What Advertising can Teach L&D

Is it possible that employees need more from us? 

Picture a glossy ad that pops that up on your screen—bright colours, an attractive influencer, a snappy tagline, and a catchy tune you’ll hum for days, whether you like it or not. Now imagine your company’s latest mandatory compliance training: a 38-slide PowerPoint presentation, with a beige background and, if you’re lucky, a voiceover that sounds like it’s narrating a cricket match (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Which one grabs your attention? Which one sticks? If you’re reluctantly learning toward the ad, you’re not alone—and yes, it’s empty calories. But L&D managers and instructional designers, take note: we would do well to borrow a few tricks from the Madison Avenue advertising playbook.

Let’s admit it: we quite often hate advertising when we’re the target, but companies invest in it heavily because it works.

Advertising isn’t just about selling wellness or car insurance; it’s a masterclass in human psychology, attention-grabbing, and behaviour-shaping. Our corporate learning, on the other hand, too often feels like a lecture in an empty hall from a well-meaning, but monotone, out-of-touch professor.  There’s no competition when it comes to employee attention.

So, let’s look at what the ad world can teach our L&D departments—because if you can convince someone to buy a $5 takeaway cappuccino that they can make themselves for $0.42 cents, you can get employees to care about more about helping themselves to upskill.

Here are 6 things we think advertising can teach L&D teams in planning their training outreach:

1. Capture attention: the effective hook

In advertising, the first rule is simple: if people don’t see it and remember it, they won’t buy it. Social media influencers shimmy and shine, and occasionally we find ourselves motivated to look up from our snacks. Meanwhile, corporate learning is pressed with getting employees to dutifully do what we ask them because it’s good for them, and besides, they’re required to do it.

For the most part, employees won’t look up, or at the very least, many will have to be dragged to look up. Employee attention is a battlefield, and our training is competing with an inbox deluge, a Slack ping, and an Insta scroll.

Consider taking a page from advertisers—make it unmissable. Use humour, intrigue, or a surprising fact in your training introductions. Tease the training with an email subject line: “One skill that will make your work life easier”, “Did you know…” If your L&D team is into it, consider gamifying the launch with a leaderboard or a “first 50 finishers get coffee vouchers” hook.

The goal? Make it easier for employees to click, and not feel like they’re simply ticking a compliance box.

Quick Change Tip: Revise the course summary text in your LMS to jazz it up a bit. Have another look at the variety of hooks in your course invitation emails and reminders.

2. Compete for mindshare: from white noise to earworms

Effective ads don’t just nab your eyeballs; they work their way into your brain. “I’m lovin’ it.” “Just do it.” “Did someone say KFC?” We know the brands without naming them. And just why is that?

Repetition, emotion, and a bit of cleverness. It’s easy for us in corporate learning to deliver a one-and-done info dump—here’s some content, here’s the quiz, please, please, please take it by the end of the month. It’s no wonder that employees forget 70% of it within 24 hours (yes, that’s the forgetting curve kicking in).

Consider using multiple channels, reinforcing core training messages through email reminders, posters in the lunchroom, short microlearning videos, and peer discussions. If our learners see it everywhere, they’re more likely to remember.

To stick, training needs to be memorable. Leverage storytelling— perhaps swap “Here’s our cybersecurity policy” for “Meet Ron, who clicked the wrong link, turned one of our servers into a hacker’s playground, and lost our department 2 days of work.”

Consider adding a bit of humour or surprise: a funny cartoon of Ron, talking to his co-workers about two-factor authentication. Repeat key takeaways with interesting  slogans—“Lock it down, level up!”—and sprinkle them across posters and appropriate Slack channels.

The more it lingers, the more it lands.

Now admittedly, for many of us, this can feel a little bit slimy, but we should try to get over it: it works.

Quick Change Tip: The human brain is conditioned to skip over content that is predictable and bland. Consider building an L&D variability framework within L&D to ensure that your messaging isn’t predictable, and that surprise is the new norm. 

3. Drive action: from “not bad…” to “I’ll do it”
Effective advertising doesn’t stop at awareness—it pushes us to act. “Buy now”, “Call today”, “Sign up for free.” We, in L&D, often forget this step, leaving our employees with a vague “Well, that was interesting,” but not a clue as to what to do next.

If an important goal is to drive employee application of new knowledge—say, using a new software system or handling customers in a more empathetic way—our training needs a clear call-to-action baked in.

Incorporate real-world exercises or challenges that prompt employees to use their newly acquired skills. For instance, after a workshop on communication, ask participants to submit a short presentation for peer feedback within 24 hours, then follow the request up. Try to make it crystal clear what learners need to do once the session or course is over. If they walk out without a plan, it’s just another “interesting” training session that never gets used.

Consider borrowing from the urgency of the ad world: “Try this technique in your next meeting, and notice the reaction you’ll get.” Break the call-to-action into smaller challenges: “Day 1: Test this system shortcut. Day 2: Pass it on to a colleague.”

Or lean on social proof, “Don’t be left behind…” and think about subtle testimonials like: “Sarah closed 10% more deals in her next quarter after taking this module, and applying it.”

Make acting on the training irresistible, not optional.

Quick Change Tip: The human brain often needs an overt push to act. Consider building an L&D call-to-action framework within L&D to ensure that your team has a rich index of calls to action – again variability is needed here.

4. Rewards, not yawns: subtle dopamine

Have you ever noticed how effective ads dangle carrots? “Buy one, get one free!” “Limited time offer!” “First 50 customers to call…” They tap into our reward-seeking brains. The best we tend to get in corporate learning is more like: “Please finish this or somebody in HR will be on your case.” It’s no wonder engagement suffers.

Imagine flipping the script. It may take a concerted set up, but consider offering micro-rewards that fit your corporate culture—digital badges, a team-based achievement goal, or small work perks (perhaps extra PTO hours, or have a coffee on L&D). Consider tying reward to career wins: “Master this, and you’re one step closer to moving up.” When employees feel the payoff, they’re not just completing training—they’re chasing it.

Quick Change Tip: Rewards are tricky, because they need to be sustained, but also easy to chop and change. Get the L&D team together and brainstorm what kinds of rewards might fit within the corporate culture you want, and how can they be sustained and renewed periodically.

5. The bottom line: sell the why with the what

Great advertising doesn’t just pitch a product—it sells us a feeling, a lifestyle, a better us. Corporate learning would do well to  the same: teach a skill, but also sell the why—how it makes work easier, wins respect, or future-proofs their career.

It often helps to paint the bigger picture—the why behind the skill. Make it personal and inspiring. Use success stories, real-life applications, and future-focused language that positions your training as a stepping stone to “a better me” at work.

Frame it like a memorable ad campaign. Think: “Be the problem-solver your team needs.” It’s a simple hook that sells more than a new skill—it sells the sense of pride, achievement, and futureproofing that comes with it.

6. Test, measure, refine – taking time to get it right

Smart advertisers never assume—they constantly measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and tweak as needed. L&D teams should do the same.

Two things to try:

• Set Clear KPIs—for instance, measure participation rates, knowledge retention, or real-world usage (e.g. reduced errors, faster project completion).

• Try using the A/B Test: If you can gather the right time and resources, try out different communication styles or formats (video vs. text-based) to see which resonates best. Use data to guide  your adjustments.

Quick Change Tip: Don’t wait until the program is over to collect feedback. Run quick pulse surveys to see what’s working, then pivot accordingly
 

Your Call to Action!

(sorry, that was a bit obvious.)

Advertising and corporate learning might not seem like kindred spirits at first glance, but both share a crucial mission: capturing attention, conveying a message, changing minds, and prompting action. By borrowing tactics from the ad world—snappy messages, emotional hooks, clear calls to action, and constant measurement—our L&D teams can move from dull “tick-the-box” sessions to more immersive, more motivating experiences.

The next time you’re designing a training program, channel your inner ad exec—grab attention, spark interest, and push for action.