What is product advertising - Definition, Best Examples, & Tips!

November 21, 2021
Contents

The elements that go into a successful company are not just the product and the customers. A company also needs effective advertising campaigns to let potential customers know about its product. Advertising is important after manufacturing a product because there is so much competition now. Marketing is the most common and well-known way to promote a product. Manufacturers use marketing to reach an audience and highlight the positive aspects of a product and how it benefits consumers. In other words, you can say that one of the roles of marketing is informing people of a product or service and its benefits.

In short, one can say that advertising is the art of informing people of a product or service and its benefits. Most often,"Advertising" and "Marketing" are often used interchangeably, but they are not synonyms. Advertising represents only a small part of marketing, which is an umbrella term for many activities that are not about product promotion.

Importance of product advertising

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Customers expect detailed information from a company before they make a purchase. Therefore,to generate a conversation, advertising is used to inform customers about the benefits of a product. If a potential customer has heard of a product before coming across it, product advertisement will introduce them to the company.

Advertising to a targeted audience is one of the best ways to promote. It attracts customers and creates a better sense of connection between the customer and company, both of which increase sales and conversions. However, it can be one of the hardest things to do. Finding and reaching a targeted audience effectively can make or break a company's success.

Advertising is a valuable tool in any company’s marketing strategy. It can remind customers of your vision and ensure you're not forgotten in the marketplace. Sometimes, in the era of social media and increased transparency, it can also be used to right a wrong or issue a correction.

What is an advertising campaign?

An advertising campaign is a group of ads with the same message.  When combined, these similar ads can make your message stronger and more memorable. A campaign has the power to push the same idea across different mediums and timescales without getting repetitive or boring.

Types of advertisement

Advertising is everywhere! There are so many different forms of ads and they all run in such different ways. It can be found on many platforms, so it's hard to know what type of advertisement is best for your business. Not all advertisements are the same, and today's best advertisement might not be the best tomorrow. Moreover, a person can advertise on any channel, to any audience, and with any goal. It's up to the person running the ads to be creative and flexible.

Print advertisement

These have been around since the Egyptians would engrave public notices in steel 2000 years ago. Since that time, people have been looking for ways to advertise their business. The first type of advertising we know of today, the print ad, was created in England in 1472  to promote a prayer book for sale. Nowadays, print ads can be found everywhere including in newspapers, magazines, flyers, and posters. In print advertisements, the advertiser has to pay the publisher to place their ad in the publication.

Television advertisement

TV ads are a form of media that began in the 1940s with promoting practical items, but today they can also be used to promote food, toys, stores, business services, and more. The ad is usually shown during designated breaks in regular programming on either local TV channels or nationally broadcast networks. The advertiser pays the network for the advertisement.

Radio advertisement

Next up is radio advertisement. It is a great way to reach new customers or expand the reach of an event or product. In the 1920s, the first commercial radio stations were launched in the United States. Radio advertisements are a great way to get a message out to many people using a one-on-one ad experience. Here,an advertiser pays a radio station to play their ad between music or a radio show.

Outdoor advertising

You've heard of billboards, right? Well, the Egyptians started it all back in 2000 BC. Yeah, technically. Outdoor advertising can include any of these things: billboards, bus stops, ads on park benches, or even a creative bus advertisement or another vehicle wrap.

Digital advertisement

"Digital Advertising" is a broad term. It might have been easy to define in the past, but not anymore. Today, it is primarily a marketing technique on the internet or a digital device. Digital advertising has gained traction in recent years. It seems that everywhere you look, there is an advertisement for something!Marketers are trying to keep up with digital advertising, which is where we spend most of our time.

Online advertising, once a catch-all term for any advertisement on the internet, may be the most important form of marketing these days. We know,internet advertising has been around since the 1990s with the introduction of banner ads for telecommunications companies.The internet is here to stay, and that's good news for businesses!

These days, there are all sorts of promotion methods for companies to use, such as banner ads, text ads, video ads, pay-per-click advertising, and more. Furthermore, online advertising allows the advertiser to track important metrics.  It's easy to see how many people are viewing your ad. You can also track how many impressions your ad has made and the conversion rate of your ad.

Covert advertisements

There are many ways to advertise a product or brand. One of the most effective but expensive methods is covert advertising, where a company's products or services are embedded in the entertainment media. This is often done as a sneak attack on consumers, as it can be hard to find out that a company was behind a certain segment. Hence,for those that have the budget for this strategy, it can be highly successful.

In store advertising

Anyone who shops in-store is bound to see ads for products and services. These can range from a product placed on a shelf, an eye-catching display promoting a specific product, or even an advertisement in the shopping cart. This is called in-store advertising.

Examples of product advertisements


Absolut Bottle

The Absolut vodka campaign is the longest uninterrupted ad campaign of all time. This campaign, which ran for 25 years and was featured in more than 1,500 images, was so successful that it increased Absolut’s share of the US vodka market by more than 700 percent. However uninspiring your product may seem, there's always a way to make it interesting. Creative marketing campaigns are one of the best ways to do so.

An excellent example of this is Absolut vodka's marketing campaign. The Absolut vodka bottle has a plain appearance, but it can be made more interesting with creativity. For example, everyday items and scenery are often used to create the shape, making for an exciting narrative that everyone loves. So,even if your product doesn't look good it is nice if you portray it in such a way that makes it look interesting and different than the rest.

Old Spice  

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In 2010, Old Spice launched a campaign that is one of the most viral successes in history. In the first part of the campaign, they made this TV commercial. The Man your man could smell like was a successful campaign that launched in 2010. The catchphrase  "The man your man could smell like" became a viral success just after the campaign was released. So,if your campaign is not going viral, take a lesson from “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” The success of this campaign was partly due to the agency’s swift response to people on social media. For instance, Mustafa (“Old Spice Guy”) recorded personalized video responses for online fans.

The brilliant idea to create personalized “mini ads” in response to social media posts from fans was a huge part of the campaign’s success. Moreover, the content remained relevant and personal, surprising fans for a long time.

In addition to this, Old Spice had a terrific response to this social media challenge. They churned out 186 personalized, scripted, and quite funny videos in about two days. In the process, the company gained 11 million YouTube views and 29,000 Facebook fans as well as 58,000 new Twitter followers.

Therefore,when an advertising campaign is going well, a brand should do their best to keep it going. This can be done by making sure to keep followers and fans engaged while still staying true to the brand's voice and image.

Clairol

Traditionally, hair coloring was stigmatized. Consumers questioned whether or not they were real or fake. This is when Shirley Polykoff, copywriter, and her mother-in-law came up with the slogan ‘does she or doesn’t she’ in 1957 after a conversation. It tapped into the idea that hair coloring could be a secret between a woman and her hairdresser.

In 1957, Clairol asked the question: "Is your hair color natural?"  The same year,according to sources it seemed that 1 in 15 people used artificial hair color. Just 11 years later, according to TIME magazine this number doubled and 1 in 2 women were using artificial hair color. That means hair color had grown in popularity by more than 500%. In fact, some states no longer require women to denote hair color on their driver's license. This shows how successful the ad campaign was.

In a bold move, Clairol wanted to create a sense of element to their product that it was so good that people couldn't tell if they were using it or not. Most marketers today want as many people as possible to know that they use their products. Clairol took a different approach for the product advertisement : They wanted women to understand that their hair color was so good that it would be impossible for anyone to guess whether or not they used it.

Therefore, when it comes to selling a product, showing is more effective than telling. Consumers want to see and interact with your product. By demonstrating how and why your product works, brands can better connect with consumers and drive sales. This is what exactly Clairol did.

Nike


Once upon a time, Nike's products were for marathon runners only. But then the fitness craze came to life and Nike knew they needed to capitalize on it to be successful against their competitor Reebok. In 1988, Nike created the now famous "Just Do It." campaign. This company did something really cool. They were making fitness wear for the elite, but they wanted it to be for everyone, so they tapped into the latest fitness craze and rebranded.

The rebranding as an apparel store for the masses was an advertising success. Consequently, the ad has appeared in many formats over the years, including an innovative poster completed in braille. Besides that in 1988, Nike was making $800 million every year; by 1998, they were making over $9 billion. It is indeed a huge growth.

These famous words in the tagline are short and sweet but they encapsulate everything people feel when they're working out — and people are still feeling that today. It's seen on t-shirts, shoes, and all over social media. The slogan has become so popular that people don't need to be exercising to use it. When you use messaging that sticks to the core of your brand,consumers will respond emotionally and won't be able to ignore you,just like this example. Besides, it never hurts to go back and rebrand, or change your company name and logo, to something more accessible and identifiable with the way the world is today.

Coca Cola

Nowadays, the “Share a Coke” campaign is well-known in most countries. The idea was first created in Australia in 2011 by Coca-Cola and features 150 of the country’s most popular names. It soon became a global sensation. Now, you can even contact Coca-Cola for a personalized bottle with your nickname or company logo!

Coke’s campaign, which featured personalized bottles and labels as a temporary promotion, was hugely creative and opened the door for other campaigns to follow. In addition to personalized packaging, Coke also advertised their inspiring campaign on billboards worldwide and allowed people to have their own names featured on labels right on the bottle.

When the newest Coca Cola bottle was revealed,many consumers felt enchanted and bemused. Why make such a temporary item so personal? However, the company took the risk and leaned heavily into its sense of individual ownership with full force. Advertising campaigns like this let us know that even a throwaway item can inspire a connection and persuade customers.  

DeBeers

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This astonishing ad campaign may be one of the most successful ever. DeBeers was one of the first advertisers to understand that diamonds were worth more than just a person’s love. An ad campaign with the slogan “A diamond is forever” made diamonds immensely popular and forever changed relationships as we know them.

Before DeBeers, not many people were interested in diamond rings, so they basically built an entire industry from nothing. Advertising campaigns are a powerful tool for building luxury and value. In 1948, DeBeers launched an iconic campaign with the slogan “A diamond is forever,” which it used in every single one of its advertisements since then. Further, AdAge listed it as the #1 slogan of the century in 1999. This shows that a single ad campaign at the right time can transform a market, and never underestimate the power words and images have on consumers. product advertisement is important to build brand awareness and let more people know about your product.


California Milk processor board

The California Milk Processor Board's “Got Milk?” campaign skyrocketed milk sales in the state of California by 7% in just one year. However, the parody ads went beyond borders, and you can still see them to this day. But what is most notable about the campaign is that it didn't focus on reminding people to drink milk; it instead focused on those consumers who do drink milk and tried to reinforce their decision with a sense of humor.

This new campaign came from advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners and targeted milk drinkers. People only think about milk when they've run out of it, which is why this campaign was aimed at people who already drink milk. This included print, television, radio, and billboards. The campaign ran for over 10 years.

Sometimes, marketing is about telling your current customers why they should continue to use your product or service. This is the best way to turn your audience into advocates for your business. To do this, use marketing and advertising content to tell them why they are already enjoying the product or service you are already providing for them. This marketing campaign is the proof that it is better to appeal to current people rather than the target audience.

Budweiser

What's the best way to advertise your product? One way is to create ads that stay with people even when they go away. Budweiser has always had a knack for this. In this series of commercials, first seen in late 1999, the brand cleverly showed friends connecting on a group phone call (we don't do those much anymore, do we!) and drinking beer while watching the game on TV. Say what? It all starts with one simple question, "What are you doing?" The receiver replies, "Watching the game, having a Bud." Soon, more friends pick up the phone. "WHASSUP!?" is yelled back and forth, becoming an iconic phrase. This funny catchphrase is also seen constantly on sports networks.

Budweiser took pop culture by storm with this ad during the Super Bowl in 2000. It was silly, informal, and most importantly marketable. The very first ad by the company aired during the 2000 Super Bowl. It was so popular, people are still talking about it! It is because the ad showed us how silly and informal an ad can be without breaking any rules or offending its audience.

Subsequently, Budweiser re-imagined this successful campaign with the “quarantine edition” in 2020. The "quarantine edition" features whassup which literally means "checking up on mates" during these tough times. Advertising campaigns like this teach us to dare to celebrate your audience's uniqueness.

Always

The Always #LikeAGirl ad campaign is a perfect example of how a great video can create a viral social media sensation. This campaign, which ran in the 2015 Super Bowl, was revolutionary because it had a message that inspired people around the world.The campaign began as a commercial explaining the stigma surrounding playing sports "like a girl". Boys are often deified in comparison to girls, and this commercial challenged that. By the end of the ad, the message was both clear and inspiring: Both genders are fit and capable, and puberty is an important stage of life for Always' women's products.

From this ad we can learn that, when you treat your audience with respect, you should also account for the challenges they might face. For a business, it's easy to ignore problems that don't directly affect them. But the best brands take a stand on the issues their audience cares about. It's a way of identifying with the consumer and making that person feel seen and heard. This powerful video ad was instrumental in letting people know that the company was on their side.


Procter and Gamble

In 2010, P&G’s “Thank You, Mom” campaign stirred the emotions of all viewers during the Vancouver Games. It did this again during the Special Olympics in 2011 and the Olympics in 2012. The campaign does more than showcase P&G products. It displays a touching story about athletes and their moms. It shows how products touch all our lives, not just those of athletes and their moms.P&G realized that Olympic athletes have a story - the story of their supportive moms.

All these world-class athletes had to do all their training with the help of their loving, dedicated moms. And yes, they probably had to do a lot of laundry and cleanup along the way too - so they must have used P&G products.The “Proud sponsors of moms” tagline has helped P&G reach levels of creativity and success not seen in over 175 years.

The campaign has inspired over 370 million social media interactions and increased global sales by $500 million.Get people thinking with their heart! It is vital that your brand makes an emotional connection with their audience. It's important to take advantage of the powerful tactics of emotional and nostalgia marketing, so if there is a bigger or more universal story behind your product or story, make it known.

Google

This might not be the most well-known example on our list, but it's a great example of User Generated Content done right. Google has been creating "Year in Search" content annually since 2016. Remember when Google used your personal information to make fun videos, like the Year in Search? The start of YInS was 2009, when Google published a written report of the public's most common Google searches from the past 12 months. In 2010, Google made this report into a 3-minute video.

YInS has been a bold yearly reminder of how dependent we are on Google for information on the major news and events that have happened throughout the world over the past year. Now, they do it every year to promote their services by reminding you how much you rely on them daily.

Here’s a quick idea: sometimes, it’s not always you who has to create the content. You can give your customers a chance to speak for themselves and show how your business has helped in the past. Just take what they post and turn it into a video, or highlight past work. This not only creates an emotional connection with your customers, but it also promotes your services in new ways. Therefore, don't let your customers feel left out. Remind them that you care about them, too. And remind them how much Google cares about their usage of the company. These stories evoke a variety of emotions, but they all ultimately unite people through an uplifting message.

Apple

Apple's "Get a Mac" campaign is one of the most iconic examples in marketing history. Their campaign video illustrates just one of the iterations of this campaign, and its success has been proven by the growth in the company's market share. Apple experienced 42% growth in market share in just one year with the help of their "Get a Mac" campaign.

These Mac commercials are anything but over the top. They subtly tell the audience everything they need to know about the product while being clever and memorable. If you have a product that does some pretty cool things, don't be pushy about it. Instead, tell your audience how your product can benefit them in a way they can relate to.

Metro trains

What if you've been struggling to make your content stand out? It might help to think outside the box. For instance,take Metro Trains in Australia. They used a catchy jingle to get their message across. They found that people followed them - and this was even before they could even finish their message because of how catchy their jingle was!

A simple idea, a song, and a game. "Dumb Ways to Die" became an internet sensation in a matter of days. The thought behind this campaign was simple: coming too close to train tracks is dumb. In fact, it’s as dumb as poking a grizzly bear, removing your helmet in outer space, or eating spoiled food. Therefore, if you want to get your message across with humor and creativity try using this idea.

Metro Trains shows that even if your subject is morbid, there’s no need for it to be heavy or unfunny. With the use of creative content and cute design, this train company has managed to get their message across with ease and humor. There is no reason you can’t use creative content or stylish design ideas to connect with your audience.

BBC

When BBC wanted to promote it's new show, Dracula, they took outdoor advertising to the next level. They created a white billboard with several steaks that would be hammered into it during the day. Appropriate for a show about vampires, right? We were blown away by how clever the steak packaging design was. It’s not often you see a steak come wrapped in a photo of Count Dracula.  If you were to see this billboard at night time, the stakes would be illuminated by an eerie green light, fitting to the horror show, Dracula. This is one of the best creative advertisement examples we’ve ever seen. One way to think outside the box is to use classic advertisement strategies in new ways to create something original.

Wendy's

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Where's the beef? Not in your competitor's burgers! Wendy's new advertising campaign targets the shortcomings of other quick-service restaurants with its slogans. The campaign is so successful, in part because it's targeted to competitors, but also because it uses clever phrases like "Where's the beef?" That catches the eye of customers and sparks conversation.

In the ad, they used a giant burger bun to represent their product, and it also featured an adorable set of old ladies in the accompanying commercial. With a stroke of genius, Wendy's introduced a catchphrase that encapsulated everything their audience needed in their lives. The catchphrase was so well received that it quickly became a permanent fixture in pop-culture.

The ad campaign only lasted for one year, and allowed the phrase to gently run its course.Successful campaigns can quickly lose their luster. Hence,keep your marketing fresh and evolving by trying new tactics. Don't rely on the same campaign to provide you with all of your success because it will backfire. Thus,if you want future and sustainable growth, you should be willing to try something different.. Instead of becoming stale, let your business grow by trying something new.

Volkswagen

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One of the most iconic campaigns from the advertising industry is Volkswagen's "Think Small" campaign from 1960. The goal was to change peoples' perception not only about a product but also about a group of people by creating a slogan that succinctly captures the idea. The Volkswagen "Think Small" campaign is a shining example of the power of marketing.

The time-honored ad group Doyle Dane & Bernbach (DDB) set out to change what people thought about products, but also about the people who used them. They answered this question by proclaiming, "Think small". Americans have always had a predilection towards buying big American cars even after the World War II ended.

Therefore, the Volkswagen advertisement played into the audience's expectations by saying that they knew they were smaller than other American cars, but that was okay.  This is part of what prompted this VW ad: "You think I'm small? Yeah, I am." They never tried to be like something they weren't. There are many lessons to be learned from this campaign. A key takeaway is that honesty is the most important factor in being successful. Nowadays, consumers are smart, and they are able to see through anything that's dishonest or disingenuous.

Miller Lite

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Brewing a whole new market for your product? It's not easy to do. One successful example of this is Miller Brewing Company (now MillerCoors) and the light beer market. In the 1980s, the Miller Brewing Company introduced a whole new market for their product: light beer. The goal of their campaign was getting "real men" to drink light beer; there was a common misconception that light beer can't taste good.

The Miller Brewing Company, now MillerCoors, accomplished this feat with the "Great Taste, Less Filling" campaign. They featured masculine models drinking their light beer and declaring it great tasting. The result of the campaign was a significant boost in sales for Miller Lite. For decades after this campaign aired, Miller Lite dominated the light beer market it had created.In order to be different, it's important to create a new category that fits your narrative. Those who are on the outside looking in might say that there's no room for a new product, but don't listen. Create a new category and you'll instantly have a foothold.

KFC

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Oh, sorry. You weren't expecting a KFC ad right now, were you? The image above isn't just a simple ad for fried chicken. It's also not an unprompted promotion. In February 2018, KFC's business in the U.K. ran out of chicken due to a fried chicken shortage. In apology, the company created its most creative advertisement yet. KFC responded to a product shortage with a full-page ad in Metro.

In the ad, the famous company rearranged its initials to form the phrase "FCK." The advertisement was a tongue-in-cheek response to the shortage and read, "FCK, this is embarrassing" — as if to say, "FCK," as in "we're sorry for this product shortage." When a company has a bump in the road, what's the best way to handle it? In the time of social media, a good old-fashioned apology is always appreciated. KFC demonstrated this by combining humility, class, humor, and company pride in their ad. It was a message that helped them bounce back from bad press and come out on top.

Crave App

Crave App Instagram ad

Crave's new Instagram ad is a great example of the importance of customer-generated content. By including this type of video on their account, Crave allows customers to feel as if they are becoming a part of the company and influencing the dialogue. In this particular video, we followed someone for five meals as they got discount after discount on their food.

It's effective because it not only shows them how to use the app, but how much money they will save. The persuasion in this ad is subtle, yet powerful: they show you just how to use the app and how much money you'll save with each discount. It's logical, right? This is a very simple and effective way to get the most out of your marketing campaign.

Streeteasy

Finding a place to live is one of the most emotional, exhausting, and expensive decisions you'll ever make. Which is why Streeteasy's "Find your place" campaign is so powerful. This campaign was all over NYC subways, and it highlighted sections of the city in a relatable way because everyone can relate to feeling like Goldilocks out there on the hunt for their perfect home.

In this campaign, the subtlety of the inside joke is endearing to its audience. It also tackles not only how people grow sick of their coworkers but also how they enjoy the benefits of living within walking distance from work. There is a constant in people's lives: trying to make things easier for themselves and their loved ones. Brands can use advertising to persuade these consumers that their product will do exactly that.


Conclusion

Advertising is a complex, but critical, step in the digital marketing process. Before advertising, put together your brand identity, your brand story, and what matters most to your customer. With that in mind, you can create a successful campaign. Create product ads and break through the clutter. If you offer great services and products, you should show them off in the best way possible. Use our promo video maker to create videos and drive people to your site and improve your conversion rate. At Offeo, we understand that video can be an intimidating task. That's why our user-friendly interface and pre-made templates are perfect for anyone to edit their own videos. After you’ve developed your amazing new product advertisements, be sure to follow-up with a creative marketing campaign that will highlight your business.

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