Making it Rain: Eco-Friendly Ads Disappear Like Magic

Just when it seems like there’s nothing new to do in the world of advertising, someone figures out a completely unique way of communicating a commercial message. Amsterdam-based advertising and design firm MISTERWILSON developed RainCampaign, an innovative street advertising method that only appears when it rains, then becomes invisible when the pavement dries out.


The RainCampaign uses an environmentally-friendly method to print a message onto the pavement. When rain falls on the concrete the message is revealed for passers-by to see. But when the sun comes out and the rain dries up, the message disappears like it was never there in the first place. The message appears and disappears like magic for around eight weeks.

The campaign highlights a very real connection between advertising, the product featured in the advertisement, and the environment. What is more striking than a message that only appears with a change in the weather? The above campaign was developed for Continental Tires. The message reads “Stop Quicker With Continental Winter Tires.” It was placed in 500 locations around the Netherlands, and every location was carefully selected. Each place the message appears with rain is near a car park, a car park ticket machine or another location with plenty of foot traffic.

The use of environmentally-friendly methods to create temporary advertisements is a powerful statement, not only for the product being advertised but also for the advertising industry in general. Inventive campaigns like this one go to show that you don’t need colorful billboards or intrusive paper flyers to make an impact on viewers that will stand out in their minds longer than the campaign itself is viewable. And to prove their dedication to the environment, the firm behind the campaign donates a part of their proceeds to an international rain forest protection charity.