It’s often hard to know what idea you want to commit to and be confident that it will do the job. There is no one formula on how to create a promotional video that will be successful but having research. You could apply some psychological study or use data and statistics to predict how your video will be received by your audience. But what can often be helpful is getting small glimpses of inspiration from previous campaigns to inject excitement into the planning of your project. Here are some of the promotional videos that created the most buzz and what made them successful.

1. Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches promotional video is the most watched ad of 2013 and has garnered plenty of advertising awards as well. The video that was released with two versions, a 3-minute one and a 6-minute one, was so well received by its audience. Why? It is simply because the video was able to generate a conversation about one of the most touchy topics nowadays especially for women–beauty. The idea behind the video is simple. A former FBI forensic sketch artist draws two pictures of different individuals he cannot see. One based on their description of themselves, the other based on the description of someone they have met previously. The reveal is what makes it – it’s heart warming and quite touching.

2. Apple: The Crazy Ones

“The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do.” This promotional video remains to be one of the classics. When Apple released this promotional video, they did not even have a product to advertise. They were selling an idea and that is to think different. The video features all leaders and innovators that have shaped the world and what is the common denominator between them all: They were the crazy ones. The bended the rules, they questioned the status quo and have left their significant marks in the world. This video is a successful promotional video because it inspires people to think outside the box, it motivates people to get out of their comfort zones and discover the amazing things they can achieve.

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3. RayBan Sunglass Catch

This video is fairly recent but it’s one of the best promotional videos out there because it breaks all conventional rules of what is the perfect ad and yet it fits in so well with the type of videos this generation love to watch. The video, which has been awarded several advertising awards, features two men who appear to throw RayBan sunglasses onto each other’s faces. I’m surprised this video didn’t go even more viral than it actually did as it is actually hilarious.

There are plenty of reasons for a promotional video’s success and as we looked into some of the most influential promotional videos in recent times, you will see that the one thing they all share in common is that it has content that touches the viewers on a human level.