Body paint art has a long history dating back to indigenous cultures and has been used in advertising for nearly a century. The document examines several modern examples of how body paint is used in advertising campaigns, including the World Wildlife Fund painting humans to resemble animals to raise awareness of conservation, Air New Zealand painting uniforms on staff to promote their airline, and Delta Faucets using body paint that melts away in water to showcase their shower heads. The future of body paint in advertising is promising as techniques advance and more brands look to utilize its attention-grabbing qualities.

1. Body Paint Art In
Advertising
Body Paint Art in Advertising- 74
Breathtaking Examples

2. A Brief Introduction to BODY PAINT ART:
● Before we uncover how body paint art can fulfill advertising objectives, it is important to
define what body painting even is. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, body
paint can be defined as “paint applied to a person’s body”.
● The act of painting one’s body can be traced back to indigenous people across all major
continents. Body painting was a practice originally done to signify an important detail
about a man or woman.
● Social status, spiritual meanings, and tribal responsibilities were all different traits that
could be conveyed through body art. By using natural dyes derived from plants, fruits,
and pigments, indigenous people could temporarily alter their skin. Ultimately, ancient
cultures around the world used body paint as a way to define who they were.
● Body painters are no longer constrained to conveying ideas only about the person they
are painting. Instead, modern body paint artists can use their human canvases to make
statements about society, illnesses, nature, and even themselves.
● Humans are naturally wired to look for patterns and humanistic qualities in non-human
objects, and body paint art allows that human element to bring deeper meanings and
engagement into the subject matter.

3. The History Of BODY PAINT ART In Advertising:
● The first marketing stunt done with body paint was at the 1933 World’s Fair
in Chicago. Here is where cosmetic entrepreneur Max Factor Sr. shocked
the world by painting the nude body of burlesque star, Sally Rand.
● In fact, Sally Rand and Max Factor Sr both got arrested for the display.
Luckily, the psychedelic seventies popularized body painting as a form of
personal expression.

4. Max Factor Sr
Polish Businessman
Image of Max Factor Sr’s body
paint work done on burlesque star
Sally Rand (1933)

5. Joanne Gair
New Zealand Make-Up Artist
Demi Moore’s Vanity Fair “Birthday
Suit” cover by Joanne Gair (1992)
Image Source: Wikipedia

6. Modern Examples Of BODY PAINT
In Advertising Campaigns:
● World Wildlife Fund
● Air New Zealand
● Nestle Coffee
● Ford
● Coors
● Bayer Aspirin
● Delta Faucets
● Pampaverde
● Nestseekers International
● NY Magazine-My Living Election Map
● AT&T
● Centro de Valorizacao da Vida (Sucidie Prevention
Center-Brazil)
● Motor Accident Commission Of South Australia
● Apetit
● Kimberly Clark
● Secretaria Estadual Da Saude
● Marriott London Sevens Rugby Competition
● Gold’s Gym
● Conservacao Internacional
● Breast Cancer Foundation

7. World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
● The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is one of the organizations that
frequently uses body paint to spread its message about wildlife
preservation.
● By using campaigns featuring only human hands to several
painted humans, WWF reminds everyone of the human-like
qualities all animals have.
Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Simko, Geneva,
Switzerland
Creative Director: Olivier Girard
Art Director: Nicolas Poulain
Copywriter: Jean-Michel Larsen
Body painter: Guido Daniele
Information Source(s): Wabbaly

14. Johannes Stoetter’s “Coming Together
for Elephants”. Image Source: BBC
Body painter:Johannes Stoetter
Information Source(s): BBC, National
Geographic

15. Air New Zealand
● Air New Zealand’s “Nothing to Hide” campaign highlights how
copywriting and body paint can create brilliant advertising.
● The campaign included snapping photos of various airline
workers doing their jobs in the flesh. Pilots, baggage loaders, and
flight attendants had their typical work uniform painted on their
skin to become the poster children of the campaign.
Advertising Agency: .99
Executive Creative Director: Craig Whitehead
Deputy Creative Director: Nicolas Poulain
Art Director: Janelle Herrick (nee Olsen)
Copywriter: Lara Philips
Agency Producer: Vicky O’Leary
Film Director: Kevin Denholm via Exposure Films, Auckland
Information Source(s): The Inspiration Room

16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Mq9HAE62Y
Video Link above;

17. Nestle Coffee
● Air New Zealand’s “Nothing to Hide” campaign highlights how
copywriting and body paint can create brilliant advertising.
● The campaign included snapping photos of various airline
workers doing their jobs in the flesh. Pilots, baggage loaders, and
flight attendants had their typical work uniform painted on their
skin to become the poster children of the campaign.
Advertising Agency: .99
Executive Creative Director: Craig Whitehead
Deputy Creative Director: Nicolas Poulain
Art Director: Janelle Herrick (nee Olsen)
Copywriter: Lara Philips
Agency Producer: Vicky O’Leary
Film Director: Kevin Denholm via Exposure Films, Auckland
Information Source(s): The Inspiration Room

19. Ford
● The Ford Focus “Go Green” Campaign is a great example of how
body paint can apply to objects beyond the human body. Ford
partnered with Trina Merry, a body paint artist known for her
camouflage body paint art.
● As a way to advertise for the Ford Environmental Conservation
Award, the automotive company used face painting, hand
painting, and food to make a statement about helping nature.
Advertising Agency: JWT, São Paulo, Brazil
Creative Directors: Mario D’Andrea, Roberto Fernandez
Art Director: Sthefan Ko
Copywriter: Fabio Leao
Photographer: Regis Fernandez
Illustrator: Sthefan Ko

20. Jason Mraz and Ford Focus painted by Trina Merry. Image Source: Trina Merry
Advertising Agency: The Audience
Body painter & Photographer: Trina Merry

23. Coors
● The alcohol industry uses body paint in their advertising
campaigns fairly frequently. Coors Light Beer teamed up
with body paint artist Filippo Ioco to blend in three models
on a can of their beer.
● This particular piece shows how body paint art can
incorporate more than just flat colors; there are ways to
include iridescent shimmers, glitter, and metallic texture into
body paint art.
Body Painter: Filippo Ioco

24. Coors Light Beer- “Human Can” done by
Filippo Ioco. Image Source: Filippo Ioco

25. Bayer Aspirin
● In an effort to spread awareness and education about the risks of
heart attacks, Bayer hired body paint artist Alexa Meade to paint
three heart attack victims.
● Bayer’s campaign then went even further by allowing social
media users to use an augmented reality filter to put themselves
into Meade’s paintings.
Body Painter: Alexa Meade Information Source(s):
Mmm-Online, New Kerala, Your Hidden Risk

26. Bayer’s #YourHiddenRisk campaign painted by
Alexa Meade. Image Source: Mmm-Online

27. Delta Faucets
● In order to advertise the effectiveness of their In2ition Shower
Heads, Delta Faucets used body paint in a really unique way.
Instead of highlighting their product by putting body paint on
models, Delta’s campaign took a different direction.
● Body painted men used the Delta Faucets to take their painted
outfits off. This campaign also used a video to capture how
quickly the paint melted off the models. Delta’s campaign shows
how body paint can be viewed through different angles.
Creative Agency: Young & Laramore
Information Source(s): iSpot.tv

28. Video Link above;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok
QeTdjIFbQ&feature=emb_title

29. Pampaverde
● Pampaverde, a Chilean meat company, used body paint to
exaggerate the size of their products. By painting a giant mouth
across a model’s face and neck, Pampaverde was able to
exaggerate the size of their “extra big” frozen burgers.
● This is an excellent example of how intentional body paint can
be used to convey the scale of a product and how our bodies
relate to it.
Advertising Agency: La Mesa (Santiago, Chile)
Executive Creative Director: Sebastián Katz
Creative Director: Sebastián Katz
Art Directors: Jorge Llewellyn, Cristian Toffolo
Copywriter: Cristián Zarzar

31. Nestseekers International
● Consider the case of Ryan Serhant and the property and real
estate firm, Nestseekers International, was attempting to sell. By
working with body paint artist Trina Merry, a body paint advertising
campaign was devised to create buzz about the property.
● Once the images went public, Ryan states that “everyone noticed
and then we broke price records”. Even in an industry that is
typically not known for its creativity, this artistic advertising
campaign captivated attention around the world.
Sales and Marketing: Nestseekers
Exclusive Sales Agent: Ryan Serhant
Architect: Isaac & Stern
Branding and Graphic Design: IF Studio
Body Painter: Trina Merry
Developer: Magnum Real Estate Group
Interior Design: Built In Studio

34. Example of work
being out in the
real world.
Trina Merry’s work for Nestseekers International “100 Avenue A”. Image
Source: Trina Merry

35. NY Magazine-My Living Election Map
● Almost like a human-shaped coloring book, Merry painted in each
state red or blue once the electoral votes had been released. This
campaign shows that body painted can even be used to live
stream important information.
● Those watching the live stream still got the same voting results
coverage, but they were able to sit, watch, and enjoy the live
painting regardless of the party they identified with.
Body Painter: Trina Merry
Photographer: Bertrand Orsal

36. https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkMag/vi
deos/10154727454929826/
“2016 Election Map” By Trina Merry.
Image Source: Trina Merry
Video Link Above:

37. AT&T
● In 2008, AT&T wanted an effective way to advertise their
international roaming services. The cellular service provider used
the talents of Guido Daniele’s hand paintings to relay the news to
the world.
● What’s especially interesting about this campaign is how the
hands are holding cell phones while they are painted to look like
famous landmarks and animals from countries around the world.
Advertising Agency: BBDO Atlanta, BBDO New York
Chief Creative Officers: David Lubars, Bill Bruce
Executive Creative Director: Susan Credle
Creative Directors: Rich Wakefield, Chuck Meehan
Art Director: Brian Locascio
Copywriter: Bridget Prophet
Body Painter: Guido Daniele
Photographer: Andric
Awards: Voted ‘America’s Favorite Magazine Ad’ by
Consumers, Magazine Publishers of America
Information Source(s): It it’s Hip, It’s Here

66. Centro de Valorização da Vida (Suicide Prevention Center-Brazil)
● Serious topics like mental health can also spread awareness
through body paint. The Centro de Valorização da Vida (a Suicide
Prevention Center in Brazil) wanted to explore how depression
can look. In this campaign, models burrow their faces into hands
that are painted into happy faces.
● This campaign uses hand paintings to convey two emotions: the
sadness of the person crying into them, and the happiness
shown to the world.
Advertising Agency: Seven Comunicação Total, Blumenau,
Brazil
Creative Director: Juliano Tejada
Art Director / Illustrator: Mário Sérgio Ferreira
Copywriter: César Noda
Retoucher: Kado Digital Art
Photographer: Shutterstock
Information Source(s): Ads of the World

69. Motor Accident Commission Of South Australia
● Body paint and sculpture can be combined to create beautiful
artwork. Emma Hack, body paint artist, was commissioned by
the Motor Accident Commission of South Australia to create a
jaw-dropping, effective public service announcement.
● Hack positioned and painted her models to appear like a
wrecked vehicle. In an effort to stop reckless speeding, the public
service announcement reminded their audience of the lives
involved in each car accident.
Commission Agency: Clemenger BBDO Adelaide
Body Painter: Emma Hack
Information Source(s): My Modern Met

71. Apetit
● As a way to encourage people to incorporate more vegetables
into their diets, Finnish food manufacturer Apetit worked with body
painter Riina Laine to spread their message across Finland.
● Laine created a stalk of broccoli, a carrot, and onion out of craftily
positioned human models who were subsequently painted to
mimic the veggies. The people of Finland were captivated by the
artwork once the campaign went live online and on the television.
Body Painter: Riina Laine
Photo: Aleksi Koshinen
Concept and Production: Hasan & Partners
Information Source(s): Rinia Laine

74. Kimberly Clark
● Kimberly Clark, a conglomerate who owns well-known cleaning
and personal sanitation brands, used hand paintings to
emphasize how important it is to wash our hands.
● By positioning and painting hands to look like monstrous germs,
Kimberely Clark emphasizes how dangerous our hands can
become if we don’t take proper cleaning measures.
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy
General Creative Director: Nicolás Schumacher
Creative Director: Ronny Villalobos
Copywriter: Alonso Cortés
Illustrator: Rodrigo Piedra
Photographer: Ricardo Quirós
Art Directors: Roberto Leitón, Daniel Lopez

78. Secretaria Estadual Da Saúde
● Similar to the example above, the Secretaria Estadual Da Saúde
in Brazil made a public service announcement about hand
cleanliness.
● Once again, body paint allowed for simple human hands to
transform into ferocious, bacterial monsters. PSAs like these
show how body paint can relay information about different parts
of our body.
Advertising Agency: Agência Matriz, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Creative Directors: Roberto Philomena, Telmo Ramos
Art Directors: Jorge Appio, Paulo Moraes
Copywriter: Magali Moraes
Illustrator: Fescher Neoilustração
Photographer: Raul Krebs

81. Marriott London Sevens Rugby Competition
● Sports can always be given an artistic perspective to engage fans
even more into the game and its players. The Marriott London
Sevens, a major Rugby event, commissioned Carolyn Roper to
paint several rugby painters as safari animals.
● However, each player was painted as the animal that best
represented their strengths. For example, those whose speciality
was speed were painted like a cheetah.
Body Painter: Carolyn Roper
Information Source(s): Carolyn Roper, Independent

83. Gold’s Gym
● To show how freakin’ powerful our bodies are, Gold Gym turned
human bodies into powerful vehicles with body paint.
● Athletic models were painted into a tank, a bulldozer, and a
crane. What an awesome way to explore how mighty the human
form can become!
Advertising Agency: jotabequ GREY, Costa Rica
Creative Director: Alexander Obando
Art Director: Héctor Acuña
Photographer: Noelia Badilla

87. Conservacao Internacional
● The Brazilian division of Conservation International, a nonprofit
promoting wildlife conservation, used body paint to turn lips into
animals.
● A cheetah, a crab, and a bee were created from human mouths
as a way to give these creatures a voice. Body paint can truly be
utilized in the smallest ways, yet the impact is equally enormous!
Advertising Agency: Africa, São Paulo, Brazil
Creative Directors: Sergio Gordilho, Flavio Waiteman,
Humberto Fernandez, Rafael Pitanguy
Art Director: Gabriel Jardim
Copywriter: Vinicius Bandeira
Illustrator: Paige Thompson
Photographer: Paige Thompson

91. Breast Cancer Foundation
● The Breast Cancer Foundation is always trying to get women to
understand the risks of breast cancer. The “Are you obsessed with
the right things?” campaign used a combination of illustration and
body paint to demonstrate how women are oftentimes concerned
with the “wrong” things.
● Obsessing over stray hairs, pimples, and the sizes of their
bottoms, the illustrated women are ingeniously created with the
breasts and torso of the body paint model.
Advertising Agency: DDB, Singapore
Executive Creative Director: Joji Jacob
Creative Director: Thomas Yang
Copywriter: Khairul Mondzi
Art Director: Andrea Kuo
Account Director: Rowena Bhagchandani
Account Executive: Ng Ling Kai
Illustrator: Andy Yang Soo Kit
Digital retoucher: Agnes Teo
Photographer: Allan Ng / Republic Studio

94. The Future Of Body Paint in Advertising <
● The future of body paint advertising is extremely bright and full of possibilities. There are plenty of
trends across industries that can highlight opportunities for possible body paint advertisements.
● With movements such as body positivity on the rise, it won’t be surprising to see brands utilize body
painting in future campaigns. Social media is starting to embrace body acceptance, so body painting
can become a key opportunity for digital marketers to offer relatable content to their target markets.
● With this in mind, it is important to remember how much consumers value inclusivity and body
diversity. Therefore, marketers must ensure that their body paint campaigns are authentic, imperfect,
and unique.
● Another future opportunity lies in the realm of fashion. It is not uncommon to hear about A-list celebrities
strutting the red carpet in custom, body paint couture or accessories.
● Even if they aren’t a fashion brand, advertisers can capitalize on this trend by teaming up with
celebrities and/or influencers for a body paint fashion campaign. Although fashion may seem limited, it
is important to consider the idea with an open mind.