Top Creative and Thought-Provoking Ads
Team Branex
Creative marketing is more than just putting a smile on people’s faces and grabbing their attention. Companies that create an artistic splash can capitalize on multiple strands. With the audience already clutching for straws in a deluge of information overload, brands need to come up with amazing, useful, and memorable ideas in ads to promote their message into the minds of their consumers or lose their identity to a nameless and faceless sea of oblivion.
In this saturated digital environment, digital marketers need to make sure that their brand can be seen and heard while putting it at the forefront of people’s minds. Creative advertising that is easy, succinct, witty, and simply digestible can help you make a big difference. If you are up for a little magic and aspire to communicate with your audience in a way that they have not seen before, you can still make your brand stand out from your competitors.
A creative ad can increase sales and heighten brand awareness. Coming up with some smart and amazing ways in which advertising affects consumer behavior will help brands create stronger, more memorable, and thought-provoking ads. Creative marketing is something that can make a difference, drive business performance, and shift consumer perceptions.
2017 saw myriad faces of marketing campaigns, running the gamut from digital to print to even statues. Here are 6 of the most creative and craziest ads of 2017 that will make you look twice and imprint their essence in your mind.
Let’s get into it!
Burger King has creatively leveraged photos of restaurant fires in its creative marketing campaign. The campaign “Flame Grilled since 1954” shows an unbelievable series of print ads, portraying real-life emergency scenes of actual Burger King Restaurants at times when it caught fire. The brand wanted to convey the message that no matter what the situation is, they always flame-grill their burgers, even amid disastrous upheavals.
1. IKEA’s Special Offer for Pregnant Women
Who could have thought that pee advertising could be such a jaw-hanger? Pee on an advert and get a special discount. Sounds weird? Thanks to pregnancy test kits, this advert is all that people could talk about. IKEA has come up with a tongue-in-cheek approach to its marketing campaign that presents pregnant women with a special price on a new baby crib. At first sight, IKEA’s, which was initially featured in a Swedish women’s magazine, appears as a typical advert promoting the Sundvik baby crib. But if you read the description carefully, women are asked to pee in a marked area. It acts as a pregnancy test, showing a special discount offer on the baby crib when it detects a positive!2. Nike’s Ad features Arab Female Athletes
Nike advert features five successful Arab female athletes from different parts of the Arab world exercising and competing. The brand has made a successful attempt to smash stereotypes about women leading home-bound and restricted lives in the conservative society of the Middle East. Nike aims to highlight the stories of successful professional women athletes to instigate others. In these inspirational ads, the brand wanted to use the prowess of sports to change society in a positive way.3. Procter & Gamble: The Talk
Procter & Gamble, best known for selling myriad brands of beauty soaps, has come up with thought-provoking, heart-wrenching ads, known as ‘The Talk’. The campaign #MyBlackIsBeautiful aims to make the world a better place, devoid of bias, and offer an equal opportunity for success for everyone, regardless of race, gender, and the color of their skin. The two-minute ad depicts black mothers sharing the harsh realities of being an ethnic race, and the truths about racial stereotypes and bias spreading like wildfire in the U.S. This powerful #TalkAboutBias ad from P&Gis designed to celebrate cultural identity and launches a conversation about racial prejudices that children will inevitably face sometime in their lives. This type of great marketing campaign can change minds and inspire a real, lasting change.4. "MailChimp" Campaign
Did You Mean MailChimp’ is one of the best marketing campaigns of MailChimp so far? The brand launched an artful campaign to play on its own name - MaleCrimp, MailChimp, KaleLimp, FailChips, VeilHymn, SnailPrimp, JailBlimp, WhaleSynth, and NailChamp. They all rhyme with “MailChimp. The company is not troubled by what people call it, but rather concerned about providing the right tools for their clients, while giving them the confidence to grow their company in the best possible way.5. CNN Facts First
CNN, the most trusted tag in the realm of worldwide news, launched an ad campaign that differentiates CNN from other cable news networks. CNN’s ad campaign “Facts First” was a direct response to Trump’s attack on the media. The short ad features a single, unchanged visual of an apple in a minimalist fashion. "This is an apple. Some people might try to tell you that it's a banana. They might scream, 'Banana, banana, banana,' over and over and over again. They might put a banana in all caps. You might even start to believe it's a banana, but it's not. This is an apple." The voiceover states.6. Burger King “Flame Grilled”
Burger King has creatively leveraged photos of restaurant fires in its creative marketing campaign. The campaign “Flame Grilled since 1954” shows an unbelievable series of print ads, portraying real-life emergency scenes of actual Burger King Restaurants at times when it caught fire. The brand wanted to convey the message that no matter what the situation is, they always flame-grill their burgers, even amid disastrous upheavals.
Take The Deep End as an example. This web consulting and internet marketing agency used a cinemagraph on their landing page to convey their brand message and a sense of professionalism and intelligence, by portraying a man in glasses at work on his laptop, with a subtle backdrop of a bookshelf behind him. This is when you notice a subtle movement; a reflection of a moving train glinting off the window glass. This unique framing is a smart play on “the train of thought” and keeps the audience riveted!
Similarly, Weltrade’s homepage has also made a classy use of cinematography. As you hover over the models in the hero image, they subtly come to life, completing a chic, formidable setting.
Adding cinemagraphs to your landing pages is indeed a worthwhile option to coax visitors into checking out the actual contents of your website.
If you peruse through the website of Tiffany & Co., the brand has leveraged a cinemagraph on their product store page to showcase their Rubedo metal collection. The striking image of a gorgeous woman standing in the open air, with her hair whipping in the air, instantly grabs the eye. This is when your eye flits from her waves to the scintillating neckpiece she is sporting over a chic plunging neckline. The neckpiece is subtly swinging about her back, perhaps caught in a gust of wind, and keeps you hooked in its glamor.
E-commerce businesses can also leverage the power of cinematography and showcase their products with a bit of motion. Look at this 
Cinemagraphs are also a great option for your restaurant business to showcase the details of dish preparation by using a more interactive image series. The dripping of a sauce from a succulent-looking burger, or tendrils of steam wafting off from a cup of coffee, remind users of their dining experience and whet their appetite.
Using the right visual elements on your About page can help convince your future clients and customers about your expertise. Adding a cinemagraph of your entire team can help you earn their trust. The human mind can remember and recognize faces. Using cinemagraphs of your team along with the complete bio and their names can work best for your prospects.
You can also use moving testimonials to build customer trust and show potential customers a positive brand history. In addition, you can leverage behind-the-scenes of your workplace to flaunt your future clients how the magic happens.
L.L.Bean has decided to incorporate a friendly tone in their emails to pique the curiosity of their inactive subscribers. While their dormant members may have missed a lot by not keeping up, the Email reassures them that they still have time to catch up. Considering that most people may not want to be bugged by a constant stream of Emails. They also offer their subscribers other ways of connecting with them, such as Twitter and Facebook. The wander-lust-inducing picture in the Email also serves to create interest in their outdoor gear.
This is another great example of a re-engagement email which shows a unique yet creative way of knowing your target audience. Urban Outfitters used a format that perfectly caters to a generation that loves texting. This way, the brand succeeded in capturing the attention of its readers. The format is easy to comprehend and encourages their subscribers to read on and respond. It perfectly suits their communication style. Phrases such as “come back” and “miss you” in the subject line can resonate with your audience and make them feel special.
Pinkberry came up with a creative idea of re-engaging their subscribers and incentivizing them by offering a free product, a sweet seduction to be sure. They used the term “miss you” to make their readers feel emotionally connected. After all, there’s nothing like a free froyo to say “Welcome back bro”!
Grammarly used an interesting way to re-engage its inactive subscribers by giving them a badge called a “Wrinkle in Time badge”. They used a persuasive CTA button GO to encourage its users to click the button and use the service again. They also persuaded their readers to check their premium version and encouraged them to check the special price.
Habitat came up with a creative way to keep their email subscribers engaged and in the know at all times. They gave them the option to engage and encouraged them to connect on Facebook to stay abreast of their latest developments.
Who doesn’t love surprises? Surprises come with a lot of emotional baggage, ringing a distant bell and making us feel almost childlike again. Birch Tree has beautifully leveraged this sentiment in their re-engagement email by providing their subscribers with two amazing options which they can garner at subscription. What a rewarding way to re-engage!
Feelunique tries to win back its inactive subscribers by giving them a plethora of exciting offers. They offer their subscribers a chance to join their VIP shopping club and avail 10% off on every product for a lifetime. For subscribers, it’s rather impossible to resist these exciting offers.
Lowe’s sent a re-engagement email to capture the attention of their inactive subscribers by informing them that they have made some improvements in their products since they have been away. They have smartly highlighted how millions of satisfied members are using their services. They also incorporated social media buttons in the footer to create more engagement across multiple platforms as well.
Cross strives to win back its inactive subscribers by offering an exclusive discount of $10 on their next purchase. They have adorably humanized their brand with the “sniff sniff” microcopy. They tried to sway their subscribers by highlighting a message at the bottom of the copy training to their shoe donations, showing how they are bringing comfort to people in need.
Moving images such as GIFs are taking the online world by storm. An image with movement attracts more people than a static one. That’s why people are expecting to see more GIFs across their news feeds and emails. A GIF is basically made up of several images that are combined together to create a short looping visual. Not only is it interactive and absolutely riveting, but a GIF conveys information much more effectively than a single image.
GIFs and animations play a key role in communicating ideas, concepts, and processes while making content more engaging for users. You can take advantage of this trend and grab the attention of more people with your emails, newsletters, illustrations, icons, logos, and even ads.
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In his book “Four Seconds”, Peter Bregman talks about pausing for a second and introspecting before making a decision. For instance, each response we give ensuing an incident comes with its own set of repercussions and outcomes. Given a different response, a new story would have unfolded. Now, Peter talks about repositioning the process. When an incident happens, think about the outcome you want to yield from the incident and respond accordingly. This will help you calm your mind and think for a second before making an impetuous decision.
Mel Robbins, in her book “The 5 Second Rule”, also talks about how Entrepreneurs have been using the power of 5 seconds to make big decisions in their lives. She writes about how before taking any big decision, Richard Branson closes his eyes and listens to his gut, and the same goes for Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. This 5-second break is to let your inner voice take precedence and do what feels right instinctively.
He took a coin and tossed it. Heads for investing, and Tails for not giving away his venture. Even though he seemed partial to the outcome, in the mere fraction of the seconds that the coin was flipping through the air, his heart ached for tails. And that is what he got. Yes, his gut made the right decision. And by the end of the TV series, we saw why this decision was so accurate.
I am an Entrepreneur myself and I have used this technique dozens of times. The thing is, it is not just whether your luck hands out more heads or tails, it is about what your heart desires when the coin is in the air. This is the power of silence. When you silence your mind for even a few minutes, your subconscious mind gets a moment to wander off and scrutinize the problem.
Most of you might not agree with me here, but trust me, this is a technique which has guided me to make the right decisions even in the most distressed situations.
According to Facebook, there are around 100,000 monthly active bots on Facebook Messenger that offer a platform for online marketers to connect with audiences. While approximately 60% of millennials have used chatbots and 71% say that they would like to talk to a chatbot of major brands.
So, if you haven’t started incorporating chatbots into your marketing strategy. Now it’s time to test these friendly bots for your business.
It is simply not enough to establish a relationship with some industry influencers. Instead, digital marketers should focus on building strong relationships with thought leaders, setting clear goals, and choosing the right person who can help deliver the best ROI.
Starbucks has been producing holiday cups for 20 years. This year, they came up with a unique idea; the cup displays a ubiquitous Christmas tradition; a festooned Christmas tree, illustrations of presents, and people holding hands.
Starbucks' Christmas campaign claims that “The holidays mean something different for everyone.”
Sanja Gould, a company spokeswoman, says, “This year’s hand-drawn cup features scenes of celebrating with loved ones — whoever they may be. We intentionally designed the cup so our customers can interpret it in their own way, adding their own color and illustrations.”
This is an amazing Christmas promotional idea that created social media buzz and gained widespread public attention. The holidays are all about remembering what it means to spread goodness into the world and give love, and these are the emotions the red cup means to evoke!
For Coca-Cola fans, the twinkling Coca-Cola Christmas trucks are synonymous with the festive season. For the last twenty-one years, twinkling Coca-Cola Christmas trucks have been spreading holiday cheer across Europe. Coca-Cola holiday trucks herald the festive season each year. The ever-popular Coca-Cola truck tours spread happiness and joy across the whole continent. The brand has already announced its 2017 route and tour dates.
Watch the new Coca-Cola Christmas advert 2017 to see the spectacle for yourself:
https://youtu.be/1S0z7oTNCkY
Most MBA programs brag about how good they are or good much market experience they have, here, Vanderbilt MBA turns the customer into a hero and guides the way forward.
War by Parker also donates a large part of their profits to needy people. This alone makes this brand impactful.
The Keeping Up with the Bakers campaign centered on the stylish Bakers Family. The 360-degree video is directed in pastel colors with fun graphics to appeal to Snapchat users. The items/outfits sported by the characters in the shoppable film could easily be purchased by viewers.
The 360-degree VR-oriented shoppable film, allowed viewers to immerse completely into the Bakers’ world. The fashion retailer has played on Instagram Stories to capture the interest of younger audiences and glean more engagement and social shares.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSSfIlQnZb8
