Billboards in Europe

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Today, we’re going to be taking a look at European billboards and some of the trends that are present within them. 

In Milan, Italy a billboard promoting insecticide took an interesting approach.

Orphea4D is an insect spray that assures consumers that insects will die upon coming into contact with its potency.

To convey the message in a creative way, the company designed an ad with a single Orphea4D bottle on the bottom left side. This left a large part of the billboard empty, but little did people know, super glue was applied in the outline of a spray arc. When actual insects flew into the board, they became stuck.

A billboard showing real insects stuck to it.
A very simple design that utilizes an “interactive space”. Photo via Advergize.

Similar to billboards posted in the United States, European billboards also take the chance to bring attention to politics and other issues that impact society. Back in 2019, four men posted a series of billboards that showed old tweets from various politicians speaking on the matter of Britain leaving the European Union.

The organizers found that the simple display of a Tweet can be quite effective for out-of-home communication. Photo via the Guardian.

For them, the goal was to reveal the hypocrisy surrounding the Brexit situation. They went as far as pasting over other people’s billboards using their own tools. An article by the Guardian gives a full breakdown of the story. 

European billboards don’t lack for humor as well. Just recently in London, a man named Muhammed Malik got creative in his attempts to find a romantic partner. Malik identifies as a Muslim, and on the billboard, he jokingly references being saved from an arranged marriage, a tradition that is present in many Islamic cultures.

Billboards showing a bachelor looking for a romantic partner.
Watch out ladies, Muhammad Malik is a rising star in the dating game. Photo via Wales Online.

Keep up to date with our blog for more explorations into the billboard industry across the world.