Scam ads are a chronic problem in adland, a sort of dark underbelly of the industry where agencies and individuals trying to win awards submit work that's never been approved by a client or run more than a couple times.
Agency News
Scam Ads and Ghost Ads: Their Long History and Sordid Future
Further Stories of Fake Creative and the Trouble It Starts
A scam ad for Ford Figo in India -- although Ford, of course, never approved it
Credit:
Ford India Fake Ad
Every few years an ad is so offensive that it gets noticed beyond its home country and makes global headlines. This happened most recently with the Ford Figo fiasco, which led Ad Age to delve into the matter again to see how it impacts the reputation of agencies today and map the ways that clients are put at risk. But the practice goes back much further than that.
Here's a roundup of our coverage, both recent and from the archives -- a steadily-growing timeline of incidents and controversies over scam ads, also known as "ghost ads."
Amid Whispers, Leo Burnett Pulls Its Own Winning Ads From Awards Show April 10, 2013
Is the Ad-Awards Race Crushing the Client? April 2, 2013
Scam Ads Don't Boost Creativity; They Damage Brands, Hurt Agency Credibility April 1, 2013
Lighten Up! Ford, Others Are Overreacting to Figo Fiasco April 1, 2013
Four Steps To Protect Your Brand From Scam Ads April 01, 2013
Chief Creatives Sound Off on Scam Ads -- and What the Industry Should do About Them March 28, 2013
Amid Ford Figo Flap, U.K. Awards Show Applauds Scam Ads March 27, 2013
JWT Entered Sexually Offensive Ford Ads in India's Top Awards Show March 27, 2013
JWT India Sacks Staffers Responsible for Sexually Offensive Ford Ads March 26, 2013
Fake Kia Ad Gets 5 Brazilian Creatives Banned From 2012 Cannes Festival
July 21, 2011
Controversial Creative Neil French Defends Scam Ads
Sept. 21, 2009
Cannes: No Ban for Agencies Behind Scam Ads Oct. 14, 2009
A fake ad in 2009 showed airplaines honing in on the World Trade Center's Twin Towers.
Brit Award Show to 'Name and Shame,' but Not Ban, Ad Scammers -- Is That Going Far Enough? Sept. 17, 2009
Bad for DDB, Bad for Ad Shows, Just Plain Bad Sept. 7, 2009
In Wake of DDB Brasil Scandal, One Show to Ban Scam-Ad Creators for Five Years
Sept. 4, 2009
DDB Brasil Did Make Video Version of Reviled WWF Ad -- and Submitted It to Cannes Sept. 3, 2009
Mark Wnek: A Focus on Awards, Not the Consumer, Caused 9/11-WWF Firestorm
Sept. 3, 2009
9/11 Ad for WWF Causes Tsunami of a Crisis for DDB Brasil Sept. 2, 2009
Middle East Ad Festival Strips Shop of Agency-of-Year Title
April 1, 2009
Epoch Loses Lion Over Racy Penney Ad Controversy June 26, 2008
Website TheSpecSpot Called a More Legit Alternative to Submitting Ghost Ads to Cannes June 14, 2004
Cannes Winner Questioned as Possible Scam; Johnson & Johnson Denies It Retained Agency June 26, 2002
Real-life Ghostbuster June 25, 2001
Ghosts of Cannes June 11, 2001
