03/04/2025
Advertising plays a powerful role in shaping how we discover, perceive, and engage with brands. Whether it’s a catchy jingle in a commercial advertisement, a bold visual on a billboard, or a clever message embedded in social media ads, every form of advertising has the potential to influence behavior and create lasting impressions. Good ads are not just about visibility but about making meaningful connections.
As technology evolves and new media platforms emerge, the world of advertising continues to grow more diverse and more strategic. Understanding different types of advertisements is essential because it helps marketers choose the right format for the right audience. This is why studying advertising campaign examples is so valuable—it offers insights into what makes good advertisements successful and memorable.
In this article, we’ll explore various forms of advertising, from traditional print ad examples in newspapers and magazines to modern digital campaigns across social media and search engines. To bring these advertising examples to life, we’ll highlight real-world ad examples that became iconic in their respective spaces.
Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, student, or creative looking for inspiration, these advertisement examples for students and professionals alike will demonstrate how the right format, message, and timing come together to deliver campaigns that resonate—and drive results.
Types of Advertisements with Examples
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common types of advertising, including advertising campaign examples and competitive advertising examples that showcase the strengths of each format.
Print Advertisements
Print advertising is one of the oldest and most respected types of advertising. Found in newspapers, magazines, brochures, and posters, print ads offer credibility and permanence. Newspaper advertisement examples show how print can reach niche audiences effectively, especially in sectors like luxury, real estate, and fashion.
Example: Absolut Vodka’s "Absolut Perfection" Campaign
This print ad example revolutionized how brand advertising examples could create long-lasting impressions. Absolut’s campaign creatively showcased their signature bottle across various artistic settings, maintaining brand consistency for over 25 years—a stellar example of a successful ad campaign.
Television Commercials
TV commercials combine sight, sound, and motion, delivering emotional impact and mass reach. As one of the most prominent commercial advertisement formats, TV ads are excellent for launching new products or reinforcing brand identity through storytelling and cinematic quality.
Example: Apple’s “1984” Commercial
This commercial example broke the mold with its dystopian, anti-establishment tone, positioning Apple as an innovative leader. Though aired only once, it remains one of the most studied and celebrated advertisement examples in history.
Radio Advertisements
Radio ads rely solely on audio, making them unique among advertising examples. Without visuals, strong storytelling, engaging voiceovers, and memorable sound effects are critical to creating good ads that stick.
Example: Motel 6’s “We’ll Leave the Light On for You”
This long-running radio commercial became synonymous with trust and affordability. Its simplicity and consistency demonstrate how effective advertising campaign examples can succeed through sound alone.
Digital Advertisements
Digital advertising from digital markeing services includes any ads appearing online—on search engines via paid search and SEO services, websites, social media, and streaming platforms. These ads are highly measurable, targeted, and adaptable in real time, making them among the most competitive advertising examples today.
1. Google Ads
Google Ads appear on search result pages based on keywords, reaching users with high purchase intent.
Example: Dollar Shave Club’s Search Ads
By smartly bidding on keywords like “affordable razors” and “shave subscription,” Dollar Shave Club’s advertising campaign example shows how product advertising examples can drive explosive growth.
2. Facebook Ads
Facebook ads enable targeting by location, interests, and behaviors, supporting multiple creative formats.
Example: Airbnb’s “Live There” Campaign
This social media ad example used real host stories to connect with audiences, promoting the idea of living like a local and boosting bookings.
3. Instagram Ads
Instagram ads blend into users’ feeds with striking visuals, ideal for lifestyle brands.
Example: Nike’s Colin Kaepernick Ad
This creative advertising example used a powerful image that sparked global conversation and millions of engagements.
4. YouTube Ads
YouTube video ads allow storytelling via short or long-form videos, with formats including skippable and bumper ads.
Example: Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
This humorous ad became a viral social media ads example, rebranding Old Spice with shareable content.
5. TikTok Ads
TikTok’s short-form, user-generated style ads thrive on creativity and trends.
Example: e.l.f. Cosmetics’ #EyesLipsFace Challenge
This viral challenge is a prime example of social media ad examples that engage millions through catchy jingles and user participation.
Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertisements command attention in public spaces—billboards, transit ads, and guerrilla marketing installations.
1. Billboards Example: The Economist’s Lightbulb Billboard
A clever, interactive billboard that lit up when passersby walked beneath, symbolizing a “lightbulb moment” and showcasing creative advertising examples.
2. Transit Ads Example: Apple’s iPod Silhouette Campaign
Bright, colorful visuals on buses and subways made this campaign unforgettable in product advertising examples.
3. Guerrilla Marketing Example: Frontline’s Giant Dog Ad
An interactive installation that creatively engaged the audience, demonstrating the power of good advertisements outside traditional media.
Famous Advertisement Examples
1. Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" Campaign: Personalization through printing names on bottles boosted sales and social media engagement—a classic example of brand advertising examples.
2. Nike's "Just Do It" Campaign: Inspirational and inclusive, this campaign associated the brand with determination and excellence, standing out among advertising campaign examples.
3. Apple's "Get a Mac" Campaign: Humorous ads personifying Mac and PC highlighted Apple's user-friendly brand, a textbook example of competitive advertising examples.
4. McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" Campaign: With its catchy jingle and global appeal, it remains one of the most recognized commercial advertisement examples.
5. Dove's "Real Beauty Sketches" Campaign: A socially impactful campaign addressing beauty standards, showing how good ads can spark important conversations.
Advertisement Examples by Objective
Here are Advertisement Examples to build your good campaign strategy.
Brand Awareness
Example: Coca-Cola's "Open Happiness" Campaign
A feel-good emotional message created deep resonance, making it a standout example of advertising campaign examples focused on brand awareness.
Product Launch
Example: Apple iPhone Launch Ads
Sleek, benefit-driven visuals combined with product reveals to generate excitement—a hallmark of good advertisements for new products.
Lead Generation
Example: HubSpot’s Free Template Downloads
Offering value upfront and highly targeted messaging exemplify product advertising examples aimed at generating leads.
Customer Retention
Example: Starbucks Rewards App Promotions
Personalized deals and exclusive offers are a great example of advertising campaign examples focused on retention.
Event Promotion
Example: Spotify Wrapped Ads
Highly personalized and shareable content that encourages user engagement, representing excellent social media ad examples.
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B2B and B2C Advertisement Examples
While many of the ads we’ve covered are B2B and B2C advertising is just as creative and essential. Let’s look at how businesses sell to other businesses with powerful advertisement examples.
1. Slack – “So Yeah, We Tried Slack”
Slack created humorous ads showing office teams overwhelmed with email before discovering Slack. Their campaigns use storytelling to show how the tool simplifies communication.
Why It Worked:
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Relatable pain points
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Humor with professionalism
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Direct product demonstration
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Focus on business productivity
2. IBM – “Smart is…” Campaign
IBM’s branding focuses on innovation. Through real-world stories, like smarter cities or AI applications, they show how technology solves complex problems.
Why It Worked:
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Educational and inspiring
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Trusted industry authority
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Focus on real-world impact
3. Mailchimp – “Did You Mean…?”
Mailchimp used clever wordplay in their ads, intentionally misspelling their name in hilarious ways (e.g., “MailShrimp”). These unexpected visuals caught attention and made a lasting impression.
Why It Worked:
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Unconventional humor
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Strong brand voice
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Simple design and storytelling
B2C Advertisement Examples
In contrast to B2C and b2b marketing services, ads often focus on emotion, lifestyle, and impulse. Here are consumer-facing advertisement examples that drove serious results.
1. Nike – “You Can’t Stop Us”
This inspiring video ads used split-screen footage to show athletes overcoming adversity and working together. Released during the pandemic, it became a symbol of hope and unity.
Why It Worked:
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Inclusive, global storytelling
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Strong visuals and music
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Message of resilience and unity
2. IKEA – “The Wonderful Everyday”
IKEA focuses on how its products improve daily life. Their ads are simple, warm, and family-oriented, making the brand relatable and human.
Why It Worked:
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Everyday scenarios
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Subtle humor
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Product integrated naturally
3. Heinz – “Draw Ketchup”
Heinz asked people around the world to “draw ketchup.” Almost everyone drew a Heinz bottle. The resulting ad showed how deeply their branding had penetrated culture.
Why It Worked:
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Consumer involvement
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Brand association proof
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Viral storytelling
What Makes These Advertisement Examples Successful?
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Clear and simple message
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Strong emotional connection
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Visual consistency in colors and imagery
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Deep understanding of audience needs
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Clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA)
Ads Copywriting Breakdown
Great ads copy, as seen in many good advertisements, follows this pattern:
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The Hook: Grabs attention instantly (e.g., “Think Different.”)
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The Value: Explains why the audience should care
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The CTA: Directs the audience on what to do next (e.g., “Shop Now”)
Key Takeaways from Advertising Examples
Creativity coupled with strategy is key. Simple, personalized ads that speak directly to the audience outperform generic messages. Whether it’s B2B or B2C, storytelling remains the secret sauce of successful commercial advertisements.
How Centric Helps You Create Winning Ads
At Centric , we transform ideas into effective advertising campaigns. Whether you need creative advertising examples for startups or scalable advertising campaign examples for enterprises, our expertise covers:
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Creative Advertising Campaigns
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Digital Strategy & Media Planning
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Performance Marketing (Google Ads, Social Media Ads)
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Brand Positioning & Messaging
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Web & App Design Focused on Conversion
Explore Centric services to elevate your brand with ad examples that drive real results.
Conclusion
If you’ve made it this far, you now clearly understand how Digital Transformation Services is a powerful tool for advertising - and how just one great idea can transform the way people see your brand. Whether you’re aiming to launch a high-impact campaign for a global audience or just looking to run a simple, effective ad on Google or Instagram, inspiration is truly everywhere.
From funny commercials and emotional storytelling to interactive content and bold brand statements, the best advertising examples all share a few key traits: clarity, creativity, and connection with the audience.
Studying advertisement examples gives you a strategic advantage. It helps you spot trends, understand messaging styles, and identify what truly engages people across different industries and platforms. More importantly, it helps you avoid guesswork. Instead of starting from scratch, you learn from what has already worked , and then make it your own.
But inspiration alone isn't enough. To turn your ideas into real business results, you need execution.
That’s where the right creative team makes all the difference. From ad concept to copywriting, design to media strategy, a skilled partner helps you connect your message with the right audience, at the right time, and for that you can trust Centric.
