8 Most Controversial OOH Ads of 2023

By Amber Larkins, OOH Today Writer

Outdoor ads. We want them to be eye-catching, and leave a lasting impression. Sometimes that means trying controversial methods to make them memorable.

Here is a round-up of outdoor ads that sparked controversy and conversation this year, as previously seen in Best Creative Last Week Today:

1. Diablo IV Campaign During Canada Wildfires BIG Outdoor
   This ad ran during the wildfires in Canada and the whole skyline of New York looked like a scene from the end of days. Was this great timing, or should the ad have been pulled for sensitivity?  It certainly seemed like we were in hell.

2. Maybelline Faux OOH

One of the first of the Faux OOH that have been circulating, this campaign featured a London train made up with false eyelashes. The problem? The false eyelashes were completely CGI and the video and images from the campaign were completely a social media play. Is this OOH or is this social media? Does this detract from the real value of experiential, jaw-dropping OOH?

3. Dick or Richard Pics for Plenty of Fish‘s campaign attempts to make dating friendly again.  OUTFRONT 

This ad featured pictures of men named Richard living in and around Vancouver in an attempt to reclaim the meaning of “dick pic.” While the ad used creative messaging, many women are tired of “friendly” “Richard” pics in their DMs and may not have liked the suggestion that they should get more “Richards” in their “inbox.”

4. You should taste our melons Box truck wraps for Mela Watermelon Water. Designer Wraps

Likening a drink to a common idiomatic expression for women’s breasts hearkens back to the adage that sex sells using PG-rated humor. This attention-grabbing ad makes this list because women’s body parts do not need to be juxtaposed with a Watermelon beverage.

5. Dove – Unilever’s Dove connected with millions with their #FreeThePits NYC multi-station domination with turnstiles campaign. OUTFRONT Media Entry Media

Women are still held to unrealistic beauty standards that they should be hairless and that pits are private. This campaign encouraged women to be proud of their bodies (even if they aren’t completely clean-shaven.)

6. The League dating app at Los Angeles International Airport – LAX.  Cheeky headlines encouraging viewers to “date someone with “goals” so big they need extra leg room” or who can “talk dirty to you in three different languages” enticed viewers, but was also extremely suggestive.

      7. Regain your appeel – ED OUTFRONT

This appeared the same week as a similar banana-stand-in-for-male genetalia ad. This one was approved by Outfront, while the other was not. It encouraged men with erectile dysfunction to “regain their apeel” to women using creative that showed a woman with a banana over her mouth. This of course suggests fellatio and is of course, controversial and negative towards women. Have you ever seen an advertisement that suggests how to get more cunnilingus?

      8. Just use it! AHF and Becker Boards

This ad from the Aids Health Foundation encouraged viewers to practice safe sex. There was difficulty in procuring a space. Outfront said no to the ad. Suggesting fellatio is okay, but wearing a condom? Not allowed. There was additional controversy over using a similar tagline to Nike’s “Just Do It”, with a condom-covered banana standing in place of its trademark logo. Great use of creative and messaging from AHF and PJX Media. This ad turned heads and encouraged audiences to protect their bananas.

Did we miss something big on the list? What would you have included? Which one do you think is the most controversial ad of the year? Reach out to us at OOH Today to BillBoard@OOHToday.com and let us know!