Is it just me or does it feel like the majority of Instagram posts in your feed are some form of an ad and not of your elementary school friend’s ex-best friend who reunited with this other person in highschool who had a class with me and sent me a request? 

Don’t get me wrong I do love talking about ads, but just like cookies, even ads are best in moderation.  Realizing there wasn’t much I could about this content I decided to start paying a little bit extra attention to them, plus I think it’s important for anyone who wants to go into the industry to be aware of what’s happening in it. 

So, there’s a feature on Instagram that allows you to save posts and organize them into different categories. I’m sure you know what I’m going to say next. Yep!

I made a category called cool ads.

I mean why not? Might as well store some inspiration am I right ladies? 

One of the ads that caught my attention was for Billie Razors. Billie is a fairly new and trendy beauty brand. Similar to other new beauty brands it offers products with a sleek, aesthetic design and promotes the company’s simplicity. 

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I thought this ad was interesting because of the visuals it presents. It was the first time I had ever seen a razor commercial that showed the razor going over actual hair and not just gliding over smooth bare skin. Another reason I like it is that it doesn’t focus on just the shaving of legs. They made the ad relatable. Showing girls shaving their underarms, toes, and even having the parts of the legs that are exposed through the rips in jeans. I found that part to be humorous and unexpected.

Another ad in my cool ads category is one for Hulu. A tv show and movie streaming service. This ad features football running back, Saquon Barkey, wearing a motion-capture suit.

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 What captured my attention here was the script and the campaign itself, #hulusellouts. Essentially, the famous personalities who are in the ads of this campaign say that they are in the campaign for the money that Hulu is paying them. Weird? I thought so. In a way, I do like the campaign because all too often do consumers question the sincerity of celebrities promoting products or services and this campaign attacks that thought head-on. However, it doesn’t necessarily make me feel like those in these Hulu ads are sincere themselves. But, hey, it did make me stop, look, and talk about Hulu. 

A third Instagram ad that stood out to me was an ad for Keurig. A company that makes coffee machines.  

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The ad was aesthetically pleasing. It was in a carousel format on Instagram. The ad showed the Keurig machine in a dorm room, an apartment, and at “your first real job.” As far as targeted advertising goes this one hit it spot on. As a coffee drinking college student about to graduate they showed me how that machine could fit into my life now and in the future. All while also showing the longevity and quality of the product. 

Overall, those were my top three Instagram cool ads so far. Keeping to my normal trend, they caught my attention because of the narrative they each demonstrated. We all know how highly I value the concept of storytelling ads.