91% of people want to see more video marketing efforts from brands — but knowing where to start can be intimidating. We’re sharing 22 video marketing examples and advertisements from the past two years to help inspire you.
Expect impactful stories from real people, quirky TikTok clips, interactive video ads, and more. Go grab some popcorn. You won’t believe a marketing team created some of these.
22 Video Marketing Campaigns You’ll Actually Enjoy Watching
1. Hubspot: That’s a Deep We Don’t Want To Roll In 😅
A whopping 672 million global downloads made TikTok the most downloaded app in 2022. Cut to 2023, and 53% of marketers are increasing their TikTok investments (HubSpot Blog Research).
The great thing about this platform is that users don’t expect perfect video production. So you don’t need an enormous budget to get started. But TikTok users do expect to be entertained.
That’s why we love this quirky HubSpot ad that uses humor to speak directly to its target audience (sales reps). Because if you start a new sales job and they pull up 20 different spreadsheets, it is an Adele-worthy moment.
The Takeaway
Fun, creative, and relatable video marketing efforts generally perform better on TikTok than overproduced or formal videos. In this ad, HubSpot uses entertainment to sell the benefits of its CRM without being too salesy.
2. Heinz: Heinz A.I. Ketchup
AI talk has dominated the marketing space for the last year or so. It turns out artificial intelligence is a hot topic in most spheres. Yep, including the world of condiments — more specifically, Heinz Ketchup.
To create the bold "Heinz A.I. Ketchup" ad, Rethink Canada fed text-to-image program Dall-E 2 the prompt ‘ketchup.’ The result was a near replica of the iconic Heinz Ketchup bottle. That led the creative agency to test other ketchup-themed prompts.
From "ketchup street art" to "ketchup synth-wave," no matter the prompt variation, each AI-generated rendition resembled Heinz Ketchup. With this stroke of marketing genius, Rethink Canada proved that "even AI knows that ketchup is Heinz."
The Takeaway
The ad leverages the iconic nature of the Heinz brand while adding a reactive layer in response to AI. Heinz produced one of the best AI-themed video ads of 2022 and one of the best video marketing examples in general.
3. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Build Your Own Ice Cream Sandwich
At least watch from the 20-second mark.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is a modest ice cream shop from Columbus, Ohio, and its YouTube channel proves you don’t need studio-level equipment to make lovable videos.
This stylish dessert parlor uses catchy music and "from the ground up" ingredients to feed its customers' interests before they’ve even had a scoop. Also, there’s something so satisfying about seeing food made in front of you.
The Takeaway
This is terrific small business marketing. When you launch an account on YouTube or another social network, hit the ground running with content that is authentically you.
Come out swinging with a style and tone you want to be known for. Too much content is created every day to wait for your audience to come to you.
4. Reebok: CrateMaster (A Film by Kerby Jean-Raymond)
Reebok has become known for its masterful messaging. Their marketing efforts feel like more than an advertisement — they usually have a powerful message, too. In this vein, “CrateMaster” maintains Reebok’s tried and tested tradition.
The mini-movie tells the story of a "grassroots inner-city basketball and the community of youth who build the game from the ground up."
From the first frame, writer and director Kerby Jean-Raymond immerses you in the near-nine-minute narrative.
Yes, you heard that right. A near-nine-minute master class of story-driven video marketing that keeps you hooked until the end.
The Takeaway
The short film doesn’t just tell you a story. It puts you right in the picture by using nostalgia, as demonstrated by the following YouTube comment:
"The nostalgia! Man, I remember the energy, the scent, the scars from playing ball on crates."
Another wonderful touch is how the ad prioritizes narrative over product placement. There’s a clear call to action at the end, but Reebok keeps its product placements subtle throughout.
5. Ceragon: Product Marketing Video campaign by Penguin Strategies
You know the age-old story. You’re just about to tuck into a delicious meal when someone asks you to explain what disaggregated wireless backhaul is.
Luckily for us, when that happened to Penguin Strategies’ client, Ceragon, someone was around to capture the story in action.
The rest of this tongue-in-cheek video involves our would-be burger consumer, using a burger analogy to explain disaggregated wireless backhaul technology.
The Takeaway
The explainer video ad works because it uses something relatable (food) to explain advanced technology. Plus, it does so in a way that’s easy for the target audience to digest (ba-dum-tss).
It also avoids being a generic explainer video by showing the brand’s personality.
6. Coinbase: Less Talk, More Bitcoin.
It cost a mighty $6.5 million to secure a 30-second ad slot for the 2022 Super Bowl. That figure doesn’t account for the massive spending on ad production.
But what if you could unleash a low-key, low-cost Super Bowl ad that piqued people’s interest so much that it crashed your app?
Enter Coinbase's "Less Talk, More Bitcoin." This simple (but genius) video ad features a bouncing QR code. The code took curious onlookers to a site that offered them the chance to bag $15 in Bitcoin for signing up on Coinbase.
The Takeaway
In a sea of expensive Super Bowl ads, Coinbase dared to do something different. Its nod to the Bouncing DVD Logo was nostalgic for some and utterly novel to others. Either way, what the 60-second ad lacked in production value, it made up for with intrigue.
7. Asahi: Beyond Expected
Timely marketing can yield incredible results. Be it a reactive campaign like the "Heinz A.I. Ketchup" ad or something you can plan for in advance.
In the case of Japanese beer brand Asahi, their video ad coincided with a seasonal event, "Dry January."
"Beyond Expected" takes the viewer on a tour of present-day Japan. There’s one thing in common across the high-rise buildings: neon signs and an electric atmosphere.
In every vibrant setting, somebody enjoys a 0.0% Asahi beer and has fun doing it.
The Takeaway
"Beyond Expected" was a timely response to a seasonal event. But it also spoke to a growing and evergreen trend: Gen Z is consuming less alcohol than previous generations.
Asahi's ad presents alcohol-free beer as a way to be social without feeling pressured to drink alcohol.
8. ALDI: Like Brands Cake
If feuds weren't entertaining, there'd be no appetite for pro wrestling, boxing, or MMA. As marketers know, rivalries have traveled outside the realm of sports-based entertainment — we can now watch our favorite brands spar.
Perhaps the most infamous brand feud in recent years was Colin vs. Cuthbert. In the red corner, we had M&S' Colin the Caterpillar cake, and in the blue, Aldi's Cuthbert.
There's a lot of water under that bridge, and Aldi’s “Like Brands Cake” ad capitalized on it all with good humor.
The ad shows Cuthbert and his caterpillar friends enjoying the two famous cakes. Everything goes well until Colin crashes the party, and a fight emerges. But the real show stealer is the brilliant copy at the end of the video:
"Aldi. Like M&S. Only cheaper"
*On cakes that look like caterpillars.”
The Takeaway
Humor is a powerful marketing technique and even better when it's self-deprecating. Aldi's ad highlights that the brand doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Oh, it also showcases the price difference between the M&S caterpillar cake and Aldi’s cheaper alternative. This mix of humor and self-depreciation created another viral Aldi moment when #Cuthparty amassed 3.3M views on TikTok.
9. FINALLY Agency: INBOUND 2022 Vlog - Day 2 & 3
FINALLY Agency is a growth marketing agency that offers video production. Short story shorter: Successful agencies don't just talk the talk. They show prospective clients that they also use the services they sell.
That’s why FINALLY Agency's informal vlog chronicling days two and three of their time at INBOUND 2022 works so well.
It shows the viewer FINALLY's video production skills and how prospective clients could use video to market their business.
The Takeaway
This video marketing example works on multiple levels.
It shows the agency's video production prowess rather than telling prospects they can do it.
Then, the video shows their team attending a professional seminar. That highlights their commitment to developing as marketers to serve their clients better.
It also gives prospective clients a glimpse behind the scenes, so they can get to know the people behind the agency.
10. Spinneys Supermarket: The Bread Exam
In Lebanon, by the time breast cancer is diagnosed, it’s often too late to cure. This issue is primarily driven by cultural taboos, making it challenging to discuss intimate body parts.
As a result, people don’t talk about self-checking for breast cancer.
Along with the help of influential Lebanese baker Um Ali, the British Islamic Medical Association and McCann Health sought to change that.
Through the traditional act of baking bread, Um Ali shows us how to make her "healthiest recipe," reminding us to "bake every month." Each stage of the recipe mirrors the steps of a monthly breast self-exam.
The meaning behind "The Bread Exam" might be hard to decipher in a vacuum. But when powered by mainstream media (who translated the real message behind the recipe), the meaning traveled to traditional communities. The result?
According to Pollfish data cited in the McCann Paris case study: "86% of Arab women admitted baking will remind them to self-check."
The Takeaway
"The Bread Exam" used tradition, mainstream media, and modern marketing techniques to spread a life-saving message.
Well done to clients Spinneys Supermarkets and the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation for funding this purpose-driven marketing campaign.
11. Burberry: Open Spaces
Burberry's 2021 ad “Open Spaces” takes a cinematic approach to video marketing. The narrative starts with four Burberry-clad friends parking in the middle of nowhere, ready for an adventure.
Throughout the ad, we see them taking a lucid-dream-like tour, flying over open fields, lakes, clifftops, and the ocean.
The Takeaway
In a year of limited freedom, this two-minute video ad uses open spaces and adventure to remind viewers how freedom feels. And like Reebok’s CrateMaster, it does so without busy product placement detracting from the storytelling.
12. Netflix: Fans Make the Movies
To make their ad “Fans Make the Movies,” Netflix paired up with the Ikorodu Bois from Lagos, Nigeria. With a shoestring budget, the Ikorodu Bois remake blockbuster movies like Army of the Dead, The Old Guard, and Thunderforce.
The ad plays on the childlike joy that comes from doing something for the sheer love of it. It’s a tour de force in boundless imagination and shows you don’t need a big budget to create marketing that resonates.
The Takeaway
By sharing the Ikorodu Bois’ DIY flicks with the world, the ad reconnects movie lovers everywhere with the feeling created by incredible entertainment.
Netflix cleverly decided to center their target audience (movie fans) in their video ad rather than their product.
13. Dove: Cost of Beauty
Dove’s "Cost of Beauty" video ad features real stories and sensitive content about difficult subjects. So, if you’d like to jump to the next entry, we understand entirely.
As challenging as "Cost of Beauty" is to watch, we need open discussions about the ad’s themes. More specifically, social media's impact on how children and young people view their bodies and appearance.
The story takes us through Mary’s journey from making carefree comedy shows and silly videos as a child. Mary gradually watches more and more social media content by diet-themed influencers.
We then see her harrowing diary entries and, eventually, how she enters a specialist Eating Disorder Unit.
We leave Mary’s story knowing she’s now thankfully in recovery. The “Cost of Beauty” then introduces us to more young people like Mary, who are recovering from eating disorders, depression, and anxiety, among other things.
At the end of the ad, Dove shares a heartbreaking fact:
"Social media is harming the mental health of 3 in 5 kids."
The Takeaway
Through these real stories, Dove shows us how social media consumption can start as a fun, almost silly activity for children. But if not placed in the appropriate context, it can end in harm.
This is a powerful example of how to create a purpose-driven video marketing campaign through user-generated content.
14. Facebook: More Together - Cricket
As Dove’s "Cost of Beauty" shows us, social media usage can cause harm when left unchecked. Still, social media’s biggest strength lies in its power to connect people.
In the case of "More Together - Cricket," Facebook shares how its platform connects people across India through cricket.
The video shows people trying out for India's cricket team and how they share their journey through Facebook posts. We also see how a district selection camp advertises an event through Facebook.
The video closes with the message, "It takes a billion to make an eleven," followed by a collage of Polaroid-style snaps representing young people’s Facebook posts about their cricket tryouts.
Even though many young people didn’t make the team, they’re proud to contribute to a sport that connects their country.
The Takeaway
"More Together — Cricket" uses the themes of national heritage and culture to show how they create a shared experience. Facebook takes the idea further by highlighting how it provides a space to discuss these cultural experiences.
15. Hotels.com: Silent Piano Ad
Many media consumers watch video marketing efforts without sound, especially when viewing content in public.
Without sound, viewers rely on closed captions to understand the content.
Hotels.com uses this to its advantage with a quirky and innovative "Silent Piano" ad. The viewer sees a sumptuous hotel lobby, where an eccentric-looking hotel concierge (or guest?) seemingly plays the piano.
The fun twist is the ad is silent. And given that the piano player admits he can’t play at all, that’s probably best.
The Takeaway
Like a silent movie, the short video uses cinematic filming techniques, over-the-top acting, and a compelling text-driven narrative. The ad keeps viewers intrigued until the end while giving them a clear call to action midway.
The ad is innovative, using how people typically consume video to its advantage. And for the cherry on top, the setting suits the brand perfectly.
16. Magnetic Global: Success Stories
Magnetic Global's "Success Stories" is another video marketing example showing a creative agency practicing what they preach. And what they preach is growing a brand’s influence through video.
The Takeaway
Magnetic Global weaves in storytelling, inspiring cinematography, behind-the-scenes footage, and real case studies to show you two things:
How video marketing can grow your brand and why they’re the agency you should choose to help you do it.
17. Google Earth: Our Cities Timelapse
Google Earth’s "Our Cities Timelapse" opens with an incredible stat about urban population growth. "In the last 35 years, the urban population has grown by 2.3 billion people," the ad informs us.
We then get to see a digital reconstruction of this growth in action. From barren deserts to all but deserted river banks, through time-lapse videos spanning 1984 to 2020, we see how cities across the globe have grown.
At the end of the video, Google Earth presents a broader point.
“Cities are responsible for more than 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions.”
The Takeaway
The ad showcases the Google Earth product in action and does so meaningfully. The viewer witnesses a timelapse of human potential. But we’re also shown how our growth can impact the planet.
18. Crumbl Cookies: Sweet Victory Ad
We see more and more consumers (especially young people) head to TikTok to find places and things to eat. “Sweet Victory Ad” by Crumbl Cookies capitalizes on this trend perfectly.
Throughout the 30-second feast for the senses, Crumbl shows us its delicious range of gooey baked goods. And if you’re not already reaching for your phone to make an order, you probably just need an excuse.
So, they present them in the context of unremarkable achievements.
"Your team won the big game. Your team tried to win the big game. You didn’t even know there was a big game," says the narrator.
We know it, you know it. Every achievement — even the seemingly unremarkable — becomes a celebration when you set your mind to it. And every celebration is a valid reason to treat yourself to some cookies.
The Takeaway
Bright colors, humor, mouth-watering cookies? That’s a recipe for one of the best TikTok ads we've seen. Take our money already.
19. HubSpot: Live with Yamini Rangan & Brian Halligan
Insights from subject matter experts have never been more critical to marketing. You only have to look at Google’s 2022 addition to their Search Quality Rater Guidelines. The full framework is now E-E-A-T — the latest E focuses on Experience.
Doing (or citing) subject matter expert interviews is a great way to demonstrate experience within your video marketing content.
We love HubSpot’s "INBOUND 2021 - Live with Yamini Rangan & Brian Halligan" because it shares a discussion between three subject matter experts from the CRM industry.
The Takeaway
In the video, HubSpot co-founder and Executive Chairman, HubSpot CEO, and HubSpot SVP of Business and Corporate Development share their thoughts on the CRM industry.
It’s an informal way for the brand to demonstrate its experience and authority in the industry. All while providing a citable resource for others. And the more people who cite your resource, the greater its potential reach.
20. Gymshark: Celebrity Prank
As we've covered, humor has been a trend on TikTok for a while now. But it’s also been a broader trend in the 2023 video marketing landscape.
So what happens when you combine TikTok, 2023, and a brand already known for its funny marketing? You get Gymshark’s "Celebrity Prank."
To create this video marketing campaign, Gymshark hired fake celebrity look-alikes to appear in their London store. Like the star-struck onlookers, the celebrity doppelgangers enjoyed a casual shopping trip.
Then hilarity ensued.
The general public asked for photos, chased the look-alikes around the store, and seemed to be taken in by the prank.
The Takeaway
In true Gymshark tradition, the fun video ad created quite a stir across social media, amassing nearly 400,000 likes on TikTok alone.
21. Tesco: Voice of the Checkout.
Tesco brings more video marketing fun with a classic TikTok ad campaign. To create "Voice of the Checkout," Tesco invited people to audition to become the new voice of its self-service machines.
The video ad shows the old self-service checkout voice introducing us to its successor, Izzy. But only after sharing some entertaining audition footage from Izzy and others.
The Takeaway
The advert was funny and interactive, the ideal combination for TikTok marketing. Tesco also used the power of user-generated content to stay true to its down-to-earth brand.
By putting everyday people within the ad, they position themselves as the supermarket choice of everyday people.
22. Honda: The Other Side
Honda’s interactive ad, "The Other Side," pays homage to the Choose Your Own Adventure game genre. Through Interactive Branching, viewers can have a more personalized video experience where they actively participate in the narrative.
Each video clip offers the viewer a choice, and each option dictates the following sequence of events in the story.
The Takeaway
Instead of passively consuming or skipping the video ad, Honda invites viewers into the plot itself. We’re left pondering, is this the next generation of video ads?
Want more visual content tips? Check out these stunning visual storytelling examples.
Now it’s your turn.
Video can do wonders to increase content engagement and click-through rates. But many marketers get paralyzed by the "no time, too hard" fallacy of creating video content.
But if you think you need fancy camera equipment and editing software to make video work, or that video seems like a luxury you can't afford ... it's time to take a new approach to your video marketing strategy.
You can create great videos for social media without all those bells and whistles. (Ever heard of Facebook Live? It was made for creating videos using just your smartphone!)
Use these marketing videos as inspiration, and create some cool visual content of your own.
