Creative advertising has a unique way of capturing our attention and making us smile, whether it’s through television, radio, or other mediums. Billboards, in particular, are a ubiquitous part of our daily landscape. However, their prevalence often leads to them being overlooked.
At moo.com, our team is continually challenged to devise innovative and unique methods to market our products and services to a global audience of both individuals and businesses. This constant pursuit of creativity compels us to explore new advertising and marketing strategies, always aiming to push the boundaries and, importantly, to have fun in the process.
To inspire you, we’ve compiled a list of 25 of the coolest billboard ads of all time. These examples showcase not just any billboard ads, but those that stand out for their creativity, humor, and sometimes even their outrageousness. Here’s a closer look at some of the most memorable and innovative billboard ads that have graced our roadsides.
- Coca-Cola’s Straw Billboard
- Coca-Cola once created a billboard with a giant straw leading from the sign to a nearby soda machine, making it appear as if the straw was part of a massive drink.
- The Economist’s Light Bulb Moment
- The Economist featured a billboard with a light bulb that lit up whenever someone walked underneath it, symbolizing the moment of inspiration readers get from their magazine.
- McDonald’s Sundial Billboard
- McDonald’s designed a sundial billboard where the shadow pointed to the appropriate menu item based on the time of day, cleverly integrating the passage of time with their menu.
- Nike’s Giant Shoelace
- Nike created a billboard where a giant shoelace extended down from the sign and wrapped around a nearby building, reinforcing their branding in a memorable and eye-catching way.
- Heineken’s Social Beer Billboard
- Heineken’s billboard allowed passersby to interact with it by placing their hand on a sensor, which then lit up the billboard and revealed a hidden message promoting social interactions.
- Audi vs. BMW Billboard Duel
- In a playful exchange, Audi and BMW engaged in a billboard battle, each one-upping the other with witty and competitive messages, showcasing their rivalry in a humorous way.
- BIC’s Giant Razor Billboard
- BIC’s billboard featured a gigantic razor seemingly cutting through the grass below, creating a striking visual that perfectly conveyed the product’s effectiveness.
- The Denver Water “Use Only What You Need” Campaign
- Denver Water’s minimalist billboards featured only a portion of the usual advertising space, visually emphasizing their message about conserving resources.
- Apple’s iPod Silhouettes
- Apple’s iconic iPod billboards showcased vibrant silhouettes of people dancing with their iPods, becoming a cultural phenomenon and reinforcing the brand’s image.
- Oldtimer’s Giant Fork
- A billboard for a restaurant called Oldtimer featured a massive fork piercing through the billboard and into the ground below, creating a dramatic and memorable advertisement.
- Orphea’s Bug Trap Billboard
- Orphea, an insect repellent brand, used a sticky billboard to catch actual bugs, visually demonstrating the effectiveness of their product in real-time.
- Calgary International Film Festival’s 3D Billboard
- The festival’s billboard showed a car crashing through it, creating a dramatic and eye-catching 3D effect that drew attention to the event.
- Formula Toothpaste’s Clean Teeth Campaign
- Formula’s billboard used a white strip that extended beyond the billboard’s edge, symbolizing clean teeth and the effectiveness of their toothpaste.
- Koleston Naturals’ Hair Color Billboard
- Koleston Naturals featured a billboard where the hair color of the model changed with the background sky, cleverly showcasing the range of their hair dyes.
- BBC World’s Window to the World
- BBC World used billboards designed to look like windows, each one showing a different part of the world, emphasizing their global news coverage.
- IKEA’s Furniture Assembly Billboard
- IKEA created a billboard that could be disassembled and reassembled by consumers, mirroring the DIY nature of their products.
- Cingular’s Dropped Calls Campaign
- Cingular’s billboards featured a visual play on the idea of “dropped calls” by showing portions of the billboard seemingly falling off, highlighting their reliable service.
- Mr. Clean’s Street Stripe
- Mr. Clean’s billboard cleverly integrated with a clean white stripe on the road, emphasizing the cleaning power of their products.
- The Lego Imagination Billboard
- Lego’s billboard featured a giant hand placing a Lego block into the real world, blending the physical environment with the imaginative possibilities of their toys.
- Anando Milk’s Strength Billboard
- Anando Milk’s billboard depicted a child seemingly pushing up a section of a building, creatively illustrating the strength gained from drinking milk.
- The Sopranos’ Billboard
- To promote “The Sopranos,” HBO used a billboard with a 3D arm holding a cigar, visually reinforcing the show’s mafia theme.
- Kit Kat’s Bench Billboard
- Kit Kat transformed a simple bench into a giant Kit Kat bar, inviting people to “take a break” and sit on their chocolate-inspired seat.
- Nike’s Running Billboard
- Nike created a dynamic billboard that displayed real-time stats of runners passing by, engaging the community and promoting their running gear.
- Tide’s Stain Billboard
- Tide’s billboard featured a “stain” that actually interacted with the billboard’s content, highlighting the cleaning power of their detergent.
- The Economist’s Billboard Series
- The Economist created a series of interactive billboards that responded to passersby, cleverly engaging their audience and promoting their thought-provoking content.
These examples highlight the creativity and innovation that can make billboard advertising truly memorable. They demonstrate how thinking outside the box and pushing the boundaries can capture attention and leave a lasting impression. Whether it’s through humor, interactivity, or sheer visual impact, these billboards set the standard for effective and engaging outdoor advertising.
