~ Schick Shaver, 1937
Today's Questionable Advertising Award goes to Shick razors. On May 6, 1937 the German Zeppelin Hindenburg exploded while coming in to land at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey (USA). Why it exploded is still a mystery*. It was one of the first disasters of its kind that were captured live and broadcast internationally by newsreel and radio. A few months later Schick decided that the tragedy would be a good way to sell razors by claiming that they were used to shave the burn victims.
Edit to add: Schick pulled the ad after people complained
*The Mythbusters TV show even did an episode on it in 2007
The emotional live broadcast by journalist Herbert Morrison, including his famous line "Oh, the humanity!", along with film of the actual crash are available over here.
