Nobody’s going to throw you a life ring in print advertising; it’s sink or swim. Images register and messages get decoded in the blink of an eye. In mere seconds, the brain receives the information and insidiously etches it into the depths of our memory.

Knowing this, agencies had best deploy their full creative arsenal to get their idea (with a capital I) to stand out. But mostly, they have to make sure the message sent and message received are one and the same. Yet sometimes, they miss the boat altogether.

Here are a couple of ads that will surely be making waves for a good, long time but for entirely different reasons: some for their ingenuity and others for their clever ability to get people talking. Even though “the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about at all,” it doesn’t always guarantee success.

NOAH Menschen f - 2006

NOAH Menschen f - 2006

NOAH Menschen f - 2006

Warner Bros. Pictures - 2006

WWF

An unclear message could create the exact opposite of the desired effect.

The Lebanese Free Democratic Party - 2009

Proximus - 2003

Natan - 2007

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