Legal restrictions often kill good ads.

But sometimes, they inspire genius ideas, like this:

Here’s another one from this campaign:

The Recipe

I call these “Legal Loophole Ads,” and I think there are two main ways to come up with them:

I also love this classic from 1985:

And another great example:

Budweiser couldn’t use photos of rock stars drinking Bud because of copyright.

So they invited people to google keywords that led to those iconic photos instead.

Why I Think These Ads Work: 

  1. F*** the system ​
    There’s something rebellious about overcoming legal restrictions. Conflict + rebellion = great story.
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  2. The backstage effect ​
    Mentioning “legal” or “our lawyers” shows there are real people behind the brand, stuck with office politics and red tape, just like the rest of us. That creates relatability.
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  3. Elegant solutions ​
    Everyone likes to see a clever solution to a tough problem. That creates virality.