8 Creative Recruiting Advertisements

To help you identify recent creative recruiting advertisements, we asked marketing professionals and business leaders for their best observations. From virtual ads to videos with humor to video billboards, there are several types of advertisements from around the world that use creative ways to recruit candidates.

Virtual Ads

One of the most creative ads that has stuck in my mind for a couple of years now was from Waste Creative. Its recruitment video came out during the pandemic when it invited job candidates to take a tour of its virtual office at the Nintendo game Animal Crossing.

The office replica was included in the game so players could visit it while playing. The timing was perfect, too, because everyone was staying inside, so the Nintendo game was becoming incredibly popular.

Baruch Labunski
CEO, Rank Secure

A Job Ad by a UK Company Called Sell

A UK-based company called Sell put out an insanely creative job application form as a recruitment tool. All 10 questions on said form required out-of-the-box thinking to answer, but our favorite is question #6: “Post a video of yourself telling a joke on YouTube and put the link here.”

This company clearly wants creative employees with personality. The questionnaire not only does an excellent job of revealing every candidate’s creativity, but it presents a clear picture of the company as a fun business that strives to be unique and thrives on innovation.

Erin Banta
Co-founder & CEO, Pepper

The Air Force Ad

I recently saw a recruitment ad for the Air Force that really caught my attention. It featured a young woman in uniform standing in front of a plane. The text of the ad talked about the many opportunities that the Air Force offers, and it ended with the tagline: “Ready for takeoff?”

I thought it was a really clever way to highlight both the career options available in the Air Force and the exciting lifestyle that comes with being a part of the military. It’s definitely an ad that made me stop and take notice.

Antreas Koutis
Administrative Manager, Financer

Travis Perkins Billboard

One creative recruiting advertisement I’ve seen lately is a billboard campaign by Travis Perkins, one of the UK’s largest builders’ merchants. The company placed a series of billboards across the country, each with a slightly different message.

One read “I’m bored of the same old faces at the station so I thought I’d brighten things up a bit,” while another reads “If you can guess what these flowers are, I’ll give you a job.” The company’s aim with the ads is to get more people interested in working for them.

Adil Advani
Founder, Stream Digitally

An Ad for a Company Called The Muse

I recently saw a creative recruiting advertisement on Facebook that really caught my attention. The ad was for a company called “The Muse” and it featured a woman in a business suit who was surrounded by a bunch of playful puppies. The headline of the ad read, “Are you a corporate puppy? Come work with us!”

The ad was clever and eye-catching, and it definitely made me want to learn more about the company. I think it’s a great way to reach out to potential employees who might be looking for a more creative and fun work environment.

Farhan Advani
Co-Founder, BHPH

A Video Ad With Humor to Attract Talent

What if an employer used humor in a video to attract talent? And what if it wasn’t corny but legitimately funny?

Our agency recently created a video ad in which two friends would periodically check in with one another over a video call. You’d see them talk about their different career paths: One was choosing a steady career working for a manufacturer and the other was choosing random jobs in construction or even skydiving.

Throughout their humorous exchanges, the viewer could see how the manufacturing job was actually the better choice when it came to income, career growth, building a family or even healthcare insurance (you’ll have to watch it to learn how the skydiving job turned out).

The ad was designed to prove that “boring” manufacturing jobs can actually buy what you really want: a better income and more career growth options for a more satisfying life. 

Justin Vajko
Principal & Chief Strategy Guy, Dialog

An Animation of a Person Walking Through a Cityscape

An ad I recently saw was an animation of a person walking through a cityscape, and as they walked, different buildings and landmarks appeared with job openings in them. The animation ended with the person walking into a bright light, symbolizing the potential for career growth and opportunity. This ad really spoke to me because it showed that the company is willing to invest in its employees and help them grow their careers. It’s a great way to attract talented people to the company.

Peter Beeda
COO, fhalend

Video Billboards

One creative recruiting avenue that I have seen lately is video billboards.  We have several video billboards around our city at popular stop lights, where different companies advertise their job announcements.  We are going to explore this option next month and see if our number of applicants increases.

Lindsey Hight
HR Professional, Sporting Smiles

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