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Every year, no matter how sophisticated the advertising industry is, there are still some classic examples of ill-advised “badvertising.”
While such howlers are usually reserved for small or local businesses with tiny budgets and little creative counsel, our rogues’ gallery is largely made up of major-spending advertisers that are household names.
If it all becomes too much to bear, do go back and cheer yourself up with our ranking of the 10 best ads of 2015.
Were there any spots we missed? Let us know in the comments.
NOW SEE: The 10 best ads of 2015
10. HTC — “Hold the Crown.” In February, the phone maker released a bizarre rap video to diss its rivals, starring “Doc G” of Hip Hop group P.M. Dawn. Choice lyrics include: “We HTC and we about to say it loud. HTC, we hold the crown, word to Peter Chou” and “More than a few clowns stole what we originated. We own the universe, your Galaxy is overrated.” The intention was tongue-in-cheek cringe, but the result positioned HTC as a downmarket competitor struggling to stay up-to-date with its larger rivals.
9. McDonald’s — “Hamburglar.” McDonald’s brought back one of its old-skool brand ambassadors in May. At first the internet was undecided as to whether he was a hunk, or a creep. McDonald’s then launched digital marketing push that saw the “suburban dad” mascot appear to be on the run from the fast food chain, and his nagging wife. The Verge called the videos “awkward,” E! said they were “bizarre,” and BGR said it will “convince you the company is more desperate than you ever dreamed.” Oddly, the tweets have since been deleted, but we’ve found a link to one of the videos below.
8. Bic — “#HappyWomensDay.” The irony that this Facebook photo was posted by Bic South Africa on the country’s National Women’s Day was not lost on the masses of people that complained about it on Twitter and Facebook. One commenter wrote: “Why am I expected to look like a child? Why am I expected to see the world through a masculine lens? Why am I expected to ‘think like a man’ but not expected to act ‘like a man’ on my so-called manly thoughts? There are so many different ways Bic could’ve celebrated women that don’t try and dictate how women must live their lives. I’m disappointed.” Bic said: “We’re incredibly sorry for offending everybody — that was never out intention, but we completely understand where we’ve gone wrong.”
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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