I’m not entirely sure, but I think that particular item may go in the other end…
My personal favorite was the tagline Killian’s Red was using on billboards and such several years ago:
“Next time you want something special, Killian’s Red instead.”
Killian’s Red instead, presumably, of something special.
Actually, while they may not be wording it in the best possible way, it’s quite true. I drive a Jetta, and it has the best seats I’ve ever experienced. American cars tend to have squishy, unsupportive seats that leave you feeling fatigued after extended periods of sitting in them. It was actually a big factor in why I bought the car. It’s too bad their point isn’t getting across, because it’s really true. Those are some bad- ass seats.
Hey, howsabout the whole “Outback Steakhouse” concept in the first place? It’s an American company (first one was in Tampa, Florida), it doesn’t serve Australian beef, it doesn’t employ Australian servers… What the fuck is “Outback” about it?
Now that line would work!
When McDonald’s first came out with their little pita thing, the McWrap, I stared at my TV set agog.
Seriously, there was no denying it. It may have looked good on paper, but when you say it out loud as they did in all the TV and radio commercials it sounded like: “McCrap.”
There’s a non-chain hardware store that I used to commute past on a regular basis. They were located on a street corner, and had decided to paint the wall on the side street with their name and a huge slogan:
Home of Great Values and More…
Every time I passed that slogan, I’d think: Home of Great Values and…Not-so-Great-Values? Outright Ripoffs?
Have you guys seen the commercial for the hangover cure Double Chaser?
I swear, I thought someone was putting me on. There’s this young, white, successful couple dressed up and getting ready to go to work in the morning. The guy is either a method actor and drank five pitchers of sangria the night before the shoot, or it’s the best makeup job I’ve ever seen. The woman looks fresh and perky. The gist of their conversation is that although they both went out and got shithouse drunk the night before, (on a worknight), the wife feels great because she had some Double Chaser! Hilarious.
I’m also rather baffled by the hip, afro-spoting, sassy, rapping Sprite bottle that hangs out with his buddies gawking at the ladies. Does Coca-Cola think they’ve got the next Lil’ Penny? Puh-leeze.
Of course my all-time favorite ad slogan was for the incredibly shitty Schaefer Beer: “It’s the one beer to have when you’re having more than one.”
Not a bad commercial in the sense of the OP, but one that was so effective all I remember is the commercial and not the company:
Guy is being wheeled through an emergency room on a gurney. The lower half of his body is covered by a sheet, and his legs are in the approximate position of a woman giving birth.
Random medical terms being bandied about. And then…
“He’s got money coming out the wazoo!”
A male nurse peeks under the sheets and boggles. “I’ve never seen a man with money coming out the wazoo before.”
Narrator voice (paraphrased): “Unless this is you, invest with our company.”
Logo of company, which I no longer remember.
I saw this on a trip to Indianapolis. Hilarious. And all this time I never knew it was a problem!
That would be E-Trade. (They of the clapping million-dollar dancing monkeys.) 
A hospital here in the Twin Cities has billboards up…
We treat heart attacks 33% faster.
Faster than what? So what, when I’m having a heart attack I should drive halfway across the city so you can treat me faster? I didn’t realize people in the middle of heart attacks made choices about their hospital. Is this in any way related to a positive outcome? If so, wouldn’t “our heart attack patients have a 40% better chance of survival” be a better billboard?
Wasn’t there one running recently during the NCAA stuff for a beer? (Bud-Light?)
“If you are going to watch a game, grab a great tasting beer…If you are going to watch the entire tourny, grab a beer with half the calories!”
I paraphrased but you get the idea. They were selling their beer by indirectly saying that it sucks.
There was an ad showing here that showed a couple driving in a 4wd covered in mud. They got home and got out, and then the car shook like a wet dog and sprayed them both with mud.
Wow! I really want that car! :rolleyes: I think they were trying to show how tough it was…
I saw an ad once for a dishcloth. The dish cloth was full of little holes. They were claiming it was more hygenic than other dishcloths because you could wash the germs out through the holes, or words to that effect. :eek: I only saw that one once.
anyone remember Herb, the one guy in America who hadn’t tried a Whopper?
It’s been 20 years or so since that campaign but it still sticks in my mind. Of course, I guess that was the point…
I remember Burger King asked us all to “Eat a Pita”. I was not going to be referred to as a “Pita Eater”.
A recent advert for “Tampex” leaves me mystified. Their new selling point seems to be that they have wrappers that don’t make much noise. A Krinkle proof wrapper. Now, I’m not sure if this is a big source of embarrassement for some gals, but why is this an issue? The commercial had my wife and I looking at each other with the WTF look.
Is there such a thing as a GOOD marketing concept?
DrMemory, that reminds me of a print ad for tampons I’ve seen recently. Tampax (I think) are trying to make their tampons look friendlier by anthropomorphizing it. The tampon has a smiling face and arms and it’s waving to the reader. It’s a tad creepy.