Launch Recite Me assistive technology

Reading"Advertising: Campaign..."

More fromWork

Search
Insights logo-02 (2).pngVisual Research Departmentones-to-watch-logo.pngNew Talent Showcasenicer-tuesdays_4EYeKbc.original_LX34dOgtRradbgIB.pngEventsif-you-could.original_229MJxvLEEiTYHJk.pngCreative Jobs Board
Home
Torn layers of street posters reveal a Black Sabbath advertisement underneath. The black posters feature the band’s name in white, with a smaller notice reading “The legends return” and “13 out now”.

Advertising: Campaign resurrects Black Sabbath from years of fly-posted history

Words
James Cartwright
—
Date
2 July 2013

Move aside Carly Rae Jepsen, the Brummy grandfathers of heavy metal are back in town and they’ve got a devastatingly effective ad campaign in tow that tears right through the heart of modern music and puts Ozzy, Tony, and Geezer back in the limelight they left 35 years ago. For their latest album, 13, Black Sabbath have employed McCann Copenhagen to dig through generations of fly posters back to their infamous logotype used in their heyday (before Ozzy got fired). The result looks like the rediscovery of some pristine vintage posters underneath layers of pop-song detritus which, for my money, makes this one of the best billboard campaigns in a long, long while.

A weathered billboard on a city wall shows layers of torn posters. The top layer features three circular black discs with “Black Sabbath” in white text, surrounded by ripped edges of blue “Scissor Sisters” posters. Several bicycles are parked along the pavement below.
Above

McCann Copenhagen: Black Sabbath 13

A close-up side view of a wall covered in layers of torn, weathered posters. In the blurred background, two people walk along a sunlit pavement beside a row of green trees.
Above

McCann Copenhagen: Black Sabbath 13

A poster for Black Sabbath is pasted onto a brick wall, partially obscured by torn layers of old paper. The black poster reads “THE LEGENDS RETURN” and “NEW ALBUM ‘13’ OUT NOW” next to a small image of the album cover.
Above

McCann Copenhagen: Black Sabbath 13

A brick wall features two large advertising hoardings. The first shows a series of posters for Amy Macdonald, partially covered by a circular, torn-edge poster that reads “Black Sabbath”.
Above

McCann Copenhagen: Black Sabbath 13

A close-up of torn, layered posters on a wall. The top layer is ripped away to reveal the white letters “ATH” against a dark background.
Above

McCann Copenhagen: Black Sabbath 13

A wall of overlapping posters in an underpass. A central cutout reveals a Black Sabbath poster beneath several layers of pink posters featuring a person in a red top and the word “KISS”.
Above

McCann Copenhagen: Black Sabbath 13

Share Article

Further Info

www.mccann.dk

About the Author

James Cartwright

—

James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

Related content

Crack a cold one and enjoy Glenn Kitson’s noisy love letter to British colloquialisms for Strongbow

9 June 2026

4Creative’s new identity uses cut-out visuals from iconic TV shows

7 May 2026
A 3D render of a city street from a high angle. Several figures in business attire walk along the pavement past a small store with a yellow sign that reads “COMMUTE SHOP”.

Break out of the simulation with Isle of Any and Oscar Hudson’s new video game-inspired advert for Coinbase

26 March 2026
A person leaps through a field of tall, golden grass with their arms raised. They wear an orange shirt and a matching pleated skirt that billows around them.

How Ffern is making branding feel less like advertising and more like cinema

23 March 2026

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.