Top 80 Billboard Trends of 2016

From Fitness-Boosting Bus Shelters to Anti-Homophobia Billboards

— January 30, 2017 — Marketing
The top 2016 billboard trends have seen a variety of different patterns, most notably ones that infuse technology into what was once a traditional advertising platform, as well as billboards that promote causes related to social justice.

One of the more prominent trends that could be observed this past year was brands taking advantage of bus shelters to engage and interact with consumers. One such example is the 'Made to Move' campaign by the brand 'Lucozade' – which sells sports drinks. The campaign featured a bus shelter with a 'Wait Training' program that encouraged commuters to exercise along with the video that is featured – with participants receiving a sports drink at the end. The unique campaign worked to engage consumers, improved brand perception and worked towards a good cause – promoting health and fitness. Trend Hunter's 2017 Trend Report is packed with ideas and innovations that are related to engaging modern day consumers in similar ways.

As this past year has been one of great change and upheaval, it is unsurprising that brands, charities and individuals would take the time to promote good causes on widely seen marketing platforms such as billboards. An example of this is the anti-homophobia billboard by the non-profit 'Planting Peace,' – which reveals an image of the politicians Donald Trump and Ted Cruz kissing along with the quote "Love Trumps Hate" – now a war cry of sorts for anti-Trump protesters and pro-Hillary and Bernie supporters.
5.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
80
Disappearing Alphabet Campaigns
Disappearing Alphabet Campaigns
This Blood Donation Initiative Removes A, B and O from Signage
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79
Political Health Test Advertisements
Political Health Test Advertisements
The 'Feel the Burn?' Billboards Promote FreeSTDCheck.org
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78
Handmade Sequin Billboards
Handmade Sequin Billboards
This Brazilian Billboard Celebrates the Theatrical Bumba-Meu-Boi
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77
Artistic Album Promotions
Artistic Album Promotions
Singer James Blake Enlists Illustrator Quentin Blake to Promote His Work
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76
Data-Powered Tennis Posters
Data-Powered Tennis Posters
These IBM Ads Share Animated Sports Facts Based on Real-Time Events
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75
Virus Protection Billboards
Virus Protection Billboards
These Miami Billboards Were Created in Response to the Rise in Zika
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74
Clean Slate Charity Campaigns
Clean Slate Charity Campaigns
This Billboard Asked New Yorkers What Their Biggest Regret Was
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73
Miniature Car Mosaics
Miniature Car Mosaics
This Car Display from Citroën is Made of 3,000 Toy Models
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72
Interactive Movie Billboards
Interactive Movie Billboards
Johnny Depp Promotes the 'Through the Looking Glass' Movie Himself
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71
Drone-Mounted Billboards
Drone-Mounted Billboards
Skye Aero Wants To Use Drone Billboards to Revolutionize Advertising
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70
Empowering Athlete Campaigns
Empowering Athlete Campaigns
Dove Combats Media Sexism by Exposing How Female Athletes are Covered
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69
Multicolor Paper Display Billboards
Multicolor Paper Display Billboards
The E Ink Advanced Color ePaper is Efficient and Durable
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68
Rest Stop Billboards
Rest Stop Billboards
Sodimac's Ad Roadside Promotes a Garage for Tired Drivers to Sleep for Free
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67
Extreme Lip Balm Tests
Extreme Lip Balm Tests
Vaseline Uk Recently Launched an Extreme Weather Experiment
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66
Real-Time Travel Billboards
Real-Time Travel Billboards
This Airline Ad from JetBlue Reveals Real-Time Travel Data
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65
Geo-Targeted Truck Billboards
Geo-Targeted Truck Billboards
The RoadAd Boards Change Content Depending On Trucks' Location
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64
Interactive Karaoke Billboards
Interactive Karaoke Billboards
Santander's Fun City Billboards Appeal to Millennials
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63
Comforting Fast Food Commercials
Comforting Fast Food Commercials
This KFC Commercial Emphasizes the Importance of Comfort Food
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62
Morphing Candy Billboards
Morphing Candy Billboards
This Ad for Snickers Candy Bars Surprises with Facial Recognition Tech
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61
Sunscreen Claw Games
Sunscreen Claw Games
This Stunt for 'Pretty Shady' Turns Bus Stop Shelters into Interactive Games
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60
City-Friendly Digital Advertising
City-Friendly Digital Advertising
The 'Google Urbanism' Project Would Share Ad Revenue with Cities
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59
3D-Printed Origami Posters
3D-Printed Origami Posters
This Dynamic Bus Ad Features 3D-Printed Origami Elements
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58
Melting Neon Billboards
Melting Neon Billboards
This Neon Billboard Made from Ice Encourages People to Thaw Out in Mexico
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57
Phonecall Travel Billboards
Phonecall Travel Billboards
Airbnb's City Billboards Encourage People to Call and Text
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56
Real-Time Furniture Billboards
Real-Time Furniture Billboards
This Furniture Advertisement from IKEA is Built with a Storage Unit
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55
Political Anti-Homophobia Ads
Political Anti-Homophobia Ads
Planting Peace's Billboard Shows Donald Trump and Ted Cruz Kissing
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54
Precisely Painted Murals
Precisely Painted Murals
Purdy Creates a Brick Wall Mural by Adding Color Only to the Mortar
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53
Disappearing Magic Billboards
Disappearing Magic Billboards
This Quebec City Magic Festival Ad Does a Stunt Before the Public
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52
Embroidered Fantasy Tapestries
Embroidered Fantasy Tapestries
This Game of Thrones Ad Uses Textiles to Recreate an Iconic Scene
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51
Mosquito-Killing Billboards
Mosquito-Killing Billboards
This Outdoor Billboard is Equipped with Panels to Kill Zika Mosquitoes
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50
Competitive Burger Billboards
Competitive Burger Billboards
This Massive Vertical Billboard Promotes McDonalds Over Burger King
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49
Data-Driven Music Campaigns
Data-Driven Music Campaigns
These Playful Spotify Ads Reveal What Its Users are Listening to
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48
Workout Bus Shelters
Workout Bus Shelters
Lucozade Turned a Bus Stop Shelter into an Active 'Wait Training' Station
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47
Illusory University Posters
Illusory University Posters
These Illusion Posters Cleverly Advertise Distance Education
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46
Pedestrian Safety Ads
Pedestrian Safety Ads
These TTC Ads Encourage Pedestrians to Stay Focused and Stay Safe
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45
Basketball-Inspired ATMs
Basketball-Inspired ATMs
This 10-Foot-Tall BMO Bank Machine Promotes the Annual NBA All-Star Game
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44
Chalkboard Art Advertisements
Chalkboard Art Advertisements
This Artful Gaming Ad is a Chalkboard Drawing in Shinjuku Station
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43
Dueling Vigilante Billboards
Dueling Vigilante Billboards
This Interactive Billboard Ad for Daredevil is Powered by Hashtags
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42
Car-Targeting Billboards
Car-Targeting Billboards
These Targeted Ads are Able To Recognize and Advertise to Individual Cars
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41
Whipped Cream Weather Billboards
Whipped Cream Weather Billboards
This Weather Ad Shows Snowfall Using Whipped Cream-Topped Drinks
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40
Phone-Charging Billboards
Phone-Charging Billboards
This Dragon Quest Billboard Offers Mobile Phone Chargers for Commuters
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39
Social Media Billboards
Social Media Billboards
The First-Ever Instagram Advertising Campaign is Launching in France
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38
Playable Concert Posters
Playable Concert Posters
Telekom Created a Fun Way to Promote the Budapest Festival Orchestra
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37
Edible Fish Billboards
Edible Fish Billboards
This Outdoor Poster Feeds Seagulls with Edible Glue, Ink and Paper
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36
Coloring Book Billboards
Coloring Book Billboards
This Roving Kabuto Noodles Billboard Inspires Calm in the City of London
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35
Olympian Selfie Billboards
Olympian Selfie Billboards
United Airlines' Olympic Ads Photograph Staff and American Athletes
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34
Social City Billboards
Social City Billboards
Snapchat is Turned Its Geofilters into Social Media Advertisements
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33
Bus Shelter Gyms
Bus Shelter Gyms
Reebok Transformed Bus Stop Ads into Temporary Outdoor Gyms
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32
Rock Wall Billboards
Rock Wall Billboards
Toyota's Times Square Ad Doubles as a Towering Climbing Wall
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31
Unmissable Bus Advertisements
Unmissable Bus Advertisements
This Bus Advertisement from Out of Home Media Refuses to Go Unseen
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30
Giant Smartphone Billboards
Giant Smartphone Billboards
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Billboard Takes Over an Entire Building
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29
Motion-Tracking Billboards
Motion-Tracking Billboards
This Ad for the Snowden Movie Puts the Public Under Surveillance
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28
Glass Tile Billboards
Glass Tile Billboards
These Stunning Billboards Direct You Around Clerkenwell Design Week 2016
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27
Lengthy Hashtag Billboards
Lengthy Hashtag Billboards
These Heineken Ads Show the Beer's Complete Ingredient List
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26
Political Estate Billboards
Political Estate Billboards
Jeff Cook Real Estate Offers to Help Americans Move to Canada
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25
Social Good Selfie Walls
Social Good Selfie Walls
Cadillac Fairview is Launching 'Pledge Walls' for Back-to-School Season
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24
Colorful Contraception Ads
Colorful Contraception Ads
This STD Campaign Uses Phrases Spelled Out in Unwrapped Condoms
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23
VR Bus Shelter Spas
VR Bus Shelter Spas
This Public Bus Stop Uses Virtual Reality to Come to Life as a Swimming Pool
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22
Speed-Testing Sneaker Billboards
Speed-Testing Sneaker Billboards
Reebok's Running Challenge Gives Free Sneakers to Fast Runners
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21
Viral Game Charity Campaigns
Viral Game Charity Campaigns
This Pokemon Go-Themed Campaign Helps Find Missing People Too
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20
Celebratory Crayon Bus Tours
Celebratory Crayon Bus Tours
Crayola's '100 Years of Colour' Bus Tour Entertained UK Kids
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19
Traffic-Sensing Billboards
Traffic-Sensing Billboards
INRIX Billboards are Able to Change Ads Based on Traffic Speed
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18
Building Block Billboards
Building Block Billboards
This Playful Subway Advertising Stunt Turns Commuters into Builders
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17
Unwrapped Chocolate Billboards
Unwrapped Chocolate Billboards
This Museum Ad for a Chocolate Exhibition is Gradually Revealed
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16
Anti-Consumerism Ads
Anti-Consumerism Ads
These Ads Urge Creative Professionals to Fight for Social Justice
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15
Ultramodern Karaoke Bar Branding
Ultramodern Karaoke Bar Branding
This Karaoke Bar Branding Features Vibrant Geometrical Imagery
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14
Candy Giveaway Billboards
Candy Giveaway Billboards
This Interactive Candy Advertisement Gives Out Gummy Sweets
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13
Posture-Correcting Billboards
Posture-Correcting Billboards
This Digital Billboard From Microsoft Corrects Posture Instantly
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12
Comedic Mother's Day Ads
Comedic Mother's Day Ads
The Agency 'Mother New York' Put a Creative Spin on Mother's Day
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11
AR Blood Donation Billboards
AR Blood Donation Billboards
NHS Blood and Transplant's Donation Ad Interactively Builds Awareness
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10
Interactive Vertical Billboards
Interactive Vertical Billboards
Tom Wiscombe's Novel Billboard Design Will Go Up in Los Angeles
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9
Slide Puzzle Billboards
Slide Puzzle Billboards
This Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Ad is Styled Like a Word Puzzle
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8
Skin-Protecting Lockers
Skin-Protecting Lockers
Garnier Ambre Solaire Encourages People to Protect Belongings and Skin
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7
Villainous Film Posters
Villainous Film Posters
These Suicide Squad Posters Pay Tribute to Each of the Characters
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6
Temperature-Sensitive Billboards
Temperature-Sensitive Billboards
This Coca-Cola Billboard Adapts in Response to Local Weather
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5
Urban Garden Billboards
Urban Garden Billboards
This Billboard by Wildstone in London Doubles as a Community Garden
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4
Humorous Banking Billboards
Humorous Banking Billboards
These Comical Bank Ads Encourage Customers to Hold Back on App Use
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3
Reverse Psychology Ads
Reverse Psychology Ads
The Text and Drive Campaign for a Funeral Home Focuses on Real Consequences
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2
Marketing Street Performances
Marketing Street Performances
This Stunt Was Used to Engage Consumers One-on-One and Digitally
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1
Motion-Sensing Interactive Ads
Motion-Sensing Interactive Ads
Walkers Brand Created a Unqiuely Interactive Street Advertisement
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