An effective marketing campaign is so important to an organization’s success.
Your product or service may be better than your competition, but without an effective marketing campaign, your audience will never know. Even the smallest adjustments to any marketing campaign your team creates can garner new eyes and loyal customers.
Here are a few tips from experts within the business and marketing world on how you can make the most of your marketing campaigns.
Dove’s #ReverseSelfie Campaign
“Social media is full of filters that continue to perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards that destroy people’s confidence. Dove sought to combat this with its #ReverseSelfie campaign in 2022. In the video, we see a girl post a selfie in reverse, removing a heavily edited beauty filter to reveal her true face. We see the unedited shape of her chin, eyes, hair, and everything else. The message is obvious – the beauty standards of social media are unhealthy and harm the youth of today. What makes this an effective campaign however is that Dove, being a brand in the beauty realm, is tackling an issue that is prevalent in that industry now.”
– Bill Lyons, CEO of Griffin Funding
Be the Change
“One of the most successful marketing campaigns in 2022 was the ‘Be the Change’ campaign that the American Red Cross ran. This campaign’s objective is to increase the number of people who donate blood, which is a valuable resource for the many individuals who need it.
“The marketing campaign uses various promotional channels, such as advertisements displayed on bus stop posters, advertisements posted online, and television commercials. These advertisements often feature well-known actors and actresses like Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie, to name just a few.
“As a result of the campaign, people could donate blood, which was the drive’s purpose.”
– Jacob Dayan, Co-founder of Community Tax
Food for the Poor
“A fantastic marketing campaign of 2022 that has been extremely beneficial to the community and homeless is the Food for the Poor campaign!
“One of the many reasons this marketing campaign is effective is because it utilizes targeted content to decrease abandonment and increase conversions. It also presents 3 options to the website visitors about leaving a donation. The reason this campaign is effective is that it appeals to visitors who want to give but aren’t sure how or how much to give. By reminding them of a variety of easy ways to contribute, the campaign can help nonprofit organizations convert more web visitors to donors and volunteers!
“Also, the layout and design of the site are simple and extremely easy to navigate and use.”
-Chris Hunter, Director of Customer Relations at Service Titan
“In the modern marketing landscape, being able to grab people’s attention in a short span of time is pivotal to a campaign’s success. This is true even when a company has managed to obtain lucrative ad space for an extremely captive audience.
“Super Bowl airspace is both greatly sought after and extremely expensive, so the initial instinct is to utilize as much time as you can afford. However, Reddit took a novel approach. Rather than the standard 30-second airtime, they purchased a 5-second ad slot for the Super Bowl. The ad displayed what looked like a generic car commercial before suddenly cutting out with a glitchy effect to some text that is all but impossible to read in the time it’s onscreen before it cuts to horses running in a field.
“This ad communicates very little, but it caught people’s attention as they flocked online all collectively wondering what it was they had ever seen. Their gamble paid off, as a post displaying the ad on their official Twitter account holds 465.5k views, showing the power that intrigue and mystery can possess.”
-Adrien Dissous, Global SVP of Marketing at Babo Botanicals
Apple
“A proper ad campaign both captivates the viewer and conveys why the product/service on display is so worthwhile. Additionally, audiences are more receptive to content that doesn’t feel explicitly like an ad.
“Apple demonstrated these principles admirably in their ‘Saving Simon’ ad, part of their ‘Shot on iPhone’ commercial series. Though it is an advertisement, what is on display is instead a short movie about a young girl doing her best to preserve her snowman by keeping it in the freezer until the next holiday season. It is charming, captivating, and humorous, but there’s nothing in the way of extolling Apple’s products themselves.
“Rather, the point is made by showing a professionally shot and edited short movie that was done entirely through iPhone, opening up the possibility for consumers to do the same. They are able to convey the value proposition of their phones entirely through showing what it’s capable of.”
-Jonathan Krieger, Vice President of Sales at Fabuwood Cabinetry Corp.
Duolingo
“Duolingo has had one of the most creative social media marketing campaigns I have seen this year.
“Like many influencers and entertainers, Duolingo has been using TikTok as a way to connect to millions of people through creative and entertaining posts. Their posts clearly target the younger Gen Z audience and are smart in staying up to date with the latest trends and topics in pop culture. Duolingo’s greatest success in their campaign was making their owl mascot, Duo, the star of all of their videos.
“By keeping Duo as the main focus in all of their very entertaining posts, they essentially created their very own influencer with 4.8 million followers.”
-Brandon Brown, CEO of GRIN
Ikea
“Ikea had a recently successful marketing campaign when they partnered with Pinterest. The main reason this campaign was successful is because it capitalized on its audience’s interests.
“It is common knowledge that social media is widely used by most consumers. Especially in the home and design space, visual inspiration is spread across Pinterest daily. This was a great opportunity for a brand to bridge platforms and connect with its audience by targeting where they are spending most of their time online.
“The Ikea interactive product questionnaire built into Pinterest was extremely successful and showed how powerful it can be to create a message and tool that resonates with your ideal customer.”
-Greg Dean, CEO of Layla Sleep
Use of Face Recognition Software
“I think the best marketing campaign in 2022 is to utilize face recognition software to target ads and coupons to specific people. This software is already being used to target particular people on the internet.
“I think it will be fairly easy to transition to brick-and-mortar stores. I can see this being used as effectively outside as in stores. Google, Facebook, and other sites are already using this software.
“These days, it is simple to integrate this software into a physical store so that it can recognize your face as you go through it. In any case, I believe it will be the next big thing in marketing.”
– Matt Gehring, Head of Marketing at Dutch
Smile
“A viral marketing campaign that started very recently has taken the internet by storm. The campaign is meant to promote an upcoming horror movie called Smile and the campaign consists of people photobombing MLB games and morning talk shows with them smiling creepily into the camera.
“This marketing campaign has received a ton of attention on platforms, such as TikTok and Twitter, mostly because it is such a unique way to promote a product.
“The first instance of this campaign being caught on camera was at an Oakland A’s versus New York Mets game a few days ago in which you could see a woman in a bright green shirt, smiling behind home plate.
“Upon a little more research about the Smile campaign, one can see they have set up an entire website and phone hotline for people to interact with.
“There was another instance that occurred during a recording of the Today Show in which you could see a woman standing outside a window, wearing a bright green shirt and an umbrella, standing there with a very creepy smile on their face.
“This campaign is genius because it gets people talking about what they saw and once they start talking with others about it, they soon realize it is all to promote an upcoming film called Smile. This campaign has been trending on social media platforms for a few days now, so it is safe to say that the marketing campaign has been very successful.”
Amy Adlerstein, SR. Retention Marketing Manager for Canvas People
Google Search On
“One of the most successful marketing campaigns is Google’s ‘Search On’ campaign. People were encouraged to use Google to look up information and find solutions to their problems as part of the campaign.
“The campaign was a huge success, evidenced by the five percent rise in traffic to Google Search during its first year of operation.
“The most successful advertising campaigns of 2022 will inspire people to enjoy their lives to the fullest, be open to change, and use technology to give them more control over their lives. These campaigns are successful because they speak to the requirements and aspirations of the target audience.”
Hilary Kozak, Vice President of Marketing for LivSmooth
Hubspot
“Hubspot’s milestone celebration was able to act as one of the best marketing campaigns of 2022. This year, Hubspot celebrated 1,000 app integrations in their marketplace. The company used this as an opportunity to run a marketing campaign across multiple different channels that showcased its growing success.
“Not only did this campaign appeal to current customers but it showed prospective customers of the wide range of possibilities available with Hubspot’s platform.
“In this campaign, top partners were also leveraged to put a spotlight on the high-level integrations and gain additional publicity from the partners themselves. All in all, Hubspot used a company milestone to create a highly successful multi-channel campaign.”
Todd Jensen, Head of Marketing at Nursa
Spotify
“This year, Spotify got creative with one of their marketing campaigns which turned out to be a success.
“The company leaned into memes for their advertising in an attempt to showcase Spotify’s versatility in providing music for any occasion. To do this they used the meme model ‘me, also me,’ which shows two panels, one being the mood, and the other being the correlating Spotify music.
“This campaign was great because of its ability to speak to not only Spotify listeners but all music listeners alike. The campaign was launched across a variety of channels globally. It attempts to connect listeners and promote discovery which is why the campaign resonated with so many.”
Sanem Ahearn, Head of Marketing of Colorescience
Corona’s ‘Pay with Plastic’
“Corona had a great marketing campaign called ‘Pay With Plastic’ that focused on helping the environment, as they partnered with CI Chamber of Commerce and Parley for the Oceans to produce a plastic weigh station where clean-up volunteers could trade recyclable plastic for Corona products.
“They placed recycling machines in Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Spain, and Columbia, so that customers got a beer by simply depositing plastic bottles. The partners also cleaned beaches per the number of recycled cans made.
“With so many weather issues happening around the world, campaigns that have a positive impact on the environment will always gain attention. This particular campaign stands out because it’s more than just marketing – it allows communities to give back and come together for a greater cause that can have a positive impact on everyone around the globe.”
Clayton Howard, Director of Analytics at Net Pay Advance
Fitbit ‘Find your reason’
“Fitbit debuted its campaign as a means to help people find their reason for getting into shape, which was a great idea for an interactive campaign. Whether it be for weight loss or health concerns, many of us have different reasons for wanting to get into shape.
“This was a great campaign to make working out look and feel less intimidating and more accessible.
“Fitbit showcased five short documentaries of people that were embarking on their new health and fitness journey, which was really inspirational to watch.
“Rather than providing a generic campaign telling people to work out, Fitbit humanized the experience to make people find their own personal reasons for wanting to get into shape. Such a game-changer.”
Adrian Pereira, CEO and Founder of Eco Pea Co.
CPB London
“One of the best marketing campaigns in 2022 has been CPB London’s campaign for international women’s day. The company wants to challenge traditional gender stereotypes that are still present today.
“Their campaign featured signs posing a statement like “imagine a CEO” in bold text and in smaller text posing the question of whether the reader imagined a man or a woman. This makes readers think twice about the unconscious bias in their heads around men and women.
“This campaign was great because it really makes viewers think and begin discussions around a topic that needs to be challenged.”
Jeffery Pitrak, Marketing and Account Manager at Transient Specialists
Businesses Making Use of Viral TikTok Sounds and Trends
“TikTok at its beginning seemed an unlikely platform for marketing campaigns. However, with certain sounds and trends going viral, businesses were able to join in and harness lots of views using them. TikTok allowed businesses to get creative in how they applied trends to their own videos and connect with new audiences.
“Properly and authentically utilizing trends helps to build a positive brand perception had the ability to re-ignite the love for products and businesses while generating tons of likes and engagement on their social media campaigns.
“Moving forward, I believe more and more companies will hop onto this marketing bandwagon and strategy as social media continues to prove just how valuable of a tool it can be.”
Sacha Ferrandi, CEO and Co-founder of Source Capital
Gucci and The North Face’s Unconventional Collaboration with TikTok Star Francis Bourgeois
“In a bold and unanticipated move, luxury fashion giants Gucci and The North Face decided to venture into the world of TikTok, enlisting the viral sensation Francis Bourgeois to lead their campaign.
“With over 2.6 million followers on TikTok and 1.3 million on Instagram by January 2022, Francis had gained notoriety for his unabashed love of trains and a carefree attitude that resonated with his audience. While the collaboration might seem peculiar on the surface, it carries a profound message of staying true to oneself and embracing individuality.
“Francis, who overcame schoolyard bullies to pursue his unique passion, now encourages other young people to follow their dreams without fear of judgment.
“While some questioned the alignment of this campaign with the prestigious image of Gucci, it’s precisely this unexpected partnership that works wonders in today’s content-saturated digital landscape. In a world where authenticity, fun, and a touch of quirkiness attract Gen-Z and younger audiences, Gucci and The North Face have made themselves more accessible and relatable, cementing their relevance for years to come.”
Phil Sandner, President at Easy Spa Parts
Kia’s ‘Robo Dog’
“Kia’s ‘Robo Dog’ campaign rocked 2022 for some pretty cool reasons. They introduced their lineup of electric cars with this super cute robot dog, and it was a hit.
“People couldn’t get enough of the emotional connection between their innovative cars and this adorable AI pet. Kia nailed it by showing off their tech and sustainability angle while tugging at heartstrings with a robotic pet that everyone fell in love with. It was a genius move, blending the excitement for new tech with the universal love for pets.
“The Robo Dog wasn’t just a mascot; it became a symbol of Kia’s future, where tech and emotions meet seamlessly.”
Travis Willis, Director of Customer Success, Aspire
In conclusion
Your specific marketing strategy will have needs or adjustments that will be unique to you and your organization. It is important to consider exactly what type of messaging or approach will be effective in reaching your target audience and customer base.
These tips are a great starting point in successfully shaping, organizing, and ultimately implementing the best marketing strategy for your business.
