The ever-changing landscape of digital marketing makes it challenging to determine what works and what doesn’t. However, analyzing what turned out best for the top brands can be a great place to start. But, bear in mind that not all leading companies exhibit a great record for marketing campaigns. Rather, some of them failed drastically, affecting both their reputation and revenues.
In this article, we will walk you through the five companies that truly revolutionized the concepts of brand awareness with their innovative strategies for digital marketing campaigns.
Top 5 Successful Digital Marketing Campaigns Examples
No matter your starting point, find your path to success! Explore examples of these successful digital marketing campaigns, discover actionable insights, and ignite your marketing engine.
1) Oreo – “You Can Still Dunk in The Dark” wins Hearts:
Oreo has always stayed ahead in terms of social media marketing. It creates witty yet sentimental campaigns that instantly grab its audience’s attention, i.e., children.
One of its smart moves includes the 2013 Twitter campaign. They utilized the Superbowl power outage by generating a tweet, “You can still dunk in the Dark.” AdAge reported that the tweet was designed, written, and approved in just a few minutes.
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
Highlights from Oreo’s Campaign:
- Oreo has become a social media king with its fun, whimsical tone, and cultural relevance.
- Oreo made the best of the opportunity. While several companies would have fretted about the power outage, Oreo took a step forward with its smart tweet.
- The campaign proved that a brand does not need paid or complex strategies to promote its content. A simple post with organic hashtags can do wonders.
2) McDonald’s – Stay Ahead Through Innovation:
If you are looking for a practical answer to the question, “what is digital marketing?” McDonald’s has a long list of examples for you. Its unique digital marketing campaigns have not only made large profits for the fast-food chain but have also boosted customer loyalty and engagement.
One of its major campaigns was #SearchIt in 2017, in which the famous actress Mindy Kaling insisted viewers to Google “a place where Coke tastes best.” The campaign was a bold move as the brand had to be in the number one spot when the users searched for the place.
Similarly, in 2018, McDonald’s released three ads showing how the brand makes a customer journey easy with technology. The ads were titled ‘Hands Full,’ ‘Grownup,’ and ‘It Must Be,’ with each showcasing a different McDonald’s innovation, such as a mobile app, ordering screens, and table service. Likewise, its #GoodToKnow campaign in 2015 to clear up the misconceptions regarding how their chicken nuggets are made.
Highlights from McDonald’s Campaigns:
- The brand made a bold yet unique move to grab the cold audience. Those who were not fans of McDonald’s but Coke were also urged to try them.
- McDonald maintained its brand image using the #GoodToKnow campaign by dispelling any myth associated with it.
3) JetBlue – Customer Service at its Best:
@JetBlue Yes! Back to Boston! I expect a welcome parade at gate. 😉
— Alexa Burrows (@Alexa_Burrows) May 27, 2014
Many companies use social media to brag about themselves with little focus on what customer wants. Luckily, JetBlue understood the problem and introduced customer service on its Twitter. Instead of using social media to promote fares and special offers, the company uses its handles to provide instant customer service. This is evident on their Twitter account, where almost every customer is replied with a @thread. Being highly unusual in the field of marketing, JetBlue shows the significance of building relationships with its customers.
Highlights from JetBlue’s Campaign:
- The company does a good job of balancing self-promotional materials, and information followers can benefit from.
- The team responds whenever users interact with their online profiles to build trust and rapport with customers.
4) Dove – Self Esteem is Real Beauty:
One of Dove’s high-profile campaigns emphasized body positivity and self-esteem. Its award-winning campaign “Real Beauty Sketches” reinvented the concept of beauty among young women. The video asked them to describe themselves, followed by comments from strangers. Two different descriptions were provided to a professional artist, who then sketched two portraits based on their observations. The idea was to show how we see ourselves versus how others see us. The video became one of the most-viewed videos of all time and is now a popular hashtag.
As a result, Dove sales boosted from 2.5 billion to 4 billion after the success of the “Real Beauty” campaign. Not only this, Dove has collaborated with several social media platforms such as Twitter, Getty Images, and Shutterstock to reinvent the concept of beauty and self-esteem in women. For instance, Dove teamed up with Twitter in 2015 for the #SpeakBeautiful campaign to counteract negative comments about body image and respond to them in real-time. They released a video ad addressing body shaming in the 2015 Oscar pre-show.
Check out these related articles on how video marketing helps businesses and the dos and don’ts of brand video marketing
Highlights from Dove’s Campaigns:
- The “Real Beauty Sketches” campaign captured a large audience by targeting sentimental themes and common society-related issues.
- Dove has a “point of view” that makes it a master brand and stand out among its competitors.
- Dove translated cold audience into leads using the “Walk the Talk” strategy. Its “Self Esteem” project became the voice of women all around the globe.
5) Airbnb – Generating Leads Through User-Friendly Content:
Airbnb has radically transformed the accommodation industry with its unique digital marketing strategies. Its not-so-usual content is focused on users’ intent, with exclusive images, tourist guides, and experiences. This elevates the brand beyond just a booking service, as evident by its high number of Instagram (4.7m) and Facebook (16m) followers.
Learn More: Dos and Don’ts of Instagram Ads
Highlights from Airbnb Campaign:
- Airbnb offers travel-inspired content that’s interactive and inspiring on its social media channels. Their content inspires people to use their app to travel.
- It connects its audience with user-generated content such as reviews and testimonials.
- Airbnb uses influencer marketing to engage travel lovers. However, it isn’t just limited to social media. Podcasts, webinars, and leadership outreach are other popular platforms to reach them.
- Lastly, Airbnb collaborates with celebrities for extra attention and posts images of influencers relaxing and having fun at Airbnb destinations.
Wrap Up:
The best digital marketing campaigns reach their audience on a personal level through grabbing and emotional content. They ensure that their customers are heard and acknowledged. If you are on the lookout for a moving campaign, the above-given ideas might prove to be high-yielding for your business.
