23 Brilliantly Weird Ads From Around The World
Emma Johnson
Published May 19, 2026
If there's one thing that unites every country, it's how nuts their advertising companies are. You'll see what we mean when you look at these weird ads.
Advertising is both a science and an art, as the true stories of the real “Mad Men” show. Given the wealth of products to buy and causes to support, advertisers know that for an ad to really stick, it needs to pull out all the stops.
Sometimes that challenge takes advertisers to brilliant places; other times they end up being downright offensive. But sometimes, advertisers straddle the middle ground of flat-out weird ads:
Right: India's Sankara Eye Institute goes about raising awareness for its cause in a slightly creepy way. Source: Creative Ad Awards
Right: India's "Fruit Shop" has just made us feel really bad about eating pears. Creative Ad Awards
Right: Luxembourg's Utopolis Cinemas would like you to remember that reality sucks. Source: Ads of the World
Right: The Canadian Cancer Society just wants to let you know that cancer...can be sweet? Source: Creative Ad Awards
Next, check out some of history's most offensive sexist ads.