13 Old Ads That Would Be Lawsuits Today
Here's an eye-opening glance at 13 vintage advertisements more likely to land in court than on today’s shelves.
- Daisy Montero
- 3 min read
Advertising in the past often broke boundaries by today’s standards, sometimes crossing legal and ethical lines. This exploration of 13 old ads reveals how sexism, health misclaims, and product stunts once flew under the radar. Each slide unpacks the daring (or daft) nature of these ads and why they’d trigger lawsuits or bans now.
1. “Show Her It’s a Man’s World”
Polina Tankilevitch on pexels.
This 1950s ad, depicting women as domestic subservients, reeks of gender bias. It reinforced outdated gender roles with no backlash — unlike today, where it’d spark immediate outrage. Now it’d get sued under discrimination laws.
2. Sugary Drinks for Toddlers
Unshackled11 on wikimedia Commons.
A vintage soda ad pitched sugary beverages to infants — health standards be damned. Today, it’d face lawsuits for child endangerment and false nutritional claims. Our understanding of childhood nutrition has come a long way.
3. “More Doctors Smoke Camels”
Jessica Nunes on pexels.
Doctors hawking cigarettes sound absurd. It once aired boldly. Today, it’d be a health fraud lawsuit waiting to happen. Regulations now strictly ban deceptive medical endorsements.
4. Fitness Drink Endorsed by Models
Matheus Ferrero on pexels.
An ad portrayed Ovaltine as essential for summer fitness because it looked “cool” on models. That’s a textbook example of deceptive marketing tactics today. It would prompt FDA scrutiny for unsupportable health claims.
5. Racist Caricatures in Beverage Ads
Yan Krukau on pexels
A 1920s coffee ad used racist caricatures to peddle a “foreign” product. Such imagery is now banned under hate speech and anti-discrimination laws. It was a stark reminder of advertising’s problematic past.
6. Sports-Star Soda Endorsements
Sayed Naqvi on pexels.
Using sports heroes to sell sugary sodas implied performance benefits without proof. Today, endorsements often require disclaimers and adhere to truth-in-advertising standards. Hidden health persuasion is no longer legal.
7. Glamorous Cigarette Ads
cottonbro studio on pexel.
Ads once linked smoking to glamour, sex appeal, and female independence. Now, tobacco advertising is heavily regulated, and such messaging is illegal. It wouldn’t get past today’s ad watchdogs.
8. Romanticizing Alcohol Use
cottonbro studio on pexels
Mid-century beer ads poured on romance to boost sales. Now, they’d violate alcohol marketing laws forbidding associations with love or success. Headlines like “Love isn’t served; it’s poured” are gone.
9. MagiCan Promotion Hazard
Rubenstein Rebello on pexels.
Coca‑Cola’s 1990 MagiCans hid cash inside spring-loaded cans that could injure drinkers. Today, strict product liability and safety laws would sue them out of court. Promotions now require rigorous testing and disclaimers.
10. Infringing Literary Copyright.
zhang kaiyv on pexels.
Apple’s iconic “1984” spot drew close to Orwell’s imagery, prompting legal threats. Today, any major brand would need thorough copyright clearance before airing. Courts now aggressively guard creative rights.
11. Highway Safety Ignored
Ekaterina Belinskaya on pexels.
Burma‑Shave’s playful roadside rhymes invited drivers to read while steering down highways. Modern distracted driving fines would slam any ad causing that. Billboards are now regulated for safety impact.
12. Copying Indie Music Muses
Pavel Danilyuk on pexels.
Vintage commercials frequently ripped off popular tunes without the rights. Today, similar copying leads to multi‑million dollar lawsuits — as in Doritos vs Tom Waits. Intellectual property is now tightly enforced.
13. Puffery vs. False Advertising
Dinesh kandel on pexels.
Even today, ads claiming “twice as fast” can be legally contested — as Apple discovered. Puffery claims walk a fine line between bold and misleading. Expect regulators and lawyers to quash exaggerations.