SaaS marketing examples
How software companies got attention and sign-ups, from free tools and referral loops to open letters and Super Bowl ads. Grouped by tactic, with a one-line version for your product.
Doable with a small team, gifting or a simple partner swap.
Needs a paid creator, some production or a co-branded product run.
Celebrity fees, TV airtime or a large custom build.
Budget is our estimate of what it would take to run the same idea yourself, not what the brand spent.
The funny ad
6 examples
Truth: one thing everyone recognises about [TOPIC] Joke: exaggerate it until it's absurd Product: the punchline or the fix Length: under 60 seconds
Budget: Small to mid.
Did You Mean MailChimp?
Mailchimp leaned into people mispronouncing its name, launching spoof brands and products built on the misheard versions, like MailShrimp.
Result Won a Cyber Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2017.
Why it spread
It took a small, common annoyance and turned it into a puzzle people wanted to decode and share. Source
Calling JohnMalkovich.com
In its Super Bowl ad, Squarespace showed John Malkovich making an increasingly angry phone call to the person who owns johnmalkovich.com, the domain he needs for his fashion site.
Result Won an Emmy, per Adweek.
Why it spread
Based on something that really happened to Malkovich, it made the pain of a taken domain funny and familiar. Source
MailKimp
Mailchimp's short ad on the Serial podcast featured someone mispronouncing its name as "MailKimp", and listeners made it a running joke.
Result An 81% spike in Twitter mentions when Serial returned in 2015, per Marketing Dive.
Why it spread
An odd, repeated line on a show people binge becomes part of the show. Source
B2B that isn't boring
Scayle, an e-commerce platform, made a very funny promo to prove business marketing doesn't have to be dull.
Why it spread
Humour stands out in a category where almost everyone is serious. Source
Stop calling them rock stars
Workday's Super Bowl ad had Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett, Billy Idol, Paul Stanley and Gary Clark Jr. object to office workers being called "rock stars".
Why it spread
A B2B brand used a mass-audience joke about office jargon everyone recognises. Source
The fake band
Zendesk invented an indie band called Zendesk Alternative, so people searching for alternatives to Zendesk found Zendesk's own joke.
Why it spread
It meets competitor-comparison searches with a laugh instead of a sales pitch, and the joke got written about. Source
The billboard or street ad
5 examples
Site: [PLACE] that adds to the message Twist: [MOVEMENT / GAP / PUN / SOMETHING TO TAKE] Words: fewer than seven Capture: a clean photo for press on day one
Budget: Small to mid.
Ads with a Purpose
For its People for Smarter Cities platform, IBM and Ogilvy France made billboards that curved into a rain shelter, a bench and a bike ramp.
Result Won the Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2013, per Fast Company.
Why it spread
An ad that is useful to people on the street proves the smarter-cities message instead of just saying it. Source
The bursting billboard
Expense management app Perk built a billboard overflowing with receipts to show the chaos of expense claims.
Why it spread
Every office worker recognises the pain, so the ad sells the product without explaining it. Source
Fake transparency
A Canva billboard mocked fake "transparent" logos to promote its Background Remover tool.
Why it spread
A design in-joke shows exactly what the feature fixes. Source
The brutally honest billboard
AI startup Cluely ran a Times Square billboard that went the opposite way from the usual big-budget spectacle.
Why it spread
Being blunt among flashy ads is what makes people look. Source
Ask your developer
Twilio put three words on a red billboard on Highway 101: "Ask your developer."
Why it spread
Executives who didn't understand the product asked their developers, who already loved it. Source
The stunt
4 examples
Act: [WHAT YOU DO] in [PUBLIC PLACE / LIVE MOMENT] Twist: the one thing people will repeat Proof: why it fits your product Capture: film it properly and send to press the same day
Budget: Mid to big.
Watson on Jeopardy!
IBM's Watson computer competed on Jeopardy! against its two greatest champions.
Result Watson won.
Why it spread
A quiz show made an abstract enterprise technology easy for anyone to understand. Source
The de-location package
Zapier offered new hires $10,000 to move out of the San Francisco Bay Area, promoting its fully remote setup.
Why it spread
An offer that flips a normal perk becomes a headline and a recruiting ad. Source
Open salaries
Buffer published its salary formula and every employee's salary on its blog.
Why it spread
Radical transparency made a small company the reference point for a topic people search and link to. Source
No Software
Salesforce hired fake protesters with "No Software" signs outside a rival's conference.
Why it spread
A startup picking a fight with the market leader got it press it couldn't have paid for. Source
The emotional story
4 examples
Story: one person and one small moment Turn: a reveal or kindness near the end Product: part of the plot, not a pack shot Length: 60 seconds to 3 minutes
Budget: Mid to big.
The Future
CrowdStrike returned to the Super Bowl with a futuristic Wild West ad in which its AI character protects a town from cyber adversaries.
Why it spread
Turning abstract threats into a story gives a technical product a hero. Source
Your everyday AI companion
Microsoft used the Super Bowl to launch Copilot, showing everyday people being told they can't do something, then using AI to try.
Why it spread
A human story about ambition makes a new tech product feel personal. Source
The New Frontier
Salesforce's Super Bowl ad had Matthew McConaughey reject space and the metaverse and argue for fixing Earth instead.
Why it spread
Taking a side against the billionaire space race gave a software ad something to talk about. Source
5 to 9
Dolly Parton reworked 9 to 5 as 5 to 9 for Squarespace, celebrating people building side businesses after work.
Why it spread
A famous song rewritten for your customers makes the product the hero of their story. Source
Make the product do the marketing
3 examples
Feature: something useful or shareable inside [PRODUCT / PACK / APP] Moment: when people use it most Share: built in, one tap Measure: uses and shares
Budget: Small to mid.
Website Grader
HubSpot launched a free tool that scored any website's marketing out of 100.
Result Over 2 million websites graded by early 2010, per HubSpot.
Why it spread
A free score about your own site is irresistible, and every user is a qualified lead. Source
One, Ten, One Hundred
Wistia had the same agency make three ads for its product at $1,000, $10,000 and $100,000, then filmed a documentary about it and published the results.
Why it spread
The experiment is the marketing: every video maker wants to know if budget matters. Source
A Boy and His Atom
IBM made the world's smallest stop-motion film by moving individual atoms.
Why it spread
It explains invisible work in a way anyone can watch in a minute. Source
The collab
3 examples
Partner: [BRAND / PERSON] with an obvious link to you Thing: one product, ad or event you make together Run: limited Launch: both post the same day
Budget: Small to mid.
USB002 files
Dropbox and Fred again.. released working creative files from his USB002 tour for fans to use.
Why it spread
It gives creators something real, and shows the product doing its actual job. Source
The expense-able music video
Expense app Expensify released an interactive music video in which 2 Chainz raps about his spending.
Why it spread
A rapper bragging about spending is the funniest possible way to explain expense reports. Source
The Sleeping Tapes
Squarespace's Super Bowl campaign starred Jeff Bridges building a website for his 'Sleeping Tapes' project.
Why it spread
A real, odd celebrity project gave people something to go and look up after the ad. Source
More ideas
3 examples
Idea: [WHAT YOU'LL DO] Why it fits: [LINK TO YOUR PRODUCT] Where: [CHANNEL / PLACE] When: [DATE / MOMENT]
Budget: Varies.
The App Store fight
When Apple rejected the new HEY email app over in-app purchases at launch, its makers fought publicly until Apple approved it.
Why it spread
A public fight with a giant gave a new product days of coverage. Source
Dear Microsoft
The day Microsoft announced a rival product, Slack ran a full-page open letter in The New York Times "welcoming" it, with advice on what it would take to compete.
Why it spread
Welcoming a giant rival makes the challenger look confident and gets the story written from its side. Source
Free space for referrals
Users earned extra free storage for each friend who signed up, and the friend got bonus space too.
Why it spread
Both sides got paid in the one thing they actually wanted.
How to use these ideas
- Start with a free tool or referral loop so growth doesn't depend on ads.
- Take a clear public position against something your buyers dislike.
- Turn your product's data or experiments into stories.
- Use humour. Most of your rivals won't.
- Measure sign-ups and activation, not impressions.
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See how it worksSaaS Marketing Examples: FAQ
What are some successful SaaS marketing examples?
Dropbox's referral space, HubSpot's Website Grader, Slack's letter to Microsoft, Mailchimp's MailKimp podcast ad and Twilio's Ask Your Developer billboard.
What is a good SaaS marketing strategy?
Build growth into the product (referrals, free tools, shareable results), then add campaigns that give people a reason to talk: a clear position, a public experiment, a stunt.
How do SaaS companies get their first users?
Free tools, waitlists, referral rewards and a founder or team with a clear point of view are the common starting points in these examples.
More viral marketing examples
By industry and season
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