In 2023, a giant Barbie was seen towering over the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, wearing a strapless striped jumpsuit, still in her Mattel packaging. In the same year, Maybelline launched a marketing campaign where a larger-than-life mascara brush applied their famous Lash Sensational Mascara to a passing train in New York City. Both of these are examples of CGI ads that went viral, gaining over 3.5 and 12 million views within a few hours.
Using advanced computer graphics, CGI ads create hyper-realistic 3D visualizations that stay fresh in your customer’s minds long after they’ve seen the ad. With CGI, there’s no limit to what you can create, letting brands stand out by presenting their products as compelling stories. Want to be the next one to hit the viewership charts? Read on for the 100 best CGI ads of all time and gather inspiration!
Shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing regulations, traditional out-of-home (OOH) ads lost their golden appeal. Since these ads were restricted to public spaces like bus stops, billboards, and subway signs, their impact could never be felt on digital mediums. This is when faux-out-of-home (FOOH) adverts got introduced, connecting customers and brands through digital mediums and social media.
CGI or FOOH (Fake/Faux-out-of-home) ads are a type of advertising that uses computer-generated imagery to create the illusion of traditional out-of-home (OOH) ads. These ads are digitally inserted into photographs or videos of real-world settings, making it appear as if the advertisement is physically present in those locations.
This is done through advanced CGI and photo-editing software to ensure that the digital ads blend naturally with their surroundings. FOOH ads maintain realistic lighting, shadows, and perspective by using the latest AR and CGI technology — creating hyper-realistic campaigns that connect with your customers on a deeper level.
The computer-generated imagery (CGI) market is forecasted to reach $13.44 billion by 2028 from $3.18 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 19.9%. But why are CGI (FOOH) ads considered the next big thing in advertising? First, with CGI ads, you can display your product in a hundred creative forms, from a car driving on the moon to a face serum working in ways that defy physics.
While CGI may appear expensive initially, it can save money in the long run. Think about the costs of staging real-world shoots (and building sets), hiring actors, securing locations, and dealing with weather or logistical issues. CGI sidesteps many of these costs, leading to a controlled, efficient production process.
If you need to update your ad as per new trends or make changes according to feedback, it’s much easier to adapt CGI ads than to reshoot a live action scene. 3D CGI ads give customers a lifelike 360° view of your product, thereby reducing returns by 35% while improving the chance of conversion by 11 times.
CGI ads are created through a multi-step process that combines creativity and advanced technology. Like any successful marketing campaign, the first step in the creation of CGI ads is concept development. Take the time to brainstorm ideas, define the message, and create a rough storyboard of the visual narrative you want to communicate. Once you have the concept ready, follow these steps on how to create CGI ads.
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie has been a masterclass in marketing, with campaigns like pink AirBnB, pink Google, and the pink burger by Burger King. In 2023, the world’s “most loved doll” took a step forward with a giant 3D CGI ad in front of Burj Khalifa, Dubai’s largest skyscraper.
The ad features a larger-than-life Barbie who is seen stepping out of her Mattel packaging, wearing a strapless striped jumpsuit, black heels, and white cat-eye sunglasses. Thanks to its realistic details and smooth animation, the ad quickly entered the list of CGI ads that went viral, gaining over 3.5 million views on Instagram.
In the summer of 2023, Jacquemus, the French fashion house founded in 2009, launched an eye-catching campaign that took the internet by storm. The ad featured a giant replica of their Le Bambimou handbag, with a beautiful blue textured skin and a minimalistic design. You could see the huge bag inflating slowly, its sides expanding as it floated on the shores of France.
The campaign not only got people talking but also reminded audiences of how playful and bold Jacquemus is as a brand. People were fascinated by the unreal installation of a giant handbag in the ocean, and they couldn’t stop sharing it. This viral effect meant that Jacquemus reached a much wider audience than usual, extending beyond fashion fans to the general public.
If there’s one thing American beauty brand Maybelline is known for, apart from high-quality cosmetic products, it’s viral CGI marketing campaigns. The brand recently caught the spotlight for its ad promoting the Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara. In the ad, a Tube carriage is pulled into a station, where a lash makeover is given to the train as it goes from the underground station, giving a fluttery effect.
Similarly, a double-decker with huge lashes was seen traveling above the ground. As the bus moved through the streets, a huge mascara wand extended from a nearby building and gave its lashes a dramatic coat of mascara. Although the eyelashes were not physically present on the trains and buses, the CGI effects were so lifelike that many people believed they were real. The rising popularity and search got Maybelline Mag posting, “Londoners should not go searching for any giant eyelashes just yet!”.
Back in the summer of 2023, L’Oreal topped the viewership charts with its CGI ad promoting the new Infallible Matte Resistance Liquid Lipstick. The ad opens with a Citroën 2CV driving down the road — carrying a giant version of L'Oreal's red lipstick on its back. As the car moves, the lipstick paints a bold, vibrant red streak on the road, reinforcing the product’s lasting nature.
Here’s the idea L’Oreal gives: just as the lipstick leaves a lasting pigment on the road despite the rough surface, it will similarly last on the lips without smudging or fading. The ad emphasizes that the Infallible Matte Resistance lipstick promises up to 16 hours of wear, which is shown by the smudge-proof mark it leaves on the asphalt. People were impressed by the promise of a long-lasting, smudge-proof lipstick, which led to 3.5 million views in two days!
Jacquemus, the brainchild of Simon Porte, knows how to deliver the kind of campaigns that get people talking, with the brand’s portfolio featuring many viral examples of CGI. In its recent campaign, the french fashion house showed its Le Bambino handbag hanging high above the city, attached to a construction crane.
Set against Hong Kong’s busy cityscape, the CGI ad reminds viewers of the textured leather and elegant design that Jacquemus is known for. While the ad ended after 8-seconds, the reinforced brand image stayed fresh in viewer’s minds long after, thanks to the magic of CGI and media coverage.
The “VBChain Global Takeover” is one of the most classic CGI advertising examples, where the fashion house dropped its latest Chain Pouch across London's cityscape. In the ad campaign, you can see black, blue, yellow, and purple bags landing on a green, shrub-filled land in the middle of tall buildings and skyscrapers.
The ad also features the Statue of Liberty holding Victoria Beckham’s silver chain pouch in her hand. This boosted VB’s social media engagement and sales apart from reinforcing the brand’s reputation for being fashion-forward.
Pandora, the renowned Danish jewelry brand launched in 1982, made its debut at the Copenhagen Fashion Week in a visually appealing and memorable manner. The CGI ad released by the brand showed the walls of the Pandora store opening inwards, followed by three differently colored locks on the screen. A silver key is then used to unlock the bolts, supposedly representing the introduction of the Pandora store during fashion week.
Adidas has done it again with its 2023-24 Saudi Arabia home football kit reveal, stirring buzz on the brand’s social media platforms. The ad was part of Adidas’ ongoing campaign, “Impossible Is Nothing,” and was created using CGI technology without any damage to the historic site. Adidas chose the archaeological site of Hegra for its campaign, a place famous for its rock-cut burial places that have remained untouched for years.
In the ad, viewers can see a giant-sized jersey representing the Saudi national football team flowing dramatically, thanks to the desert wind. A passerby looks up at the jersey, highlighting the scale and grandeur of the historical building behind it. Adidas also has other viral CGI ads examples under its name, including a CGI billboard celebrating Lionel Messi’s World Cup win.
Uniqlo made use of CGI ads to announce its expansion into Mumbai, India, which helped the brand gain media coverage and, ultimately, a wider audience. The ad consists of a beautiful scene set against the Marine Drive, a 3-kilometer-long promenade in India. In the ad, a large ship sails into view, carrying three huge cargo containers labeled with Uniqlo’s iconic red and white branding. As these containers open, the camera zooms in on the brand’s button-down tee and jackets, signaling that Uniqlo has officially opened its store in Mumbai.
If content is King, Jacquemus is Queen, especially when it comes to delivering the kind of media buzz that fashion fans love to chase. On April 5, 2023, the French fashion brand set social media on fire with its “Bag on Wheels” campaign. The CGI ad showed giant versions of its iconic Le Bambino handbags racing through the streets of Paris, sparking tens of conversations.
In the 7-second video, you could see colossal Jacquemus bags in shades of chocolate brown, orange, and pink smoothly integrated into the Parisian traffic. As the bus-sized bags rolled down the streets, the names “BAMBINO” and “JACQUEMUS” were etched onto the pavement, leaving no doubt about the mastermind behind this stunt. The brand shared the CGI ad on its Instagram with a playful caption, “I THINK I LIKE PARIS NOW”, adding to its virality.
CGI ads are definitely the future of advertising, making it possible for brands to create visually appealing and memorable content that can go viral in no time. From Jacquemus’ Bags on Wheels Campaign to Maybelline’s lash makeover on London’s tubes, the examples of CGI demonstrate the power of digital media in generating brand awareness (and sales).
If you’re looking to cash out the CGI medium for your next advertising campaign, Cominted Labs is your one-stop solution. With a team of skilled artists and years of experience, we can help you create ads that not only stand out but also resonate with your audience. Check out our 3D marketing services and make your brand the next talk of town with viral CGI campaigns!
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