The Week in Ads: 7 Campaigns That Doubled Down on Deals

Seven ad campaigns that made deals the star — and exactly how you can copy their mechanics

Struggling to find high-impact promotional ideas that actually convert? You’re not alone: deals are everywhere, but most are noisy, untrusted, or hard to scale. This week’s ads roundup pulls seven recent campaigns (from Ads of the Week picks and related brand moves) that didn’t just advertise — they embedded discount mechanics, bundle logic, and redemption flows into creative. If you want replicable ideas that drive sales, customer value, and measurable lift in 2026, read on.

Why deals matter more than ever in 2026

Late 2025 and early 2026 brought three shifts that change how promotional campaigns perform:

• Privacy-first targeting and first-party data mean promotions must reward sign-ups and memberships to power future ads.
• AI-driven creative testing lets brands automatically iterate on promo copy, bundle messaging, and CTA placement at scale.
• Commerce-enabled ad surfaces (social shops, live commerce, and QR-enabled OOH) make redeeming discounts frictionless — the campaign ends where the purchase begins.

Deals that treat conversion as a product feature — not a one-off — win. Embed the offer into creative and the checkout, and you’ll keep customers longer.

The Week in Ads: 7 campaigns that doubled down on deals

1) KFC — Making Tuesdays a Habit (Most Effective Ad inspiration)

What we saw: KFC amplified the long-standing “Tuesday deal” by locking a discounted combo behind a weekly cadence and promoting it via short social spots and local store promos. The creative turned a day of the week into a ritual and an expectation.

Why it worked: Ritual + scarcity = repeat purchase. When a discount is tied to a predictable cadence, it converts first-timers and encourages habit formation.

1. Pick a cadence — daily, weekly, or monthly — that fits product cadence and margins.
2. Create a high-perceived-value bundle priced to entice incremental purchases.
3. Gate the offer behind an email or SMS opt-in to build first-party data for retargeting.
4. Promote the cadence across paid social, local search, and in-app messages so nearby customers see it when they’re ready to buy.
5. A/B test simple CTAs ("Claim Today’s Deal" vs "Save on Tuesdays") and measure repeat rate at 30 and 90 days.

KPIs: redemption rate, repeat purchase rate, incremental revenue vs. non-promo days.

2) Heinz — Product-led Retail Promo with QR Redemption

What we saw: Heinz’s ad solved a real pain (portable ketchup) while linking to a retail bundle and a QR-based coupon for instant in-store or online redemption.

Why it worked: Ads that solve a problem increase willingness to pay; QR codes bridge creative and commerce with near-zero friction.

• Use product storytelling: show a clear problem, then the bundle or pack that fixes it.
• Add a scannable QR on creative and packaging that opens a mobile-first coupon or instant add-to-cart with the discount applied.
• Partner with retailers to surface the bundle in-store endcaps and on retailer product pages.
• Offer an exclusive SKU-code only available through the ad or QR to track attribution.

KPIs: QR scans, coupon redemptions, uplift in partnered retail ATL vs. non-promoted stores.

3) e.l.f. x Liquid Death — Collab Drop with Limited-Time Bundle

What we saw: The goth musical collab between e.l.f. and Liquid Death did more than generate buzz — limited-edition bundles and promo codes were front-and-center on social commerce drops.

Why it worked: Collaborations create scarcity and new product codes; pairing that with time-bound bundles drives FOMO and simplifies the path to buy.

1. Find a partner whose audience partially overlaps to amplify reach without cannibalizing your base.
2. Create a limited-edition bundle (co-branded SKU) and limit quantity to create urgency.
3. Use timed ad creative (countdown overlays) and gated early-bird discounts for newsletter subscribers.
4. Amplify drops via creators who can demo the bundle and include unique coupon codes to measure creator ROI.

KPIs: sell-through rate, cost per acquisition by creator partner, repeat buyers of regular SKUs after collab.

4) Skittles — Stunt-Driven Promo + Direct-to-Fan Offer

What we saw: Instead of a Super Bowl buy, Skittles used attention-grabbing stunts and offered limited-edition packs via direct channels, including a small discount for early purchasers and an upsell bundle (tasting pack + merch).

Why it worked: Big stunts pull attention; pairing that with a DTC offer captures value and customer data rather than just eyeballs.

• Design a PR-forward stunt that fits the brand voice and collect pre-orders via a landing page.
• Offer an early-bird discount + bundle option (product + exclusive merch) to monetize the hype.
• Use dynamic retargeting to upsell customers who viewed the landing page but didn’t buy.
• Follow up with a cross-sell campaign ("Loved the limited pack? Try the sampler at 15% off") to increase LTV.

KPIs: pre-order conversion rate, revenue per visitor, email acquisition cost.

5) Cadbury — Emotional Story + Retail Coupon Partnership

What we saw: Cadbury ran a heartfelt spot and paired it with retailer-specific coupons (redeemable online or at checkout) that were unlocked via short-form ad CTAs and social links.

Why it worked: Emotion drives shareability; retailer coupons make redemption easy and traceable so Cadbury and retail partners can measure true lift.

1. Create creative that earns attention and links emotionally to a product-use case.
2. Offer retailer-exclusive coupons to encourage purchase where margin and distribution align.
3. Use UTM-tagged links and specific coupon codes per retailer to attribute conversion accurately.
4. Segment audiences by channel (social vs. connected TV vs. OLV) and deliver tailored coupon formats: QR for OOH/CTV, click-to-claim for social.

KPIs: coupon redemptions by retailer, uplift vs baseline sales, social shares of the spot.

6) Gordon Ramsay x I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter — Influencer-Backed Promotion

What we saw: A celebrity creative spot gave way to a cookbook-style giveaway and coupon for product trials, with influencer partners offering limited-time discount codes and recipe bundles.

Why it worked: When a celebrity endorsement is combined with a tangible offer (coupon + recipe bundle), consumers are more likely to try the product immediately and share results.

• Pair talent or creators with a tangible offer (coupon or free digital good) to avoid passive brand moments.
• Give creators unique codes to link content to conversion and track performance.
• Package a low-friction digital freebie (recipe ebook, how-to video) with the coupon to increase perceived value.
• Recycle creator content into paid ads with the same coupon code to scale winning creatives.

KPIs: influencer conversion rate, CAC from creator channel, downloads of bundled digital assets.

7) DTC Brand Example — Subscription Discount + Welcome Bundle

What we saw (representative DTC pattern from recent ads): a clean social ad promoting a welcome bundle with a first-month discount and a free sample add-on, plus an easy “skip” subscription policy to lower friction for trial.

Why it worked: Lowering subscription anxiety with a generous onboarding discount and an easy cancellation or skip policy lifts trial conversions while still providing a path to retained revenue.

1. Offer a steep first-order discount (or free trial sample) but make ongoing price clear to avoid churn from surprises.
2. Include a small free add-on in the welcome pack to increase box value and social unboxing potential.
3. Use clear copy about cancellation/skip policy and incorporate post-purchase flows to convert trials into long-term subs.
4. Test promo length (first month vs first three months) to find the best balance of conversion vs. churn.

KPIs: trial-to-paid conversion, 90-day retention, LTV:CAC ratio.

Common discount mechanics these ads used (and why they work)

Across the seven campaigns, certain discount mechanics recur because they’re easy to test and scale:

• Time-bound scarcity (drops, daily deals): drives urgency and immediate traffic.
• Bundling: increases average order value and simplifies the purchase decision.
• Gated discounts (email/SMS opt-ins): grow first-party data for retargeting in a cookieless world.
• QR and code tracking: connect OOH/CTV brand moments to measurable commerce outcomes.
• Creator-specific codes: attribute and optimize creator-driven promotions.

Actionable playbook — 10 steps to build a deal-driven ad campaign that converts

1. Start with margin math: decide the max discount you can sustain and the minimum AOV you need.
2. Choose mechanics: bundle, time-bound, subscription discount, or gated coupon. Keep offers simple.
3. Design a single “hero” creative that explains the value prop in 3 seconds for social and 15 seconds for OLV/CTV.
4. Use AI creative tools to generate 6–8 variant headlines and CTAs, but control the offer copy so the value remains constant.
5. Gate the best discounts behind opt-ins to turn one-time buyers into addressable audiences.
6. Implement tracking with unique coupon codes, QR redirects, and UTM parameters for accurate attribution.
7. Run creator and paid channel tests in parallel; prioritize creators with proven conversion codes.
8. Optimize the checkout to auto-apply discounts and minimize steps; show savings clearly at every point.
9. Follow up post-purchase with cross-sell emails that offer a shorter, smaller second-order discount to encourage re-purchase.
10. Measure incremental lift with holdout groups — never assume lift without testing.

2026-specific insights & predictions

Prepare your deal strategy for three platform and consumer changes in 2026:

• Creative AI will drive personalization at scale: use AI to tailor offer language to micro-segments (family buyers vs. impulse buyers) and A/B test at runtime.
• First-party data is currency: the most sustainable promotions are those that trade value for identity (coupon-for-email) so you can retarget after cookies fade.
• Cross-channel redemption matters: customers expect to see an ad on CTV, scan a QR on OOH, and redeem on mobile — build seamless redemption paths.

Conversion tips: copy, CTA, and creative formulas that work

Use these micro-formulas in your next ad:

• Copy: Problem — Solution — Offer ("Spills everywhere? Portable pack + 25% off today").
• CTA: Replace vague CTAs with intent-driven CTAs: "Claim 25% & Add to Cart" or "Reserve Your Drop."
• Visuals: Show the discount visually (price slashed, bundle contents) and a clear redemption step (QR or code input).

Verification & trust — how to reduce deal skepticism

Deals that look too good or too complex breed mistrust. Use these trust signals:

• Display a verification badge or partner retailer logo when an offer is validated by a trusted source.
• Clearly state terms (expiration, exclusions) in the ad landing page — transparency reduces checkout abandonment.
• Provide a visible customer support channel in the checkout and confirmation messaging.

Final takeaways

In 2026, the best ad campaigns don’t hide their discounts — they showcase them as product features, embed easy redemption paths, and use promos to build first-party relationships. The seven ads above show practical, repeatable mechanics: ritualized deals, QR-linked coupons, collab bundles, creator codes, and subscription welcome offers. All are compatible with privacy-first targeting and AI-driven creative testing.

Use the playbook in this article to design one test campaign this quarter: pick one discount mechanic, gate it for data capture, and run a 2-week A/B test with a holdout group. Measure redemption, repeat rate, and LTV uplift. Small experiments, repeated, are how trending deals become dependable growth levers.

Call to action

Want a ready-to-run promo brief based on one of these seven mechanics? Submit your brand and margin constraints to our free template library and get a tailored campaign brief + creative checklist. Click below to claim your verification badge and a starter coupon workflow you can deploy in 48 hours.

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