5 Awesome Ad Campaigns for the Youth Market

Voxburner Content Team

We recently shared our tips on the advertising channels that every youth brand should be using, but success will only come to those who create ad campaigns that excite and inspire young people. There’s no magic formula when it comes to advertising, as each brand needs to come up with a creative that reflects their goals and target audience. Therefore, the easiest way to get some inspiration is to learn from the best.

Here are five recent advertising campaigns that captured the youth market and impressed us here at Voxburner, and check out our upcoming global YMS events for more youth marketing strategy.

OKCupid

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Dating community OKCupid pre-dates Tinder, Grindr and Bumble, and was the first major dating site aimed at young people. They launched an advertising campaign that positions the brand as an antidote to the popular ‘hookup’ apps, yet shows that it’s just as modern and youthful as its newer competitors. The stylish, colourful ads reflect their diverse user base, including gay and straight couples, and use the abbreviation ‘DTF’ to show an edgier side to the brand.

Google

Google used the Grammys TV broadcast to debut a new advert for the Pixel 2 phone which ticks many boxes for Gen Z. Featuring music and commentary from rapper Logic, it says that we can’t always tell if someone has struggled with depression, and promotes the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Today’s teens want to support brands that reflect the causes they believe in, and mental health is one of the issues they feel particularly strongly about.

Spotify

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Spotify’s billboard campaigns are proof that digital companies can succeed with physical advertising – a great example of cross-channel marketing. The vibrant ads share amusing insights from their user data, from innocuous ginger jokes to more daring political jibes. The billboards create shareable moments, as people post photos on social media. The ads have been such a hit that they inspired a similar tactic from Netflix, whose tweet about viewers of their film A Christmas Prince went viral.

 

Wix

Rhett & Link are so proud of their stunning Wix website, they decided to share it on the world’s biggest stage- the Big Game. (And did you really think Wix would miss out on all the fun?) Want more? Watch the extended version of Wix.com’s Big Game ad. About Wix: Create a stunning, professional website.

In previous years, Wix have hired famous actors and NFL players to star in their Super Bowl TV ads, but in 2018 they took a different route. They chose one of the most popular comedy duos on YouTube to endorse their web development service, which suggests they had the younger demographic in mind. Gen Z are more receptive to marketing from relatable social media influencers than celebrities. With an audience of predominantly 12-24-year-olds, Rhett and Link are ideal brand ambassadors.

 

Glad

Glad’s sponsored content campaign is an example of how even ‘unsexy’ brands can win over young consumers. They key is to go where your target audience is, rather than expect them to come to you. The American cling film company is advertising their product within videos on Buzzfeed’s Tasty app. Not only have Glad chosen to partner with a digital publisher that reaches a Millennial audience, but they’ve narrowed it down to those who enjoy cooking by focusing on the Tasty channel.

Want more inspiration from the biggest brands in youth marketing? Come along to our upcoming global YMS events to hear from the likes of Snapchat, Microsoft, American Eagle, Converse and many others.

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