30 Sensational Print Ads From Around the World

Innovative Print Ads

Every day, we’re bombarded by thousands of adverts, most of which are boring, thoroughly irritating or both. Every now and again, however, an advert comes along that’s so powerful, due to the originality of its content or the way that it conveys its message, that it inspires us to change our behaviour: it might make us find out some more information about a product, donate money to charity or even cut down on drinking alcohol!

With an excess of $385 billion spent annually on ads, it’s unsurprising that admen give life to veritable masterpieces of visual communication from time to time. These truly brilliant ads can be found on TV, on the internet and on billboards too. But the most engaging ads of all appear in traditional print media, as people reading newspapers and magazines have time to absorb lots of information as well as creative subtleties.

Below, you’ll find 30 examples representing the crème de la crème of recent print advertisements.

Major Brands



Since the dawn of mass production, in the early 19th century, major brands have used advertising to promote their goods and services. The amount of money spent on advertising worldwide grows considerably year on year. By 2010, it’s predicted that investment in advertising will top $450 billion annually.

1. Fun Up Your Home [Microsoft]



Microsoft



Images: The Uninvited Blog

2. Goodbye Bush [Veet]



Veet

Image: Miragens

3. 360° Wide Angle CCTV [Samsung]



Samsung

Image: kuteev

4. More Volume [Schwartzkopf}



Schwartzkopf

Image: kuteev

5. Optical Zoom [Olympus]



Olympus

Image: Elastique

6. French Kiss [Pepsi]



Pepsi

Image: I Believe in Advertising

7. The New Expression of Fun [Miragica Theme Park]



Miragica

Image: I Believe in Advertising

8. No Drowsiness Gum



No Drowsiness Gum

Image: kuteev

9. Arcor Bubblegum



Arcor Bubblegum

Image: Sauce

10. Whatever The Delay We’ll Text You Straight Away [Connex]



Connex

Image: Ads of the World

11. Hands Are Everywhere [Dettol]



Dettol

Image: The Inspiration Room

12. Shirt Straw [Perrier]



Perrier

Image: DesignSitesUp

Charity Campaigns



There was a time when charities relied solely on shock tactics to raise money. Most charity ads seemed to feature a starving child or otherwise ailing individual. These ads worked for a time, but people started to find them so upsetting that they simply switched off to the ad altogether. Things have changed. Charities now recognise that, like major brands, they can inspire their audience most successfully by taking an original and creative approach.

13. Verbal Abuse Can Be Just As Horrific [Aware Helpline]



Aware

Image: The Inspiration Room

14. Guantanamo Bay [Amnesty International]



Amnesty International

Image: KiwiPulse

15. Animals Are Not Clowns [LPDA]



LPDA



Images: Ads of the World

16. Bad Water Kills More Children Than War [UNICEF]



UNICEF

Image: Ads of the World

17. Stop Gout Patients’ Suffering [EULAR]



EULAR

Image: Ads of the World

18. Nature Can’t Be Recycled [WWF]



WWF

Image: Ads of the World

19. Second Hand Smoke In The Home [The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation]



Roy Castle

Image: Frederik Samuel

20. Cigarettes Smoke People [Cancer Patients Aid Association]



Cancer Patients

Image: Space Invaders

21. Don’t Buy Exotic Animal Souvenirs [WWF]



WWF

Image: Ads of the World

22. Stop the World Record of Executions [Amnesty International]



Amnesty International

Image: I Believe in Advertising

TV Channels



For obvious reasons, TV channels tend to advertise on TV, but when they do opt for print media ads instead, the results can be rather stunning. The BBC have run many inspirational televised advertising campaigns in the past, but none of them have connected with viewers in such a subtle way as the World News ads below. These ads were designed for commuters, who have plenty of time, en route to and from work, to absorb the hidden images.

23. Dirty Jobs [Discovery Channel]



Dirty Jobs

Image: Frederik Samuel

24. Authentic Wildlife Documentaries [Animal Planet]



Animal Planet

Animal Planet

Images: Ads of the World

25. Olympic Games [ESPN Brasil]



ESPN

Image: Frederik Samuel

26. Formula 1 GP - The Fight Begins [Sky]



Sky

Image: The Inspiration Room

27. News Beyond Your Borders [BBC World]



BBC World

Image: Frederik Samuel

Pharmaceuticals



In the immortal words of Peter Parker: "With great power comes great responsibility". Pharmaceutical companies often walk a fine line when it comes to the morality of their ads and must ensure that they don’t prey on the "weak" or the desperate. The ads below use comedic rather than shock tactics to pedal their wares.

28. Fight Your Sore Throat [Mebucaine]



Mebucaine

Image: I Believe in Advertising

29. Blocked Nose? [Otrivin]



Otrivin

Image: Igor Kovic

30. Root Out Disgusting Fungi [Tolnaftate]



Tolnaftate

Image: Ads of the World