Running out of new ideas for your next online advertising stunt? Then perhaps it’s time to inject some doses of creativity and craziness into your system. Not coming up with new ideas is often a sign that you need a change of perspective. Maybe you’ve been thinking the same way for far too long that you need to start thinking outside the box to gain fresh insights and ideas.
Thankfully, in this day and age, finding inspiration for new and out of the box ideas isn’t difficult. The web is filled with countless ads and projects that are bound to stir up your creative juices. Check out the examples below and see if you can apply even a little of their craziness into your campaigns.
A quick word of caution though; these ads are all “so-crazy-they-might-actually-work” type of things. The people behind these ads took a lot of guts and risks. They’re unconventional and aren’t for people who insist on following rules and textbooks.
1. Ikea fit an entire store into one banner ad
Wondering how you can make your ads more interactive and fun? Then take a leaf off Ikea’s book. Ikea is known for their portable products. Most of the stuff in their branches are space savers that you can move quickly and easily. To demonstrate just how much their products are able save people space, Ikea decided to squeeze in 2,800 products into a 300 x 250 px banner ad. The teeny products in the ad are magnified as you mouse-over them, and the great thing is, that you can shop for products straight from the ad. When your mouse lands on a piece that you like, you can click on it, and it will take you directly to that product’s page. See it in action here. [via Adland and Adweek]
2. This guy proposed using display ads
Okay, so we’re certainly not telling you to propose to your customers, but this example could teach you a lesson or two about proper ad targeting and appealing to customers’ emotions. Last month, ad salesman Scott Sklar decided to propose to this girlfriend, Erica Plotkin, who happened to be a digital associate media director in the New York office of Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Martin Agency. Erica received a message that something was wrong with one of their client’s ads on BBC.com. When Erica clicked on the BBC URL, she was greeted by two banner ads with the words, “Erica, will you marry me?” and “You are the love of my life – Scott”. At that moment, Scott walked in, got down on one knee and proposed. Check out the full story on AdAge.
3. Pringle’s Click-athon Ad
Who says banner ads always have to lead to a landing page or website? The guys at Pringles had a different way of looking at things. To demonstrate “how fun, eccentric—and even downright weird—life with Pringles can be”, they decided to create an ad that doesn’t take users anywhere when they click it. Instead, as people keep on click the ad, the banner just display a little story within it. Curious to see how it works? Check it out on AdWeek here.