Marketers want their products and services to be noticed and applauded, but sometimes the attempt backfires. When it does, our eagle-eyed readers let us know, submitting examples of rip-offs, poorly worded ads, half-empty packaging, outlandish claims, and goofs that have made them laugh out loud.

That's One Hot Mess

Maybe the heat got to these ad copywriters. 

 

So. . . Not a Friends and Family Sale?
We wouldn't want paid-for friendships, anyway.
Submitted by Arlene Behrent 

 

Scratch That
Thanks, but we didn't like our bug bite the first time around.
Submitted by John Cirami, Bellmore, NY 

 

Claustrophobic Cruise
Good things come in small packages, but an 8-foot yacht doesn't float our boat.
Submitted by Robert Gruetzmacher, Prescott Valley, AZ

 

Never Say Never
Maybe there's a back door?
Submitted by Kris Schemm, Pittsburgh 

 

Be on the lookout for goofs and glitches like these. Share them with us via:

Send us your funny ads. Please include key information, such as the publication's name and date. We might publish your submission here.

See our Selling It archives for previously published silliness.

Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the June 2018 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.