Rock bottom: the cringeworthy public health ads that should never have been made

Today came the news that Crimestoppers is handing out scratch and sniff cards to educate people about the smell of a cannabis farm.

They say members of the public will be better equipped to tackle domestic weed farms if they are familiar with the smell – overlooking the fact that the smell in question is one of the most recognisable odours around.

They aren’t the first to blunder with a public awareness campaign though.

The colon cancer awareness poster, above, is a case in point.

How it made it onto billboards in Yakima, Washington State, without objections is anyone’s guess. Once it did appear, the public recoiled in horror and the campaign was withdrawn.

We’ve listed a couple more that got people talking for the wrong reasons.

Featuring the immortal lyrics "I’m the deso, deso, and I’m rocking super clean", this incredibly embarrassing Australian video encouraging young people to have a designated driver on nights out is a classic of the genre.