The beach is one big billboard for companies looking to surreptitiously market their products, from Game of Thrones to Jim Beam, which would be annoying if most of these guerrilla installations weren’t so fun. Plus, some of these site-specific seaside installations are the work of mysterious anonymous artists, or organizations raising awareness for issues like sea turtle protection and skin cancer avoidance.

Game of Thrones Dragon Washed Up on a British Beach

A 40-foot-long dragon skull seemingly washed up on Charmouth Beach in Dorset, England in the spring of 2013, likely only puzzling onlookers who aren’t familiar with the HBO series Game of Thrones. Still, it’s a pretty fun example of guerrilla marketing, especially since this area is known as the ‘Jurassic Coast,’ where lots of dinosaur fossils turn up. It took three sculptors over two months to design, sculpt and paint the skull. Who could resist climbing inside?

Jim Beam Creates the World’s Largest Cooler at Bondi Beach

Jim Beam and the ESKY cooler company teamed up to temporarily transform the Bondi Icebergs Pool into the world’s largest cooler for the filming of a commercial. The cooler was filled with about half a million gallons of water, over 500 giant ice cubes and 33 supersized Jim Beam cans.

King Kong Footsteps at the Santa Monica Pier

Giant footsteps and a smashed lifeguard truck appeared to signal total chaos at the Santa Monica Pier in June 2010, signaling the opening of the new Universal Studios Hollywood theme park attraction, King Kong 360 3-D. This ambient advertisement by the firm David&Goliath was a accompanied by a ‘news report’ on YouTube. Does this make anyone else miss the old King Kong ride? RIP, King Kong Encounter, which burned down in 2008.

Unexplained Giant Lego Man

A life-sized Lego Man washed up on a Florida beach with the somewhat nonsensical message ‘NO REAL THAN YOU ARE’ printed on its chest. Measuring about 8 feet tall and weighing 100 pounds, the ‘man’ was discovered on the Siesta Key beach. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office sent out a tongue-in-cheek press release reporting that they had taken the ‘man’ into custody, and found ‘Ego Leonard’ written on his back. Then, another one washed up in Japan. Turns out, Ego Leonard is the pseudonym of an anonymous Dutch artist, and his creations show up periodically on beaches around the world. Somebody should warn King Kong, so he doesn’t step on him.

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Messages In The Sand 12 Great Guerrilla Ads At The Beach River Banks

Most bus stops are… less than stellar. As functional as anything can be in this world, the form is totally utilitarian and dull. Thankfully not all municipalities believe this should be the case. Unfortunately, most bus stop excitement is purely advertiser-driven guerilla marketing.

(Images via curiousread, a-girl-and-her-fork, nowthatsnifty, epidemicfun)

Fruit-shaped bus stops have an innocent quality about them that’s hard to define. With no apparent advertising motive, these are some of the greatest “just because” bus stops we’ve seen.

(Images via demilked, toxel, funnypicturebyshiva, techinasia)

Here, relax! Have some fun while waiting for the bus. It would be excellent if cities realized that small touches would make the wait leagues better.

(Images via demilked, boredpanda, demilked)

Bus stop destruction definitely catches the eye. Whether it’s a bust that is literally breaking through the glass, or an ad for a dinosaur museum… a little destruction can make all the difference.

(Images via demilked, uniqueinterestingfacts)

Bus stop patrons are typically bored. Give them something to fool around with! Throw in some branding, no one will care; they’ll simply be glad they had something different to hold their attention.

(Images via creativeguerillamarketing, designussion, creativeguerillamarketing, designussion)

A few striking advertiser bus stop makeovers make the disparity between a spruced-up stop, and a typical one, quite jarring. Why can’t they all look this great? Thanks to Absolut and Ikea, some stops can.

(Images via uniqueinterestingfacts, creativecriminals, techinasia, designussion)

A truly clever guerilla marketing campaign can turn a bus stop into a creative exercise, almost like a scene from a commercial.

(Images via creativecriminals, uniqueinterestingfacts)

Hungry on the morning commute? These stops won’t help. At least one of them provides some much needed heat to cold commuters.

(Images via adweek, demilked, designboom, designussion)

Interactive bus stops can change the outlook of the entire day. These examples allow one to charge up their phone, get stuck on their new grip bottle, see intelligent electricity in action, or smell a warm baked potato.

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(Images via creativeguerillamarketing, toxel, toxel)

McDonald’s showed the deadline of their free coffee offer with a creative experiment in guerilla marketing. Star Wars lightsabers light up one bus stop, while 3M safety glass tempts commuters at another stop.

(Images via adweek, demilked, crookedbrains, decodir)

These bus stop ads have a depth that can’t be achieved anywhere else. Real swimming fish, an ad made of dice, a living ant farm, and a seductive display are all treats for the weary commuter. Interested in what happens when these commuters get on the bus? Check out this crazy bus art!

If you saw human figures zooming through the sky – just flying on their own, with no parachutes or jet packs apparent – what would go through your mind? Would you think you were losing it? Believe that superheroes really do exist? Fear that it was part of some kind of bizarre terrorist attack, give the location near the Statue of Liberty in New York City?

The Manhattanites who witnessed the display of flying people might have thought any one of those things. Or, they might have realized that the figures aren’t real, and that they must be part of some kind of art project.

In fact, they’re human-shaped RC planes, and the stunt is a viral marketing effort for the upcoming superhero movie, ‘Chronicle.’ Marketing or not, the video is incredible, and it would have been amazing to see it in person.

Implements of war and destruction are often seen as fascinating objects in themselves, for a variety of reasons. British designer and artist Kyle Bean created a series of harmless weapons that celebrate the beauty of their form without promoting the violence with which their real-world counterparts are associated.

(images via: Kyle Bean)

The suite of “soft guerrilla” weapons was created for a magazine article all about guerrilla gardening and other “soft” forms of rebellion.

By keeping the forms but changing the materials, the weapons lose all of their perceived power. Dynamite made of ice cream bars, bullets made of birthday candles and a machine gun made of clay simply don’t have the intimidation power of the real articles.

These non-weapons are equal parts serious statement and tongue-in-cheek fun. They are, of course, entirely harmless – and so any guilt that one might feel at admiring their graceful forms is handily dispatched.

(image via: Bryan Ku)

In a similar vein is this group of pillow fight weapons from Bryan Ku. Modeled after some wickedly dangerous objects like a double-sided Viking axe and a pair of nunchucks, the fluffy pillows could make pillow fights way more interesting. In fact, your opponents might simply surrender when they see you coming at them with a ninja throwing star.

We see advertisements every day, but few of them are creative or shocking enough to make us stop and take notice. These brilliant campaigns not only look impressive, but also grab the viewer’s attention long enough to let the message sink in. While you might not care about the product or cause being advertised in these ads, it’s hard to deny the genius involved with designing something so eye-catching.

100+ Unique Uses of Traditional Advertising Media

One of the most difficult challenges an advertiser faces is getting someone to pay attention to something they see every day. Making mundane billboards, benches, escalators, stairs, elevators and buses into interesting advertising spaces isn’t easy, but with a clever idea, even the most boring canvas can come alive.

16 Creative Billboards (and 15 More, and Yet 18 More): There are those that see billboards as distracting obstructions in city skylines and there are those that see potential greatness in these sky-high blank slates. These billboards show just how cool the space can be when the design involves just a little bit of creative insight.

15 Clever Bench Ads: When most people see an advertisement on a bench, they just plop down, but with inspired ads like these, people find it hard to just sit there, and instead take pictures and tell their friends.

15 Great Escalator& Stair Ads (and 15 Elevator Ads): Rather than just applying pictures or words to stairs, escalators and elevators, these creative ad campaigns play with the tiers, doors and movements, placing them at the top of their game when it comes to elevated advertising.

Transportation With Style: Bus ads are seen by pedestrians and drivers alike, but whereas most of these ads are forgotten almost immediately, the playful messages on these buses stick with viewers throughout the day.

Over 100 Great Guerrilla Marketing Movements

Guerrilla marketing is one of the most innovative forms of advertising. These playful and thought-provoking installations make the viewer feel strong emotions about what they are seeing, even if it revolves around a corporate message instead of a work of art.

What is guerrilla marketing?: For a better understanding of guerrilla marketing, and to enjoy some brilliant campaigns, this WebUrbanist exclusive, eight-part series is a must see. It covers the origins, corporations, nuances, social uses, types, and future of guerrilla marketing, along with answering that difficult question, “is guerrilla marketing right for you?”

22 Ads From Bizarre to Brilliant: Everyone from bookstores to condom manufacturers to laundry detergent companies, is in on the guerrilla marketing bandwagon these days, but that doesn’t make these ads any less entertaining.

14 Fun Urban Street Ads: These ads, often created by professional artists, tip toe the line between marketing and artwork. The result is visually-stunning ads that actually get people to stop and take note.

12 Extremely Effective Guerrilla Marketing Stunts (and 13 More): Unlike most forms of advertising, guerrilla marketing isn’t limited to traditional mediums and can even interact directly with the viewer. These galleries are filled with 25 effective guerrilla marketing campaigns that were attention-grabbing enough to get people to stop in the street.

10 Intense Public Guerrilla Marketing Posters: Marketers have used posters for centuries, but these 10 shocking ads use their specific installation locations to make a much more powerful statement than any picture could on its own.

15 Cool, Crazy and Innovative Guerrilla Marketing Campaigns (and 15 More): These guerrilla campaigns show just how varied the mediums can be when it comes to the art of advertising. With everything from shopping bags, billboards, subway installations, crosswalks and more, these ads get attention in almost every way possible.

Over 100 Effective Advertisements For Great Causes

Public service announcements, political organizations and charities often have small ad budgets and end up with less memorable marketing campaigns as a result. These campaigns show that a well-presented powerful message can get plenty of attention, even without a huge investment.

15 Great Green Ads (and 11 More, and Yet 29 More): These days, everyone knows the environment needs help. The trick is to move viewers from the realm of knowledge and inspire them to actually take action. These ads did just that.

15 Ingenious Humanitarian Subvertisements: The environment isn’t the only cause worthy of attention. These 15 ads inspire the average shopper to take action to help their fellow man, whether that means donating blood, food, money or time.

18 Creative And Bizarre Safe Sex Ads (and 20 More): With some schools still teaching abstinence only programs, safe sex ads are an important social contribution, helping to reduce unplanned pregnancies, and the spread of dangerous and deadly diseases.

20 Brave and Bold Advertisements

Advertisers have to carefully toe the line of socially acceptable messages and imagery, but sometimes they find a company willing to break the rules. These 20 ads crossed boundaries, in some cases resulting in effective communication with the audience, but not all of the advertisers were so lucky.

15 Cool and Crazy Controversial Advertisements: It takes guts for a company to use revolting imagery, graphic content or pro-drug messages to promote their message, but these 15 ads successfully pushed boundaries and came out ahead.

5 Examples of Guerrilla Marketing Gone Wrong: Of course, not all daring moves pay off. These 5 attempts at guerrilla ads not only failed miserably, but resulted in everything from resentment to bomb scares.