Gay-themed ads: The good, the bad, and the WTF?

If that Pup-Peroni commercial sort-of reminded us of the atrocious 70's film The Choirboys, this U.K. ad for Yahoo is a virtual carbon copy. The lascivious look on the gay man's face is matched by the terrified look on the face of the poor defenseless straight man, who learns that "you can't trust the kindness of strangers", especially if the stranger is a leering gay stereotype. This commercial was pulled after high-profile U.K. gay men (including Graham Norton) complained, but the question is why they thought it was a good idea in the first place. Because it trades in nasty inferences, this commercial gets a four out of five Snickers.

Would we buy what it's selling? Not when we have Google.

Jawbone

Jawbone is apparently a wireless thingamajig that ... makes hot, tattooed rugby hunks start french kissing. That's good enough for us to earn it a four out of five Levis.

Would we buy what it's selling? It's a wireless thingamjig that makes hot, tattooed rugby hunks start french kissing. What do you think?

42 Below

Oh dear. Well, there are two ways you can look at this ad. Either it's a refreshingly brazen attempt to be honest and 42 Below deserves credit for coming out and saying "we want your money no matter who you are," or it's an offensive attempt to pander to the gay community. But be careful about criticizing it. A few years ago a bar in NYC decided to boycott the booze because of the ad, and received a profanity-laced e-mail from the company's owner, which escalated into a very public "vodka war".

Suffice it to say that we're giving this ad a WTF? rating.

Would we buy what it's selling? Probably not, as the only liquor we drink is granddaddy's moonshine.

Levi

Next page! Our take on this ad, plus the ultimate WTF! commercial.