15 Iconic Advertisement Examples to Spark Your Next Campaign

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re struggling to craft an idea for the next big campaign and need some inspiration. Well, you’re at the right place. To help you overcome a creative block, we’ve compiled a roundup of real marketing gems that hit the spot and spark new ideas.

From legendary campaigns to the latest launches—check out brilliant advertisement examples that both marketing students and skilled professionals can learn from. Keep reading to find out what makes a standout ad campaign and what Aristotle has to do with it.

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What is an ad campaign?

Let’s start with the essentials before we move to the top advertisement examples. An ad campaign is a set of ads built around a single message and aimed at achieving a specific goal. Although the terms ad campaign and marketing campaign are sometimes used interchangeably, they have different meanings. Marketing campaigns imply a strategic, holistic approach to building long-term customer relationships. Meanwhile, ad campaigns are more precise and focus on immediate action, such as buying or subscribing.

When to choose an ad campaign:

You need to drive fast sales. Due to their goal-oriented nature, ad campaigns are perfect when your business needs quick sales or leads.
You run specific promotions. Whether your brand plans a new product launch or a special offer, an ad campaign is a go-to way to get immediate and measurable results.
You have a tight budget. Ad campaigns provide controlled management of costs, which is especially important in case of budget constraints.

Types of ad campaigns

Ad campaigns are classified based on many criteria, from the target audience (B2C or B2B) and channel type (offline or online) to duration (short, medium, or long-term) and geography (local, regional, or global). In this article, we’ll focus on the types of ad campaigns by medium and persuasive techniques.

Ad campaigns by medium

The classification of advertising based on medium reflects the industry’s transformation over the centuries, from the first commercial posters of ancient Egypt to modern online ads.

📰 Print ads

Print is the oldest advertising medium. The rapid rise of print ads began in the 18th century when they started appearing in newspapers. Industrialization and the resulting expansion of consumer goods further accelerated this process. Although less popular today due to digitalization, print is still widely used by businesses. In addition to publications in newspapers and magazines, common print advertisement examples include billboards, posters, flyers, brochures, brand walls, product packaging, and more.

📻 Radio ads

Radio began to spread rapidly in the 1920s, and businesses soon realized the prospects offered by this tech innovation. Shortly after, commercials were broadcast on radio waves, allowing manufacturers to reach consumers directly. Fun fact: “soap operas” were originally called daytime radio series sponsored by soap manufacturers. Over the century, radio ads have reached great heights and remain an impactful way of promotion. The most widespread radio advertisement examples range from recorded commercials and live reads to jingles and songs.

📺 TV ads

The advent of television was the next significant milestone that opened up new brand horizons. Marketers could capture an audience even more effectively using the power of multimedia. The spread of commercial and cable television like MTV in the second half of the 20th century gave them even more opportunities to promote brands and products. Although the Internet is beating TV popularity, the TV ads market is expected to reach an impressive $339 billion this year. Common TV advertisement examples are traditional TV commercials, bumper ads, product placements, infomercials, sponsorships, and more.

💻 Online ads

The spread of the Internet and advanced digital devices like smartphones has brought advertising to a new level. Today, marketers can reach consumers literally anywhere: on social media, messengers, search engines, emails, websites, and beyond. Given that users spend an average of 6 hours and 36 minutes a day online, businesses have a wide range of touchpoints. Thanks to analytics and big data, they create personalized offers that will likely appeal to their audience. Online advertisement examples you see all the time: display ads, search engine ads, banner ads, video ads, email ads, and more.

Ad campaigns by persuasive techniques

Thousands of years ago, Aristotle introduced three effective ways to address an audience in his Rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos, which are combined into a rhetorical triangle. You’ll be surprised to know that modern marketers often apply this ancient theory in practice to craft compelling campaigns. Let’s learn how different persuasive modes help drive audiences to the desired actions.

✦ Ethos: the power of authority

Ethos refers to credibility and reputation. This technique involves appealing to qualifications, status, or expertise to influence an audience. The most common ethos advertisement examples are commercials with celebrities promoting specific products, from cosmetics to cars and techniques. Appealing to authority is also widely used in influencer marketing, where opinion leaders can impact their followers’ purchasing decisions.

✦ Pathos: the power of emotions

Pathos convinces by evoking an emotional response. It appeals to sympathy, imagination, and personal connections. This technique relies on memorable images and metaphors. Remember commercials that made you laugh or cry? Those are pathos advertisement examples. Such campaigns often address memories and feelings of nostalgia, and share heartwarming stories about love, friendship, or family that most people can relate to.

✦ Logos: the power of logic

Whereas the previous techniques depend on subjective perception, logos relies exclusively on intellect and arguments. This method uses facts and figures to support a key statement. For instance, we rely on logos in communication about our AI Image Generator, highlighting its objective benefits, such as commercial safety and exclusive licensing. If you see percentages, charts, comparisons, research results, and explanations of work principles or features in commercials, these are logos advertisement examples.

Now that we’re done with theory, let’s move on to iconic campaigns that have made marketing history and remain the gold standard for brands and marketers.

The best advertisement examples for your creative inspiration

Great print advertisement examples

⭐ McDonald’s: McLights – Lamps

McDonald’s is a true champion in striking and compelling advertising campaigns. This ad is proof. It features reflector lamps and streetlights creating the iconic letter M at night, which instantly identifies the brand. The tagline clearly conveys that the chain’s restaurants are always open, emphasizing their customer-centricity. This ad reinforces the company’s positioning as an approachable and comfortable place to eat, regardless of the time of day.

McDonald's - McLights - Lamps

Image source: Ads of the world

⭐ Nescafe: Nothing wakes you up as Nescafe

The success of this Nescafe ad lies in its strategic use of typography, symbolism, and play on the brand logo. It is a superb example of how a typeface can tell a whole story. The laconic black-and-white ad instantly grabs attention and effectively delivers the main message.

Nescafe's campaign

Image source: Campaigns of the world

⭐ Heinz: No one grows Ketchup like Heinz

In this ad, Heinz uses an eye-catching image that immediately captures attention and provides context. It perfectly aligns with the brand’s identity and conveys its competitive advantage: the tomato stem on the jar serves as a statement that the company uses natural and fresh ingredients. The copy about “growing” ketchup reinforces this message. The composition, with smart use of negative space and complementary red and green colors, deserves special mention.

Heinz ads

Image source: Hammeragency

Brilliant TV advertisement examples

⭐ Honda: Cog

Let’s start with a campaign considered one of the most influential ever. Honda’s masterpiece “Cog” ad from 2003 takes viewers inside the Accord model. In the spectacular video, a chain reaction leads to all the parts falling into place and forming a car that starts to drive along a dynamic track. The main message, “Isn’t it nice when things just work?”, emphasizes the car’s first-class quality and reliability.

The day after the ad debuted, Honda’s website received more hits than it had ever received before, and the next night, it became the second most popular website in the UK. This ad, which has received many awards and praise, continues to fascinate with its simple idea and elegant execution.

⭐ Snickers: You’re not you when you’re hungry

One more legend in our list of the best TV advertisement examples. It all started with the Snickers commercial for the 2010 Super Bowl, in which an elderly lady (Betty White) plays American football with men. Eventually, we find out it’s one of the players; he’s just hungry. The insight that you’re not yourself when you’re hungry was highly relatable to audiences. As a result, the campaign received 400 million media mentions and was adapted for different local markets. Snickers, who found their winning approach, continues implementing it in many creative versions.

⭐ Sony: Bouncy balls

Some ads are forever stuck in your mind. Sony’s Bravia LCD TV campaign is one of them. In this mesmerizing and hypnotic video, 250 thousand colorful balloons bounce along the steep streets of San Francisco, accompanied by the emotional track “Heartbeats” by José González. In such a simple yet memorable way, the brand showed the first-class color quality of its TVs. However, the campaign does more than that; it connects with the audience emotionally and leaves memorable experiences.

Excellent online advertisement examples

⭐ Google: Home alone again with the Google Assistant

In its 2018 Christmas ad, Google taps into a sense of nostalgia and appeals to generations who love the Home Alone movie. The story from the movie repeats itself, and a grown-up Kevin is once again left alone for Christmas, but this time he has Google Assistant at his side. It helps Culkin’s character manage the house and scare away burglars by throwing a party with cardboard human figures, just like in the original movie.

⭐ Coca-Cola: Masterpiece

In 2023, Coca-Cola released a spectacular ad that combines AI technologies with 3D graphics and live footage. In the commercial, a Coca-Cola bottle “travels” to different works of art and interacts with characters from world-famous paintings, such as “The Scream” by Edvard Munch or “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh. The brand’s campaign shows how the drink continues to provide inspiration and uplift through the decades.

⭐ Samsung: Join the flip side

Samsung provides an example of how to turn the technical features of its devices into unique advantages. The commercial’s main character, who initially rejects replacing her phone with a new brand’s foldable model, becomes obsessed with the idea. She notices how everything around her folds, from chairs to sandwiches, and eventually decides to “join the flip side.”

Ethos advertisement examples

⭐ Booking: Tina Fey books whoever she wants to be

As one of the world’s leading sports and marketing events, the Super Bowl delivers top-notch celebrity-driven ads that boost views and build trust every year. Booking’s campaign for 2024 brings together 30 Rock stars Tina Fey, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Krasowski (as well as Glenn Close), who play Tina’s lookalikes. The video conveys Booking’s key advantage—a huge selection of accommodations—in a witty way. The campaign became a real hit this year and has already gained over 156 million views.

⭐ Skechers x Snoop Dogg big game commercial

Snoop Dogg, who stole the show at the Paris Olympics, is the main character in Skechers’ commercial. In this fun and funky campaign, he rides, relaxes, coaches, and performs in the brand’s sneakers, demonstrating how they fit perfectly into his dynamic and busy life. Looks convincing!

Pathos advertisement examples

⭐ Subaru: Old friend

Subaru relies on emotional storytelling to promote its cars. In this commercial, we see the story of Banjo the dog. From puppyhood to old age, he constantly runs to visit a neighborhood man. They remain loyal friends for many years. Subaru uses this symbolic parallel to highlight the reliability of the company’s cars.

⭐ Nintendo Switch

Nintendo’s touching campaign shows the warm bond between a boy and his older sister. The story takes a turn when the sister leaves for college. The boy misses her and feels abandoned. Thankfully, the Nintendo Switch allows for a happy ending. The game console helps the brother and sister feel connected even at a distance.

Logos advertisement examples

⭐ Uber: Safety never stops

In this commercial, Uber addresses the main concern of its audience: safety. The brand lists all features that make customers feel secure, from driver ratings and trip tracking to live location sharing and even an emergency button. We also learned that all Uber drivers are DBS checked and have a trip limit to prevent overwork.

⭐ Dyson cordless vacuum

Dyson products are pretty pricey. To justify the high cost, the brand highlights its devices’ premium quality and unique features. For example, this ad shows the innovation and superior efficiency of their vacuum cleaner. Marketers also focus viewers’ attention on such advantages as ease of use and low noise, which makes the experience as enjoyable as possible.

How to make a successful ad campaign

1. Start with the purpose

In the section explaining the essence of an advertising campaign, we mentioned that its main feature is a focus on a particular goal. What exactly do you want to achieve: increase sales, collect leads, launch a product? Use the SMART approach, which requires your goal to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

2. Put your audience first

The golden rule is to develop ads with the customer in mind. For a campaign to be relevant, you shouldn’t just fill an audience need but offer additional value. For example, Apple not only sells devices but also a feeling of status, and sustainable brands like Patagonia allow customers to contribute to meaningful causes. Understand the psychology of your audience to craft messages that will deeply resonate with them.

3. Consider placement and timing

Having a portrait of your ideal customer at hand and knowing their habits, you will understand where, how, and when to interact with them. For example, this can be good old-fashioned billboards or radio ads for older people, or display ads and social media campaigns for younger generations.

4. Craft engaging content

What the advertisement examples we’ve shared have in common is that they instantly grab attention, despite the fact that they often use pretty simple ideas. Learn from the best: a clear message presented in a compelling and creative way is enough to keep your audience engaged. However, remember that content must be of the highest quality to inspire trust and make the desired impression. The good news is that you don’t have to create it yourself. Rely on our AI image generator or find ready-made graphics in our collection of mockups by professional designers.

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To sum up

A good advertisement is like a good song or movie: it sticks in the audience’s memory, enhancing the image of a brand or product and creating lasting associations. Although crafting a successful campaign requires in-depth analysis and extensive preparation, there is always room for experiments. For example, if you usually rely on the power of arguments, why not use emotions or engage an opinion leader? At the same time, you don’t have to limit yourself to one persuasive technique, as they can be combined perfectly. Try an approach that you haven’t thought of before, and maybe it will bring results you didn’t even expect.