SpyreStudios

Web-Design and Development Magazine

30 Hilarious Print Advertisements

by 171 Comments

In today’s world of interactive web-based marketing, viral campaigns and high production television commercials, the print ad remains one very powerful and effective means for advertisers to reach their audience.

The printed format, whether it is for magazines, newspapers or billboards, sets specific challenges for ad designers. An idea or message must be communicated simply and swiftly, it must be eye-catching enough to grab the viewer’s attention and convey the important information in an instant. When a print designer employs humour to carry this information, the result can be become a visual ‘one-liner’, a joke that speaks the message the ad intends. This post brings together 30 hilarious print ads that combine great imagery with cracking comedy.

Make sure you check out the second post where we showcase 30 more hilarious print ads! → ;)

1. Bose Noise reduction Headphones: Waterfall

2. Belgian Association for Obese Patients: Encourage Your Children to do More Sport

3. Glassex Window Cleaner: Magician

4. Lazer Cycle Helmets: Hospital

5. Senior Self Defence Academy: Deadly Seniors, Biker

6. Pepsi Twist

7. Timotei: Lion

8. German Olympic Sport Federation: David

9. Nikol Baking Tray: Jacuzzi

10. Softlan Ultra: Wrestling

11. Alka Seltzer: Hangover

12. Kodak Rechargeable Batteries: Tiger

13. Utopolis Group of Cinemas: Titanic

14. Pedigree Light: Flower

15. Kiss FM: iPod Father

16. Listerine Mouthwash: Sermon

17. Pringles Hot and Spicy: Balloon

18. Guinness: Einstein

19. DynaKids Vitamins: Making Kids Stronger

20. Loteria de la Provincia de Buenos Aires: Money

21. Chupa Chups Sugar Free: Ants

22. 3M Scotch Magic Tape: Overload

23. Fibermesh Concrete Reinforcement: Karate

24. Kayaking Jumbo Peanuts: Choking

25. WMF: Sharper Than You Think

26. Maglite: Gallery

27. Nissan: Chickens

28. Nutri Balance: Husband

29. Bare Wet Suits: Stay Down Longer

30. Tolnaftate Cream: Fish

Your Turn To Talk

I hope you enjoyed this post! Please take a minute to share you favorite print ads with us. Have you come across any other funny print advertisements you’d like to share? Please feel free to do so in the comments below :)

Our french readers will be happy to find a french version of this post on MaRevueWeb – big thanks to Louis-Philippe Dea for the translation.

Author: Tom Walker

Tom Walker is a blogger and design who works with an ecommerce store specialising in printer ink in the UK. As editor, he maintains their blog where he contributes posts about the arts, print media and advertising.

Comments

  8. The Kiss FM and the Pepsi one are hilarious! Totally made my day.
    Thx for this great article, Tom! :D

    Eva
    @friendsofdesign

  12. Those adverts were hilarious! I particularly liked #8 from the German Olympic Board. I do wonder if some of these adverts from countries which don’t ‘speak’ English as a mother tongue were originally published in English or the native language (German, French, whatever). DubLi has some pretty good adverts, some on a par with those above – if you go to YouTube you’ll find some pretty quickly.

  39. Lovely collection of amusing print ads.

    Some I have seen before but it was nice to see some new ones – like the Einstein one for example.

    This is a good way to get noticed, but often hard to pull off. These guys have done it well!

  52. Thanks, Tom, for the laughs. My class will enjoy these examples. Your intro is what I tell my ad students about the power of print. It’s also the reason I co-authored Print Matters: How to Write Great Advertising.

  53. The Nutri Balance ‘Husband’ one is too good. Also ipod ‘I’m your father’. Mind boggling.

  54. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard that I had tears streaming down my face! Thanks, I needed that!

  57. They are great!! My favorits are Nr. 8: German Olympic Sport Federation: David, Nr. 11: Alka Seltzer: Hangover, Nr. 14: Pedigree Light: Flower and Nr. 21: Chupa Chups Sugar Free: Ants.

  60. Thank you Tom. My favourites are:

    -heimlich performing elephant
    -cassette…ipod
    -jacuzzi chicken
    -obese David

  61. Great Collection, I’ve seen some of these before but all in different places.

    One thing though, the Pepsi ad says ‘with a touch of lemon’, ahem isn’t that a lime?

  63. Great post. I certainly enjoyed going through the images… they were beautiful & definitely hilarious.

  71. I teach 7th grade Language Arts and one of our standards is interpreting non print mediums. These pictures were perfect for several different classroom activities. Thanks.

  73. I had a great laugh. It shows that a great deal of imagination, wit and humor were put in to make those epic ads. The mouthwash and ipod … genius .. chuckles.

  74. All the ads go so well with your topic ‘hilarious print ads’, none of them fail to make a mark here.

    Great…errr ..Hilarious collection Tom :-D

  75. Thanks for this post. all of the adpics are hilarious. I can’t hep but laugh out loud. I like most especially Tolnaftate Cream: Fish.

    please keep them coming.

  88. Brilliant collection. Thanks for sharing!
    Each one better than the rest.
    Loved “27. Nissan: Chickens” the most! :D

  91. ha ha ha, fantastic, i love the wetsuit on”stay down longer” all the skin is really wrinkly!

    Also really liked the listerine one in the church. well done, and thanks for posting.

  103. Hilarious! Thanks for posting.
    My personal favorite is KissFM.
    Btw, was KayaKing Peanut ad printed in Indonesia? Coz I think the product is from there but I never saw the ad you showed here.

  104. OMG, I laughed so hard I think I poppped a string. U notice that the most clever ads aren’t 4 American products. Although I made a remark just the other day about how U S T.V. commercials have improved lately.

  111. I have to say every time I see the Glassex one I think of the Viagra parody of it – not necessarily a bad thing… anyway I think the Nissan one is my favorite

  119. Brilliant. My personal fav. was the statue of David…old idea turned new, hilarious and eye-catching.

  120. Really good ads! Brilliant work! They’re all so varied and innovative. Great work. Thanks.

  125. These are fabulous! Thanks for a good laugh in the middle of a rainy North Carolina afternoon.

  136. I love the one with the guy in plaster. Great advertisement for wearing helmuts. Funny but it makes you think…so it’s effective.

  138. Those are great, I love creative ads like these, so much better than the thoughtless norm, ie skinny scantily clad woman holding product x.

  142. i really found these print ads hilaroius and very interesting i hope you can post more soon

  143. I love everything here. All graphics are very cool and eye-catching. My favorite is 24. I love its humor. Thank you for sharing. I am now more inspired to continue graphic designing.

  144. How do they madeTimotei: lion and German Olympic Sport Federation: David full photopshop or what …how?

  154. these ads are so funny! that’s what advertising should be all about, if you would show me these commercials on TV i would definitely buy whatever you;re trying to sell… so cool! thanks

  155. Oh my goodness, these are amazing!! It was really hard to pick a favorite, and I was laughing literally the entire time I scrolled down the page… I think the lion hair care and the pug dog food ads were my faves, but again it was SO hard to choose!

    Laurie :)

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