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.

#1 This Woman Turning Into A Fish Roll

Image credits: Cream77

#2 The Implication That This Tooth Has Genitals

Image credits: Dylflon

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.

#3 This Guy Must Be Feeling Pretty Great On This Ad

Image credits: ErickJail

#4 Enjoy A Nice Massage In A Moving Car With Your Eyes Closed

Image credits: colorfl0

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.

#5 Why Would Red Block When He Could Win?

Image credits: Chicchac

#6 We Cut Kids

Image credits: aTerrariaExpert

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.

#7 It Almost Seems Intentional

Image credits: Palifaith

#8 I Only Saw The Left Window At First And Got Very Confused

Image credits: generationfire

#9 Mother-Daughter Bonding At Its Finest

Image credits: pochama55

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.

#10 Kix Cereal Box Has A Masked Out Spoon To Give The Illusion There’s Cereal On Top

Image credits: beerguy_etcetera

#11 The Quotation Marks On This Sign Gives It A Malevolent Undertone

Image credits: sleightlymagical

#12 Hard Hats Are For Safety

Image credits: CanadianUkr

#13 Finally, A Shower That Works With My Broken Neck

Image credits: dinglehump

#14 I’m Certain They Could Have Used A Better Slogan

Image credits: BeaulaGoo

#15 Somehow Spiderman Is Able To Keep A Hot Drink In His Cup While Upside Down

Image credits: Speeider

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.

#16 This Colon Cleanse Ad Is So Bad It’s Hilarious

Image credits: Svargas05

#17 Let God Arse

Image credits: KenNCM

#18 This Ad Placement

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#19 This Ad For Graduation Photography

Image credits: box_cardinal_peanut

#20 “Join Hands” To Make Hospitals “Infection Free”

Image credits: bea_easter12_

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.”

#21 I Followed This Bus For 4 Blocks To Wait For It To Pull Over To Share This Beautiful Work Of Art

Image credits: Germantoast33

#22 I Used To Be Able To See The Towel On Her Head

Image credits: mikaelstein

#23 Wow! What A Bargain

Image credits: DjFizz

#24 Me And My Clones On The Job

Image credits: doctor_blob

#25 Yes, The Earth

Image credits: boring_space_waffle

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.

#26 The Brazilian Vaccination Mascot Looks Like KKK

Image credits: alan04eu

#27 If You’re Going To Use The Dumbbell As An “I” Then You Don’t Need Another “I”

Image credits: BassAckwards31

#28 This Monstrosity

Image credits: Hantook

#29 Sometimes The Answer Is In The Box Too

Image credits: lukeglenn

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.

#30 Actually, On Second Thought, I’m Not So Hungry

Image credits: Quillford

#31 Ben Ten Didn’t Deserve This

Image credits: nutty45

#32 I Think She Should Go To The Hospital Instead Of Booking A Flight

Image credits: MariaDmnd

#33 Bread So Emo It Slices Itself

Image credits: BeanMachine0

#34 Found The World’s Smallest Hands While Looking For A WiFi Adapter

Image credits: xK3V1Nix

#35 This Ebay Advertisement For A Sleep Mask Photo Shopped Out Her Nose And Left One Nostril

Image credits: rosalina888

#36 Well, Now That The Floors Are Clean

Image credits: TenacityMan

#37 This Laptop Stand That Is Very Poorly Photoshopped In And Not Even Being Used

Image credits: Doeljan11

#38 I Pass This Billboard Everyday And Everyday I Think He’s A Vampire

Image credits: fitygrands

#39 Probably It’s More Convenient This Way

Image credits: Bobik42

#40 Do Not Look Away At The Road

Image credits: avidbirdpointerouter

#41 Not Enough Clean Air In My Convertible

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#42 My Movie Theater Tried Ok?

Image credits: ginseng72

#43 A Bag Of Apples With A Character On It That Got Poisoned By An Apple

Image credits: Red_Rolo09

#44 Isn’t This Considered Murder?

Image credits: Xephia

#45 This Guy’s Frog Legs Featured In An Ad

Image credits: MeerK4T

#46 Seriously?

Image credits: GallowBoob

#47 A “Save Water” Ad Which Makes You Spit On The Poor Kid’s Face While Brushing

Image credits: Kapikap0906

#48 Fantastic Ad Placement

Image credits: reddit.com

#49 This Cancer Center’s Ad

Image credits: jujjyfruit

#50 Saw This Ad For A Shirt That’s Supposed To Say Saturday

Image credits: virginmary93

#51 This Really Odd Advertisement For Transit Around My City (Where Did The Bus Driver Come From?)

Image credits: LoveGhostDotEXE

#52 Someone Didn’t Quite Think That One All The Way Through

Image credits: gerald1

#53 Yeah, Very Flexible

Image credits: Omega_Hamster

#54 Did You Pay For Yours? I Got Mine For Free

Image credits: ChrisMcinnes11

#55 Disney Font Puts The Fun In Funeral

Image credits: rageagainsthevagene

#56 Why Is The Phone Inside The Photo

Image credits: MrSegwayMan

#57 Math Is Hard. Don’t Let It Get You Down

Image credits: weinythewhite

#58 This Library Poster

Image credits: holzdnbein

#59 “Hide The Pain Harold” Becomes Face Of French Coronavirus “Thank You, Heroes” Campaign

Image credits: jeancafecreme

#60 Yes I Am Human With Human Wife And I Do Sleep Like Humans Do

Image credits: lachlantopcat

#61 Someone Paid Money For This To Be Their Sign And Logo/Mascot. I’m Convinced This Is Drug Lord’s Money Laundering Business

Image credits: SoDakZak

#62 From Real Lawn To Virtual Golf Course From 1992 In Just 6-8 Days

Image credits: extroverthomunculus

#63 Either The Smallest Golden In History Or The Feeder Is For Storing A Lifetime Supply Of Food

Image credits: goonie_lover

#64 “Well I Gotta Use My Free Trial Of Photoshop For Something” Said The Intern

Image credits: OTOD_tag

#65 Yes, That’s How A Scale Works

Image credits: yoergo

#66 Finally A Realistic Mannequins In Women’s Lingerie Store

Image credits: B_Monster

#67 Only One Of These Will Save Your Life

Image credits: _waffleiron

#68 Taste The Feeling

Image credits: dudelsac

#69 “Make The Athlete Look Like She’s In Motion”

Image credits: kronograf

#70 That’s A Pokemon In The Bag

Image credits: ungori11

#71 Ah Yes, China, My Favorite Food

Image credits: TheJemcins

#72 Art On Netflix For “Seventh Son.” I Laughed Way Harder Than I Should’ve

Image credits: ishipdrarry

#73 Then Why Should I Buy One?

Image credits: allyourbaseareoblong

#74 That Elbow Is The Stuff Of Nightmares

Image credits: Abandoned-Potato

#75 An Image Of A Kitchen Pot Rack That I Came Across On Ebay

Image credits: CactusBoyScout

#76 How Did They Not See This?

Image credits: barry_the_rotten

#77 This Whole Ad Is A Trainwreck

Image credits: Primus8773

#78 Someone Doesn’t Know How Hangman Works

Image credits: TheSexyPizza

#79 Should’ve Said It Out Loud

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#80 10/10 Cable Management

Image credits: RonanAMA2013

#81 I Can’t Even Figure Out What They’re Trying To Say

Image credits: ToastyBooty

#82 All Ye Shall Come To Me For The Healing Of Burgers

Image credits: deadpoolyes

#83 This Chinese Ad For A Pepper Mill

Image credits: burgerfar

#84 Found This In An Ad Today

Image credits: serpin46

#85 Superb Ad Placement At Stuttgart International Airport

Image credits: Spetchen

#86 “How Should We Advertise These Apple Sticks?” “Stick Em In Some Corn Or Something”

Image credits: OrangeLandi

#87 This Child On An Advertisement In Germany

Image credits: FireLord_112

#88 This Instagram Ad Celebrating Your Crippling Debt

Image credits: MLutsenko

Source: boredpanda.com