This Decliner from La-Z-Boy auto-generates excuses not to go out plus...7 more ads that use excuses in unexpected ways

Excuses! Excuses! Excuses! From the beginning of time, people are always looking for an excuse to justify their actions or behaviors. Whether it's not going to the gym, eating that extra slice of cake, or not getting work done on time, excuses are a natural part of our lives. And as a marketer, tapping into that natural inclination can be incredibly powerful.

Excuses can help to alleviate the guilt or shame that we might feel about our actions. By offering an excuse, you're essentially giving us permission to feel better about ourselves.  Of course, the reverse of that is when you call B.S. on the lame excuses we use to justify our actions. Sometimes we all need to be called out on our behaviour, don’t we?

Finally, excuses can be a great way to differentiate your brand from competitors. If you can offer a unique or creative excuse that no one else is using, you can stand out in a crowded market and capture people's attention.

Up first is this unapologetically lazy campaign from La-Z-Boy.  

The Decliner | La-Z-Boy | Colle McVoy | 2023

La-Z-Boy, leans into what its famous for with gusto with the launch of its new campaign "We the Lazy." The centre-piece of the campaign being a customised La-Z-Boy named The Decliner. This lord of laziness syncs with phones to craft excuses for avoiding social commitments, embracing the joy of missing out (JOMO). An online social contest accompanies the campaign where the top three cancelation excuse entries can win The Decliner.

Ridiculous Excuses Not To Be Inclusive | Coordown | Small NY | 2023

People with Down syndrome face exclusion and ableism in their daily lives. CoorDown's latest campaign - launched to tie in with World Down Syndrome Day -tackles this issue with a comedic approach. In "Ridiculous Excuses Not to Be Inclusive," the film features five scenes that highlight the exclusion of people with Down syndrome in various settings, such as in school, the workplace, sports, summer camps, and field trips. We see such excuses in action, such as "We don't have enough chairs to invite you to the meeting" and "It's not your fault, we're not prepared to take you on the field trip." This global campaign aims to shed light on this issue and call out such lame excuses and expose the false good intentions of those who exclude people with intellectual disabilities out of ignorance or laziness. The campaign is supported by testimonials from people who have Down syndrome and their families who tell of the ridiculous excuses they have had to hear. TikTok users can add their weight to the campaign too with a specially created sticker and an official hashtag #RidiculousExcuses.

Election Edition | AnNahar | BBDO

Lebanese newspaper AnNahar wanted to help the election effort by creating the Election Edition – a newspaper that was never printed. On 2nd February 2022, AnNahar missed a daily edition for the first time in 88 years. The Lebanese government has blamed potentially canceling the country’s election on the shortage and high prices of materials like paper and ink. So, in an effort, to end the government’s excuses, the publication sent the paper the ink that would have been used to print that day’s newspaper to the government to support the printing of ballot papers.

Village Electric | Renault | Publicis

Renault faced the challenge of convincing a skeptical French public to make the switch from gas-guzzling cars to eco-friendly electric ones. Together with its agency Publicis, they devised a smart creative solution that would showcase how easy the transition actually was. They chose to focus on Appy, a small French village where cars were a necessity. In some ways it was the ultimate torture test. If they could turn the villagers of Appy into a 'appy (sorry couldn't resist) electric vehicle-only town, Renault would demonstrate that making the switch to electric cars is not only feasible but also beneficial to the environment. Of course, they succeeded. So, Renault now had the ultimate argument. If a remote car-dependent village like Appy could convert to electric cars, then what excuse did the rest of France have not to invest in them? The campaign proved that what may seem like a big behavior shift is actually a no-brainer, as nothing changed in Appy except for a dramatic decline in emissions.  

Washing Excuses | Brastemp | FCB

Brazil is lagging behind other countries when it comes to household chore equality. A 2018 study found that over 90% of women are responsible for laundry but only around half of their partners take part in household chores. To raise awareness for the issue, appliance brand Brastemp (Whirlpool) created a collection of T-shirts printed with excuses that are often given by the person who won't do their share of chores. Messages like "my mother always did it for me" and "I was going to but you beat me to it" were visible on white T-shirts until they were put through the washing machine where the design and the superficial excuses were washed away. The T-shirts went on sale to the public and around 200 were sent to influencers and journalists. An accompanying 60-second video was launched onto digital media and apartment building elevator screens to help spark debate about the issue.

Bride Armour #noexcuse | Carling Black Label | Ogilvy

Intimate partner violence is a pervasive problem in South Africa, with one in three women being abused by their partners in 2021 alone. However, societal pressures often lead to both men and women excusing such behavior. To address this problem, Carling Black Label, the biggest beer brand in South Africa, launched the #NOEXCUSE campaign in collaboration with Ogilvy South Africa. The initiative aimed to promote positive masculinity and tackle the correlation between alcohol misuse and intimate partner violence. They partnered with Lifeline to create an abuse-resistant wedding dress designed by Suzanne Heyns, which was unveiled at a fashion event and traveled across the country. The campaign reached 38 million people and drove them to petition for a new vow in South African marriages: to love, protect, and never abuse. This resulted in a 75% increase in women reporting intimate partner violence and a 44% increase in men committing to stand against it. The campaign also led to a 59% increase in brand equity for Carling Black Label, the highest recorded in its history.

Inexcusable Labels | Detran SP | Artplan

Tattered excuses, such as "I ate liquor bonbons" or "I swallowed some mouthwash", that are used by drivers trying to escape the breathalyzer test, were stamped as labels on alcoholic beverages served in bars in São Paulo. The campaign objective was to remind the public of the dangers of mixing drinking and driving.

Breast Cancer Awareness From Centuries Ago

While less known, breast cancer is actually a problem for men as well as women. Yet most men often fail to recognize it as a possibility and therefore do not get checked, leading to a high mortality rate. A simple self-examination, touching one's chest regularly, could save lives. To raise awareness of this issue, a campaign has been launched that draws attention to the fact that several ancient men in paintings posed with their hands touching their chests, similar to a self-examination position. These painters are hailed as precursors of breast self-examination in men, demonstrating that touching one's chest for extended periods of time is not something to be ashamed of. The campaign encourages men to follow in the footsteps of these pioneers from the past and to touch their chests regularly.