How To Write Good Obnoxious Copy.

Some brands can pull off being Assholes. Most, yeah-nah.

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Berocca (UK)

Berocca is a “fizzy” drink that “supports mental sharpness and physical energy”. Berocca can stuff their fizzy drink up their asshole assholes. It sure as shit ain’t gonna help me against these Younger Epically Privileged Cunts. Nothing will, except poison or maybe a knife—since it is England, aka “Knife-Crime Island” (h/t: Alex Balk, wherever he is). Ad agency: JWT, London.

Sprite (Ireland)

First off, whomever came up with the tag/hashtag Brutally(?) Refreshing is hopefully no longer working in advertising because it is fucking senseless. Or maybe, the sexist asshole lines came first? Whichever, the campaign was banned to Hell.

PepsiCo (USA)

Please suspend reality for a minute and imagine that your MOUTH has a FACE. Billboards are for L—Ruffles Molten Hot Wings Chips and R—Cheetos Flamin’ Hot. I do appreciate the effort here to be obnoxious. But…I just don’t believe the lines. The snacks are just not that forcibly hot.

IRN-BRU (UK)

Now, here’s how you do obnoxious copy. IRN-BRU (through long-time ad agency Leith) has a consistently obnoxious brand voice. Even in their TV ads. (here’s one that topped my “Best Ads Of 2022” list.)

How successful is the campaign? IRN-BRU outsells fucking COKE in Scotland.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority receives numerous complaints about all their ads, but very rarely bans them, thank goodness.

The above one really rankled consumers.

LOL.

Goths. Forever Not Not Funny.

This one supposedly never ran. Shame, that.

Lots of complaints for this billboard, you betcha.