12 Most Embarrassing Ads

A little too close to reality.

No more living in denial about the size of your waist line, thanks to this fantastic, albeit terrifying, guerrilla marketing initiative from the health club chain, Fitness First. Unsuspecting commuters in the Netherlands are faced with viewing their body weight in bright lights - quite literally - when they take a seat at this Rotterdam bus stop. Scary, to say the very least, but extraordinarily clever, and likely to increase membership numbers at the local Fitness First. The brainchild of Netherlands' agency N=5, the initiative takes the concept of guerilla marketing to a whole new level.

The best helpers are ones that you don't have to pay. The Canadian ad agency Rethink makes good use of bald commuters on rapid transit trains by exposing their heads for all to see.

VIP Gym thought images of a flabby, cellulite-ridden butt topped with a pair of love handles would be enough to make people want to "get up and run." Glued to chairs in restaurants and cafes, the poster gives you the uncomfortable feeling that you're seeing way more of strangers than you would like.

Whe costumers bend to read the little text it says:

"At this moment, you bum is completely exposed. If it were in a sexy pair of jeans, it would attract attention all the time!"

Okay, it isn't a promotional product, but it is a clever way to make a poster interactive. The poster is purposely mounted so it droops over itself. When a curious passerby lifts it up, their personal smell is called into question. They get props for being funny, and for making a simple piece of paper into an interactive ad.

Let people know about how the new Coca-Cola Grip Bottle has a better grip for holding. Posters printed on Velcro were placed in bus shelters in Paris to make people interact with the grip. People literally hooked to the campaign. On the whole, a 3.8% brand volume growth in France compared to 2007.

Condomi Erotic Shopping Bag. Advertising Agency: Draft FCB Kobza, Vienna, Austria

This guerrilla ad campaign wouldn't stand a chance of flying in the US.

This man doesn't look too happy to be in the ad.

A floating afro sits at head-level behind a bus stop seat, just at the right height to make it look like anyone who sits there has quite an impressive head of hair. This poster by ‘Real Hip Hop' is definitely an eye-catcher.

A huge interactive light box was mounted in the Seoul Sindorim Subway Station, the entrance way to a multiplex electronics shopping mall where various brands compete. Over 500,000 commuters use the station daily, making it the perfect place for an ad like this. Huddled together as if at a premiere, the paparazzi appear to be jostling and competing for the best celebrity shot. The celebrities, however, are the ones walking by; they automatically trigger a deluge of flashing camera lights. The accidental superstars then follow the red carpet all the way out of the station and into a mall, where there's a Nikon shop conveniently located inside.

If I were shy, I wouldn't be too happy about passing by this ad.