The dictionary says that a marketing campaign is an organized course of action to promote and sell a product or service. Adding a bit of creativity to the definition can generate the biggest marketing success ever known. That is the topic of our article today.
The formula is the same for everyone. However, every mathematical problem can be solved in several ways. It is easy to choose the wrong way or make mistakes on the right one. The more complex the task, the fewer people will come up with the correct answer. Of those top few, who will be the fastest?
Certain brands brought together individuals who formed great teams whose ideas resulted in one of the greatest marketing stories ever told.
Now let’s look at what geniuses from the industry have achieved that has been recorded as the greatest success in the world of marketing.
NIKE: JUST DO IT CAMPAIGN
Motivated by the success of its biggest competitor Reebok, Nike launched the “Just do it” campaign in 1988, which still works today.
With the campaign, they wanted to show that professional athletes, as well as recreational athletes, use the same footwear. The first commercial features an 80-year-old man who runs 17 miles every morning. Through the campaign, they achieved an emotional connection with the audience, which encouraged others to just do it.
COCA-COLA: SHARE A COKE CAMPAIGN
In 2022, Coca-Cola launched a new campaign in Australia. They wanted to encourage people to gather and share a Coke with someone. Different names were printed on bottle labels and people loved it. Everyone was trying to find certain names to share a Coke with.
An interesting twist is that customers took a game to social media where they started posting photos with their names on bottles.
This campaign targeted millennials and they did such a good behavioral analysis that landed them a spot on the top of marketing success.
OLD SPICE: THE MAN YOUR MAN CAN SMELL LIKE CAMPAIGN
Old Spice product is targeted at men, but the commercial they made in 2011, targeted women. A good-looking guy talks to women who are watching the commercial through a 30-second monologue. Since then, many other similar commercials were made, all being well received by the audience.
The Old Spice team used the type of humor people loved and it went viral on social media.
DOVE: REAL BEAUTY CAMPAIGN
While most of the commercials about cosmetics included models, Dove decided to include everyone. The campaign was aiming to build confidence, celebrate imperfections, promote aging as a naturally occurring thing, made us love all body types, etc.
In the end, customers try to find themselves in brands and Dove understood it and made it possible.
APPLE: GET A MAC CAMPAIGN
A total of 66 commercials were made through this 3-year campaign. There were 2 actors, one impersonating Mac and the other PC. They had conversations about “their” features. The aim was to present the superiority of Mac devices to Windows users.
Based on the success of Apple today, the campaign was a complete hit.
PEPSI: IS PEPSI OK CAMPAIGN
Pepsi used the slogan “IS PEPSI OK?” for the first time in 1988. What is important in this campaign is self-awareness. Being aware that Coca-Cola is too big to defeat, they had to find a way to use it to their advantage. Presenting themselves as the best second choice was a winning move.
P.S. don’t forget the commercial “We will rock you” with Britney Spears, Beyonce, Pink, Enrique Iglesias, Brian May and Roger Taylor.
ABSOLUTE VODKA: THE BOTTLE CAMPAIGN
Absolut Vodka is one of the most famous vodka brands. The unique feature of the product is a bottle shape, so they used quite a boring characteristic and made an interesting story about it.
They have launched 1500 different print ads and it pushed them to the top.
SNICKERS: YOU ARE NOT YOU WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY
Snickers decided to use celebrities and humor to attract attention. Successfully! The idea was to present their chocolate bar as a quick snack when you are hungry.
People implemented the catchy phrase in their lives which eventually positioned Snickers high on the list of first-choice candy bars.
HEINEKEN: WORLDS APART CAMPAIGN
This campaign came out as a social experiment. Two, absolutely different people were paired and they had to collaborate on tasks while finding common spots. After they formed a connection, they were presented with each others obstacles which they got a chance to discuss over a Heineken.
The campaign was not only a beer commercial but also highlighted some of the social issues and sensitive topics that are part of people’s lives.
Marketing is incredibly creative and it gives you an opportunity to make a meaningful impact. What is your favorite marketing success story?
Photo: Pexels (Yan Krukau)