You don’t have to be a marketing insider to know that the world is cluttered with ads. Everywhere you turn there are messages vying for your attention and products fighting for your pocketbook. In order to rise above the noise, savvy companies are thinking outside the box and implementing ambient advertising methods – incorporating an ad’s surroundings to add dimension and an element of surprise to their message. These ads – often called guerrilla advertising – are visually impactful and have the ability to stop viewers in their tracks specifically because they were cleverly and carefully crafted for the space in which they reside.

Successful ambient advertising has the ability to go above and beyond the boundaries of typical ad space. When this type of advertising is done well, consumers feel compelled to share their experience; that’s why there are so many images of this type of advertising on the internet. Here are 10 shining examples of ambient advertising to put a smile on your face and possibly inspire you to think creatively about your companies’ advertising strategy.

Nationwide Insurance – Life Comes At You Fast

Nationwide
Advertising Agency: TM Advertising, Irving, Texas, USA
Creative Director: Leigh Sander
Art Director: Judd Oberly
Copywriter: Michael Page
Photographer: Andy Mahr
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Rock Radio – Air Guitar

RockRadio
Advertising Agency: The Bridge, Glasgow, UK
Creative Director: Jonathan d’Aguilar
Art Director: Simon Parker
Copywriter: Gregor Stevenson
Typographer: Andy Mulvenna
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KitKat – Have a Break

KitKat
Advertising Agency: JWT London, UK
Creative Director: Russell Ramsay
Art Director: Ben Markey
Copywriter: Mitul Shar
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Prime Television – True Blood

TrueBlood
Advertising Agency: DraftFCB, Auckland, New Zealand
Executive Creative Director: James Mok
Creative Directors: Chris Schofield, Billy McQueen
Art Director: Iain MacMillan
Copywriter: Antony Wilson
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Rimmel – Quick Dry Nail Polish

RimmelQuickDry
Advertising Agency: JWT London, UK
Executive Creative Director: Russell Ramsey
Art Directors / Copywriters: Darren Keff, Phillip Meyler
Agency Producer: Sofie Holmstrom
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Travel Alberta – Ski Experience

Travel Alberta
Advertising Agency: Venture Communications, Toronto
Creative Director: Jon Mychajlyszyn
Art Director: Brad Van Schaik
Photographer: Jason Stang
Graphic Design: Marcelle Faucher
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Tyskie – Grab a Beer

Tyskie
Advertising Agency: SABMiller
Art Director: Michał Kamiński
Copywriter: Kamil Kowalczyk
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Jeep – Parking Space

Jeep
Advertising Agency: Bates Y&R, Copenhagen, Denmark
Chief Creative Officer: Ib Borup
Art Director: Peder Schack
Copywriter: Tobias Aggergaard
Photographer: Pernille Elung
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Cingular – Dropped Calls

Cingular
Advertising Agency: BBDO NEW YORK, USA
Art Director: Husani Barnwell
Executive Creative Director: Susan Credle
Creative Director: Steve Rutter
Copywriter: Jason Lambert
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Oreo – Milk’s Favorite Cookie

Oreo
Advertising Agency: DraftFCB, New York, USA
Chief Creative Officer: Chris Becker
Executive Creative Directors: Sandy Greenberg, Terri Meyer
Art Director: Jeseok Yi
Copywriter: Claudio Lima
Photographer: William Tran
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Author: Shannon Crutchfield spends most her days as a graphic designer at Pixel Productions Inc. where she enjoys fantastic coffee, awesome coworkers and creating professional design work for clients of all shapes and sizes. She has an eye for detail and her talents include design for branding, packaging, web development and custom illustration.