from the NPR article you shared:

In the view of one advertising expert, the social media backlash is part of the point. The nature of the ads are one of the few ways companies can break through the noise in this day and age, Allen Adamson, co-founder of brand marketing firm Metaforce, told Morning Edition.

…

The Sweeney-centric campaign “was a company figuring out how to break through in a world where everyone is screaming and saying, 'Look at me, look at me!” Adamson said.

I didn’t watch the ad until you linked to it. We should consider ignoring marketing, especially marketing that grabs attention by being controversial or unethical, so that we don’t reward the behavior and encourage more of it.