See a variety of controversial advertisements from the past decade.
Controversial if not blatantly offensive advertisements have been on the rise in the past few years. Companies run under self-proposed and self-enforced code of conduct regarding advertisements. This has lead to a very large variety of what companies release and publish thinking its acceptable some even go unregulated. This lack of supervision has lead to many ads published that push the boundaries of what most would find socially acceptable. Here are just a few advertisements that have created some uproar.
In an advertising campaign, Burger King came up with this image and slogan. It did not take long for advertisement to fuel a debate about whether it was acceptable. This advertisement campaign lasted a total of three weeks before it was removed from the restaurants featuring it.
Both Aston Martin and BMW used advertisements such as this one to create demand for their used vehicles. The point they tried to make was if it looks and runs good, does it matter if you are the first. These ads never got fully published because of their offensive nature.
This advertisement done by Toyota in support of their Prius was very controversial because many found is funny while others didn't like the point being made.That driving a Prius compensates for other mistakes made.
The WWF has been responsible for many controversial ads in the past decade in order to create debate and hopefully raise awareness. They continually produce ads that are very questionable on whether they are socially acceptable or not.
The message of this ad is to stop the oppression of women but, the image used is what sparked controversy. Many women and people of Islamic descent were offended because not all women that wear the head and face wrap are being oppressed.
These "got milk" ads were questionable. Many found the ad funny while others saw it to be offensive towards women. It is clear why this ad could be called controversial, but it is much more difficult whether this ad has crossed the line or is offensive.
This ad was put up on billboards around the US. Many found the ad to be very effective but some were upset by the valuing of life. Many of the billboard were vandalized or ripped, causing many more to question if this ad is appropriate or whether just a select few are getting upset.
A very questionable ad series by Nike. Does winning take care of everything? It is not verified whether or not Nike actually produced this ad or the two others similar to this featuring OJ Simpson and another featuring Michael Vick. Whether or not Nike actually produced these ads its clear that it sparked some debate.
The fashion company Sisley is not known for creating ads that are tame but they really pushed the boundary of what is considered acceptable to most people with this ad. Comparing fashion to drugs was a little much for many consumers.
Again the WWF is pushing another questionable ad to raise awareness of the sale of exotic animals. As mentioned earlier, the WWF is not new to producing controversial advertisements. They often release several at once to create a shock effect and raise awareness for their cause.
Lego really pushed the boundaries with this advertising campaign. Its easy to see why they faced a lot of backlash when this was published although it was a very successful campaign targeting parents instead of their usual consumer; children.
This ad is not completely outrageous, unlike many of the previous ones. It resembles many other fashion related advertisements, very similar to Calvin Kliens provocative advertisements. This ad received some backlash because of how it featured women in a defenseless manor.