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Offensive Some people are offended by ads (or products) which violate their moral sense of how "things should be." Many ads, simply for attention-getting purposes, use tactics which deliberately violate the social customs which parents, school, and church seek to develop. Too Sexy The most common complaint here is that ads are "too sexy" -- that sexual images are used too often, unrelated to the product (e.g. bathing suit beauties next to a new car), and are sexist, treating women simply as an object, a lure. (Erving Goffman's Gender Advertisements is the basic book here. "Killing Us Softly" is a good video.) A "reverse sexism" -- treating men as dumb oafs -- exists, but few complain. Ads for products directly related to sexuality offend many people. Contraceptive ads, for example, are still very controversial, seldom seen on family-time programming. But, many people also feel very uncomfortable about ads related to any bodily function. When female college students are surveyed about what kind of product ads they dislike the most, the list is always topped by sanitation products: feminine hygiene, tampons, sanitary pads, laxatives, toilet paper, adult diapers, hemorrhoid ointments. Stereotypes Some people are offended that ads present unfavorable stereotypes of their "group": e.g. women as docile housewives, old people as doddering imbeciles, teenagers as reckless drivers. Ethnic groups (such as Blacks, Jews, Indians, Mexicans, Arabs, Italians) are also offended by what they see as unflattering images of their group. Anytime any stereotype is used (dumb blondes, loud-mouthed Texans, swishy gays, dumb husbands, intrusive mother-in-laws), it's going to offend someone. So, ad makers have to be careful: the fictional characters within a brief 30 second ad need to be "characterized" quickly, yet without offending anyone.
"Ads are so stupid ... they insult my intelligence." This very common criticism often comes from people who expect ads to be rational, direct, and limited to presenting product information. Such critics might object to any ad which is emotional, indirect, and persuasive. Such attitudes, I believe, result from a misunderstanding of what "persuasion" is. Personal Idiosyncrasies It's hard to itemize all the things that offend some people. Food ads might be tempting to dieters; perky health club ads might offend fat people. Some people are offended by the vulgarity, rudeness, and incivility of some ads pandering to the lowest tastes. Others are offended by the deliberate grammatical errors (ain't, he don't, like, you know) used. Subjective complaints will always exist in an audience. People can dislike a single ad or a product simply because they don't like the "presenter": that's why advertisers pay big money for testimonials from well-liked celebrities and put so much money into image building.
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