17 Adverts With a Powerful Message on Social Issues

 Adverts always aim to pass on an underlying message, but when they're powerful and well-presented, it's hard to forget them. That's a great thing if it's promoting a product, but the adverts we've listed for you here are promoting something much deeper. They are effective reminders of some of the social problems we commonly take for granted in our modern lives, and are certainly worth a moment to stop and think.

1. Stop the violence

This poster, created by Brazilian agency Terremoto Propoganda, aims to discourage people from drunk driving in the most atypical way.

2. Cellphone wall

The truth behind our phone addictions lies in this advert, created by the company Ogilvy based in Beijing. Their campaign has a slogan we could all agree with: 
 

"The more you connect, the less you connect."

3. "Speed kills"

This might not be the first time you've heard the slogan, but thanks to the images used in this advert, the advertising agency Western Cape Government made it a hundred times more realistic.

4. Let's stay human on public transport

"Traveling with a large back pack is not a reason to get in other people’s way."

French company RATP uses some humor in its advertising campaign to encourage people to have respect towards other passengers when using public transport.

5. See how easy feeding the hungry can be?

This smart advert campaign, created by TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris agency in Johannesburg, South Africa, reminds shoppers that people are dying of hunger - and that they can help solve this problem. 

6. Throwing away cigarette butts

Created by the Hubbub organization from the UK, these containers were put in the streets as an original way to encourage people to throw away their cigarette butts in bins rather than on the pavements.

7. Your child is what you eat

A poster made by creative agency Paim at the request of the Brazilian Society of Periatricians (SPRS), with the aim of raising awareness of eating habits that can cause problems for their children in the future. 

8. No child has ever dreamed of becoming a fat adult

The obesity issue can't be made more stark than the way it is presented in this advert, created by LatinWorks agency. The message behind it holds that this problem can even interfere with people's dreams.

9. What  you waste in 2 minutes is what she lives on for 2 days

One of the things we forget each morning is presented ever so clearly in this striking advert, as part of Colgate-Palmolive's campaign for the economical consumption of water resources.

10. Eye-opener for animal poaching

Animals are poached for their fur coats and other products like ivory and horns, and this is exactly what these ironic adverts are speaking out about. They were created as part of a social campaign of Mozambique Fashion Week, and although they might not stop poachers, they could at least raise the awareness of customers. 

11. Childhood ends when work begins

These Portuguese public service adverts are communicating an important message about child labor. The images of a toy cleaning people's shoes and sitting behind a sewing machine symbolize what children around the world are forced to do every day.

12. When you see tuna, imagine it's a panda

This advert, created by Singapore agency Ogilvy & Mather, gets us thinking about the exploitation of animals. If we imagine that tuna fish are in fact cute panda bears, then people might actually start taking a stand on the issue.

13. Don't talk while you drive

The Mudra Group, an Indian advertising agency, has found a great way to raise awareness about the dangers of using the phone while driving. It gets you thinking about the terrifying impacts an avoidable mistake like this would leave. 

14. Liking isn't helping

In the modern society, it has become normal to "like" matters on social media, but thanks to these adverts by Singapore-based agency Publicis, we can open our eyes to the reality of this worthless action. 

15. Buckle up. Stay Alive.

This advert by Canadian advertising agency SAAQ promotes the importance of wearing the seat belt. In the image, the seat belt is covering the possibility of being involved in a life-threatening accident. 

16. Drunk? Choose how you'll be taken home.

This Icelandic public service advert presents us with the reality of drinking and driving, by asking how one would want to be taken home. There's a choice: a taxi cab, a police car, an ambulance - or a funeral car.

17. Think of both sides 

The Russian advertising agency Red Pepper created a highly-evocative advert that demonstrates the act of an accident from two sides. It expresses the thought that children involved in car accidents could easily be your own.