The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2025–2026
Selleys glues a kayak and a marlin to a billboard, daring anyone to pull them off
To prove Liquid Nails' grip, Selleys glued a kayak, arcade machine and 2.8-metre marlin to a Sydney billboard and let people keep whatever they could pull free.
Selleys
What it had to solve
Selleys Liquid Nails is a serious construction adhesive with up to 400 kg of holding power per square metre, but strength claims are exactly what builders doubt. The brand needed to turn its functional promise into something people could see, touch and test for themselves.
How it works
Selleys Liquid Nails is a construction adhesive with up to 400 kg of holding power per square metre, but a number on a pack means little to builders who have been let down by glue before. The brand's brief to Howatson+Company was to make that strength undeniable.
The answer was to stop claiming strength and start demonstrating it. Howatson+Company glued a kayak, arcade machine, cricket bat, toolbox and a 2.8-metre mounted marlin to a Newtown billboard using only Liquid Nails, then challenged the public: 'If you can take it, it's yours.' Passers-by, tradies, creators and Australia's second-strongest man all tried to pull the objects free, and none succeeded.
Every tug, heave and failure was filmed, turning one billboard into a stream of social proof. The stunt generated 47 million views and lifts in sales and brand awareness, and went on to win the 2025 OMA Creative Awards Grand Prix plus two Silvers and a Bronze at Spikes Asia 2026.
Why it lands
- The public did the selling: their genuine failed attempts were more convincing than any actor reading a claim.
- One dense billboard gave the stunt a single controlled stage where every attempt could be captured.
- The offer 'if you can take it, it's yours' invited participation instead of passive viewing.
- The objects were chosen to look expensive and immovable, making the glue's win feel dramatic.
What it did
Nobody dislodged the objects, and every failed attempt became content: the stunt drew crowds and coverage including news.com.au, generated 47 million views and lifted sales and brand awareness. It then won the 2025 OMA Creative Awards Grand Prix and took two Silver and one Bronze Spike at Spikes Asia 2026.
What you can take
Instead of asserting a product claim, build a public test the audience can watch fail: physical proof turns scepticism into content people share on the brand's behalf.
Since then
The one-location execution became the campaign's strength: because budget cuts forced every object onto a single billboard, the team captured every attempt instead of spreading thin across sites. The work collected the OMA Creative Awards Grand Prix and continued to earn recognition, including Spikes Asia 2026 metals and finalist spots across six categories at Australia's Cairns Crocodiles awards.
Sources
- Selleys Glues Kayak To Wall, Tells People 'If You Can Take It, It's Yours'
- Winners unveiled in the OMA Creative Awards
- Behind The Success Of Selleys Billboard Stunt That Almost Didn't Stick
- IF YOU CAN TAKE IT, IT'S YOURS — Spikes Asia entry
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