Heil Citroen
Unlike many of the over-the-top ads on this list, this one, by French automaker Citroen, sneaks up on you. The 2008 spot opens "with airborne shots to Wagner, reminiscent of the controversial Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will," noted Angus Robertson, leader of the UK's Westminster Scottish National Party, who tried to get the ad banned last year. "It goes on to feature an eagle statue similar to the Nazi emblem, a road sign in gothic script not seen in Germany since 1945, a fencing duel popular with extreme-right German fraternities and ends in front of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Stadium." Citroen defended the ad as "humorous and fun." Well, if they were going for fun, they should have taken a page from the ad campaign of Turkish teamaker Rasayana and included this guy. Eek.