The 10 worst Super Bowl ads of all time

5. Budweiser – Flatulent horse ad (2004): A romantic evening in a hansom cab is ruined by a farting horse, whose flatulence hits a candle and torches a woman’s hair.

What failed: This ad was criticized for being a disgusting example of sullying a brand, and was lumped in the declining morals discussion kicked off by Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction. But mostly we hate it because it rips off an episode of “Seinfeld.” 

The fallout: The public flogging that Budweiser took had one positive result – their ads got better, including last year’s clever “Magic Fridge” commercial.

4. Holiday Inn – Sex change ad (1997): A woman at a high school is revealed to be a man, followed by a poor segue that equates her sex change with Holiday Inn’s recent renovations at its hotels.

What failed: On top of being tasteless and insensitive, the ad made almost no mention of Holiday Inn — which in retrospect might have been a blessing.

The fallout: Gay, lesbian and transgender activist groups, already upset about stereotypes on television, were outraged by the commercial — threatening boycotts and other protests. Media critics hated it too, and Holiday Inn quickly pulled the ad.

3. Just for Feet — Kenyan runner ad (1999): A group of mercenaries in a Humvee chase down a barefoot Kenyan running in Africa, drug him unconscious and force a pair of running shoes on his feet.

What failed: The question is: what about this ad didn’t fail? Critics hated the advertisement, calling it racist and imperialist. Just for Feet later acknowledged it was a horrible mistake.

The fallout: Just for Feet sued the advertising firm that created the ads for $10 million and filed for bankruptcy later the same year. Eventually, the lawsuit was dropped and Just for Feet sold its stores. The last one closed in 2004.

2. Burger King — “Find Herb the Nerd” (1986): Burger King urged customers to find Herb, who was supposedly the only person in America who had never tasted the fast food chain’s hamburgers.

What failed: Audience members hated the annoying actor who played Herb (he looked like a balder Rick Moranis), and showed little interest in searching for him at their neighborhood Burger King – even with money involved. While no statistics could be found to back the claim up, we suspect the commercials inspired a new wave of vegans.   

The fallout: Burger King spent tens of millions of dollars on the “Herb” series, which was highly ridiculed at the time and is considered one of the worst ad campaigns in history.

1. Apple — “Lemmings” (1985): One year after the Macintosh is introduced with one of the best commercials ever, Apple introduces Macintosh Office with an abstract film that included a spooky version of the tune “Heigh-Ho” and office workers jumping off a cliff.  

What failed: The advertisement — paired with a one-sided Super Bowl that had the 49ers beating the Dolphins 38-16 — was dark, depressing and more than a bit morbid.

The fallout: This was the “Speed 2: Cruise Control” of Super Bowl ads. It was widely panned by critics who had loved Apple’s “1984” ad, and even the company’s loyal fan base had a hard time defending it. Apple didn’t advertise during the Super Bowl again until 1999. 

Peter Hartlaub writes about pop culture for the San Francisco Chronicle

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