We continue our Notable Billboards series with three more incredibly creative advertisements from Ford, Allstate and BMW.
Image Sources: Ads of the World, Ads of the World, Be Your Google
1- Ford Mustang: Burnout
This billboard debuted at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, the world’s largest automotive event. A smoke machine behind the rear wheel starts every few minutes, and the wheel spins to complete the effect. Obviously a billboard smoking catches attention, but this one does it for all the right reasons. If a muscle car doing burnouts in the sky somehow fails to capture the eye, the bright blue color of the car and text will certainly do the job.
2- Allstate: Marina Tower
This ad is actually a 2-in-1. In a famous Allstate commercial from 2006, a car chase results in one car flying off of the Marina Tower into the Chicago River. The other is left barely hanging on. An advertisement in the same place that the car was shown hanging reveals the same car still in that spot, right above a sign printed with the famous slogan, “Are you in good hands?” A car hanging off of a parking garage is sure to catch attention, and the familiar catchphrase leaves the image and company in a viewer’s mind.
3- BMW Billboard War
The competition is quite entertaining in this series of ads. BMW and Audi are both well known for their quality luxury cars, but who really has the upper hand? The companies tried to one up each other in a chess match . . . over billboards. The feud started when BMW made a comment about “paramedics at a chess tournament” in an ad talking about service centers being so close in spite of not needing them. Audi retorted with, “Chess? I would rather be driving,” and a picture of the new R4. The back and forth just continued — and escalated — to reach what you see above. While entertaining and humorous, the companies also got to showcase many cars in their line and create a “picking sides” situation, which can make even consumers competitive. This isn’t the first time BMW and Audi have gone at it, and it certainly will not be the last. You can read more on this luxury battle (and others between Audi and BMW) at the link below.
For more eye-catching billboards, check out our previous post in the series.
