The Most Disturbing Commercial This Year

[Ultimajock]

...a few years ago I was really disturbed by a Mitsubishi SUV commercial using the Marc Bolan song "20th Century Boy" as its music bed; Bolan died in a London car crash in 1977. It was kinda like American Airlines suddenly deciding to license a Jim Croce song for its ads. Well, I just saw one that beats the Mitsubishi Bolan spot on the trusty ol' disgustometer: a DirecTV spot using Heather O'Rourke footage from the movie Poltergeist, with a current-day Craig T. Nelson as her father giving the DirecTV sales schpiel. I'm fairly sure someone in Rupert Murdoch's employ must recall that O'Rourke died from complications of Crohn's Disease when she was 12 years old, and seeing a child who we know will die while still a child is not a particularly appealing element in any commercial... 

[mleach]

The two most disturbing ads I have seen this year...

This Burger King ad I saw the other day with the "King" being chased by the police and ended up getting hit by a car I find that rather bizarre and tasteless.

About a month ago on You Tube I saw an ad someone for a Colorado motorcycle dealership. The person who had uploaded it claimed the ad had aired on Denver's KCNC and KMGH ( but I doubt it ). Anyway the ad had these two guys decked out in leather pants & t-shirts and smoking cigars/ The sales chick sells these two guys two motorcycles and as they drive towards the mountains and camera shows a close-up of the back of one of those guy's t-shirts. It said "..POZ guys make better lovers !!".

So according to this motorcycle dealership ( and those two guys ) if one wants to be in a relationship...its best to be HIV positive. Now I have heard everything. Terrible !!!!

Tonight I went on You Tube to see if I could find this spot but I couldn't find it at all.  I assume it was taken down either by the person who had uploaded it or the motorcycle dealership in question. Perhaps maybe even by a Colorado TV station. This is one ad I am actually glad to see that has been taken down.

[tested]

...a few years ago I was really disturbed by a Mitsubishi SUV commercial using the Marc Bolan song "20th Century Boy" as its music bed; Bolan died in a London car crash in 1977. It was kinda like American Airlines suddenly deciding to license a Jim Croce song for its ads. Well, I just saw one that beats the Mitsubishi Bolan spot on the trusty ol' disgustometer: a DirecTV spot using Heather O'Rourke footage from the movie Poltergeist, with a current-day Craig T. Nelson as her father giving the DirecTV sales schpiel. I'm fairly sure someone in Rupert Murdoch's employ must recall that O'Rourke died from complications of Crohn's Disease when she was 12 years old, and seeing a child who we know will die while still a child is not a particularly appealing element in any commercial... 

1. I doubt most people seeing the ad know this girl is dead.  Nor do I think many knew Bolen died in a car crash.  I also don't think it really matters.  There are exceptions to every rule, but most people will recognize the song - not think about the way the singer died. 
2. Rupert Murdoch does not own DirecTV anymore.

[dhett]

This Burger King ad I saw the other day with the "King" being chased by the police and ended up getting hit by a car I find that rather bizarre and tasteless.

I guess Burger King has a leg up on others when it comes to creepy commercials.  This one is pretty creepy, although the spots for that new show where the cop goes back to '73 (starts out with him getting hit by a car) puts chills down my spine.

Burger King's other commercial that just struck me as wrong is the one where the guy wakes up and the king is sitting on his bed looking at him with that grin plastered on his face.

[Robnoxious]

My pick is the Southwest Airlines ad with the "two-faced" ticket agent.

"Gimmie your wallet... gimmie everything!"

[Mark]

I still dislike the AT&T commercials that are aimed toward African Americans how they use bad grammar, Ebonics and such. Inta-'et??? No it's Internet and every black person I know can pronounce it correctly, so why does AT&T make commercials like that?

[quadraphonic]

I have never heard of Mark Bolen.
If I heard that the Poltergeist girl had died, I would have assumed it was an urban legend.

I don't think I'm that far off "the norm" and most people probably weren't as disturbed by those commercials, not knowing the intricate details and backstories and whatnot. Probably, the people who produced them didn't go into that much research about them either, and just thought they worked, for whatever reasons.

[BRNout]

How about the new Lincoln ad which features some female "singer" absolutely butchering a cover of David Bowie's "Major Tom"? 

As far as I am concerned that's one creepy, annoying and somewhat offensive (to anyone who appreciates Bowie) spot! 

[WPPCProductions]

Some of those drinking and driving PSA's are disturbing, Also the anti smoking PSA's are too. But people  still don't learn.

[landtuna]

My first vote would go to Chrysler for its current Jeep TV ad which features four young morons zipping across sand dunes, down a creek at high speed and otherwise tearing up Mother Earth. Fools.

Almost as bad is the Nationwide Insurance Co. ad showing more irresponsible driving behavior. 

Close behind are the Cadillac CTS ads which portray male and female Yuppies gloating about their car.  As if anyone envied anything from GM lately.

Hmmmmmm, there seems to be a thread here.