Is it really a surprise this advertisement is the year’s worst?

In a year chalked-full of terrible,  ill-conceived and poorly executed ads, one takes the cake: Kendall Jenner solving complicated protest issues with Pepsi. Pepsi thought the Kardashian-lite would be perfect for a woke ad on protests. Shocker, she wasn’t. Instead, Jenner and Pepsi glamorized protest and police brutality. It got yanked off-air immediately. I wrote […]

Dove offers apology for much-criticized body wash ad

Dove is apologizing for a small ad which many describe as racist. The ad, for Dove body wash, shows a white model take off her shirt and become a black model. Then, the black model takes off her shirt and becomes a middle eastern model. Some saw the white woman becoming a black woman as […]

Kendall Jenner reflects on terrible Pepsi ad: “It feels like my life is over”

Back in April, Pepsi made the disastrous decision to air a tone-deaf advertisement featuring social media star Kendall Jenner, where she basically solves all the worlds problems with a can of Pepsi. Immediate criticism was thwarted towards the ad, and less than 24 hours after it initially aired, it was pulled. The ad did immediate damage […]

Affiliate Programs: Creating Online Monsters since 1994

Advertising is the soul of commerce, a wise man once said. In our society, where constant consumption is needed to keep companies alive, advertising has become a presence that we can hardly escape. Ads come at us in the streets, in the magazines, on the radio, on TV, on public transportation, online… pretty much everywhere […]

KFC’s latest ad would be perfect for mostly anyone, well, besides KFC

KFC’s latest ad is cute, fun, and features some perfect music. So what’s the problem? It makes me care about the chicken it’s advertising should be eaten. Plus, it’s messed up beyond that. In the fast-food joints latest spot, DMX’s “X Gon’ Give It To You” plays while a cute chicken bobs his head to […]

Throwback Thursday: Guns, cars, and a man in a turkey suit?

In honor of Throwback Thursday, we here at Awful Advertising thought it would be fun to look bad at some of the most terrible ads and ad campaigns ever – ads so bad, so shocking or so stupid, that it’s perplexing they ever went to print. Without further adieu:  Where do I begin with this […]

Smirnoff pokes fun at Donald Trump with “Ties to Russia’ ad

Vodka titans Smirnoff is taking shots at the President of the United States and his alleged ties to Russia. Smirnoff, which originated in Russia during the 1860’s, decided to poke fun at its Russian ancestry, buying signs with the phrase “Made in America. But we’d be happy to talk about our ties to Russia under […]

Burger King’s latest ad has pissed off the royal family in Belgium

If Burger King wants to land a successful launch in Belgium, it might be wise to suspend their first ad campaign which bizarrely pokes fun at the Belgian royal family. Somehow, Burger King managed to piss off King Phillippe of Belgium by running an ad campaign website that forces users to pick “who is the king?” […]

McDonald’s pulls questionable ad about young boy and his dead father

Good intentions went awry this week, as McDonald’s pulled a recent a commercial in the U.K. following well-placed criticism that it was exploitative. The ad in question tackles a sensitive topic. In the spot, a son talks to his mom about what his now deceased dad was like. He tries on his glasses and asks questions […]

Ikea delivers perfect response to $2,145 imitator bag

Sometimes, high-fashion imitates regular, boring old’ everyday items. In this case, we’re not talking about Andy Warhol painting Campbell’s Soup cans, but instead, Balenciaga’s $2,145 carrying bag, inspired by Ikea’s 99-cent, iconic blue tote. Balenciaga’s Ikea inspiration is obvious. But, the bag is leather and much more accessible as a luxury item. Although, Ikea’s 99 cent bag […]

Burger King’s latest ad blatantly attempts to activate voice-controlled devices

Genius marketing or invasive marketing ploy? That’s the big question surrounding Burger King’s controversial new ‘Connected Whopper’ Ad. Burger King’s latest campaign has drawn both criticism and praise for its blatant attempt to take over Google voice-controlled devices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_O54le4__I In the spot, an employee says he can’t explain what the Whopper was in the parameters […]

Pepsi announces they’re pulling terrible Kendall Jenner protest ad

Less than 24 hours after posting a tone-deaf, widely-criticized advertisement featuring model Kendall Jenner, Pepsi has pulled the plug on the entire campaign. The spot received immediate criticism for making light of serious situations around the world, glamorizing and failing to take protest and potential police brutality seriously, and completely missing the mark by featuring […]

This new Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad is fucking terrible

Update: File this Kendall Jenner ad under the “how the hell did the pitch get accepted?” category. Pepsi teamed up with the second-most popular Kardashian to create one terrible fucking ad. Here’s a synopsis. A staged protest is happening during a Kendall Jenner photoshoot. The shoot is juxtaposed against artists and millennials engaging in perhaps the most upbeat […]

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