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Why do Advertising executives think that a blurry photo of five 30
foot horses on the side of the road is going to make me drink beer? Or
why do they think that I’d even attempt to remember the phone
number of a fat greasy lawyer while I’m attempting to
simultaneously finish my crossword puzzle puzzle, eat a waffle, and
change from 4th to 5th?

Due to the abundance of bad roadside ads, I typically admire cool,
funny, or just amazingly creative billboards while driving. Below are
my choices for top 10 real billboard advertisements:

10. Bic ad:

Apparently located in England. However, this is the only one of the ten
that I can’t independantly confirm as being real (if you’ve
seen it, let me know where). Picture via

9. Moving and storage ad:

I saw a few of these in New York last time I was there. At the time, I
thought it would have been much funnier if the adjacent billboard read:
“Why store your doll collection? There’s plenty of freaky people on eBay!” Picture via Billboardom

8. Max Factor mascara:

This cool billboard changes from an attractive model to a make-up
nightmare when it rains. Not sure how this is supposed to help sell
more mascara though. Picture via Frederik Samuel

7. Sign from God:

Funny and a clever play on words - definitely more amusing than the
other dozen or so “Billboards from God” dotting our
highways. Picture via

6. Ikea - The page cannot be displayed:

This electronic billboard was supposed to be showing a real
advertisement, but it looks like Windows (or their network) pooped out.
While almost certainly not intentional, something tells me this would
make a great ad for a Microsoft competitor. Picture via

5. Gain - Irresistible Scent:

3d billboard ads are popping up everywhere, particularly in big cities.
This is one of my favorites, probably because it’s the first
laundry detergent ad that was both effective and made me laugh. Picture
via

4. Ford Mustang Blurred Motion:

This simple Ford Mustang billboard isn’t painted - it was
actually created using a special type of semi-transparent material that
blurs the scene behind it to make it look like you’re moving
really fast, regardless of weather. UPDATE: looks like this was just a concept by Ian Hart, would have been a great ad though.

3. Nike 10k in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Another new trend is interactive billboards. In this ground level
billboard, passersby can walk or run on the enclosed treadmill. For
every kilometer run, Nike will donate a certain amount to UNICEF.
Picture via Briefblog

2. Massive 3d Adidas goalkeeper:

To make sure they weren’t upstaged by Nike or other rivals,
Adidas constructed this massive 3d advertisement at the Munich airport
for the 2006 World Cup. Defining this as a billboard may be a stretch,
but it was too cool not to include. Picture via

1. Summer 2006 Cartoon Network:

These funny ads showed up in the summer of 2006 all over the country.
Most people had no idea what they meant, and the uncertainty heightened
the buzz. After a few weeks, The Cartoon Network revealed characters on
each ad (bottom right panel). Pictures via Andy little, here, here, and here

And finally, here’s one that was just taken today … it
didn’t quite make my top ten, but I thought it was pretty funny: