Netflix’s advertising team might have taken the “deadpan” part of Wednesday Addams a little too literally this time. As Season 2 of Wednesday rolls out globally, a billboard spotted on Johannesburg’s N1 highway has managed to ruffle more than just pigtails, and not in the fun, spooky way.
The billboard, promoting Wednesday Season 2, boldly reads: “Read this instead of keeping your eyes on the road.” And while that line is very on-brand for Wednesday’s morbid humour, South African motorists aren’t laughing. In fact, some of them are furious.
Locals took to social media, particularly LinkedIn and X, to slam the marketing message. “A massive billboard with copy telling you to not pay attention on South Africa’s highest fatality highway is in such good taste,” wrote one user with biting sarcasm. Another posted a simple, “Yikes.” A third echoed the collective disappointment: “It’s such a shame. There are so many good iterations of the campaign, but this one is just shoddy.”
And they’re not wrong.
South Africa has one of the worst road fatality rates in the world. According to the Automobile Association of South Africa, over 14,000 people die annually in road accidents. That’s far higher than both the global and African averages. Distractions behind the wheel are a leading cause. Over the 2023/2024 festive season alone, 1,427 lives were lost on South African roads.
So yeah, telling drivers to stop paying attention while hurtling down the N1 isn’t exactly landing well.
And it’s a shame because elsewhere, Wednesday’s promotional campaign has actually been clever. Other billboards around the world carry slogans like “Honk if you hate it here” and “Here we woe again”. That’s classic Wednesday sarcasm that fits the show without encouraging reckless endangerment.
On the flip side, Wednesday Season 2 is receiving solid early buzz. Jenna Ortega is back in black, bringing her signature mix of gloom and charm to the Addams Family’s iconic daughter. Critics are still split on the show’s structural changes (Netflix decided to break the season into two parts. Part 1 dropped August 6, with Part 2 landing on September 3). But Ortega’s performance is once again the heartbeat of the show.
“As much as it would pain Wednesday Addams to hear me say it, season 2 of Netflix’s Wednesday brought me great cheer,” wrote Mashable’s Belen Edwards. The Daily Telegraph’s Ed Power agreed: “A near three-year delay would have killed off a lesser show, but Wednesday’s murderously enjoyable second season proves worth the wait.”
Too bad the billboard campaign didn’t get the same five-star treatment.
So here’s a tip for advertisers: It’s fine to be edgy, but maybe not on a highway where thousands die every year. And if you’re going to channel Wednesday Addams’ spirit, do it smartly. Because turning heads is great, but not while they’re supposed to be watching the road.
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