In a world where it feels like we’re constantly being bombarded with ads, it’s rare to see one that really stands out and captures the attention of consumers. But if you’re a connoisseur of great ads or are interested in getting some inspiration for how your own company can spread the word about your services, you’ve come to the right place, pandas.

Below, you’ll find photos of some of the most brilliant campaigns that have been shared on two subreddits dedicated to high quality advertisements and mind-blowing marketing. Enjoy scrolling through these pics, and be sure to upvote the campaigns you find most clever!

#1 This Ad By Eskom

Image credits: Aequitas19

#2 City Of Los Angeles Facebook Job Posting

Image credits: milwaukeeminnesota

#3 Denver Water Billboard

Image credits: amirw1

While we all know the importance of great advertising, it seems to be one of those things that is easier said than done. Many billboards are simply passed by without being noticed at all, and plenty of ads on YouTube are skipped as soon as possible. But when an ad does stand out, you might want to snap a photo and share it online with fellow ad-enthusiasts. This subreddit, dedicated to “high quality images of advertisements,” has amassed an impressive 465k members over the last 12 years through sharing simply static images of brilliant ads.

We’ve also taken a trip to this subreddit, which is a bit smaller but shares a similar goal. “Only the most creative and mind-blowing marketing ideas and concepts belong here,” the group’s About Community states. And as it turns out, anything can be marketed in a fabulous way, from McDonald’s burgers to job opportunities to luxury cars. So whether you need an IKEA pillow or a reminder not to smoke cigarettes, you’re sure to find something on this list that will catch your eye.   

#4 Brad Pitt Is Single Ad By Norwegian Airlines

Image credits: jvilanova99

#5 Forensic Science Ad

Image credits: jvilanova99

#6 Standout Point-Of-Sale Merchandising From Pasta Brand

Image credits: edgarz

While advertising may seem simple to those of us who have only ever come across ads, rather than created them ourselves, it can actually be quite complex. According to Indeed, there are three main types of advertising: above the line, below the line and through the line. Above the line ads are not specifically targeted towards any group of people, but rather large, wide audiences. These include TV, radio and magazine ads which are sure to reach a wide variety of people.

Below the line ads have a target audience. These can include mailing lists, in-store ads and commercials created for specific programs where they’ll know their audience. And finally, through the line advertisements use a combination of both above and below the line techniques, often for brand-building campaigns. These are typically widely distributed and use cookies or digital data to give customers a personalized experience. 

#7 Cigarette Packaging Done Right

Image credits: alenathomasfc

#8 IKEA Reminding Us The Importance Of Sleep

Image credits: RED_WHITE_BLUE_1776

#9 KFC’s Apology For The Chicken Shortage This Week

Image credits: Obloidd

Indeed notes that it’s important for companies to focus on creating great advertising because it increases sales, informs customers, helps introduce new products, informs advertisers about their own competition, retains customers, increases employee morale, differentiates brands, increases customer trust, can help reach target customers, and explains company values. As crucial as it is to provide excellent service and products as well, advertising cannot be overlooked. And to keep your company from being overlooked, ads must be geared to attracting customers’ attention. It can be helpful to use “bright colors, jingles, sketches or clever taglines,” Indeed recommends, but anything out of the ordinary might be a great choice.

#10 The Beetles

Image credits: Devuluh

#11 “What If We Cared About Those Living In Poverty As Much As We Care About Celebrities?”

Image credits: SpottieOttieDopa

#12 Idm Ad-Smart Ideas For Smarter Cities

Image credits: moparornocar

A great ad not only captivates audiences but also advocates for a product. It can be helpful to detail why exactly this brand is superior to competitors and what the advantages are of supporting this company. Advertisers should also focus on their target audience, and establish a consistent image. “Identify your target audience by reviewing sales history or demographic information about your customers or by distributing customer surveys,” Indeed explains. “Then design advertising that appeals to them using research and focus groups.” Consistent colors, fonts, logos, etc. can also help your brand become instantly recognizable by your customers.

#13 Donation Ad And Drop Off For USB Sticks To Send To North Korea

Image credits: noahjameslove

#14 Ad For A Google Project Called Jigsaw

Image credits: smmllr95

#15 About Autism

Image credits: AdWorldMasters

While it’s important for companies to pump energy and resources into great, creative ads, advertising is so powerful that it can have positive or negative effects. So companies must be wary of running any ads that will hurt their businesses. According to Amped, bad advertising can alienate your customer base, ruin your brand image and sometimes even lead to lawsuits. In fact, one third of Americans say they refuse to purchase from brands who have previously released bad advertisements, even if the ads were later changed or removed. 

#16 Highlight The Remarkable – Remarkable Women And Their Stories By Stabilo Boss

Image credits: Spanholz

#17 Simple, Yet Effective

Image credits: acamu5x

#18 An Advertisement For Keloptic.com – A French Website That Sells Glasses

Image credits: Gaget

One example of bad advertising that companies must steer clear of is false advertising. “This is when a business uses baseless, misleading, or dishonest content to market or promote products/services,” Amped explains. “No marketing team is perfect and mistakes can occur, but when paired with deliberate ignorance and possible intent to appear clever in the eyes of the public, the result is false advertising. Some advertisements miss the point by misleading their audience and in turn leaving a sour taste in the mouths of consumers. Over time, negative ads can lead to biases about brands by everyday people.”

#19 I Guess The Most Simple Yet Powerful Promotional Message

Image credits: Farzal

#20 Fill In Carefully: An Ingenious Ad For A Tattoo Parlour

Image credits: coram_morte

#21 One Child Is Holding Something That’s Been Banned In America To Protect Them

Image credits: denvit

According to Inkbot Design, some of the best advertising campaigns of all time include Nike’s “Just Do It,” Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke,” and Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man In The World.” It’s likely you can already picture these taglines or ads in your mind, as they were, and maybe still are, seemingly everywhere. They were simple, catchy, clever and encouraged people to quote them to keep the conversation going. They’re feel good ads that make customers want to support these companies, and they’ve been massively successful.   

#22 Bold Campaign By Unicef

Image credits: just2curiousBF

#23 The Police Throwing Paper Airplanes Threw Open Windows To Warn People About Burglars

Image credits: whats8

#24 Some Finalists From Pornhub’s User Generated Ad Completion

Image credits: philstein1

Another one of the most popular advertisements the world has ever seen was Old Spice launching “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” which starred Isaiah Mustafa and quickly became a viral hit with over 51 million views. “Old Spice’s social media campaign included personalized video responses from Mustafa to comments from fans on various social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter,” Inkbot Design explained. “In just two days, the company produced 186 funny, personalized videos viewed almost 11 million times. The campaign also helped Old Spice gain over 29,000 new Facebook fans and 58,000 new Twitter followers.”

#25 This One Minute Brief Ad Concept For Kit Kat

Image credits: splashyseal

#26 Duvet Ad By IKEA 2020

Image credits: RoflJoe

#27 Choose Who Will Drive You Home // Reykjavík Metropolitan Police

Image credits: tailbalance

Have you been inspired to create the next brilliant ad campaign for your own companies, pandas? As with anything else in life, there are no limits to advertising! We hope you’re enjoying these clever pics and feel free to share any more brilliant ads you’ve stumbled across in the comments section. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more amazing ads that we’ve featured on Bored Panda before, we recommend checking out another list right here!

#28 Jorge Gamboa, “The Tip Of The Iceberg” (Environmental Advert)

Image credits: digdilem

#29 Thailand Psa Ad Against Driving While Sleepy

Image credits: JustBlue

#30 Ford’s Advertising After Women In Saudi Arabia Are Allowed To Drive

Image credits: B3yondL

#31 Well, You Know What He Will Use For

Image credits: icarogby

#32 A Pixel For Every Remaining Animal Of That Species

Image credits: snapmyfingersand

#33 Mcdonalds Sun Clock From 2006. Agency: Leo Burnett, Chicago

Image credits: mathiaslund

#34 Erdal Shoe Polish

Image credits: hi7en

#35 Ad For The French Open

Image credits: Ferrari5746

#36 Firefighters Don’t Like Fire Movies

Image credits: adamfcb

#37 Wwf – Horrifying / More Horrifying

Image credits: Gotadime

#38 LEGO Ad

Image credits: ash-leg2

#39 Daihatsu Hijet Ad From 1996

Image credits: giuliomagnifico

#40 Utah Ski Resort Uses A 1 Star Review From A Californian To Advertise The Difficulty Level Of Its Ski Mountains

Image credits: milwaukeeminnesota

#41 This Coffee Ad

Image credits: reddit.com

#42 Please Don’t Text And Drive

Image credits: elr3y

#43 This Ad For An Advertising Agency, Demonstrating The Difference Between Sales & Marketing

Image credits: splashyseal

#44 Innocent – Reaction To iPhone Launch

Image credits: acearchie

#45 Ad For Sharpie Fine Tip Permanent Markers

Image credits: JustBlue

#46 A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words; No Tag Line Necessary

Image credits: stalwart_rabbit

#47 One Click Can Change Your Future

Image credits: adamlm

#48 Fun Up Your Home – Windows Vista (New Zealand) Ad By Y&r (2009)

Image credits: Space_six

#49 Nice Watch, Er

Image credits: reddit.com

#50 This Is How Mercedes-Benz Advertised Their Strong Headlight Power

Image credits: Biix

#51 Durex Roasts Facebook Data Leak

Image credits: alenathomasfc

#52 This Jbl Ad

Image credits: bolshoybooze

#53 Nikon Facedetect

Image credits: bonjourmartin

#54 Sebo Museu Do Livro : A Big Part Of The Story Is Lost When It Becomes A Movie

Image credits: picardo85

#55 Great Advertising If You Really Are Confident About Your Pizzas

Image credits: jvilanova99

#56 Mcdonald’s Minimalistic Typographical Ad

Image credits: roguesimian

#57 One Example To A Great Business Name!

Image credits: curlycutediva

#58 Pepsi “Light” Ad

Image credits: albando

#59 Meatless Farm, 2020

Image credits: eggplant4cutie

#60 Samsung vs. Apple

Image credits: scaryghostnlm

#61 Hbo X Adult Swim – Billboard (2022)

Image credits: Raketlie

#62 All Of These Movies Got “Pool’d”

Image credits: user-ecks

#63 A Way To Market To Perverts

Image credits: reddit.com

#64 Using Sex Appeal And Comedy To Advertise A Wide-Angle Lense

Image credits: Razaberry

#65 Nescafe Wakes You Up

Image credits: CashIsFlowing

#66 Ho Ho Ho

Image credits: luag

#67 Pakistani News Site Psa

Image credits: philstein1

#68 KFC Hot & Spicy Reimagines Fire

Image credits: B1eepBloop

#69 An Idea So Stupid

Image credits: Yare_Daze

#70 Coca-Cola

Image credits: shadear11

#71 Burger King Tells People To Order From Mcd’s

Image credits: adamfcb

#72 How To Market An Aston Martin

Image credits: sevendoor

#73 Oatly Bench Ad, 2019. At Least It Didn’t End Up As A P*rnhub Ad Banner

Image credits: strivelyco

#74 This Linkedin Ad

Image credits: brooklondon

#75 The Lung Association

Image credits: bonjourmartin

#76 IKEA Ad For Simpson’s’ Fans

Image credits: earthmoonsun

#77 Parking Space For Jeeps

Image credits: DanezTHEManez

#78 Minimalist Mcdonalds Ad From Sweden Shows New Large Coffee Size

Image credits: milwaukeeminnesota

#79 Marketing 101

Image credits: digitaldoorstep

#80 Color Me Impressed

Image credits: alashar88

#81 This Ad For The LEGO Movie 2 Shoes The Actual Ad And Then Plays The First One Through For Free On Friday

Image credits: themanincenterback

#82 Creative Packaging For A Salad Spinner

Image credits: Gussaroo

#83 Smart! Advertising Their Pens And Razors Simultaneously

Image credits: reddit.com

#84 Anti-Tick Mall Floor

Image credits: enzo_lewes

#85 Coca-Cola Bottle Design Brief From 1915

Image credits: splashyseal

#86 Eyes Wide Open

Image credits: freewillson

#87 Norwegian Airline Shows Destinations On Its National Flag

Image credits: whiskyncoke

#88 LEGO Campaign Developed By Asawin Tejasakulsin, Senior Art Director At Ogilvy & Mather, Bangkok

Image credits: earthmoonsun

#89 For People Who Want To Lose Weight And Stay In Shape

Image credits: AdWorldMasters

#90 A Simple, Brilliant Ad By Land Rover

Image credits: MTMTCC

#91 Street Advertisement For Mattel Hot Wheels Toy Cars

Image credits: JustBlue

#92 Blood Donation “You Can Be Someone’s Hero!”

Image credits: Potatohead309

#93 Points If You Can Relate?

Image credits: darnoux13

#94 Solid Showing For Mcdonald’s New Mobile Ordering Campaign

Image credits: NYC-CHI-SF_Runner

#95 Anti Smoking Advert

Image credits: digdilem

#96 Bloom Supermarkets – Charlotte, North Carolina

Image credits: Porkchops_on_My_Face

#97 Playstation 2 Ad In The Official Playstation Magazine (2003)

Image credits: Eddielowfilthslayer

#98 Colgate – Smiles Always Find A Way

Image credits: adamfcb

#99 KFC Ad In London

Image credits: Spazzedguy

#100 Organ Donor

Image credits: reddit.com

#101 Best Ad I’ve Ever Seen On Campus

Image credits: Bugsy403

#102 Great Use Of A Personification Of The Problem

Image credits: VeryHandy

#103 When You Are Hungry

Image credits: touchfeel

#104 1963 Bronx Zoo, NYC “The Most Dangerous Animal In The World”

Image credits: kevirtual

#105 Minimalism At Its Finest

Image credits: ScatLabs

#106 Ykm Being Creative

Image credits: digdilem

#107 Great Kitkat Field Marketing

Image credits: reddit.com

#108 Clever Texting Ad By El Colombiano

Image credits: Minutes2Midnight

#109 Ad For A Smoking Cessation Gum

Image credits: JustBlue

#110 Barilla Noodles Ad For New Year!

Image credits: AntonLechner

#111 Nivea Night… Simple And Clear

Image credits: SandyMoore99

#112 Nike, 2020

Image credits: rhum-Forrest-rhum

#113 Mcdonalds – Never Lost In Translation

Image credits: adamfcb

#114 Full-Page Ad In The NY Times By Away

Image credits: ChiandHuang

#115 Ad For Royal Jordanian Airlines Is (Again) Pretty On Spot

Image credits: Apalvaldr

#116 A Friend Of Mine Got This “Parking Ticket”. Excellent Outside-The-Box Marketing

Image credits: reddit.com

#117 Few Psas Catch People’s Attention Like This Campaign Does. Client: Russoplysningen (Norway) Creative Agency: Alkemist

Image credits: KennTheZen

#118 This Advertising Car For A Plumbing Company

Image credits: lakeberry

#119 Not A Word Needed

Image credits: 404pbnotfound

#120 Samsung Cellphone Ad, 2000

Image credits: NuclearClock

#121 Direct Marketing Or Branding ?

Image credits: frankjamesboyd

#122 What Goes Around Comes Around. Keep The Sea Clean

Image credits: Gaget

#123 Hot Shingles In Your Area

Image credits: ZachPaj

#124 Gillette Cleverly Advertising Their Razors At A Hockey Game

Image credits: reddit.com

#125 “Either You See The Letter Or The Girl. Don’t Text And Drive.” – Leo Burnett Tailor Made Sao Paulo For Fiat

Image credits: estivate

#126 Loved Ones Forget Themselves Too – Alzheimer’s Society

Image credits: adamfcb

#127 Simple Yet Creative Beer Advert

Image credits: reddit.com

#128 Mercedes-Benz Christmas Advertisement

Image credits: buster129

#129 New Marmite Billboard Ad, UK

Image credits: Ellis_Pulsar

#130 The Muppets, Per Usual, Nail The Satire In Their New Ad

Image credits: westmontblvd

#131 What A Brilliant Idea!

Image credits: AdWorldMasters

#132 Wish I Can Write That Well

Image credits: reddit.com

#133 Awesome Raid Ad I Saw On Facebook

Image credits: johnfoof

#134 Photos Of The Tips Of Well-Known Buildings From Across The Globe Are Framed As A Resemblance To Medical Syringes As Part Of A “Get Vaccinated” Campaign On Covid Vaccination [5496×7071] By Hugo Suíssas

Image credits: Domino80

#135 The Making Of The Perfect Martini, Guy Buffet, 2000

Image credits: LokiBonk

#136 This Is How They Prevent People From Urinating In Public In The Czech Republic

Image credits: Farzal