Purple peace symbol with the text "Craigslist you can't algorithm this" in purple and black on a black background.

Online marketplace algorithms have become hyper-engineered to sell.
But what we long for is authentic human oddity.

Craigslist is one of the last places where that human weirdness still thrives.
So we built a campaign from its strangest posts, to prove an algorithm could never make this shit up.

Two posters on a wall: the left poster advertises free pillow fort lessons with urgency, with purple text and a peace symbol; the right poster promotes selling 40 Amish wax figures, with purple text and a group of people illustrated at the bottom.

OOH

Each QR code brings you straight to that Craigslist posting.

Graffiti art on a wall depicting a martial arts scene with a woman kicking and a man blocking, overlaid with text advertising Muay Thai sparring partners and a QR code.
A humorous print with a purple headline reading 'MISSING:' followed by text that says, 'The adult-store manager who caught me naked in a dumpster.' The print features a graphics of a dumpster with a green arrow pointing to it, and purple QR codes at the bottom, with a purple peace symbol and the phrase 'craigslist you can't algorithm this' at the top.
Torn paper with graffiti-style purple CD images, a green arrow pointing to a CD, and purple QR codes. The text reads: "Craigslist, you can't algorithm this. Found a stash of adult DVDs in your dumpster, stripped down, and dove in. Who knew you'd be the real treasure I'd find?"
A satirical poster featuring a purple cellphone cartoon, a peace symbol, and QR codes at the bottom. The text humorously states: "If you felt what I felt, please reply. My Obamaphone data runs out in two days."
Two digital subway station advertisements with purple train images and text, featuring messages about missing someone, with QR codes and peace symbols, at Irving Park station.

RIDESHARE OOH

Rideshare screens show the weirdest Missed Connection closest to you — updating as you move.

A digital screen in a car displays a lost item message, stating a 36 pack of condoms and organic multigrain bread left at Farmers Market last Saturday, with a QR code and a Craigslist logo.

SEM

A paid search hijack that turns ordinary Google queries into ads for Craigslist’s weirdest real posts, proving the bizarre is never far away.

Screenshot of a Google search results page for 'Orbit gum' with a sponsored ad for a used spacecraft launch vehicle.
Screenshot of a Google search results page for 'Thai food nearby' showing a sponsored link to Craigslist for a haunted Thai puppet.
Google search results page for 'Free parking seattle' with a sponsored ad for Craigslist offering free vegan hamster gazing practice.
A man and woman are having a conversation on a TikTok video, with the man smiling and the woman sitting on a stool, holding a support lamp.

CITY IMPROV — CRAIGSLIST NIGHT

Craigslist joins forces with The Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade, turning real Craigslists posts into live improv prompts.

Audience clips go viral on socials, celebrating the site’s wonderfully weird human stories.

COFFEE TABLE BOOK

A limited-edition Best of Craigslist book filled with the strangest posts the wild west of the internet has to offer.

Sold only on, of course, Craigslist.

A purple notebook with white text reading 'best of craigslist' and a peace sign, placed on a white grid-patterned surface with decorative plants nearby.

ART: Jessica Gordon

COPY: Matthew Shields, MEEEEE CMON NOW

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