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13 Billboards (I laughed, I cried, I posted.)

ByJohn P.


I scoured the Internet tubes for an entire day just to assemble this collection of fantastic billboards. They are from all over the place, and it wasn’t until after I assembled them that I realized I didn’t keep track of where most originated (if anyone knew in the first place). So sorry about that.
Anyway, for Thursday the 13th here is a crop of 13 freshly prepared humorous, cool and witty billboards. (Hmmm… Humorous. Cool. Witty. Remind you of anyone?) So, enjoy the fruits of my cheap Greek-American labor. Oh, and Warning:This article is Not kid safe!

Damn this was an expensive billboard.
But I guess it’s worth it if people stop to pose for photos by it.

Funny Billboard 1




Ouch.This billboard comes with biting satire at no extra charge.

Funny Billboard 2




I don’t know if this is real, but it is hilarious!

Funny Billboard 3
Would you like a side of irony with that order?

Funny Billboard 4
I don’t want to be the guy that had to install this billboard.

Utility pole with tangled power lines against cloudy sky.
Strippers vs. Church – Photo by ktbugs23

Billboard advertising Racers with a woman and church info.
Paul Stamatiou caught this defaced Starbucks billboard.
(Paul, you weren’t documenting your own handiwork were you? :-))

Funny Billboard 7
I didn’t know that sex precluded one from becoming an engineer. But that explains a lot…

Funny Billboard 8
Well, they aren’t pulling any punches with this one are they?

Funny Billboard 9
I’ve got to say, this is a completely lame billboard to start with.

Roadside sign promoting safe driving and helping others with donuts.
Pure Genius.

Funny Billboard 11
Must have been the same ad team as the knives above. Simply genius.

Green grassy field with a white billboard and arrow pointing to it.
Notice, this ad is for the Special Forces. Do you see where the brochures are located?

Funny Billboard 13
Edit 9/13: Here are a couple more sent over by Johny…

Funny Billboard 14
People sitting on a boat-shaped billboard at sunset, promoting Swabtek.





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John P.

John P. is a former CEO, former TV Show Host, and the Founder and Wizard behind Texas Metal Works. You can find him on X, Facebook and LinkedIn. Feel free to send shoutouts, insults, and praise.

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83 Comments

  1. The one about the shrinking closet space is real. It was in Manhattan along the Henry Hudson Parkway.

  3. John,
    Awesome stuff as always! I love the razor billboard. If it is real, I wonder who is responsible for keeping the grass mowed for the effect? Even the ones that might be photoshopped are great marketing ideas. They might not be politically correct, but they are effective. I also like the engineering one. What better way to say, “practice safe sex”? I was going to be an astronaut, but I never saw that sign. I feel left out :)

    Brian

    1. While such reprehensible professionals as matadors and mercenaries tend to be “exciting,” telling someone you’re an engineer is a very efficient way of removing “temptation” from your night.

      1. I don’t know where I went wrong. I don’t twitter, and I didn’t mean to make my email public. wtf?

  11. The SoCo billboard is clearly ‘Shopped: The type isn’t skewed (as the billboard is).

  15. That one was proven photoshopped by buisness week … other than that idk if anyothers are photoshopped but it was still hilarious

  20. Hello!
    Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
    PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language ;)
    See you!
    Your, Raiul Baztepo

  21. i don’t think any of these are photoshopped. you can even see the guide wires in the knife one, if you were thinking that was fake. i swear, everyone thinks every picture is photoshopped these days.

  31. A few of them are obviously photoshopped.. but it doesn’t make them any less funny :)

  34. Haha the special forces one took me a while… classic.

    Love the church and strip club competing for an audience… id vs superego, very Freudian :P

  38. There are loads of those religious billboards in Georgia and Tennessee. They tend to put them right next to billboards for gentlemen’s clubs. It’s kinda funny!

  44. Great post – the “move to Wisconsin” billboard is very much real. I drive by it regularly on my way out of MN… into WI. :)

  45. Ingenious gorilla marketing. I love to see really unique ads that give you a real visceral response. It really is a double edged sword, however. If you have too many you begin to not notice them anymore. It’s a balancing act.

  49. You’re right! It’s fake. I know because I’m the one who created it! It’s been around the world and people still think it’s real, which to me makes it all the more funny!

  50. the one headlined “Liquid panty remover” is fake…

    The text is a straight shot and the billboard is angled.

  51. I love these… As for the “dropped” calls one, I can’t stand when I see this misleading claim from Cingular! Due to lawsuits and other pressure, they don’t claim that anymore… Interesting, huh?

  56. yeah, they have similar ads all over new york…my favorite one is “because your closet is scarier than bush’s agenda”

  57. Great collection. Most are real, but I know the Southern Comfort billboard isn’t, since I’m the one who originally created it! There are 238 more original billboards at Dribbleglass.com! Enjoy.

  72. I love the knife ad, that is pretty clever.

    The rejoice ad could easily be in the Philippines. I often wonder how on earth they troubleshoot lines if one of those cables would go bad.

    Kim:)

  73. I don’t think so, Philip. If it was Photoshopped, you would NOT be able to see part of the PAINTED-OVER (as in REAL paint) “b.” That’s the kind of graffiti that’s cool!

    Very nice collection, John — I’ve seen many cool and funny billboards (just got a group in an email yesterday), but these were all new to me.

    Thanks for the laughs! (I am quickly becoming addicted to your blog.)

  77. Some funny and clever billboards, though some need to employ some decent advertising firms as some look like they were made by the Apprentice contestants.

  78. I laughed at the Minnesota/Wisconsin billboard. I also enjoyed the billboards that utilized environment features (all of the ones that were different than the “normal” billboard). Thanks for rounding that up! It’s nice to see that advertising isn’t always so stale.

  79. Excellent examples of guerrilla marketing, one of my favorite “marketing schools of thought”. They are not that innovative here in Europe though, at least not in Sweden.

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