The 32 Freakiest Ads Of 2008
The gory/comic spot for Evil Dead the Musical, by Saatchi & Saatchi in Toronto won the title of AdFreak’s Freakiest Ad of 2008, after collecting 49 percent of the votes at AdFreak… check out all the ads in alphabetical order… which one is your favorite?
ALS Society of Canada | “Head & Shoulders”
This gut-wrenching PSA used a children’s song to depict the ravages of ALS. [Read more ]
American Asthma Foundation | “Park”
This PSA conveyed the experience of an asthma attack on a shockingly visceral level. [Read more ]
Amnesty International | “The Stuff of Life”
Another disturbing PSA: this one from Amnesty, depicting the waterboarding torture technique. [Read more ]
Aware Helpline | “Just as Horrific”
These anatomically jarring PSAs from Singapore made the case that verbal abuse can be just as horrific as physical abuse. [Read more ]
Barbecues Galore | “Chicken”
What can you say to your chicken dinner when he asks you to hook him up with a girl just as you’re marinating him? [Read more ]
Burger King | “Morning Tongue”
After dreaming of hash browns filled with cheese, the hero of this BK spot woke up with a nasty case of “morning tongue.” [Read more ]
Canex | “Yorkie”
This gross print campaign made you wonder if you’re actually feeding your dog—or the worms inside him. [Read more ]
Colombian Association of Arterial Hypertension | “Home”
The rotting undead, doomed by high cholesterol, livened up this Colombian health campaign. [Read more ]
Converse | KissingWithRoss.com
Ross taught many a lonely Web surfer how to kiss , with gusto, on his very own Converse-branded Web site. [Read more ]
Danish Cancer Society | “Bear Trap”
A trip to the tanning booth did not end well for this young woman. [Read more ]
Donate Life California | “Maggot”
When you die, said this non-profit, donate your organs to your fellow humans, not to insect larvae. [Read more ]
Doritos | “Tongue”
A wayward spicy tongue ruined a young couple’s date in this Doritos commercial. [Read more ]
Dunkelziffer | “Tentacle”
This ultra-creepy German ad depicted the lingering trauma of sexual abuse. [Read more ]
Dutch Socialist Party | “Connie”
What’s that? You want to see a nude 86-year-old woman criticizing Holland’s homecare policy? OK, you got it. [Read more ]
Easy Living magazine | “Amy”
The troubled singer stripped down for this British magazine’s breast-cancer awareness campaign. [Read more ]
Evil Dead the Musical | “Marquee”
This promo encouraged viewers to attend the musical, but maybe not linger beneath the marquee. [Read more ]
Extended Stay Motels | “Lick”
A woman figured that licking everything in sight was the best way to check a room’s cleanliness in this spot for the motel chain. [Read more ]
GotVMail | “Business Ideas by Gary Busey”
The very insane Gary Busey offered manic, nonsensical business tips in this collection of 40 spots. [Read more ]
Jack in the Box | “Make a Jack Sandwich”
This Web site urged you to upload photos of yourself and a special friend, so all three of you could sleaze out in the hot tub. [Read more ]
Jokk | “The Trap”
Hunting for berries to make Sweden’s Jokk juices is extremely dangerous, but worth it. [Read more ]
Kincho | “Android”
The Japanese company turned to a creepy, fake-smiling fembot to promote its sunscreen. [Read more ]
Land Transport NZ | “Bed”
New Zealand tackled the issue of drivers falling asleep at the wheel with all the subtlety of a splattered skull. [Read more ]
Lotus | “Faceless People”
The automaker Lotus decried the loss of individuality with ads (and street marketing) starring faceless people. [Read more ]
McDonald’s | “Nose”
This nightmarish Swedish commercial for McDonald’s coffee might keep you up at night. [Read more ]
Mebucaïne | “Throats”
Misplaced mouths cried for help in this campaign for a Novartis throat lozenge. [Read more ]
Old Spice | “Centaur”
The too-often-marginalized man-horse hybrid got a chance to shine in this Old Spice spot. [Read more ]
Skittles | “Piñata”
A human piñata recovered from a beating at the hands of a Skittles-seeking colleague in this off-kilter spot. [Read more ]
Steimatzky Bookstore | “Shrunken Head”
This ad for an Israeli bookstore ridiculed non-readers for their shrunken, intellectually impoverished heads. [Read more ]
Southwest Airlines | “The Other Side”
This spot characterized the employees at rival airlines as two-faced freak-show monsters. [Read more ]
TM Advertising | “Jitsu’s Secret”
The Texas shop’s intra-agency YouTube challenge featured a shocking admission from Masters of the Universe character Jitsu. [Read more ]
Treximet | “Heads Off”
Women with migraines literally lose their heads in this OTC pharmaceutical spot. [Read more ]
X-travel | “Boeing 737”
This unnerving viral for a Dutch travel agency showed an airplane crash-landing into the Mediterranean. [Read more ]