchdog blogs all agree: A Target billboard in Times Square focuses too much on the crotch, and a new Absolut ad leaves little to the imagination.
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American Apparel Extreme
Business Buzz Over the years, American Apparel has received considerable attention for its semi-softcore ad campaigns, orchestrated by CEO and notorious lech Dov Charney. As the ads have become increasingly suggestive, criticism has grown too, with many wondering when the company would start shooting straight-up porn. In France anyway, it turns out that's already happening.
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HeadOn
Business Buzz The HeadOn ad is the most annoying thing ever made. Yet it seems to be working. Sales were up 234 percent between 2005 and 2006, and are continuing to grow this year. Does the ad's simplicity trump its mind-bending awfulness?
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Oral Ads
Tech Buzz An ad in Linux Journal is causing a stir online. The ad, for QSOL servers, has somehow struck a nerve. Hmm, maybe it's the headline, accompanying a photo of a stern-looking woman with pouty red lips: "Don't feel bad. Our servers won't go down on you you either." (Thanks for the tip!)
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Racist Ads
Business Buzz Is Intel's ad for its new processor racist? Hmmm - six black sprinters are arrayed around a smiling white guy in khakis. Intel has apologized and pulled the ad. (Thanks for the tip!)
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