It’s time to plan our 2025 marketing campaigns, and we could all use a little inspiration. So, I asked a cadre of experienced marketers to share their favorite ads and campaigns from 2024.
Now, I love a good rundown of multinational corporations’ biggest, flashiest ads. But most of us market for SMBs, have limited budgets, and need to generate a lot from a little.
I was delighted that the examples I got back have a healthy mix of big-brand bravado and small-business resourcefulness. Plus, the marketers gave us an inside peek into why each campaign was so successful.
Contents
- A multisensory ad you can “smell”
- An ad that won in a competitive industry
- A campaign that stops you every time
- A lo-fi ad that resonates with its target audience
- An ad that doubles down on personalization
- An ad that hits every purchasing trigger
- A multichannel ad that keeps on delivering
- A promotion with a purpose
- Bonus: A consistent campaign of hilarious social media posts
10 of the best marketing campaigns from 2024
If you’re staring at a blank campaign calendar, get inspired by these super-successful 2024 marketing campaigns.
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1. A multisensory ad you can “smell”
I’ve always thought selling things like perfume and air fresheners must be tough. Until we get smell-o-vision (🤢), you can’t exactly share your product’s most important value proposition.
But somehow, and I can’t explain it, you can smell the candles in this Instagram ad that Kaleigh Moore, a prolific freelance content writer, showed me.
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The scientific name for these sensory crossovers is synesthesia, and it can be hard to pull off.
“This ad is great because it’s simple, it creates a cozy feeling, and it keeps the focus on the product,” she explained.
Every aspect of the ad works together to create a very specific aesthetic. The background color, the track of nature sounds, and the ferns and rocks all direct your hearing and sight to tell your sense of smell what’ll happen if you buy these candles. Even the copy (“warm embrace”) reinforces the vibe.
“So many campaigns I’ve seen are loud and distracting,” Kaleigh says. “This ad aesthetically matches the brand tone. It’s simple and elegant.”
Do you market a product that’s difficult to express in digital form? Try connecting with other senses. Maybe it’s the sensation of running your tongue across freshly cleaned teeth or the sound of sitting in your favorite leather chair—feature those feelings in your ad.
2. An ad that won in a competitive industry
On average, it costs more than $50 for a health and wellness brand to get a lead from Facebook ads. That makes it one of the most competitive industries in which to market on social media.
To win in wellness advertising, you need a strong offer. You also need to make sure every person who spots your ad can instantly understand the offer.
That’s why Patrice Bagby, Senior Social Advertising Manager at LocaliQ, pointed to these ads as excellent examples of how to sell in a competitive industry.
“There are a couple of reasons these two ads performed very well for our client, Degree Wellness,” Patrice explains. “First, the photos are high quality, and the colors really pop out to grab your attention. This is important for a business like this in such a competitive field.”
Patrice said they A/B tested both versions of the ads to make sure they’d work for their target audience, which was split between male and female clients. “We saw both audiences convert on these,” Patrice says. “We’ve even seen women covert from the male ad, which just goes to show you never know what might work and should always TEST, TEST, TEST!”
Getting eyes on the ads was important, but the real test was ensuring the ad converted those viewers. Patrice said simplicity and consistency made this ad a high-converter. “The offer is what really matters. We added the deal as an overlay but nothing else. Sometimes, when you try to add too much, your message will get lost. Then, we highlighted it within the ad copy and made sure the offer was added to the landing page. That’s what made these perform so well.”
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3. A campaign that stops you every time
I wasn’t surprised to see a Progressive ad on this list, but I thought it might be Flo and her indomitable optimism for bundling policies. Seth Richtsmeier, an SEO pro and freelance writer, pointed to a different Progressive promotion as one of his favorites in 2024.
“My fave ad is the ongoing Dr. Rick campaign from Progressive. They’re the only ads I drop everything to watch!”
As a refresher, Dr. Rick is the “parenta-life coach” who helps people suffering from parentamorphosis—the early onset transformation into one’s parents (often exacerbated by purchasing a home).
If you suffer from a frequent and uncontrolled urge to discuss the weather, you may have a condition known as parentamorphosis.
Seth says the secret sauce of these ads is that they’re “so relatable and memorable.” Maybe it’s the first time you groan while standing up. Or you’ve started doling out advice to strangers at the hardware store. At some point, we all see signs of parentamorphosis.
The Dr. Rick character has taken on a life outside of ads. He’s been on the show Hot Ones, has a YouTube channel, and has even published a book titled Dr. Rick Will See You Now.
You don’t need to go as big as Progressive. Just identify a trait, obstacle, or funny challenge your customers share, and talk about it in your ads. I’ve even seen a B2B SaaS business do that using comic strips.
4. A lo-fi ad that resonates with its target audience
Ann-Marie Burrage, Founder of Purple Octopus, didn’t hesitate when I asked her which ad belonged on this list. “Our favorite campaign of 2024 is for our client Helen Exley London,” she said. “It achieved remarkable success with total sales up 3,600% YOY and total orders up 4,100% YOY.”
What’s great about these ads is that they’re successful without big production budgets. Ann-Marie describes them as a series of “stripped-back, family-focused video ads, leveraging authenticity and emotional resonance.”
It was the perfect fit for the brand, an independent gift-book publisher focusing on inspirational and motivational titles. “This resonated deeply with the ideal customer and delivered above-average engagement and conversion rates.”
These types of marketing campaigns are very accessible to even small businesses. Restaurants, home services providers, and automobile dealerships all trade in the emotional response to what they sell. They can replicate these results with a smartphone and a little creativity.
“Success isn’t necessarily achieved through expensive videography or photography,” Ann-Marie says. “Whatever you create must resonate with who you are talking to.”
5. An ad that doubles down on personalization
We all know how effective personalization is in marketing. Milena Alexandrova, a copywriter and fractional content manager, likes this campaign from Camper because it personalized the whole product.
“After the madness of Black Friday, I think offering customers the option to customize their shoes is a fantastic way to get their attention,” Milena says.
Camper lets you mix and match to create up to 64 color combinations. “The brand’s CamperLab series already makes you feel like you’re wearing personalized shoes because they’re so quirky and colorful, but this takes it a step further,” Milena says.
I especially love the visual Camper uses in its marketing email. It creates a sense of collaboration like you get to work as a shoe designer. I don’t know if they do this, but it’d be awesome if each image were personalized with the email subscriber’s name.
“I believe brands that aren’t doing this are missing a huge opportunity,” Milena says. “Obviously, not all brands have the resources to offer this level of customization, but it can be done in plenty of different ways and still capture customers’ attention.”
How can you customize what you sell? You could simply include a personalized tag with each item. Or, what if you created a personalized product bundle based on what someone bought in the past and called it the “Alex pack?” That could work for both products and services (like a massage business that added a particular aromatherapy and facial treatment to the bundle).
6. An ad that hits every purchasing trigger
The best ads target emotional triggers that motivate action—not in a clickbaity, sleazy way, but in a way that helps the viewer “feel” that an offer can improve their lives.
Angele Kasse, a Social Media Manager at AGI marketing, shared an ad that touches on financial security, trust, family, and a sense of urgency. And did it all with remarkably few words (the copy begins, “Limited offer! 20 acres of land for only $24,800. Monthly payments of only $199.”)
Angele says this simple, straightforward ad generated over 12,000 leads and 340 land sales.
“The ad performed well because it combines affordable pricing, trust-building elements (money-back guarantee, verified land, A+ BBB rating), and an emotional appeal (a lasting family legacy),” she explains. “It creates urgency with a limited-time offer and highlights accessibility by removing credit checks, making it easy to act now.”
Angele ads that when your offer is strong, you want to make it stand out without muddling the message with fluff. “I went with a text-only design to keep the message clear and direct, ensuring the offer stood out without distractions,” she adds. “The bold red background immediately grabs attention, while the simplicity of the text emphasizes affordability and value.”
There’s a lot to take in here. First and foremost, ask yourself what the most compelling component of your offer is for the specific audience you’re trying to reach. I may not consider creating a legacy for my family, but my target audience might. Place that benefit in the ad’s strongest, boldest, most contradictory colors.
7. A multi-channel ad that keeps on delivering
I’m a huge fan of innovative content repurposing, so I was really interested in the campaign Chloe Stevens, Senior Content Manager at UpSlide, shared.
“One of the big wins from this campaign was how the team transformed insights from one report into so much more,” she says.
As is the case with most excellent content marketing, it all started with a report full of original information.
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From there, they created “a webinar, in-person events, SEO articles, a complete social media campaign, and more. It’s a great example of how smart, tailored content can be continually repurposed to reach your intended audience on multiple channels,” Chloe says.
The entire set of assets was designed for one highly-targeted group of people. “The team wasn’t afraid to hone in on a niche target audience and focus entirely on senior IT professionals in investment banking,” Chloe says.
The dedication to one audience lent itself to my favorite part of the campaign, the in-person events.
Chloe’s campaign example shows how creative you can be with repurposing efforts. And how important it is to keep your target audience at the center of it all. “Doing so was a win, as it enabled us to speak their language and ultimately have a bigger impact.”
8. A promotion with a purpose
My personal favorite kind of marketing campaign is one that helps your business and does some good for your community. That’s exactly what Goran Mirkovic, Chief Marketing Officer at Freemius, brought for this roundup.
“As part of the 10th-anniversary celebration, Freemius launched a 24-hour fundraising campaign supporting Girls Who Code driven by the wish to give back to the community and contribute to a meaningful cause,” Goran says.
Freemius provides solutions to creators who sell WordPress themes and plugins. Its pricing is based on a revenue-sharing model with those creators, which formed the basis of the direct financial support for Girls Who Code. “The initiative donated 100% of revenue shares during this period to help close the gender gap in technology and support future female coders,” Goran says.
A really cool “win-win” aspect of the campaign was that the creators could also support the cause while gaining valuable exposure for their own businesses. “The campaign united over 50 businesses from the Freemius community of software makers who all had the opportunity to increase their sales right before the BFCM [Black Friday and Cyber Monday], as well as build a positive image around their brands by participating in a charity campaign and highlighting the importance of diversity in tech.”
The team promoted the campaign through several channels, including using the branded hashtag #freemius10.
“The campaign demonstrated how the software community can come together to create an impact and support the next generation of female technologists,” Goran says.
Campaigns like these are incredibly rewarding, extremely effective, and can be pretty easy to run. One simple process is to choose a cause, find a non-profit partner, offer a giveaway or financial support, and promote it across your channels. As a little added bonus, you’ll also gain some brand awareness with the non-profit’s audience.
9. Bonus: A consistent campaign of hilarious social media posts
This one isn’t a paid ad, but it is one of the best marketing efforts on the internet, in my humble opinion. It’s a model of consistency in message, hilarity in tone, and creativity in visuals. Even better, it’s from a government agency, the last place you’d look for marketing inspiration.
What am I talking about? The National Park Service Instagram page. It’s one of my favorite accounts, so I’ve made it my nomination for this list.
The consistent reminder to be safe in national parks is baked into the NPS posts.
The account has over 6 million followers. Many of its posts get over 100,000 likes and thousands of comments—many congratulating the social media team.
A fan favorite of the feed is Fat Bear Week. Every October, the NPS holds a contest for followers to vote on the floofiest ursine. It’s an absolute engagement magnet as people jump in to place their vote and share via #fatbearweek.
Amazing images and quippy copy are something we should all aspire to. But the real lesson here is consistency. You can see the persistent throughline of visitor safety and responsible stewardship of outdoor spaces connecting each message. Even the funny photos of fat bear rumps are a reminder that healthy animals mean a healthy planet. It’s a great reminder to make sure your messaging, no matter how frivolous and fun, serves a purpose for your organization.
What are the best marketing campaigns of 2024?
As a communication nerd, I geek out over a clever, well-written, emotional ad. But as a marketer who’s seen behind the promotional curtain, I always end up thinking, “But how did it perform?”
The best marketing campaigns will always be the ones that motivate the most people to buy, subscribe, or donate. Based on that criteria, the campaigns on this list prove you don’t need a million-dollar production budget to create the best marketing campaign of the year.
