Ads that don’t look like ads

The very best ads right now are ads that don’t look like ads.

It’s impossible to scroll through any social media platform without being bombarded by ads. Trying to read a news article? 90% of your screen is taken up by ads. Advertising is EVERYWHERE and people are SICK of it.

This couldn’t be more true for Gen Z, who grew up online using social media, and have become desensitized to advertising tactics that worked in the past. Businesses need to be smart about how they’re marketing to this key demographic, and that means creating ads that don’t look like ads.

Beautiful, polished content that highlights your branding is going to be an automatic ignore for anyone under 30. Instead, you need to create content that looks like something one of their friends might have posted. It needs to be casual, relatable, and smart.

Thinking outside the box for advertising campaigns is one of my favourite things to do. I ran an ad campaign for a seafood brand, where instead of sharing polished, high-resolution photos of their shrimp, we phosted an picture of a meal using their product, shot on an iPhone, and pasted the recipe into the ad copy. The result? Maximum engagement.

But don’t take my word for it; let the numbers do the talking:

•Their web traffic increased by 90%
•Their CPC dropped from $0.38 to $0.29
•Their impressions tripled (from 44K to 120K)

Digital advertising doesn’t have to be complicated. Just hire the right people to set up and manage your campaigns. 😎