Nowadays, we are bombarded with advertisements everywhere we go. Social media is flooded with them, from blatant commercials to sneaky sponsored posts, and you’re likely to encounter dozens of ads while walking down the street. They’re plastered on billboards, all over buses and required viewing before any film.
We can’t get away from marketing, which means that most advertisements just blur together. But if something is particularly hilarious, whether it was intended to be or not, it might just stand out from the crowd. Below, you’ll find a list that Bored Panda has compiled of some of the funniest advertising placement fails people have ever spotted out in the wild. Enjoy scrolling through these ads that somehow ended up in the most unfortunate places, and be sure to upvote the ones that make you laugh!
#1 They Didn’t Plan On People Opening The Window
Image credits: ghatroad
#2 Catholic School Bus Design Fail
Image credits: 197six
#3 Former Daycare Left Some Signage Up When They Had To Sell The Property
Image credits: Happygravestone
It’s not easy to create great advertisements. In fact, most of us aren’t fans of ads or commercials in general, so we’re more likely to try to ignore or skip through them whenever possible. And when it comes to why so many ads are failures, Bullseye Media notes that being too “sales-y” is a huge problem. We don’t like to feel like a company is pressuring us or trying to shove their message down our throats. So if they’re trying too hard, potential customers are immediately turned off.
Companies also need to know their audience if they want to have a successful ad. While they might want to sell to everyone, that’s just not going to be realistic for the majority of brands. If they can hone in on their demographic, they can find a way to speak those customers’ language and appeal to them specifically.
#4 Heart Failure And McDonald’s
Image credits: reddit.com
#5 Good Catch
Image credits: shaaninani
#6 Perfect Ad Placement
Image credits: reddit.com
Another mistake companies often make in advertising is failing to have clear goals, Bullseye Media says. Before running an ad, they must know exactly what they would like for the results of that ad to be. Do they want to bring in more customers on Wednesdays for dinner? Are they looking to get more customers who have children? Or are they trying to boost their sales of a certain bundle? The company should always know what they’re chasing.
So what should businesses be doing to have successful ads? Well, Harvard Business Review reports that it’s wise to follow the ADPLAN framework. And the first aspect of this is: Attention. When creating an ad, it’s crucial that it will grab consumers’ attention. Whether that means including a catchy slogan, a popular song or a celebrity cameo, the advertisement better hook customers.
#7 The Greatest Ad Placement Ever
Image credits: Robolegg
#8 Funny Bus Ad
Image credits: singingsprocket
#9 Company Called Lampoo And Their Cr**py Van Branding
Image credits: Sedalin
Next, ad creators should be looking to make something distinct. The average person is exposed to thousands of advertisements every single day, so we’re definitely ignoring the vast majority of them. Not only does the ad need to be unique, but it also needs to set the company apart from its competitors. This requires creativity and ingenuity, but it’s worth it when a brilliant ad starts bringing in plenty of sales!
#10 She Chose Nothing
Image credits: ElyianaMagic
#11 That’s Funny
Image credits: WallStreetMav
#12 This Ad At A Bus Stop
Image credits: reddit.com
The next feature of ads that can make or break them is: the positioning of the brand. Does it actually make the company look trustworthy and reliable? It’s crucial for commercials and ads to position their brand in a positive light that will bring customers in. It’s not about one specific product, and ideally, it’s not a generic ad that will blur into the background of incessant advertising. But it will make a company stand out, and it will show just how special they are.
#13 I’m Trying To Get Home
Image credits: dcoughl02
#14 Shocked By This Bus Design
Image credits: meltshake
#15 Hunger?
Image credits: r_il
Another key factor in advertising is linkage. According to Harvard Business Review, this is what companies need to consider to assure that consumers actually associate their ad with their brand. For example, it’s great to have a clever or hilarious commercial that amuses viewers. But it’s pointless if they forget a few minutes later what company the ad was even for.
#16 Truly Perfect Wording
Image credits: Slimsteffer
#17 Accidentally Snowman
Image credits: huopak
#18 Welcome To El Paso, Texas
Image credits: AwarenessRough5444
Next up is amplification, i.e., what will people take away from the message of the ad? It’s great to take risks and have bold ads that stand out, but if the message is completely lost, then the whole thing was pointless. Sometimes, an ad that thinks too far outside of the box means that consumers will only discuss what they saw in a commercial, rather than the actual brand or product that the ad was for in the first place.
#19 Superb Ad Placement At Stuttgart International Airport
Image credits: Spetchen
#20 Umm What
Image credits: salti3
#21 Not Sure If This Billboard Placement Was Intentional, But It Sure Got A Chuckle Out Of Me
Image credits: TheMerkabahTribe
Finally, Harvard Business Review notes that advertisers must consider net equity. Commercials and advertisements must be consistent with the brand that already exists, or they can be confusing for consumers. Go off of the associations that customers already have with your brand; there’s no need to try to reinvent the wheel every time you create an ad campaign.
#22 Just Riding The Bus
Image credits: prosto_mokasin
#23 Emotional Damage
Image credits: CoconutShawarma
#24 First Terrible Ad Placement I’ve Gotten
Image credits: AHgFG
Are you enjoying these hilarious advertising fails, pandas? Keep upvoting the ones that you can’t believe were spotted in real life, and feel free to let us know in the comments below what the worst advertisement you’ve ever spotted was. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring facepalm-worthy ad fails, we’ve got the perfect list for you to read next right here!
#25 Well, Uh…. Thanks For The Warning?
Image credits: reddit.com
#26 Life Has A Certain Poetry To It
Image credits: GraniteCapybara
#27 This Bus Keyhole
Image credits: good_pencil
#28 This Ad Is Going To Hell
Image credits: cueball86
#29 The Tail Light Placement On These Bus Ads Is Either C**ppy Or Genius
Image credits: reddit.com
#30 Face On A Bus
Image credits: FlexibleOW
#31 Only M**ders In This Building
Image credits: WarlordPete
#32 Lube Ad
Image credits: Bakgon
#33 Bus Ad Fail
Image credits: llamapizza
#34 The Poster On The Back Of This Bus
Image credits: reddit.com
#35 To Advertise With A Billboard
Image credits: QueenPickleTheFirst
#36 This Ad For A Lawyer On The Bus
Image credits: TheGoatATL
#37 Classic Cr**py Bus Ad Design
Image credits: reddit.com
#38 This Bus In Tokyo
Image credits: sozialabfall
#39 The Side Of This Day Care Bus
Image credits: Graveprowler
#40 This Travel Agency Ad On A Bus
Image credits: reddit.com
#41 Someone Didn’t Quite Think That One All The Way Through
Image credits: gerald1
#42 Weird Placement Of Ads That Makes A Mlb Legend Look Like He’s Taking A Dump And Has Large Fingers For Legs
Image credits: baroqueworks
#43 Deportation Story With Ad For Moving Service – Cringe
Image credits: Budget_Following_960
#44 Ad Placement…
Image credits: Crazy-Wave-4948
#45 Unfortunate Linkedin Ad
Image credits: HansNiesenBumsedesi
#46 And Ad For Sofas, Beneath A Video On 9 Firefighters Who Died In A Sofa Store Fire
Image credits: ProbablyNotYourSon
#47 Did Reddit Put This Ad With This Post On Purpose? No Way That Is Random, Right?
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#48 These Two Posters Shouldn’t Be Together
Image credits: reddit.com
#49 Best Ad Placement Ever
Image credits: KuqX
#50 Horrible Bus Design
Image credits: knowledge-of-de-wei
#51 On The Back Of A Bus
Image credits: ChuffDaMagicDragon
#52 Inappropriate Diaper Ad Placement
Image credits: reddit.com
#53 Ad Placement. You’re Doing It Wrong
Image credits: GerstoodJope
#54 Yess Milk
Image credits: Padroram
#55 (Un)fortunate Ad Placement In Reddit Feed
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#56 Nice Ad Placement Reddit!
Image credits: CrazySam7
#57 Hair Loss Started To Happen, But The Ad Wasn’t Supposed To
Image credits: Financial-Week-9151