How to Create Memorable Ads: A Hubspot-Inspired Guide

Brands that succeed with modern advertising often follow a framework similar to what Hubspot highlights in its breakdown of the most memorable ads: clear emotion, sharp storytelling, and strong strategic execution. This guide walks you through how to apply those patterns to your own campaigns.

Using insights from standout campaigns, you will learn how to plan, write, and optimize ads that people actually remember and share, instead of scroll past.

Why Memorable Ads Matter in the Hubspot Era

Today’s audiences are bombarded with messages across every channel. To break through the noise, your ad must do more than describe features or discounts.

Memorable ads deliver:

• Instant recognition when people see your brand again.
• Emotional connection that makes viewers care.
• Shareability that multiplies your reach at no extra cost.
• Brand lift long after the campaign ends.

By studying famous examples and the patterns behind them, you can design campaigns that stay in people’s minds and actually influence behavior.

Core Principles Behind Hubspot-Style Memorable Ads

Across categories and formats, memorable ads share several core traits. Use these as guardrails when developing your next campaign.

1. Lead With a Single, Simple Idea

The most memorable campaigns are built around one focused concept. Viewers should be able to describe the ad in a sentence.

To find your core idea, ask:

• What is the one feeling I want people to walk away with?
• What single problem or desire is this ad addressing?
• Can I summarize the message without jargon?

Strip away anything that does not support that central idea. Complexity kills recall.

2. Use Emotion as the Driver

Data from famous ads shows that people remember how a campaign made them feel far more than the facts it presented. Emotion becomes the hook that keeps the brand top of mind.

Common emotional angles include:

• Joy and surprise through humor or a twist.
• Nostalgia that taps into shared memories.
• Empathy for a relatable situation or struggle.
• Inspiration tied to values like courage or progress.

Choose an emotion that aligns with your brand and let it guide the visuals, music, pacing, and copy.

3. Tell a Complete Story

Memorable ads often mirror classic story structure: a character, a conflict, and a resolution. Even in a short spot, that arc helps the brain organize information and remember it later.

Structure your ad like this:

1. Set up: Introduce a person, setting, or situation.
2. Conflict: Show the problem, tension, or desire.
3. Resolution: Reveal how life is better with your solution.

When your story is clear, viewers can retell it easily, which reinforces recall and word-of-mouth.

4. Align the Big Moment With Your Brand

Some ads are entertaining, but the brand is forgettable. The most effective campaigns connect the emotional peak of the story with a clear brand presence.

Ways to anchor your brand to the key moment include:

• Placing your logo or product at the emotional climax.
• Tying your tagline directly to the resolution.
• Using a consistent brand asset (color, sound, character) repeated across spots.

The goal is that when viewers recall the story, they automatically recall your brand.

Step-by-Step Process to Craft Memorable Ads With a Hubspot Mindset

Use this practical framework to move from idea to finished ad while staying focused on memorability.

Step 1: Define the Audience and Outcome

Before creative concepts, get clear on who you are talking to and what you want them to do.

Document:

• Your primary audience segment and their key pain point.
• The single action you want after viewing (search, sign up, share, buy).
• Where they will see the ad (social, TV, YouTube, display, podcast).

Clarity here will keep the rest of the process aligned.

Step 2: Choose the Emotional Angle

Next, pick the dominant emotion you want to evoke. Ground this in real customer insight rather than assumptions.

To choose the right emotion:

• Look at customer stories or reviews for emotional language.
• Review successful campaigns in your niche for inspiration.
• Check that the emotion fits your brand personality.

Write a short creative statement such as, “This ad should make people feel relieved and hopeful about managing their workload.”

Step 3: Outline the Story

Create a quick outline before scripting. Focus on the three-act structure:

1. Beginning: Who is the main character and what is their world like?
2. Middle: What obstacle or tension escalates the problem?
3. End: How does your product or service change the situation?

Keep the outline short and visual. Imagine what each beat would look like on screen or in an image.

Step 4: Script and Visualize the Key Moments

Now translate the outline into specific lines, shots, or frames.

Best practices include:

• Open with a strong visual or line that creates curiosity.
• Use simple, conversational language instead of buzzwords.
• Focus on a few memorable lines rather than packing in information.
• Plan one “signature” moment that people will describe when they talk about the ad.

Check that your brand and offer appear naturally, without overwhelming the story.

Step 5: Add Distinctive Brand Assets

Memorability compounds over time when people see and hear the same distinctive cues across campaigns.

Consider adding:

• A unique sound, jingle, or audio logo.
• A recurring character or spokesperson.
• A consistent color palette or visual motif.
• A short, repeatable tagline.

These elements help your campaigns work together as a system, similar to how leading SaaS and marketing platforms build long-term brand equity.

Step 6: Test, Measure, and Refine

Before large-scale rollout, test your ad with a sample of the target audience.

Measure:

• Unaided recall: Can people remember the brand and story without prompts?
• Message clarity: Do they understand the main point?
• Emotional response: How did the ad make them feel?

Use these insights to refine pacing, visuals, or copy. Small changes often have a big impact on recall.

Applying Hubspot-Inspired Tactics Across Channels

While many iconic examples are video-based, the same principles apply to other formats.

Social and Short-Form Video

• Hook viewers in the first 2–3 seconds with motion or a bold statement.
• Design for sound-off with captions and strong visuals.
• Repurpose a core story into multiple cutdowns for different platforms.

Display and Static Ads

• Use one striking visual and a single, clear line.
• Rely on brand colors and assets to build recognition.
• Ensure the call-to-action is instantly visible.

Audio and Podcast Ads

• Paint a vivid scene quickly with descriptive language.
• Lean on sound design and music to carry emotion.
• Repeat the brand name and key benefit naturally but sparingly.

Learn From Proven Campaigns and Hubspot Resources

To deepen your understanding of what truly resonates, study detailed breakdowns of real campaigns. The original list of memorable ads that inspired this guide is available on the Hubspot blog at this page about memorable ads. Reviewing multiple examples side by side helps you see recurring patterns in emotion, structure, and brand integration.

If you want help auditing your current campaigns or refining strategy, you can explore expert consulting and implementation support at Consultevo, which specializes in performance-focused digital marketing and optimization.

Turning Insight Into Action With a Hubspot Mindset

Memorable advertising is not an accident. It is the result of disciplined focus on emotion, story, and brand consistency, supported by data and ongoing testing. By applying the principles and step-by-step process in this guide, you can craft campaigns that stand out, stick in your audience’s mind, and move them to act.

Start with one campaign, define a clear emotional goal, build a simple story around it, and refine based on real feedback. Over time, this approach will transform your ads from forgettable interruptions into brand moments people actually look forward to.