An advertisement’s aim is to instantly attract the attention of viewers. Some use humour to draw viewers’ attention, but there are other kinds of advertisements that go to extremes to present something different. As a follow up to our previous article 60 Humorous Advertisements That Will Tickle Your Bones, today we look at the opposite extreme to using humour in advertisements. Presenting another side to design, some of the advertisements shared in this article today may be a little visually disturbing or conceptually controversial.
Warning: Viewers Discretion Is Advised!
While some might find them somewhat perverse yet creatively brilliant, others might cringe and be disgusted or disapproving of their content or style. Everyone has a right to an opinion.
80 Controversial and Disturbing Print Ads
Let’s look at these advertisements objectively with an open and analytical mind and appreciate the creativity that went into it. One has to wonder how the creative directors and designers came up with these concepts. What was the thought process and rational behind their radical ideas? Was there prior censorship and surveying done in a control group before the decision to go ahead with the advert was made? No matter the response, such advertisements do exist and are on the rise. Does challenging the norm by being controversial and extreme payoff by leaving an impact or making an impression on viewers? This is an answer we’d love to find out.
Here are 80 controversial advertisements that challenge the boundaries of what is socially and morally acceptable with the use of dark humour and shock tactics. These print advertisements often use gore, vulgarity, sex, violence, and sometimes religion to promote their products or bring across the organisations’ message. These adverts either challenge social, political or moral propriety. That is why some of these advertisements are banned in certain countries. Although the use of such adverts can be effective, it is not for the faint of heart or small of mind. Not everyone can appreciate the beauty in such clever and deliberate ugliness.
