When Ads Go Bad...part one

The other day a co-worker and I were having a conversation about advertising. In advertising, it seems, that often the ads that are most memorable are the ones that push the boundaries of what's acceptable. This is probably why we have so many racy ads on TV and in print. Still, the stories of ads that go too far are many and often more than a little humorous. My co-worker pointed out that one ad that probably went too far was put out by Nike. The ad in question involved a chainsaw wielding murderer, a female, and some Nike running shoes. Although I didn't remember ever seeing it on air (probably because it was pulled right away), I've found it here. For all young marketers out there, it is probably a good general rule to just keep the chainsaws out of your advertising (unless you're selling chainsaws, and even then use common sense).

AOL also has a great article about some other "ads gone bad". Nike cracks this list as well with its hyperjump ads. Other notables include Go Daddy from Super Bowl shame, and Hardees which has a long history of using sex to sell burgers. Many of these ads have had very short runs, as consumer complaints forced the companies to pull the ads. Check these out, and if you can think of any other memorable ads that have gone bad, I'll feature them in When Ads Go Bad...part two.