Buzz
1. Nike and the “Just do it” campaign
One of the most iconic marketing campaigns is Nike's “Just do it” campaign. Launched in 1988, Nike introduced professional and amateur athletes sharing their achievements and inspiring viewers to do the same. One of the first TV commercials for this campaign featured an 80-year-old marathon runner named Walt Stack, a dedicated runner who ran 17 miles every morning.
After the “Just do it” campaign was launched, thousands of people submitted personal stories about times they decided to take a leap and “just do it,” from quitting a stagnant job to losing over a hundred pounds. This tagline became an iconic slogan for Nike and continues to represent the brand. Nike identified an emotional connection with the audience and connected meaningful stories with its core values, such as motivation, inspiration, and healthy living. Nike's decision to integrate its company's proposed value with an emotionally-driven message was executed for an extremely successful marketing campaign.
The “Just Do It” campaign was so powerful that people began reaching out to Nike to share personal stories of how they overcame boundaries and achieved goals, whether it was quitting a dead-end job or starting a healthier lifestyle. The “Just Do It” campaign is one of the most successful PR campaigns of all time.
2. California Milk Processor Board and the “Got Milk?” campaign
Very few campaigns have leveraged influencer marketing activities as effectively as the “Got Milk?” campaign by the California Milk Processor Board. In 1993, an intensive group led by the advertising partner Goodby, Silverstein & Partners based in San Francisco named Jon Steel conducted a research where participants were asked to refrain from consuming milk for a week before joining the study. The research aimed to collect milk consumption habits to help Steel devise creative strategies for a new client, the California Milk Processor Board. Participants discussed the significance of not consuming milk.
The “Got Milk?” campaign revolves around the agony of someone feeling out of milk. The advertising stood out for over two decades, running approximately 70 ads solely in California and about 350 milk mustache ads nationwide in print and on TV. The campaign capitalized on tapping into a time when celebrities had the highest influence and the result was particularly visible and viral advertising. The “Got Milk?” advertising campaign by the California Milk Processor Board became a cultural hallmark of the advertising marketing industry worldwide.
Statistics show that the “Got Milk?” campaign helped prevent the disastrous decline of the milk processing industry capable of consuming a staggering $255 million annually in California alone. The “Got Milk?” campaign unofficially ceased in 2014, later replaced by the “Milk Life” campaign, continuing to bring nutrition back to the forefront.
3. Pepsi and the 'Is Pepsi OK?' campaign
During Super Bowl LIII, Pepsi unveiled a television commercial that has been constantly referenced when discussing the most successful PR campaigns of all time. As a long-time sponsor of the Super Bowl, Pepsi understands the significance of commemorating the greatest moments in sports and music by providing dynamic and impressive experiences for fans.
In the 'Is Pepsi OK?' campaign, Steve Carell, an Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated actor, along with Grammy-nominated rapper Cardi B and Grammy-winning artist Lil Jon, appeared in a humorous and lively sketch. In the advertisement, a waiter asks a customer who orders a Coke, 'Is Pepsi OK?' and Carell responds in the commercial that Pepsi is 'More than OK.' This advertisement is based on a typical scenario where people order a cola and the server would suggest that Pepsi is not their top choice.
The advertisement was coupled with a halftime show sponsored by Pepsi, a post-'Planet Pepsi' party, limited edition cans, and alongside Pepsi's Rookie of the Year Award. The iconic brand capitalized on America's most famous sports event to kick-start the conversation about why Pepsi is better. The key to Pepsi's campaign success is self-awareness. Marketers leveraged real-life situations that their customers encounter at restaurants when they encounter their products. Every time the server asks the customer the question 'Is Pepsi OK?', the campaign message immediately comes to mind for the customers, thereby driving positive sales figures.
4. Old Spice and the campaign 'The man your man can smell like'
In this influential marketing campaign example, Old Spice utilizes humor to engage the audience and position their brand as the standout choice for men's grooming products. The original TV commercial features a 30-second monologue with a man speaking to a female audience member. The 'The man your man can smell like' advertisement elevated brand awareness for Old Spice's selection of grooming and personal care products for men.
The 'The man your man can smell like' campaign by Old Spice targets primarily female viewers, although the product's intended market is men, as the company identified that women often make purchasing decisions for men's hygiene products even for male family members. The Old Spice Man advertisement is fast-paced, powerful, and humorous. The advertisement is highly dramatic and easily quotable among friends.
The commercial also utilizes the concept of persona and alludes to a larger message that Old Spice allows consumers to get closer to the type of man they aspire to be. In just three weeks, the 30-second video garnered three million views on YouTube and became one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time. The 'The man your man can smell like' campaign not only changed the fate of Old Spice but also helped the lead actor Isaiah Mustafa secure larger roles.
5. Dove and the 'Real Beauty' campaign
People crave meaningful stories, and Dove's 'Real Beauty' campaign delivered a genuine and profound message that the beauty industry desperately needed. Dove's campaign for real beauty was launched by Unilever in 2004 to build confidence in women and children. The initial phase of the 'Real Beauty' campaign presented research and reported that only 2% of women consider themselves beautiful.
The next phase of the 'Real Beauty' campaign featured a series of billboard advertisements featuring real women instead of models. The campaign was warmly received and expanded into other forms of media, promoting aging, diverse body types, and transparency around airbrushing, flaws, and what's termed as 'imperfections'. The ads' mission was to highlight the harmfulness of the beauty industry to young women and redefine beauty.
The Dove campaign for real beauty was truly celebrated because it used marketing activities to positively impact the cultural context, industry, and consumer life. The 'Real Beauty' campaign continues to run today to eliminate Beauty Bias and help 'make beauty a source of confidence rather than anxiety'. This campaign is combined with transformative initiatives like 'The Dove Self-Esteem Project', helping children redefine the definition of beauty.
6. Snickers and the “You're not you when you're hungry” campaign
The “You're not you when you're hungry” campaign by Snickers is considered a cultural icon of the 2010s. The presence of celebrities continues to captivate viewers in Snickers' “You're not you when you're hungry” campaign. Snickers has enlisted everyone from Steve Buscemi to Betty White to portray ordinary people, plagued by hunger, and acting in unbelievable ways in this memorable campaign.
The “You're not you when you're hungry” ads by Snickers start with celebrities in unexpected scenarios, such as Betty White being tackled on a football field, and end with the famous character taking a bite of a Snickers bar and returning to their true selves. The slogan “You're not you when you're hungry” speaks to the common human experience of becoming irritable and angry due to hunger.
This Snickers campaign is effective because it uses humor to highlight their product, a quick and easy candy bar, as the perfect solution to the common issue when “hunger strikes”. The brand has identified the discomfort point of the customers and positioned Snickers as the sensible solution.
7. Coca-Cola and the “Share a Coke” campaign
In a scorching summer, Coca-Cola rolled out the famed “Share a Coke” campaign across various channels in Australia, encouraging people to gather and share a coke. Shortly before the movement expanded internationally. The campaign printed different names on Coke bottles with the phrase, “Share a Coke With…,” followed by the 150 most popular names across Australia.
While the “Share a Coke” advertising ran on print advertisements, bus wraparounds, billboard ads, and appeared on buildings, the most successful distribution platform was social media. Consumers bought Coke bottles with their own labels and shared images of those names online. Consumers tried to find their names and find names for their friends and family members. The entire campaign revolved around personalization and connection.
Less than a year after the release of the Share a Coke campaign in 2012, Coca-Cola witnessed a sales increase of over 2.5% and a 7% increase in Coke consumption among Millennials. To date, the Share a Coke campaign has generated millions of dollars and countless impressions for Coca-Cola, thus becoming one of the most iconic cases in global marketing.
8. Apple and the “Creativity Goes On” campaign
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple launched the “Creativity Goes On” campaign. The advertisement showcases individuals and families at home during lockdown using their Apple devices to record videos, take photos, stream content, and engage in other creative pursuits. The one-and-a-half-minute video demonstrates the methods that creatives have employed to pursue their creative endeavors despite stay-at-home orders issued during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The “Creativity Goes On” ad sets the scene with a moving piano score and depicts the simple joys people have experienced while confined to their homes during this unusual time. In the video, students, artists, dancers, music teachers, and celebrities demonstrate how they use Apple products, such as iPad and MacBook Pro, to relentlessly pursue creativity.
In this example of a successful marketing campaign, Apple acted as a ray of sunshine breaking through the pandemic clouds. Apple also advertised positively themed AppleTV programs, such as John Krasinski's “Some Good News” special and Oprah's live broadcast, to uplift their audience. Thus, Apple created a connection with its brand as a genuine presence, uplifting spirits and showing care during challenging times.
9. GoPro and the GoPro Awards campaign
The GoPro Awards campaign markets to content creators who submit their best GoPro videos, clips, and photos for a chance to be featured and paid. The campaign offers several opportunities to win, including the Daily Photo Challenge, Anything Awesome Challenge, and the HERO Challenge. Each challenge caters to a different type of content creator, from professional photographers to philanthropists. What's fantastic about the GoPro campaign is that it encourages people to use the product and foster a community around photography.
This inspiring photography contest has successfully built a community, inspired consumers, and advertised the best capabilities of GoPro products. The GoPro Awards campaign received nearly 1 million photo and video submissions from 180 countries and serves as the platform for GoPro's annual million-dollar challenge campaigns. Additionally, as photographers compete to share their best shots and videos, GoPro devices are seen as a coveted tool for other content creators looking to do the same.
The GoPro Awards campaign has become central to both the GoPro community and the company's marketing and communication strategy. Through the Awards campaign, GoPro has connected with incredibly talented content creators, who have had the opportunity to collaborate with the company on projects, presentations, etc.
10. Heineken and the “Worlds Apart” campaign
During times of division, Heineken has gone to great lengths to research and implement its own hallmark study on human differences, openness, and conflict resolution. The beer company consulted with doctors and researchers to explore whether people could become more open when interacting with others; this was the genesis of the “Worlds Apart” campaign.
Heineken partnered with The Human Library, an organization challenging stereotypes and norms through real conversations with real people and their personal stories surrounding gender transitions, living with mental illness, adapting to a new environment as refugees, etc. The “Worlds Apart” campaign not only evoked emotional reactions from audiences; it provided real solutions amidst individuals with opposing worldviews.
Engaging in divisive conversations can be challenging for organizations, especially concerning marketing initiatives. Heineken conducted necessary research and sought advice from experts to tackle sensitive topics such as women's rights, transgender rights, and climate change. The “Worlds Apart” campaign is stirring because it highlights very real issues in the public and political spheres. This campaign is more akin to a human behavior case study than a beer advertisement.
