Say what you want, but advertisements can often be viewed as interruptions, especially when they pop up uninvited on our favorite platforms (YouTube we are looking at you). Still, surprisingly there are times when creativity takes center stage, transforming these ads into spectacular visual delights that augment our everyday surroundings.
Drawing inspiration from the inventive outdoor advertisements shared by the renowned Swedish company Havelle on their Creative Advertising Instagram account, it’s evident that the realm of advertising still has gems to offer. These photos, like the giant tote bag tucked between buildings or the captivating train advertisement that syncs with an actual train’s motion, are more than enough to prove that.
#1 IKEA – Sustainable Blåvingad Collection
Image credits: creative_ads
#2 Impact- Hey Chatgpt Finish This Building
The ad of a giant billboard around an under-construction building has gone viral. The ad by Belgian agency Impact, reads as follows: “Hey ChatGPT, finish this building…Your skills are irreplaceable.”
Om social media the agency also wrote: “AI can do a lot. But AI can’t finish this building on the Keyserlei in Antwerp. AI can’t fix a leak or install a heating system neither. Crafts(wo)men are here to stay, and they deserve to be recognized. Their skills are simply irreplaceable.”
Image credits: creative_ads
#3 Coa Youth And Family Centers – Guerrilla Classrooms
To help promote parent-child interaction, COA together with agency Cramer-Krasselt set up large puzzles, word searches, mazes, books, rulers and more around the streets of Milwaukee, US, in year 2011. Called “guerrilla classrooms,” the displays were designed to teach real-world applications on various subjects like math, science, geography and reading. The ultimate goal? To raise awareness of the positive impact parents’ involvement can have on their child’s education
Image credits: creative_ads
Just like last time, Bored Panda reached out to Tobbe Christell, an expert in the realm of outdoor advertising and a pivotal figure at Havelle, known for developing and executing successful campaigns that blend creativity with practicality.
On the topic of Havelle’s creative process, Christell notes, “Havelle can rarely take credit for the entire creative process. The best ideas usually start with the advertising or media agency, but all too often they are ideas that are not practically feasible due to technical, legal or budget constraints. What I think Havelle is good at is taking an idea, reshaping it and making it – or a variant of the idea – feasible, either together with an outdoor company or permission directly from the city in question.”
#4 Bic – Perfect For Candles. And More. Bic, The Ultimate Lighter
Image credits: creative_ads
#5 The Economist – Hello To Our Readers In High Office
Image credits: creative_ads
#6 Tropicana – Catch A Lucky Drop
If you caught a lucky drop, you could win one year of free Tropicana. In every drop there were a coupon and a chance to win.
The bottle travelled all over Belgium in 2015, popping up in trainstations, festivals and on events.
Image credits: creative_ads
“As there is often a short lead time, the production is always thought through already at the idea presentation, so that it can be produced quickly if it becomes a reality. Once the installation is up, it is well documented and posted on the appropriate social media channels. Anything can happen with a creative outdoor installation, so of course it’s important to ensure that the installation is 100% throughout the campaign period.” He told us.
#7 Burger King – Plant Based
Burger King is now launching new plant-based options in restaurants in Sweden and guests will be able to choose from Cheeseburger, Whopper and Royale variants
Image credits: creative_ads
#8 Manchester City Council – Barbie vs. Oppenheimer
Image credits: creative_ads
#9 Tony’s Chocolonely – Free Chocolate
Tony’s Chocolonely were giving away free chocolate bars to highlight that there is no such thing as “free chocolate”.
With a huge crowd gathering and waiting for their delicious freebie from the brand, they could read important messages about Modern Slavery and Child Labour conditions in the cocoa industry
Image credits: creative_ads
When asked about integrating technology into interactive ads, Tobbe takes a pragmatic approach: “I never want to let a technology control an idea, but of course I try to stay informed about new technologies and keep them in mind if they can be of any use to an idea. Of course, new and upcoming technology will develop outdoor advertising and creative solutions, and I dare not say what the future looks like.”
#10 Specsavers – Audiology Campaign
For an Audiology campaign Specsavers created new onomatopoeic words to make you think about the beauty of ordinary sounds
Image credits: creative_ads
#11 Maybelline Cosmetics – Cgi
Image credits: creative_ads
#12 Mcdonald’s – Take Away Your Takeaway
It’s often fast-food packaging you see littering streets. McDonald’s Norway and Nord DDB took ownership of this with an honest campaign depicting the ugly side of its wrappers.
The copy reads: “Unfortunately too much of our packaging ends up on the streets. Now we are doing our biggest effort yet and will clean even more than we already do. But we aren’t able to get it all, and need everyone to contribute. Please remember to throw away your litter in the bins next time you buy takeaway from us.”
Campaign from 2022
Image credits: creative_ads
Christell also perceives outdoor advertising as a crucial mass medium complemented by digital landscapes. He explains, “I see outdoor advertising as one of the few mass media that still exists, but we only do creative installations in one or a few places. The new digital landscapes are then fantastic platforms to show the creative advertising. If the idea and the documentation are good, the solution with the right tools can get millions of views and far beyond the borders of the country in question.
The fact that outdoor advertising is as big as it is today is largely thanks to the digital platforms.”
#13 Petrobras – Pan 2007
Image credits: creative_ads
#14 Samsung – Big News
To launch the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Samsung wanted to emphasize that it takes up less space in your pocket than an iPhone. To achieve this, they created a small outdoor billboard targeting the pockets of Stockholm residents, and conveyed that big news doesn’t always need to be so substantial
Image credits: creative_ads
#15 Wendy’s – Soggy Fries wendy’s Thought It Was Weird That McDonald’s Chose A Logo That Looked Like “Soggy Fries”, So When Wendy’s New “Hot & Crispy Fries” Beat Mcdonald’s Old Fries In A Taste Test, They Did An Ad About It And Ran It In The Mcdonald’s Hometown Chicago
Image credits: creative_ads
Reflecting on a challenging campaign, Christell recounts a tight deadline for a TV series premiere where a car had to appear as if submerged in an ice floe. “Often time is the most critical. Last year, for the premiere of a TV series about cars, we were asked to recreate a yellow Mitsubishi EVO car in a central station and make it look like it has sunk halfway into the water in an ice floe. And this in 2.5 weeks. Time was too short to recreate the car, so we had to try to find a real Mitsubishi EVO, which after much searching we managed to find. However, we could not tell the seller that we would immediately cut his most cherished possession in half, an hour after the purchase. The ice floe was created from styrofoam and pretend snow and everything was ready a few minutes before launch.”
#16 Meg2 – Huge Sharks In River Thames
To promote the film’s UK opening on Friday 4 August, Warner Bros Pictures arranged for three impressive giant handmade Megalodon dorsal fins to slice their way through London, down the River Thames
Image credits: creative_ads
#17 Hong Kong Bus – Slide Getting Off The Bus Has Never Been Such Fun. Bus In Hong Kong
Image credits: creative_ads
#18 Disney – Elemental
Image credits: creative_ads
As for trends, Tobbe expresses a desire for Havelle to set them rather than follow. He says, “In my dream world, it is the creative installations that sometimes sow a seed for something that then becomes a trend in outdoor advertising. I don’t try to take advantage of trends, but these, as well as previously both implemented and unimplemented ideas, we always have in the back of our minds when we work with new solutions.”
#19 Oatly – Even The Bus Stops
Image credits: creative_ads
#20 Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Has Increased Its Share In The Japanese Toilet Paper Category By Redesigning Its Packaging To Eliminate Shopper Shame
Image credits: creative_ads
#21 Heineken – Barbie A ”one Minute Brief” By Ciaran Mckeon
Image credits: creative_ads
#22 Ben & Jerry’s – Dulce De-Lish
Image credits: creative_ads
#23 Super Mario Bros – Movie Super Mario In Paris, France
Image credits: creative_ads
#24 Universal Pictures – Super Mario Bros Super Mario In Melbourne Central Station, In Australia
Image credits: creative_ads
#25 Minute Maid – Filled With Life Orange Juice Brand Minute Maid Is Pushing Its Vitamin D Content In A Campaign That Relies On Nature To Do The Talking
Image credits: creative_ads
#26 Kraken – Bus Shelter Release The Kraken. In Chicago, Us
Image credits: creative_ads
#27 Coca-Cola – Dont Buy Coca-Cola If You Don’t Help Us Recycle
Image credits: creative_ads
#28 Subway – Subway In The Sky Subway Is Opening A Restaurant In The Sky!
Image credits: creative_ads
#29 Samsung – Magic The Illusionist Edzus Does A Trick On A Billboard In Latvia
Image credits: creative_ads
#30 The Fire Place Lousville – Smoking Billboard
Image credits: creative_ads
#31 Warner Bros Entertainment – Barbiecan Station
Image credits: creative_ads
#32 Coca-Cola – Best Coke Ever? Coca-Cola Zero In Sweden. Irresistibly Tasty
Image credits: creative_ads
#33 Mamma Mia! The Party
First came the musical. Then the movie. Now the party continues. Mamma Mia! The Party is a stage musical in ABBA’s homeland Sweden.
Image credits: creative_ads
#34 KFC – Diablo
Image credits: creative_ads
#35 Projecting Change – New York Drone Show Drone Show With 1000 Drones Above The Un Building In New York, Us
Image credits: creative_ads
#36 Spider-Man 2 – Truck
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is celebrating the game’s launch in Australia with an creative scene at Watermans Cove in Barangaroo, Sydney
Image credits: creative_ads
#37 Volkswagen – Unplug & Play Giant Poster In Brussels, Belgium With Actual Kites Attached To It
Image credits: creative_ads
#38 Recipe – Nybco. Bagels Bigger, Better And Bolder Breakfast With Nybco. Bagels, In Waterloo, London
Image credits: creative_ads
#39 Audible – Whatever Life Throws At You
Image credits: creative_ads
#40 Red Bull – Red Bull Air Race Pylons
50 Pylons up to 20’ tall were fabricated and installed at landmarks around the city of New York, for the Red Bull Air Race in Las Vegas
Image credits: creative_ads
#41 Tella Artois – The Perfect Serving Stella Artois Tilts The Billboards At 45º, In Paraguay
Image credits: creative_ads
#42 Mcdonald’s – Heat
As temperatures begin to soar again in the UK, McDonald’s is enticing customers with its cool milkshakes.
The billboard features a hint of the golden arches and a single drip of its strawberry-flavored milkshake.
Image credits: creative_ads
#43 Geoscan Drone Show – Halloween
Image credits: creative_ads
#44 Adidas – Samba Three Stripes Pop-Up
Image credits: creative_ads
#45 Marc Jacobs – Tote Bag Tote Bag Pop-Up Installation, 159 Ludlow St In New York City
Image credits: creative_ads
#46 Diablo 4 – Mural Lilith Takes Over The Streets Of London, UK
Image credits: creative_ads
#47 Samsung – Join The Flip Side A Moving Samsung Phone In Antwerpen, Belgium
Image credits: creative_ads
#48 Netflix – Extraction 2
A comeback of Tyler Rake in Extraction2 with a 3D explosion stunt billboard in Bangkok, Thailand
Image credits: creative_ads
#49 Pictionary – Tree, Dog, Car This Campaign Titled Was Published In Mexico In 2011
Image credits: creative_ads
#50 New Balance – Too New To Preview New Balance Promoting Their Latest Collab With Slam Jam
Image credits: creative_ads
#51 Gucci – Art Wall Mural Painting In New York
Image credits: creative_ads
#52 7up – The Coolbox
Image credits: creative_ads
#53 Levis’s – We Are All Workers
Image credits: creative_ads
#54 Porsche – Oversized Porsche 911 Porsche Is Celebrating ‘60 Years Of The 911’ With An Unusual Sculpture At Iaa Mobility, The World’s Biggest Mobility Trade Fair
Image credits: creative_ads
#55 Disney+ Ant-Man
Marvel Studios’ Att-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is released today on Disney+ and to honour the occasion Disney+ has partnered with Uber Eats to devise a tiny tasting menu.
The menu has a range of food choices from chow mein, to pizza to fish and chips, the list continues with vegetarian options of course with vegetarian burgers and salads available. London, Bristol and Manchester have the opportunity to order from this mini menu and much away from the comfort of their own home.
Image credits: creative_ads
#56 Airbnb – Flosting House
This full-size floating house was created by @setsquarecreative for Airbnb, to celebrate new house sharing rules in London.
For five days the floating house sailed along the River Thames in London, UK.
The Floating House hosted overnight stays and events during the week, including private dinners onboard
Image credits: creative_ads
#57 IKEA – The Giving Bag
IKEA has created a 19-foot tall 3D Big Blue Bag sculpture, with AR capabilities, which is on tour in the US to Houston, Chicago and New York.
Viewers who scan QR codes located on the sculpture will be offered exclusive discounts, with scans generating an AR animation of Ikea products flying out of the bag before providing users with directions for claiming their offer.
Image credits: creative_ads
#58 Uber Eats – Get Almost Almost Anything
Image credits: creative_ads
#59 Subway – Royal Submarine
Subway offered customers the chance to ride in one of their THREE submarine’s to escape the crowded streets on King’s Day.
Koningsdag or King’s Day is a national holiday in the the Netherlands. It celebrates the King’s birthday (27th April), and is an orange-filled celebration. It’s one of the biggest and most colourful festivities in the Netherlands.
On King’s Day this year, Subway has launched Royal Submarines – for those who wanted to escape the busy streets of Amsterdam!
Subway also launched a limited edition Subway Sandwich, called the Royal Sub. It had orange coloured ingredients and cost just 27 cents when ordered on the JustEat app. For customers who ordered the sandwich, some were offered the chance to ride on one of Subway’s three Royal Submarines
Image credits: creative_ads
#60 Nike – Floating Basketball
Nike unveils its new basketball arena floating on top of Lake Bled in Slovenia. The lake is the tonal inspiration behind the Luka Doncic Jordans and this weekend, Jordan Brand and Grosbasket, a local basketball shop hosted a tournament.
The lake offered serene and scenic views to introduce the sneakers. Notably, Doncic is Slovenian as well, which honors his heritage simultaneously
Image credits: creative_ads
#61 Waitrose & Partners – Lower Prices A Special Build At Westfield London, UK, To Raise Awareness Of It’s New Lower Prices On Hundreds Of Customer Favourites
Image credits: creative_ads
#62 Colgate – Smile
Colgate and VMLY&R Brasil are spreading smiles in nine poor communities in four cities in Brazil. The project is transforming homes into smiley faces as part of Colgate’s global campaign, The Power of a Smile, which says that a smile can bring optimism and happiness to those around you
Image credits: creative_ads
#63 Mcdonald’s – French Fries
Image credits: creative_ads
#64 Fanta – Halloween
Image credits: creative_ads
#65 Dungeons & Dragons – Honour Among Thieves Billboards For Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves Features A Station Takeover At Waterloo In London, UK
Image credits: creative_ads
#66 Solo Super Soda – Go For Summer
Image credits: creative_ads
#67 Disney+ Mandalorian
Image credits: creative_ads
#68 Vivid – See The Light
Image credits: creative_ads
#69 Bumble – Women’s World Cup
Bumble is a platform for connection. During this women’s world cup, Londoners could see these billboards. Billboards in London, UK
Image credits: creative_ads