40+ Most Powerful Social Issue Ads That’ll Make You Think

Let’s face it, most advertisements today are about selling a product or service; they give little thought to people who are offended by them and want them gone. But in this collection, we’ll be sharing advertisements that are of a high standard and are an excellent example of how good effective adverts can be when social issues are brought in to be a voice for the voiceless.

This collection features 42 Most Powerful Social Issue Ads That’ll Make You Think; a well-designed advertisement should grab your attention and remain in your memory for a long time, especially for critical social issues. Some ads you’ll see today are commercial, while others are for social or environmental causes or products. The tricky part is getting people to stop and think about these problems while making them aware and want to help and support social change.

Like most ads, the facts are enough; the ad should appeal to the viewers’ emotions which have a powerful effect on memory and ensure the emotion will last longer. Thanks to technology best ad makers are available in the market.

Howard Gossage, who works in the advertising industry, stated:

“advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest—it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.”

01. Save Paper – Save The Planet

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Copenhagen, Denmark

02. Your Skin Color Shouldn’t Dictate Your Future

Advertising Agency: Publicis Conseil, Paris, France

03. Liking Isn’t Helping. Be A Volunteer. Change A Life

Advertising Agency: Publicis, Singapore

04. Torture Victims Are People Just Like You And Me

Advertising Agency: Advico Y&R, Zurich, Switzerland

05. Stop The Violence: Don’t Drink And Drive

Advertising Agency: Terremoto Propaganda, Curitiba, Brazil

06. The Right to Childhood Should Be Protected

Image credits: Erik Ravelo

07. Premature Ending: “If you smoke, statistically, your story will end 15% before it should.”

“THE END. If you smoke, your story will end 15% before it should. For help with quitting, call QUITTLINE on 0200 00 22 00″ (Advertising Agency: Iris, London, UK)

08. World Wide Fund For Nature: Frightening vs. More Frightening

Advertising Agency: DDB&CO., Istanbul, Turkey

09. Deforestation Continues With The Turn Of A Page

Advertising Agency: LINKSUS, Beijing, China

10. Unhate

Advertising Agency: Fabrica, Italy

11. Elm Grove Police Department: Slower Is Better

Advertising Agency: Cramer-Krasselt, Milwaukee, USA

12. Air Pollution Kills 60.000 People A Year

Advertising Agency: unknown

13. Bird Conservation: If You Don’t Pick It Up, They Will

Advertising Agency: TBWAHuntLascaris, Johannesburg, South Africa

14. What We See When You Smoke

Advertising Agency: JWT, Atlanta, USA

15. Animal Anti-Cruelty League: That’s Not A Football

Advertising Agency: Lowe Bull, Cape Town, South Africa

16. Bangalore Traffic Police: Don’t Talk While Driving

Advertising Agency: Mudra Group, India

17. Child Soldiers: It’s Not Happening Here, But It’s Happening Now

Creative/Art director Pius Walker, Amnesty International, Switzerland.

18. Censorship Tells The Wrong Story

Advertising Agency: Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai, UAE

19. Distracted Driving: Think Of Both Sides

Advertising Agency: Red Pepper, Ekaterinburg, Russia

20. Every 60 Seconds, A Species Dies Out. Each Minute Counts

Advertising Agency: Scholz & Friends, Berlin, Germany

21. Innocence In Danger: Where’s The Pedophile?

Art Director: Michael Arguello, Copywriter: Bassam Tariq, Additional credits: Jason Musante

22. Sexual Predators Can Hide In Your Child’s Smartphone

Advertising Agency: Herezie, Paris, France

23. Smoking Causes Premature Aging

Advertising Agency: Euro RSCG Australia

24. You’re Not A Sketch. Say No To Anorexia

Advertising Agency: Revolution Brasil

25. Neglected Children Are Made To Feel Invisible. Stop Child Abuse Now

“To dramatize the issue of neglect, we placed mannequins dressed as children behind billposters. When the inevitable happened, we revealed a second message.” (Australian Childhood Foundation, JWT Melbourne)