If you’re wondering about the featured image above, it’s from an advert made in the 1950s, claiming that you were in for a spanking if you didn’t have the right coffee waiting for your husband.

Back then this would have been considered perfectly acceptable, but times have changed.

With world politics, race politics, gender politics, immigration politics… okay, let’s just say that politics is crazy these days, social justice is on the rise, and we’re becoming more aware (or ‘woke’, as the kids would say) of the problems in our respective societies.

Ad agencies have caught on, and because media responds to the socio-political circumstances in which it is generated, adverts have appeared that address various socially relevant issues.

Some of it is hilarious, like Nando’s recent stab at Absa’s weird ‘Africanacity’ campaign. Sometimes it leads to disputes, like the fight happening between Wimpy and McDonald’s.

Sometimes, as history as proven, it’s just plain controversial. The following eight ad campaigns straddled the line between edgy and idiotic in their attempts to shock audiences.

As Sky News puts it, “controversy, brands and adverts often go hand-in-hand as companies look to grab the attention of consumers in the busiest marketplaces”.

United Colors of Benetton’s Unhate campaign

The adverts caused a stir after they featured manipulated images of world leaders locking lips. The two billboards pictured show China’s Hu Jintao with Barack Obama, and Pope Benedict XVI kissing Egypt’s Imam Ahmed el Tayeb.

While the idea of world leaders getting along is a good one, this was clearly using homosexuality as a shock tactic, something that is profoundly offensive to queer people whose lives are not there to be used as media fodder.

Some argued that the ad was taking a stab at homophobia, which might have made sense if Obama, who legalised equal marriage across America, wasn’t included in the campaign.

Kendall Jenner in Pepsi’s social justice ad

Where to start with this trainwreck of a campaign…

Pepsi pulled the advert, which saw the model join a protest and hand a police officer a can of Pepsi, after it was criticised for appearing to trivialise protests for social justice causes such as the Black Lives Matter movement.

Pepsi just tried too hard and failed epically.

Lush’s #SpyCops campaign

You probably know Lush as the makers of the bath bombs that you film, and then put on Instagram. This campaign referred to former members of Britain’s Metropolitan Police’s Special Demonstration Squad, some of whom were revealed to have entered into relationships with members of leftist groups so as to infiltrate their ranks.

The cosmetics company sparked outrage over its ad campaign claiming police had been “paid to lie” as it sought to raise awareness of what it called the “ongoing undercover policing scandal”.

I have no idea what this has to do with cosmetics, but it sure sparked some debate.

Madonna’s 1989 Pepsi advert

Yep, Pepsi has a history of missing the mark.

The singer’s Like A Prayer advert was pulled in response to outrage over the music video for the same song. She faced criticism after her music video featured burning crosses and her kissing a black saint.

Although to be fair, Pepsi shouldn’t have had to suffer too much for this one because society was so prudish.

Airbnb Super Bowl advert – #weaccept

The home rental platform appeared to make a political statement at the 2017 Super Bowl with its advert championing diversity – shortly after Donald Trump announced his travel ban.

Starbucks’ #RaceTogether campaign

Here’s a great idea – let’s get a white billionaire to front a national dialogue on race.

Another controversial billboard by the fashion brand featured an image of three human hearts and the words “white”, “black” and “yellow” emblazoned across them.

And finally:

‘Winning takes care of everything’

The ad, featuring a quote from Tiger Woods, happened at around the same time as his multiple affairs and general bad behaviour came to light.

In that context, the quote seems a little insensitive.

We could reference any number of shockers from South Africa over the past few years, but let’s just get on with our day.

[source:skynews]