13 Creative Ad Ideas to Level Up Your Advertising Campaigns

It's a common myth that if you create a good product, customers will automatically come to buy from you. In reality, creating something is just the starting point; you also need to promote it so your target market knows it exists. So although running ads is effective, it’s not a particularly easy way to build brand awareness.

With more people shopping online, ecommerce brands are ramping up their creative advertising campaigns to attract new customers. In fact, many stores succeed in standing out. How? By following advertising ideas which are equal parts unique and effective.

We have compiled a list of 13 creative ad ideas for ecommerce brands to use to level up their advertising campaigns and attract their potential customers. Let’s dive right in.

Idea #1: Create quirky ads

Fun, quirky videos capture your audience's attention and showcase your brand. They are a great way to stand out in a crowded market. They can highlight your products in a fun, memorable way that resonates with your audience and encourages sharing. Use humor, unexpected twists, or unique characters to make your videos entertaining and engaging.

One of the most famous examples of establishing a fun video is that of Dollar Shave Club, a brand selling personal grooming products. Since its launch in 2012, Dollar Shave Club has become hugely popular thanks to its clever marketing strategy. They started by offering a razor subscription that was much cheaper than buying a $20 pack of 5 blades every month. But they faced two big challenges:

• Conveying their value proposition effectively to their target audience
• Competing directly with ecommerce giants like Gillette

To tackle these challenges, Dollar Shave Club produced a series of quirky, tongue-in-cheek videos featuring its founder, Michael Dubin, highlighting the benefits of its subscription model.

In its first commercial, Dollar Shave Club created a fun and comedic video that outlined its company model. This video quickly went viral and has since garnered over 26 million views. The campaign helped Dollar Shave Club gain 12,000 customers within the first two days.

As we can see, Dollar Shave Club was immediately successful in establishing its brand identity from the start. They understood their target audience, addressed their pain points, and used that information to create engaging and effective video ads.

Idea #2: Create short video ads

As we know, the world of marketing (and just about everything else online) is shifting towards short videos. They’re more engaging and entertaining, perfect for our ever-decreasing attention spans—which are just 8.25 seconds. And now, ecommerce brands—31% to be exact—have been turning to product videos to showcase their items better. But many make the mistake of thinking their videos need to be several minutes long.

Instead, here are some tips for creating a good video ad: 

• Aim for under a minute—preferably 15 to 30 seconds max
• Create videos that solve your customers' problems
• Think about the questions your customers might be asking and show off your products fun and excitingly
• Don’t forget to get creative!

Suppose you run a fashion ecommerce store that sells everything from shirts to shoes. Consider making styling videos to show your current and future customers how to style your pieces or dress for specific occasions.

Here's an example of H&M, a sustainable clothing brand that used a short video to showcase a part of its collection while styling it differently.

It’s a perfect example of how to make a short, engaging, and effective video that resonates with your target audience.

Advertising clothes? Check out the best Facebook clothing ads and relevant tips!

Idea #3: Use pop culture references

You can incorporate popular characters, phrases, or relatable situations from current pop culture into your advertisements. This approach can make your products feel more relevant and timely to your audience, catching their attention and fostering engagement.

Zomato, a multinational restaurant aggregator and food delivery company, is a great example. It has one of the best social media marketing teams around. Just check out how it uses iconic TV shows to promote its offerings!

Idea #4: Share user-generated content

A powerful and creative way to showcase social proof is by using the content created by your customers—this is known as user-generated content (UGC). While most brands rely on influencer marketing, which depends on models or staged photoshoots, displaying real customers using your products is much more authentic. 

When your customers post pictures on Instagram or upload videos to Facebook or YouTube, ask for permission and repurpose them as ads across platforms. This makes your ads more relatable than traditional advertising, making your brand message more impactful.

How does this help?

The more people see honest, positive feedback from past or current customers, the better your sales will be.

Sales are all about trust, and ecommerce stores often find it harder to build that trust without a physical location. This is particularly true for smaller stores that people may not be familiar with. Using UGC helps people feel confident in their decision to buy from you.

For example, Jack Link's, an American snack company, does a fantastic job of incorporating videos from its customers into its marketing.

Idea #5: Get others to talk about you

A referral program can incentivize your existing customers to bring in new ones, creating a win-win situation for both parties. You can offer discounts, gift cards, or special deals to customers who refer their friends. This encourages word-of-mouth marketing and can significantly expand your customer base.

Blue Apron, an ingredient-and-recipe meal kit company, is a fantastic example of a successful e-commerce marketing campaign that can inspire your efforts. What did they do? 

• To attract more newsletter subscribers, this meal kit service company created a clever referral program and invested $35 million in it. 
• They encouraged current subscribers, mainly through email marketing, to refer their friends to try Blue Apron. 
• New subscribers received free meals with free delivery, and the person who referred them earned credits toward their subscription.

The results were impressive: 34% of their new customers came through the referral program. 

But instead of stopping there, they started running display ads and podcast ads to boost their subscriber numbers even more.

Idea #6: Entertaining product copy

Adding a touch of creativity to your ad copies can liven up otherwise ordinary ads. To do this, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• Are long text ads working wonders for you? 
• Which words in your ads get the best results? 
• Do emojis give your conversions a big boost?

How do you write a catchy ad?

To write a catchy ad, start with a headline that grabs attention and clearly shows the main benefit. Use emotional triggers and focus on benefits over features. Keep the message simple and direct, using high-quality visuals to catch the eye.

Make sure you have a strong call to action that creates urgency and guides people on what to do next. Add a sprinkle of humor or a quirky touch to make your ad memorable. And don’t forget to test different versions to see what works best for your audience. 

You can also use tools like Madgicx’s Ad Copy Insights tool to analyze your recent performance and create texts tailored to your ecommerce business.

Heinz, a food processing company, is known for its quirky ad copy, thanks to some of the most creative productions and ad campaigns it has run. Even a small dose of humor can keep customers coming back to see something new and different.

For instance, Heinz has been selling ketchup for years. However, they didn't have pasta sauce. When they launched their pasta sauce line, they started a campaign with a catchy phrase - “Ridiculously late. Ridiculously good”. They even apologized publicly for being too late to the party.

This is a great way (and funny) way to launch a new product.

Idea #7: Sponsored quizzes

Want a fun way to connect with more customers? Try sponsoring or creating a personality quiz related to your ecommerce products! Imagine a fashion brand hosting a "Discover Your Style Persona" quiz on a popular lifestyle app. It’s engaging, interactive, and perfect for promoting new collections. Plus, customers love to share their results on social media, spreading the word about your brand in a fun and organic way.

For instance, Tastefully Simple sells a variety of products, from meal kits to signature seasonings, sauces, and baking mixes. To make choosing their products easier, they created a Pinterest quiz.

This quiz asks about the number of people who will be eating and the type of cuisine you need help with. This helps Tastefully Simple better understand your needs so they can recommend the perfect products that match your preferences and occasions.

Idea #8: Use multiple image carousel posts

Sometimes, showing off how to use your product in just one image is tough. Brands often jump straight to making videos, forgetting to experiment with other ad formats. Don’t forget, it’s perfectly fine to use multiple images per ad. That’s exactly why Facebook created carousel ads. Another option is to divide a standard image into several blocks.

Take TOMS, an American footwear company, for example. They used four images in one ad to showcase their Bonsai Green shoe. They showed the shoe from two different angles, highlighted the packaging, and featured that beautiful sole—all in one ad design!

Idea #9: Create emotional, bold campaigns

Emotional and bold campaigns can really connect with people. They cut through the advertising clutter and leave a lasting impression, making your brand the one they remember when it's time to make a purchase. Aim for engagement and use creative strategies to tell your brand story. 

In 2014, Aerie, an intimate apparel and lifestyle retailer, boldly challenged beauty norms. How? 

• They launched the “Aerie Real” campaign, featuring un-airbrushed images of models and highlighting scars, disabilities, and other often underrepresented aspects. 
• They also introduced the #AerieREAL hashtag to encourage and empower real women to share their photos wearing Aerie products. The hashtag has been used over 350K times on Instagram, showing just how impactful this campaign has been.

Since then, the brand has been renowned for body positivity, inclusion, and women’s empowerment. 

In 2020, they organized a giveaway and gave $400K in grants to 20 incredible female ambassadors who made a real difference in their communities. This move won Aerie tons of love and support from their followers, leading to double-digit sales growth for 20 straight quarters. The success also boosted sales for their parent brand, American Eagle.

Idea #10: Add a touch of humor

Inject humor into your ads through visual elements or witty copy. Humorous content can evoke positive emotions in your audience, associating your brand with fun and enjoyment. This positive association may increase the likelihood of customers making a purchase.

Purple, the ecommerce mattress company, has nailed its content marketing strategy. They use hilarious video ads that really show off their products. Some of these videos have racked up over 33 million views! What's cool is Purple didn’t sit around hoping for viral fame—they smartly used Facebook ads and Google ads to get their videos right in front of their fans.

Another secret to Purple’s success? They get the value of their mattresses and know how to showcase it. Their ads cleverly point out where other mattress brands miss the mark. It’s no wonder they’re killing it!

Idea #11: Use puns and go creative

Just like humor, marketers use puns to make customers feel a sense of joy and playfulness when they interact with the brand. Clever wordplay adds a touch of lighthearted fun and creates a bond with those who appreciate the wit behind it.

Plus, when customers decode the puns, they feel like they’re part of an inside joke or a special group, which can strengthen their loyalty to your brand. It’s a delightful way to connect with your audience and keep them engaged!

Let's look at Bendon Lingerie—a lingerie and sleepwear brand. In one of their emails, they feature their range of briefs for both men and women. They immediately grab people's attention with the bold headline "Keep It Brief." It's a playful twist on a familiar phrase, cleverly tying it into their clothing line. It's a fun and fitting pun for a lingerie brand like Bendon.

Idea #12: Jump on trends and holidays

When the internet hands you lemons, make sure you're making lemonade out of it!

What do we mean? We mean, keep an eye on current memes and trends that are thrown your way. Jump on the ones that fit your brand.

The same goes for holidays and events. 

Take the Fourth of July, for example. It's a huge annual event that every retail and e-commerce business looks forward to. You should create and promote your own events around these days.

But remember, running deep discounts on all your products isn't the only thing you can do. Here are some other ideas for you: 

• Many brands now offer special package deals and unique items for just one day. The more unique it is, the more you stand out. Additionally, the one-day offer drives urgency and excitement amongst your customers.
• Plus, you can offer deep discounts only on the stock you need to move, making it look like a super deal to all your new traffic. 

DOOG USA, an American company that sells dog gear, launched its Fourth of July campaign, offering a 25% discount storewide.

Idea #13: Tell a story

One key to a great ad is capturing your audience’s attention. And one of the easiest ways to do that? Tell a story. Whether it’s heartwarming, informative, or even funny, a good story can hook people in. The trick is using vivid ad creatives that bring your narrative to life and connect your audience to your message.

For instance, Apple teamed up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for a fun, action-packed video that showed off Siri’s capabilities. This three-and-a-half-minute commercial kept viewers entertained while highlighting features of the iPhone 7.

Apple’s knack for visual storytelling shines through, showing how Siri can make users’ lives better. What makes this ad special is The Rock’s universal appeal, the exciting action throughout the lengthy commercial, and its strong connection with audiences.

Looking for more advertisement examples? A guide on how to make an ad?

Conclusion

When it comes to ads, inspiration, and speed are equally important! So, how do you ensure that you are quick with your ad ideas?

While Facebook's Ad Library is a great starting point, it only shows live ads. This can be problematic when you're planning ahead for upcoming events or holidays, and there aren't relevant live ads to draw inspiration from. Moreover, it doesn’t allow you to save ads.

This is where Madgicx's Creative Workflow truly shines. How?

• The Madgicx Ad Library allows you to filter through thousands of curated ads from various brands (even when they are no longer live), giving you a much broader pool of ad examples to choose from. Moreover, it allows you to save your ads to boards and organize them however you like.
• With Madgicx, you can streamline your entire creative workflow by sending design briefs to our designers directly from the Ad Library. You’ll get your ads in 48 hours - and you can launch them directly from the Madgicx app!
• Try the Madgicx Ad Library for free now!