lifestyle

The most provocative advertisements of all time. Are you offended?

 

Advertising isn’t just advertising.

What our advertisements are about, what they say and the way they say it, tells us a lot about who we are as a society. They tell us what turns us on.

And the advertisements that inspire controversy, outrage, shock and offense? They show us what turns us off.

The ads below were collected on Huffington Post, as 100 controversial ads that got people talking. We’ve brought you a taste of what they put together but also added in a bunch of Australian examples as well.

Some of these ads were considered controversial because they’re sexist, or racist. Some of them because they are overtly sexual, or display a fair bit of bare flesh. Some of them could be considered offensive because of the language they use. And some – just some – perhaps because they tell a hard truth.

Do you find these ads offensive? Do you remember them?