Now billboards have been used by advertisers for the longest time. With many advantages, like better visibility, higher returns on investment and catering to a wide audience, the impact of billboard advertising is stupendous. And these days, newer mediums of billboards have taken the advertising world by storm. Let’s take a look at some of the best billboard ads in the world, in the past few years.
1. Wave of Waste
Paying tribute on the eve of World Ocean’s Day in 2018, Corona along with Wieden and Kennedy worked on a billboard that drove the point of saving our oceans from the harmful effects of the voluminous plastics thrown into them. A 3D wave was created with plastic waste in United Kingdom and Chris Hemsworth was shown to be surfing on them, focusing on the message. Similar campaigns were then run in Australia, Peru and Chile.
2. Coca Cola: The Sign
Coca Cola has always tried to stay on top of its game, when it comes to advertising. With clever use of its ribbon design on a billboard, it points out the place where consumer’s used cans can be recycled.
3. British Airways
Though almost a decade old, this billboard by the English flyer grabbed attention worldwide. Designed by Ogilvy, the company used surveillance technology to track flights, thereby allowing a child to point overhead flights in real time. A wonderful example of interactive design, the advert depicts the childlike excitement we all have experienced while spotting an aircraft. These were showcased in London’s Piccadilly Circus and Chiswick.
4. Formula Toothcare
Advertising giant Ogilvy sure knows how to create interest and promote products innovatively. In Indonesia, it designed a billboard for Formula Toothcare urging people to use the product, with a man ripping the billboard apart with his teeth. Also, adding to its realistic look are the broken metal frames.
5. Netflix
In 2018, billboards with the line “Netflix Is A joke” popped up in busy areas of LA and New York. And this has a lot of people guessing whether is this all a prank, or is it an initiated smear campaign. But then it turned out to be an ad campaign for their newly launched Netflix specials. And almost overnight, these billboards were replaced with character statements. This exercise ensured global coverage and has been a memorable example since, in billboard advertising.
6. Cadbury
This fun and creative billboard that every wittily conveys its message of not being able to resist that one piece of chocolate for long. Cadbury’s three-dimensional billboard looks like a play wherein people cannot stop themselves from getting their hands on it.
7. McDonald’s-Follow the Arches
Making use of its logo in billboards, the advertising team at Cossette in collaboration with Spencer & Jordan dissected the brands logo by using its iconic arches incorporating them into directions to the nearest McDonald’s outlet.
8. Rust
This billboard was intended for advertising Tyrolit’s Iceline knife. Initially passers-by saw a metal sheet bearing the brands logo, and this sheet over a period of a month gathered rust, in all places but on the shape of the knife. This delivered the product’s message clearly- Flawless. Forever.
