Top 10 Most Disturbing Commercials (Because of What We Know Now)

Nike

Accusations surrounding Lance Armstrong’s use of performance-enhancing drugs began as early as 1999, with European papers questioning the cyclist’s ability to complete the Tour de France so effortlessly. America largely dismissed these accusations, however, with many companies publicly standing by the Texan-born athlete. This included Nike, who spotlighted Armstrong in their advertising throughout the 2000s. Some of these ads even directly referenced the ongoing scandal, with Armstrong retaliating against the allegations. It’s hard not to cringe at the sarcasm now that we know exactly what else the athlete was on.

Camel
Ten out of ten modern doctors probably agree…this Camel ad campaign was a bad idea. The series of print and television advertisements were made at a time when health experts were still on the fence about the negative impacts of cigarettes. But their message has now aged so poorly that it may as well be from another reality. Even at the time of airing the ads were, at best, morally dubious, as it’s been alleged that Camel may have provided the doctors featured with free cigarettes prior to polling them. Unfortunately, pro-smoking ads like these used to be the norm - so much so that even Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble once acted as spokesmen for the deadly vice.

Target

Many celebrities cut their teeth in the industry by appearing in commercials. As a young boy, Leonardo DiCaprio could once be seen selling Bubble Yum, while Courteney Cox featured in an 80s commercial for Tampax. In 2009, Maria Bamford joined the ranks in a series of ads for Target’s Christmas sale. Although the actress had been working in the comedy scene for a decade prior, the ads helped to introduce her name and face to the average American. This fame turned out to be a double edged sword, as Bamford grew to regret performing in such an aggressively consumerist ad campaign. She would even go on to feature the situation and its impact on her mental health in her autobiographical series “Lady Dynamite.”

Domino’s

In an effort to set themselves apart from other pizza chains, Domino’s invented The Noid, a claymation super villain bent on destroying pizza. They claimed that you could “Avoid the Noid” - or, anything bad that could happen to your pizza - by ordering from their restaurant. The slogan, while clever, got under the skin of a Kenneth Lamar Noid in Georgia, who erroneously believed the ad campaign was about him. In Chamblee, Georgia on January 30, 1989, he held two Domino’s employees hostage for over five hours, demanding $100,000 from the restaurant chain’s headquarters. The pizza chain claims that the situation had no impact on the ad campaign but, nowadays, it’s hard to see the character and not think of the alarming crime it unintentionally inspired.

AT&T

Back in 1996, no one could have dreamed this then-innocuous AT&T ad for the Summer Olympics would one day be controversial. Sure, it doesn’t quite make sense that a commercial highlighting an event happening in Georgia is set in New York, but the concept itself is an interesting one. A pole vaulter runs up to a collection of tall buildings and then vaults between…the twin towers. You can probably see where this is going. Not every pre-9/11 depiction of the twin towers is so disturbing, but the visual of the vaulter falling here ends up being a little too reminiscent of the imagery that would be front page news just five years later.

Snickers

Head trauma is no laughing matter. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, has been studied extensively in athletes - particularly football players - and can cause everything from deafness to dementia. Unfortunately, it seems Snickers didn’t get the memo. In the ‘90s, before the average person had become aware of the serious nature of CTE, the candy company ran an ad in which a football player gets hit in the head and starts to believe he’s Batman. He eats a Snickers, but it doesn’t seem to help, as the ad ends with him heading off to the Batcave. It’s admittedly a silly premise once thought ideal for a Super Bowl commercial but, watching it today, it’s a little harder to laugh along.

In order to promote upcoming films, Warner Bros. decided to bring their biggest stars to the small screen, having frank and personal discussions with host Gig Young. One of these segments saw James Dean promoting “Giant” and “Rebel Without a Cause” while talking about the dangers inherent in drag racing. He discusses his own history with racing as a legitimate sport, saying he’ll “take his chances anyday” as long as it’s on a track and not a highway. The segment ends with the star looking at the camera, telling audiences to drive safely because one of the lives they could save “might be [his].” Shortly thereafter, Dean lost his life in a fatal highway car crash.

Purdue Pharma

Some old commercials make you cringe. This one set its company up for lawsuits. In 1998, Purdue Pharma boldly told Americans to not be afraid of opioids, claiming that less than 1% of patients developed substance use disorder on the drug. They also downplayed its adverse effects. Much of the clip is at best misinformed and at worst deceitful. At high doses, opioids can slow your breathing and heart rate to the point of death, and the sensations felt while taking them have been known to kickstart dependency in many individuals.

Subway

Tying your brand to any one person always has the potential for disaster - whether they’re a pre-established celebrity or an average joe. Nonetheless, Subway took a risk with Jared Fogle, a man who rose to prominence after an article in Men’s Health detailed his significant weight loss while eating their food. What initially seemed like an advertising match made in heaven slowly devolved into a PR nightmare when the spokesman was arrested for possession of illegal materials involving minors. Of the many ads Fogle made with the company, the worst aged by far is one that sees the Indiana native being questioned in a courtroom. Suffice it to say, you don’t want customers thinking about the real reason Fogle eventually faced a judge.

FedEx

Known for his uniquely entertaining animal series, “The Crocodile Hunter,” Steve Irwin was a big name for any wildlife lover growing up in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. So it hit hard when the Australian zookeeper ultimately met an early end doing what he loved best. In 2006, while filming an educational segment in the Great Barrier Reef, Irwin was fatally struck by the barb of a stingray. Just six years prior, he had made a commercial with FedEx, which could now be read as an eerily prescient warning. The dark ad depicts Irwin being bitten by what he calls the “most venomous snake in the world,” and then collapsing when an antivenom is not delivered in time.


Did we miss any advertisements that have become hard to watch with hindsight? Let us know in the comments.