13 Groundbreaking advertising campaigns

Advertising is one of the most viewed forms of photography. A good advertising campaign can make a brand, and a great campaign can change how we see the world. To celebrate the Head On Exposure Awards, we have found some of the best photography and video-based advertising campaigns to highlight how visual images have changed the world around us.

One of the keys to a great advertising campaign is to stand out, creating a memorable visual image that stays in the minds of consumers and sticks with public audiences for days to come. Between 1997 and 2000, Apple did exactly that with their now iconic campaign Think Different, developed by advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day. By featuring simple black-and-white portraits of influential figures worldwide, Apple cultivated an image linked to brilliance, emphasising its unique approach to innovation. Notably, the slogan Think Different was playing off the IBM slogan Think, parodying contemporaries in the field and creating a feeling of superiority over rival computer manufacturers. The campaign had a counter-culture aesthetic that elevated Apple to the top, branding it as an innovative business that continues to change the world.

When Nike decided to run the slogan Just do it in 1992, they had no idea how the world would change because of it. Initially conceived as a catchphrase to synergise an ad, not much was thought of Just do it when it was pitched. However, it struck a chord, aligning with the sentiments of everyone in the US, from pro athletes to small children. Just do it meant anything from giving it a go to pushing yourself to get gold. The universal relatability of the campaign saw Nike’s popularity skyrocket and grew it from a minorly successful shoe brand into the juggernaut of society it is today.

Exceptional photography can transform our perspective on the world, and in 1948, the photographers at N.W. Ayer & Son accomplished just that. While it is now common knowledge that diamond wedding rings are essential for modern marriages, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, before 1948, very few proposals included diamond rings until the launch of the A Diamond is Forever campaign by De Beers. By presenting a diamond ring as the only acceptable symbol of commitment, this campaign was remarkably effective and has influenced our understanding of marriage ever since. It stands as a remarkable testament to the power of photography.

Employing one of the most renowned photographers of the modern era, American Express’s partnership with Annie Leibovitz produced one of the cleverest and most visually striking ad campaigns ever. In 2006, the advertising agency Ogilvy asked celebrities to sit for portraits taken by Leibovitz, before pairing the photos with a page of text about how each celebrity used their AMEX cards. Leibovitz’s unparalleled ability to capture the extraordinary from the everyday created intimate portraits that humanised A-list Hollywood stars while also reflecting the unique perspectives and experiences of the celebrities themselves. In doing so, AMEX created a striking campaign that drew audiences in, emphasising their brand as a quirky, human-focused company dedicated to supporting their customers in any Endeavor.

One of the best ways to make an advertising campaign memorable is through humour; no one is better at it than Australian Lamb. In what has become an annual tradition, Lamb Australia releases a series of satirical ads parodying society in the build-up to Australia Day. In 2022, they knocked it out of the park, releasing a global ad campaign entitled ‘Letters to Leaders’. This humorous campaign adopted the voice of then Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison inviting various world leaders to come to Australia for some lamb. It perfectly balanced sardonic humour with a message of unity and coming together as COVID restrictions finally lessened. These themes were perfectly accented by photos of hands holding lambs up, a symbol of universal friendship that reflected the turbulent time experienced during the COVID years.

The most effective advertising campaigns break away from convention; they assess the market and frequently challenge it by producing visuals that capture attention and resonate with the public. A prime example is Volkswagen’s ground-breaking 1959 campaign, Think Small. Developed by Doyle Dane Bernbach, this campaign featured a VW Beetle depicted from afar, emphasising its compact size. Its humorous and self-deprecating approach, presenting what might initially seem like a flaw, struck a chord with audiences. Meanwhile, the understated photography offered a stark contrast to the dominant advertising styles of the era, making it memorable for consumers.

Another way to make an advertising campaign stand out is shock value. Creating a campaign that gets people talking about how controversial, bizarre, or uncomfortable a moment was guarantees everyone will know your brand. United Colours of Benetton has mastered this art, creating iconic and confronting ad campaigns that challenge social issues worldwide. Their 1990 ad Blanket depicted a queer, interracial family wrapped in a blanket, an unprecedented image in advertising culture at the time. By heavily focusing on contentious issues and supporting minority groups, they became a cultural phenomenon, and their sales skyrocketed accordingly.

Its grungy aesthetic and guerrilla marketing style set Supreme’s 2012 fashion campaign apart. Rejecting the traditionally clean and polished look of fashion photography, Supreme and photographer Alasdair McLellan instead opted for an altogether different look. Styling Kate Moss in a kitschy street chic, pairing Supreme apparel with leopard print and a rockstar hairdo, the model was transformed into a gritty image of Supreme countercultural fashion, resulting in one of the most iconic fashion images of the modern era. Complementing the gritty aesthetic of McLellan’s iconic photograph, thousands of these images were printed on posters and stuck en masse across New York City. Though not featured on a major billboard, Kate Moss was seen across the Big Apple in fly-posting that echoed the brand’s street heritage.

Instead of trying to make a mark by going global, Tourism Tasmania’s focus on the little things has helped their current campaign, The Off Season, stand out amongst the crowd. Their quirky and playful ads create a sense of community and place, designed to make you feel welcomed as a local, to relax and calm down. The campaigns focus on small businesses and rugged landscapes, engaging with the interpersonal connections and lush scenery that major cities often lack. Consisting of black-and-white photographs of wild nature, interspersed with locals being hilariously strange (see a Tasmanian rocking out in a cave), the unique visual style creates the feeling of an experience unlike any other. It is a response designed to contrast major tourist campaigns, inviting visitors to come down and chill out, escape the noise of major centres, slow down, and maybe weird out a little.

In the 1950s, Marlboro transcended advertising into popular culture with their character The Marlboro Man. Designed as a rebranding attempt to market Marlboro to men, the figure, depicted as a cowboy, became a symbol of masculinity and freedom, endowing men with the belief that smoking Marlboro could let them do whatever they wanted. It played into the cultural perception of cowboys as rugged individualists, gruff and ready outlaws capable of doing anything they chose to. By tying their brand into a staple of pop culture during that period, Marlboro created one of the most well-known figures in advertising history and came to dominate the market for years to come.

In 2004, Dove set out to redefine the realm of beauty advertising. Rejecting the idea of ‘perfect beauty’ upon which much of the skincare market was founded, Dove instead encouraged people to feel comfortable in their own bodies. They have consistently used real women rather than models in their ads, given a space to challenge beauty standards, and spearheaded a movement that has inspired change and inclusivity within the skincare industry. Since 2004, Dove has not deviated from this campaign, making it one of the longest and most successful in the present day.

Sometimes, ad campaigns become ingrained in the public consciousness, not because of their quality, but because of their infamy. There is no better example of this than the controversial Grim Reaper ad, commissioned by the National Advisory Committee on AIDS in 1987. This ad, depicting a Grim Reaper bowling over human ‘pins’, ingrained itself into the public consciousness. On the one hand, it undeniably raised awareness about the disease. Still, it also unintentionally connected the figure of death with the queer community, leading to a media and public outcry. Though it only ran for 3 of its intended 6-week run, the Grim Reaper has become a landmark for Australian public health campaigns and is still referred to in the present day.

Launching in 1980, Absolut created a series of simple but iconic ads themed around the Absolut bottle. Throughout the campaign, Absolut transformed the shape of their bottle into an iconic symbol of the brand itself, cleverly transforming items worldwide into their standout shape. Ads such as the Absolut Manhattan cleverly positioned the Absolut bottle as a skyscraper on the Manhattan skyline, while the text riffed off the idea of the Manhattan cocktail. Over 25 years, Absolut tailored ads to each culture and location, creating clever taglines and iconic associations between Absolut and good drinking.

Seen some images you like? Or perhaps you want to show us your best advertising photography. Then why not submit your work to the Head On Exposure Awards and win from an $80,000 prize pool.