The 1970s were a bold, colorful time, and that extended to advertising. Companies weren’t afraid to push boundaries—or step over them—when creating their ads. Many of these campaigns captured the era’s freewheeling spirit, but looking back, some would leave modern audiences stunned. These 12 controversial ads might have seemed normal then, but they’d undoubtedly spark outrage—and boycotts—in today’s culture.
1. Frito Bandito Mascot
Fritos introduced a cartoon bandit with a thick Mexican accent to promote their chips. While the mascot was meant to be lighthearted, it leaned heavily on offensive cultural stereotypes. Today, the backlash would be swift, with calls to end the use of such caricatures in advertising.
2. Blackglama’s “What Becomes a Legend Most?”
This fur company paired the glamorous stars of the day with luxurious mink coats. While the ads were chic, animal rights activists today would be quick to call for boycotts. With the current backlash against the fur industry, Blackglama’s campaigns would never fly in the modern era.
3. Dr. Pepper’s “Be a Pepper” Campaign
The cheerful jingle and lively visuals weren’t the issue, but some ads in the campaign featured awkward racial stereotypes meant to “celebrate diversity.” In the 70s, these were largely overlooked, but today, such portrayals would be harshly criticized for their tone-deaf execution.
4. Calvin Klein’s Risqué Jeans Ads
Calvin Klein became infamous for pushing the envelope in the late 70s with provocative ads featuring Brooke Shields. At just 15 years old, her tagline—“Nothing comes between me and my Calvins”—caused quite a stir even then. Today, it would ignite widespread outrage for exploiting a teenager.
5. National Airlines’ “Fly Me” Campaign
This airline’s ads featured stewardesses with the tagline “I’m Cheryl. Fly Me.” The campaign leaned into suggestive innuendo, portraying flight attendants as little more than eye candy. In today’s world, this would be seen as incredibly demeaning and spark calls for accountability from feminist organizations.
6. Tab Soda’s “Think Thin” Message
The 70s diet soda craze was in full swing, and Tab leaned heavily into body-shaming tactics, telling women that drinking their product was the secret to staying thin and desirable. Today, such messaging would be condemned for promoting unhealthy beauty standards and preying on insecurities.
7. Kool-Aid’s Wildly Hyper Kids
Kool-Aid’s ads often featured children bouncing off the walls after guzzling sugary drinks. While it seemed harmless then, today’s parents would balk at the blatant glorification of sugar highs and unhealthy diets for kids. It’s the kind of campaign that would have health-conscious consumers reaching for water instead.
8. Braniff International’s “Air Strip” Ad
This infamous ad showed flight attendants doing a playful dance and uniform change to reveal the airline’s chic new look. It was meant to highlight the company’s fashion-forward style, but modern audiences would be appalled by the blatant objectification of women in the workplace.
9. Virginia Slims’ “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby”
Virginia Slims aimed their cigarette ads squarely at women, celebrating the feminist movement while simultaneously glamorizing smoking. The tagline “You’ve come a long way, baby” became iconic, but today, marketing cigarettes as a symbol of empowerment would be met with uproar. Promoting health risks as progress? Not a chance.
10. Love’s Baby Soft Perfume’s “Soft as a Baby” Campaign
This perfume ad featured a young girl in a pose that isn’t consistent with the tone of the scene, with the tagline asserting that innocence is more attractive than one might think. Even in the 70s, this was controversial, but today, it would be universally condemned as wildly inappropriate and exploitative.
11. Shake ‘n Bake’s “Mom’s Little Helper”
Shake ‘n Bake ads celebrated little girls helping their mothers in the kitchen, but they often framed cooking as a solely female responsibility. Modern viewers would call out the outdated gender roles and ask why boys weren’t also shown learning to cook.
12. Ajax’s “Stronger Than Dirt” Campaign
This household cleaner ad featured knights in shining armor rescuing homemakers from their cleaning woes. While catchy, it reinforced the stereotype that cleaning was a woman’s burden. Today’s audiences would find it laughably outdated—and more than a little condescending.
The 70s were a different time, and these ads are proof. They might make us cringe now, but they also remind us how much society has changed. Back then, we laughed, sang along, and sometimes raised an eyebrow, but today, these campaigns would send social media into overdrive, proving just how far we’ve come in reevaluating what’s acceptable.
