The holidays are upon us, and families are gathering to celebrate joy, happiness, and football games. It’s a time for people to be snuggled up in their living rooms, watching Hallmark movies by a fireplace, or drinking a hot cup of cocoa while turning the TV to “The Dick Clark New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”
But with all those shows or movies come marketing campaigns filled to the brim with commercials, billboards and … giant dinosaur-sized boxes? Since ’tis the season for advertising, we thought we’d share with you some of our favorite ad moments from 2018 and days gone by. So here are our staff picks for the top 12 ad campaigns!
The story of Old Bay’s creative billboard ad starts with PETA. The animal rights group bought a billboard in Baltimore to bring attention to the crab fishing market. The billboard read, “I’m ME, Not MEAT. See the Individual. Go Vegan.”
Unfortunately for PETA, the Maryland Blue Crab fishery is a major economic market for Baltimore and the surrounding area. Old Bay is a company that positions itself as the perfect spice for crab. But it was a surprise to vegans across the city when they saw the counter ad that Old Bay put up in the exact same spot. The sign currently reads, “Okay, Now I’m Meat. See the Individual. Put Old Bay On It.”
One of the ways BarkBox communicates with its customers is through emails that are sent in the voice of a dog.
Seriously, the dog writes the emails!
Well, maybe not literally, but you get the point. It’s so dang cute! And a great way to keep customers reading their promotional emails.
The Last Movie Podcast is a series where the listener is tasked with solving a mystery while listening to the episode. The stories are narrated and the audience needs to pay attention for clues. The catch? The mystery they’re solving (and the clues to do so) are placed in the ad promos. So in order to get the clues, internet sleuths have to listen to the ads instead of just skipping ahead or tuning out like most of us do when listening to podcasts. If you are interested in hearing these clue-filled-ads, check out The Last Movie Podcast by clicking here.
There is not much we can say about this James Allen Jewelry ad. You just have to see it for yourself. It’s hilarious and so true!
ASMR videos have become an internet phenomenon. The soothing sounds and relaxing music have made these videos stress relievers to millions of people. No one could have predicted that a Polish furniture company would make them, but it’s 2018 and here we are. IKEA decided to make a series of ASMR videos collectively called “Oddly Ikea.” The most popular video lasts for about 25 minutes. In it, a soft woman’s voice narrates how easily IKEA sheets can fit over mattresses, among other things. This is odd, yet surprisingly effective as a modern marketing campaign. Why do I have the sudden feeling of needing a new couch?
Make-A-Wish and Disney are juggernauts in their respective spaces. Their 2018 “Share Your Ears” campaign was no different as it provided fun and awareness to childhood illnesses. Both companies encouraged people on social media to wear Mickey Mouse ears and share a pic of them on Facebook, Instagram, and any other social media platform. The result was an increase in donations to Make-A-Wish and Disney charity efforts. To support Make-A-Wish, click here!
I don’t know about you, but a snack a day will get me to pay any day… Is that a little overboard on the rhyming? Yeah…sorry about that.
Bill Gates is rumored to not enjoy these trolling ads, but that didn’t stop Apple from making the “Get A Mac” campaign to show consumers the value that the Mac could bring them. In a series of videos, one stereotypical office worker dressed in a suit with reading glasses acts as the PC, while a hipster-looking guy in jeans and a button-down shirt acts as the Mac. The two are usually seen lightheartedly arguing about what each of them can do for people, with the PC being about work, numbers, and pie charts, and Macs being about fun, music, and creativity. Here is just one example.
What are your favorite ad campaigns from 2018? Tell us below in the comments!