From The Metro

Riding around the Metro in Paris over the past couple of weeks once again reinforced the power of outdoor billboards when done well – and as these examples show, they do them well over there…! There are 3 campaigns that particularly caught my eye: for Chanel, M Moustache shoes, and an ‘internal’ campaign for rail safety (their version of ‘dumb ways to die’, I’d say).

Chanel, as always, is a perfect example of simplicity done with enviable style and sophistication – note that these posters are single colour, however the cut through is enormous. Product front and centre, beautiful art direction, strong branding, minimal text.  All the fundamentals of effective billboards adhered to.

The M-Moustache shoes execution is a bit like Chanel in terms of its’ simplicity and sense of understated style. But this creative was designed to deliver a smile, and reinforce the brand name via a memorable visual mnemonic. And succeeds.

The last series takes the ‘dumb ways…’ approach of using humour to drive home a serious message about the importance of behaving safely in and around trains and stations. The executions are somewhat macabre, but highly effective.

Prendre plaisir.