bad advertisements

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Bumble Tries to Appeal to 'Frustrated' Customers, Has to Apologize

Dating app says sorry for billboards slamming celibacy

(Newser) - Dating app Bumble got stung after running billboard ads that appeared to sneer at celibacy as an alternative to meeting people online. On Monday, the company backtracked and apologized for billboards that bore the message "You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer," juxtaposed...

S. Korea Dairy Company Sorry for Turning Women Into Cows

The advertisement for Seoul Milk wasn't well received

(Newser) - "We are taking this matter seriously, and we will pay more attention and review to prevent similar problems in the future." It's a fairly standard corporate apology. What prompted South Korea's largest dairy company to issue it is a little less typical: an advertisement that critics...

Suit Company's New Ads Have People Buzzing

Suitsupply's 'New Normal' ad campaign forecasts a post-pandemic orgy

(Newser) - The first thing you're going to do once you get the all-clear from Dr. Fauci is yank off your face mask, climb onto a bunch of sweaty strangers, and start offering them slobbering, open-mouthed kisses, right? That's what the post-pandemic future holds in "The New Normal,"...

A 10-Second Volkswagen Ad Spurs Outrage

Viewers found it racist in more ways than one

(Newser) - Germany's Volkswagen has pulled a social media ad for a new car and apologized after an outcry over its racist overtones. The 10-second spot posted on Instagram and Twitter shows a massive white hand pushing a black man away from beside a new yellow Volkswagen Golf parked on the...

'Terrifying' Doll Gets Spotify Ad Banned

Even 'Havana' couldn't keep a UK watchdog group from banning it

(Newser) - Spotify's latest ad features a catchy popular pop tune and "a medley of horror film tropes" in the lead-up to its final tagline, per NPR : "Killer songs you can't resist." But it's just that horror theme, along with what Billboard calls a "terrifying...

Detergent Company's Racist Ad Raises a Ruckus

And it's a direct ripoff of another racist ad from nearly a decade ago

(Newser) - What could possibly be offensive about an advertisement for something as mundane as laundry detergent? Plenty, it turns out—at least when it comes to this commercial for a Chinese cleaner that has earned it the label of "most racist ad of 2016" from BuzzFeed , which adds viewing it...

Krispy Kreme Apologizes for 'KKK Wednesday' Promo

It was supposed to be a fun event for kids, not about the Klan

(Newser) - A UK Krispy Kreme was determined to show kids on winter break a good time, so it promoted on Facebook a weeklong roster of activities that included Funday Monday, Colouring Tuesday, and … KKK Wednesday. The Hull branch of the doughnut purveyor has since taken down the ad, per Mashable...

Sheep, Sex, Rugby Don't Mix: New Zealanders

Run-up to Rugby World Cup has some marketing people trying too hard

(Newser) - What do bikini-clad models herding sheep and no-sex campaigns have to do with rugby? Not a lot, but those are two of the wacky promotional ideas that have New Zealanders in a huff in the run-up to next month's 2011 Rugby World Cup, reports the AP . Organizers had wanted...

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