Advertising that targets everyone

Maybe you have seen Mullvad VPN ads in the subway or in the streets. There is a reason why we enjoy to run outdoor ads: traditional outdoor ads don’t collect data or micro-target people.

Mullvad VPN ads out in the wild. More units down below.

 

At Mullvad VPN, we have a very clear position on marketing. We have a strong policy against paying for reviews, a total ban on working with affiliate marketing, and we never pay influencers.

Since our entire existence is about opposing mass surveillance and censorship, we are also against behavioral advertising and we do not engage in ads that micro-target people based on personal data and online habits. You can read more about our advertising policy here.

Internet does not have to revolve around the collection of personal data. You can "target" your advertising by buying ads based on topics (Google ads related to what you are currently searching for or related to the specific website you are currently visiting) instead of based on personal data (Google ads based on your accumulated internet behavior).

Instead of micro-targeted advertising, we believe in advertising that targets a non-personal and broad audience. One way to do that is to run traditional outdoor ads. This is something that we do and we do it to raise awareness of our VPN service and our browser (of course). We also do it for other reasons. For instance, we have used outdoor advertising to oppose law proposals (chat control). Our goal is simply not just to let people know we exist. We also want to use advertising to raise awareness about privacy and create a mass resistance against mass surveillance, data collection and censorship. We want to see a broad discussion around these issues.

During 2023-2024, we made several major outdoor campaigns, primarily in the USA. These campaigns have focused on raising awareness about mass surveillance and criticizing the behavioral ad systems used by big tech companies. Here’s a selection for those who haven’t come across the ads in the streets.