7 Examples of the Best Digital Advertising
We’ve seen some of the best digital advertising emerge in the last year or so.
The best ads clearly have the required elements, like cross-compatibility, attention-grabbing visuals, and messaging that elicits a response from the user. But being the “best” isn’t so much about checking off a list of characteristics. It’s more about a sense you get when you see them. These ads stand out. They resonate.
We’ve looked at hundreds of ads over the past few years, and we’ve become pretty good at spotting what works and what doesn’t. Here are some of our picks for the best digital ads out there:
1. The New Golf
The most memorable ads are interactive, and the ad from Volkswagen proves that.
The ad invites users to click on the puzzle-like graphic to link up the road for the new VW Golf to drive from beginning to end. There are 21 pieces, and users must click on the pieces to line them up in the right configuration to make a continuous roadway.
In addition, users have to do it in less than 30 seconds. It’s harder than it looks! It took us five tries to get it right.
The ad draws users in and keeps them engaged. It doesn’t say much about the car, but it does help users to remember it. At the end, the ad provides a link for users to learn more about the Golf, which they are more likely to click after having been engaged by the interactive game.
2. Under Armour
Under Armour showed how effective emotional appeals can be with its “I Will What I Want” campaign.
These ads featured women who had accomplished something through hard work and persistence, such as ballerina Misty Copeland. The connection to Under Armour, of course, is that it makes it easier for people to do this hard, physical work.
(image source: Social Driver)
The ads inspire people to do their own hard, physical work to challenge themselves or meet their goals. By eliciting this emotional reaction, Under Armour makes it more likely that people will remember their brand and will associate meeting their goals with buying this product.
3. Love Has No Labels
The Ad Council and R/GA wanted to get people talking about their own biases by setting up a huge x-ray screen in the middle of Santa Monica.
Unknown people went behind the x-ray, and all people could see were their skeletons and their movements. The people behind the screen kissed, danced, and performed other movements, and viewers were asked to make guesses about the people behind the skeletons.
(image source: Social Driver)
When the people came out from the screen, many were surprised by what they saw and the assumptions they had made.
The ad campaign went viral.
4. Morton Salt
Morton Salt teamed up with band OK Go to make the video “The One Moment.” In it, salt and colored salt explode all over the screen to make stunning effects.
Band member Damian Kulash said the point of the video was to show “that a single moment can contain so much wonder, so much beauty, and so much change.”
The video was successful, and it showed a whole new side to salt, making it memorable.
5. Hello Flo
Hello Flo is a service that provide feminine hygiene products. It created a video ad called “A Visit from Aunt Flo” that featured a woman dressed all in red visiting various women – many relieved to see her.
The ad was funny and irreverent, and it helped to open up dialogue about a very normal part of every woman’s life.
Hello Flo also partnered with U by Kotex to get more exposure for the ad, helping it to get more viewers and make a bigger impact. The ad shows how creativity, humor, and partnership can help brands get more results.
6. H&M
The popular clothing store hired film director Wes Anderson to create this video ad, which has the director’s signature visual style and features actors from his films, including Adrian Brody.
The ad is about people traveling by train to be with their families for Christmas. The product placement is subtle – small photos of people wearing the clothes on front of wrapped presents.
What is so notable about this ad is how un-ad-like it is. It is more like a story, and that makes it more engaging. The fact that it has a unique visual style and is created by a well-liked director also makes users more likely to watch it, thereby creating a positive interaction with the brand.
7. Coca-Cola
The best ad campaigns are not always the most complex or ingenious. Coca-Cola showed this through its back-to-school campaign on Snapchat.
(image source: Social Driver)
The softdrink giant encouraged people to share their back-to-school stories, and it curated the best content on its feed. People were more likely to share and tag the brand in an effort to get recognized. The campaign showed how easy it is to get people engaged when using the right strategies.
The simple campaign helped to connect people with the brand and create positive brand association.
Reaching the Right Audience
Using some of these strategies will help brands reach the right audience and get more results from their ad campaigns. Using the right ad solutions will also help them reach the right audience and get more results.
Perion’s Undertone helps brands make the most of their digital ad campaigns, ensuring that they are optimized for the best appearance no matter the device or platform on which they are accessed. The advanced ad solution places ads across high-quality publishers like The New York Times and CNN based on targeting and user signals so that only the right ads appear to the right users.
Undertone also provides extensive analytics so that brands can made data-driven decisions to get better results from their ad campaigns.
By using an ad solution like Undertone, brands can get a much higher ROI on their ad campaigns, and they can reach more of their audience. That translates into greater brand awareness, increased sales, and improved customer loyalty.
Roee Ganot
Senior SEO & Conversion Manager at Perion
Roee is an SEO, social and conversion expert with a strong performance-based marketing portfolio behind him. As a brand reputation specialist, he has proven success when it comes to revenue, traffic & football trophies.
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