Generally, when swear words are used in an ad, it isn't directly displayed, since that would lead to the ad be banned entirely. I think that when an ad decides to use a play on words to get a swear word to form in the mind of the consumer without directly displaying it actually makes it have more impact and linger in the mind of the consumer for a longer period of time. Having said that, I do not think that there needs to be an increased amount of profanity in advertising, because it will just desensitize our society with the increased exposure, and in the end, the ads using this profane language will lose the impact they are trying to get across to the consumers. I do think, however, there are instances where using a bit of profanity actually ends up being a useful tool in advertising, because it can act like a hook, and people will end up repeating the ad to their friends if it has good humour. One great example of this would be the campaign that Franks Red Hot sauce used.
The fact that they used an old lady to swear; without actually cussing on t.v., was funny, and I even found myself saying this line to people I know, because the campaign was funny, and was memorable because of its profane nature. So to conclude, I think that profanity, if used in a clever and funny way, can be a useful tool in advertising, as long as it's not being overdone, and distastefully.
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