Campaign Annual 2007: Top 10 turkeys

Combine this with a contemporaneous racist outcry over events in the Big
Brother house and you've got a cacophony. The Advertising Standards
Authority received more than 500 complaints and the campaign was
pulled.

2. Philips Philishave

However, the top spot for Turkey of the Year was hard-fought by DDB
London and its "robot" ad for the Philips Philishave. Female robot
caresses face of showering human. They share a moment ... there's love
in the air. No there's not. It's cringeworthy rubbish. High on
production values, low on taste.

3. Kellogg's Nutri Grain

This idea for Kellogg's Nutri Grain should never have made it past Leo
Burnett's creative department's bin: get horses to behave like humans as
they indulge in a filling Nutri Grain snack. Trouble is, horses simply
can't be made to act like people. There are clunky hooves "picking up"
tea cups, horse legs sticking out at unnatural angles and unfunny gags
aplenty.

4. Rana Pasta

Rana Pasta is delicious, but its advertising efforts via Leagas Delaney
are not. The ad presents itself as a spoof demonstration by "citizens
for fresh pasta" outside 10 Downing Street, but it's all a load of
cluttered nonsense. The appearance of Ann Widdecombe only adds to the
mess. A know-it-all, smug voiceover caps off the silliness.

5. Nintendo DS

Talk about unconvincing. She may be very pretty, she may be a very good
actress, but are we honestly expected to believe that Nicole Kidman
likes to sit in front of the fire playing with a Nintendo DS? There will
be no Oscars awarded for this little number, created in-house.

6. Lynx

You might argue that Bartle Bogle Hegarty's "Bom Chicka Wah Wah"
campaign for Lynx isn't that bad. But remember, this is from the stable
of "pulse", "billions" and "getting dressed". The Bom Chicka Wah Wah
line is clumsily glued to the end of each spot in a too obvious attempt
to create a popular catchphrase.

7. Crunchy Nut Cornflakes

JWT has been churning out ads about "Crunchy Nutters" for Kellogg for
some time now, but "special lane" was an ad too far. In this spot for
Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, people desperate to get home and eat
their cereal are allowed to use a dedicated traffic lane. It doesn't
sound funny because it isn't. There's a valiant attempt by the voiceover
artist to lend humour to the idea, but he fails.

8. Kellogg's Frosties

Who at Leo Burnett thought of taking one of 2006's worst advertising
howlers and putting it to opera for a new version in 2007? That's what
the agency did for Frosties this year, exposing the general public even
further to the "gonna taste great" theme music. There was nothing great
about this advertising.

9. Glade

It was a sad day when Glade decided to inflict another instalment of its
brat-on-the-crapper series on us. This time the little priss can't bring
himself to go until his mother refills the Glade air freshener. What on
earth is she feeding him, for goodness sake?

10. Mars Planets

Does Mars have faith in its Planets or not? Judging by its advertising
to launch the product, its ambitions are low. Stereotypical young people
jump around excitedly at a fruit machine that is distributing the
mini-chocolates. That's about it. Well, apart from a voiceover imploring
us to "mix it up". Not Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO's finest moment in 2007.