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Nowadays, we are bombarded with information from almost every direction, so it’s understandable why people are starting to trust ads less.
While this may be true, when you work in the automotive industry, you still need to announce your audience about a new car release, when you have a new offer, and so on.
Competition may be fierce but, at the same time, there is a limited number of car manufacturers and a lot of car dealers that need to showcase their competitive advantages.
In order to help you, I’ve decided to show you a list of automotive ads examples that you can use as inspiration or even as a starting point in your design work.
Choose whichever you like and get started with Bannersnack.
Part 1 – Automotive ad designs available as templates in Bannersnack
I’ve decided to split this article into two distinct parts.
This first one will cover some of the best automotive templates available in Bannersnack. In the second part, I will show you some of my favorite ads that were already used by automotive companies.
For starters, let’s take a look at the templates. Here’s the list of our favorite ones.
Enjoy the power of a clean design
The best way to start with automotive ad design is to start clean and make use of white space, typography, and complementary colors. Play around with text and images, try to come with an attractive and catchy call to action and of course, don’t forget to use your logo.
Here’s an automotive ad template you can start working with right away.
Take a note of the word placed on top of the car: SOLD. Because the color red has been used for it along with a big font, it manages to stand out and attract consumers’ attention.
Another good example of a template you can get inspired by has similar elements to the design above.
However, in this case, the image is no longer generic because it shows the car that’s being advertised for.
Also, the visual is divided into two sections: one that showcases the vehicle and one for the text. This separation makes the ad more readable and it gives an overall cleaner look to the entire banner.
Here’s the template.
You can choose a similar design to the ones above, especially the last one, by splitting the screen horizontally into two parts – one for the copy and one for the design.
White space is still there and so are the visual elements I’ve already mentioned above.
Here’s another template you can start with right away.
Advertise for car-related products
When you are advertising for an industry such as automotive, it’s recommended to come up with offers for secondary products or car accessories.
The following banner template example shows how you can promote motor oil, a product that every car owner will need at some point.
The important part when customizing this template is to put your logo in a visible place and make sure the consumer focuses not only on your offer but can also see your logo.
It’s good for brand awareness and for building up a community around your brand.
Focus on the product
It’s always a good idea to put the product in the center of attention because that’s what you want them to focus on in the first place, right? So why not take advantage of this?
The automotive industry provides you with some amazing opportunities that allow you to focus on the product. Most of the cars come with great press kits and, as a result, you’ll have free access to high-quality images to choose from.
Here’s an example.
As you can see, it is based on a professional image of a beautiful car with copy in a readable font. You can also notice the company logo which is placed in the most visible corner of the banner.
Another good example that follows a similar pattern, shifts the focus from a general image to the image of a specific product.
The product is in the center and you can also notice the white space, the readable typography, and the balance between the three specific areas that compose the banner.
This is a classical and effective automotive banner template that should never fail.
Use a background
It’s always a good choice to add a background to your banner, be it an image or a pattern/color. However, it will be a good choice as long as the background will help you tell the story of what you’re advertising for.
And yes, as marketers or advertisers, we need to tell stories even when we want to communicate an offer.
When using a background, you need to think about two aspects.
First, you need to consider the typography and the text color so that it’s easily readable for your audience.
Second, you need to make sure the background fits not only your message but also your choice in colors, especially your brand colors.
Use visuals that stand out from the crowd
A banner may not always appear like it’s that of a website’s story when it comes to colors or design. However, it can take the prime focus of the viewer if it’s designed this way.
Because of this, sometimes it can be a good choice to make it shiny. But I’m not referring to replicating something similar to those spammy and annoying flashy banners that existed back in the day. Instead, you should create a modern banner like the example above.
In the next example, we have the contrast between yellow and black, while two-thirds of the banner is based on white space with a visible message.
Try the direct approach
A direct approach means that the focus is on the message and there aren’t any other distractions on the banner.
This is one of the easiest designs to implement since all you need is a good call to action and a strong, clear copy. In order to come up with this, you need to have a clear view of what you want to achieve with your ad.
Here’s a simple yet effective template that you can use to start building your campaign.
The visual is divided into three sections: the service it offers, the call to action, and the price.
The background tells the audience what the banner’s about and the bottom part of the ad serves as a branding section and nothing more.
There can not be any simpler banner than the one above. And yet, it can be effective due to its simplicity and the way it communicates the message.
Try the emotional approach
In order to be effective as a marketer or advertiser, you need to speak your audience’s language. This means that you should always follow the current trends and adapt your strategy to how the audience behaves, what their values are, what expectations they have expectations, and needs.
These days, people tend to share a lot of interest in the environment. It may be one of the biggest movements of the century.
The following ad template shows how you can use this trend or any other trend whatsoever so you can market your product in an effective way.
Part 2 – Real life automotive ads designs that can inspire you right away
The second part of this article will focus more on ads that were already used by big companies from the automotive industry.
While these are not templates that you can find in Bannersnack, they can still be used as an amazing source of inspiration for campaigns.
Take your creativity to the next level
In most cases, an ad does more than showcasing the product. It can tell a story through carefully selected images or through a well-thought-out concept that takes the audience to another dimension.
Take for example the following ad from Ford. It’s a visual designed to promote tires, which represent an important asset for cars.
The ad combines the impact of a powerful and straightforward call to action with a contextual design. The copy is perfect because it’s short, easy to read and to be remembered.
At the same time, it is a great design concept because it transcends the scope of the ad and takes the viewer into another dimension.
Another good example of a creative ad comes from Audi.
It managed to combine several elements into an ad that not only attracts attention but, at the same time, makes you want to look closer in order to see what attracted your attention in the first place.
Obviously, the elements used by Audi are the typography, the branded visuals, the white space, and the graphic elements.
The ad features an asymmetry that triggers an immediate response in the brain, making the viewer pay attention and read the entire text.
Also, it combines the elements mentioned above in a modern style that is appealing to younger generations. At the same time, there’s great attention to detail that shows professionalism.
Make your audience focus on several elements at the same time
One of the best strategies in design is to divide your visual into two or three parts, while each one will send a message and you’ll be able to deliver a story overall.
It’s hard to put it into simple words, so here’s a good example that will help you get an idea about the concept.
The ad was created by Bridgestone and it’s supposed to advertise their tires. Tires are essential for any vehicle so the ad shows the product at the bottom.
As for the upper half of it, the focus is divided by the logo and the message. These are separated by white space that makes them even more visible to the person that’s looking at the ad.
Use a metaphor to describe the benefits
As I mentioned before, people love stories. And sometimes, you can tell a story without using any words. You can do so by including a powerful image that has the purpose of serving as a metaphor, one that will make an impact on the consumer.
Here’s an example that will explain it better.
The image shows the result after a crash car test has been made. Only in this case, the safety that’s being “measured” is related to the environment and the low impact the car model has on it.
Pretty smart, if you ask me. At the same time, it’s pretty effective, considering that fossil fuel consumption has the same impact on the environment as a wall would have on a car’s body hitting it at full speed.
Conclusion
The automotive industry is one of the biggest and most profitable in the world. However, the competition is fierce and, in order to make the best out of your marketing campaigns, you need to come up with something new, something to attract the audience and convince them to click on your ad.
The examples above will give you the inspiration you seek in designing the ads that will make your campaigns stand out. At the same time, you can use our templates that you can use in order to start working on your ads right away.
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