If you’ve ever thought you were a failure, take comfort in knowing someone else out there has fucked up way worse than you ever will. Here are some hilarious examples of groups of rich people sitting in boardrooms of giant corperations, making horrible decisions, and everyone going, “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!”

Fiat

European car manufacturer Fiat launched an ad campaign in 1994 where they sent out 50,000 anonymous letters to women in Spain saying creepy ass shit like "we met again on the street yesterday and I noticed how you glanced interestedly in my direction” and asking women if they want to go on a little adventure. The idea was that in a few days they’d send another letter that was adorably sent by a car who is now inviting her to take it for a test drive. The problem was the letters were individually addressed to the 50k women instead of something like “Current Resident” and the letters didn’t look like junk mail. Scared women were afraid to leave the house. Police stations all over the country were flooded with reports of stalkers as well as thousands of jealous husbands screaming, “Lucy! You got some splainin’ to do!”

Jager Meister

Watch a disaster happen in slow motion

In 2013 Jägermeister sponsored a pool party in Leon, Mexico. It wouldn’t have been that bad if it hadn’t been televised, or if some idiot hadn’t got the idea to pour buckets of liquid nitrogen into the pool to create a cool smog effect. The scientific documentary Terminator 2 should have taught them that swimming in a pool full of liquid nitrogen isn’t a great idea. Thankfully nobody got accidentally cryogenically frozen, but the liquid nitrogen mixed with the chlorine in the pool to create Nitrogen trichloride. Pierre Louis Dulong discovered Nitrogen trichloride in 1812, where he lost two fingers and an eye in the resulting explosion. Thankfully nobody got frozen or blown up. However, the gas boiled all the oxygen out of the air, suffocating party goers, which is problematic when you are in a swimming pool surrounded by drunk people who can’t see you because they are lost in a blanket of fog and also unconscious. Nine people lost consciousness and one guy wound up in a coma for 18 days. This all seems like wasted effort on Jägermeister’s part. If you want to create a publicly humiliating incident that ends with a bunch of people unconscious just serve Jägermeister.

Silo

There used to be an electronics store called Silo. They got put out of business by places like Circuit City and Best Buy, but in their heyday they had 189 locations and were doing quite well. In 1986 they ran an ad campaign for their stereos for 299 Bananas. Bananas was a common euphemism for money at the time. Unfortunately, they didn’t take into account people’s unwavering ability to be pedantic shitheads. People started showing up with carloads of bananas to exchange for stereo equipment to the eventual tune of 11,000 bananas.

These next couple of ads pretty much speak for themselves.

Apparently Bill Cosby got a job writing copy for Bloomingdales


Dove Soap. For whiter, softer genes.


Fuck it. It's India


Apparently Bill Cosby works for Budweiser too


Nivea oficially endorses Donald Trump