Creative Advertising: How to use Hydrophobic spray

Creative advertising with hydrophobic spray turns wet sidewalks into rain-only messages when banners fail to earn attention. The article cites a 2007 Infolinks study that 86% of consumers ignore banner ads, then walks planning and making the ambient piece.

• Why it matters: ignored inventory pushes brands toward place-based surprise.
• By the numbers: 86% banner ignore rate appears as a 2007 Infolinks cite.
• How it works: hydrophobic treatment reveals the ad when rain hits the surface.
• Reality check: treat the study year as part of the claim. Avoid treating it as merely a 2026 benchmark.
• The bottom line: plan the site and weather story before you print the stencil.

As society’s blinds continue to close on traditional advertising, brands have to be creative to retain consumer interest, and what is more creative than an ad that only appears in the rain.

A study conducted by Infolinks in 2007, revealed that 86% of consumers ignore banner advertisements and cited suspicion that these figures would only continue to grow. Seemingly, the more accustomed people were to ads, the less likely they were to pay them any attention.

That being the case, you might be wondering how a rain revealed advertisement would bring different results and the answer is simple, it’s not a constant, in your face, advertisement.

Environmentally friendly, hydrophobic spray leaves a coating on whatever surface it is applied too. When rain falls, the sprayed area repels the water, while the rest of the surface darkens as it becomes wet, thus making your advertisement visible. When the surface dries, your ad disappears and becomes virtually invisible to the eye.

Here’s how to use hydrophobic spray to create successful sidewalk ads:

Carefully Plan Your Ad

Just the same as traditional advertising, hydrophobic ads require planning. You need to decide on an ad that is relevant to your brand and interesting enough to hold passerby’s attention. It’s also important to plan the sidewalk ad’s location; you want to put your ad where your target audience will see it. Further, advertising a fast food chain outside of a fitness centre, really isn’t wise or well planned.

Honestly, half the fun with these rain-only ads is catching people by surprise. It’s almost as if the weather is in on the marketing scheme, and when it starts pouring, your message materializes like a secret just for those passing by. That gives it this playful edge—something you hardly get with regular billboards or annoying digital pop-ups. Plus (and I’m not saying this is scientific), people seem to remember stuff that appears unexpectedly, especially on a dreary, wet day. If you’re trying to be memorable, this does a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

Another thing worth mulling over: timing. Sure, you can slap a hydrophobic ad on just about any sidewalk, but it’s a whole different story depending on the city’s vibe and—frankly—the weather. A rain-activated ad in Seattle? You’ll probably get plenty of showtime. Drop that same strategy in Vegas and you might be waiting for the next decade’s monsoon. Sometimes, even the cleverest ideas end up as inside jokes for a tiny audience, so think about the climate and real-life foot traffic before getting your hopes (and your budget) set on a splashy reveal.

Creating the ad

Now it’s time to bring your plans to life. For this you might commission an artist, or do it yourself. You can use a stencil or freehand the design, either way you want to ensure your ad is clear, crisp and attention grabbing.

Tiny jumbled letters are going to lose the interest of your audience very quickly, which is why you need to properly use the space you are permitted, preferably with letters that are larger and easy to read.

In terms of images, craft something that is relevant to your business and make sure it is easily recognizable, such as a logo or if you’re a tire company, a tire.

Known for it’s innovative advertising, Dutch agency Fresh Green Ads, is one of many to pick up hydrophobic spray. The agency even used it for what they called the RainCampaign.