Billboard advertisements are designed to catch a person’s attention and create a memorable impression very quickly, leaving the reader thinking about the advertisement after they have driven past it. They have to be readable in a very short time because they are usually read while being passed at high speeds. Thus there are usually only a few words, in large print, and a humorous or arresting image in brilliant color. [1]
Besides targeting a specific audience according to location, billboard ads are also being on 24 hours a day. Compare the 24 hour per day exposure of a billboard versus a TV commercial or a newspaper ad. These advertisements have a useful life of 30 seconds at most. In addition to this great advantage is the fact that billboard advertising is very affordable. [2]
Although some of the most prominent billboards are alongside highways, there are many billboards on buildings in a city space where viewers can spend much more time reading the message. So it’s always important to take the context (where the ad appears) into consideration.
What’s interesting is that companies may try hard to reach a specific location based audience, but in the end reach millions of people here on the Internet. Here are 33 incredibly creative billboards that actually managed to do that.
1. Berger: Natural Finish Colors
Advertising Agency: JWT Mumbai, India
2. TV3: Law And Order
Advertising Agency: Colenso BBDO, Auckland, New Zealand
3. The Economist
Advertising Agency: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, UK
4. Colorado State Patrol: Billboard Collision
“Tailgating Isn’t Worth It. Give Trucks Room. It’s The Law.” (Advertising Agency: Amélie Company, Denver, Colorado, USA)
5. Calvin Klein Underwear
Advertising School: Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea
6. Penline Stationary: Strong Tape
Advertising Agency: Euro RSCG, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
7. Science World
Vancouver’s Rethink glued 9,000 dazzling glass “diamonds” to a billboard to promote Science World’s Treasure! exhibit, and to dramatize this fact: compared to most other gems, diamonds aren’t all that rare. (Advertising Agency: Rethink, Canada)
8. CNN: Stories With the Full Background
Advertising Agency: DDB&CO., Istanbul, Turkey
9. Calgary International Film Festival
Only the best films make it. (Advertising Agency: WAX, Calgary AB, Canada)
10. BIC Razor
Advertising Agency: unknown
11. The Day After Tommorow
Advertising Agency: Contract, Mumbai, India
12. Max Factor
Billboard that will change once it rains to give the effect that the mascara is leaking. (Advertising Agency: unknown)
13. Woodland: Climbing Shoes
“Climbing Shoes” (Advertising Agency: unknown)
14. Martor Solingen: Extremely Sharp
Advertising Agency: unknown
15. Oltimer Restaurants: Tunnel
Special Poster for “Oldtimer”, a big Austrian chain for motorway rest stops. (Advertising Agency: Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann, Vienna, Austria)
16. Mammoth: Play Big
Advertising Agency: David&Goliath
17. Anando Milk – Superhuman Powers
Advertising Agency: McCANN ERICKSON, Mumbai, India
18. Road Safety: Bleeding Billboard
Rain changes everything. Please drive to the conditions. (Advertising Agency: Colenso BBDO, Auckland, New Zealand)
19. Panasonic Nose Hair Trimmer
Billboards built around actual electric wires and poles to amusingly yet convincingly dramatize the need for the Panasonic nose hair trimmer’s safety cutting system. (Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Indonesia)
20. Donatos Pizza: Steaming Pizza
Advertising Agency: Engauge, Columbus, USA
21. Kill Bill 2
Advertising Agency: unknown
22. Get Organized With Peter Walsh
Advertising Agency: unknown
23. Avera Health: Smoking Billboard
For two days, drivers who passed a smoking billboard in Sioux Falls, honked and cranked their necks to get a better look at the board everyone was talking about. It showed a woman sitting on a gurney in front of a terrible car crash, with one of the cars actually smoking behind her, that at least for two days, the smoke billowed off the photo into the sky, thanks to a hidden smoke machine behind the board. (Advertising Agency: BVK, USA)
24. Coop’s Paints (Insurance Ad)
Advertising Agency: TM Advertising , USA, Dallas
25. Koleston Naturals: Change
Koleston Naturals is a hair colorant from natural ingredients. (Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Beirut, Libanon)
26. Zhangbei Fitness
Advertising Agency: Guangdong Advertising, Beijing, China
27. Coca-Cola
Refresh on Coca-Cola side of life. (Advertising Agency: MacLaren McCann, Toronto, Canada)
28. Powerhouse Gym
Advertising School: Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, USA
29. Playboy: Guys, Pray For Rain
“Guys, pray for rain.” (Advertising Agency: unknown)
30. YMCA: Basketball Billboard
Advertising Agency: TBWA Vancouver, Canada
31. Belt Up
Advertising Agency: unknown
32. Siemens Mixer
Advertising Agency: unknown
33. Silberman’s Fitness Center
Advertising Agency: unknown
33 Clever and Creative Billboard Ads originally appeared on Bored Panda on May 2, 2011.
Possibly related articles:
- 15 Clever Fitness and Yoga Advertisements
- 20 Cool And Creative Street Ads
- 20 Most Creative Ads on Buildings
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