Top 10 unforgettable mobile branding ads of 2021

As we stand at the precipice of 2021, we see how advertisers continued to turn to mobile as a platform to keep their customers truly engaged. From augmented reality to powerful motion sensors to harnessing the power of interactive video, this year has seen some of the best, most impactful mobile ads yet.  

Here is the list of some of the best interactive mobile ads that captivated users in 2021.  

Sony Pictures Entertainment turned to virtual reality to create buzz around the launch of superhero film Venom  

One of the highlights of 2021 is that movies gradually made their way back to the big screens. Sony Pictures Entertainment unveiled an innovative mobile ad that leveraged virtual reality to create buzz around its newest superhero film – Venom. The ad achieved over 50X higher engagement rate.  

Creating awareness about Venom and the movie villains, the ad encouraged users to help Venom destroy the villains that appeared in their virtual reality by tapping on them. The ad kept users intrigued by showcasing the movie trailer on the closing screen.  

Mentos encouraged users to shake off their monotonous routine with an interactive video ad  

Now and again, we may find ourselves settling into a routine. Mentos wanted to switch things up for its customers by encouraging them to shake away their monotonous routines, quite literally, with an interactive Streambox video ad.  

The video-led ad showcased the brand’s commercial. It was accompanied by a custom banner that prompted users to physically shake their phones to add a bit of refreshment to their lives.  

Instagram creatively evoked users’ curiosity about Reels by enabling them to explore the various genres  

The power and popularity of video has grown multi-fold, primarily because video content is far more engaging. Social media giant, Instagram created awareness about its app’s video section – Reels in an engaging manner.  

Users were prompted to explore the various Reels genres – comedy, dance, K-Pop, and fashion, by tapping on them. The ad then seamlessly played Reels within the genre, creating a lasting impression.  

JK Tyre urged customers to take control of their lives in 2021 with voice-enabled, multi-lingual mobile ads 

2020 was an unforeseen plot twist. But 2021 was all about taking back control. JK Tyre, one of the leading tyre manufacturing companies in the country, aimed to build an emotional connection with its customers by urging them to take control of their lives.   

The brand unveiled a multi-lingual ad to ensure that the campaign message resonated with the target audience optimally. The ads ran in English, Hindi, and Tamil. Integrating speech recognition technology, users were prompted to say, ‘Total Control’, after which the ad revealed JK Tyre’s well-designed tyres.  

Maybelline encouraged users to physically engage with the ad while showcasing its waterproof mascara  

Maybelline, the leading cosmetics brand, promoted its Colossal Waterproof Mascara amongst female users in metro cities with a highly engaging, targeted mobile ad.  

Integrating the accelerometer and gyroscope motion sensors in the phone, the ad prompted users to pan their phone upward and downward to virtually experience the ease of applying the mascara. According to a brand lift study by Kantar, the campaign was successful in significantly driving the awareness of the brand’s online ad and its key message.  

TATA AIA Life Insurance prompted users to get vaccinated with a data-driven ad experience  

While 2020 was all about the pandemic, the buzzword for 2021 was vaccinations. TATA AIA Life Insurance created a buzz about its ‘Raksha Ka Teeka’ campaign, by prompting users to protect themselves and their families by getting vaccinated.   

The campaign first asked them to draw a circle on the screen for protection. Thereafter, integrating the CoWin API, the ad urged them to find a vaccination center for ultimate protection. On the closing screen, the ad featured a ‘Register Now’ CTA that directed users to the official CoWin website to complete their registration. Users spent over 12 seconds on average, engaging with the ad. 

OnePlus leveraged augmented reality to showcase its special Nord 2 Pac Man Edition smartphone 

OnePlus is known for its feature-rich, industry-leading fast smartphones. More importantly, the brand is well-known for its special edition range, which has intrigued its user base. For its Nord 2 range, OnePlus launched the Pac Man edition and promoted the same with a gamified mobile ad.  

Reaching 8 million users, the ad encouraged users to collect five Nord 2 emojis in their augmented reality within 10 seconds, creating a memorable experience for them. The effectiveness of the campaign was further validated by a 122% higher in-view time and 74% higher fully on-screen rate, in comparison to Moat by Oracle industry benchmarks.  

ITC engaged avid cricket fans across the country while promoting its snack Bingo with a gamified ad concept 

Cricket has and always will be a national favorite. Be it the world cup, IPL, or T20 – cricket fans across the country were glued to their TV screens, cheering on for their favorite teams. ITC engaged cricket aficionados while creatively promoting its snack Bingo! with a gamified mobile ad.  

After prompting users to pick heads or tails to win the toss, they were asked to choose to bat or field by tilting their phone left or right. Integrating the accelerometer and gyroscope motion sensors in the phone, the ad then challenged fans to swing their phone forward six times to take the wicket. When compared to Moat by Oracle’s industry benchmarks, the campaign achieved a 55% higher in-view time and 96% lower invalid traffic rate.

OCBC Bank encouraged potential customers to draw an O within the ad to reveal its banking app – One Mobile  

BFSI industry changed drastically over the past couple of years. One transformation that stood out profoundly from the rest was the accelerated transition of banking activities to mobile apps. OCBC Bank, one of the leading banks in Southeast Asia, created awareness about its mobile banking app – One Mobile, with a memorable mobile ad.  

Encouraging users to draw an O on the screen, the interactive ad revealed the feature-rich One Mobile app. The mobile-first CTA ‘Download App’ led them directly to the app store to download the app.  

Pharmeasy provided users with a timely and engaging ad experience during the IPL  

PharmEasy, the one-stop, e-commerce medical platform creatively promoted its ‘Super Saver Sale’ during the cricketing mega-event IPL with an engagement-driven mobile ad that achieved over 20X higher engagement rate.  

Integrating real-time cricket score API, the ad showcased live cricket scores that created a highly personalized experience for users. Additionally, the ad also encouraged them to swing their phone forward to score points for their team; the interaction was powered by the accelerometer and gyroscope motion sensors in the phone.  

These ads are testament to the role that mobile plays in enabling marketers achieve their branding goals. They show tremendous promise for the coming years and with constant innovation, it is exciting to see how mobile can help further elevate branding experiences. For brand managers, the time is now. It is becoming increasingly crucial for them to plan for upcoming branding campaigns in advance, to stay ahead of the curve.  

mCanvas has been helping over 500+ global brands across industries – BFSI, e-commerce retail, pharmaceuticals, and more, to drive up to 50X higher engagement rates with its award-winning branding experiences.  

Kickstart your branding campaigns for Q1 of 2022 now. Reach out to us now and learn how we can help you reach your branding KPIs at scale.