10 Billboards That Would Make You Pull Over on the Highway

I know what you might think about this article: Are billboard ads still alive?

Apparently, they are alive and getting more and more creative. Companies worldwide use the power of billboard ads to attract attention to their brands, communicate the strength of the product, and increase sales.

It is no longer enough to put out an okay-ish ad and hope that it would perform well. These days, it is hard to stand out due to huge competition and the variety of means available to advertisers.

Marketers go above and beyond to make their advertisement memorable. Here is a collection of ten unusual billboard ads that will make you stop your car and watch them.

One thing is true here: There are some serious creative marketing lessons to be learned.

1. Formula Toothcare: Build Strong Teeth

According to this creative Formula Toothcare ad in Indonesia, you can have really strong teeth to tear paper, plastic, or even metal.

The brand tries to communicate the power of its product by showcasing a positive outcome from its usage. And they did it in a pretty creative way.

I would at least stop and try to figure out what has happened to this billboard.

Takeaway

Attract scattered human attention and make your message stick by adding context to your ads. It is no longer enough to talk about the strengths of your product. Others should believe in what you’re saying. Otherwise, your messages will not resonate.

The act of adding context to the ads makes others believe that toothpaste is indeed helpful.

2. BIC Razor Can Even Shave Grass

Do you think it’s impossible to mow your lawn with a razor? Not for BIC. This brand has made a point that their razor is sharp, as you can see — and that’s the one powerful message they wanted to communicate with this ad.

It was placed in Japan. I wonder if they had to come and mow this field every second week to keep this creative outdoor advertisement alive and compelling.

Takeaway

Do not overcomplicate your ads with too many details that you believe are important. Focus on your customer needs and narrow down your message to one or two key factors.

In this specific case, the ad does not say anything about the razor’s quality, the production materials, how long it lasts, or whether it’s for men or women. Instead, the brand tries to communicate only a straightforward message — its usability.

I am 100% sure drivers passing by will remember the ad for a long time.

3. NationWide Impressive Paint Spill Ad

How would you imagine an insurance company advertising its services? They might use some phrases like “get insured and make your driving safe,” “protect your business in the best way,” or “reliable, personal, fast.”

Or they might go beyond cliched phrases and paint the streets in colors. You never know what will eventually work. However, painting will attract much attention.

This is exactly what Nationwide did. It’s an insurance company from Columbus, Ohio. They’ve partnered with Texas agency TM Advertising to create a street art installation, where billboards spill yellow paint all over the buildings, the parking lots, and the cars.

The ad creators wanted to communicate that even the smallest disasters like paint spills cost money, while getting insurance will help fix the problem at minimum costs.

It must be a massive pain to clean up all that mess. However, those who do not risk will never drink champagne. All means can be justified.

Takeaway

Any product or service can be advertised in a way that makes people talk about it — even if the product is not exciting, such as individual insurance or concrete for building purposes. A new positioning, as well as a buzz ad, will help businesses spread their brand awareness.

4. Koleston Naturals Utilising the Power of Nature

This creative billboard ad for Koleston Naturals uses the beauty of Lebanese nature to highlight their women’s hair dye is made of natural ingredients.

The woman’s portrait is die-cut in the billboard to display the variations of Koleston Natural’s colors throughout different times of day and night.

Simple and gorgeous solution!

Takeaway

Different objects can complement your ad, engage visitors, and make it memorable. In this specific example, the brand smartly used the beauty of sunlight.

In this example, a Hollywood movie billboard was submerged in water to impress viewers and promote a new movie.

Pretty exciting, right?

5. Martor Solingen: Extremely Sharp Blades

It seems Martor Solingen is not kidding about the sharpness of their blades with this ad. Just look at the face of the guy who is passing by. He must be questioning if the pigeons are indeed real.

Likely Martor Solinger did not use real pigeons for their campaign — but cut dummy pigeons look impressive.

Have you seen such a creative ad for a razor blade before? I definitely hadn’t!

Takeaway

To make your ads memorable and stick in people’s minds, simplicity alone might not be enough. Your ads should be surprising, shocking.

It will make others talk about your brand online and offline. Word-of-mouth marketing will do the promo for your business much more effectively than conventional advertisements.

6. Chevrolet Aveo Penny Billboard Disappears in a Few Minutes

Chevrolet came up with a creative idea to build a billboard entirely from one-pence coins. The penny billboard was launched in London’s New Oxford Street to advertise the 769,500-pence starting price of the new Chevrolet Aveo.

The program manager Les Turton shared his impressions from their billboard idea:

“We’re glad we’ve topped up lots of people’s wallets, purses, and, in some cases, rucksacks, but it would have been nice for the billboard to last a little longer than 30 minutes.”

If they placed a billboard somewhere high enough, maybe people would start searching for a ladder to grab a few pennies, and the ad would last longer! A good lesson for Chevrolet for the future if they decide to advertise more cars this way.

Takeaway

Set your ads in a way to reach out to your target audience. This is a cost-effective way to promote your product and generate sales.

The “throw spaghetti at the wall and hope something will stick” approach does not always work.

Chevrolet Aveo must be a niche product. Their billboard ad has generated quite a lot of attention and buzz, but are those potential buyers? I doubt it.

7. Snow Ads to Warm You Up During the Cold Days

There was so much snow in spring 2015 in Chicago that agencies started to use it for ads. The Mexico Tourism Board decided to remind Chicago residents that they do not have to wait for summer days to go on vacation.

Mexico white-like-snow sand beaches are there to come to. Take off your clothes and melt under the sun!

Here is a one-and-a-half minute video of local street artists making snow-ad graffiti in three different city locations. It’s pretty exciting to see the pedestrians’ reactions to it.

Takeaway

The right moment matters. If your business can take advantage of an unexpected situation, it will most likely help you attract more attention to your brand.

This year multiple businesses, like video streaming services and online education platforms, managed to transform the COVID-19 global disaster into their competitive advantage.

8. Shelf Assembly Fail — Billboard Ad for Ikea

Have you ever tried to assemble any furniture from Ikea on your own? It is not as easy as it seems. Ikea female buyers started to post memes online, saying it is easier to get a boyfriend than to assemble Ikea furniture. I do agree with them!

If others can make fun of Ikea, why can’t Ikea itself do it? And they did!

Ikea decided to join this flashmob and advertise its assembly services in a fun way.

Takeaway

There is no bad fame in business. Every negative comment helps to gain attention and spread the word about your company.

These days, it’s impossible to predict who will post a negative review and where. And it should not make business owners afraid of losing their reputation. Show how effectively you can manage the issues, and the problem will convert to your advantage.

9. “Reveal Candice’s Secret” by Victoria’s Secret

A controversial ad campaign has been developed by Victoria's Secret, displaying its angels (almost) naked.

It is their new way of advertising women’s underwear. However, there is a slight nuance here: It’s not clear what a viewer will see by scanning the QR code.

The billboards were placed in multiple locations in New York City and attracted a lot of attention. It must be impossible (for men) to pass by and not use their QR code scanners.

Regardless of how ethical it is to display such outdoor ads, the billboard idea is indeed genius.

Takeaway

Victoria’s Secret ads are great examples of the curiosity gap. Offer a piece of missing information and see how people will start interacting with your ad.

10. Follow the McDonald’s Direction

If I saw this ad while driving, I could have unconsciously turned right, assuming the ad shows a direction to go.

The ad is minimalistic. It does not mention the brand's name, but everyone gets the point of what’s advertised because of the brand colors.

This brilliant psychological ad from McDonald’s won a Follow The Arches campaign, and it inspired me to visit McDonald’s even though I am not a fan of it.

Takeaway

We should not underestimate the power of brands. Companies invest millions to make brands recognizable.

Unique brand colors, logos, and fonts make people immediately grasp what is advertised without even displaying the company name.

If you plan to create or promote your brand, this Mcdonald’s example is handy when you consider how you want to distinguish your brand from the others.