The best way to build a video marketing strategy is to study what works. Real campaigns. Real numbers. All budgets. There’s a $4,500 video that sold a company for $615 million. These video marketing examples span every format, platform, and budget level. A smartphone photography campaign that turned every iPhone owner into a brand ambassador.
This article covers more than twenty video marketing examples. Brand film, product demos, social, YouTube, B2B, and low-budget production, it’s all here. The formats are different. The budgets are different. The industries are different. But the patterns that made each of these work are worth understanding. Then you can start shooting. This is the fastest way to build a video marketing strategy that actually works.
Brand Storytelling
The best branding and video marketing examples
Brand films exist to build an emotional connection. They exist to shift perception, and earn attention in an attention-hungry culture. These video marketing campaign examples are worth studying before you shoot a single frame.
Best Branding Videos • Video Marketing Examples
1. Apple "Shot on iPhone" — (2015-present)
Apple didn’t hire a film crew for this one. They turned their customers into their creative team. The “Shot on iPhone” campaign invited iPhone users around the world to submit their own photos and videos shot using their own phones. The winning works were then turned into billboards, TV spots, and social ads. No actors. No pro production crews.
Just real people proving the product. The result was years worth of authentic user-generated content. And it cost Apple next to nothing to produce. But it did generate billions of earned media impressions. They still run these types of ads now. In June 2025, it scored the Grand Prix for Creative Effectiveness at Cannes Lions.
World Gallery Apple iPhone 6 • Video Marketing Examples
2. Nike “Dream Crazy” (2018)
Few other campaigns have made such a splash as this one. Featuring Colin Kaepernick with the line, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” This campaign ignited global conversation. It inspired millions and left its mark forever on the marketing world.
The 90-second branded content was a deliberate and risky move. It generated $43 million in earned media in the first 24 hours. It was one of the most polarizing cultural conversations in America at the time. Nike’s stock dipped briefly after its launch. Then hit an all-time high.
Then sales increased 31% in the following days. The lesson? Purpose-driven video marketing only works if the brand actually stands for something. Nike did. The gamble paid off.
Nike Dream Crazy • Video Marketing Examples
3. Google "Reunion" (2013)
A three-and-a-half-minute film. The story of two childhood friends separated by the India-Pakistan partition. Using Google Search and Google Translate, a granddaughter helped her grandfather find his long lost best friend. Why is this one worth taking a closer look at? Because it won multiple awards? Because it generated over 20 million YouTube views?Because it caused India and Pakistan’s governments to rethink their visa procedures? Sure.
But it’s also worth studying because the ad barely mentions Google. The product is present, but never the point. The story is. Google used the story to demonstrate what their Search can actually mean to people. It’s still one of Google’s most emotionally effective ads.
Google Search Reunion • Video Marketing Examples
4. Dove "Real Beauty" (2013)
Dove had been running its Real Beauty campaign since 2004. Real Beauty Sketches was a whopping six and a half minute long branded campaign that broke through globally. They asked a forensic sketch artist to draw women as they described themselves. They were partitioned off with a sheet and couldn’t see each other. Then they had a stranger describe them to the sketch artist.
The two sketches shown were dramatically different. This campaign became the most watched video ad of 2013 with over 114 million views in its first month. Was it the production value that made it work? Nope. It was a simple, raw insight that their audience recognized as true.
The closing tagline “You are more beautiful than you think” at the end of the ad really hammered home the emotional and empowering message.
Dove Real Beauty Sketch Commercial • Video Marketing Examples
5. Always "#LikeAGirl" (2014)
Always sells period products. Not exactly an obvious candidate for a cultural conversation. But “#LikeAGirl” would reframe what that phrase meant in a big way. They turned what had been an insult into a statement of strength. Always asked actors and directors to demonstrate what it means to “run like a girl” or “throw like a girl.”
The adults performed weak, clumsy performances. Always then asked young girls the same question. The girls ran hard and threw harder. The campaign generated over 90 million views and shifted brand sentiment. It also drove a massive increase in sales for their product category.
For Always, confidence in young women wasn’t just a marketing angle. It was the whole brand purpose.
Always 'Like a Girl' Super Bowl • Video Marketing Examples
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Product Demos
The best product demo video marketing examples
The best product demos never feel like demos. They feel more like arguments we’ve had ourselves. Here's how some of the best product demo video marketing examples pulled it off.
6. Dollar Shave Club "Our Blades Are F*ing Great” (2012)
$4,500 production budget. 27 million+ views. $12K in orders within 48 hours. One founder with a point of view, a leaf blower, the American flag, and a bear. The video went viral and launched Dollar Shave Club into the stratosphere of brand recognition success.
It is now studied as one of the most impactful disruptive marketing ads of all time. It proved that low cost, high authenticity could outperform traditional marketing. What made it work wasn’t the production quality. It was the relatable conviction behind the humor.
Mike Dubin looked into the camera frame and said what his target audience was thinking about the razor industry. The argument was first. The product second.
Our Blades Are F *** ing Great • Video Marketing Examples
7. Dropbox explainer video (2010)
Before Dropbox went public, it had a problem. This is one of the cleanest examples of video marketing for a SaaS product you'll find. Cloud storage was still new to a lot of people. A 90-second animated explainer changed all that. Using simple metaphors and animated cutout images, they showed exactly how file syncing worked. Plain language.
A relatable situation told in story format. No tech jargon. No long feature lists. The ad was targeted at early tech-adopters. It drove their beta signups from 5K users to 75K almost immediately. The startup hit $48M in reported revenue. The takeaway? A clear, short, engaging animated demo can be more valuable than a high-budget live-action spot.
Dropbox Intro Video • Video Marketing Examples
8. Blendtec "Will It Blend?" (2006)
Blendtec sold industrial-strength blenders. Their marketing budget was small. Their marketing manager started shooting their founder, Tom Dickson. He blended up hard objects to dust (marbles, a rake handle, a can of Coke, a Big Mac meal, etc).
The videos were shot on a simple tripod in their workshop. Each episode cost around $50 and it turned into a YouTube series. One that has generated hundreds of millions of views. It also turned a boring appliance brand into a beloved phenomenon. It also drove a 700% increase in sales. The format is still going.
Once you see Tom smash and then blend up an iPad, you’ll understand why this campaign was so successful.
Will It Blend? - iPhone • Video Marketing Examples
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9. Slack "So Yeah, We Tried Slack" (2014)
When Slack launched, team communication was fragmented. Their demo video became a benchmark for SaaS marketing. It was clean, calm, simple, funny and functional. The video told a story about how a small team used Slack. One that replaced internal email and other forms of inner-office communication.
For a B2B tool trying to replace email inside organizations, the tone was pitch-perfect. It showed what the product did and let it do the selling. That original video became the template for dozens of other SaaS companies to try and replicate afterwards.
So Yeah, We Tried Slack • Video Marketing Examples
Social Media Marketing
The best social media video marketing examples
Social platforms demand a very different approach. Attention here is measured in literal seconds. Each of these video marketing examples succeeded for the same reason. They respected the platform and the people on it.
10. Chipotle "Back to the Start" (2011)
Chipotle released a two-minute animated film about sustainable farming as a YouTube pre-roll ad. A Willie Nelson cover of the Coldplay song, “The Scientist” plays over a farmer’s journey. The video showed us the journey from industrial agriculture back to a sustainable practice.
It won the Grand Prix at Cannes. It drove measurable store traffic. The lesson? Even a pre-roll ad can hold people’s attention for two full minutes if the story is worth it.
Chipotle Back to the Start • Video Marketing Examples
11. Old Spice "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (2010)
The original spot was thirty seconds long. It ran during the Super Bowl and won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Commercial. But the real video marketing campaign example came next. On YouTube where the actor filmed personalized videos replying to fans and even celebrities.
The campaign generated 40 million views in one week and drove a 125% increase in sales within the first year. The takeaway is worth a study: a broadcast moment that planted the seeds, followed by social interaction that spread the word.
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like • Video Marketing Examples
12. Red Bull — Content Brand Model (ongoing)
Red Bull Media House is their in-house video production arm. One that serves as an entire marketing engine. They produce full length documentaries, they cover live event streams. They also produce daily short-form content that involves extreme sports and athletes.
The videos live on Red Bull TV, YouTube as well as other social media advertising platforms. The brand has effectively become a media company that just so happens to also sell energy drinks. This approach generates billions of annual views. It also makes their slogan “Red Bull Gives You Wings” feel earned, not stated.
The Rise of Online Video • Video Marketing Examples
13. Wendy's social video — (ongoing)
Wendy’s built their brand voice on Twitter first. It was sharp, funny and a little bit confrontational. They translated that voice in short-form videos on TikTok and on Instagram Reels. The production value is minimal. But the tone was perfect as it had been formed over years with consistent execution.
The videos drive millions of views because their audience feels in on the joke. The lesson to be learned? Don’t just “be funny” but cater to your audience’s expectations.
Wendy's Savage Tweets • Video Marketing Examples
YouTube Marketing
The best YouTube video marketing examples
YouTube is the world's second-largest search engine. Building a YouTube channel is one of the highest-leverage video marketing campaign examples in this list — because the content compounds over time. Smart brands know to build channels there and use them as long-term marketing assets. The examples of video marketing below show exactly what that looks like in practice.
14. HubSpot YouTube
HubSpot’s YouTube strategy focuses on a multi-channel niche approach. They moved away from a single “ HubSpot catch-all” branded channel. Instead, they expanded into an entire network of specialized ones - “What is a CRM?” and “Marketing Funnel Explained”. This has allowed them to be the authority in specific areas. It also makes it easier for the YouTube algorithm to categorize and serve their content up to the right audiences.
What is HubSpot? • Video Marketing Examples
15. B&H Photo
B&H has built one of the most effective YouTube channels in retail. How? By doing one thing consistently. It Helped people understand products they were already thinking of buying. A potential customer searching for “best camera lens under $1,000” finds a B&H video.
Maybe even featuring an expert guest host. They do camera reviews, film lighting tutorials, production gear comparisons. The list goes on. They positioned themselves as a teacher first and retailer second. This is a video marketing strategy that doesn’t look like marketing at all. That’s why it works.
B&H Where Creativity Clicks • Video Marketing Examples
16. Tasty (BuzzFeed)
Tasty revolutionized YouTube marketing. How? By pioneering the “hands and pans” POV top-down shooting style. It’s a format designed for high-speed silent consumption. It's since been copied around the world. Tasty scaled to over 100 million followers across platforms.
They also localized spinoffs like Proper Tasty (UK) and Bien Tasty (Spanish-speaking markets). They tailor ingredients and food culture to specific regions.
Top Ten Tasty Recipes Of All Time • Video Marketing Examples
17. Wistia "One, Ten, One Hundred"
“One, Ten, One Hundred” is a Webby Award-winning docu-series by Wistia. The documentary follows the process of producing three ads for Wistia’s “Soapbox” tool. They featured separate budgets: $1,000, $10,000 and $100,000. The series explores how budget limitations, creativity, and production value intersect.
One, Ten, One Hundred • Video Marketing Examples
It’s one of the smartest examples of video marketing in the B2B space. The content is genuinely useful to their specific audience. It also makes a case for their products at the same time.
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B2B Marketing
The best B2B video marketing examples
B2B has a reputation for being a little dry. These video marketing examples prove otherwise. These content campaigns knew that and ignored it. They recognized that B2B buyers are still human.
18. Salesforce product videos and case studies (ongoing)
The benchmark format for enterprise SaaS demos. Salesforce has built a library of hundreds of product demos and customer case studies. Their format is consistent. A real customer describes a specific problem. Salesforce then shows how their product solves it, and the videos end with measurable ROIs. This has become the template for enterprise SaaS video marketing. Every B2B marketer should study their structure.
How to Use Customer 360 • Video Marketing Examples
Plan your video marketing script the way the pros do — with a two-column AV format from StudioBinder to keep visuals and audio locked in sync.
Salesforce AV Scripts • Video Marketing Examples
19. LinkedIn's own video ads (Platform Marketing on its Own Platform, ongoing)
LinkedIn runs video ads on LinkedIn to promote LinkedIn. That's a meta video marketing campaign worth analyzing. Their ads typically feature a professional facing a relatable, common problem. This could be difficulty in hiring, low engagement, etc.), and then show how LinkedIn’s tools solve it. Their ads target their own audience. Their campaigns demonstrate exactly what effective LinkedIn videos look like. That's useful for any B2B brand trying to figure out the format and what works. Watch what they do. Do that.
Welcome, Professionals • Video Marketing Examples
20. IBM "A Boy and His Atom" (2013)
IBM wanted to demonstrate its leadership in nanotechnology. Their research division created the world’s smallest stop-motion film. It earned a Guinness World Record and generated global press coverage. The film made one thing clear: IBM works at a scale no one else does. It positioned them as innovative, patient, and technologically superior. It remains one of the most creative video marketing campaigns in the B2B category.
A Boy And His Atom • Video Marketing Examples
21. Zendesk "Relationships" (2012)
Zendesk makes customer support software. Not exactly a category known for its emotional reservoir. Their “Relationships” video series features real customers that deliver “anti-testimonials”. Funny, self-deprecating stories about how their own companies used to mess up.
Then they switched over to Zendesk. The humor used makes the brand feel more human. The series earned millions of views. They were shared widely by B2B marketers tired of the usual over-polished, generic case studies. Sometimes, the best B2B video marketing is the one that admits the category is boring. Then does something about it.
Zendesk TV commercial • Video Marketing Examples
Just remember, the best video marketing examples share one thing in common: a really good AV script.
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Budget Video
Best Small Business / Low-Budget Video Marketing Examples
You don't need a million dollars to make a splash. Just a clear idea and the discipline to execute it. These examples of video marketing on a shoestring prove that budget is never the real limiting factor.
Low Budget Video Marketing Examples • Video Marketing Examples
Dollar Shave Club ($4,500)
Dollar Shave Club at $4,500 outperformed campaigns that cost 100 times more. Orabrush’s awkward green-screen video worked because it was real. Cards Against Humanity's vacuum cleaner video worked because, well, it was weird. High production value is a tool, not a goal. Having a clear, specific, honest idea with mediocre production? That'll outperform a generic idea with high cinematic production.
Orabrush ($1,260 on YouTube ads)
In 2009, founder Dr. Bob Wagstaff had spent $40,000 on a traditional TV spot that resulted in fewer than 100 sales. They then tried a digital approach. Their now iconic “Bad Breath Test” video was produced for just $500. To build momentum, they spent around $1,260 on YouTube ads. And the results? This minimal investment generated over 16 million views. Over a million brushes sold online within their first two years isn't too shabby either.
Blendtec "Will It Blend?” ($50)
As mentioned earlier, each Blendtec video cost around $50. Using just a camera, a tripod, a blender, and an object to blend. The editing was simple. The host was the founder. Zero marketing agency needed. The return on investment has been what most Super Bowl ads can’t even touch. The secret? The format was repeatable and shareable. It also aligned with their product’s core value - an extremely powerful blender.
Cards Against Humanity
Minimal production value, maximum brand personality. Cards Against Humanity released a series of low-budget YouTube videos. These featured the founder explaining the game, reading insulting cards and sitting silently. One video was all black screen. Another one was just a vacuum cleaner running.
These videos worked because the brand itself is super anti-corporate, anti-polished and meant to be absurd. Production value low? Check. Millions of views? Also check. Your brand voice can sometimes do all the work and pay off.
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Campaign Success
What makes a great video marketing campaign?
After studying more than twenty video marketing examples across every format and budget, clear patterns start to emerge. Here are the takeaways you can apply when planning your own video marketing campaigns.
Effective Versus Weak Video Strategy • Video Marketing Examples
1. The Best Campaigns Have One Clear, Singular Goal
Nike’s “Dream Crazy” was not trying to sell one specific shoe. It was defending their entire brand identity. Dropbox’s explainer video wasn’t trying to go viral. It was just trying to eliminate confusion and drive sign-up numbers. Pick just one metric and build your video around that.
2. Specificity Beats Polish
Dollar Shave Club at $4,500 outperformed campaigns that cost 100 times more. Orabrush’s awkward green-screen video worked because it was real. Cards Against Humanity's vacuum cleaner video worked because, well, it was weird. High production value is a tool, not a goal. Having a clear, specific, honest idea with mediocre production will outperform a generic idea with high cinematic production
3. The Hook Determines Everything
On social platforms, the first 3 seconds decide whether or not someone will scroll past it. On YouTube, the first 5 seconds decide whether they click away. Old Spice’s opening line, “Hello Ladies” works immediately. Blendtec’s very first frame was always the blender and whatever object was going to be blended. Get that hook first. Shoot everything else second.
In StudioBinder's AV Script Software, you can add your hook and map it directly to your opening visual before you shoot a single frame.
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4. Repurposable Content Compounds ROI
Nike's Dream Crazy generated billions in earned media from one film. From news articles, social posts to the discussions, the earned media was the real return. Before you produce anything, ask yourself: “Can this idea survive being clipped, quoted, and debated for weeks? Or longer?” If the answer is no, then it’s time to go back to concept.
5. Authenticity Outperforms Production On Social Platforms
Wendy’s social videos look like they were shot on an iPhone. GoPro’s best content is shot by their own customers, not professionals. The audience has been trained to distrust over-produced, over-engineered social ads. They'll just click away immediately due to the lack of integrity.
The more a video looks like a TV commercial, the lower the engagement tends to be. On social, human, and honest beats polished and sterile. Every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Video marketing FAQ's
Dollar Shave Club ($4,500 budget), Orabrush ($500 production cost), and Blendtec's "Will It Blend?" series ($50 per episode) are the most-studied low-budget video marketing examples. All three succeeded because the idea was sharp and specific, not because the production was polished. A clear point of view and an honest product demo will outperform a generic high-budget spot every time.
The most successful video marketing campaigns share three traits: a single clear goal, a strong hook in the first three seconds, and content designed to be shared or remembered. Nike's "Dream Crazy" had one goal (brand identity). Dollar Shave Club had one goal (drive signups). Trying to hit awareness, engagement, and conversion in the same video usually means hitting none of them well.
It depends on the platform and the goal. Social media video marketing examples that perform best are under 60 seconds. YouTube brand films can run 2 to 3 minutes if the story earns it (Chipotle's "Back to the Start" ran 2 minutes as a pre-roll). B2B product demos and explainers typically run 90 seconds to 3 minutes. The right length is whatever it takes to make the point and no longer.
User-generated content, authentic behind-the-scenes footage, and brand personality videos consistently outperform polished TV-style ads on social platforms. GoPro and Apple's "Shot on iPhone" campaigns are textbook examples of video marketing built around real customers rather than professional crews. On TikTok and Instagram Reels, lo-fi production with a strong hook beats high-budget content with a weak one.
The strongest B2B video marketing examples lead with a specific customer problem, then show the solution with measurable proof. Salesforce's case study library, Slack's original demo video, and Wistia's "One, Ten, One Hundred" series all follow this structure. The key difference from B2C is that B2B video marketing needs to earn trust from a skeptical buyer, not just capture attention from a casual scroller.
There is no single best format. The best video marketing campaigns match format to platform and goal. Brand films work for emotional connection (Nike, Dove). Explainer videos work for product clarity (Dropbox, Slack). User-generated content works for authenticity at scale (GoPro, Apple). Study what ranks for your specific keyword, then pick the format that fits the story you need to tell.
UP NEXT
Best advertising campaigns
You have the inspiration. Now you need the production discipline to turn ideas into actual videos. Understanding video marketing examples is the first step. Planning your shots, storyboarding your narrative, and scheduling your crew is the next.
StudioBinder is built for exactly that. Use it to write your AV script, build a shot list, map out a shooting schedule, and send call sheets to your team — all in one place. That way, your next great video marketing campaign doesn't fall apart when the camera starts rolling.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's look at some of the best advertising campaigns that can help inspire your production plan.
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