Advertising is a powerful medium. It can make you laugh, cry and make you run to the store. It can grab your attention with just a few words or inspire you to change the world. There are many great creative ad campaigns that have done just that over the years and here are some of our favorites!
1. Dove’s “Real Beauty”
Dove is a personal care brand that produces body washes, hair products, and other skincare items. In 2004, the brand launched its “Real Beauty” campaign to encourage women to feel good about themselves. The campaign has been very successful and has won numerous awards for its positive message. It featured women of all shapes and sizes showing skin in ways that were directly contradictory to the accepted beauty styles of the time.
It may seem odd now with so much more acceptance in today’s world, but in 2004, this was both controversial and empowering.
The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is a worldwide marketing campaign launched by Unilever in 2004 aiming to build self-confidence in women and young children. Dove’s partners in the campaign included Ogilvy, Edelman Public Relations, and Harbinger Communications along with other consultants. Wikipedia
2. Skittles “Taste the Rainbow”
Skittles is a brand of fruit-flavored, colored sugar-coated candy manufactured by the Wrigley Company. Skittles’ advertising is often colorful and whimsical. The unique part of this campaign is that the slogan is what sticks in people’s minds. No matter the content of each individual commercial, everyone thinks of tasting a rainbow when they share or eat the candy treat.
In 1994, the slogan “Taste the Rainbow” was introduced and became one of the longest running advertising campaigns in history. The entire theme of the Skittles company was created by D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, a New York advertising agency. Today, Skittles are loved in over 65 countries.
Budweiser “Wassup”
Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 featured a new commercial from the beer giant where friends were calling one another with a simple question – Wassup? This ridiculous way of talking to one another has been repeated in movies, TV shows, and podcasts ever since, becoming a cultural phenomenon attached to the brand, and growing its market recognition.
Whassup? (also known as Wazzup) was a commercial campaign for Anheuser-Busch Budweiser beer from 1999 to 2002. The first spot aired during Monday Night Football on December 20, 1999. The ad campaign ran in much of the world and became a pop culture catchphrase, comically slurring “what’s up?”.
Always “Like a Girl”
This was an ad campaign meant to change how girls are perceived. It’s a movement that encourages girls to be strong, brave, and confident.
In this particular ad, the narrator asks you to describe what you think of when someone uses the phrase “like a girl.” Most people say something mean like “weak” or “stupid,” but then she shows that it’s actually insulting when you’re in your own mind and body, as well as other women who don’t fit into society’s idea of what an attractive woman should look like. This is another campaign that bucked social norms and forced us to rethink how we talk about each other.
the hashtag #likeagirl became a trending topic and women all over the world wrote about their habits and the things they do like girls! So it does look like “Always” succeeded in making a small change and raising awareness on how wrongly society sometimes treats women.
Six Flags “Dancing Man”
From 2004 to 2010, Six Flags theme parks used Mr. Six, an elderly man wearing a tuxedo with thick-framed glasses, as their brand mascot. That may seem an odd choice for a park mostly populated with a younger audience, but you have to remember the advertisements.
When a multicolored bus pulls up in front of a suburban neighborhood, and a bald old man in a tux starts a high-energy dance routine to “We Like to Party” playing in the background – you take notice.
Volvo “The Epic Split”
Van Damme’s commercial is a creative masterpiece. Not only does he use his famous martial arts moves, but also he manages to add humor and some great choreography. The piece was so popular that it went viral on YouTube and was talked about for months later. When you consider this was a B2B ad and not for the general public to promote Volvo trucks, it is pretty impressive.
Creative Ad Campaigns Create Memories
Creative ad campaigns can be fun and memorable. They can also be a great way to build brand equity, help a company stand out from the competition, promote a new product or service, or promote a cause.
No matter what you’re trying to accomplish—and whether or not you have the budget for an expensive campaign—creative thinking will take your advertising efforts to new heights. That is exactly what we promote at Griffon Webstudios. We love to introduce a bit of fun into our ad campaigns and designs to ensure your brands get better recognition and remembrance with your target audience. Set up a consultation today, and let’s start brainstorming!
