Of all the bad advertisements we have looked at in the last three episodes of Commercial Break, this one-page spot for M.C. Kids has to be the single worst one we've seen yet. It's atrocious on so many levels that it's hard not to admire the audacity of the game's marketing department. To say that it's misguided and pandering is almost a compliment; this advertisement is so bad it could probably be linked to eating disorders and certain types of skin rashes.

The first thing you notice about M.C. Kids is that it's a little wordy. It's also not very objective. It starts its promotion by stating that it's the "way wildest game ever" and that we should trust this guy because he "invented it." And what's not to trust about this guy; after all, he looks like an upstanding member of society - what with the ridiculous makeshift Mohawk and wholly unhip sunglasses. Of course, not all of the advert requires you to put that much thinking in, just look at the line that ponders what the M.C. could stand for - "that's M.C. as in Major Cool, Mega Challenging, Mondo Crazy." Somehow I doubt a McDonalds game is going to be challenging OR crazy, perhaps they meant to write fattening and low-quality ... a simple mistake.

But what's really offensive about this advertisement is how hard it tries to be cool. This commercial throws just about everything they could think of at you all at once, making it especially hard to focus on anything. There are all these little pictures and icons and words that seem to be going for a "hip" vibe, but come off feeling like a bunch of fourty-something's trying to appeal to the youth. Look hard for everything from a weird reference to "Psycho" to upside down words to some of the worst slang you will ever see. And to make matters worse, they have pictures of animals just in random locations, for no reason at all. And what can resist a game with the progressive environmental message, "It's a radical new world." It's cool to be the person to make a video game, but if your claim to fame is a McDonalds game, then I would probably tell your friends and family that you're unemployed.

FROM: The Case of the Bad Advertising