TV Commercial Examples: Crafting Compelling Ads That Sell a Lifestyle
When you’re tasked with shooting an ad for the first time, it’s natural to look to existing TV commercial examples for inspiration. That’s a smart approach, but it’s crucial to watch them with a clear understanding of what you’re seeing:
the type,
format, and
platform the spot is designed for.
Otherwise, you might fall in love with a three-minute cinematic storytelling style when what you really need is a 15-second online video ad.
To help you navigate this landscape, I’ve compiled 15 examples of video ads across various types and formats so you can explore the possibilities and determine what’s right for your goal.
Live-Action TV Commercial Examples: Short Stories, Tabletop, Humor, Celebrities
Live-action commercials feature real actors, real locations (or studio sets), and physical props. The distinction between these spots lies not in the shooting technique but in their specific goal.
Story-Driven, Narrative Spots
These revolve around a plot in which the protagonist faces a challenge the product helps solve. This narrative format demands a strong script. A weak story can fail even with high production values, while a compelling one can turn a modest $7,500 video into a billion-dollar business growth tool.
One of the prime video advertising examples here is Dollar Shave Club. In March 2012, this little-known startup posted the video “Our Blades Are F***ing Great” on YouTube. Within 48 hours, their website crashed under the weight of 12,000 orders.
The production budget was around $4,500. By 2016, the company boasted 3.2M paying subscribers. In July of that year, Unilever acquired Dollar Shave Club for $1B. To date, the video has amassed over 29M views on YouTube.
In February 2010, Old Spice launched “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” transforming from an old-fashioned brand that Procter & Gamble planned to sell into a leader in the men’s body wash market within six months.
Wieden+Kennedy and director Tom Kuntz spent three days attempting to achieve this effect. A crane lifted the bathroom set, a crew member draped a shirt over Mustafa from above, and a cart transported him from the boat to the horse. CGI was minimal—just a stream of diamonds flowing from his palm and the shower gel rising through them.
By July, the campaign’s videos occupied 8 out of the top 11 spots on YouTube. By February 2022, it reached 60M views.
However, the campaign’s secret isn’t just the clever visuals. It’s about understanding the target audience. While men use the product, women typically buy it. That’s why the video appeals to women. This decision was based on consumer behavior research. Without it, the video would have targeted men directly—and likely been far less effective.
Table-Top Video Advertising Examples
In table-top advertising, there are no actors—only hands may occasionally appear in the frame—but the lighting, camera work, and food styling are all meticulously executed. Every gleam is calibrated. This classic FMCG approach puts the product front and center, ensuring that nothing distracts from it.
Among fine tabletop television commercials examples is the spot for Galbani mozzarella, produced by the VILKA Agency.
This commercial style eliminates the need for actors, casting, or makeup artists. However, it requires a skilled food stylist and a cinematographer who understands how light interacts with the moist surface of fresh cheese. Everything looks perfect on camera for just a few fleeting moments. After that, it melts, sags, and loses its shape. That is why we planned every shot before filming, using storyboards. There’s simply no time for retakes on set.
Humor works in any commercial format. It’s not a separate genre but rather a technique that enhances the message. However, capturing something funny is much more challenging than creating something visually appealing. It demands:
a well-crafted script,
a director with a talent for comedy, and
actors who have impeccable timing.
When successful, humorous ads can go viral as viewers share them with friends, generating organic reach without additional distribution costs.
One notable example of humor in advertising is Cadbury’s iconic commercial from September 2007, featuring a gorilla playing Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” on a drum set.
With a production budget of around £500,000 and total costs—including media support—ranging from £6 to £7 million, the ad resulted in a 9% increase in Cadbury Dairy Milk sales. It became the most-viewed promotional video on YouTube in the UK that year and won the Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes. The key to its success? Subverting expectations.
This unconventional approach kept viewers engaged until the end and encouraged sharing. However, this strategy was effective only because Cadbury had faced a trust crisis the previous year due to a salmonella scandal. The Gorilla campaign restored positive associations with the brand by tapping into the insight “Cadbury = joy.”
Without this foundational concept, the absurdity of the ad would have fallen flat. Instead, it became a memorable comeback for the brand.
TV Commercial Examples with 2D, 3D Animation and Motion Graphics
Use animation when live-action filming is impractical or impossible. Whether the product doesn’t yet exist in physical form, you need to illustrate some abstract workings, or you require a stylized look that no location can provide—animation is the solution. Motion graphics also excel in representing services where value lies not in visuals but in mechanics.
Dropbox pioneered showing that explainer animations could attract users.
In 2008, they released a two-minute video featuring pencil illustrations and stop-motion animation of a folder flying from one computer to another. Everything was communicated through visuals alone. With a budget of about $50,000, this video garnered 100,000 new users within just a few months post-launch. Dropbox has since grown into a company with a market capitalization of $10B at its IPO.
The secret: Don’t just show the product. Convey its essence.
On the other hand, 3D animation requires a larger investment. It’s typically more expensive and takes longer to produce—often at least six weeks—yet when you need to showcase something that cannot be filmed, it’s irreplaceable.
For instance, the VILKA Agency created a 3D video for the Vizbl app, featuring virtual objects floating in space and augmented reality elements.
Ad Format Comparison: Online vs. TV Commercial Examples
The type of ad pertains to its shooting style, while the format refers to where it will be displayed. This distinction influences every aspect of the ad, including runtime, pacing, budget, and creative strategy.
TV Advertising Examples
Television remains the most costly and far-reaching advertising medium. Commercials air without a “Skip” button, and viewers don’t choose to watch them. They simply appear between programs.
This has two key implications. First, the audience tends to be more forgiving. You don’t need to capture their attention in the first second, but you must keep them engaged until the end. Second, both picture and sound quality must be impeccable.
TV commercial examples last 15, 30, or 60 seconds. A 15-second spot is standard for fast-moving consumer goods and usually conveys one insight, one situation, and one offer. A 30-second spot allows for a more developed storyline, while 60-second or longer television commercials examples can function as mini-films, ideal for brand-building campaigns where there’s time to create momentum.
Consider Heineken’s “The Entrance,” which spends 90 seconds showcasing a single character entering a party.
This ad won a Silver Lion at Cannes Lions and exemplifies the TV format. It takes its time to engage viewers from the outset, maintaining their interest throughout. On online platforms, such an ad might not be watched as thoroughly.
Note that rights management is crucial for TV commercial examples. Actors’ fees are divided into two components: their work on set and the rights to use their likeness.
TV rights are typically more expensive than online rights, necessitating upfront negotiation. Altering territory or duration post-filming will require new negotiations and additional fees.
Online Video
Their primary difference from TV advertising examples is the “Skip” button that appears after 5 seconds. From that point onward, the ad competes not just with other ads but with whatever content the viewer intended to watch.GEICO cleverly turned the concept of skipping into “unskippable” content with their viral ad titled “Unskippable.”
In this spot, a family sits down for dinner when a voiceover declares, “You can’t skip this GEICO ad because it’s already over.” The ad concludes in just 5 seconds, followed by a surreal domestic scene featuring frozen actors that viewers must endure as they wait for the “Skip” button.
Online ads offer greater flexibility in terms of duration compared to TV commercial examples. For instance, YouTube sample video ads can range from 6 seconds to several minutes long.
In a campaign for a beauty store chain aimed at attracting a young digital audience, VILKA integrated dynamic editing and a virtual interface to mimic selecting cosmetics within an app.
By employing a familiar interface, the OLV spot effectively captures viewers’ attention.
Mobile formats are not merely cropped horizontal versions of traditional ads.
They represent a distinct approach to creating sample video ads. A vertical video occupies the entire smartphone screen, capturing full attention, but every extra second must be purposeful.
Instead of following the classic “hook → build-up → offer” structure, aim for an immediate hook, a fast-paced presentation, and a strong call to action at the end. Simply cropping a horizontal video to fit a vertical format often leads to a loss of viewership.
In 2019, e.l.f. Cosmetics launched #EyesLipsFace, an original track that TikTok users used to showcase their makeup looks.
The vertical format, lasting just 15 seconds and focused on the face—without any product shots—yielded astonishing results: 7B views, 5M user-generated videos, a 200% increase in website traffic, and a 300% rise in search queries.
Online and TV advertising examples are not competitors. They are designed for different objectives. TV excels at building brand image and reach, while online allows for targeting of specific segments and testing of creative concepts.
Examples of Video Ads by Industry
The choice of ad type and format depends on the industry, including applicable restrictions, audience decision-making processes, and budget. For instance, a commercial for a dietary supplement differs significantly from one for a bank, even if the creative teams behind them are the same.
FMCG and Retail: The Product Is the Star
In the FMCG sector, commercials sell specific items found on store shelves. After viewing an ad, consumers should have a clear impression of the product—like how a particular cheese tastes. This is why table-top shots and concise narratives dominate. So, a 15-second spot can effectively showcase an appetizing close-up and convey a single insight.
However, when products are functionally similar to competitors, it’s not the product shot that makes the difference. It’s the unique tone or angle that resonates with viewers.
Retail advertising presents a related but distinct challenge. Here, the focus shifts from individual items to the overall product range and shopping convenience.
A few years ago, IKEA introduced its catalog as a “revolutionary device” featuring a “tactile interface” (the pages) and “infinite storage” (bookmarks).
IKEA’s parody video titled “The Bookbook,” mimicking an Apple presentation, amassed 19M views on YouTube and over 1M social media interactions, leading to sales growth of 8% in Singapore and 13% in Malaysia.
Fashion and Beauty: Sell a Lifestyle, Not Just a Product
In the fashion industry, products often look similar to their competitors. The key differentiator is positioning. It’s not about “buy this sweater,” but rather about “become the kind of person who wears this sweater.” A classic example of this approach is Dove’s “Evolution” campaign.
This commercial won two Grand Prix awards at the Cannes Lions Festival, making it the first web commercial to receive this honor in the Film category. It features a woman who is transformed into a brand ambassador through makeup, lighting, and retouching. The ad concludes with a powerful message: “It’s no wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.”
Pharmaceuticals: Sell Emotions, Not Product Features
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most heavily regulated sectors. It prohibits direct advertising of drug properties. You can’t claim pain relief in 30 minutes, but you can depict a person enjoying life free from suffering. Ironically, these restrictions can lead to more compelling advertisements that appeal to emotions—an aspect that resonates with audiences more than a list of product features.
Among prime television commercials examples is a spot created by the VILKA agency for Bayer Foresto—a line of tick and flea collars for cats.
Instead, the ad shows a cat exploring a serene nighttime forest while its owners sleep.
Fintech and Services: Trust and Clarity
Financial services are intangible, so fintech advertising relies on two key elements: clarity (“I understand what’s being offered to me”) and authority (“I trust those who are offering it”).
Building credibility in financial services is more challenging. Trust is essential, and you can’t establish that with just one spot. This is where the transfer of trust comes in: people trust individuals, and that trust extends to the company. Hiring celebs, using a recognizable soundtrack, or quoting respected decision-makers is common in banking services advertising.
In its “Lazy Money” campaign, Ally Bank depicted dollar bills lounging around—sleeping, taking a bath, and channel-surfing on the couch while their owner works.
The tagline asks, “Does your bank let your money be lazy?” With just fifteen ads and Richard M. Sherman’s song “Busy Doing Nothing,” the message is clear without any technical terms.
To make an impact without damaging your brand’s image with a “cheap-looking” video, a production budget of $350,000 is considered reasonable. This amount allows you to hire a professional team and execute high-quality post-production.
If your budget is tight but you need high-quality TV advertising examples in your campaign, consider the VILKA team.
