Creativity is the main component found in successful advertising for creative ads. It’s what elevates an ad from hum drum awareness into something that becomes worth remembering.
Creative advertising ideas for a small business can help engage your intended audience. They can also draw attention to your brand or product.
But simply creating something novel is only half the battle. In truth, creative advertising ideas come down to a few key ingredients:
- A strategic plan of execution,
- A concept that delivers what customers crave,
- A concept that is aligned with your business’s identity and offerings,
- And a medium that delivers the content in an appropriate way.
With the right ingredients, creative marketing ideas can elevate themselves from the everyday.
They can contain elements that are different from a basic ad you might see in a magazine or on a billboard. And, perhaps most importantly, they can evolve from generic awareness-building campaigns into ads that truly convert.
Here are seven ad ideas to help spark your creativity:
1. Truckside Advertising
Truckside ads can reach a wide audience in ways other advertisement ideas simply can’t. By covering different locations and attracting attention through eye-catching designs and high-quality graphics, reach is unmatched. These ads thrive on broad awareness and wide audience coverage.
These are versatile ads that are cost-effective and great for drawing attention and promoting action. This means brand recognition all over a market, state, and even a country.
Best of all, mobile billboards gain 2.5 times more attention than static options. This is a professional and unique piece of creative advertising designed to get people to notice your business.
2. Wallscapes
A vinyl wallscape can take your brand and drop it right in front of your audience to make a lasting impact.
Wallscape ads can be designed in various shapes and sizes. They often feature colorful and attention-grabbing images, messages, or branding. They are typically located in high-traffic areas of cities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they can be used to promote a variety of products or services.
When put in the right place with enough foot and vehicle traffic, these ads truly shine. With a strategic wallscape ad, you’re sure to draw attention and guarantee that people remember your brand.
3. Gas Pump Ads
We’ve all seen an ad on a gas pump nozzle and screen. But at All Over Media, we can see the forest for the trees. We believe that this type of creative advertising puts your business in the hands of the consumer. Consumers spend between 3-8 minutes at a gas station so it’s a great place to get attention while they relax and recharge.
Creative ads on gas pumps also allow you to target your audience. Advertisers can choose to display their ads in gas stations located in specific areas or neighborhoods. This strategic targeting ensures that their message is reaching the intended audience.
4. Misdirection
An easy way to grab your audience’s attention is by creating misdirected creative ads. Simply consider the advertisement ideas of the 1990s as an example, in which products were barely featured at all. This type of misdirection allowed for two distinct benefits:
- It provided enticement to the viewer, who could be drawn in by an alluring image of something that wasn’t a product shot, and
- It gave the public something to discuss, as the ad was anything but conventional.
That word of mouth can be a huge boon to would-be advertisers. The shareability of the ad’s content essentially becomes free advertising unto itself.
But your campaign can’t be shared if it’s not seen in the first place. With a good misdirection, your audience will be drawn in before their shields come up, so to speak.
The picture in the ad is attention-grabbing, which causes the person seeing the ad to continue reading. Some companies that have successfully used misdirection ads include Petco, StopVEO, Snickers, and Selvera.
5. Nostalgic Ads
A nostalgic ad is a unique way to create attention toward your brand. Depending on your brand, you can choose a theme, such as a decade-inspired aesthetic or a bygone catchphrase. The nostalgia of the video or pictures will likely grab the attention of a specific age group.
Marketing typically focuses on the future. New products. New services. New possibilities.
But in truth, many consumers simply yearn for simpler times. And the simplest times, at least in our mind’s eye, are typically behind us.
By crafting nostalgic ads, you essentially give the people what they want. Your business can tap into that collective nostalgia and give your customers something to connect their hearts to.
Some companies that have created some of the best nostalgic ads include:
- Nintendo
- Spotify
- Oikos
- Nike
- Microsoft
- McDonald’s
- Motorola
Nostalgia marketing is almost equivalent to comfort food, for millennials to boomers alike. So consider adding some nostalgia to your advertisement ideas and feed your customers’ hunger for their past.
6. Street Art
Street art is often an overlooked form of creative advertising. These types of creative advertisements can also be known as “guerilla advertising.” This concept typically takes the form of stickers, graffiti, or chalk art. Street art makes the audience stop and notice what is before them.
It is designed to engage the audience from the first look, both in person and online. An example of influential street art is a hand-painted mural highlighting your brand or your company’s message.
When executed correctly, this advertisement idea means two things can occur:
- The audience can take a picture with the mural, thereby extending the ad’s reach, and
- You’ve created something that potentially beautifies the community.
Some companies with the best street art creative ads include Adidas, Axe, Nike, PlayStation, Durex, Converse, and HP.
If you are looking for a subtler means to promote your business, this one’s a winner. A guerilla marketing strategy is a potentially smart move.
But consider this: guerilla marketing efforts aren’t appropriate for all businesses. Consider first your target demographic and your company’s ethos to determine if it’s a fit. If not, you risk alienating potential customers and taking a hit to your would-be increased sales.
7. Sanitizer Ads
If you’re trying to build brand awareness, hand sanitizer ads are a great way to garner novel attention. With a wall mounted or free standing sanitizer stand ad, you can put your business right in front of the ideal consumer.
There are a number of ways to do this. Moreover, it provides you with a great way to get a competitive advantage over your competitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
HOW DO YOU GET CREATIVE IDEAS FOR ADVERTISING?
Advertising ideas don’t just fall from the heavens. But, you can find an inspiring advertising idea out in the wild (when you know where to look). You can get creative ideas for advertising by looking at what your competitors are doing for their advertisements.
Look at other companies to see what works and what doesn’t. Or check out the social media pages of some of your favorite companies. This critical research will help you to understand how they like to advertise. Use your humor or creativity to direct the ads specifically to your audience.
WHAT ARE 4 EXAMPLES OF ADVERTISING?
Four examples of advertising are display, video, mobile, and native advertising. All of these creative ad types are potentially effective when deployed well.
Display advertising consists of digital billboards, websites, or blog posts.
Video advertising consists of video ads that play on a screen as pre-roll, mid-roll, or in a banner placement.
Mobile advertising is on a mobile device or billboard. It is typically sized and placed for smaller user experiences.
Native advertising is considered non-disruptive. It is also typically sponsored content and comes in the form of videos, photos, or blog posts to form a cohesive ad campaign.
See How AllOver Media Can Help
Creative ads are the best way to draw attention to your brand. And there is nothing quite like brilliant creative marketing ideas met with a strategic placement.
Whether you are looking for your small business to take off, your first steps toward awareness are key. Or if you are trying to find a better way of advertising your current business, a pivot is within reach. Either way, the solution may surprise you. Creative ads can help your company get the attention you are looking for.
Looking for some help with OOH advertising? See how AllOver Media can help bring your ad ideas to life!
