BAD ADS OF THE CENTURY

SCIENCE, IT'S A GIRL THING! 

 

In recent years, the European Union Commission launched a campaign entitled 'Science, It's a Girl Thing' with the mission to entice and invoke interest within female high school students to pursue careers in the science field. However, the reception and outcome of this campaign video was not received well or even embraced by majority of the public as it should have been. In fact, it had been mocked, criticized and is even a hot topic amongst lecturers and students.

Figure 1 : Campaign Logo

After watching this video with my group mates, we've all conceded that this campaign ad does not relate to its objective. On the other hand, it looks more like a campaign ad selling beauty products & fashion for teenagers. First and foremost this ad is ineffective in the sense that it doesn't relate to its purpose and that is already a big no-no. Even the logo for this campaign, is written in lipstick.(Figure 1).

Reference:

Video

O'Connor, S, 2012. Science:It's a Girl Thing. [video online] Available at: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g032MPrSjFA> [Accessed 13 October 2013]. 

Figure 1

Myscienceworks, 2013.  Science: It’s a girl thing » si loin de la cause « femmes et science ». [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.mysciencework.com/fr/news/6948/science-it-s-a-girl-thing-si-loin-de-la-cause-femmes-et-science> [Accessed 23 October 2013].

BY: VANESSA VERA

THE DARK SIDE OF SWEETNESS

Figure 2 : A set of advertisement for a confectionery chocolate product

This is an advertisement of Caribu bitter chocolate from Peruvian ad agency. A campaign with the catchphrase, "The Dark Side of Sweetness". Based on this advertisement, it was concluded that it was a bit edgy due to the fact that they have pushed the idea a bit too far. In my opinion, they have used an unethical way to draw attention from the consumers to promote their product, by using the 'dark side' of children in their product. 

On the figure above, it shows one of the child putting a chick in the grinder, in another sense, using the meat for her play kitchen. It is understandable that they are trying to relate how children play with plastic toys just like they do with cooking or tea parties, but I find that this was pushed a little to far to the point of discomfort and rather grotesque. The other is about to poison her sister at a tea party. Neither of the ads is particularly appetizing. Chances are that while people may remember the disturbing images more than they will remember the product Caribu.

LITTLE BABY'S ICE CREAM

[ An incredibly disturbing video, users have been warned. ]

Hungry for some ice cream? You probably won't be after watching this advertisement.

Little Baby's Ice Cream, a small ice cream shop in Philadelphia has probably released two of the most surreal, disturbing and most oddly terrifying commercials that the dessert industry, and it has bound to leave people haunted after watching it.

Figure 3 : Company Logo

At the starting of the video it features a man covered in what appears to be vanilla ice cream, staring with wide-eyes into the camera. As a voice-over begins narrating poetic lines about the quality of the man's skin, the actor begins using a spoon to scoop and eat ice cream from the top of his own head, not once breaking his gaze away from the viewer. Strangely disturbing.

The commercial doesn't really tie in to the product, also unexpected because one would think anything but the ice cream that they're trying to sell, only to be leave the audience dumbfounded when the company logo with the "Little Baby's Ice Cream" fades in at the end of the video.

CARL'S JR.

Car wash...? Burger..? Beer....?!?!

This video is considered upsetting because of the use of women in the video, objectification of women as a sexual product to promote their new Spicy Burger. How does the commercial relate "Spicy" and "Carwash" together? Its two completely opposite words.

In this commercial, it shows Hilton in a bikini seductively washing a car, sliding and splashing around while eating her promoted product, which was the burger. Throughout the video I simply couldn't find the relevance of the commercial to the product they are trying to sell, other than using a female icon as a selling point and well, using beer as water and good god, who would want to touch a burger with soaking wet hands?

I have also found that Carl's Jr. has a history of using women to promote their product, in sexual ways (e.g : using Heidi Klum, Paris Hilton, Ashley Hartman and even Kim Kardashian]

The rest of the commercials with said actresses can be found HERE

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Reference:
Figure 2
Offbeatism. 2010. The Darkside of Sweetness. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://offbeatism.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/caribu-ads.jpg?w=700&h=989>. [Accessed 23 October 13].

Figure 3

Blazenoff, R. (2012), Little's Baby Ice Cream [ONLINE]. Available at:
<http://laughingsquid.com/cannibalistic-entity-promotes-little-babys-ice-cream-in-creepy-ads> [Accessed 23 October 13].

Video
LittleBabysIceCream. (2010). "This is a Special Time". [Online Video]. 12 August. Available from: <http://youtu.be/erh2ngRZxs0>. [Accessed: 23 October 2013].

LittleBabysIceCream. (2010). "Love Lickers". [Online Video]. 23 May. Available from: <http://youtu.be/erh2ngRZxs0>. [Accessed: 23 October 2013].

spartansg. (2007). Paris Hilton car wash video. [Online Video]. 11 November. Available from: <http://youtu.be/__HZmDsYK7Q>. [Accessed: 23 October 2013].

BY: ERICA C.

Oishi Green Tea Commercial from Thailand

 This a commercial for the Oishi Slimming Green Tea. In the video showing a chubby girl in the toilet doing her make up and another girl came in with a big belly. she smile at the chubby girl then push the "fat" around her belly up to her boobs, and her belly is gone. As the chubby girl watched the whole process, she was trying to do the same, but nothing happened. In the end of the commercial only show the green tea and with the tag line.

I think this commercial is inappropriate even though it also appear as funny to the audience. However I think the commercial indirectly are influencing the audience that being skinny is pretty and discriminate girls/female with bigger size in terms of physical look. 

Other than that the commercial also doesn't really show the product until the ends, so it might mislead the audience.

Advertising Agency: Y&R Agency

Reference:

oishi green tea commercial, 2010. Oishi Green Tea Commercial from Thailand. [Online Video] Available at: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G01psD8GU-M> [Accessed on 16 October 2013]s

BY: Li En

Fiat: "Boob Job" TV Commercial 

Video show above is the TV commercial for Fiat 500. The whole commercial is involved a couple having a conversation in the new Fiat 500. Even though this is a commercial to advertise the car, however the their conversation is about the girl asking her partner opinion towards the idea of having a boob job. In the commercial pretend to be close-minded but actually he is happy that she decided to have a boob job. In the majority part of the commercial is actually showing the guy jump in between of her boobs. In the end of the commercial show the tagline " The car for the best time of your life."

In my opinion this commercial very inappropriate in terms of the message it is giving to the audience. The commercial indirectly are telling everyone that plastic surgery is something good and joyful. It is totally not related to the Fiat car but the whole commercial looks more like advertising for some plastic surgery company. Other than that the tagline is also help  promoting and encouraging people to accept plastic surgery.

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett Argetina Production Company

Reference:
 Кашицын Денис, 2012. Fiat - Boob Job Commercial. [Online Video] Available at: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aces1_u3kE> [Accessed on 16 October 2013]


BY: Li En

Oh My God! I'm Gonna Puke

The video above is an advertisement for Internet Explorer 8. The commercial show that the wife want to borrow her husband's laptop. Not so long after looking at the laptop screen, she whispered "what is this?". Then guess what? She puked, followed by her husband slipped by her vomit. Then this guy come in, said that have you ever feel O.M.G.I.G.P, which stands for Oh My God! I'm Gonna Puke. After that, he told us, if you don't want to feel like that, download Internet Explorer 8. Which he closed his statement by some censored things.

I think that this commercial is not related at all to the message that they want to send to the customer. Well, maybe they tried by putting in the guy who told us to download Internet Explorer 8, so whoever borrowed our laptop won't vomit. They don't even show us what did the wife saw, what caused her to vomit. And last but not least, the censored things that guy said at the end, something "ha--------beeeeeppppp-----.com". What does that mean?

Well, maybe instead of making horrible ads like this, they better started to improve their product performance. The good thing is, this ads already dropped by Microsoft.

Advertising Agency : Bradley and Montgomery

Reference: 

147HUNTER, 2009. O M G I G P Internet Explorer 8 Puke Vomit Girl. [Online Video] Available at: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB9fhjnJcB0> [Accessed on 24 October 2013]

by: C. Tanata

SKITTLES! Newly Weds

The above video shows a commercial for skittles. The commercial shows a married couple having sex after their wedding. Both of them are showing pleasure during intercourse. Seconds later, the groom ejaculates tons of skittles into the bride's mouth as a replacement for ejaculate while both of them are showing satisfaction from the good sex. Their facial expressions tell everything.

I think this commercial does not relate much to its target which is to promote the brand skittles. From my point of view, this commercial's intentions are more of a sexual nature and it does not relate enough about skittles although the last part has something to do with it. This commercial might lead to bad things for the society and culture as they are not promoting skittles, but sex.

Being a candy brand, Skittles will primarily target youngsters and children. A bad age group to expose to such mature content don't you think? Aside from exposing the under age to something they shouldn't know for at least a few more years, this ad places curiosity in their minds. What does it feel like? What will happen? Which will eventually lead to hormones going wild. The rate of sex crimes may also increase as the youngsters who might have viewed this ad may believe that all intercourse in mutual, in any case, at any time.

references: YouTube. 2013. Banned Skittles Comerical. [online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AtdGJzaxGk [Accessed: 24 Oct 2013].

by: Syafiq R.