Todd Sumamno
Unless you live under a rock, Facebook needs no introduction. With a count of nearly 3 billion users as of late 2020, the social media giant has become the go-to platform for digital marketing. Businesses of all kinds are leveraging FB’s wide reach to connect with their user base in creative and quirky ways.
To truly understand its impact, digest this – the social networking platform is expected to generate a whopping $94.69 billion in ad revenues in 2021. Millennials form the largest user base, more than 25%, making Facebook a prime medium to market tech-savvy, digital content.
Digital marketing runs on ROI. But here lies the dilemma businesses often face. Presenting the right information is not enough. Your ads need to provoke the imagination of the ever-decreasing attention span of your users. But to create such impressive, attention-grabbing ads that stand out in a sea of plenty is no easy feat.
Moreover, a single platform offers a wide range of ad models – carousel, static image, dynamic videos, and much more. To give you a boost of inspiration and help you understand what ticks, we bring to you the top 10 Facebook ads of 2021.
Nike:
Nike has always come up with impressive content that consumers instantly connect with. Their ads are poignant, to-the-point, and touch a pulse with the reader – whether it be about women empowerment or racial discrimination or in this case, bringing a human and spiritual connection to a fitness routine.
USP: User-generated content makes the ad more relatable
An ad need not always indulge in cold, hard selling. Getting your consumer to promote for you makes an ad much more compelling and the brand much more relevant. The dynamic ad format keeps the ad interesting, at the same time posits a new possibility for the user – yoga as a way to connect.
Microsoft:
In this ad, Microsoft talks about AI capabilities and how it can help us build a green-collar ecosystem. There is no product here, yet it is a great way to generate brand loyalty. When consumers perceive a brand to create sustainable development efforts, it leads to increased stakeholder engagement.
USP: Building upon their CSR to talk about the impact of technology on environmental sustainability
Using authentic storytelling to showcase your business’s impact on social and environmental issues is one way to create loyal customers. Community support activities like these not only increase brand value but in the long term it also positively encourages an environment-friendly economic progression. Consumers understand that and increasingly expect businesses to play ball.
Headspace:
Headspace is a lifestyle app incorporated in 2010, targeted at stress reduction and enhancing the sleep quality of its users through mindfulness and meditation. You only have to listen to this ad to realize the value-addition this app brings to your diurnal activities.
USP: Using right-off-the-bat app feature, giving a peek at its usability
Stress and anxiety are some of the main reasons for a restless night of insomnia or general sleeplessness that directly affects our productivity. Apps like these are a game-changer, especially for millennials glued to their screen late at night. The dynamic format ensures consumers would surely lend an ear to the content, increasing its potential reach.
Starbucks:
Starbucks has led the coffee revolution from mere sustenance to an experience, and this ad is no different. Its romance with coffee is documented in its incremental success, making the beverage house a Fortune 500 company and a household name in just 20 years.
USP: Soft Selling their coffee blends by leveraging recipes through content marketing
The green mermaid has yet again churned out something that positions more than just a product. It brings artisan coffee from the cafe to your kitchen table, ready to be enjoyed in minutes. The ad is more than just a sale or a promo. It is a promise that smells of the nutty, smokey, and bitter aroma of crafted, roasted beans holding the key to nirvana. And you can enjoy it every morning, right on your couch.
The Big Book Box:
Founded in January 2017, The Big Book Box is an online subscription box that includes premium books with a spate of dainty goodies to go with. Each month the boxes are curated with a different theme coupled with quirky illustrations to capture readers’ attention.
USP: Using carousel ads to feature its different subscription boxes, discounts, and giveaways
TBB Box relies heavily on user-generated content and does so through monthly giveaways. Their pretty-as-pictures, photogasmic goodies, and books are enough to lure bookworms to try out the boxes. But here, the ad targets three birds with one stone – different subscription boxes curated for bookworms, discounts for new members, and announcing giveaways to those who regularly engage with them.
Doordash:
A San Francisco-based food delivery service that is making an impact through its unorthodox ads, Doordash opened its door in January 2013. It has a 56% market share in the United States, making it the largest food delivery app in the country.
USP: Ads targeted at recruiting delivery guys
The ad screams “Work for Us” from every angle but does so in a wholly cool and refreshing way. Aimed at millennials looking to earn extra cash, this ad is perfect in the way it approaches its target user base.
Bolt:
Previously known as Taxify, Bolt rebranded itself in 2019 after diversifying to electric scooter sharing. It has 50 million global customers and more than a million drivers. It offers ride-sharing, micro-mobility, and food delivery services in over 40 countries.
USP: Using carousel ad to market its “affordability” feature
The recent pandemic had severe socio-economic repercussions with many finding themselves on a limited budget. By marketing its affordable pricing through carousel ads, Bolt incentivizes more frequent use of its service among its user base.
Slack:
A productivity app launched in August 2013 Slack uses messaging and chat room features targeted exclusively for workplace communication. Harnessing the power of content syndication through Quartz, Slack redefines strategic partnership to promote its usability.
USP: Positioning itself with a strategic partner, quoting its relevance in the new WFH norm
Corporates have been hit the worst in the recent pandemic, bringing productivity down to almost zero. The ad flips the crisis on its head by conveying its value addition in the current scenario. Their core messaging shows how Slack lets you adopt remote work models seamlessly, implying “continuous communication equals smoother workflow”.
Porsche:
Using star power to promote their all-electric model, Taycan, Porsche created an ad that is thrilling, adrenaline-rushing, and attention-grabbing at the same time. Need we say more!
USP: Dynamic content that relies heavily on star powers
The future is electric, or so claims all the heavy hitters in the automobile industry. In 2020, EV sales grew by 40%, while analysts predict sales will quadruple in the next four years. If this ad is anything to go by, the future is getting more exciting by the minute.
New York Times:
In an age where the media faces severe backlash for incorrect information, NYT stands out with its authentic reporting, or so it claims.
USP: Copywriting par excellence, creating a mass desire to search for the truth during an already heated election campaign
Truth is an elusive concept that can be molded, retracted, or even recreated, given enough time. But do you feel any of that when viewing the ad? My guess is a big NO. The ad is a soft sell, playing on people’s emotions and done quite effectively through the brilliance of copywriting. It is NYT, after all.
Ready For Your Next Social Media Campaign?
Attention-grabbing creatives and visuals are just the tip of the digital marketing iceberg. For a successful marketing campaign, you need to wade through other nuances like PPC, SEM, and so on. With Facebook, you get a cost-per-click marketing platform. This means that as an advertiser you pay for each click on the ad rather than each view.
According to Facebook’s definition, their CPC records any click (or CTA) taken within an ad unit: a like, a comment, a share, a click to a website, etc. Since CPC is trackable, you can easily measure the ROI through impressions, CTR (click-through rates), and conversion rates.
To get the most out of your Facebook ads, hire PPC experts. Hiring PPC experts will help you strategize your Facebook digital marketing efforts in a more coherent way. A strong Facebook marketing strategy will positively impact your website traffic, sales revenue, and brand loyalty.
