Most of the time people say an ad campaign is "good," they just mean that it's funny. Less often, it could be poignant, or provocative, or straight-out informative. But there's always the "incredibly morbid" tactic, too. It works! Making your audience shudder means they remember what you said. Or are permanently scarred by it. Same difference. After the jump, five ads that get their point across by evoking death, disfigurement, or sex crimes:

Clue leaves blood on your hands, literally

Amnesty International's "Hangman Cookie."

Look, now you can identify with Vietnamese children afflicted with harelip.

Pedophilia: think about it!

This "Gunshot sticker" sends the message: I want to stop gunshots.

[Abduzeedo via Coudal]

Send an email to Hamilton Nolan, the author of this post, at Hamilton@gawker.com.