Swipe ideas from some of the best Facebook ads
You've been tasked with coming up with a successful advert for Facebook, and you are sat there, at your desk, tapping your fingers and scratching your head.
Anyone in the creative industries will tell you that plucking out winning ideas out of thin air ain't easy. And Facebook ads are no exception.
That's why many creative types will, ahem, copy get inspiration from other successful campaigns. No, we're not talking plagiarism here. Just taking a concept and turning it into something that we can use. It happens all the time in marketing, so dry your eyes.
I've spent several weeks collecting all the Facebook ads that I would consider 'inspirational' or successful in some way.
I might consider them successful because they follow best practices in copywriting, design or persuasion. Or they may be completely original. Others may have just jumped out at me because they've caught my attention (those ones work very well).
Facebook's organic reach plummeted several years ago, which means that you've got to be more creative than ever with your ad campaigns. If you're stuck for ideas and inspiration, here are a whole bunch of Facebook ads that will get your creative juices flowing again.
Advertiser: AutoGlanz
A no-nonsense ad which gets straight to the point. I like the words 'developed in the UK', because for some people, that really matters. It shows that they understand what their customers are looking for, and where their priorities lie.
Although this ad could do with a little more in terms of the benefits of using the product, it's clean (sorry) and simple, which is quite possibly the exact message they're trying to portray.
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simpleeffectivequalityno-nonsenseAdvertiser: Future Man
I am told by reliable sources that the rather uninspiring copy on this ad is deliberate. And you only really 'get it' if you've seen the Future Man series.
The choice of copy creates an emotional bond with the reader, thanks to familiarity of the character (if you've watched the show),
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familiaritypeoplehumanAdvertiser: Luxy
Tinder minus poor people. Is this offensive to some? Perhaps, but that's not my point by including this ad in my list of inspirational Facebook ads.
There's little doubt that it's going to be a divisive advert, but the words and visuals speak volumes, and that makes it a good ad, even though the ethics are dubious.
Notice how they've included the number of people who are already using the app. This is a tactic called 'social proof', which sets out to demonstrate how popular it is with their users (the crowd mentality).
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crowdsocial proofethicsoffensivevisualsAdvertiser: Pilot Magazine
This ad from Pilot Magazine (no surprises why this popped up on my timeline) isn't really an official ad, but I wanted to include it in this list because it demonstrates perfectly how a lifestyle-type ad can generate more interest and interaction.
The theme is very seasonal (we're all getting in a summer spirit here in the UK as I write this), so it's very topical right now. Us pilots are beginning to think of the long, warm summer days and where we can fly to.
A cracking offer and free delivery is a real puller on this well-designed ad, and they've cleverly chosen three historic (and much loved by pilots) aircraft on the front cover.
It's a great example of understanding your target market and delivering an ad that hits home. BAM!
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dealofferauthorityconsistencyAdvertiser: Taboola
I'm not a great fan of using marketing buzzwords in ads, simply because they have the ability to alienate people. Many business owners are so busy running their business that they're too busy to go looking for what a "content discovery platform" means.
But that's a minor observation in this ad by Taboola. Otherwise, the copy does a great job in selling the benefits of the product, and uses a great visual to reinforce the message.
The only thing I'd do is to make the revenue amount a little more realistic. I'm sure that there are a handful of websites that make this sort of money from Taboola ads, but for the majority of us (i.e. their core market), we'll get nowhere near this type of revenue. Managing expectations is oh-so-important in advertising, so be realistic with your claims or face disappointment from your users.
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buzzwordsbenefitsvisualsexpectationsAdvertiser: ZSL
Guilt and worry are powerful emotions. Couple those emotions with one of the hottest topics around the world - the natural environment - and you've already got yourself a compelling ad.
You could say that this advert from ZSL is jumping on a very emotive bandwagon, but in this instance it's both understandable and justified.
Putting aside personal feelings (I'm ex-Royal Navy so oceanic environmental issues are close to my heart), this ad uses a shocking statistic to highlight the issue. If I was in charge of producing the ad I would have included a picture of a snorkeller or diver in the picture to highlight how humans are responsible for the rising sea temperatures. Any time you can include real people in photos you should, as it creates an emotional attachment we have with fellow humans.
