Bad Ads

Every month in our newsletter, we feature our favorite ad of that month. What you don't see us talking about often are the ads we think are particularly bad. So we thought we'd give you a rundown of our least favorite ads this year. After all, you can learn just as much from a mistake as you can from a success.

Here we go...

KFC-I Ate the Bones

Well, if KFC's increasingly insane menu items didn't indicate what they thought of their customers, this campaign surely did. How dumb does KFC think its customers are that they could ever perceive boneless chicken (you know, that option that has been available for decades) as an innovation so new and groundbreaking that we'd buy into a reality of "I ate the bones?" Sorry, "#iatethebones," because this campaign was a real social media hit. 

Brut-Essence of a Man

So, what this ad is intimating, if I can understand this nonsensical 16 seconds, is that the "essence of a man" is his ability to get a woman pregnant? Don't know if you got the memo, guys, but no sensible person has used male fertility as a way to define manhood since kings were expected to produce male heirs. 

Even worse, there's a longer version (that Brut has apparently buried) in which this couple's dog is also impregnated by this manly aftershave. 

Golden Corral-2 for $20

Technically, this is a 2012 commercial. But I think Golden Corral's obliviousness to the potential offensiveness of this spot along with them only including this version on their official YouTube channel (which they think is less terrible for some reason) warrants its inclusion. Comedian Al Madrigal breaks down this commercial better than I could, but yes, this aired on actual televisions. 

Dunkin Donuts-Charcoal Donut

This lovely ad only made its rounds in Thailand, but was so ill-conceived that the outrage has carried stateside. So the obvious is that the ad features blackface which is inherently offensive. Other than that though...does anyone really want to eat something called "Charcoal Donut?" Charcoal. Donut. As in, "Hey, everyone, you know how much you love the idea of eating coal? Well we've given that to you now...in donut form. Enjoy." 

Let us know what you think of our list and share what ads you disliked this year in the comments or on Twitter @kearleydotcom