Planning a communications initiative takes creativity, motivation, and inspiration. During the past 12 months, there’s been plenty of all three on social media. Below are Tucker/Hall’s top ten recent social media campaigns and crazes.
Mr. Clean Pre-Super Bowl Campaign. Mr. Clean is a well-known cleaning brand with strong customer loyalty. But as the 2017 Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day rolled around, the cleaning company decided to release a sultry, tongue-in-cheek commercial around the theme “You Gotta Love a Man Who Cleans.” It gave the otherwise bland brand image a fun spin and gained immediate attention on social media. The ad had close to 12,000 mentions across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in less than a minute of airing.
Eggo on Stranger Things. Product placement doesn’t always work, but it worked well for Kellogg’s Eggo waffles. The product was enjoyed by one of the main characters on the show Stranger Things, the Netflix science fiction horror drama. Because of their prominent inclusion in season one, Eggo waffles became a running conversation on social media among Netflix fans. A product that was once old news became a hit again to fans of the show.
Adidas Originals. Adidas shoes are typically geared towards athletes, but their “Original” series aimed to capture the attention of those following rap and hip-hop artists. They used influencer marketing strategies by linking their brand to rap stars like Snoop Dogg. The campaign took off with the hashtag #Origialis and boosted Adidas’ popularity in mainstream fashion.
Worldwide Breast Cancer #KnowYourLemons. This campaign took a light-hearted approach to a very serious subject: breast cancer awareness. “Know Your Lemons” became a series of infographics and short social media posts about breast cancer prevention and other women’s health-related tips. The organization utilized creative graphics that were easy to understand, with the goal of reaching women at every educational and socioeconomic level.
Axe with Influencer Marketing – Axe was one of the few brands in 2017 that used influencer marketing to target men. They recruited socially savvy celebrities like Josh Peck to show how their hair styling products could make a major impact on a guy’s confidence and opportunities. The campaign caught on quickly and was revolutionary in targeting niche demographics with influencer marketing tactics.
Excedrin’s #DebateHeadache. During the 2016 presidential election, there was plenty of buzz on social media. Debates on air and online caused stress on both sides of the political aisle, and many people complained about the constant political noise. Excedrin stepped in with a bit of comedic marketing, calling their pain reliever the “debate headache” cure. The hashtag was used more than 100,000 times, and the campaign gained media attention from the New York Times and Adweek.
Salt Bae. Chef Nusret Gökçe, better known on the internet as ‘Salt Bae” is the owner of a chain of steakhouses in Turkey. This year, he created a series of Instagram videos of him preparing some of the restaurant’s signature dishes. The videos, which contain no dialogue—just Gökçe in his kitchen—became a widely popular social media reference and the inspiration for GIFs, blogs, and more. Because of his Instagram fame, the chef has had celebrity guests including Leonardo DiCaprio and has expanded his restaurant chain to reach London.
Tasty Videos by Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed is the hardest competitor to beat when it comes to content marketing for the younger generations. They developed a short video series on cooking, showing in a few minutes how to prepare simple but delicious meals. The trend exploded on Facebook because the videos were short, easy to follow, and featured unique meals from all different contributors.
Heineken World’s Apart. Brands often take risks by incorporating social, political, or economic issues into their ad campaigns. Some of them flop, but others like Heineken’s Worlds Apart video do exceptionally well. The commercial featured people from different backgrounds challenged to work together on different tasks. The videos weren’t scripted, and later participants were asked to reflect on their changed beliefs after the experience. This did an exceptional job of capturing emotion and inspiration through social media.
