15 Insanely Terrible Advertising Campaigns You Won't Believe Are Real
11. Macintosh Ad Shows A Bunch Of People Committing Suicide
Apple's 1984 Super Bowl ad is still considered to be one of the company's greatest commercials ever, and it was so influential that it even made it into Danny Boyle's recent Steve Jobs movie. It depicts a nightmarish 1984 scenario interrupted by a heroine with a sledgehammer, with the subtext being that Apple is the little guy fighting against the massive conglomerates.
Apparently learning nothing from that success, Apple followed that up the very next year with the shockingly terrible "Lemmings" commercial. While the previous ad was full of hope and positivity, this one shows a bunch of people lined up and walking off a cliff to their death while disturbing music plays as if you're watching a cult recruitment video. Not only does the average person probably not want to see suicide imagery while watching television with their kids, but it also pretty much implies that anyone who doesn't buy a Macintosh is a mindless drone who deserves to die. Kind of harsh, isn't it?