# Most ill-conceived ad campaigns?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 18, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872 "2009-08-18T19:02:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/1 "2009-08-18T19:02:03Z")
So I get easily annoyed with commercials, but I do occasionally crack a smile with the GEICO cavemen’s exploits. The gecko is irksome, but he does have the occasional one-liner of note. But the latest campaign makes no fucking sense.
The pile of money with googly eyes. Your money is watching you. Okay, got it. But your money is a stalker with bad intent. The song, “Somebody’s Watching Me,” is a worry about surveillance. You’d want to get the hell away from that money, not embrace it.
In essence, nothing about this commercial campaign makes any sense.
What other ad campaigns are as poorly conceived as this one? I’m not counting “random” ones, like Skittles or Quizno’s. I’m thinking about ones where the ad execs are slapping themselves on the back about how clever their ads are, while the consumer scratches his or her head and says, “WTF?”
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### Author:  [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/2 "2009-08-18T19:04:23Z")
How about Dairy Queen’s tragic MooLatte? Although that’s not so much a misguided ad campaign as a misguided product name.
[http://slate.msn.com/id/2103845/](http://slate.msn.com/id/2103845/)
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### Author:  [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/3 "2009-08-18T19:07:35Z")
Anyone familiar with the “Axe” body spray-shampoo-cologne ads that have been running (non stop) recently?
They are the worst series of ads I have ever seen, and are so repulsive in nature that I am certain that they were designed to irritate and offend.
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### Author:  [@Transistor\_Rhythm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Transistor_Rhythm)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/4 "2009-08-18T19:08:58Z")
There’s a commercial for cat litter that’s been running for a few years now where the gist is that the litter is so good at covering the smell that your cat won’t be able to find the litter box.
Which means, as any cat owner (the target demographic of the commercial) will tell you, that **he’s going to eventually shit on the floor somewhere**.
Baffling.
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### Author:  [@Brandus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandus)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/5 "2009-08-18T19:09:08Z")
Microsoft’s response to Apple advertising by having Bill Gates go shoe shopping with Jerry Seinfeld. What a totally uninteresting flop.
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### Author:  [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/6 "2009-08-18T19:09:43Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#):
>
> Anyone familiar with the “Axe” body spray-shampoo-cologne ads that have been running (non stop) recently?
>
> They are the worst series of ads I have ever seen, and are so repulsive in nature that I am certain that they were designed to irritate and offend.
Ooh, good one. Axe seems to be selling “douchebag” in their ads. Surely they understand that only the most naive 13 year old boys buy into the miracle of their aromatic properties. Everybody else, of course, is laughing or gagging at you.
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### Author:  [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/7 "2009-08-18T19:09:50Z")
The Burger “King.” _shudder_
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### Author:  [@Transistor\_Rhythm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Transistor_Rhythm)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/8 "2009-08-18T19:10:47Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#):
>
> Anyone familiar with the “Axe” body spray-shampoo-cologne ads that have been running (non stop) recently?
>
> They are the worst series of ads I have ever seen, and are so repulsive in nature that I am certain that they were designed to irritate and offend.
The Axe ads are genius, regardless of how irritating they are. On some level, they appeal to the caveman in all of us; even though we know the stuff smells terrible, we _almost_ want to believe that it truly is some sort of “Spanish Fly.”
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### Author:  [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/9 "2009-08-18T19:13:03Z")
> [@ivylass](#):
>
> The Burger “King.” _shudder_
See, I actually think this campaign works. The King is a somewhat creepy, but benevolent force. Just eat his food and there won’t be any trouble. Now if the King had some random song as his theme (say, Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana”) it would approach the GEICO level of stupid.
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### Author:  [@Transistor\_Rhythm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Transistor_Rhythm)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/10 "2009-08-18T19:13:05Z")
> [@ivylass](#):
>
> The Burger “King.” _shudder_
I defy you to name a single BK ad campaign before the King.
I rest my case.
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### Author:  [@Transistor\_Rhythm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Transistor_Rhythm)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/11 "2009-08-18T19:16:10Z")
I feel this way about any cross-promotion ads, such as when a cell phone is cross-promoted with a movie. There was a completely bizarre three-way movie/summer olympics/recording artist promo that was airing in movie theaters about a year ago that left me scratching my head. It ended with something to the effect of, “Go see The Terminator, buy the new Black-Eyed Peas on iTunes, and watch the Olympics.” 😕
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### Author:  [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/12 "2009-08-18T19:19:34Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I defy you to name a single BK ad campaign before the King.
The switch is on
Herb
It takes two hands to handle a whopper
Broiling Beats Frying
Buy a meal get, An Empire Strikes Back Glass
Sorry, I used to work at one.
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/13 "2009-08-18T19:23:13Z")
Where’s the beef?
No, wait, that was Wendy’s.
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### Author:  [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/14 "2009-08-18T19:28:46Z")
> [@Transistor\_Rhythm](#):
>
> I defy you to name a single BK ad campaign before the King.
>
> I rest my case.
Have it your way. 😉
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### Author:  [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/15 "2009-08-18T19:30:33Z")
> [@Transistor\_Rhythm](#):
>
> I defy you to name a single BK ad campaign before the King.
>
> I rest my case.
You can get it any way you want it.
Fires and onion rings in one package.
The Meatloaf sandwich
and I don’t even like Burger King.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/16 "2009-08-18T19:33:12Z")
The eBay Motors ads that seemed to be everywhere after the service was introduced got old real fast.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/17 "2009-08-18T19:33:18Z")
> [@Transistor\_Rhythm](#):
>
> Which means, as any cat owner (the target demographic of the commercial) will tell you, that **he’s going to eventually shit on the floor somewhere**.
And sooner rather than later, baby.
I nominate any food commercial where the food gets all over someone. I recall some Sloppy Joe commercial not too long ago where the jingle actually sang something about people “not minding wearing a little on their face”. Or the A-1 Steak sauce commercial where the guy had a drop on his cheek and the woman wiped it off with her finger and ate it. I’m fucking gagging, not thinking about buying your product. Ever!
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/18 "2009-08-18T19:34:50Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#):
>
> I nominate any food commercial where the food gets all over someone. I recall some Sloppy Joe commercial not too long ago where the jingle actually sang something about people “not minding wearing a little on their face”. Or the A-1 Steak sauce commercial where the guy had a drop on his cheek and the woman wiped it off with her finger and ate it. I’m fucking gagging, not thinking about buying your product. Ever!
Domino’s is the worst of all!
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### Author:  [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/19 "2009-08-18T19:36:23Z")
Didn’t you complain a few weeks ago about the Manwich commercial where the little girl gets Manwich on her face?
ETA: Yeah, that was you.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-ill-conceived-ad-campaigns/506872/20 "2009-08-18T19:40:24Z")
There was a disturbing Cheeto ad too, but my mind is mercifully not allowing me access to it.
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