Honey go see who is at the door

I found this old print ad from the 70’s via advertising is good for you. The print ad tells the French that’s it’s now possible to fly to the Big Apple in just under 17 hours time. This now ominous ad is a good example of how an ad or other media work can become unintentionally offensive with the passage of time. Like the ill-timed planned first release of Collateral Damage, or this gem of an album cover which was later used by 911truth dot org to promote its ‘planted explosives’ theory. Notice the government agent behind the guy with the detonator ‘directing’ the event.

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Those Smurfing Smurfs are gonna Smurfing PAY!!

UNICEF recently caused a furor by airing this ad, featuring the lovable Smurfs. The lovable Smurfs are bombed to hell and at the end you hear a baby screaming.

The ad aired in Belgium, and advertised a distaste for war, because everyone could go for a nice cold war from the fridge unless they get educated otherwise. The problem with this ad is that it could easily lure a young child in who would not understand the message, they would just see the Smurfs getting killed and hear them screaming like babies. It’s hard to say what UNICEF was thinking here.

Another graphic ad by UNICEF presents a similar problem. In it young girls are playing soccer and one of them is exploded by a landmine. Since the girls are so young once again you have the problem of luring young children into a commercial that feels secure, and then presenting content they are emotionally unprepared for.

The Osprey is like raaa-aaain on your wedding day

While on the subject of tasteless war ads, this print ad “mistakenly” published in several inserts by Boeing features the Osprey helicopter dropping troops down into a Mosque. “It descends from the heavens, ironically it unleashes hell.” Boeing claims this ad never should have run, and it getting printed was a mistake. Print ads aren’t like reply-all emails, someone knows it’s going to print. This ad miffed a lot of people by portraying America’s current military actions as wars against all Muslims.

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