--- title: An Ad for a Wearable Translator is Causing Internet Outrage description: A Japanese tech company called Logbar has chosen a controversial way to advertise its new wearable translator, Ili. canonical: https://time.com/4171522/controversial-ad-wearable-translator-internet-outrage/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-07T19:19:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:28:25.965Z og:title: A Controversial Ad for a Wearable Translator is Causing Internet Outrage og:description: It features a man using the device to proposition women for a kiss og:url: https://time.com/4171522/controversial-ad-wearable-translator-internet-outrage/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Controversial Ad for a Wearable Translator is Causing Internet Outrage twitter:description: It features a man using the device to proposition women for a kiss twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # A Controversial Ad for a Wearable Translator Is Causing Internet Outrage > Sponsored content. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 7, 2016 7:19 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 7, 2016 7:19 PM UTC A Japanese tech company called [Logbar](http://logbar.jp) has chosen a controversial way to advertise its new wearable [translator](http://time.com/3977344/google-translate-print/), Ili. The basic premise of Ili is that the user can speak into it in English, Chinese or Japanese, and it will reproduce the words in any of those three [languages](http://time.com/3926395/skype-translator-french-german/), according to [Buzzfeed](http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/this-might-be-one-of-the-creepiest-commercials-youve-seen-in?bftwnews&utm%5Fterm=.tcQo5Oe96#.ypv2v65Xo). It’s a seemingly inoffensive product. However, the commercial that Logbar released for the device features its spokesman, Dean, using Ili to ask random women on the streets of Tokyo to kiss him. **Read More:** [Microsoft Is Getting Close to Perfecting a Universal Communicator](http://time.com/3749465/microsoft-skype-translator/) The Gaijin Pot [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/GaijinPot/videos/10154547031294466/) posted the video on Wednesday with the caption, “Japanese company creates innovative new translation product. Decides to market it using the most cringeworthy video possible.” That version has now been viewed over 2.6 million times and shared over 51,000 times, and has sparked a dialogue about the nature of the ad. **Many were impressed with the product but weirded out by the ad itself.** **While others could only focus on the how creepy they found the clip.** Only time will tell how this marketing strategy will play out for the company. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4171522/controversial-ad-wearable-translator-internet-outrage/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4171522/controversial-ad-wearable-translator-internet-outrage/"},"headline":"A Controversial Ad for a Wearable Translator Is Causing Internet Outrage","datePublished":"2016-01-07T19:19:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:28:25.965Z","description":"It features a man using the device to proposition women for a kiss","url":"https://time.com/4171522/controversial-ad-wearable-translator-internet-outrage/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Innovation","Internet","movies","Technology","Japan","commercials","kiss","Ads"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4171522/controversial-ad-wearable-translator-internet-outrage/","name":"A Controversial Ad for a Wearable Translator Is Causing Internet Outrage"}}]}] ```