42 Of The Most Powerful Social And Environmental Ads That Will Change The Way You Think

No matter how tired and irritated we might be about the overwhelming flow of advertisements around us, social ads still manage to catch our attention and shock us pretty easily. It's no wonder, as issues of public interest, like our health, the environment, and human and animal rights, always strike a chord in our hearts and conscience.

This is a compilation of 42 powerful ad campaigns that will inevitably leave you thinking about the issues our world faces. You've got to admire these advertisers’ creativity and insight, too!

(h/t: boredpanda)

1. Save Paper – Save The Planet

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Copenhagen, Denmark

2. Your Skin Color Shouldn’t Dictate Your Future

Advertising Agency: Publicis Conseil, Paris, France

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

Advertising Agency: Publicis, Singapore

4. Torture Victims Are People Just Like You And Me

Advertising Agency: Advico Y&R, Zurich, Switzerland

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

Advertising Agency: Terremoto Propaganda, Curitiba, Brazil

6. The Right to Childhood Should Be Protected

Image credits: Erik Ravelo

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

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

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

Advertising Agency: DDB&CO., Istanbul, Turkey

9. 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: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, 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)

26. Global Action In The Interest of Animals: Plastic Bags Kill

Advertising Agency: BBDO Malaysia, MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur / Advertising Agency: Duval Guillaume, Belgium

27. What Goes Around Comes Around. Keep The Sea Clean

Advertising Agency: JWT, Dubai, UAE

28. Tailgating Isn’t Worth It. Give Trucks Room

Advertising Agency: Amélie Company, Denver, Colorado, USA

29. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: When You See A Tuna, Think Panda

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Singapore

30. Sleepiness Is Stronger Than You. Don’t Drive Sleepy

Advertising Agency: BBDO Bangkok, Thailand

31. See how easy feeding the hungry can be?

Advertising Agency: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, Johannesburg, South Africa

32. Causing Cancer By Yourself

Advertising Agency: Dentsu, Beijing, China

33. Deforestation And The Air We Breathe: Before It’s Too Late

Advertising Agency: TBWA\PARIS, France

34. For The Homeless, Every Day Is A Struggle

Advertising Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne, Australia

35. The Prevention Beer Mug: Please Don’t Lose Control Over Your Drinking

Advertising Agency: EURORSCG Prague, Czech Republic

36. One Child Is Holding Something That’s Been Banned In America To Protect Them. Guess Which One?

Advertising Agency: Grey, Toronto, Canada

37. Breast Cancer Awareness Bra

Advertising Agency: Bolero, Fortaleza, Brazil

38. What Goes Around Comes Around: Stop The Iraq War

Advertising Agency: Big Ant International, New York, USA

39. UN Women: Auto-Complete Shows Perceptions Of Women

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Dubai, UAE

40. Don’t Buy Exotic Animal Souvenirs

Advertising Agency: LOWE GGK, Warsaw, Poland

41. Animal Abuse And Shelters: Same Pet, Different Owner

Advertising Agency: TBWA-Santiago Mangada Puno, Philippines

42. Buckle up. Stay alive

Advertising Agency: Lg2, Quebec, Canada