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5 effective video advertisements & how to copy them
This article will illustrate 5 top quality advertisements, explain why they're effective, and break down how you can duplicate the style for your own brand.
This article will illustrate 5 top quality advertisements, explain why they're effective, and break down how you can duplicate the style for your own brand.
"Perspective" by Apple
This ad is a perfect example of how Apple has pioneered modern brand communication. If your brand sells a high-end product, it's important that your brand captures the aesthetic or focal points of the product. This video contains no voiceover, no people, and no expensive budget. Yet the combination of a bright, open studio contrasted with black objects and clever illusions conveys a forward-thinking brand – which is exactly what Apple wanted to accomplish here. After all, their slogan is "Think different." To copy a video like this, you'll have to make sure you're including the right physical or visual components alongside the ad's simple messaging. You'll need a combination of physical and digital visuals.
First, pick a color palette and theme for your video. This will be your base. From there, you'll need to decide on a location if you are shooting a real-life video. Think about what image you want to portray about your brand, starting with a few keywords. For example, a skate fashion brand might want to focus on words like "lifestyle" and "youthful". You could start picking possible shooting locations like a beach sidewalk, a sunlit apartment, or scenic areas of a city. Focus on small details as well as big ones, this will the audience feel the vibe.
Simplicity begins with reducing the complexity of video cuts and the script. However, you can quickly lose a viewer's interest if you aren't able to insert segments with "high hook value". Apple's video does this exceptionally well every time text takes form. It catches your attention and makes you try to predict what the text will be. A possible alternative way to copy this style would be to illustrate a journey of a customer or item. The visuals will make the viewer try to guess what will happen next, and truly try to understand what the ad is conveying.
"Web of Fries" by Taco Bell
This taco bell ad is a genius example of introducing something new about your brand. It expertly juxtaposes a story-driven, intense movie-like trailer with tiny bits of humor. If your brand wants to reshape the perception of its image or industry, incorporating a humorous dramatic video on a mundane topic is always a winner. To copy a video like this, decide what perception you want to change about your brand, then design a story around it. You'll need to make sure to include a strong hook, cinematic shots, and thoughtful audio-design.
Mini-skits can be a little expensive to produce, but they can be extremely effective in hooking audience's attention. Copying the best practices from hollywood in terms of pacing and intensity will ensure your audience is glued to the screen. If you're struggling for a clever idea, here's a potential one for a baby wipe brand: create a small movie trailer for a superhero who goes around "saving" families with baby wipes. This could easily be swapped with your brand's products or services as well.
Quirkiness in videos can be a hit or miss, but one rule to remember is that humor is always a "benign violation". In order for something to be funny, it must be a violation of someone's expectation, while also remaining relatively harmless. For example, if a person walking slips and falls down in a face full of food, it can be funny. However, in that same situation, if the person falls and seriously injures themselves, no one will think it's funny. Consider how you can break people's expectations in a tasteful way. In the video, a man in a suit shows a picture of fries being dipped in cheese to an executive with a grim face. Despite being in such a normally serious environment, he acts confused and concerned, saying "Nacho cheese? Mexican spices....?" The entire movie trailer was relatively serious, and then this hilarious break of character doubles as a 'tasteful' way to hint that the fries are delicious.
"Create without limits" by Artlist
How can you make an exciting video with a person clicking away on a computer? Answer: add movement and special effects to make a connection between your digital service and real life. Artlist beautifully illustrates how to highlight the value proposition of "unlimited downloads" by engaging the viewer. To copy a video like this, you'll need a team of CGI artists and well-planned storyboard. A video like this cannot be decided in post-production, so it must be carefully planned out beforehand. Luckily, Flashfeed was designed for projects like this.
Motion and cuts are a key component to keeping your viewer's attention. To make a high-motion styled video, always remember to follow the motion of objects in frame, or create motion for scenes that are still. For example, notice how the editors at Artlist zoomed in multiple times to the actor's eyes and ears, and layered it with CGI and cuts to maintain motion. This kind of style can be applied to anything with enough creativity. For example, if you are shooting a coffee video, you can follow the movement of someone's hands, the coffee beans during preparation, and zoom into the actor's eyes to create a more dramatic effect.
CGI is a cheat code to making your videos seem more interesting, but it requires high talent and careful planning since mistakes could prove to be quite expensive. Any SaaS website is a perfect candidate since replicating elements on a website allows for a lot of flexibility and is relatively cheap to produce compared to other types of CGI. Make sure to blend in the elements with the background, foreground, or motion track it to the subject. An example of this could be a hologram interface for a futuristic smart eyeglass company.
"The man your man could smell like" by Old Spice
Old spice really knows how to separate itself from other hygiene and fragrance brands, and they know what their demographic is. Instead of trying to outright appear as a high-quality, luxury brand, Old Spice cleverly positions itself above other brands using dynamic shots and extravagant scenarios. A pro level team is required for a video like this. Old spice's commercial was done through on-set props and specific machinery. A similar effect can be achieved with good camera work, masking, and green screening.
This commercial ties in the script intentionally with its value proposition. Each cut makes the viewer refocus and grabs their interest again. If you want to incorporate this style for your own business, make sure you plan your shots to flow together nicely. Incorporate different angles, smooth transitions of backgrounds & props, and a clever camera-work. Another example idea of how a video could be dynamic is by building a device that spins your camera around your subject. . Ifyou use a green screen and have a special effects team, the possibilities are nearly limitless.
Showing off extravagance is a clever way to boost the perception of your brand, without overtly saying it. This commercial really pinpoints extravagance perfectly in every scene. Notice how they never explicitly talk about the product, but instead it is conveyed through ridiculous scenarios such as being teleported to a boat, on a horse, etc. In order for this to work, you should find the opposite of what you want to convey about your brand, and make references to that. For example, a company that specializes in high-quality T-Shirts could teleport the actor to a different place once they put on their comfortable T-Shirt.
"Making teamwork click" by Monday.com
One of Monday.com's biggest reasons for success is their proven ability to communicate what their complex software can do for companies. Let's take a deeper look as to why they're able to do this so well. Copying this style is ideal for explainer videos or software animation videos. Take a look below for more tips.
Not all corporate videos have to be boring. Monday.com provides animations that are interesting and fun to look at. Subtle pops in each on-screen element make the video more dynamic. However, the video still maintains a professional feeling due to the script and pacing. To keep a video sounding more professional, make sure your voiceover is slower and concise, but keep the viewer entertained while doing so.
Monday.com's script and animation do a superb job of explaining its value proposition to customers. The script is surprisingly low on words, but high on clarity. The animation also is a miniature, custom mockup that simplifies their UI, but still remains recognizable. If you want to simplify your service for your customers, start by categorizing what the viewer should know. For example, Monday.com separated their video into 4 sections: Projects, Automation, and Insights, and Integrations. If your service is, for example, a payment platform, then you could have sections in the video for payment, integrations, and security.
If you're looking for an easy way to scale your business's media content production, make an client account on our marketplace to start creating. Flashfeed connects your business with world-class creatives who produce videos that will properly resonate with your business.
