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.

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When a city’s economy begins to fail, those in charge have some choices to make. Should they pump money into local businesses? Should they let the public see just how bad it’s getting? One town in England is taking a novel approach to the scores of closed-up shops on its main street: they’re putting up fake business fronts to make the shopping areas seem less deserted.

(image via: Daily Mail)

In North Tyneside, more than 140 businesses have closed up shop, leaving the High Streets looking somewhat desolate and empty. Knowing that a deserted shopping area can discourage other businesses from moving in while it encourages even more to pull out, the North Tyneside council decided to try a radically unusual approach: they’re faking it.

(image via: Daily Mail)

The council is funding a project to install fake storefronts onto vacant retail spaces. The first stage of the project was transforming a deserted clothing store into a delicatessen. A removable covering reading “Delicatessen?” was installed over the shop’s existing signage, and a brightly-colored picture depicting the interior of a busy deli was installed behind the shop’s large windows.

(image via: Daily Mail)

The picture helps passers-by to imagine what the shop might look like if it actually were a delicatessen. The council hopes this bit of imagination-boost will help potential tenants to envision the possibilities of the space. It’s a powerful image that would certainly inspire business owners more than an empty, desolate retail space ever could. The council plans to put up more fake shopfronts to support commercial areas in several towns. At around £1500 per shop, it’s a quick, inexpensive and completely reversible way to spruce up a deserted-looking shopping center.

(image via: Torontoist)

If the project seems familiar, maybe it’s because it’s eerily similar to an art project that took place in Toronto in 2008. Artists Dan Bergeron and Gabriel Reese put together A City Renewal Project to call attention to the changing landscape of their city. They took over a warehouse and filled it with fake storefronts; the entryways were full-size prints of real deserted businesses from around Toronto.

A City Renewal Project from Dan Bergeron on Vimeo.

The pair – and their crew of assistants – carted in just about everything you could expect to see on an actual city street: rubbish, graffiti, leaves, bicycles, billboards, and even an old streetcar shelter and bus stop. Even the entrance to the warehouse was invented by creating a false storefront called “Mr. Loogie” for visitors to enter through.

(image via: Torontoist)

The temporary city street was constructed in a block that was slated to be demolished to make way for a new condominium complex. But unlike the false shopfronts in North Tyneside, these imaginary shops were there to bring all eyes to the troublesome practice of demolishing history, rather than concealing the changing business landscape from residents.

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It’s common knowledge that living in a city as large as New York can be chaotic, and the laws meant to provide order and protect citizens can be beyond confusing. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a user’s guide for navigating key NYC laws? Artist/graphic designer Candy Chang is doing her part to help make tenants’ and vendors’ rights more understandable for the people they affect.

New York’s official Tenants’ Rights Guide is notoriously dry, confusing, and difficult to navigate. Finding the answer to your renting-related question is not a simple task, but Candy Change believed it should be. Working in cooperation with non-profit organization Tenants & Neighbors, she turned the Tenants’ Rights Guide into a set of snazzy, easy-to-read flash cards.

You simply find the topic you’re looking for, like eviction, security deposits, or pets, and the corresponding flashcard has a paragraph explaining your rights in easy-to-read language. Chang’s vision was to make vendors’ rights a more friendly, fun topic. It’s doubtful that the subject itself will ever really be fun for anyone, but flipping through the pack of flashcards definitely sounds more enjoyable than flipping through the official Tenants’ Rights Guide.

Candy Chang has also designed a pamphlet outlining vendors’ rights in an easy-to-understand, multilingual format. The guide is called Vendor Power! A Guide to Street Vending in New York City, and its illustration-rich fold-out format makes even the mundane subject of street vending laws look fun. Chang worked with The Street Vendor Project and the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) to put together the guide that’s meant to help street vendors avoid fines and understand their rights.

The guide is reminiscent of Ikea assembly instructions: light on the text, heavy on the pictures. The small amount of text that does appear on the pages is in English, Arabic, Spanish, Bengali and Chinese. But along with the explanations of various laws and codes are personal stories from vendors, fun facts about the history of street vending in New York City, and other tidbits that can be seen as attempts to increase camaraderie and pride among street vendors.

These two design project are more than the typical overpriced art objects that many designers churn out. They’re about real, tangible social change from the ground up. They’re empowering the people of New York City by informing them of their rights in language that’s easy to understand rather than the legalese in government-supplied handbooks. And that’s enough to change the social landscape of a city significantly.

You can purchase your own set of tenants’ rights flashcards in the Tenants and Neighbors online store for $10, or get Vendor Power! for $6 (or download a PDF version for free) from CUP’s online store.

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While spending 30 seconds on an escalator, where do you look? Most people just stare straight ahead – making escalators an ideal location for advertising. But some ads are more colorful, clever and controversial than others, using both the ideal eye-level platform and shape of the stairs to their full potential. These are the kinds of ads that make people pause and marvel for a moment before continuing on their way.

Canadian Red Cross Escalator Ad

(image via: allbusiness)

From the top of the stairs, this ad looks so realistic that it could prompt people to rush down so quickly they injure themselves – completely undermining the purpose of the campaign. Created for the Canadian Red Cross, the decal intends to promote the knowledge of first aid with a message reading “Know What to Do.”

DHL Gridlock Escalator Ad

(image via: adoholik)

Hong Kong traffic is notoriously nightmarish. But even the gridlocks of this city can’t stop DHL, or so they insinuate with this escalator ad which depicts their trucks speeding down a convenient (though imaginary) fast lane, located on the moving handrail, as the rest of the cars remain at a maddening halt.

IKEA Staircase Ad

(image via: directdaily)

IKEA is practically synonymous with “organization”, something nearly everyone could use a little help with. That makes these stair stickers that much more effective, depicting neatly stacked clothing and linens in drawers.

Hopi Hari Escalator Ad

(image via: adland)

When people momentarily forget they’re on an escalator, imagining themselves having a great time at an amusement park instead, you know that an ad is special. This one for a Brazil amusement park called Hopi Hari turns each step into a snapshot of a couple enjoying a roller coaster.

Nationwide Staircase Ad

(image via: ads of the world)

Bad things happen every day… like bizarre automobile accidents that send your car flying in the air like the General Lee, if this Nationwide Insurance staircase ad is to be believed. It certainly takes full advantage of the huge set of stairs at the end of Fashion Show Drive in Las Vegas.

Revita Beauty Center Shiatzu Escalator Ad

(image via: adland)

When possible, it’s best to avoid stepping on people – unless you’re a professional masseuse. While this ad may make some people uncomfortable, others may be reminded of just how good it would feel to let someone work out the knots in their backs.

Table Soccer Staircase Ad

(image via: ads of the world)

An outdoor guerilla ad campaign to promote the first international table soccer world cup featured realistic-looking flyers shaped like table soccer figures on stair handrails around the city of Hamburg, Germany.

Consol Energy Coal Mine Escalator Ad

(image via: ads of the world)

Consol Energy reminds people of what it takes to power our world with coal – descending into deep, dark, dirty mines – with an ad bound to make environmentalists cringe.

Coca-Cola Escalator & Staircase Ad

(image via: ads of the world)

Coca-Cola engaged in some targeted marketing in a joint campaign with McDonalds. Regular, full-calorie Coke was advertised to people who take the stairs, while the people getting less activity by taking the escalator see ads for Diet Coke instead.

Jeep Parking Space Ad

(image via: toxel)

Capitalizing on the Jeep’s reputation as a vehicle that can go places other cars can’t, these guerrilla-style ads create parking spots in the most unlikely places – like stairs. No word on whether Jeep owners that took the ads up on their offer got reimbursed for pricey parking tickets.

Gillette Venus Escalator Ad

(image via: ads of the world)

Who was the advertiser that looked at the side of an escalator and thought, ‘hmmm, that looks like a leg’? Someone had to have made that questionable connection to come up with this eye-catching ad by Gillette, which featured small decals of razors on the handrail.

Greenville Literary Association Staircase Ad

(image via: toxel)

It’s not hard to grasp how book lovers at the Greenville Literary Association came to see a stack of books in a flight of stairs. This ad, created to generate book donations, takes full advantage of the shape of the advertiser’s chosen medium.

Juice Salon Escalator Ad

(image via: adland)

How many different haircuts can one man possibly get? This creative example of escalator advertising attempts to answer that question, putting a different style on every step, each of which briefly join with the man’s face at the bottom of the escalator to demonstrate the effect.

South Carolina Time to Thaw Stairs Ad

(image via: bounce agency)

The same agency that came up with the creative Greenville Literary Association book stairs also turned a set of stairs into stacks of suitcases, inspiring passersby to “pack your bags: it’s time to thaw.” The ad encourages travel to South Carolina.

Pizza Kingdom Escalator Ad

(image via: ads of the world)

Is the sight of a pizza lying on a dirty escalator, stepped on by thousands of pairs of feet, really all that appetizing? A chain called Pizza Kingdom hoped that it would be with this strange ad, designed to demonstrate “extra cheese” stretching from step to step. Amazingly, it worked: revenue increased by 53% within a month.

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A bench is a bench – except when it’s also a platform for a surprising, thought-provoking, memorable advertisement that sometimes even functions as urban art. The best bench ads turn ubiquitous public furniture into interactive displays that entreat the public to get fit, go on vacation, try a new product and even conserve resources.

District 9 Bench: For Humans Only

(image via: aharvey2k)

Before anyone heard of a little film called District 9, signs barring non-humans from using benches and restrooms could be seen in major cities such as Los Angeles. With a phone number and a warning that “non-human secretions may corrode metal”, these advertisements blurred the line between reality and the fictional world created by the filmmakers in typical guerilla fashion.

Fed-Ex Bubble Wrap Bench

(image via: advertolog)

Fed-Ex can ship practically anything – including benches, as ‘demonstrated’ by this bubble-wrapped bench. The ad series, conceived by BBDO New York, was created to announce the opening of FedEx Kinko’s locations in fairly remote locations.

Instant Ski Vacation

(image via: adsneeze)

Can you picture yourself on an adventurous ski trip, heading up the slope on a lift that provides stunning views of the surrounding landscape? If not, Alberta Travel is happy to help with this creative bench ad that even emulates skis on your feet and snow down below.

Use Only What You Need

(image via: advertolog)

Ads promoting water conservation might be easily overlooked by a public that has begun to tune out conventional modes of promotion. But, it’s hard to pass by this bench, created by Sukle Advertising & Design advertising agency for Denver Water, without taking a second look and absorbing the message: use only what you need.

Skinny Bench for Skinny People

(image via: scaryideas)

A similarly skinny bench communicates something different altogether: if you can’t sit here, perhaps you need to lose some weight. Slim Fast helpfully points people in the right direction with a plaque that reads “Donated by Slim Fast”.

Collapsing Bench for Special K

(image via: coloribus)

Similarly, one cereal brand hopes that consumers will be enticed to try their product after finding that a public bench caves in beneath their weight. This bench in Germany was made with a flexible material to shock people into thinking about how heavy they are, and convince them that 99.9% fat-free Special K was the way to fix the problem.

A Weighty Matter

(image via: businessweek)

Of course, if undersized or collapsing seating areas don’t work, there’s always a more potent way to shame the overweight public: a bus shelter bench with a built-in scale that broadcasts their weight to the world at large. This one in Amsterdam was created by the world’s third-largest gym chain, Fitness First.

No Choice But to Get Closer

(image via: directdaily)

Just try sitting on this slanted bench with somebody else without sliding right into each other. It literally forces people to “Get Closer”, which happens to be the ad slogan for a Czech liquor called Becherovka.

A Stroller Fit for a Baby Giraffe

(image via: ads of the world)

This extra-tall stroller – or pram, if you’re not American – certainly catches the attention of anyone who happens to sit on the bench beside it. The unusual ad by Calgary Zoo uses an embroidered blanket to tell the public that “the baby giraffe is here”.

Nivea Says Goodbye to Cellulite

(image via: directdaily)

Sitting on cellulite isn’t pretty – unless it’s in the form of a dimpled blue bench. This ad by Nivea promoting its Goodbye-Cellulite lotion manages to convey the message that smooth skin is superior to cellulite without anything too disturbingly skin-like.

Homey IKEA Bench Makeover

(image via: culture-buzz)

IKEA proves that even the ugliest, most worn-out bench you can find in an urban environment can be instantly transformed into a homey, welcoming space to relax with some inexpensive Swedish fabric and accessories.

Kit-Kat Bench

(image via: Noah Dylan Goldblatt)

Seeing the brown slats of a bench partially enveloped in a Kit-Kat wrapper begs the question: why didn’t they think of this earlier? It’s a perfect fit that undoubtedly had many an onlooker suddenly craving chocolate-covered wafers.

Istanbul’s Book Benches

(image via: adrants)

Istanbul is an open book – 18 of them, in fact, all written by Turkish poets. This ad campaign not only promotes reading and publicizes the work of native writers, but turns boring public furniture into functional works of art.

Amnesty International ‘Electric Bench’

(image via: funforever)

We might let important social issues slip our minds while going about our daily lives, but Amnesty International is here to remind us that “More than 4000 condemned until death are waiting for their execution. No to Capital punishment”. Accompanying these words at a Barcelona bus shelter was a bench designed to look like a pair of electric chairs.

‘Extra Safe’ Credit Union Ad

(image via: thefinancialbrand)

If this ad and others in the same series were put out by an insurance agency, one would have to wonder whether the “extra safe” message really implies that consumers are buying way more coverage than they need. But the ads were actually created by FirstOntario Credit Union to assure the public that their short-term investments are secure as can be, even in this shaky economic climate – so it works.

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