The WTF-est Ads Of 2022 (so far)

A Disembodied head "singing" EDM, business people with freaky purple arms, and a guy on a Buffalo Wing.

1. Coke (Columbia)

A sucking face close-up forms the Coke logo, according to the press note. Oh, really? If they say so. NOTE: Possibly a scam ad. Ad agency: Ogilvy, Columbia.

2. Fruit Smash (USA)

Disembodied Heads are never not creepy. Here, a disembodied head “sings” an “EDM” song, “Fruit”. That’s all he says, over and over. Once he starts, the party’s on. The “song” is an original composition by ad agency Callen and Future Project. In cased you missed it, Fruit Smash apparently has fruit in it. Here’s a second spot set at an office birthday party.

“He” “sings” FRUIT 50+ times in 30 seconds.

3. Funding Circle (UK)

GET A LENDING HAND. Freaky furry fucking purple hands. Employee is understandable disturbed by his new hands, until he finds out all the employees have new freaky furry fucking purple hands. Purple, because that’s Funding Circle’s color. “Hands” because they represent a loan, a lending “hand”. It’s not just hands, though. They also have very skinny, very inefficient-looking purple arms.

“This is fine”, says employee.

Again, fucking with human body parts is always creepy. Ad agency: Atomic, London.

Masturbation is now quite a challenge.

4. Zaxby’s (USA)

It’s a “Guy on a Buffalo Wing” for Zaxby’s restaurant. He rides through the woods, finds some Zaxby’s food, twice, and interacts with woodland creatures including a sly fox who steals his first meal. Here’s the (edited) press note:

Zaxby's, the premium quick-service restaurant known for its Chicken Fingerz™, wings, and signature sauces, launched an ad campaign to introduce its new Buffalo Garlic Blaze signature sauce to complement the long-time favorite Boneless Wings Meal. (…) The two-minute "Guy on a Buffalo Wing" spot plays on the "Guy on a Buffalo" video series that went viral 10 years ago from the band Jomo and the Possum Posse. The ad features a reworked version of the song written and performed by the band and touts Zaxby's Buffalo Garlic Blaze sauce with the story of a man riding a Buffalo wing in the great outdoors.

I kind of like it. Ad agency: Tombras, Knoxville.