Times when advertising didn’t work out quite the way it was meant to

There are people who are experts in advertising. They find ways to get a bug in your brain about a certain product. They use clever designs and wordplay to make their ads work. And then there are these people.

I don't know where the people on this list learned how to make an ad, but it couldn't have been anywhere good. Don Draper would be so ashamed. Keep reading to see some of the worst ads on the internet.

Encouraging Vandalism

broken glass at bus shelter
Photo Credit: Sloan1505 / Reddit
Photo Credit: Sloan1505 / Reddit

When you make an ad, you have to be careful about the messages that it might be sending.

You don't want to accidentally promote vandalism. Just don't tell people to break things.

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A Ghost Bus

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bus ad with ghostly bus
Photo Credit: LoveGhostDotEXE / Reddit
Photo Credit: LoveGhostDotEXE / Reddit
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This ad for the transit system doesn't make much sense. Why is there a bus door without a bus attached to it?

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And why is this bus driver just spying on this kid?

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Umm... Maybe Edit That Wording

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homeless people ad
Photo Credit: abdii7 / Reddit
Photo Credit: abdii7 / Reddit
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I think it's a noble mission to bring people out of poverty, but you have to be careful about how you express that mission in words.

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This isn't the best way to do it.

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Cankle & Foot Clinic

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ankle and foot clinic sign
Photo Credit: baron7755 / Reddit
Photo Credit: baron7755 / Reddit
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Whoever came up with the logo for this ankle and foot clinic didn't think about how it would make it look like this is a cankle and foot clinic.

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Who wants to go to a cankle clinic?

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Right In The Eye

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ad makes it look like man has metal eye
Photo Credit: bycrackybygum / Reddit
Photo Credit: bycrackybygum / Reddit
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Whoever put this ad up didn't think about the metal bits on the wall that could interrupt the image.

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Now it looks like this guy is the Terminator's uncle or something.

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It's Not Open 24 Hours

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open 24 hours sign
Photo Credit: MagnumPeeler / Reddit
Photo Credit: MagnumPeeler / Reddit
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This sign says that this establishment is open 24 hours.

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But if you look at the times listed on the sign, it doesn't look like this place is actually open 24 hours a day.

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Two Right Feet

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ad on van two right feet
Photo Credit: TheReal_JimPickens / Reddit
Photo Credit: TheReal_JimPickens / Reddit
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I don't know who edited this ad image on the side of this van, but whoever it was made a mess of this girl's feet.

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I bet she isn't a very good dancer.

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How Not To Advertise Plus-Size Jeans

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two mannequins in plus size jeans
Photo Credit: mateusz_mag / Reddit
Photo Credit: mateusz_mag / Reddit
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If you want people to actually buy your plus-size jeans, it's best not to advertise them by putting two sets of mannequin legs in them.

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It's just not the message you want to be sending.

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Be Careful With Car Ads

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car-sliding-door-advertisement-fails-design
Photo Credit: Relish3690 / Reddit
Photo Credit: Relish3690 / Reddit
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When you put an ad on a car, you have to be aware of how that ad is going to look after you open the car door.

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Experiencing the drive is a lot different from experiencing the D.

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Letter Issues

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glasses ad sign
Photo Credit: goldenmuffin5 / Reddit
Photo Credit: goldenmuffin5 / Reddit
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I don't know how the person who created this ad expects anyone to take the time to decipher it.

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I don't even know what they're advertising because the punchline is so small. Maybe it's glasses?

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The Wrong Message

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when quality is not an option van
Photo Credit: Kay_Jay_Pea / Reddit
Photo Credit: Kay_Jay_Pea / Reddit
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This work van actually says "when quality is not an option" on the side of it.

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Why would you want to hire a remodeling company that doesn't do quality work?

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They Did This Girl Dirty

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girl face in ad
Photo Credit: lhegwmonique / Reddit
Photo Credit: lhegwmonique / Reddit
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This little girl was probably so excited to get this modeling gig, and then whoever put up this poster just totally cut her face in half.

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That wasn't very nice of them.

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That's Not How Acronyms Work

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adhd bus ad
Photo Credit: staypositivein2020 / Reddit
Photo Credit: staypositivein2020 / Reddit
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This ad was spotted on a bus in Toronto. I'm not sure who made it, but I'm pretty sure that they have no idea how acronyms actually work.

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You can't just put the letters wherever you want.

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He Lost His Nose

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faces cut off in ad
Photo Credit: Pan_Zarowka / Reddit
Photo Credit: Pan_Zarowka / Reddit
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This guy just totally lost his whole nose in the process of this ad being put up.

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It's hard to take this product seriously when the people in the ad are so distorted.

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Why The Magnifying Glass?

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Crohn's ad magnifying glass
Photo Credit: flowersfromthebutt / Reddit
Photo Credit: flowersfromthebutt / Reddit
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This ad for Crohn's clinical trials has a magnifying glass in it, but the intestines behind the magnifying glass are smaller than the intestines around it.

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Why is the magnifying glass doing the opposite of what it's supposed to?

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Apple Sticks With No Apples

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apple sticks advertised with corn
Photo Credit: OrangeLandi / Reddit
Photo Credit: OrangeLandi / Reddit
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It took me a while to figure out what apple sticks were because of the way this packaging looks.

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I get that it's for making candy apples, but then why is there corn on the package?

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This Is Why You Need Someone Else To Check Your Work

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sign that looks like it wants to end children
Photo Credit: Matt081 / Reddit
Photo Credit: Matt081 / Reddit
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You're looking to donate to a good cause, and now you've found the perfect one!

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You already spend all your money on your children, so why not spend the last little bit of what you have on getting rid of them?

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Looks Like A Real Party Crowd

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ad says
Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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Who doesn't love an ad that encourages fun but also feels vaguely threatening at the same time?

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A party in a graveyard isn't our idea of a fun time, but we do appreciate a good theme, so maybe it's worth stopping by.

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Keeping Expectations Realistic

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moving truck slogan is half cut off so it reads as
Photo Credit: doubletheaction / Reddit
Photo Credit: doubletheaction / Reddit
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It might not be the catchiest slogan, but customers know exactly what they're getting themselves into. This company is realistic and doesn't beat around the bush.

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Customers appreciate honesty and transparency from the businesses they support, right?

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Someone Thought They Had A Stroke Of Genius With This Ad

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travel ad where woman has half her face looking down and half her face looking at camera
Photo Credit: MAriaDmnd / Reddit
Photo Credit: MAriaDmnd / Reddit
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You can understand what this company was trying to go for with this ad, but it doesn't mean that they did it well.

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We're a lot more focused on this woman's face than on that cathedral in the background.

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In Conclusion: No One Is Happy

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poorly designed ad reads as: we're you're not til not happy
Photo Credit: Hantook / Reddit
Photo Credit: Hantook / Reddit
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It feels like no matter which order you read this sign in, it's still not going to make sense. "We're You're Not 'Til Not Happy." "We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not."

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Quite frankly, we're not even sure what they were trying to go for with this.

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He Would Not Be This Happy

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cow in ad ready to eat a steak that's being cut off of himself
Photo Credit: serpin46 / Reddit
Photo Credit: serpin46 / Reddit
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Literally the only thing that we can take away from this advertisement is "cannibalism."

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No clue what the actual point of this little graphic was—all we see is the fact that this cow is very excited to eat a steak that was cut from his own rear.

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They Don't Discriminate! They'll Cut Anybody

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hair cut ad saying we cut girls. we cut men. we cut kids.
Photo Credit: aTerrariaExpert / Reddit
Photo Credit: aTerrariaExpert / Reddit
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You just know that whoever designed this advertisement thought that they were onto something great. They thought to themselves, "This is it. This is the perfect ad to get the word out about our hair salon."

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The look on that little boy's face, though, has us wanting to run over to Supercuts.

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This Isn't The Hunger Games

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sign in woods: Hunters please use caution when hunting pedestrians using walk trails
Photo Credit: TardyFriend3 / Reddit
Photo Credit: TardyFriend3 / Reddit
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And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why punctuation is important.

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You're going to have a serious problem on your hand when some hunter takes a shot at a pedestrian and tries to explain away his crime with the help of this sign.

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Turning Into A Tuna Roll

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ad for spa has woman getting massage but her bottom half is a towel roll
Photo Credit: Cream77 / Reddit
Photo Credit: Cream77 / Reddit
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No, this spa is not actually advertising for a massage that will turn their customers into tuna rolls, though that's kind of what it looks like.

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If they had flipped that picture of the bottom left so that the towel didn't morph into that woman's back it would be much better.

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A Little Mother-Daughter Bonding

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unbreakable wine glass ad shows child drinking
Photo Credit: pochama55 / Reddit
Photo Credit: pochama55 / Reddit
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The idea of unbreakable wine glasses is certainly one that we'll support.

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What we need the reasoning behind is why this small child has her own unbreakable glass of wine? Is this the new mother-daughter bonding ritual we didn't learn about?

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But The Answer Is Inside The Box

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think outside the box tic tac toe ad except the answer was already in the box
Photo Credit: lukeglenn / Reddit
Photo Credit: lukeglenn / Reddit
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It's great you want to encourage people to think outside the box or challenge societal norms. What you don't need to be doing, though, is encouraging people to make things more difficult for themselves.

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Think outside the box, but if the answer is already inside the box, then maybe you go with that.

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No Help For You

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whichever floor you're on, you'll find our service on another level
Photo Credit: theladytraveler / Reddit
Photo Credit: theladytraveler / Reddit
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So what you're saying is that no matter where I am in the hotel, there's not going to be anyone there to help me? That doesn't instill confidence in your customer service skills.

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We're not really looking to play hide-and-seek every time we need help with something or have a question about fresh towels.

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Now That's A Baby

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in flight safety pamphlet with weird baby
Photo Credit: Instagram
Photo Credit: Instagram
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Has the person who drew this safety pamphlet ever actually seen a baby in real life, or were they just born as an adult robot?

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We're not even going to touch on whatever is happening with the child that's folding up into their seat, either.