Advertising enjoys its share of award nights and conferences, so why not an anti-awards project? That’s what encouraged Utah ad firm Crowell to create the first Tracy Awards, highlighting Americans ads that fail to entertain, persuade or inform. Essentially, they’re miserable failures, the judges believe.
“We want the Tracys to be a fun way to show the other side of the coin,” says Nina Lynch, public relations account supervisor at Crowell. When the submission process was launched in September, Crowell received more than 1,000 suggestions from the public. It was overwhelming, but also a sign of how many bad ads are out there.
“As much as people love talking about the most effective ads, they also love discussing what irks them,” Lynch says.
Recently, Crowell announced the honorees of the Tracys, and these spots come from TV, radio, print and online. Lynch says the chief marketing officer from all the winning companies will receive a small trophy inscribed with their respective category.
The 12 ads that “helped lower the bar in the world of advertising creativity and execution” include:
• Microsoft: “Family Guy / Windows 7” TV Ad
Category: Best use of cross-promotion to single-handedly destroy comedy forever.
As the judges declared, “Family Guy hasn’t been funny since season two. Not only that, but the techno-jargon hard-sell they shoe-horn into one of the show’s running ‘jokes’ is so thinly veiled even Stewie has to admit it’s lame.”
• Oreo: “Double-Stuf Racing League” TV Ad
Category: Best reckless waste of expensive talent.
Lynch’s personal favourite, this spot for Oreo “really gets under my skin,” Lynch admits. And as the judges wrote, “Not only did Oreo clearly blow its budget by hiring both Peyton AND Eli Manning, it managed to quash every last drop of their natural charisma with vacant pseudo-hilarity that winks at the audience so often you’d think you’re watching a Sarah Palin speech.”
• Yahoo!: “Lose Weight” Banner Ad
Category: Best use of unintentionally effective stock photography.
Even banner ads are under the Tracys’ purview. This one from Yahoo! depicts a gross slab of meat. They don’t look so yummy. The judges opined: “All you can look at are those gently–moistened cuts of slowly rotting flesh-sails, daring you to even think of eating again. It’s like the Atkins diet had a car accident with a Georgia O’Keefe painting.”
• Red Robin: “Serving Simulator” TV Ad
Category: Best use of a terrible commercial to remind us why no one eats at your restaurant.
Fast food restaurants are always looking for a marketing edge. Colorado-based Red Robin doesn’t deserve any kudos for this brutal ad. The Crowell team says,”… by the way, saying that you taste–test your food with robots isn’t exactly the most reassuring message coming from a restaurant.”
For other advertising losers, see the full list here.
