State Farm's ad "State of Turbulence," which paired Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers with the Chicago Bears Superfans, topped Nielsen's 2013 list of Most Memorable New Commercials, beating out ads by Subway and Bud Light. Nielsen graded the ads by measuring viewers' ability to remember an ad and the corresponding brand, and in doing so, they identified some key techniques for boosting ad memorability. If you want to create ads that stick in an audience's memory, get inspired by the following real-life examples:
The Power of Storytelling
Jeff Gabel, chief creative officer at Partners + Napier, told Forbes that the most memorable advertisement of Super Bowl XLVII was a Dodge Ram spot called "Farmer," illustrating how storytelling can boost ad memorability. The ad featured legendary radio host Paul Harvey delivering a speech called "So God Made a Farmer" recorded over a backdrop of farm scenes. The speech read like a poem, telling a story about God contemplating the qualities that go into making a farmer. Expressing appreciation for farmers' self-sacrifice, hard work and contributions to family and society, the ad struck a chord with audiences everywhere. It achieved memorability by using a narrative poem format—delivered in Harvey's iconic voice—to convey an emotionally engaging story.
Humor
The power of humor is illustrated by the above-mentioned State Farm ad, which Adweek selected as an "Ad of the Day" upon its release. The ad tapped into a running gag about Aaron Rodgers' touchdown dance in the 2011 season and followed up on the Packers' Super Bowl win that February. In the years since, Rodgers has appeared in a series of spots where he allows himself to be the butt of jokes by State Farm agents, teammates and school children mocking his touchdown move. A recurring appearance by an obsessive Packers fan wearing a Cheesehead added another memorable gag to the ad campaign. The introduction of the Chicago Bears Superfans—echoing back to a classic "Saturday Night Live" skit—added a new layer of humor to State Farm's ads, boosting memorability.
Sights and Sounds
Since the classic radio era, audio elements such as slogans, songs and jingles have bolstered ad memorability. A good example of an ad that achieves memorability through sound is J.G. Wentworth's "Bus," which features opera singers on a bus singing about selling structured settlements payments. The song includes the company's phone number, reinforcing the ad's call to action, and concludes with a cameo from a J.G. Wentworth spokesman repeating the company slogan.
Visuals can also boost ad memorability, as illustrated by Volvo Trucks' "Epic Split" commercial, which won high honors at this year's U.K.'s Design and Art Direction awards. The ad featured action star Jean-Claude Van Damme doing his signature splits between two Volvo trucks. The ad builds Volvo's trucks into a unique visual, ensuring audiences will remember both the image and its brand association.