The 1970s sure were a different time—the era between the Pill and HIV, when sex was everywhere and “sexual harassment” wasn’t even a term. (It would be in 1974.) So maybe it’s not surprising that the C-suite at Noxema approved the slogan “cream your face.” (It’s doubtful a spot like this would have flown after 1989, when Procter & Gamble bought the brand.)
“I’m so excited—I’m gonna get creamed!” declared “Broadway Joe” Namath, the Jets’ superstar quarterback famed for passes he made on the field and off. Obliging him is Farrah Fawcett, soon to be a Charlie’s Angel, and America’s biggest sex symbol. At least the casting made sense.
GoDaddy’s “Perfect Match,” 2013
By the time this special spot aired, web-hosting giant GoDaddy had been pushing viewers’ buttons for eight years with a series of Big Game ads themed around buxom women. These included Candice Michelle having a bra malfunction before Congress and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick taking a shower—with a companion, no less. Tacky isn’t necessarily cringe. But supermodel Bar Rafaeli French kissing Noobz star Jesse Heiman? For 11 seconds? With a tight closeup? Cringe-O-Rama.
