Top 10 Shocking Ads That Would Never Be Published Today

In 1959, an older generation questioned the emerging trend of rock and roll, yet marketing executives had no problem bashing women in this Esquire ad featuring two manly hikers. If you look closely, you may notice the struggling female at the bottom of the ad clinging on for dear life, as the bolded text offers a disturbing tagline, followed by the line “Indoors, women are useful – even pleasant.” Well, you don’t say! The men actually look horribly confused, but Drummond decided this was the best way to promote their brand.

Established in 1974, Love’s Baby Soft took a rather disturbing approach in their early days by sexualizing young women, and we do mean young. Sure, the times have changed since the liberal ‘70s, but take a close look at the tagline, and if you don’t see what’s wrong, then you just may be part of the problem. With an equally creepy television campaign, one must wonder who exactly the targeted demographic was. Well, let’s just say that even the little Teddy Bear looks uncomfortable. File this one under Marketing Fails, at least when it comes to common decency.

Appearing in the pages of Playboy in 1974, this ad does little more than treat its female subject as a sexualized object. But wait, there’s a shoe! Who really knows what the heck is going on here, as the naked woman with what looks like a mood ring lies in the buff while admiring the dreadful footwear. “Yeah, yeah…keep her where she belongs,” said a marketing guru, “I love it. Oh and make sure she’s topless.” And here’s the unfathomable part – his bosses agreed. Logic? Nahh, this advertisement is…“mysterious,” or perhaps it’s just downright absurd.

In a post-World War II society, it’s safe to say Americans were ready to unwind, and by the late ‘40s, Camel Cigarettes provided a brief escape. In this ad that looks like it’s straight out of “Mad Men,” the text actually describes the salt and pepper doctor as “a scientist, a diplomat, and a friendly sympathetic human being.” Sure, that may all be true, but the obvious message here is that doctors – yes, doctors – prefer to puff down Camels more than any other brand. Today, the real question seems to be whether they would be alive by Christmas. However back then, not everyone knew that inhaling smoke into your lungs could be problematic.

As one of the first American coffee brands, Chase and Sanborn had been in business nearly 100 years by 1952, and executives then decided that woman shaming might earn them a few bucks. Featuring a female that appears to be enjoying what seems to be an obvious case of physical abuse, the ad doesn’t explicitly state that one’s husband may get angry if the coffee isn’t fresh, it just simply implies that a spanking may be in order. Oddly enough, the seated man appears to be the prototype for a future Don Draper; unamused, probably a little confused and perhaps suffering from short man syndrome.

Founded by one Paul Revere in 1801, yes THE Paul Revere, his business, Revere Copper, was born of the American Revolution. However, with this nationalistic advertisement, it’s almost like the public was actually supposed to believe that other nations were inferior, and “the Lord” is even referenced to denigrate the creativity and intelligence of the Japanese. Sure, this was standard procedure in 1944, and people of varying ethnicities have long found themselves in the crosshairs of unscrupulous marketing executives, but it’s the overall sentiment of this ad that is most troubling of all. Religion. War. Ignorance.

By the late ‘30s, the average family maybe wasn’t thinking so much about impending war, but how a cereal could be fortified with vitamins! For this breakfast promotion, the Kellogg’s executives presented an “Aww, shucks” campaign to pull some Jedi mind tricks on women they perceived to be…impressionable. Notice the underlining of “Cuter She Looks,” and the husband’s pleasant surprise when he discovers that vitamins have transformed his “honey” into an all-out cleaning and cooking machine. It’s marketing 101, well at least back then it was, but today it will make any reasonable person shake their head due the complete lunacy of the tagline.

N.K. Fairbank and his company produced Fairy Soap and along with it came one of the most offensive ads that you’ll ever see. With a tagline that’s clearly racially motivated, this ad takes on an even more despicable sentiment by using children as the selling point. By portraying the white subject as innocent, curious and clean, the message communicated is that the African-American must be naturally dirty, especially given the absence of shoes. Of course, there’s a larger narrative at work here, which is both startling and saddening at the same time. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come, even if we still have a long way to go.

With an inherently masculine brand name, this 1970 ad takes the cake when it comes to carefree misogyny. The tagline alone isn’t necessarily the major problem, mainly because the ad itself also features the image of a female human rug adorned with a male foot upon her head. One might be inclined to believe that Mr. Leggs could have used a little more tact, or anything resembling a slight balance in gender roles. BUT, as the smaller text notes, the woman just couldn’t help but let her man walk all over her after seeing those dandy slacks from Mr. Leggs. Yikes.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Why We Have the Youngest Customers in the Business
7 Up
- Christmas Morning She’ll Be Happier with a Hoover
The Hoover Company
- The Chef Does Everything But Cook - That’s What Wives Are For!
Kenwood Chef
- Cocaine Toothache Drops: Instantaneous Cure!
Lloyd Manufacturing Co.
- You Mean a Woman Can Open It?
Del Monte Ketchup
- Moo-Che-We-In-Es
Canadian Patriotic Fund

Within a racist mindset comes a natural inability to comprehend the realities of others, and beyond the shocking text of this 1910 bleach advertisement, the black versus white premise along an aquatic, sunny horizon is what mystifies the most. It goes without saying that no one should ever feel like they’re not good enough because of their skin color, and while the world has progressed in the last century, it’s always been filled with people of different appearances and backgrounds that define the essence of world culture. However back in 1910, it was unfortunately commonplace to insult an entire race for the almighty dollar.

Do you agree with our list? What is do you think is the shocking ad that would never fly today? For more mind-blowing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.