According to a study by SJ Insights, the average person encounters approximately 5,000 advertisements and brands daily. Of those, only around 153 are noticed, and a mere 12 receive active engagement. This illustrates the intense competition for consumer attention, highlighting the need for ads that stand out to achieve success. To help your brand rise above the noise, I’ve put together a list of imaginative advertising ideas, complete with examples:

1. Capitalize on Ego with a Sponsored Quiz

A little piece of advice I received suggests that encouraging people to talk about themselves is a surefire way to gain their favor. They might not recall much about you afterward, but they’ll walk away with a positive self-image. This principle is precisely what makes sponsored Buzzfeed Quizzes so effective! People are inherently curious to discover their Skittle or M&M personality, their potential fate in Game of Thrones, or whether they’d be a host or guest in Westworld.

2. Sponsor City Maps

This advertising strategy seems particularly popular among tour bus operators and, curiously enough, chain Italian eateries. During my backpacking days, I heavily relied on these complimentary maps, readily available at train stations and – for reasons unknown – Italian restaurants. These maps were my constant companions. They usually highlighted major tourist spots and business locations, with bus stops clearly marked on those distributed by bus companies. Whenever I got lost, these maps were my lifeline, guiding me back to a familiar restaurant, a bus stop, or helping me navigate to new destinations.

3. Create Coupon Books

Growing up, we were quite the entrepreneurial bunch, selling cookie dough, Girl Scout cookies, wrapping paper – and coupon books. Today, coupons are ubiquitous – online promo codes, Groupon deals, newspaper inserts, even print ads on the subway. Yet, coupon books have retained their relevance, especially among tourists seeking discounts on museum entries and popular attractions. And what better way to attract new customers than by strategically placing coupons in a city discovery guide?

4. Use the Environment to Your Advantage

These inventive environmental ads are incredibly captivating! They surpass mundane billboards by transforming everyday spaces into something amusing or intriguing for advertising purposes. Personally, I can’t help but imagine these imaginative creations springing straight from the mind of a five-year-old.

5. Don’t Be Afraid of Innuendo

It’s a well-established fact that sex sells. It’s attention-grabbing and leaves a lasting impression. Comedian Aziz Ansari even has a bit about Equinox ads – like the one pictured – pointing out how they rarely feature people actually working out or even a gym setting. Instead, they showcase incredibly fit models in suggestive poses. What does this have to do with their brand or product? Not much, really. However, I can personally vouch that the image of their ad plastered on a building at 53rd and Madison is forever etched in my memory!

6. Reference Pop-Culture

It’s only fitting that an article featuring Kim Kardashian touches upon pop-culture references. Depending on your target demographic, you could subtly allude to Marilyn Monroe (like Snickers), a blockbuster movie, or even playfully poke fun at a celebrity’s dance moves. Ah

7. Be Funny

Effective and imaginative ads often tap into shared knowledge or humor. It’s like establishing an inside joke with your potential customers!

8. Be Pun-ny

Everyone appreciates a well-placed dad joke, and these puns offer a clever and imaginative play on words – or even utilize visuals to deliver the punchline.

9. Show Cute Animals

Just as effective as sex appeal is the irresistible charm of adorable creatures. Budweiser is a prime example! I’m not a fan of their beer, but I once took a brewery tour solely to catch a glimpse of the Clydesdales (sadly, no puppies were present). The advertisement below, featuring an adorable kitten, is an absolute winner.

10. Work Outside the Box

It’s always refreshing to come across billboards that break free from the monotony of rectangular shapes along the highway. A notable instance is Chik-fil-a’s iconic campaign featuring cows spray-painting “Eat Mor Chikin” on a plain white billboard. There are countless ways to add a three-dimensional element to your ads, as Law & Order cleverly did in the example below.

11. Give Away Swag

Thanks to “The Office,” I learned that “Swag” stands for “Stuff We All Get.” However, the fact that it’s ubiquitous doesn’t make it any less desirable. I’m a strong advocate for distributing free water bottles – it’s a win-win, promoting sustainability while showcasing your logo. At our company, we also enjoy handing out bottle openers, pens, t-shirts, cozies, and sweatbands.

12. Let Others Advertise for You

This one is remarkably simple. It’s as effortless as creating a Snapchat filter or setting up a giant Instagram frame encouraging people to snap selfies with your brand. The key is to offer something visually appealing that people would naturally want to photograph, such as an art installation.

13. Create an Instagram Grid

Instagram grids are all about presenting a cohesive visual story. Musicians often utilize this technique for album covers, while brands leverage it to announce pop-up shops. The trick lies in making each individual image visually appealing, while simultaneously contributing to the overall impact of the grid. Reynolds Kitchens executes this strategy flawlessly by showcasing individual dishes that collectively form a grand banquet table.

(Check out the year’s most outstanding Instagram marketing initiatives here.)

14. Check out Street Art

Street art, often referred to as “guerrilla advertising,” holds a special place in my heart. This form of advertising encompasses everything from stickers to chalk art to graffiti. What I find particularly appealing is its ability to stop you in your tracks street art, offering yet another opportunity to leverage Instagram for brand promotion.

15. Invest in Creative Business Cards

While business cards might not immediately come to mind as advertising tools, they certainly can be! There’s a plethora of inventive business card ideas, depending on your industry. Personally, I’m quite fond of the miniature cheese grater concept – a practical item for picnics that doubles as an advertisement!

16. Try a Jingle

As much as jingles can get stuck in your head (sometimes to the point of annoyance), crafting a clever and memorable one can be an incredibly effective advertising strategy.

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17. Show Your Artistic Side

There’s something undeniably captivating about ads so visually striking that they make you want to capture the moment and set it as your phone’s wallpaper. This Scrabble ad perfectly exemplifies this, creatively contrasting the weight of “goldfish” versus “shark” within the game.

18. Go Retro

For a creative blast from the past, consider recreating a commercial from 1999 to promote your product. It’s a nostalgic nod to late-night television!

19. Inspire through Video

Inspirational commercials are a tried-and-true method for fostering audience engagement and sharing. Sponsoring a charitable cause or initiative is a simple yet effective approach.

20. Try Misdirection

The advertisement below ingeniously grabs your attention with an image of a woman in a bikini, only to reveal its focus on illiteracy. Eye-catching visuals can make even the most mundane brand or topic engaging. Selvera excels at this through its display ads!

21. Go Live on Facebook (or Periscope)

Facebook Live and Periscope are gaining traction, likely due to the platforms’ proactive efforts to educate users on live broadcasting and notify connections when someone is live. Take it from Larry, a Periscope enthusiast – it’s a fantastic way to showcase company culture and broadcast events!

22. Create an Instagram Journey

I first encountered this innovative approach through Mercedes, and it’s truly impressive. Someone dedicated a significant amount of effort to develop this personalized Instagram customization journey, creating numerous interconnected accounts – a labor-intensive process, no doubt – but the outcome feels tailor-made and interactive.

23. Go Big or Go Home

We’ve all witnessed or even participated in social media challenges, such as the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS awareness, the viral Mannequin Challenge, or the Running Man Challenge. Harness the power of the internet for a good cause! A fundamental rule of social media is audience engagement, and what better way to promote your brand than by rallying your colleagues for a lighthearted challenge?