8 Best TV Commercial Ads of All Time (2024)

It’s without a doubt that TV remains the most powerful media for advertisers to reach their audience, whether locally or internationally. Although primitive, TV commercial ads still play a significant role in brand promotion in this digital age due to the ability to reach a larger audience and create a lasting impression that resonates across generations.

Over the years, several captivating TV commercials have been made. Selecting the best can be challenging. To help out, we’ve decided to analyze the internet and select the top 8 TV commercial ads of all time you can draw ideas from to make unforgettable ads for your product or service.

Part 1. What is a TV Commercial Ad?

A TV commercial ad is a short scripted clip that focuses on promoting a product or service to a large audience via television. This type of video lasts between 15 to 60 seconds, and it’s usually displayed during commercial breaks on live events or TV shows. Like every other video, a TV commercial ad utilizes one of the five popular video storytelling models in conveying messages, which include product demonstrations, comedy, customer testimonials, and many others. Each model has its distinctive quality, and your selection should be based on your audience, marketing goal, and budget.

While streaming platforms and online video ads are gaining traction currently, TV commercial ads still have their ground in marketing products and services. Many companies still turn to this traditional method of advertisement due to its wide reach and long-lasting impact on viewers. Not only that, TV ads give brands a sense of legitimacy and trustworthiness.

Types of TV Commercials

Several types of TV commercials have been established and each one has its unique marketing goal. An understanding of each can help you select the right one to use for your business. Find below some of the popular ones:

• Product-Based Ads

This type of commercial focuses on promoting a product or service by showcasing its features, benefits, and a guide on how a customer can use it to fix whatever challenge or problem he or she is faced with. Product Based ads use creative storytelling

• Informational Ads

Informational Ads are designed to help encourage immediate action from the viewers of a product through a call to action. It’s mostly used for promoting products such as household appliances that require demonstrations.

• Brand Awareness

If you are looking to build recognition for your business, this is the type of ads you need. Brand awareness aims to create a connection between the brand and the viewer by providing jingles or slogans.

• Sponsorship Ads

Looking to promote your brand’s sponsorship of a project or an upcoming event, you can never go wrong with selecting this type of advertisement.

Part 2. 8 Best TV Commercial Ads of All Time

This section will focus on the top 8 TV commercials of all time you can draw inspiration from to create yours.

1. Apple: “1984”

 Click here to watch: Apple "1984"

Directed by Ridley Scott, Apple’s “1984” ad is one of the most iconic and famous ads that has ever been made. This commercial introduced and promoted the Apple Mactonish personal computer to the general public at the Super Bowl XVIII as the most innovative technology ready to take IBM’s product off the tech market. The ad, which took inspiration from George Orwell’s dystopia “1984” forever changed how companies should advertise at the Super Bowl.

2. Coca-Cola - Hilltop

 Click here to watch: Coca-Cola - Hilltop

Another groundbreaking TV ad ever created is the Coca-Cola “Hilltop” commercial which features the song “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke”. This ad features people from different parts of the globe gathering on a hilltop singing about the essence of peace and unity while holding Coke bottles.

3. Nike- “Just Do It”

 Click here to watch: Nike "Just Do It"

Nike’s “Just Do It” commercial featuring Micheal Jordan is one of the unforgettable branding ads of all time. The campaign which happened during Jordan’s peak times shot the Nike brand to global success.

4. Old Spice- “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”

 Click here to watch: Old Spice- "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"

Old Spice was brought back to the limelight when it shot the campaign “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” featuring Isaiah Mustafa who delivered a monologue on how Old Spice usage can make any man more appealing to his woman. This commercial was captivating, thanks to the incredible visual effects and humor used in shooting it.

5. Volkswagen “The Force”

 Click here to watch: Volkswagen "The Force"

Volkswagen’s campaign titled “The Force” is another breathtaking ad that was aired at the Super Bowl after Apple’s “1984” campaign. This advertisement features a young boy who was styled as Darth Vader trying to move some objects around the house using “The Force” but failed. To his surprise after several failed attempts, the family vehicle (VW Passat) could move with just the push of a button from remote start control with his Dad.

6. Always- “Like a Girl”

  Click here to watch: Always "Like a Girl"

Always’s “Like a Girl” is more than just an ad but a message showcasing self-confidence to the viewers, especially the females. The campaign featuring girls from different age groups and backgrounds highlights the strength and resilience of every woman by turning the phrase  “like a girl” from an insult into an empowering expression.

7. Budweiser- “Whassup”

 Click here to watch: Budweiser "Whassup"

Budweiser’s “Whassup” is among the most successful branding campaigns in the history of TV ads. The ad featuring a group of friends greeting each other and chanting “Whassup” over the phone was fun to watch and relatable. 

8. John Lewis- “Monty the Penguin”

 Click here to watch: John Lewis "Monty the Penguin"

John Lewis’s “Monty the Penguin” is another incredible campaign piece of all time. This ad shares the heartwarming story of a little boy and his imaginary penguin friend named “Monty” who finds joy and happiness after the boy gifts him a penguin companion for Xmas. The ad goes in line with the Spirit of Christmas.

Part 3. How to Make a TV Commercial?

Wondershare Virbo is one of the most sophisticated video generation platforms you can try out. This intuitive software allows you to make interactive videos from text. It supports an array of video production tools you can choose from to create professional-like videos that suit your storyline at an affordable cost using human-like avatars as characters and the built-in AI voiceover as an audio source.

It finds applications in diverse sectors, from social media marketing to e-commerce, product demos, and many more, where engaging video content is highly required for viewers’ interaction. When compared to other video generators, Virbo is the most preferred choice due to its comprehensive interface, which is very easy to operate.

Key Features

• Supports AI Script Generator: With Virbo, you can create and optimize videos to match your production requirements, making the whole process quick and stress-free.
• AI Voiceovers: You have over 460+ AI voices to select from for your video production. Each voice can be tweaked to different languages, including English, Spanish, German, and many others, which is great for your business in case you have foreign investors.
• Offers Text-to-Speech: Allows you to generate speech from text using the TTS feature it supports.
• Royalty-Free Music: Want to add background music to your video? Virbo has a library of 100% royalty-free tracks that you can use to engage your videos. 

Steps to Make TV Commercials from Texts Using Wondershare Virbo

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Download the Wondershare Virbo video generation utility from the official website. Ensure that the downloaded version is compatible with your computer and follow the steps below to create captivating videos.

Step 1: Launch the software, and select "Home" from the options displayed on the left-hand panel of your screen.

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Step 2: Click on "Create Video" on the right side of the screen and select your preferred video aspect ratio. You have two options "Landscape" and "Portrait" mode.

Here is an image for the aspect ratio selection.

Tap on "Create Video" at the lower right to continue.

Step 3: Without delay, Virbo will direct you to the screen below showing an AI avatar for your production.

If the AI character doesn’t suit your video requirements, right-click on it and select "Replace" from the options that appear.

Step 4: Choose the AI character's gender and personality afterward.

Click "OK" for confirmation after making your selection.

Step 5: Proceed to the subsequent screen and input the "Text Script" you want to use for your production.

Step 6: Perhaps you don’t want to use Text Script, you can select "Audio Upload" and import a sound file from your local storage or record one in real time.

Step 7: Head to the upper right-hand corner of your screen and make changes to "Background". You have the privilege to change your background color, import music, and add or remove subtitles.

Step 8: At the bottom of the same page, go to where you have the "Language" option and click on it. Select the language you want your video to be generated.

Step 9: For further customization, you can change the "Scenes."

You can also "Insert pauses", "Adjust speed," and "Adjust pitch" to suit your project requirements. Once the customization is over, click "OK" to save your setup.

Click Preview at the upper right corner to check out what your result looks like before downloading to your local storage.

Step 10: If satisfied, hit the "Export" button, select your preferred storage path, and output quality. Click the appropriate icon to save the video.

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If you're interested, don't hesitate to try it out. Whisper it, virbo has a free trial! How can you pass up a free trial?

Conclusion

There you go with our top 8 TV commercial ads of all time. Which of them do you find appealing and would like to draw inspiration from to promote your business? Before making your selection, we strongly suggest that you confirm the type of TV ad to see whether or not it matches the service your business offers. In case you are looking for simple software to create interactive video ads without breaking your bank, Virbo is the best choice. It generates videos from text or audio script in any language of your choice within minutes.