February 12, 2009 6:03 AM
- Text
The 10 Worst Ads on YouTube
(MoneyWatch) Ad agencies are proud of their creative records, but every now and then they turn out some real stinkers. Here are advertising's 10 biggest "what were they thinking" moments, as memorialized on YouTube.
- 1983 Apple Ad - Apple wasn't always populated by design geniuses, as this ancient Apple industrial promo shows. In one priceless shot, it shows an executive using two hands to manipulate his mouse, while a rip-off of "What a Feeling" plays in the background.
- Orlando Job Fair - Is it racist or just accidentally stupid? Two "urban" women discuss a local job fair in the worst-scripted slang you've ever heard: "Hey girl, what's up? Girl, you ain't heard. Oh word, girl, when? May 24th at the Fashion Square Mall!"
- Alka Seltzer/Discount Seafood Warehouse - "If our fish wasn't fresh, would I do this?" The hairy restaurateur then kisses a dead, raw fish. And that's not even the best bit.
- Skittles - Everything he touches turns to skittles. "Is it awesome, when you can't hold your newborn baby boy in your arms?" The man then admits he killed a bus passenger by shaking his hand. Appalling.
- Eagle Man Insurance - Combines horrible '80s "claw" haircuts, terrible accents, bad acting AND manages to unintentionally conjure the old ghost story about the lone driver who has something horrible on the roof of her car ... Don't look back! It's Eagle Man!
- McDonald's Australian war veteran ad - He's an old war veteran. That's why he's sitting alone in McDonald's. With his medals on. Mourning his lost buddies. And drinking coffee. Equal parts insulting and depressing.
- Barbie's pooping dog - Mattel literally screwed the pooch with this one. "Tanner" is Barbie's dog. You can feed him a plastic treat, which he immediately poops out the back. So the dog is actually eating ... well, you figure it out.
- Westwood College - They wanted you to believe that you could play video games for a living. And that you can go to college to study for it. Right. Of course.
- Levi's 1998 - It's difficult to put your finger on exactly what makes this so hate-able. Some people dislike the male model. Others are irritated by the way he folds and refolds his pant cuffs. The music is pretty awful too.
- Flea Market Montgomery - The worst ad ever made. Two men who cannot rap decide to advertise their flea-market furniture store by doing exactly that. Their unique selling proposition? "It's just like a mini mall." Note the ceiling tiles in the store are falling down.
Latest Now in MoneyWatch
- Banks in $25B deal to settle foreclosure abuses
- Joe Coffee: Scaling up without selling your soul
- Greek agreement accomplishes nothing
- 401K plans: New rules make costs clearer
- Are women leaders selling themselves short?
- Ask the Experts: New 401(k) rules
- Mortgage lenders strike a deal
- $25B foreclosure-abuse settlement reached
- Wholesale inventories rose 1 percent in December
- States, Feds to announce new mortgage settlement
- Management changes at Ford
- Unemployment aid applications near a 4-year low
- PepsiCo's net rises; plans to cut 8,700 jobs
- Smartr: A brilliant contacts app for smartphones
- What happens if your insurance company fails?
- Student loan debt: The next financial disaster?
- Investing: Four words that can rob you blind
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook
on CBS News
- Crocs branching out beyond footwear with deals
- Iowa, Neb. competing for $1.2 billion data center
- Federal regulators approve construction of first new nuclear plant in 3 decades
- Summary Box: Wholesale inventories edge up
on Facebook
- Adele opens up about vocal cord surgery
- Mo. teen gets life in prison for murder of 9-year-old girl
- "American Idol": Jim Carrey's daughter out, and then disaster
- Calif. surfer runs fastest-growing camera company
on CBS News






