I can already tell you're one of the smart ones.
The round pegs in a square hole.
It was Roy H. Williams that said...
“A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistakes altogether.”
That's precisely what you are doing by reading this blog post.
Don't let this be something you skim over once and bookmark it only to never look at it again.
Use this blog post as a swipe file, print it out, us it often and it'll be worth millions to you. It will inspire new campaigns, better landing pages, and make you a smarter advertiser.
The ads you are about to see have collectively made hundreds of millions of dollars.
Which brings me to the topic of credibility...
How Can you Be Sure These Ads Really Made Millions?
The information is not 100% accurate, it's more like 90%.
In order to be 100% accurate I would have to either work for these companies or somehow convince them to willingly offer up their biggest marketing secrets.
The bulk of the information collected in this post was done with AdBeat.
In my experiences AdBeat is roughly 80% - 90% accurate. And if you ask around, these companies and the ads in this document are widely known about successes.
What is AdBeat?
It's a software that lets you analyze ad campaigns. I took my 12 years of experience in digital media buying and used the AdBeat tool too look up advertisers that fit the following...
- Ads were running for 300+ days
- Ad spends totaling $1mil+ in the last 180 days
- I had insider knowledge from peers, personal,or my own clients
Are These Big Fortune 500 Companies or Small Biz?
I ignored the major brands like Ford, Disney, WesternUnion because while their ads have made millions, they do a different type of marketing.
I'm a big believer in the power of branding, but I kept to companies that were doing direct response marketing.
Companies whose ads would be relevant to small business owners like you and I.
With that said, there's over $100 million worth of experience and education below, let's dive in shall we...
#1 Truth About Abs
This company is arguably one of the most imitated (ripped off) advertisers in the health space.
The owner of the company, Mike Geary, is one of the best media buyers alive.
He buys ads for a lot of the top health offers and if you can land him as your affiliate it's like winning the lottery or having Oprah mention your product.
#2 Zulily
Have you ever met a woman who doesn't love buying clothes?
How about a woman who can resist a HUGE sale on clothes?
Yeah, that's why Zulily is able to spend millions on ads. Each with roughly the same angle. Basically, every ad had a clothing item on it and mentioned a discount for that item.
#3 Carbonite
They are the leader in cloud-based computer backup.
The way it works is you install their program on your computer and it just always keeps everything backed up for you.
They had a few different campaigns in the millions, but I chose this one because I liked the "not too late" angle. I felt like a lot of businesses could use something similar. All of the ads had similar look and style.
#4 The Barefoot Writer
The company behind this ad is no stranger to million dollar ads.
This ad is for a product by AWAI, a website with courses for writers to be better more wealthier writers.
However, if you know who the man behind the curtains is, then you know this is run by Mark Ford aka Michael Masterson who also runs/consults for the Agora companies. Which spend hundreds of millions on ads every year.
#5 The Tax Slayer
I was surprised by this one, but also not surprised.
I had never heard of this company before, not to be arrogant, but I do a lot of research so that was surprising.
They are similar to TurboTax, they help you file your taxes online. It's a market where many many millions are spent on digital ads every year.
#6 Motley Fool
I'm sure you've heard of this one. MotleyFool is one of the premier websites for stock market tips and research.
They pioneered this style of ad and use it for most of their offers. Of which they have many!
They have very unique landing pages. Pretty much just a headline and an opt-in box. This is just one of their many offers and they spend tens of millions online every year.
#7 Harry's
Harry's is so successful with their ads that you're probably tired of seeing their ads.
They spend most of their money on native ads actually, but it's the same message.
I chose to use a banner ad for them instead, because the messaging, imagery, and spend were very similar.
#8 EdX
I was blown away by how much money this company is spending.
They were one of the top spenders overall. I mean even above everything, even major Fortune 500 brands.
I can see why too, I instantly fell in love with their site and wanted to join. In fact I'll probably end up signing up for one of their courses.
#9 Palm Beach Research Group
Another one of the Agora companies makes the list. Frankly, I could have made this whole article about just Agora ads.
This is one of their south florida divisions run by Tom Dyson. Tom is a real life Jason Bourne type, one of the most interesting men you'll ever meet and also the nicest.
#10 Blood Pressure Solution
You've probably seen a million different versions of this ad online. It's been copied or modeled after in many other health offers. I have a clue as to why. I think the same freelance advertiser is behind all the campaigns.
I don't want to out him here, but he works with a lot of health offers and is known to use this type of angle often. Why not, if it works, don't fix it.
Want To See All 50 Winning Ads From The 50 Companies That I Researched?
For my own personal swipe file, I made a PDF of every winning ad and landing page for all 50 companies that I looked into.
If you want me to send you the PDF just click here.
Along with the PDF you'll get a .ZIP file with all 50 of the original ads. This will make a great little swipe file and great for using as examples when you want to hire someone to make a new ad for you.
What Niches Are Included in the 50 Ads PDF?
I made sure to include all kinds of different types of businesses that way everyone could benefit. Includes health supplements, ecommerce, software, finance, biz op, and more.
If you have questions, hit me up on Facebook.
Lastly, if you got a lot of value from this post, help me impress my mom and give this post a share on FB or LinkedIn.
Your Biggest Fan,
Justin Brooke
Founder of AdSkills