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Video is a core component of modern digital marketing strategies. People are watching more online videos than ever before, thanks in no small part to social media algorithms pushing video content on their platforms. As a result, modern marketers need to brush up on their video marketing skills if they’re to stand any chance at attracting or converting customers.
If you’re looking for video production inspiration, you’re in the right place. This guide shares 10 of the world’s best video marketing examples, including what makes them great and how you can replicate the tips for your own content marketing efforts.
Benefits of video marketing
Video marketing is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Creators and marketers who lean on video marketing experience these benefits firsthand:
- Enhanced brand awareness. Video boosts your likelihood of getting in front of a larger audience. All of the major social media platforms—Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok included—are prioritizing short-form video content. If you appease these algorithms by creating videos, your chances of making a viral video skyrocket.
- Increased engagement. Social media videos get more engagement than other types of marketing content. In an Instagram engagement study conducted by Mention, videos got the most comments by far—averaging 150 comments (compared to 65 on images and 80 on carousel posts.)
- Improved conversions. From how-to videos to feature-length films, videos tell stories in a way that static images can’t. It’s why Wyzowl reports that 89% of people have purchased a product or service after watching a brand’s video.
“Video builds the ‘know, like, and trust’ factor faster than any other form of marketing,” says video marketer Amanda Horvath. “With every other form of marketing, you have to overthink everything: your copy, the messaging—all of it.
“But, the cool thing about video is that it’s you on camera, and you can’t mess that up. So, as scary as that can be at first—and it can be really intimidating to get started—it’s actually a really freeing experience when you recognize that.”
Read more: How to create a business YouTube channel that thrives
What makes a great video marketing strategy?
A great video marketing strategy puts your customers at the forefront, appealing to your target audience by creating videos they can be entertained, educated, or inspired by. It spans multiple channels—like YouTube videos being repurposed into TikTok snippets, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts—to reach your audience on every channel they’re using.
Other key components of an impressive video marketing strategy include:
- Focusing on storytelling and emotion. People are more likely to remember stories than they are a laundry list of facts. In your video marketing campaigns, tell stories about how your brand was founded, why it’s important, and testimonials or case studies from your customers to create an emotional connection.
- Optimizing for mobile and short attention spans. The overwhelming majority of people watch online videos through a mobile device. Whether you’re posting content organically or investing in Facebook video ads, optimize videos by using a vertical layout and making the first three seconds snappy. A good hook can make social media users stop scrolling their feed to watch your content.
- Choosing a user-friendly editing software. There are hundreds of video editors out there, some of which have a steep learning curve for those with limited editing experience. Whether you’re creating a slideshow or adding B-roll footage to your video, Descript allows you to edit videos as easily as editing a Google Doc.
10 successful video marketing examples
- Nike: “Dream Crazy”
- Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
- Always: “Like a Girl”
- GoPro: “Fireman Saves Kitten”
- Coca-Cola: “Share a Coke”
- Duolingo: “The Unignorable Notification”
- Red Bull: "Stratos"
- Airbnb: “Stay Together for Less”
- Squarespace: “Winona in Winona”
- Dove: “Real Beauty Sketches”
1. Nike: "Dream Crazy"
Nike is no stranger to using video advertisements to tell customer stories. In this example, the sportswear giant tells the stories of female athletes who have overcome adversity to win competitions and medals.
The storytelling aspect of this video marketing example is overwhelming—so much so, the comments section of this YouTube video is flooded with comments like “Is it just me or this gets me emotional EVERY SINGLE TIME.”
Use this concept in your own video marketing strategy with a story-based narrative structure. Give your video a hook, followed by a rising action (like the challenges faced by female athletes) and backstory to the story you’re illustrating. Move on to a climax, then a falling action (like struggling to win a race), and conclude with a resolution (like winning medals).
2. Old Spice: "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"
If you do it just right, your video marketing can go well beyond your marketing budget to become a cultural phenomenon. This video marketing example from Old Spice did exactly that.
Old Spice, an ecommerce brand that sells male grooming products, starts off its video with an attention-grabbing hook: instructing the viewer to look at their partner. Viewers are then told to look at the man on screen and compare how they think their partner smells compared to him. The absurd nature of the video made it go so viral that it has its own KnowYourMeme page.
What’s great about this example is that people don’t passively watch the video and scroll onto something new. The video is interactive; viewers are told to do something. This type of video is proven to get 52% more engagement than static content.
3. Always: "Like a Girl"
Always is a brand that sells feminine hygiene products. It operates in what some would consider a taboo industry—one that makes it difficult for its marketers to create compelling video ads. However, its “Like a Girl” series proves you don’t have to put your product at the forefront of your video marketing strategy.
The series asks teens and adults to do an impression of what they think it means to do something “like a girl.” What follows is a lot of half-hearted runs, slaps, and throws. Next, they’re asked: Do you think that imitation would be insulting to a female in your life?
We then see a group of young girls being asked to do the same thing—but who put their all into every example. It’s followed by a short, emotional title that explains how girls’ confidence plummets throughout puberty—but it doesn’t have to.
People resonate with this video marketing example and the tie-in to Always’s products is subtle. But it was a campaign that had a massive impact and is still being talked about years later.
4. GoPro: "Fireman Saves Kitten"
We’ve briefly touched on the idea that successful videos induce emotion. This video marketing example from GoPro is no different.
In the two-minute long product demo video—which acts as a subtle testimonial video—GoPro takes us on an emotional rollercoaster. We start by seeing camera footage (filmed on a GoPro) of firemen searching a burnt down home. They find a small kitten on the floor and nurse it back to health at the roadside.
The campaign wasn’t only a roaring success because of the emotional response it triggered in viewers. It was also because of its authenticity: GoPro used user-generated content to demonstrate its core values. It its “Be a Hero” tagline is meant to inspire potential customers by showing how a real-life customer used a high-quality camera, echoed the brand’s values, and ultimately saved a life.
5. Coca-Cola: "Share a Coke"
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs lays out the five needs that every human is motivated to fulfill. Coca-Cola plays to one of them in this video marketing example: belonging.
The video starts by showing a man sitting alone with a bottle of Coca-Cola. As soon as he takes a sip, he starts to deliver bottles to his friends—each of which are personalized with the friend’s name on. The end of the video shows a group of friends coming together to drink from their own Coca-Cola bottle.
Coca-Cola said the goal of its video marketing campaign was simple: “To create a more personal relationship with consumers and inspire shared moments of happiness.”
6. Duolingo: “The Unignorable Notification”
Duolingo is a language learning app with a marketing team that isn't afraid to do things differently. The brand, which went viral after its own animated mascot started wreaking havoc on TikTok, used an inside joke shared by its customers in this video marketing example.
Existing Duolingo users share the frustration of getting reminders to continue learning a language on the app. Duolingo creates a sense of community by saying blanket statements like “most of us are bombarded with endless notifications.”
A notification from the Duolingo app appears, and the brand’s cheeky tone comes through with a simple statement: “At Duolingo, we never give up on our millions of language learners.” That’s followed by footage of a drone projecting personalized Duolingo notifications on walls outside of users’ homes.
This statement alone is enough to show Duolingo’s commitment to helping its customers (most of whom likely lose their motivation to learn a new language and stop using the app). It also uses social proof and shows a viewer is in good company if they want to resume language learning on the app.
7. Red Bull: "Stratos"
Red Bull has built an entire community of thrill-seeking adrenaline junkies around its energy drinks. Its Stratos campaign sent Felix Baumgartner into space using a helium balloon and he skydived back to Earth.
Because Baumgartner broke a record with this stunt, the campaign had lots of news attention when it happened. Red Bull capitalized on this attention with a short, sharp hook at the start of its video marketing campaign: “I’m the guy who jumped from space.”
Red Bull keeps us engaged throughout the entire video with lots of short clips and dramatic cuts. There’s also background music to replicate the tense nature of jumping from space, combined with a narrated voiceover to tell viewers the story behind the stunt.
8. Airbnb: "Stay Together for Less"
If you’re looking for an animated video marketing example, look no further than this Airbnb. It recently launched three videos that pulled on a pain point its audience shares. In this one, it’s the idea of traveling with friends and paying for separate hotel rooms.
What’s great about this example, though, is that it uses animations. Instead of showing a group of friends traveling, it illustrates the concept to make it easier to understand. The video ends with an animated sequence that shows all friends staying together in an Airbnb property, with a relatable voiceover that tugs on the pain point one final time in a call to action (CTA): “Get an Airbnb and stay together for less.”
9. Squarespace: "Winona in Winona”
Using emotion in your video advertising campaigns often means making your audience shed a tear or feel frustrated about a challenge. But emotions don’t all have to be negative. As Squarespace’s “Winona in Winona” advertisement—which premiered as a Super Bowl ad—shows, humor is a superb tool to get people talking about your campaign and further its reach.
Squarespace also hit the jackpot with this campaign because it used a celebrity who was relevant at the time. Netflix had just released a trailer for its much-anticipated show, Stranger Things, which Winona Ryder stars in. The Squarespace campaign was the perfect tie-in of cultural trends, humor, and influencer marketing.
10. Dove: "Real Beauty Sketches”
Real Beauty Sketches was a campaign created by Dove to prove that people don’t see their own beauty.
In the video, a person sits in a room with an illustrator. They can’t see each other, but through a series of questions, the illustrator draws a picture of what they think the person looks like. The process was then repeated after the illustrator drew new sketches of how the subject’s friends and family described them. It showed how people don’t see their own beauty, but others do.
Instead of simply showing the sketches and the subject’s reaction, Dove’s video advertisement tells the background story: what people thought when they turned up to the studio, how they got their insecurities, and what they thought of the images. This extra commentary added more context to the images and helped viewers relate to the campaign.
Take your video marketing strategy to the next level with Descript
Filming footage is only the start of any video strategy. What really makes these video examples land a spot in the hall of fame is the way the scenes are stitched together in a compelling narrative, complete with background music and transitions that keep viewers engaged.
You can get the same effect by using Descript, the best video editing tool for marketers and businesses. Whether you’re creating tutorials or entertaining animations, use the YouTube video editor to:
- Remove filler words to make your subject sound more confident on camera
- Add a green screen to your marketing videos
- Fix audio mistakes with an AI clone of your natural voice
- Add subtitles and captions that make your videos more accessible
- Repurpose long-form content into several video formats
Take a free tour today and see why thousands of marketers rely on Descript to create world-class marketing videos.
Video marketing examples FAQ
What is video marketing?
Video marketing is the strategy brands use to engage their target audience using video. This video is usually shown across a variety of platforms including YouTube, social media, and paid advertising channels.
What is the most popular video marketing platform?
YouTube is the biggest video site on the internet and the second-largest search engine. More than half of all marketers use YouTube to reach new customers and get more video views.
How do you do video marketing?
- Set goals for your strategy
- Research your audience
- Arrange a storyboard
- Write a script
- Film your footage
- Edit your video
- Distribute the video online
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