Interactive Ads That Work | Best Formats and 6 Real Examples

What is an interactive ad

An interactive ad lets your potential customer tap, swipe, answer questions, or play a short game to engage with your content.

These ads are often used on websites, social media, and mobile apps to capture attention and increase user involvement. They're more engaging than static ads because people are involved in the experience. This often leads to better recall and higher chances of action, like clicks or purchases.

Type of interactive ads you should know about

• Playable social media ads: These show up when you're scrolling through apps like Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook. They often act like short games where you get to try something out for yourself. You might swipe through features, complete a quick challenge, or test a product demo in real time. The ad turns into an activity that breaks the routine of your feed.
• Display banner ads: These banners used to be static, but now, many banners react when you hover or tap. Some flip to reveal more details, while others invite you to answer a short poll or click through an image slider.
• Mobile ads: When you're using an app or playing a game, interactive ads often blend into the experience. A short ad might slide in and ask you to choose a product feature or swipe through a set of colors or styles. The ad becomes part of what you're already doing, so it doesn't feel like something separate. It catches your eye because it reacts to you.
• Smart TV ads: If you're streaming shows or using a smart TV app, you might see ads that ask you to press a button on your remote. Some even let you explore a product or watch a bonus clip. Since you're already paying attention to the screen, the interaction comes naturally.
• Shoppable video ads: These are videos with clickable hotspots or product tags. As you're watching, you can tap on an item to learn more, add it to your cart, or even make a purchase directly. They're common on TikTok, YouTube, and e-commerce platforms, blending entertainment with instant shopping.
• Interactive quizzes and polls: These ads ask a few fun or relevant questions and give instant feedback or personalized recommendations. They work well on websites and social platforms, increasing engagement by making the user feel involved.

6 Best examples of interactive digital ads

• Domino's Pizza: Domino's added a fun twist to online ordering by letting users place their usual pizza order through a simple emoji tweet. Once you set your favorite on their website, all it took was a slice emoji to set the order. It blended everyday habits with tech in a way that felt fresh and playful.

• New York Times: The New York Times shared a crossword ad on Instagram that tapped into both nostalgia and pop culture. It connected with a younger audience by referencing shows they grew up with and offered a direct way to try the crossword app. The quick swipe turned interest into action within seconds.

• Verizon Wireless: Verizon partnered with the Star Wars franchise and turned fan theories into a fun Twitter challenge. Users tweeted their guesses using a hashtag for a shot at winning movie tickets. It gave fans a reason to share their thoughts and kept the conversation rolling around both the movie and the brand.

• Budweiser: Budweiser ran print ads that used cryptic word pairs tied to pop culture and prompted users to search and figure them out. That curiosity turned into a guessing game that aroused tons of social media chatter. People shared their discoveries, and the campaign quietly tied everything back to the brand.

• Red Bull: Red Bull launched a series of brain challenges that tested problem-solving through games and puzzles. Participants from different parts of the world joined and turned it into a digital and real-world competition. It connected puzzle lovers and gave them a reason to stay involved over time.

• Spotify: During a heated election season, Spotify noticed people joking about moving to Canada and created a feature that matched their music taste with Canadian artists. It turned a trending topic into a clever tool for music discovery and added a playful spin to the political mood.

How to make an interactive ad with CapCut Web

CapCut Web is an all-in-one online editor that lets you create interactive ads directly in your browser. You also get access to templates for ads, stories, posts, and more. It also offers a full design space where you can create visuals from scratch using shapes, frames, text, stickers, and color palettes. For brand consistency, you can save your logo, background, fonts, and colors in the Brand Kit for quick use in projects.

A quick guide to using CapCut Web for interactive ads

Click the link to sign up for CapCut Web, then follow these three simple steps to create your interactive display ad from start to finish.

STEP 1
1. Open the image editor

Click "New image" under the image tab, and a new window will open with the full editing space. You can pick a ready-made size from the marketing section or type in your own dimensions in pixels or inches and hit "Create" to get started. Want something pre-designed? Scroll down to "Start with templates" to explore options that match your project style.

STEP 2
1. Create an interactive ad

You can now upload your product photo using the "Upload" option from the left panel. Once it's on the canvas, go to the "Shapes" or "Stickers" section and add elements, like arrows, icons, or stickers, that point toward buttons or key visuals to guide the attention.

Then, click "Text" and select a preset font template to add a "Tap to explore" or "Shop now" CTA button to give a clear direction to your viewers about the next step. In the case of a template, swap out the sample image and update the text to match your message.

To play with colors, go to the "Design" tab, choose a theme, pick colors from your image, or use "Optimize color" for a smart suggestion.

STEP 3
1. Export to your device

Lastly, click "Download all." Then, hit the little settings icon next to it to tweak the format, size, and quality. Pick what works best for your platform, and click "Download" one more time to save it to your device.

CapCut Web's key features for creating interactive advertisements

• Preset ad templates

CapCut Web offers a range of ready-to-edit templates that are already sized and styled for digital ads. These presets give you a quick starting point for your ad. Also, all designs are cleared for commercial use, so you don't have to second-guess where you post them.

• Stickers and shapes library

The built-in stickers and shapes libraries let you add bold details or create entire sections of your layout. You can resize, rotate, change opacity, or adjust colors to better fit your message. It's a quick way to guide attention or add some personality.

• Font styles and themes

The text library in CapCut Web gives you the option to find a suitable font for your ad design and customize its size, color, opacity, alignment, and style according to your brand requirements. The font options go beyond the basics and give you the flexibility to shift tone, mood, or emphasis in a few clicks.

• Text-to-design

If you're short on time, the text-to-design feature gets you started right away. Just type what the ad is about, and CapCut Web will arrange the layout using a smart mix of fonts, graphics, and placements. You still get full control to tweak everything afterward.

• One-click color optimization

CapCut's one-click color tool gives you suggestions that naturally blend with the design. You can apply tones pulled from your image or choose from preset schemes that line up with modern design trends.

Benefits of interactive display ads for your business

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1. Build recognition for your brand

When someone taps through a quick game, scrolls through an image carousel, or responds to a prompt, your brand stays with them longer. They might not notice the name the first time, but repeated moments like that start to leave a mark. Over time, it becomes more familiar, even if they haven't made a purchase yet.

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1. Attract potential customers

Static ads often get skipped, but interactive ones give people something to do. A short quiz, feature demo, or image slider catches attention and holds it for a few seconds more. That moment of curiosity can be enough to lead someone to your page and learn more on their own terms.

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1. Drive more product purchases

Static ads often get skipped, but interactive ones give people something to do. A short quiz, feature demo, or image slider catches attention and holds it for a few seconds more. That moment of curiosity can be enough to lead someone to your page and learn more on their own terms.

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1. Understand your customers better

Every click, tap, or skipped section gives you clues. It shows what people care about and what they ignore. Over time, those patterns reveal which message works and which design pulls attention.

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1. Encourage people to share your content

If an ad does something different, people notice. Maybe it asks a playful question, includes a pop culture moment, or reacts surprisingly. That spark gives someone a reason to send it to a friend or post it in a story. Once it starts showing up in more places, your message moves on its own through real conversations, not paid promotion.

Conclusion

In this article, we've explained what an interactive ad is and discussed its different types. We've also shared 6 best examples and the benefits of these advertisements. You also learned how CapCut Web gives you the tools to design your own ad using templates, stickers, custom text, and smart layout features. Get started with CapCut Web today to increase your conversion rate with engaging advertising.

FAQs

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1. Are interactive ads better?

Interactive ads often lead to stronger engagement because they involve the viewer rather than asking them to sit back and watch. When someone clicks, swipes, or responds, they're spending more time with your content, and that usually means better recall, more interest, and a higher chance of taking the next step. These ads also give you a clearer picture of what your audience likes based on how they interact with your content. If you're planning to design one, CapCut Web gives you more than basic editing tools. It brings interaction into the creative process by offering smart features like auto-layout from text prompts, customizable design elements, and brand kit integration. You can try different ad formats, test layouts, and tweak designs on the spot.

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1. How does interactive advertising work?

Interactive advertising invites the viewer to take part in the ad instead of only watching it. This could be through tapping, swiping, answering a question, or exploring product features directly in the ad. Each action gives you instant feedback and creates a connection between the user and your message. To design something like this, sign up on CapCut Web, open the image editor, select a template, and customize it according to your offer and message.

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1. Where are interactive digital ads used?

You'll find interactive digital ads on social media platforms, websites, mobile apps, video streams, and even smart TVs. They're used in feeds, sidebars, before video content, and inside games. Since these ads respond to user actions, they fit well into spaces where people already tap, scroll, and explore. CapCut Web offers everything you need to design such ads. You can simply use a text prompt and reference image, and it uses AI to generate an engaging layout for you. Not only that, but it also gives you the option to work with preset templates or create a design from scratch.