Sometimes you just need to know when to cut ties with a message that isn’t right…other times companies absolutely bottle it when they find that their ad brings a little negative attention towards their brand.
Recently Microsoft decided to drop their IE8 ad featuring Dean Cain (formerly of TV’s Superman series) due to public pressure, so I decided to put together a top 5 of ad’s which were pulled by the brand for a variety of reasons, some being real face palm moments. So let’s get on with it:
1 -Microsoft IE8 & Vomiting
Dropped because of public pressure, the ad features a couple at breakfast, the man leaves the computer and his wife views the history to see a web page that causes her to vomit numerous times. The point being how IE8 can cover up your internet history. The ad only ran online but negative feedback caused Microsoft to decide to remove the ad from all it’s online media channels. Dodgy internet histories links in nicely to…
2 – HP Touchsmart & the Gary Glitter Royalties
When you use the song “Do You Want To Touch Me”, written and originally performed by convicted paedophile Gary Glitter for an advert about a computer (Glitter was caught via images found on his hard drive when he took his PC in for repair at a well known computer retailer) and the ad is going to provide that person with ; no PR guy can save you.
3 – Heinz Deli Mayo & The Gay Kiss
Pulled after “consumer research found it had failed in its attempt to be humourous and offended people on all sides”. Heinz also apologised for their “misplaced attempt at humour”. Talk about shooting down the creatives!
4 – Snickers & Speed Walking
Apparently the speed walker indicates a gay man and was seen as being rather offensive to the homosexual population, but not that of the UK where the ad was broadcast (in total 2 complaints were received by the ASA), but in the US where an open letter of complaint was published by an advertising industry title to the agency’s American parent company. The ad was pulled by Mars after 2 weeks on air. Surprisingly the Heinz and Snickers ad’s are actually by the same agency (AMV BBDO).
5 – Phones4U & The Scout Master
Phones 4 U found out in April ‘09 that print ad’s can be just as offensive as video with their take on the Scout Master. The ad depicts the Scout Master as a friendless bore who isn’t popular enough for a Phones4U contract. The ad drew a formal letter from the Scouts Association who apparently received a “deluge” of complaints from its members. The Scouts have even had to put out their own print ad to try and repair the image formed by Phones4U’s depiction of the Scouts. Clearly no expense was spared:
Phones4U quickly acted to pull the ad but unfortunately for them, they had already placed some in monthly publications which at that time were still in the process of going to print.
