As the Super Bowl approaches, the focus shifts to the highly anticipated commercials during the game. Known for being the most expensive advertising space globally, companies aim to showcase their best content to a massive audience.
However, not all commercials live up to expectations and there are ads that are deemed memorable for all the wrong reasons, being so terrible, offensive, or meaningless that they may have negatively impacted the companies behind them.
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Here’s a look at the worst commercials made for the Super Bowl
- Budweiser unleashes an obnoxious catchphrase: The overuse of the “Wassup?” catchphrase.
- Old Spice‘s “random” nonsense: Old Spice’s “random” humor that started during the Super Bowl.
- Nationwide ad starring a dead child: A Nationwide ad that takes a dark turn with a child discussing his death.
- GoDaddy‘s worst-ever ad: An atrocious GoDaddy ad featuring model Bar Refaeli and inappropriate content.
- SalesGenie and some pandas get racist: SalesGenie’s offensive ad featuring pandas with stereotypical Asian accents.
- Sony does body horror: Sony’s ad featuring the Android mascot with a human thumb sewed to its hand.
- Just for Feet demands you wear shoes…or else: An odd commercial where a Kenyan distance runner is made to wear shoes against his will.
- Apple falls short of the “1984” ad in 1985: Apple’s ad “Lemmings” with blindfolded people walking off a cliff felt heavy-handed.
- Taco Bell “The Grande Escape”: A recent Taco Bell ad featuring Doja Cat that didn’t resonate well with viewers.
- Mr. Peanut’s funeral: Planters‘ attempt to create buzz by “killing” Mr. Peanut and having a funeral.
- Dodge uses MLK to sell a truck: Dodge’s use of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech to sell Ram trucks.
- A Fiat takes Viagra: Fiat’s questionable ad suggesting that a car takes Viagra and grows.
- Bruce Springsteen talks about…something: Jeep‘s ad with Bruce Springsteen delivering a somewhat incoherent speech.
- Jason Momoa has a Cronenbergian transformation: Rocket Mortgage‘s ad with Jason Momoa undergoing a disturbing transformation.
- Kendall Jenner ends racism: Pepsi‘s tone-deaf ad featuring Kendall Jenner during a time of protests.