"Borrowed Interest" Ads With Interests That Never Should Have Been Borrowed

Including Hitler, Einstein, 9/11, The Jonestown Massacre.

For those of you confused, borrowed interest is an approach where creatives will “borrow” from news events or famous public figures (or really anything that’s not related to the brand category) to sell a product. Sometimes the ads are good, like with this Australian Veet feminine hair removal ad from January, 2009.

And sometimes, creatives overreach a bit.

India

Give me five minutes (OK, five hours, I’m slow), and I’ll give you five good borrowed interest ads selling a staple-free stapler. I’ll even use this “history” concept used by BBDO Mumbai. However, what I wouldn’t use is the “26/11” Mumbai terrorist attacks as a linchpin. 9/11 has been badly exploited in ads often since…that day. This is the most awful one I’ve seen. From 2018. (Here’s the second worst, for a French newspaper.)

Michigan, USA

La Señorita is a Mexican restaurant chain in Michigan with TO DIE FOR! margaritas. 918 folk, many involuntarily, died at Jonestown. Said La Señorita's VP of Sales and Marketing Jeff Leslie in 2011:

"...we know that not everyone will get the humor of our ads and we accept that, we do not expect that our ads will offend people."

Yes, Jeff, such intricate humor is so fucking difficult to “get”.

Russia

In March, 2009, Duet brand ice cream through their ad agency Voskhod (and probably through Vlad Putin) used our new multiracial Prez to sell their multi-flavored treat. Plus! They called him “the flavor of the week!” Snap!

Spain

This one for the VW Beetle really pisses me off. For you babies, this image riffs off an already grossly abused iconic image. In the classic 1955 film noir Night of the Hunter, Robert Mitchum, playing one of foulest characters in movie history, had LOVE tattooed on one set of knuckles and HATE on the other. Cue every faux tough guy for the next 20 years getting the tattoos. Even my Dad, a real tough guy, did it in the Navy in the late 50s. From 2008. Ad agency: DDB, Barcelona.

Various Countries (Hitler)

As a joke, one of my art directors and I used to start creative work on any product by trying to use Hitler to sell it. It got our minds moving. But to too many creatives, Hitler is no joke. Besides tits, he’s probably the most overused borrowed interest in ad history. These are four standouts.

Starting above: L—”Adolf Dean”. Yes, that is a mash-up of Hitler and James Dean. WHY? you may very astutely be asking? Because CNA, a South African entertainment retail chain, wanted to show you that they've got whatever you're looking for in documentaries (that’s in the copy). I see your confused facial expression hasn’t changed. Ad agency: The Jupiter Drawing Room, Johannesburg, South Africa. R—ad for Chopstix, a Chinese restaurant in Jakarta. Headline: “Can’t hate everything”. A Hitler endorsement. Nice. Ad agency: Dentsu, Indonesia.

Below: L—”History’s produced a lot of bad eggs”. True. Dat. For Nulaid brand eggs—”Ours are always good”. Ad agency: Again, The Jupiter Drawing Room, whose office is apparently decorated with Hitler portraits. R—Copy: “Make Peace With The World”. If only Hitler had drank Rasayana ”anti-stress” tea, he woulda been a mellow bro. Ad agency: Art Grup, Istanbul, Turkey.

Ukraine

While this is out-of-left-field stupid borrowed interest, it is pretty funny turning Evander Holyfield’s head into a hamburger. Mikey likes it. Nice illustration. Ad Agency: Leo Burnett.

Australia

Like Hitler, Einstein and his crazy hair have been heavily abused by lazy ad creatives. The tagline for this Strange Brew sparkling coffee campaign is “Refresh Your Inner Genius”, which just makes the ad even worse. From 2018. Ad Agency: OMD.

Peru

“The greatest dreamers do not sleep” (bold theirs). And here it is: the winner of the Award for THE Laziest Borrowed Interest Ad I’ve Ever Seen. Congrats, FM Delfino, Lima (the ad agency). Sorry I, lazily, forget to make an award. (Yes, this is probably a scam Nescafé ad. That doesn’t excuse the “professional” creatives who made it.)