Best Ad Campaigns: 16 Startup Marketing Examples
- Charley Arrigo
- Oct 9
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 28
To say that "the best startup ads grab attention," would be an obvious statement.
But "obvious" isn't always common practice.
Think about it.
For every good ad you remember, there's another 10,000 ads that fail to leave their mark.
Let's use this article to avoid that infamous 10,000 club.
The best startup marketing campaigns do three things:
They target those who've been ignored by the status quo.
They lead with an unorthodox product or belief that's not afraid to polarize.
They hijack what's already in the prospect's mind: nostalgia, beliefs, behaviors.
If successful, ad campaigns let startups tap into mass marketing (customer acquisition).
Keep reading for 16 marketing ads.
16 marketing ads from the world's great startups.
Jump to an ad
1. DASH Water
Just like that famous scene in Top Gun when Maverick's flight commander tells him "Yeah... your father did it right," after he admits he's having a confidence crisis.
If you need someone to turn to in a time of marketing doubt. Just know that "Yeah... DASH Water did it right."
Before this ad, DASH Water's fruit-infused sparkling water focused on selling simplicity: "Water. Bubbles. Wonky Fruit." The product feature trifecta.
But after simplifying more. They doubled-down on their "Wonky Fruit" ingredient which inspires empathy for the DASH brand.
"We judge on taste, not looks," says the tagline.
It was this brilliant marketing one-liner which positioned DASH into the role of brand outcast. That very flawed, human-like character in the product that people can relate to.
2. OpenAI (ChatGPT)
Sometimes you need not so much as a foot, but a tiny toe through the door.
We call this (wait for it) The One Toe In The Door Principle. This means avoiding general ads with general messages for a general audience.
Here, ChatGPT stays specific. The ad plays make believe, targeting a distinct student audience.
They step into the shoes of a university freshman. They speak their language. They bring to light the immediate crisis of an 18-year-old student.
And like that.
ChatGPT becomes more relevant.
3. Anthropic (Claude AI)
Who doesn't love comparing ads between competitors?
In this ad from Austin, Texas, Claude AI is also using The One Toe In The Door Principle.
But instead they focus on location.
This ad by the way, was talked about more frequently on Reddit versus general Claude AI ads. Which says something about the failure of general messaging to inspire polarization and local relevance.
But hold on.
Claude AI is applying a second principle in this ad.
We call it The You Talkin' to Me Principle. It's based off a line by Robert De Niro in the 1978 Hollywood film "Taxi Driver."
This principle means taking famous pop culture one-liners and reframing them in a way that's relevant to the product advertising.
This works because the ad's working off the audience's already associated feelings and memories. Instead of starting from scratch.
Simply put, you're hacking brand memorability.
"Intelligence so big, you'd swear it was from Texas," is a good example from Claude AI.
4. Bloom & Wild
In case, you ever underestimated the importance of a brand platform, Bloom & Wild will change your mind.
Today, they're Europe's #1 online flower shop. Their Care wildly strategy is a big reason why.
The London-born startup made headlines when their brand values inspired them to stand up to red roses on Valentine's Day. Even writing a letter to customers about why the cliché of buying roses went against their "Thoughtful Marketing Movement" values.
Bloom & Wild's "No Red Roses" Valentines Day campaign did what future market leaders are expected to do.
They stepped into a traditional product category, took a look around the room, and applied what we call "The Rebel With a Cause Principle."
It states that:
"The success of every startup marketing program, lies in its ability to position against the status quo of a traditional product category."
5. BackMarket
"Hardware forever" is BackMarket's internal motto.
In a world of fast tech where devices go obsolete overnight (by design), they're a sustainability hero.
"Designed by Apple in California.
Smashed by Fred in Berlin.
Refurbished by Camille in Bonn.
Reloved by Ray in Hamburg."
Please, somebody give their copywriter a raise.
BackMarket conveys their refurbished product journey in four crisp sentences while positioning against the competition (Apple). They also humanize the brand by showing us how people play a role in the dead phone resurrection.
It's an ingenuous way to bring out the simple, emotional impact of Backmarket's second-hand products.
6. Light Phone
Juxtaposition.
In this ad by Light Phone, another startup trying to take away business from Apple, they're use of "the unexpected" makes this hit.
"Dumb is good.
Less features, more life."
When it comes to marketing storytelling, if you want to grab attention and keep it, juxtaposition is an underrated strategy.
Like our example from Light Phone, because people don't associate "Dumb" with meaning "good," that's exactly when you should make the alternative argument.
When everyone zigs, zag, as the old saying goes.
On the flip side, if the majority of your startup marketing is on the nose. If most know exactly where you're going with your advertising as soon as they see it, then it's time to look in the marketing mirror.
Predictability is a recipe for shitty ads.
7. Heura
When it comes to customer acquisition, a willingness to get your hands dirty can be a great strategy.
Welcome to Heura's plant-based marketing brilliance. In this ad, they're using The One Toe In The Door Principle (hyper-focus on an specific audience segment).
"Get back the years you spend studying for this exam," says Heura. "A plant-based diet can add up to 10 years to your life expectancy."
Heura parked this OOH (out-of-home advertising) truck in front of the Barcelona medical school.
On the surface, yes, they're talking to a like-minded, progressive audience: future doctors who'll be more likely to think of Heura first in the category.
However, one day, those future doctors will have future patients who'll have future health conditions who'll one day benefit from future lifestyle changes.
Could it be that those patients just might be in need of a future plant-based diet? And the brand those future doctors remember is Heura?
Savvy.
8. Duolingo
When it comes to getting people to use your product, how about an incentive?
Duolingo has always been known for great advertising. But here, their ability to take advantage of buyer behavior is what makes these ads successful.
Duolingo understands that a specific segment of their audience, their 20-30s young language learners, live in a world of fast food and easy-eating.
Therefore, the ads are smart to kill two birds.
Duolingo can inspire learners to complete their afternoon lesson with dopamine-driven motivation coming in the form of a carry-out discount.
What's more, cross-promotions with like-minded brands are a savvy way to acquire new startup customers.
9. Riley
Riley is rewriting the rules of period care.
For any startup looking to overthrow the status quo, especially around traditionally taboo products, this is a brand to study.
"Some things are better left unspoken.
This isn't one of them.
It's not taboo,
it's just a tampon."
Riley is using The You Talkin' To Me Principle here.
They're taking that famous line: "Some things are better left unspoken," and are turning it on its head, reframing it as it relates to the product.
It's also an example of The Elephant In The Room principle.
It states that startup brands who want to lead the category should lead the way by advancing the conversation on hot or traditionally taboo topics.
10. Slack
This video ad put Slack on the map.
If you want to get good startup video content out into the world, watch, study and steal from this.
It's perfectly named "So Yeah, We Tried Slack ..."
As an anti-B2B marketing video, there's nothing corporate about it. Which defied industry standard.
Most importantly, 12 seconds in, we know in the most unpretentious way possible, the number one thing you need to know about Slack:
'It will change the way teams communicate.'
Guess they were right.
11. DuckDuckGo
These DuckDuckGo ads were student made.
If you're a bootstrapped early-stage startup, a good idea is offering professional references to young creatives who want to build their portfolio.
As it relates to DuckDuckGo, these ads were placed on a university campus: The One Toe In The Door Principle.
This is a golden ticket.
As an underdog search engine, DuckDuckGo is getting into the minds of young people who are more likely to be progressive about their browser choices. Or maybe just sick of Google's capitalist domination of their data.
12. Surreal
What to say about Surreal?
Sometimes, they're too much. Yet, too much of the time, I can't help but read through all their stupidly good advertising.
I guess that's success?
Plus, it's been 5 sentences and I still haven't talked about how they make cereal. So as much as I hate to admit, when it comes to that brand test of 'standing for something bigger than yourself,' they pass in flying colors.
Whatever.
Surreal has crazy marketing.
Like it. Love it. Hate it. Somehow, they make you wanna look at it.
13. Olipop
Olipop has big dreams. Really big dreams. Their slogan is "A New Kind of Soda."
"Good for your gut," the ads say.
But the smartest part of Olipop marketing is that it's not starting from ground zero. They're hitching a ride from the past. Aka, the sugary sweet memories people hold from the classic soda or candy categories.
For example, the ad for the flavor "Orange Squeeze" says, "Chase a good gut feeling. Like you did the ice cream truck. The new classic."
Olipop is telling prospects, "We're the new classic you're already familiar with."
Just healthier.
By hijacking old nostalgia, they're saving their marketing team a shit ton of work.
14. Ramp
Ramp is a fast growing fintech startup. Their dogged digital advertising strategy is a reason why.
If your startup marketing has reached that point where it's time to grow past organic into paid. Save these Ramp ads.
The first is social proof-based. The second is brand promise-based.
In the first ad, they're positioning as a market leader using social proof. In that second ad, Ramp is paying off their product promise.
If you're unsure about your marketing messaging for digital ads. I'd recommend you and your marketing team try to create two ads that use this Ramp structure.
Then test.
15. Huntress
Yours truly wrote this LinkedIn ad for Huntress.
For many cybersecurity startups, product demos are a great way to move prospects along the buying journey. But getting them to sign up, is another matter.
"Two words: free lunch," says the ad.
Sometimes, you just have to forget about the product and give people what they want.
16: Stupid For Startups Favorite - Dollar Shave Club
The 🐐
How to write a good startup ad?
Remember the three keys to startup ad success:
Focus on underserved audiences: Double-down as the status quo alternative.
Focus on beliefs: Progressive messages attract progressive audiences so don't be afraid to polarize.
Focus on what buyers know: Look for marketing shortcuts by hacking what's already in their minds: nostalgia, beliefs, behaviors.
DON'T FORGET: At the end of the day, most people walk away from ads remembering one thing.
If we're lucky.
Make sure your one thing is something unique to your product. Something no one else can claim quite like you can.
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