13 of the greatest copywriting examples you’ve never seen
“Come for the bed, stay for the story. “
I collect old ads.
The obsession started with a gift from my fiancee. She got me a beautiful black and white Volkswagen print from the 1950’s.
Slowly, I’ve built a meaningful collection that I plan to frame and hang around my office. One thing I’ve come to notice is, they just don’t make ads like they used to. The imagery, the font pairings, the supercharged body copy.
And that’s a good thing.
Like any other artform, copywriting should evolve. Many of the digital, OOH, and print ads we see today pull elements from the classics. But they’re putting a new twist on it.
So, here are thirteen genius examples of copywriting I’ve found from the last decade.
Study them. Print them out. Use them as a quick hit of inspiration.
Most importantly, enjoy them.
1. REVEL
This headline’s shorter than short cake and sweeter than honey. Perfect for an OOH ad. It’s living proof that a remarkably simple description can be deeply engaging.
Crafted by the eternally creative team with the best agency name around: Day Job.
2. PAIRE
“Spawning sweat patches” versus “Sweat marks” or “Sweat stains” is a stroke of brilliance.
It’s these tiny details turning a potentially ordinary first sentence into an extraordinary, memorable one.
3. STILLBITTER LEMONADE CO.
StillBitter Lemonade Co. is a no sugar, ultra bitter lemonade drink whose branding is as sour as its origin story.
The paragraph above pulls no punches. It tells a story in the form of a run-on sentence that’s edgy and hard to look away from. A brilliant example of modern copywriting.
Their fearless tone of voice and photographic direction stands millions of miles away from typical “sweet” Lemonade brands.
4. TRUTH INITIATIVE
One element of copywriting hasn’t changed much over the past century: it’s a curiosity-driven profession.
If you can get someone to be curious, you can get them to pay attention. If you can convincingly hold that attention, you can get them to do just about anything.
“A breathe of stress air” makes you stop and think for a briefly gorgeous moment. It makes you wonder.
That’s the type of reaction we’re looking for.
5. BRIGHTWILD
Unlike the rest of the tourism industry dominated by dreamy, nonsensical messaging, Brightwild makes you feel like a local insider. Not a strange guest in foreign lands.
6. UPWORK
If you haven’t heard of Porto Rocha, check them out. They’ve done some pretty dope work for a range of brands including the Sundance Film Festival and Spotify.
This ad in particular hits a real sweet spot. Brands constantly say they want to be more human, more relatable, more accessible, etc. Then proceed to do the opposite.
This is how you execute “human.” Real people. Simple copy. Not trying too hard to push a narrative.
The footer puts a nice little bow on it all: “The world’s work marketplace.”
7. US OPEN
You can practically hear the ball whizzing past your ear.
8. HANS BRINKER
Sure, it may not be the grandest place to stay. But, Hans Brinker Hostel writes some damn good web copy.
Turns out that admitting your shortcomings is oddly endearing.
9. FIGMA
The sentence(s) above are a reminder of Figma’s collaborative capabilities. Building meaning and story without overdoing it. Grounded by the central line, “Nothing Great Is Made Alone.”
If there’s any way to make you feel romantic about a web application…this is it.
10. APPLE
Alright, you may have seen this one before. But it’s inspired a whole wave of user-generated advertising.
Because the most powerful element in advertising is truth.
“Shot on iPhone” is true value. True beauty. True utility.
It’s that easy.
11. MOMA
Sometimes, the lines that stick like superglue are the ones we understand without having to think too much.
12. POST FAMILIAR WINE
In case you can’t read the bottle print, it says:
“Tastes like carrying a bag of peppercorn dust through a spring forest at twilight, while feeding chocolate blackberries to feral forest creatures.”
Highly recommend checking out Post Familiar Wine. The copywriting is as velvety smooth as their products.
13. HONDA
The Beautiful Fail is the story of Honda’s defeat at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022.
The campaign featured screen-printed images capturing the misty eyes, pivotal moments, and exhaustion of the team, accompanied by poetic descriptors. Engine oil was drained from the motorbikes that raced and turned into the ink used to write the story.
24 silkscreens were created, for 24 hours of intense endurance racing.
It’s an absolutely stunning display of creativity. Straddling the line between commentary, storytelling, and traditional copywriting.
