9 Creative Advertising Ideas for an Unforgettable Marketing Campaign
Stuck on new creative advertising ideas for your next marketing campaign? Get some creative inspiration with these nine advertising ideas.
Does it seem like your advertising campaign is falling flat, gasping for it's last, dying breaths? It may be a lack of creativity that's choking it.
If so, don't worry! We've got what you need.
Below are 9 creative advertising ideas that will blow your mind. Try these inspired marketing tactics to reanimate your dead ad campaign like a marketing zombie virus.
Sponsored Quizzes
Which Marvel Superhero Are You? Which Doritos Flavor Are You? How Long Would You Survive The Walking Dead?
We've all seen about a million of these sponsored quizzes on Facebook. That's because people love them, and share them, and get all their friends to take them because they're so much fun!
Meanwhile, the company behind the sponsored quiz gets massive exposure from an ad that took less than a day to create. The bottom line is some company gets to advertise the crap out of their product and their public loves them for it.
How will your company use sponsored quizzes? I mean, "Which Sponsored Quiz Will Your Company Use?"
Advertise on Maps
Local advertising is a super-big deal, one you should already be using in your ad campaign. Now it's time to take that advertising tactic to the streets, the digital streets, that is.
Using your Google AdWords account, you can advertise on Google Maps. (You should already have an AdWords account.)
So first, if you don't have an AdWords account, get one. It costs you nothing unless customers actually engage with your ads. What have you got to lose?
Then, enable location extensions in your AdWords account and voila! You now have relevant, local ads popping up on Google Maps. In other words, you're advertising to thousands of people who are 10 minutes away from making a purchase.
According to Google, 50% of people who search for a local business on a smartphone visit a store that same day. Why would you miss out on that?
But don't stop there. You can advertise on paper maps, too. Maps that are just sitting there in bus stations and gas stations could have your company name and store locations all over them.
Sponsor Popular Apps
I'm not talking about those annoying pop-up ads that interrupt your Angry Birds game. I'm talking about a level of Angry with your company name, colors, and mascot.
You can sponsor the whole weekly tournament for Angry Birds or some other game. Or sponsor a selfie frame for Instagram or Snapchat. People will share those selfies all over the place.
Product Placement in Video Games
Believe it or not, product placement in video games has been going on since the 80s. Not only that, but video games now have a bigger audience than TV. Maybe you should stop trying to get your product on Iron Chef and shoot for the next Final Fantasy game instead.
Be Atypical
For physical advertising, like billboards or newspaper ads, be ironic. That is, whatever you might expect to see in that space, do the opposite.
Make your newspaper ad a crossword puzzle or children's activity. Or make billboards exciting using lenticular printing to animate your ads as drivers pass.
Advertise outside the box, literally! Ads that extend past the edge of the billboard or 3D ads that extend out from the flat surface are more eye-catching.
These look as though they are breaking out of the board and into reality. And drivers coming from the other direction, on the other side of the billboard, can see the silhouette of your ad from behind. They'll be reminded of the ad they earlier that day.
Epic Advertising Team-Ups
No offense, but maybe your company is just boring. Maybe you sell something like printer toner. Is it even possible for customers to get excited about that?
Yes, it is (sort of)! Or, at least, you can get people excited about something they already like and then shove your company in their face while they're all happy and stuff.
I'm talking about partnering with well-known, well-liked companies or licensed characters to be your dull company's mascot. Put superheroes, rappers and other pop-culture references in your commercials, even when it doesn't make sense. Don't worry, random is in right now.
For example, someone at the office runs out of toner. "Oh no, not again."
"OH YEAH!" says Kool-Aid man, bursting through the wall, full of toner, wearing your company logo. Or, check this out.
And Now For Something Completely Different
The other best advertising strategy for boring companies is similar. Basically, you make commercials that are entertaining and have nothing to do with your company. Then, you slap your company name, logo and slogan on it.
This is why insurance commercials have almost nothing to do with insurance but everything to do with cavemen, talking geckos and hilarious MILFs. No one will ever be excited about insurance, but everyone loves Flo.
The main thing is to make it entertaining. You're not trying to sell a product; this strategy is more about brand awareness. You just want people to think your company is awesome.
They'll share your hilarious commercials all over Facebook. Then, when they're looking for insurance or toner or whatever boring service you provide, you're the first name on their mind.
This is much like the epic team-up strategy above, but instead of using licensed characters and pop culture references, you are making up your own. YOU are the new pop culture reference, the funny internet meme the kids are talking about.
This is usually cheaper than partnering but requires more creativity.
Promotional Products
These are great because the options are literally limitless. Sure, you can put your company name on boring stuff, like pens. But why do that when you can give away really cool promo products people may actually want?
Seriously, you can get your company name on anything. Aim for things people want or use:
- Water bottles or sports bottles
- Lotion and hand sanitizer
- T-shirts
- Flash drives
- Backpacks
- Flashlight radios
- Bubble machines
- Earrings
- Everything
Or advertise on things that are trending. Look around town to see what people need or use a lot of. Then put your company name on it and give it out for free.
If you see a lot of painted nails, hand out promo nail polish in your company's colors. If there are a lot of kids in the area, hand out educational toys. On hot days, give out water, spray bottles and battery-operated fans.
Pens are good too, though because people use them a lot. And you can leave them lying around or give them away anywhere.
Get Professional Help
Don't be afraid to reach out. There are a lot of companies that exist solely to help you market your company, products and services, both online and offline. they can even help you optimize your website and web presence.
For some examples of what a professional web marketing/web design company can do for you, read more here.
Get More Creative Advertising Ideas
Want more creative advertising ideas? Get inspired with our web design galleries. Check out our E-Commerce and Corporate web design galleries for ideas you can use on your business website.
