What are the 7 main types of advertising?

The 7 main types of advertising are social media advertising, search advertising, display advertising, video advertising, influencer advertising, native advertising, and out-of-home (OOH) advertising. Each type serves a distinct purpose in the marketing funnel, from building brand awareness to driving direct conversions — and understanding how they differ is the key to building a campaign that actually works.

Breaking Down the 7 Main Types of Advertising

• Social Media Advertising: Paid and organic content distributed across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. This is currently the most engagement-rich format available to brands of any size.
• Search Advertising: Ads that appear in search engine results pages (SERPs) when users type specific queries. Google Ads is the dominant player. These capture high-intent audiences who are already looking to buy.
• Display Advertising: Visual banner or image ads placed across websites and apps in ad networks. Best for retargeting and building brand recall at scale.
• Video Advertising: Short or long-form video content served pre-roll, mid-roll, or in-feed. Video consistently outperforms static formats in engagement and brand lift.
• Influencer Advertising: Partnering with creators who have established audiences. This blurs the line between paid media and organic content, often generating outsized trust signals.
• Native Advertising: Sponsored content that matches the look and feel of its surrounding editorial environment — think promoted articles, in-feed sponsored posts, or recommended content widgets.
• Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising: Billboards, transit ads, digital signage, and any format that reaches people in physical spaces. OOH is experiencing a renaissance through digital and programmatic buying.

What Top-Performing Ads Actually Look Like in Practice

Knowing the types is only half the equation. What separates a good ad from a great one is the creative execution within each format. Based on Elixon's analysis of top-performing ads across industries, the data tells a striking story about what drives engagement.

Across a sample of 8 posts analysed by Elixon spanning 6 industries — Automotive, Fashion, Pets, Food & Beverage, Luxury, and Beauty — the combined engagement reached 3,866,605 total likes. That is not an accident. These posts shared a common trait: they led with emotionally resonant hooks that felt native to the platform rather than overtly "advertorial."

For example, @mcdonalds achieved 479,473 likes and 4,935 comments with an 8.7% engagement rate by leaning into cultural relevance — a SpongeBob x One Piece Happy Meal collaboration that felt like a moment, not a menu push. @weratedogs generated 391,165 likes with a 6.5% engagement rate using authentic storytelling about a rescued dog — proof that social media advertising rewards humanity over hard selling.

On the luxury end, @chanelofficial delivered 89,199 likes and @lamborghini earned 113,878 likes — both with remarkably low 0.2% engagement rates that are entirely normal for their audience size and content type. This highlights an important nuance: the right metric depends on the advertising type and industry. A 0.2% engagement rate for a luxury or automotive brand is not underperformance — it reflects a massive follower base with passive but aspirational consumption habits.

The most effective advertisers do not pick one type of advertising — they understand which format aligns with their funnel stage, then craft creative that feels native to that environment.

This is where intelligence platforms like Elixon become valuable. Rather than guessing which ad type or creative angle to pursue, marketers can analyse what is already working across 70+ industry categories — tracking competitor hooks, engagement scores, and creative patterns — then produce AI-generated ads directly from those insights.

Which Advertising Type Should You Use?

The honest answer is: it depends on your goal. Use search ads when intent is high and purchase decisions are imminent. Use social and video ads to build awareness and emotional connection. Use native ads to earn trust without interrupting. Use influencer advertising when you need social proof at scale. Use OOH to dominate local or mass-market visibility. The strongest campaigns layer multiple types together, each reinforcing the others at different points in the customer journey.