Posted 1 minute agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret Down11 Ad Campaigns That Drew Public Backlash For Being Creepy, Crass, And Downright Cringey"The commercial shows us that capitalism will steal our lives and then find multiple ways to make a profit of our death..."by Carley SuthersBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink Sometimes companies release ad campaigns that simply miss the mark. And while all businesses occasionally have bad ideas, a few of these ads have sparked public outrage after being deemed downright inappropriate or offensive... Yuliia Kaveshnikova / Getty Images From teenage Brooke Shields's risqué Calvin Klein ads to Sydney Sweeney's recent American Eagle campaign, there are certain ads or commercials that have sparked backlash for being creepy, crass, or downright cringey. Without further ado, here are 11 times an advertisement massively backfired on a company: 1. "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans" (2025): American Eagle / Via youtube.com In July 2025, American Eagle announced a partnership with Sydney Sweeney by releasing a series of ads focusing on her body. Despite the provocative nature of this campaign, the commercial that has encountered the most condemnation features the Euphoria star explaining, "Genes are passed down from parent to offspring, often determining traits like eye color, personality, and even hair color. My jeans are blue."While many claim that the ad is simply reminiscent of Brooke Shields's infamous 1980 Calvin Klein ad in which the 15-year-old discussed "selective mating," other social media users have pointed out that in today's political climate, the ad seems to use eugenicist language by showcasing a young, blonde-haired, blue-eyed white woman as the "pinnacle" of genetics, with some going so far as to deem it "Nazi propaganda."In one TikTok video, Sayantani DasGupta, a lecturer at Columbia University, noted that the campaign was "really imbued with eugenic messaging" and that "It is both a testament to this political moment, and it's contributing to and reinforcing this kind of anti-immigrant, anti-people of color, pro-eugenic political moment." Others have deemed the sexualization of Sweeney in the ads as particularly odd after American Eagle announced that a "A butterfly motif on the back pocket of the jean represents domestic violence awareness, which Sydney is passionate about. In support of the cause, 100% of the purchase price from 'The Sydney Jean' will be donated to Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit offering free, 24/7, confidential mental health support to anyone in need." Rachel Tashjian, a fashion writer for the Washington Post, claimed the ads are "regressive" and "tethered to the values of another time," writing, "It is strange to see a brand like American Eagle go in this direction. Should teenagers be served a vision of sexuality and fashion that feels so regressive?"Despite the backlash from both the press and the public, American Eagle stock has jumped 20 percent since the campaign was released. Neither the company nor Sweeney has made any public statements regarding the controversy. 2. Kendall Jenner's "Jump In" Pepsi ad (2017): Pepsi / Via tenor.com Pepsi, long known for its star-studded commercials, made a major misstep in the public eye on April 4, 2017, when the soda brand released its "Jump In" ad featuring Kendall Jenner.
The ad depicted the model in the midst of a photoshoot when she notices a protest making its way down the street. The protestors hold signs that seem to signal a peaceful rally when the then-21-year-old decides to join them, fist bumping a fellow protester, and grabbing a Pepsi from an icy bucket. She then spots a police officer and hands him a Pepsi while a woman wearing a hijab looks on and photographs the climactic moment (which many critics noted was eerily similar to a well-publicized photo of protester Ieshia Evans standing in front of a police line during a protest against the police killing of a Black man in Baton Rouge).
In a press statement released the day the ad went public, Pepsi stated that the commercial was part of its "Live For Now" campaign and "captures the spirit and actions of those people that jump in to every moment. It features multiple lives, stories, and emotional connections that show passion, joy, unbound and uninhibited moments." However, many critics accused the soda company of trivializing and belittling a significant equality movement for profit. Civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice King spoke out by tweeting a photo of her late father being pushed backwards by a police line with the caption, "If only Daddy knew about the power of #Pepsi." The soda company responded directly to King, writing, "We at Pepsi believe in the legacy of Dr. King & meant absolutely no disrespect to him & others who fight for justice."The ad also faced scrutiny from media outlets with a Washington Post headline proclaiming, "Pepsi Tried Cashing In on Black Lives Matter With a Kendall Jenn