Image source: Unsplash
In the digital age we find ourselves in when you come across an ad that evokes emotion and inspires interest, it can force you to stop scrolling and take notice.
But innovative, impactful ads that make people do a double-take are pretty rare and the creativity required to come up with these clever concepts is sometimes lacking. Which is why we’ve created this list of 12 fantastic examples of print advertising campaigns to get you inspired and help you achieve that wow factor with your next print advert.
Enjoy!
12 Fantastic Examples of Print Marketing To Inspire You
1. KFC Ikea Ad
Image source: creativebloq
When KFC decided to open a new restaurant in a suburb of Majorca referred to by locals as “where Ikea is”, the fast-food giant decided to make a play on this reputation 😏. Madrid-based ad agency PS21 copied Ikea’s colour scheme in a billboard in a bid to create a little bit of healthy banter between the two brands. Ikea’s signature colour scheme coupled with KFC’s iconic typography made for a memorable and impactful campaign.
2. DHL Fast-handling Ad
Image source: businessinsider
In a magazine ad, DHL used a clear sheet with a DHL delivery man on it who moved to the opposite page when you flip through the magazine, cleverly illustrating how quickly the delivery company can ship packages across Asia. We give this print ad two thumbs up 👍.
3. Kit Kat Lockdown Ad
Image source: creativebloq
When COVID 19 started and employees were forced to switch from in-person meetings at the office to a continuous stream of Zoom meetings, Designer Sam Hennig came up with this clever ad for a Twitter challenge for One Minute Briefs, where he put KitKat’s famous pay-off line “Have a break. Have a Kit Kat” to good use.
4. Bose Waterfall Ad
Image source: businessinsider
Bose is an industry leader in noise-cancelling headphones and Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand highlighted this in a print ad where viewers watched agog as a man rows over a waterfall because he can’t hear the water thundering over his noise-cancelling headphones.
5. Band-Aid Hulk Ad
Image source: justcreative
JWT, United Arab Emirates, chose to highlight Band-Aid’s flexible fabric bandages ingeniously by putting one on the Incredible Hulk!
Anyone who knows the story of the Hulk knows that his human alter-ego, Bruce Banner, transforms into the Hulk when he gets enraged. With the ad, viewers are left to assume that the Hulk was already wearing the Band-Aid when he transformed from Bruce, brilliantly illustrating the brand’s signature flexible fabric.
6. JBL Block Out The Chaos Ad
Image source: justcreative
JBL is another tech company that wanted to illustrate the amazing noise-cancelling capabilities of its headphones. This print ad, created by Cheil Worldwide Hong Kong, shows a man with a serene expression on his face while screaming 3D-rendered caricatures of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are brandishing remote controls and nuclear missiles on either side of him. The white space around the man’s head resembles a pair of headphones, giving the viewer the impression that the headphones are able to “block out the chaos”.
7. Ikea Sliding Doors Ad
Image source: digitalagencynetwork
In the 2D world of print, illustrating a concept can sometimes be difficult. But boutique advertising agency 303 Perth, Australia, brilliantly showcased Ikea’s sliding doors by bringing them to life in a newspaper ad.
The ad features a picture of a sliding door from one of Ikea’s ranges and invites the viewer to “Slide to open”, when the page is slid to the side, the inside of a cupboard is exposed on the page behind. 303 utilised the fact that newspapers are not bound like magazines are and used this print medium to their advantage.
8. Chupa Chups It’s Sugar-free Ad
Image source: boredpanda
DDB, Spain, was tasked with building awareness of Chupa Chups sugar-free lollipops and they did a brilliant job doing so. In a print ad, the lollipop is lying on the ground and ants are seen walking around it. The ad was cleverly and creatively executed using a concept that people from cultures all around the world can understand and relate to.
9. Fanta Tastable Ad
Image source: digitalagencynetwork
OgilvyOne, Dubai, took the already tangible aspect of a print ad and added another sense experience - taste! In this typographic ad, the viewer is informed that if they tear off a piece of the page and pop it in their mouth, it tastes like Fanta Orange. Additionally, this novel concept encourages viewers to go out and buy a Fanta Orange to verify that the ad does taste like the drink. Brilliant use of sensory engagement.
10. Hubba Bubba 180cm Bubble-gum Ad
Image source: digitalagencynetwork
DDB created awareness of just how big Hubba Bubba’s 180cm Bubble Gum is with a highly visual print ad where a double-page spread is taken up by an enormous bubble with only the bubble blower’s mouth visible so that the viewer feels like they are inside the bubble. This immersive experience drives home the point brilliantly and creatively.
11. Scrabble The Surprising Power of Words Ad
Image source: digitalagencynetwork
Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai, India, cleverly illustrated the power of words with their print ad for the popular board game, Scrabble. In the real world, a fox is much bigger, fiercer, and faster than a squirrel, and is easily able to outrun one.
But, in the world of Scrabble, where the word “squirrel” has eight letters and includes the letter ‘“, worth 10 points, while “fox” only has three letters. Anyone who knows this childhood favourite board game will immediately get it.
12. Frontline Fleas Off Ad
Image source: justcreative
This print ad for Frontline Flea & Tick Spray was designed by Saatchi and Saatchi. To illustrate their client’s product, the agency installed a giant floor sticker in a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia. From above, the people walking on the ad look like fleas on the dog. The ad uses point of view to vividly illustrate what the product does.
We hope you’ve gained some creative inspiration from these 12 examples and that you can use it to create your own impactful print campaigns.
