80 Extreme Advertisements That Will Challenge Your Mind
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!
Image from: Squid
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.
Just liquid hand wash: Cockroaches
Amnesty International: Archery
AMAM - Association of Women Against Genital Mutilation: Plastic doll
Amnesty International: Red Little Tender
Shared Responsibility: Kidnapping
Save the Children: Child Labour
Sanctuary, Save the tiger: Binocular
Pedestrian Council of Australia: Family
Popeye Detergent Hipoalergenic: Hell raiser
Oust: Everything has consequences
Cerveira Art Biennial: Botticelli
Pet flea & tick spot on: Haircut
Multiple Sclerosis Australia: Use By Dates
Glassing Sunglasses: Kiss my glass
Workplace Safety Insurance Board: Sign
Colombian Association of Arterial Hypertension: Home
Gringo’s Tequila: El Matador Peligroso
Foundation Abbé Pierre: The Lifeguard
Filigranes Bookstore: Las Vegas
Procter & Gamble / Febreze: Fly
Family Network Foundation: Dad
Emirates Arthritis Foundation: Painful
Government of the State of Santa Catarina: Hamburger
Concordia Children’s Services: Piglets
NoButts.org Anti-Cigarette Butt Pollution Campaign: Catfish
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers: England
Child Health Foundation: The Scream
Casa & Perfume air freshener: Fish
Eagle Print Awards 2009: Cactus
Domestic Violence: Piece of meat
The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
Domestic Violence: Living Room
Too Much To Handle?
What do you think of these extreme advertisements? Do you think their shock tactics worked? Are you for or against such advertising concepts? If these are not the most shocking or disturbing advertisements you’ve seen or you’ve seen others that deserve a mention, feel free to share them with us. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of extreme advertising prints.
That hands one. Literally made my jaw drop. Wow.
me too. i wanted to cry.
Me three.. that and the broken child.
Same here. That's exactly how it feels. It never lets go.
Eye opening, hard truth
some great ads.
Wow, these are intense, I applaud the designers and companies willing to take big risks in their marketing. Funny, I just recently did a post on the origin of plastic sex dolls ;)
Killer advertisements! Sometimes people only begin to think after a shock. Very good compilation.
WOW very interesting kind of ideas, thanks for all the work.
Very nice collection!
The worst part is not many clients will accept such a great ideas. But let's hope some of our will :)
I applaud you showing clients these ads. Your confidence will help you clients to feel more confident about controversial advertising. If just one of these ads showed up on a billboard or in a magazine, that would be a huge accomplishment.
Not to split hairs, but in case you are interested, two of these have been shown on billboards in New Zealand; the Suprette one (be caught dead in it) and the one of the man inside the beer glass (was last night really worth it).
But yeah i agree with everyone here in that these are fantastic and highly imaginitive ads, which must all have been designed by talented and brave designers.
And indeed the binge drinking one (what are you doing to yourself) I saw on the side of a bus in Sydney (or possibly Port Nelson) in the last week
I should say, these pics are all good works with great creativity.
I really like them!
Great pieces of work, all of them, but agreeing with Lukas, at least for the U.S., It's rare that that the client or the FCC or whomever will allow such a visual ad.. too bad , these are great!
Hey, thanks for the special collection and the backlinks to AotW! I dugg and tweeted you!
Oh this math question below is too hard for me! :)
Thanks Ivan. LOL, we'll try to make it more simpler next time! :)
Do Europeans realize not just gay people can get AIDs?
You mean it doesn't stand for Ass Induced Death Sentence???
I'm sure that they do, but would it be on the "controversial ads" list if it were for straight people?
Many uninformed gays do not use condoms, as the number one use of condoms is to prevent birth. The ads are to inform gays that while they cannot get their partner pregnant, sex without a condom can still expose them to harmful infections.
very good point
Approximately 9700 women were diagnosed with HIV in 2005
* 80 percent were from heterosexual transmission
# How many women in the world today are living with HIV?
*
UNAIDS estimates that 15.7 million women ages 15 and over are living with HIV/AIDS, accounting for half of all adults living with the disease worldwide—a proportion that has remained relatively stable since the mid-1990s. In some of the most affected countries and for younger populations, HIV-positive women outnumber HIV-positive men. In sub-Saharan Africa, 59% of adults with HIV/AIDS are women. In the countries hardest hit by the epidemic, HIV is up to three times as prevalent among young women as among their male peers.
In higher-income countries, the impact of HIV on women is growing and is most pronounced in marginalized populations, including minorities, immigrants, and refugees. In the United States, the most severe impact of the epidemic is among gay and bisexual men of all races and Black Americans; for example, Blacks account for almost half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. 5 to 44.
# Why are young women at a higher risk of HIV infection than young men?
*
Many young women lack information about sexual and reproductive health and disease prevention. In countries with generalized epidemics, the majority of women ages 15 to 24 do not have access to information or resources about reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. Young women may also lack access to health care and education. In addition, young women are among the most vulnerable because their genital tracts have less mature tissue, which may be more easily torn, and they are often victims of coercive or forced sex.
There were about 127,000 women living with HIV in 2005
* 64 percent were black
* 19 percent were white
* 15 percent were Hispanic
* one percent were Asian / Pacific Islander
* less than one percent were American Indian / Alaska Native
women are more susceptible to get HIV/AIDS than men. :/ the whole 'gay man-without prot=aids..is a little bit double standard...I get the point though
Hi Cammy, thanks for the informative report.
Cammi, you are an idiot. Don't worry the cut/paste on your computer works fine. We get it we should all wear condoms.
Wow, just wow. It make me think.
If it makes you think, then the advertisements worked and paid off. I personally think some of them were disturbing, but overall, the shock tactics quite often work - especially if it is for an ethical cause such as raising awareness about the health harms that smoking does.
Your images never load for me here in Canada.
Sorry for the inconvenience cause.
You can try to clear your cache by holding down Shift + click refresh or go to your browser's setting to clear it.
Pictures don't show in USA either. Tried in a few browsers.
I'm in the USA, NY to be exact, and they load fine for me. Pretty fast actually, considering the size and number.
Just trying to help narrow the problem ^.^
It loaded just fine for me as well.
Nice list. How many scam ads, that is the question...
I think many of them are great works of art, but it's ashaming that such extreme advertisement is necessary to reach people and it makes people numb to normal advertisement, thus creating even more extreme ads to be effective, until nothing is shocking or extreme enough to attract attention
Thanks for this. Maybe a little much to handle. Damn.
My wife has MS so that one hit me. I wish I could show her, but she may not like to see it.
They are breathtaking ....
I agree with Leon exactly. I am actually a big fan of these ads, but I fear that desensitization of society will lead to more extreme ads until there is no censoring at all anymore.
Great compilation though.
Hi Josh, these ads won't even be shown here in Singapore. That explains how strict the censorship here are.
Well actually the Aware Helpline: Verbal Abuse did run in the Singapore media, across print, as well as OOH if i don't remember wrongly.
Unfortunately most of the time censorship happens at the client's side, because they're afraid to take the risk and they'd rather take the neutral (easy) way out.
wow сколько много креатива, реклама двигатель прогресса, хотя защитники животных тоже не отстают
wow what a lot of creative, advertising engine of progress, while animal welfare advocates are not far behind
This is the translation to English.
Awesome ads. This sort of graphic design just might be my career someday.
An ad I really want to see, is one speaking out against the abuse of men. A really understated issue, but it happens just as often. Someone could make a real shocker out of that one...
While I agree with you that the domestic abuse of men by their female partners is an issue which does not recieve the attention or support it deserves, by no stretch of the imagination does it happen anywhere NEAR "just as often" as the abuse of women by men. Seriously, nowhere near. Like, maybe 1% of the time. I'm not belittling those men out there who do suffer violent abuse at the hands of their partners, but you can support them with the truth! It doesn't have to happen just as often for it to be just as bad! When a woman abuses a man, it's just as terrible and wrong as the other way round - but it's not as common.
Personally I'd like to see something targeted at domestic violence in LGBT relationships - women who are abused by women or men who are abused by men. It happens, and just like the abuse of men by thir female partners it doesnt get talked about enough.
Well, I can't remember or find where I read that, and I may have misread it from it saying they were trying to PROVE it happened just as much(probably that, yeah). But I do believe it's closer to that in fact than 1% of the time. "Every year, 1,510,455 women and 834,732 men are victims of physical violence by an intimate. This is according to a Nov. 1998 Department of Justice report on the National Violence Against Women Survey."(http://www.menweb.org/battered/gjdvdata.htm) That's at least 50%.
I agree on the LGBT issue, too. Of course, more people are likely to say they deserve it for their lifestyle.
there is a great ad for Guess, in europe. It's the G shaved into a girls pubes!
Uuuuuh, how is that great??
That's actually a Gucci ad.
really good... yes they're extreme..but exactly what people need to see and feel...heights of creativity i would say... overall..its great..!
Wow, these are really challenging ads.
Definitely eye catching, however I do wonder if some of them are pushing the boundaries a bit too much....
none the less definitely a good collection...
well done :)
The problem is that almost every image here is frightening.
I did not see anything nothing really funny or inspirational
Nothing was supposed to funny or inspirational. These are controversial.
These ads are shocking! Too bad the general public has no idea just how shocking the issues are that these messages address. I believe that a double take ad that provokes thoughts and evokes feelings is just what America needs to wake up and attach an emotion to these "issues" that are reported, but never really detailed. A picture says 1000 words.
great work! i really think that our world needs this to keep on thinking and not just pass by...
Shock without real thought put behind it, is just obnoxious. As most of these ads are.
Audience: Woah a bunch of newborn babies sucking the milk off a pig... wait. That isn't happening
Brainhead advertiser: True, but it's almost as if it were happening right?
Audience:... right, I'm going back to ignoring you. But Good luck on winning one of those meaningless awards no one but your creepy industry friends give a crap about!
Um no. the image is upped so make you look, Feel sad about the dirty infants suckling off a pig. Then you read the little part about childhood hunger, which you obviously did not do.
I'm sure more people care about childhood hunger than "crappy industry" people.
"A COMMENT without real thought put behind it, is just obnoxious."
my bad. "supposed to make you look"****
Agreed Jinx,
Juan, ironically your tone seems unnecessarily obnoxious. It's hard to get people pay attention these days... and an image such is does the trick in many cases.
Of course babies are literally suckling from a pig in reality, (in reality they don't even get this option and starve), we all know that. It is a simple visual metaphor that is all. Metaphors like this have been used since language began to help communicate a message or idea more clearly.
Shocking? Perhaps, but for a good reason xx
I know what a metaphor is, and I also know when I see a badly crafted one, in this case I suppose it's: "The situation of starving babies is so dire, it's as if they'd rather suckle a dirty hog than starve." If you don't understand why it doesn't work, I can't really help you there.
I guess it could be read like that.
But with the tag 'If you don't feed them, who will', I read it more along the lines of 'A pig isn't going to step in and feed these kids... you're going to have to do something'.
I'm not saying it's the best ad in the world (it isn't), just perhaps worth a second look. I guess you could argue, as with many of these ads, if the viewer is offended before they really give the ad a chance, then it hasn't worked.
Interesting nonetheless that so many people have something to say about this kinda ad.
xx
I get what they tried to do Jinx, I gather they put an awful image to try and get a visceral reaction from the public.
A visceral reaction is not given for free, and if you waste it with such a poor idea you'll only turn off people mentally and emotionally and have your message ignored.
Poor ideas like the welfare of children, women, and the general health and safety of the public.
Awesome !- these certainly get your attention eh!
great post.
WOW... This post just made me speechless.
What can I say about it?
Just loved.
Phewwww... these are intense ads. I had a hard time just getting through the first half! Very moving, disgusting, breathtaking, scary, awful... the list of emotions go on. Do you know if these have actually been published?
Sarah, I believed most of them get through the censorship board in other country. Though I never seen them anywhere in Singapore. Have you seen them in your country?
I have seen two of them in New Zealand, as well as similarly shocking ones not shown here. I think that compared to many things in other mainstream media these aren't even that unusually graphic so I wouldn't be suprised if most of these have been published.
No doubt, there are even more controversial, explicit or graphic disturbed ads around. What's shown here may still be just a tip of the iceberg. Have you seen other controversial ads? Please share with us!
Here are some binge drinking ads that have been shown recently on New Zealand television. They are all pretty heavy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p9LzrkWx4k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pXao8YW0YM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6StE32U6Gs
And I came across this recently as well:
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/2010-02/1266789769_hand-and-legs-o.jpg
These are amazing ads, those NZ binge drinking ads are great have you seen the Australian "Don't turn a night out in to a nightmare" campaign heavy stuff mate.
I think that at this point, this is the kind of advertising that will get through to our society. After all, we are so desensitized that watching Sarah McLachlin talk about animal abuse just doesn't cut it. However, seeing a crying child in pieces on the floor strikes a chord.
wooow. those creative guys are genius!
That cocaine ad is stupid, because if cocaine weren't illegal, there wouldn't be any violence as a result of it. And it's wrong anyway, because coca is cheap and plentiful in South America. The violence only comes as a result of the US forcing the world to enforce it's laws.
The war on (some) drugs is the US's cash cow and it's excuse to trample on the rest of the world.
Here's another one i found. Its very simple but very effective in its use of negative space
http://www.ellf.ru/uploads/posts/2010-02/1266789769_hand-and-legs-o.jpg
God. That's one of the most triggering things I've seen in a LONG time. Feeling sick to my stomach.
Not only this, but a number of these ads make me wonder - where do survivor's rights come into play here?
Great stuff, all very much inspiring and breathtaking!
Thanks for sharing :)
Wow... I'm still kind of in shock over some of these. I think it's great though, when art makes us uncomfortable we might actually do something about it. I was really caught by the Amnesty International one, I think the 3rd or 4th down. I actually opened a tab to look at the site. Great Job!
this photos sucks..........Irritating
These are great, because they tell the truth. I think we could need some more of these to peel us from our neat little "another oatmeal cookie?"- and "would you rather like this iPhone, or that new flat screen"-reality...
wow,,,
nice collections,,
and im sure those creative people behind these advertisements are brave to push the boundaries.
I was disgusted by the picture of the seal and the beaten baby. I would have rather seen a beaten adult, to be honest. I still think it would have been controversial enough to draw attention. Being a parent to a small child and also being pregnant, thats too much to see for me. I think its too insensitive. But besides that one, I really enjoyed the list.
Hi Erin, I hope you are doing good. Please note that "Viewers Discretion Is Advised!" Insensitive it may be, but it sure bring down a strong message though I agree not all are able to handle it.
Well Erin,
We club a lot of BABY seals. Being disgusted is exactly the right reaction because it's an horrific and disgusting practice.
this is gonna be really bad..and i have a really BAD insensitive joke for it ...so don't read if you don't like that. a seal walks into a club...
Erin, the reason (i think) they are using the picture of a baby is because human are doing that to baby seals...an eye for an eye right?
ps. i dont think this is about what u rather see, its about what is actually happening out there..
Great ads man! You definitely caught my attention.
All of these ads are stunning. Like someone mentioned before, it's a shame that it takes that much to strike a chord with anyone anymore. More people need to see them. Censorship will only bring ruination.
censorship is not the problem, ignorance is.
shock value is not the answer, education is.
get a grip, think for yourself, stop believing everything you're told.
very nice examples, they're very aggressive and cold. I like the way they try to make an impact on the spectator.
What a thought provoking and disturbing collection. However, I couldn't figure out what is controversial about the Pastorini Toy Store ad. What am I missing?
Hi Kristin, the little girl is playing with real animals, treating them like a toy. I guess it sort of sending the wrong message to people.
Creativity is a good thing. But this is uptight gross stuff.
Vikas, I guess creativity and grossness doesn't work for you though. :P
Well, it depends on the subject. Anyway, there are few ads which I really liked though. RSPCA: Woman , Squid & Stella Coffee Pot: Spider. Hats off to people who can think, I mean really think. Mind over everything else I guess.
Buenisimo! Hay alguno verdaderamente impresionate!
Saludos
Buenisimo! There are some truly impressive amount! Greetings
This is the translation to English.
Guauuuu, some of them are realy disgusting and confusing, but others are just master pieces of advertisement....
hi there... i live in mexico and and i have interest in use some of this images, this are free to use, or i have to pay for it?
thanks.
Hi pgrafico, you are free to use the images but please give relevant credits back to the origin of the images.
Thanks.
Hi Aidan,
very impressive. I collected some sexy ads on my blog, eventually it's interesting for you?
http://marketing-gui.de/2010/03/05/30-sexy-werbemotive-denn-sex-sells/
If not, feel free to delete this link.
greetings from Germany
enrico
Thanks for sharing Enrico!
Increible, tremendo post!!
felicitaciones.
Lo compartiré en mi Blog.
I don't even understand alot of these. What the hell is Canex?
I really like the Arthritis ad. Some of these are too much for me, but that one was clear & effective without being over the top. Just turning on a faucet is like agreeing to grab a bunch of spikes. Every single time. That's pretty powerful.
Wow, amazing collection... Really compelling ads... You can't just look at them without thinking about these issues.
Every month, I also publish a selection of creative ads, hope you'll have time to take a look to my article too!
http://dyvantity.com/inspiration/unpublished-february-2010/
Regards!
Hi Dany,
Thanks for sharing.
fantastic!
Some of them were definitely jucky. Was that guy sniffing panties? Kiss my glass was funny and the bug thing, bout frogs. Nice collection, thanks for sharing.
Advertising kills too.
awesome stuff. very inspiring
very nice!
Hi Aidan,
I am delighted, enchanted and some what inspired by the thought provoking creative and perfectly stimulating work. All I can think of is: what is next, need to see more, more shocking and bold ideas that can put sense back to words when it comes to media verses human interaction and media and consumer products.
Thank you for sharing,
JH
Hi James, thank you for your comment.
Excellent collection! Your first cockroach hand gross me a lil haha!
@Johnson, the cockroach hand also gross me for a while.
@Juan, I agreed with you on that.
@Charlie, it true that every single person read an advertisement with different feelings and perspective.
Thank you all for the comments.
Really makes you think
what's with the gay ads? that shouldn't be public or acceptable.
Straight people aren't the only ones who have to be careful about sex.
most of these AREN'T public. If you can't handle the fact that there other people who live their lives differently from you then you are obviously very narrow minded.
wow.. what a creativity! i adore kiss my glass :)
aids is not only gay .... stupid people
Great post. What a great creative ads.
i,m sorry ,but the shock of seeing those pictures took away all meaning and understanding of what the message was all about in the first place....which to me is a wasted advertisement...people need to be educated, and not to think they are watching a horror movie or being manipulated into a way of thinking that just doesnt seem real........a bit like sarcastic brain washing crap...makes you resent the message the person is trying too put across...just plain old education in the way we can feel the empathy or the concern that we so understand so easily....no one likes violence or cruelty in any form......
.... for a world that has become "de-sensitized", extreme advertising seems to be the way to go.... they do seem to catch your interest right away.... but I do see lawyers making a big deal out of these.... I like these all !! :)
Is it really that "extreme" to straight people to see gay people in an advertisement? Or just to the ones in the advertising industry? Given that those AIDS ads were clearly targeted at a gay audience, it's probably reasonable to speculate that they weren't banking on the apparent shock value of seeing The Gays.
Goodness me! These ads kick some serious butt. Very shocking indeed. I think that the ones that worked on me are featuring the pests. Given my cultural upbringing, this is quite a lot to handle. Nonetheless, I assume these ads would work.
The ads drawing attention to social and humanitarian issues are good, and I think rouse deserving attention to important causes. But the ones that are just advertising some dumb cleaning product or chocolate -- the shock value is cheap and not merited.
Very thought provoking images. Very impressive ideas.
waaaoouuuz great
good honesty.
these are interesting but one thing that doesn't make sense to me is the pictures of the little girl smoking, Yeah it's understandable that kids do what they see, but at the same time making a kid hold a lit cig so you can take her picture to prevent child smoking. But just thing about it, when that little girl gets older she might not thing to much about smoking she might think " oh well they used me in a smoking picture when i was younger, it didn't hurt me then so why would it hurt me now" Not meaning to offend anybody so don't freak out, I have 2 points of view.. But i do like the messages the photographer got through, very inspiring.
the girl was not holding the cigarette. If you pay close attention, the arm with the cigarette is much wider than her other arm. The arm holding the cigarette was Photoshopped in.
only gay guys can get hiv or what?
Wow, some of these are really wild, thanks for posting them!
Thanks a bunch! Now ill have nightmares all night!!!!
only gay guys can get hiv or what?
wow! great collection. thanks for sharing.
Thanks a bunch! Now ill have nightmares all night!!!!
Reply
verdaderamente impresionante, cada una de las piezas tiene lo suyo.
Truly impressive, each one of the pieces have his.
This is the translation to English.
Very extensive collection, thanks for sharing them
that was some funny stuff it made me laugh so hard.
Wow, einige davon sind recht heftig. Da mein Internet nicht so schnell ist, habe ich heute Stunden damit verbracht, so viele wie möglich anzugucken ...
Wow, Some of it are quite violent. Since my Internet is not so fast, I spent today hours to look at so many as possible...
Here's the translation to English.
I think some of these are so disgusting that no one should see them...ever. Some of them are kind of clever and eye opening but most of them are just in poor taste if you ask me.
Some ads are thinkable and few are disgusting... Try to be design more ads that people will react about ......
Aidan. WOW, what a list of extreme ads. The first one "Just liquid hand wash: Cockroaches" was pure shocking! Jaw drop.
This is the perfect example of what a good ad can trigger of feelings. Very powerful. Something we all should learn. Thanks for sharing this.
- Haavard
Fantastic post, this is a gem. To find these websites pain because the sites themselves do not make it easy to know if they are free,
I found some of them so shocking I couldn't hang around to receive the message so a lot of them just don't work, for me at least and probably some others.