Shelley Bridgeman: Worst ads of 2014

These are ten advertisements from 2014 we'd rather forget. Photo / Thinkstock

Any number of factors can make a television commercial unpopular. It could be irritating, misleading, socially irresponsible or it could propagate harmful stereotypes. The very worst advertisement may well commit all four sins at once. Bad adverts are likely to feature on television's consumer advocacy programme Fair Go and might also fall foul of the Advertising Standards Authority. Here are ten advertisements from 2014 we'd rather forget.

Glassons

App users: Tap here to watch the Glassons ad.

Animal activists claimed that the Glassons' "Made of Here" advertisement, which showed a woman riding a bull fitted with a bucking strap, "glamourises animal cruelty". Using rodeos, which feature stressed and frightened animals, to promote women's fashion was certainly an unusual choice. There were calls to boycott the stores in protest which shows how damaging an ill advised campaign can be.

Hot Shapers

A television commercial advertising a too-good-to-be-true garment to "help wearers sweat more to lose weight" was taken off air following a complaint. The advert also claimed the product would "eliminate toxins, burn fat" and "purify your skin". Weight loss products making such dubious claims are only preying on the insecurities and desperation of overweight people. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it "included exaggerated claims that were likely to mislead or deceive consumers and the Advertiser had not observed the high standard of social responsibility required for advertisements of this type".

Internet Mana Party

Video: Crowd chants at Internet Mana party

During the lead up to the election, this newly minted political party ran YouTube footage of people chanting offensive comments about John Key. Even though the offending word is bleeped out on each occasion, it's clear what is being said. Internet Mana Party's defence that the "Join the Revolution" video is not in fact an advertisement did not wash. The ASA found: "the Complaints Board unanimously agreed the use of a strong expletive with the name of the leader of a political party, packaged into an advertisement calling for a change in Government, was likely to offend against generally prevailing community standards".

Kleenex Cottonelle

Madeleine Sami in the Kleenex Cottonelle ad. Photo / YouTube

Madeleine Sami advertises flushable pre-moistened bottom wipes with three memorable lines: "We all do number twos, right?", "It's dry then wet for the freshest feeling yet" and "It's the freshest my bum has ever felt." The product is as perplexing as the script. As I wrote earlier: "But why would adults want to adopt the hygiene practices hitherto reserved for babies? It's not like grown-ups sit around in their dirty diapers." This advertisement just might have unearthed "our collective squeamishness about bottom freshness".

App users: Tap here to watch the Kleenex Cottonelle ad.

Nissan X-Trail

Following complaints from viewers that this advertisement showed dangerous driving practices, the ASA complaints board said it depicted the vehicle "overtaking ... at high speeds on a suburban street, speeding through intersections and weaving through traffic without indication or braking". Despite the presence a disclaimer which read "Professional Driver. Closed Course. Do not attempt", the complaints board decided that such depictions "were likely to encourage unsafe driving practices".

Nova Energy

This rhyming advertisement rates highly in the annoyance stakes. Door-to-door salesman Greg Grover from Nova visits the Drovers of Clover Street and their dog called Rover. Pretty much everything rhymes with Nova. There is "roll over", "pullover" and "pavlova" - but not "Dover". It's irritating, infantile and makes me cringe - but the ad men and women will be happy because it's memorable and has that all-important cut-through.

App users: Tap here to watch the Nova Energy ad.

Spark

An advertisement for music streaming service Spotify featured a man with giant hands throwing a television off an apartment balcony. The original complainant said it "most probably will be copied by the general public". Although it was intended to parody the behaviour of rock stars, the advertisement, according to the majority of the ASA's complaints board, was "likely to encourage a disregard for safety and had not been prepared with ... social responsibility". Presumably if they hadn't ruled against this advert, a spate of TV smashing would have ensued.

App users: Tap here to watch the Spotify Premium ad by Spark.

V energy drink

A commercial depicting a man on fire was withdrawn from our screens following a NZ Fire Service complaint which claimed that "showing a person on fire was not socially responsible and depicting a crowd watching the scene as entertainment was unsafe". According to the ASA complaints board, the "ad had not made it clear the man was wearing fire-proof clothing or any type of safety gear and did not identify him as a stunt man".

Vodafone

Jordan Luck sang Rebecca Black's 2011 song for Vodafone's Fantastic Fridays campaign. Friday might have a catchy tune but its banal lyrics could have been penned by a preschooler and it's been dubbed the "worst song ever". It became a global sensation for all the wrong reasons. Rehashing this song, even in the spirit of parody, was a strange move.

App users: Tap here to watch the Vodafone Fantastic Fridays ad.

Libra pads

This is not a television advertisement nonetheless I felt it was worthy of an honourable mention. A sign on the back of a toilet door is not generally considered the most attention grabbing medium but the famous "Absorbs way more than you ever did in maths class" line created a great deal of debate for promoting negative gender stereotypes. The ASA has recently found it to be "sexist and demeaning" - to which I have a three word response: Told you so.

Now it's your turn. What advertisements were 2014's worst?