As the father of modern advertising, David Ogilvy, once said, “You can’t bore people into buying your product.” That’s more true than ever in today’s attention economy, where people are bombarded with content, ads, notifications, videos, and constant distractions. Getting—and keeping—customer focus has become a true art when people scroll through feeds at lightning speed and skip ads the second they can.
While persuasive techniques to capture consumer attention have evolved tremendously since Ogilvy founded the legendary ad agency Ogilvy & Mather in 1948, his strategy of rooting your message in market research lives on. It’s the foundation of modern persuasive ads.
Persuasive advertising grabs attention, keeps it, and guides people toward action, thanks to a focus on understanding consumer behavior. Whether you’re trying to build brand loyalty, get repeat business, or increase sales, persuasive advertising techniques can help you reach business milestones. Let’s explore why persuasive ads work and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are persuasive ads?
Persuasive advertising goes beyond raw creativity by appealing to a target audience’s emotions, logic, or values. These carefully crafted ads sprout from an understanding of consumer behavior to motivate people to take action. Typically, a persuasive advertising strategy aims to encourage sales, but it can target consumers to sign up for a newsletter, share content with a friend, or build brand awareness.
Persuasive advertising campaigns work across many formats, including videos, celebrity endorsements, flash sale promos, and even simple email headlines or sponsored Google ads. The most persuasive ads show up where your target audience spends their time and make them feel like the message is just for them.
Persuasive advertising vs informative advertising: What’s the difference?
When it comes to advertising, it’s not just what you say—it’s how you say it. Most campaigns rely on a mix of two core approaches: persuasive advertising, which taps into emotions and storytelling, and informative advertising, which focuses on facts and features. Knowing when to use each, or how to blend them, can help you build trust and spark action.
If you’re wondering when you should talk about a product’s features or more technical aspects, that’s where informational advertising comes in. Informative advertising focuses more on clarity than making a connection by laying out the facts to help potential customers make well-informed decisions. Think product spec sheets, feature lists, step-by-step tutorials, or comparison charts.
Successful campaigns don’t choose between the two—they blend them. Informative ads educate. Persuasive ads inspire. Together, they move people from interest to action.
What makes an ad persuasive?
At the heart of persuasive advertising are three classic appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos. An ad doesn’t need to use all three to be effective; it might lean heavily on one or combine two to hit the right note with its audience. But when an ad thoughtfully blends all three, it creates a message that not only works to influence consumer behavior but also builds your brand over time. Here’s what each approach entails:
- Ethos. Ethos is all about trust. A persuasive ad taps into ethos when it features someone the audience respects—like an expert, public figure, or relatable brand voice. This kind of credibility helps reassure people they’re making a smart choice. Whether it’s a doctor endorsing a wellness product or a well-known chef promoting a kitchen tool, ethos helps reinforce that what you’re offering is trustworthy and valuable.
- Logos. Logos appeals to reason. It’s not just about rattling off facts, it’s about weaving information into the story in a way that helps the audience understand the value of what’s being offered. This could include highlighting product features, presenting a compelling comparison, or making a rational case for why the brand delivers.
- Pathos. Pathos is an emotional appeal that turns a product into something personal. A persuasive ad might use humor, nostalgia, inspiration, or even vulnerability to build a genuine emotional connection.
What can good persuasive ads do?
Persuasive advertising isn’t just about getting people to click Buy—it’s about making your brand unforgettable. The most effective campaigns do more than promote a product—they spark emotion, start conversations, and build trust. When done well, persuasive ads can:
Build recognition
An ad with emotional appeal isn’t easily forgotten. Powerful brand storytelling taps into what drives us, delivers a compelling message, and stays with you long after you scroll past it or turn the TV off. This helps build brand salience, so potential customers can recognize and recall your brand when considering a purchase. This is particularly important in the competitive digital landscape of ecommerce. In fact, Invesp found that 59% of consumers like to shop from brands they’re familiar with, and 21% say they bought a product because it was from a brand they liked.
Shape culture
What’s more powerful than an advertising campaign that reflects culture? One that shapes it. Since the inception of advertising legend Dan Wieden’s iconic Just Do It slogan in 1987, Nike’s advertising has transcended selling footwear to represent the powerful value of grit and perseverance. By creating a cultural conversation, you’ll gain a competitive edge that lasts.
Build brand trust
One of the most powerful things persuasive advertising can do is foster trust in both the product and brand behind it. When your messaging speaks to the values and concerns of your audience, it does more than sell—it feels like a friend giving valuable advice. Whether it’s a genuine customer review, a founder’s story that everyone can relate to, or a campaign that pulls at the heartstrings, these moments build credibility over time.
Persuasive advertising examples
Here are some examples of persuasive ads done well:
Apple
Apple is known for its products like the MacBook, iPhone, and iPad but also its use of persuasive advertising campaigns. For example, rather than list the safety features of MacBooks, it crafted a short film to show those safety features in action. The film, titled The Underdogs: Swiped Mac, tells the story of a stolen MacBook right before a big meeting and how a team of coworkers got it back to save the day. The features were embedded naturally into the storyline, so it felt less like an ad and more like a Netflix show.
The result? A wildly popular video with more than 78 million views that managed to not only grab attention for more than a few seconds, but over eight minutes.
Spotify Wrapped
Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign was originally developed to share how fans and artists around the world were listening to music and has since evolved to become a widely anticipated end-of-year moment.
While Spotify could simply highlight each user’s top-streamed songs, artists, and genres in a simple list, the campaign adds playful copy, like “Time is a construct, but we kept track anyway,” and bold visuals that feel fun and personal.
The result is a viral social media moment every December—one that makes non-Spotify users feel like they’re missing out and nudges them to subscribe. Users share their Wrapped results, create spin-off memes like Dating Wrapped, and even inspire other brands to post their own versions. It’s a great example of how product features, design, and emotional appeal can come together to create a cultural phenomenon.
CeraVe x Michael Cera
Moisturizer company CeraVe might not have been on anyone’s top-of-mind for bold marketing, but they changed that during the 2024 Super Bowl. The brand partnered with actor Michael Cera to poke fun at celebrity endorsements, with Cera humorously claiming he created the brand himself.
The result? Breaking through a crowded skin care space with one of the most successful marketing campaigns of that year. According to the Shorty awards, the campaign reached more than 32 billion earned impressions, broke sales records, and scored top social share-of-voice in its category. The ad even inspired Halloween costumes and a Jeopardy clue.
AG1
AG1, formerly known as Athletic Greens, is a daily greens supplement company that has grown exponentially since it was founded in 2010. The brand frequently features ads on podcasts and social proof from trusted people like Dr. Andrew Huberman and Olympian Allyson Felix.
Specifically, their web copy leans heavily on the classic appeal of logos by boldly claiming AG1 is “Trusted by the world’s top athletes and experts.” That claim is paired with a carousel of the experts and quotes from them. This kind of persuasive copy leans on authority and expertise—two important qualities if you’re looking for a supplement to support your health and wellness goals.
This advertising strategy has proven to be effective, as AG1 is valued at $1.2 billion and has widespread recognition in the wellness community.
LMNT Electrolytes
LMNT, a hydration brand that sells electrolyte drink mixes, leverages its founder’s story to appeal to its health-conscious target audience. The Amazon storefront tells his relatable story about struggling to find the right balance of support to fuel his athletic endeavors. The story also highlights LMNT’s big differentiator, that it’s salty and not sweet.
The result from this kind of authentic storytelling is a loyal customer base and more than 38,000 Amazon reviews, with a coveted 4.5-star rating.
Last Crumb Cookies
You might have seen luxury cookie brand Last Crumb going viral on TikTok for its delicious (and expensive) cookies. Rather than shying away from its premium price point of around $120 for a box of a dozen cookies, Last Crumb leans right into positioning the product as a status symbol. It’s less of a cookie and more like a designer handbag.
Even in its sponsored Google search result, it claim, “Luxury has a new standard. The world’s most expensive cookies, worth every damn bite.” The strategic use of exclusivity, scarcity, and bold copy helps Last Crumb stand out in a crowded ecommerce market.
Persuasive ads FAQ
What is an example of a persuasive ad?
An example of a persuasive advertisement is Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign. It doesn’t just present information (like what people listened to most that year), it encourages action (like sharing your personal Wrapped content with your friends). The Wrapped campaign is a great example of how engaging, persuasive advertising can influence consumer behavior and increase engagement with the brand.
How do you create a persuasive ad?
It starts with a focused marketing strategy and ends with persuasive writing. Begin by understanding your audience: who they are, what they value, and what problems they face. A clear grasp of your campaign goals and customer insights will help shape messaging that resonates with your target audience. Once the strategy is defined, copy and design should work together to grab attention, convey value, and guide someone toward a desired action. Whether it’s a video ad that tells a story, a flash sale banner with urgency, or a testimonial on a landing page, all of it should feel intentional. Emotional hooks, logical arguments, and social proof are all part of the persuasive mix.
Are there drawbacks to persuasive advertising?
Potentially, and often it comes down to tone. Persuasive advertising can backfire if it feels fake, manipulative, or out of touch with the current cultural climate. Ads that overpromise or ignore the real experiences and emotions of their audience can come off as tone-deaf. The best persuasive ads strike a balance—they’re strategic, creative, and sensitive to the context in which they’re received. Smart, effective advertising builds trust while inspiring action.
