On average, Americans spend 10 hours and 50 minutes per week in their car, the 2019 Daily Ride Index suggests. That means we've all got plenty of time on our hands to look through the window and let our eyes rest on the landscape... until they settle on a billboard.
Zoom in, zoom out, these two seconds are where brands get the opportunity to convince you that you can’t live without trying a new bacon whopper. But while most of these so-called ‘out of home’ ads are tacky, way too bright, and plain boring to get us thinking about the thing they're selling, a few of them are the exact opposite.
So, this time we are off to a walk in the smart, creative, and ‘this is just brilliant’ billboard park where ads are like artworks themselves. Mind-bending, interactive, dimensional, reactive to weather, light or darkness, they totally mess with our senses. Let’s give a big round of applause to all the creatives drained from brainstorming benders and advertising agencies who managed to pitch their ideas to the clients, thanks to whom billboard advertising has now been made great again.
Psst! After you’re done, don’t forget to check out Bored Panda's previous post with 50 excellent examples of ingenious bus advertising and some more creative billboard ads at part 1.
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Women's Aid - Look At Me
In a world first for digital out of home Women’s Aid created an interactive ad which shows how we can all make tangible changes in the fight against domestic violence. The creative employs a unique use of facial recognition technology which allows the interactive screens to recognise when people actively pay attention to an image of a bruised woman. Those who look at the screen get feedback via a live video feed that runs along the bottom of the ad as a visual ticker-tape, registering an increasing number of viewers. As more people notice the image of the women her bruises slowly heal, demonstrating to passers-by that by taking notice they can help confront domestic violence by not turning a blind eye.
These McDonald's Billboards Double As Bee Hotels To Support Biodiversity
Excellent Billboard
To find out more about the secrets of creative billboard advertising, Bored Panda reached out to Tomas Nemura, a marketing strategist and partner at Choco Agency, which specializes in social media strategy, digital design, and content production.
Tomas said that when it comes to advertising, it’s always beneficial to address people from several means of advertising simultaneously. “This is where outdoor advertising comes into play. As an advertising medium, it has been growing for the last several years.”
However, in order to measure its efficiency, Tomas suggests looking at the overall context of a given campaign. “It’s not the billboard itself that works, it’s the ad on it. When assuming it’s done properly,” he said.
When asked what it takes to create an innovative billboard, Tomas said that “as a general rule of thumb, I would recommend not showing the product.” “We should not assume that people walking by our billboard are currently in the market to purchase our product so the billboard, like any other form of advertising, should create value to every passerby,” Tomas explained further.
BBC’s Dracula Billboard Confuses People During The Daytime But Grabs Attention At Night
This Tiny Ant-Man Billboard At A Bus Stop
BBC World - See Both Sides O The Story
Meanwhile, different things work in different contexts. For example, “a joke which makes your day, a question which makes you think, a relatable moment which helps to realize something. You either enjoy the ad or you ignore it. The latter is more common.” Tomas believes that if every ad was signed with the name of whoever created it, there might be more creative ads to enjoy.
On the other hand, Tomas said that coming up with a memorable and one-of-a-kind ad is becoming very hard since “everything has been done already and people almost never pay attention to ads.”
But it turns out that the originality of an idea is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to challenges a creative faces throughout the creative process. “Where are those super creative ads (apart from this list)? In ad festivals? Isn’t it the case that people outside the advertising industry don’t even get to experience them? Creatives have to tackle a lot of issues with every project and I’d say that the originality of the idea is the least of their problems.”
Tomas explained that among the challenges are intense timing, multitasking, various limitations, the subjectivity of involved parties, etc. “You have to loosen those limitations, let everyone clear their minds, and enjoy themselves in order to get something attention-worthy,” he concluded.
Corona Oceans Week Billboard With Wave Made From Plastic Gathered In UK And Chris Hemsworth On The Surfboard
Coca-Cola Hand Knitted Billboards In Serbia Using Traditional Knitting Techniques
Sick Legend Of Zelda Street Art
This is one of my favourite games of all time, so I ADORE this
Previously, Bored Panda also spoke to Luke Leonard, the Senior Director of Marketing of Vector Media, who explained how creativity does wonders when it comes to advertising. When commenting on bus advertising, which is another form of OOH (out of house) ads, Luke said that the key lies in “warping people’s perspective of what they think they know they're looking at.”
He suggested employing doors, wheels, lights, and even the passengers inside the windows in an ad that’s visible from the outside. Creative billboards work in the same way: they bend viewers’ perception in such a way that they create a whole new reality out of all the elements. It can be street lights, the placement of the billboard, or the time of day—nothing is off-limits.
Billboard ads don’t necessarily mean they engulf only the billboard as a canvas alone, quite on the contrary. A creative billboard usually surpasses its initial setting and brings out the unexpectedness. Contextual relevance is an absolute must in any memorable billboard ad.
LEGO 3D Billboard
Capsico Sauce: Burning Hot. Dabur, India
Denver Water Billboard
3m – Tape Holds Billboard
Save Some Money And Save The Environment
Clever Weather Billboard
Red Hat - People-Powered Billboard
Hotwheels Loop
The Billboards That Came From Nature And Went Back To Nature For Toyota Prius Ad Campaign
Sea Shepherd Switzerland
Haste Passes, Consequences Remain
Brazil is one of the recordist countries in motorcycle accidents in the world. Therefore, the importance of producing creative, impactful and efficient advertising campaigns have the goal of raising awareness, to educate bikers about traffic growing. After all, a thousandth of a second can have consequences for the rest of your life.
An Ad In Warsaw, Poland
"See, I Can Draw The Sky..."
Saw This Sign Advertising A Black Hole Planetarium At The Liberty Science Centre. Definitely The Best Billboard I’ve Ever Seen
Coke Billboards That Point You To The Nearest Recycling Bin
The Milwaukee Brewers Have An Opening Day Billboard That Unravels A Little Each Day As The Season Approaches
Billboard In Houston
The Most Incredible Billboard Collaboration I've Ever Seen
Ad For Panasonic's Nose Trimmer
No Caption Needed
Ipod Billboard Ad
Designers Used McDonald's Arches As Direction Markers To The Restaurants
The Way This Billboard Uses Its Pole To Make A Really Big Straw
Double Grill & Bar Creative Billboard Advertising
Brilliant Ad
Coca-Cola - Refresh
KitKat Break Slogan
TV Rain (Russian TV Channel) - Rain Will Wash Away The Lie
Dozhd means rain in Russian. That’s why we placed this simple message on a billboard: Dozhd washes away the lie.
We just had to wait for the lie to be washed off - literally.
For one month a web camera was streaming a video of the billboard on the main page of the channel’s website. When it rained, everyone would get a 50% discount on a subscription.
Not a single national news media outlet mentioned the billboard.
Naval Museum Billboard
It's very cool indeed, not be sarcastic at all - loving the detail, even the ground breaking on the bottom of the pole
Earth Day's 2019 Theme Is "Protect Our Species". Even The Ones We Are Afraid Of! How Are You Respecting The Planet Today?
This Companies Campaign Utilizing Only Half A Billboard To Get Their Point Across
SO ACCURATE! He only used half the billboard but we can read it just fine (Maybe with a little struggle)!
Funnel Campaign
When Leaving Early For Happy Hour Doesn’t Go As Planned
Carnival - Current Temperature - This Billboard Ran In NYC From January To March
Pond's Facial Wash
The New Mini Incredibly Safe Billboard
Rust Free Knife Ad In Vienna, Austria
Someone asked 'Why's it orange?" I was gonna reply but when I clicked, the comment disappeared.
I don't get why this is supposed to be a special quality. You shouldn't put a kitchen knife into the dishwasher and if you wash it by hand it won't rust anyway.
To show that while the rest is rusty, the rust free knife won't be.
Load More Replies...I wonder whether there is really any difference in quality between a 200 Euro knife and a 20 Euro one.
Load More Replies...Calgary Stampede 3D Ad
Chilled Mars Billboard
Bojangles' Flour
For a brand-building idea that would create some online buzz and engagement during last week’s NBA All-Star Weekend, LGA created an eye-catching billboard for Charlotte-based Bojangles’ Famous Chicken n’ Biscuits that simulates one of basketball’s most popular pregame rituals and the famous biscuits’ most important ingredient. The billboard celebrates the chain’s stars of breakfast – Master Biscuit Makers – by showcasing the dramatic image of a real biscuit maker tossing flour in the air like an athlete. To add to the action, the billboard periodically shoots simulated flour, using a fog machine, to signify that Bojangles’ bakes its made-from-scratch biscuits every 20 minutes.
I grew up on their foods! Miss it so much... mmmm....country ham and egg biscuit with cheese...
McDonald's Hand-Drawn Chalkboard Menu Style Billboards In Poland
This Upside Down Billboard In Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia
Short Life
Caption: would you trade your life for a few minutes less in traffic? Do not accelerate to get faster at the end of your history. Be a coherent and conscious motorcyclist.
Better a couple minutes late in this life than years early in the next
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Campaign
lol, thats smart, but there should be a lot more of those around the world XD
Luke Cage Watching Over 10th Ave In NYC
Rampage Building Wraps
Ferdinand 3D Billboard
Uno, Dos, and Quatro! "What happened to Tres?" *GASP* "WE DO NOT SPEAK OF TRES!"
Outside The Box
Billboard Turned Into Bug Trap For Insecticide Spray Ad
Are You Team Chick-Fil-A Or Team Popeye's?
Philco Power
To show the power of the Philco Rapid 1000 W Powder Cleaner, sold on the Casa & Video store network, Propeg created an impact action in Rio de Janeiro where we see the vacuum cleaner sucking up much of the building's gable.
McCafé Snow Report
Fun Magnet Billboard At Yonge & Dundas In Toronto
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital - We'll Put You Back Together
Toyota Times Square Live-Climb Event
This Tylenol Ad
United Cooling Popsicle
Seeing that popsicle stick makes me cringe from the memory of sucking on it - oof! Nice ad though
Ghosts
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, 3D Billboard
Us Movie 3D Scissors Billboard
“Realty Boxes”
Our Billboard Created By Johnson Group Was Nationally Recognised At The 2017 Obie Awards For Outdoor Marketing
The Billboard Of National Debt I Pass Everyday
Toyota Vehicle Of Change
The Toyota Mirai eco-billboard campaign will help clear the air. Thirty-seven billboards in Los Angeles and San Francisco will create 24,960 square feet of pollution scrubbing surface and reverse the equivalent of 5,285 vehicles worth of nitrogen dioxide (NOx) emissions per month. NOx is a key ingredient in acid rain and smog.
Vw Polo Telegraph Pole Billboards
A Visually Stunning Film Deserves Visually Stunning Billboards
Ad For Michigan State University 50th Anniversary
Happy Beer Can Appreciation Day
Creation Museum
Chocolate Billboard In Mumbai, India
Ripley's Aquarium
We Have An Eye For Halloween And Great Billboards
This Billboard In Portugal
Inside / Outside Campaign
Paralen. The Head Pinch Campaign
Blue Cross Giant Pacifier
To drive home the idea of maternity coverage, Copacino worked with Premera Blue Cross and local fine artist Jason Puccinelli to affix a giant pacifier to an outdoor board in the downtown Seattle area.
Drove By One Of The Best Billboard Ads I've Ever Seen This Morning
United Heating & Cooling - Baby Light My Fire Campaign
Austin Gets It... Delivered
This is what happens when you have a good advertising agency and aprove the budget... it pays.
I always loved The Walking Dead billboard advertising how many days until the new season . It was set up in the Toronto train station back in 2012 twd_5_fing...0e3db4.jpg
I totally thought that one of those like oppai billboards would be in this list lol
I remember a billboard for a murder tv show that would get random messages added as if it was a character from the show talking
Someone replied to one of my comments here, but I don't know where. Can someone tell me?
on the BP mobile app, it usually takes you directly to the comment. the website doesn't do that though.
Load More Replies...I don't know which one I like the most. They're all so lovely and effective.
This is what happens when you have a good advertising agency and aprove the budget... it pays.
I always loved The Walking Dead billboard advertising how many days until the new season . It was set up in the Toronto train station back in 2012 twd_5_fing...0e3db4.jpg
I totally thought that one of those like oppai billboards would be in this list lol
I remember a billboard for a murder tv show that would get random messages added as if it was a character from the show talking
Someone replied to one of my comments here, but I don't know where. Can someone tell me?
on the BP mobile app, it usually takes you directly to the comment. the website doesn't do that though.
Load More Replies...I don't know which one I like the most. They're all so lovely and effective.