Winner: Anheuser-Busch
The ad was a “Thank you” to our troops, it featured an airport full of people applauding as troops, presumably returning from the Gulf, got off their plane. Where are the troops who are missing arms and legs? Or the casket draped coffins?
Whether you opposed the war or supported it, the ad was in bad taste. Anheuser-Busch was exploiting the image of our armed forces to sell beer.
Runner-Up: Fox
For using “Sunday Bloody Sunday” as the “theme music” for a Super Bowl promo spot. Catholic or Protestant, on the actual Bloody Sunday (January 30, 1972) over a dozen protesters lost their lives when fired upon by occupying British army soldiers. In 1998, Tony Blair opened a new inquiry to try to determine the truth of what happened that day–the new report is scheduled to be issued in 2005. Using it to promote football is just in bad taste.
Honorable Mention: Las Vegas
“What happens here, stays here?” Do they really want that to be their slogan?! It conjures images of dead mob informants, rotting in the dessert. Or soulless husks debased by gambling or alcohol addictions. I mean, c’mon, how “Leaving Las Vegas” do they want their image to be??
I thought the Anheuser-Busch spot was OK, if not a bit cheesy and of course exploitative, as you pointed out.
My biggest problem with it was waiting for the ‘punchline’. Since almost all the other commercials attempted to be funny, I kept waiting for this one to dissolve into some made-in-poor-taste joke of some sort. I’m glad it didn’t.
Re: Sunday Bloody Sunday.
People don’t care what the song is about. They only know the 2 title words.
It reminds me of the Manchester music compilation from several years ago. They tastelessly chose to call it “Manchester, so much to answer for” from the well know Morrissey lyric in Suffer Little Children.
That was also in dreadfully bad taste.