5 Innovative Video Marketing Campaigns To Inspire You

Consumers want to be wowed, energised, and inspired by what you have to say. If that sounds like a lot of pressure, then you’re probably right. Brands put themselves under a lot of pressure to be original and novel with their creative efforts. This is especially true when it comes to marketing campaigns. It can be daunting to come up with new creative ideas when many other campaigns have already beat you to the punch.

Because of this, creative projects that have originality as the main goal out of the gate are bound to have a slow start. This is only amplified further down the creative process when they are met with the impossibility of making something completely original. However, what if we told you that striving to create a truly original marketing campaign is a distraction?

Let us reframe it for you. Innovation always comes before originality, not the other way around. When we innovate, we are taking what already exists and elevating it, and improving on what has already been made. Originality is a byproduct of this process! It appears to us most clearly when we start to put our own spin on the idea we have decided to elevate.

We’ve been putting innovation at the forefront of our creative approach, and it has made a huge difference in the way we find inspiration from the creative space around us. We want to pass this gift on to you, which is why we are sharing our handpicked list of 5 Innovative Video Marketing Campaigns to inspire your next project. Let’s get into it.

1. Heinz AI Ketchup

AI is on the tip of everyone's tongue in the marketing space right now, and it's been that way for the last year or so. Many are beginning to leverage AI for all sorts of marketing processes and operations, but the hot topic is the text-to-image program Dall-E 2.

This trend has transcended into the world of condiments, and Rethink Canada took it upon themselves to have some fun with the Heinz brand, creating the Heinz A.I Ketchup campaign.

By feeding Dall-E 2 the prompt ‘ketchup’, a near replica of the iconic Heinz Ketchup bottle was generated by the program, which led the creative agency to test other ketchup-themed prompts.

‘Ketchup Street Art’ and ‘Ketchup Synth-Wave’ were amongst some of the more interesting ones, but no matter the prompt variation, each image generated had a resemblance to the original Heinz Ketchup. Rethink Canada took this opportunity to come up with a gem of marketing innovation, proving that “even AI knows that ketchup is Heinz.”

2. Reebok: CrateMaster (A film by Kerby Jean-Raymond)

Behold a powerful message. Reebok has been upping its game in the last few years, as shown in this mini-movie that tells a powerful story of “grassroots inner-city basketball and the community of youth who build the game from the ground up.”

The creativity of “CrateMaster” is captured by its captivating messaging, really showcasing Reebok's everlasting tradition of giving us narratives to take home and think through. Given the rise of short-form content in the last couple of years, it is rare and refreshing to see campaigns that take their time with storytelling.

The gripping narrative of this campaign can be attributed to the wonderful work of writer and director Kerby Jean-Raymond, clearly illustrating her knack for creating an immersive world for you to witness.

So yes, it may be nine minutes long, but that’s nine minutes of being hooked to the story. The advertisement really puts you in the frame and makes you a part of the story, prioritising narrative over product placement whilst subtly threading in the roots of the brand throughout.

3. Asahi: Beyond Expected

There are many routes to planning out the theme of a marketing campaign, whether that’s reacting to cultural references or norms (like the Heinz A.I Ketchup ad we mentioned earlier), or planning for a seasonal event.

In this case, Asahi’s ‘Beyond Expected’ campaign coincided with the seasonal event of ‘Dry January’, as a promotional campaign of their 0.0% Asahi beer. The result? A neon-laden tour through the high-rise metropolis of present-day Japan. This campaign expertly builds a jovial and exciting atmosphere, showcasing a variety of vibrant and fun settings where somebody enjoys a 0.0% Asahi beer.

This campaign is stunning, to say the least, with the visual effects drawing the viewer through a portal of different experiences, making you feel like you’ve just journeyed through a whole universe in under 1 minute.

Aesthetics aside, the campaign also serves as a commentary on the growing trend of Gen Z consuming less alcohol than previous generations. In this sense, Asahi’s ad is presenting their alcohol-free beer as a way to be social without feeling pressured to drink alcohol.

We love the creativity and the clean execution of Beyond Expected. It pairs dazzling visuals with a strong message, whilst also being a timely response to the seasonal event of Dry January. Marketers, take note!

4. ALDI: Like Brands Cake

We love it when brands throw subtle jabs. It keeps the landscape competitive and keeps everyone honest. That said, ALDI hasn’t been throwing jabs. They’ve been swinging haymakers, creating arguably one of the most hilarious and infamous brand feuds in recent years.

Yes, we’re talking about Colin vs Cuthbert, more specifically, M&S’ Colin the Caterpillar cake vs ALDI’s Cuthbert.

ALDI’s “Like Brands Cake” ad capitalised on the drama by doubling down on it with humour. This iconic campaign shows Cuthbert and his caterpillar friends tucking into the two cakes, with everything going well until Colin decides to crash the party unannounced, resulting in a fight breaking out.

When you think it couldn’t be more on-the-nose, ALDI throws one last hit at the end of the video with a devilishly cheeky strapline:

“ALDI. Like M&S. Only cheaper.*

*On cakes that look like caterpillars.”

With tongue firmly in cheek, ALDI really showed us how creative you can make an ad campaign with the use of humour. ALDI have used it as a marketing technique to highlight that the brand doesn’t take itself too seriously, all the while revealing the price difference between the M&S caterpillar cake and ALDI’s cheaper alternative.

This is what makes this campaign so good. It mixes in humour, self-deprecation, cheeky competition, and creative product promotion, all of which came together to make this ad go viral with #Cuthparty amassing 3.3M views on TikTok.

5. Burberry: Open Spaces

In 2021, Burberry blew us away with its “Open Spaces” ad by expressing an epic cinematic approach to video marketing. The story begins with what seems like four friends, dressed head-to-toe in chic Burberry garments, parking up in the middle of a wheat field at the cusp of dawn to embark on an adventure.

What follows is almost dream-like, as they fleet and tumble through the air over various landscapes, from open fields and lakes, to clifftops and oceans. The campaign exudes a sense of pure freedom, amplified by the use of open spaces and adventure, but also the distinct lack of in-your-face product placement. Similarly to the Reebok CrateMaster campaign, it focuses more on the storytelling, and the story is one of freedom.

This narrative was very fitting at the time, as it was released in a year of limited freedom as we were in the swing of a pandemic, and it does a great job of reminding viewers of how freedom feels.

Another great example of how good storytelling and aesthetics can carry a brand past relying on heavy product placement and CTA’s!

The takeaway from these video marketing campaigns is to illustrate the various avenues you can take to tell your brand's story and to promote your services or products. Take the time to be inspired, and focus on innovating when it comes to your creative processes. This will take you further than frying your lightbulb moments in an attempt to conjure something original above all else.

Sometimes, the simple base concepts that have been tested before are the perfect foundations for you to innovate upon, ultimately expanding on proven marketing strategies and creating your own narrative in the process. So, take these above ads as an opportunity to inspire your next campaign!