12 Examples of Effective Advertising That Actually Worked
Effective advertising is defined not by creative awards but by its ability to deliver measurable business results, such as driving sales, shifting market share, or creating a new category.
This includes historic examples like Volkswagen's “Think Small” campaign, which mastered brand positioning, and Apple's “1984” ad, which defined a product launch.
From these classics to modern examples of purpose-driven marketing like Dove's “Campaign for Real Beauty,” each case study proves how a powerful strategic idea can build an enduring brand.
- Effective ads deliver measurable business results — clarity, targeting and provocation drive sales, share or category creation.
- Nike, Apple and others succeed by selling an outcome or identity, not product features.
- Campaigns that tap real human emotions or cultural conversations build enduring brand loyalty.
- Small budgets can win with a single focused job, clear value proposition and precise channel targeting.
- Great advertising is disciplined: one message, deep audience understanding, and a decisive call to action.
The Simple Test for an “Effective” Ad
Before we look at the examples, we need a framework. Otherwise, we're just talking about our favourite TV spots. An effective ad isn't about art; it's about results.
It must pass a simple, three-part test:
- Is the message crystal clear? Does a person of average intelligence immediately understand the core idea? Or is it so clever it’s confusing?
- Does it reach the right person? A brilliant ad for steak shown to a room full of vegans is a catastrophic failure.
- Does it provoke a specific response? That response might be a direct purchase, but it could also be to feel a powerful emotion towards the brand, to change a long-held belief, or simply to remember the brand's name at a critical moment.
That’s it. Clarity, targeting, and impact. Keep that in mind as we go.
12 Campaigns That Nailed It (And Why)
Here are 12 examples of advertising that didn't just win awards—they won the market.
1. Nike: “Just Do It.” – Selling an Ethos, Not a Shoe
The Campaign: Launched in 1988, this campaign took Nike from a niche running shoe company to a global titan. The ads featured elite athletes and everyday people pushing through their personal barriers, with three simple words: Just Do It.
Why It Worked: Nike stopped selling shoes with air pockets and started selling something intangible: the finish line. They sold the victory over your inner voice that tells you to quit. The product was secondary to the mindset. It attached the Nike swoosh to the universal human struggle and the eventual triumph.
The Takeaway for You: Stop selling the features of your product. Sell the outcome. Sell the feeling. Sell the status your customer achieves because they used your service. No one cares about the thread count of your sheets; they care about a perfect night's sleep.
2. Apple: “1984” – Creating a Common Enemy
The Campaign: A single TV spot that introduced the Macintosh computer, aired only once during the 1984 Super Bowl. Directed by Ridley Scott, it depicted a dystopian, Orwellian world of mindless conformists being saved by a lone, colourful female athlete. It never even showed the product.
Why It Worked: It gave people a flag to rally around. Apple wasn't selling a beige box with a screen; it was a rebellion of sales. The ad established a villain (the cold, conformist world of IBM-style computing) and positioned Apple as the heroic liberator. It was a declaration of war, inviting you to pick a side.
The Takeaway for You: Define what you're against as clearly as what you're for. Giving your customers a “villain”—complexity, inefficiency, unfair pricing, or a lazy incumbent—is a compelling way to build a tribe.
3. Dove: “Campaign for Real Beauty” – Tapping a Cultural Nerve
The Campaign: Started in 2004, this campaign moved away from impossibly perfect models and featured real women with real bodies instead. It challenged the narrow, damaging standards of the beauty industry through billboards, videos, and workshops.
Why It Worked: It was honest. It started a conversation that millions of women already had privately. Dove didn't just reflect the culture; it began to shape it, earning immense brand loyalty and trust. It showed that the brand was listening more than its competitors were.
The Takeaway for You: What conversation is happening in your industry that no one is brave enough to address? What's the unspoken truth or frustration? Your brand can finally say it out loud.
4. The Economist: “I never read The Economist.” – The Power of Aspiration
The Campaign: A series of brilliantly simple, text-only posters. White text on a red background. One of the most famous reads: “‘I never read The Economist.' — Management trainee, aged 42.”
Why It Worked: It’s a masterclass in psychology. It doesn't sell you a magazine; it sells you the status and intelligence of being the person who reads it. The ad flatters the reader, implying they're smarter than the sad 42-year-old trainee. It created an exclusive club and made you want to be a member.
The Takeaway for You: Your advertising doesn't have to appeal to everyone. In fact, it's often more powerful if it actively repels the wrong people. Make the right customer feel seen, and they'll come to you.
5. De Beers: “A Diamond Is Forever” – Inventing a Tradition
The Campaign: Before the 1940s, diamond engagement rings were not the norm. Through a decades-long marketing effort, De Beers single-handedly made them a mandatory symbol of love and commitment. The line “A Diamond Is Forever,” written in 1947, cemented this idea.
Why It Worked: They didn't sell a rock; they sold the idea of everlasting love. They manufactured demand out of thin air by linking their product to one of the most powerful human emotions. They successfully made an expensive luxury feel like a necessary tradition.
The Takeaway for You: Can you attach your product or service to a key life moment, emotion, or goal? Don't just be a photographer; be the person who captures a family's legacy. Don't just be a financial advisor; be the one who secures a client's retirement.
6. Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” – Flipping the Audience
The Campaign: In 2010, Old Spice was a dying brand associated with grandfathers. Then came a fast-paced, surreal, hilarious video ad featuring a confident man on a horse. It went viral almost instantly.
Why It Worked: They made a crucial realisation: men might use the product, but women often bought it. The ad stopped talking to men and started a conversation with women, using a brand of humour perfect for the burgeoning internet video culture. Sales more than doubled in the months following the launch.
The Takeaway for You: Are you talking to the right person? The end-user of your product might not be the primary buyer. Identify the decision-maker and speak their language.
7. Dollar Shave Club: “Our Blades Are F***ing Great” – Winning with a Simple Truth
The Campaign: A low-budget, no-frills YouTube video from 2012 featuring the company's founder, Michael Dubin. He walks through a warehouse, cracks jokes, and bluntly explains the value proposition: pay a small monthly fee for quality razors delivered to your door.
Why It Worked: It was authentic, funny, and had an unbeatable, clear-as-day value proposition. It directly attacked the customer's pain point—overpriced, locked-up razors from giants like Gillette—the video cost about $4,500 and generated 12,000 orders in the first 48 hours.
The Takeaway for You: What is your industry's one, simple, frustrating truth? Say it. Stop hiding behind corporate jargon. Your customers will thank you for your honesty.
8. Specsavers: “Should've Gone to Specsavers” – Owning a Moment
The Campaign: A long-running series of comedic ads in the UK showing people making hilarious (and often catastrophic) mistakes due to poor eyesight—like a farmer shearing his sheepdog instead of a sheep.
Why It Worked: It turned a negative (failing vision) into a relatable, humorous, and shared cultural moment. The catchphrase “Should've Gone to Specsavers” entered the national lexicon, becoming a common joke. The brand now “owns” the very concept of eyesight-related blunders.
The Takeaway for You: What common problem or mistake does your product prevent? Can you own that moment in your customers' minds so they think of you whenever they experience that frustration?
9. Coca-Cola: “Share a Coke” – Making It Personal
The Campaign: First launched in Australia in 2011, this campaign replaced the iconic Coca-Cola logo on bottles with hundreds of the country's most popular names.
Why It Worked: It was simple genius. It transformed a mass-produced, impersonal product into a personal token and a gift. It drove a treasure hunt mentality, with people searching for their own name or the names of friends. Crucially, it was tailor-made for the social media era, generating millions of pounds worth of free advertising as people shared photos of their named bottles online.
The Takeaway for You: How can you make your customer feel like an individual, not just an order number? Personalisation, even in small ways, is an incredibly powerful tool for building a connection.
10. Burger King: “Whopper Detour” – Weaponising Your Competition
The Campaign: In 2018, Burger King ran a promotion on their mobile app that offered customers a Whopper for just one cent. The catch? You could only unlock the deal within 600 feet of a McDonald's.
Why It Worked: It was a brilliantly cheeky use of technology (geofencing) that directly targeted their rival's customer base. It generated enormous media buzz, drove over 1.5 million app downloads, and forced people to drive to their competitor's doorstep to buy a Burger King product.
The Takeaway for You: Think about your biggest competitor. Can you use their strengths—size, locations, customer habits—to your advantage in a clever, playful way?
11. Marmite: “Love it or Hate it.” – Embracing Division
The Campaign: Instead of trying to convince people who disliked their product to give it a try, Marmite leaned into its polarising nature with a simple, confident slogan: “Love it or Hate it.”
Why It Worked: It shows supreme brand confidence. It permits the haters to hate, paradoxically making them less vocal. More importantly, it gives the lovers a banner to rally under, turning them from mere consumers into passionate advocates. They aren't just buying yeast extract; they're affirming their identity.
The Takeaway for You: Stop trying to be for everyone. A lukewarm majority is far less valuable than a passionate minority. Have an opinion. Take a stand. The people who agree with you will become your most loyal fans.
12. GoPro: “Shot on GoPro” – Making the Customer the Star
The Campaign: GoPro's core advertising strategy isn't to create slick commercials. It's to use its users' incredible, thrilling, and often breathtaking video content.
Why It Worked: It's the ultimate form of social proof. Every user-generated video is an authentic, compelling testimonial that demonstrates the product's capabilities (and its durability) far better than any scripted ad ever could. It also provides them endless stream of high-quality, low-cost marketing material.
The Takeaway for You: Your customers' success stories are your most powerful marketing assets. Don't just collect testimonials; actively showcase your clients' excellent work with your product or service. Make them the hero.
What Do All These Ads Have in Common?
It's not the budget. It's not the celebrity. It's not the special effects.
It's a relentless focus on a few key things:
- A Single, Focused Message: They do one thing perfectly. They don't try to say five things at once.
- A Deep Understanding of Human Emotion: They tap into a real feeling—aspiration, rebellion, frustration, humour, love.
- Confidence to Ignore Everyone Else: They know exactly who they are talking to and don't waste a single breath trying to please people outside that target audience.
Ogilvy on Advertising
The bottom line: This book is a masterclass in the thinking behind great advertising, but its tactics are dangerously outdated. Read it for the foundational wisdom from a legend, but don't copy the methods. Some of his rules are just plain wrong for today's world. Steal the principles, not the plays.
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How to Apply This Without a Million-Pound Budget
You don't need a Super Bowl budget to use these principles. You just need discipline.
Define One Job: Before spending a single penny, decide what you want your ad to achieve. Get one email signup. Sell one specific product. Convey one core feeling about your brand. Not three things. One.
Solve a Real Problem: Your customers don't care about your company's history. They care about their own problems. Frame everything you do as a solution to their frustration. Your ad should be about them, not you.
Choose Your Battlefield: You can't afford TV, national print, and a fleet of billboards. So don't try. Pick one channel where your customers live—hyper-targeted Facebook ads, a local community newsletter, or sponsoring a niche podcast—and focus all your energy on dominating it.
Effective Advertising is Disciplined, Not Just Creative
The real magic isn't a flash of genius in a brainstorming session. It's the strategic discipline to stick to a clear message and a specific audience, day in and day out.
It's about clarity, not cleverness. It's about substance, not style.
Thinking this way about your marketing is hard work. It requires saying “no” to a lot of ideas. But it's the only way to stop wasting money and start getting results. If you want a team that applies this strategic discipline to building your brand, let's talk. Have a look at the philosophy behind our digital marketing services.
Frequently Asked Questions about Effective Advertising
What is the most effective type of advertising?
There is no single “most effective” type. The effectiveness depends entirely on your goal, audience, and budget. A local plumbing business might find Google Ads most effective, while a fashion brand might rely on Instagram influencers. The best type is the one that reaches your specific customer where they are most receptive.
How do you measure advertising effectiveness?
You measure it against the specific goal you set. If the goal was sales, you measure revenue and return on ad spend (ROAS). You might measure website traffic, social media mentions, or conduct brand recall surveys if it were brand awareness. If it were lead generation, you measure the cost per lead (CPL).
What makes an ad memorable?
Memorability often comes from a strong emotional connection (humour, surprise, inspiration), a simple and repeatable jingle or catchphrase (like Specsavers), or a powerful and unexpected visual. Clarity is also key; a confusing ad is rarely a memorable one.
Can small businesses create effective advertising with a small budget?
Absolutely. The Dollar Shave Club video cost less than £5,000. Effectiveness comes from a great idea and precise targeting, not a big budget. A well-written email, a clever social media post, or a highly targeted local ad can be more effective than a generic national TV campaign.
What is the difference between branding and advertising?
Branding is your company's identity and perception—your logo, reputation, and customer service. It’s who you are. Advertising is a specific tool you use to communicate a message about your brand. Advertising supports the brand.
How important is a call to action (CTA)?
It is critically important. An ad without a clear CTA is like a salesperson who gives a great pitch and then walks away without asking for the sale. The CTA tells the customer exactly what to do next, whether it's “Buy Now,” “Learn More,” or “Sign Up Today.”
Should advertising focus on features or benefits?
Almost always benefits. A feature is what something is (e.g., “this drill has a lithium-ion battery”). It benefits the customer (e.g., “you can build the entire deck on a single charge”). People buy benefits.
Is negative advertising effective?
It can be, particularly in politics, but it's a risky strategy for most businesses. It can generate attention but also create negative associations with your brand. A more effective approach is to position yourself against a “villain” or a problem (like Apple did) rather than directly attacking a competitor by name.
How has the internet changed advertising?
The internet has made advertising more measurable, targeted, and accessible. Businesses can now reach niche audiences with unprecedented precision and track results in real-time. It has also shifted the power dynamic, as consumers can easily ignore or block ads, making authentic, value-driven content more important than ever.
What is a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?
A USP is a unique benefit that a company offers that its competitors do not. It answers, “Why should I buy from you and not anyone else?” Dollar Shave Club's USP was quality razors delivered to your door for a low monthly price. A strong USP is the foundation of any effective ad campaign.
