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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

Coa Youth And Family Centers - Guerrilla Classrooms

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

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Louisa johnson
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Premium
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is actually a genius idea. It's a shame this has not become common place

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#2

IKEA - Sustainable Blåvingad Collection

IKEA - Sustainable Blåvingad Collection

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#3

Impact- Hey Chatgpt Finish This Building

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.”

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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

Bic - Perfect For Candles. And More. Bic, The Ultimate Lighter

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#5

Tony’s Chocolonely - Free Chocolate

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

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The Scout
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Certainly not the cheapest chocolate, but it is very tasty. The company prides itself on fighting slave and child labour, marketing their product as "100% slavery free". Pieces are irregularly shaped to "remind of the irregular distribution of wealth".

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"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

Maybelline Cosmetics - Cgi

Maybelline Cosmetics - Cgi

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#8

Hong Kong Bus - Slide Getting Off The Bus Has Never Been Such Fun. Bus In Hong Kong

Hong Kong Bus - Slide Getting Off The Bus Has Never Been Such Fun. Bus In Hong Kong

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#9

Projecting Change - New York Drone Show Drone Show With 1000 Drones Above The Un Building In New York, Us

Projecting Change - New York Drone Show Drone Show With 1000 Drones Above The Un Building In New York, Us

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Queeqec
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

See? We dont need pyrotechnic for New Year celebrations. No need for waste, pollutions and loud explotions!

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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."

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#10

Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Has Increased Its Share In The Japanese Toilet Paper Category By Redesigning Its Packaging To Eliminate Shopper Shame

Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Has Increased Its Share In The Japanese Toilet Paper Category By Redesigning Its Packaging To Eliminate Shopper Shame

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Queeqec
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait,what? People are ashamed for buying toilet paper? Why? Because they wipe after finishing business on the toilet? Crazy world.

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#11

Manchester City Council - Barbie vs. Oppenheimer

Manchester City Council - Barbie vs. Oppenheimer

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#12

Oatly - Even The Bus Stops

Oatly - Even The Bus Stops

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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

Heineken - Barbie A ”one Minute Brief” By Ciaran Mckeon

Heineken - Barbie A ”one Minute Brief” By Ciaran Mckeon

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#14

Geoscan Drone Show - Halloween

Geoscan Drone Show - Halloween

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#15

Tropicana - Catch A Lucky Drop

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.

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TheAnxiousDuck
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the way it just painfully contrasts to the rest of the building, although I legit kinda love it,

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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."

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#16

Specsavers - Audiology Campaign

Specsavers - Audiology Campaign

For an Audiology campaign Specsavers created new onomatopoeic words to make you think about the beauty of ordinary sounds

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My!
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Creative. Try this one: scrabble, scrabble, CRASH! The sound of Audi going after the mousie toy I just threw for him. He focusses solely on one thing, so to him the wall just popped up out of nowhere and attacked him.

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#17

Meg2 - Huge Sharks In River Thames

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

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#18

Pictionary - Tree, Dog, Car This Campaign Titled Was Published In Mexico In 2011

Pictionary - Tree, Dog, Car This Campaign Titled Was Published In Mexico In 2011

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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."

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#19

Kraken - Bus Shelter Release The Kraken. In Chicago, Us

Kraken - Bus Shelter Release The Kraken. In Chicago, Us

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#20

Burger King - Plant Based

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

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Pamela24
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love the plant based "meat" in Burger King! Genuinely better than the beef, if all meat substitutes tasted this good I wouldn't think twice about buying the real stuff.

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#21

Mcdonald’s - Take Away Your Takeaway

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

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#23

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

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

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#25

Spider-Man 2 - Truck

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

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#26

Super Mario Bros - Movie Super Mario In Paris, France

Super Mario Bros - Movie Super Mario In Paris, France

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Lyone Fein
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know about anyone else, but these ads are not my idea of design triumphs.

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#27

Samsung - Big News

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

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#28

Coca-Cola - Dont Buy Coca-Cola If You Don’t Help Us Recycle

Coca-Cola - Dont Buy Coca-Cola If You Don’t Help Us Recycle

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#29

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

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

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#31

Ben & Jerry’s - Dulce De-Lish

Ben & Jerry’s - Dulce De-Lish

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#32

The Fire Place Lousville - Smoking Billboard

The Fire Place Lousville - Smoking Billboard

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#33

Samsung - Magic The Illusionist Edzus Does A Trick On A Billboard In Latvia

Samsung - Magic The Illusionist Edzus Does A Trick On A Billboard In Latvia

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#34

Diablo 4 - Mural Lilith Takes Over The Streets Of London, UK

Diablo 4 - Mural Lilith Takes Over The Streets Of London, UK

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Jason
Community Member
12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some of these look pretty cool. Almost, but not really, makes me wish they weren't banned here

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#35

Red Bull - Red Bull Air Race Pylons

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

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Note: this post originally had 69 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.

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