10 Brand Ads That Totally Backfired in the Most Hilarious Ways

Back in 1980, teenage Brooke Shields dropped the line, “Want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” That cheeky line turned Calvin Klein jeans into the talk of the town - except some folks weren’t happy because, well, Brooke was just 15. The ad was supposed to be edgy, but many saw it as a bit too spicy for a kid. Even major TV channels said, “Nope, not airing this!”

Despite the drama, sales jumped and Brooke became the face of rebellious cool. Whoever greenlit this ad clearly knew controversy sells!

Gillette had the motto “The Best a Man Can Get” forever. Then in 2019, they changed it to "We Believe: The Best Men Can Be" and threw in a video calling out “toxic masculinity.” Sounds noble, right? Well, lots of loyal customers felt attacked, like Gillette was calling all men villains.

The internet went wild with dislikes and boycotts. The backlash hit so hard that Gillette saw a massive dip in sales. Not the happy ending they wanted!

Enter Gap with its “Better in Denim” ad, featuring KATSEYE, a global girl group dancing to Kelis’ “Milkshake.” The plan? Show off diversity and fun vibes. But oh no, some folks noticed something missing: no white member in this "international" group.

People said it was basically the same drama as American Eagle’s controversial Sydney Sweeney ad. So instead of cooling the fire, Gap added some spicy fuel.

2017 Pepsi hit 'play' on what was supposed to be a peaceful protest commercial starring Kendall Jenner handing a soda to a cop. Instead, it felt like they turned a serious protest into a soda commercial joke.

The internet exploded. Even Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter threw shade. Pepsi yanked the ad within 24 hours and apologized for missing the mark. Talk about a facepalm moment.

On International Women’s Day 2021, Burger King tweeted "Women Belong In The Kitchen" (wait, what?!), then followed it up with a thread explaining it was about women chefs in professional kitchens.

Good idea, terrible tweet. The internet flipped out. The post got deleted, and everyone wondered why this was tweeted instead of just printed on a poster without causing drama.

Nike made a bold move in 2018 by featuring NFL’s Colin Kaepernick, who became famous for kneeling during the national anthem to protest injustice.

Some loved the ad as brave and meaningful. Others saw it as disrespectful and called for boycotts. People even burned Nike gear! Either way, you couldn’t miss the buzz.

Dove wanted to show inclusivity with an ad where a Black woman peeled off her shirt to reveal a white woman underneath, who then revealed an Asian woman.

The message got lost in translation and people saw it as super racist. Dove apologized and took the ad down fast, learning the hard way that imagery can be tricky!

KFC made a chicken dance (literally) in their "The Whole Chicken" ad, strutting like a rap star. It was supposed to be funny, but instead, lots of people said it made them crave veggies instead.

PETA even said it showed chickens are smart, which kinda goes against eating them. KFC stood firm, saying they’re proud of their chicken, weird dance and all.

Sydney Sweeney’s ad for American Eagle jeans was meant to be a fun pun: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” Instead, it stirred a huge debate with some saying it had white supremacy vibes. Wild, right?

Sydney just shrugged and said, “Hey, it’s just jeans.” Meanwhile, American Eagle saw its stock jump, so maybe controversy really is marketing gold?

Dunkin’ dropped an ad with Gavin Casalegno chilling by the pool, boasting his tan and blaming it all on genetics. Cute, right? Not if you’re paying attention.

People saw it as hopping on the whole “genes” controversy bandwagon, just like the American Eagle jeans ad drama. Some folks threatened boycotts, others loved the playful vibe. Dunkin’ definitely woke the internet up that day!