While spending 30 seconds on an escalator, where do you look? Most people just stare straight ahead – making escalators an ideal location for advertising. But some ads are more colorful, clever and controversial than others, using both the ideal eye-level platform and shape of the stairs to their full potential. These are the kinds of ads that make people pause and marvel for a moment before continuing on their way.

1. While spending 30 seconds on an
escalator, where do you look? Most
people just stare straight ahead –
making escalators an ideal location
for advertising. But some ads are
more colourful, clever and
controversial than others, using
both the ideal eye-level platform
and shape of the stairs to their full
potential. These are the kinds of
ads that make people pause and
marvel for a moment before
continuing on their way.

2. In 2008, the advertising firm of Ogilvy and Mather was commissioned to design an ad campaign
for the Shanghai branch of UNICEF. The ad was aimed at drawing attention to the over 1.5
million children who continue to live in extreme poverty in China in spite of 30 years of
continuous economic growth. Here is one of the images they produced

4. Marketing campaign from Nike on an escalator in Mexico

6. From the top of the stairs, this
ad looks so realistic that it
could prompt people to rush
down so quickly they injure
themselves – completely
undermining the purpose of
the campaign. Created for the
Canadian Red Cross, the decal
intends to promote the
knowledge of first aid with a
message reading “Know What
to Do.”

7. Coca-Cola engaged in some targeted marketing in a joint campaign with McDonalds.
Regular, full-calorie Coke was advertised to people who take the stairs, while the people
getting less activity by taking the escalator see ads for Diet Coke instead.

8. Consol Energy reminds
people of what it takes to
power our world with coal
– descending into deep,
dark, dirty mines – with an
ad bound to make
environmentalists cringe.

9. Hong Kong traffic is notoriously nightmarish. But even the gridlocks of this
city can’t stop DHL, or so they insinuate with this escalator ad which
depicts their trucks speeding down a convenient (though imaginary) fast
lane, located on the moving handrail, as the rest of the cars remain at a
maddening halt.

10. Who was the advertiser that looked at the side of an escalator and thought, ‘hmmm, that looks
like a leg’? Someone had to have made that questionable connection to come up with this eye-
catching ad by Gillette, which featured small decals of razors on the handrail.

11. It’s not hard to grasp how book
lovers at the Greenville Literary
Association came to see a stack
of books in a flight of stairs. This
ad, created to generate book
donations, takes full advantage of
the shape of the advertiser’s
chosen medium.

12. When people momentarily forget they’re on an escalator, imagining themselves having a great
time at an amusement park instead, you know that an ad is special. This one for a Brazil
amusement park called Hopi Hari turns each step into a snapshot of a couple enjoying a roller
coaster.

13. Capitalizing on the Jeep’s reputation as a vehicle that can go places other cars can’t, these
guerrilla-style ads create parking spots in the most unlikely places – like stairs. No word on
whether Jeep owners that took the ads up on their offer got reimbursed for pricey parking
tickets.

14. Juice Salon Escalator Ad
How many different haircuts can
one man possibly get? This
creative example of escalator
advertising attempts to answer
that question, putting a different
style on every step, each of which
briefly join with the man’s face at
the bottom of the escalator to
demonstrate the effect.

15. Nationwide Staircase Ad
Bad things happen every day…
like bizarre automobile accidents
that send your car flying in the
air like the General Lee, if this
Nationwide Insurance staircase
ad is to be believed. It certainly
takes full advantage of the huge
set of stairs at the end of Fashion
Show Drive in Las Vegas.

16. Pizza Kingdom Escalator Ad
Is the sight of a pizza lying on a dirty escalator, stepped on by thousands of pairs of feet, really
all that appetizing? A chain called Pizza Kingdom hoped that it would be with this strange ad,
designed to demonstrate “extra cheese” stretching from step to step. Amazingly, it worked:
revenue increased by 53% within a month.

17. Revita Beauty Center Shiatzu Escalator Ad
When possible, it’s best to avoid stepping on people – unless you’re a professional masseuse.
While this ad may make some people uncomfortable, others may be reminded of just how good
it would feel to let someone work out the knots in their backs.

18. South Carolina Time to Thaw Stairs Ad
The same agency that came up with the creative Greenville Literary Association book stairs also
turned a set of stairs into stacks of suitcases, inspiring passers-by to “pack your bags: it’s time to
thaw.” The ad encourages travel to South Carolina.

19. Table Soccer Staircase Ad
An outdoor guerrilla ad campaign to promote the first international table soccer world cup
featured realistic-looking flyers shaped like table soccer figures on stair handrails around the city
of Hamburg, Germany.

20. IKEA Staircase Ad
IKEA is practically
synonymous with
“organization”,
something nearly
everyone could use
a little help with.
That makes these
stair stickers that
much more
effective, depicting
neatly stacked
clothing and linens
in drawers.

21. PIANO STAIRCASE by Volkswagen
This commercial's purpose is to
somehow make people walk on stairs
rather than using the escalator. They
made the stairs into a piano and once
you step on a step, it makes a sound. It
isn't random notes but the correct
ones on the piano.

22. Resorts World Manila wanted to take a
different approach in advertising the
musical The Sound of Music and used a
mall staircase to provide a visual for
people going up the escalators