9 Highly Effective Online Advertisements

November 22, 2014

Name the most effective ONLINE advertisement you’ve seen in the past six months and explain why it caught your attention.

1. The Vine Videos by Lowe’s

Lowe’s recently ran a series of ads through Vine, using short videos to teach people how to complete quick and minor home repair projects. It caught my eye because Lowe’s managed to get its points across in less than six seconds. – Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

2. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

You’ve seen it, you know about it and you may have even participated in it. If you don’t know what the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is, you have not been on social media websites or watched any television recently. It caught my attention because all of my friends were either talking about it or participating in it. You may be over it, but the fact that you are is another reason why it was so great. – Jon Cline, Rokit SEO

3. The “Parting Glass” Video by Tullamore Dew

The Parting Glass video by Tullamore Dew captures the true essence of the brand through beautiful production and solid copywriting. We’re all about telling stories, and this is a fantastic story the company effectively told in a short amount of time. – Brock Stechman, DivvyHQ

4. An Educational Article by Defy Ventures

I’ve learned to ignore banner ads and online video ads, but I still love reading high quality educational content. I came across an article written by Catherine Hoke, the founder of Defy Ventures, that blew me away with the way it authentically engaged her target audience, educated first and had a direct call to action at the end. – Kelsey Meyer, Influence & Co.

5. An In-Advertisement Survey From Estee Lauder

A display ad from Estee Lauder recently caught my attention because it came with a survey question about the lipstick featured in the ad. The interactivity of the ad, and the idea that the brand wanted my opinion, caught my attention and engaged me longer than most advertisements do. It was a clever way to get my attention and increase brand recall. – Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

6. An Anti-Drunk Driving Ad by Budweiser

This one pulled the heart strings and definitely hit home. Anytime you can capture people’s emotions, you’ve got their attention. This is why humor and sometimes sad ads become really memorable. This ad features the bond between a dog and a man and conveys that drinking and driving doesn’t only affect you, but also those who care about you. It really makes you sit back and think about it. – Andy Karuza, SpotSurvey

7. Click Bait Articles on Facebook

I’ve seen a lot of ads and promoted posts lately that entice people to click by showing half of the image on Facebook and saying things like “I can’t believe this, especially the last one on the list!” The post both creates curiosity by only revealing 5 percent of the data, and is worded as coming from somebody you know to make it more personable. – Tolga Tanriseven, GirlsAskGuys

8. The “Everything Is Not Awesome” PSA by Greenpeace

Last month, Greenpeace put out a public service announcement asking Lego to end its partnership with Shell. The ad featured Lego characters being drowned by an oil spill. While I’m not sure the ad was entirely fair, it certainly did make an impression. It tugged at my heartstrings big time and I haven’t stopped thinking about it all day. I’m sure this was exactly what Greenpeace was going for! – Alexandra Levit, Inspiration at Work

9. The “Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Endures the Gluteus Maximus” Ad by Samsung

Samsung knows how and when to take shots at its Cupertino competitor, Apple. In light of the recent Bendgate hiccup, Samsung has produced a number of compelling advertisements promoting its products as the better option. The company’s latest video titled Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Endures the Gluteus Maximus demonstrates their sense of humor and wit too. – Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep