99 Provocative Examples of Shockvertising

The creative agencies, ad firms, marketing communications companies and activists behind these 100 examples of shockvertising have one thing in common despite their disparate interests and methods: they demonstrate an ability to cut through the noise and have their message heard and remembered.

We live in a world littered with advertising, but much of it is ineffective. How many billboards do people drive by without really noticing them? How many people see a commercial without actually watching it? How many people peruse through a website without once clicking an ad? The operative word here is ‘without.’

Without a concept that will immediately grab people’s attention and interest them long enough so that the message can sink in, many advertising campaigns run the risk of becoming just another hiss in the static. The shockvertising featured here ranges from racy to gory to borderline offensive. Whatever the method, each ad grabs one’s attention and holds it, which is exactly what advertising is supposed to do.