The ad that goes wrong: self depreciation is an art

I have come across a British show called "The play that goes wrong" - where, you guessed it, everything that could go wrong does goes wrong even more than Ziad Rahbani's "chi fechel". But what interested me the most were the ads they ran for the show enticing people to "save money - don't come", "starring Tom Cruise - subject to availability", "premium seats - only £3,950" or a strapline that went that the play was "starring no one famous", there was even logos of the "tony" "olivier" awards and underneath "they liked the show". Ads have appeared upside down in newspapers to emphasise that even the marketing was amateurish.

Self-depreciation in advertising is an art all by itself, few can master it as it takes real courage to talk one's self down as most audiences don't get the joke. Among global brands, we have

with their "Reassuringly expensive" line, whereas this could be seen as not-really-self-depreciation on many levels it is, take this example and appreciate the irony:

Stella Artois

Diesel

be reminded of the "Be Stupid" campaign. If self-depreciation was taken to new levels, then this was it. My favourite is this one, "Smart Critiques, Stupid Creates" - simply because I am on both sides of the fence - not only do I do critique on my blog, but I too go reckless in my projects and artworks. Without further delay, here it is:

But the crown undeniably goes to "Hans Brinker Budget Hotel" in