It has become evident over time that digital is the only way up from here as many brands have utilised the multimedia platform to tell stories that not only leave an emotional impact but also convey the brand’s core identity. Realising the wide reach of digital marketing, advertisers have been concocting stories that best describe their nature of business in a form of a digital marketing campaign.
However, for your digital marketing campaign to stand out, you need to craft a unique tone that is capable of leaving a lasting impression even when the the trends you engaged with are over. Here are seven great recent examples that are bound to be bywords of creative digital marketing today and tomorrow.
Boots’ “What the world needs now”
For 2020, the need for good hygiene has come to the forefront of everyone’s mind, for obvious reasons.
Utilising this opportunity, British pharmacy chain Boots produced a Christmas ad that aims to remind the public to help combat existing hygiene poverty in the country. In the ad, animated soaps, bubbles, and toothpaste come together and sing a rendition of What the World Needs Now is Love by Dionne Warwick.
This shows that timeliness and emotional appeal could work together to turn mundane objects into something memorable, interesting and educational. Moreover, it certainly leaves a good impression on its brand in a time when personal hygiene was taken seriously throughout the whole world.
Heinz’s Ketchup Puzzle
When the world started to go indoors in mid-2020, many had been keeping themselves occupied with varying activities to steer clear of the tedious life in lockdown. Americans, particularly, have found themselves engaged with old-fashioned jigsaw puzzles as a pastime activity.
Noting the sudden surge in popularity of jigsaw puzzle, food processing brand Heinz tapped into the fads by launching a campaign on social media. They gave away limited edition Ketchup Puzzles in 17 countries. What made this giveaway special was that the puzzle came in 570 pieces and each piece was all washed in the Fire Engine Red that is closely associated with Heinz and its famous ketchup.
The puzzles were given away through a surprise-and-delight approach in most countries. To win in the U.S. and Canada, consumers simply had to comment on Heinz’s social media account stating who they wish they could complete the puzzle with. What transpired was a successful campaign that saw over 20 thousand engagement approaches from the consumers in the U.S. and Canada alone.
LEGO’s “Rebuild the World”
Although the brand needs little to no introduction, LEGO made its first global marketing campaign in more than three decades with Rebuild the World. Featuring a two-minute spot at its forefront, the idea of the campaign is not to focus on the products, but it is more towards bringing out the creative thinking side of children and adults alike.
With its global sales continuing to soar as of late, LEGO knows its success boils down to the fact that quantity should not compromise its quality as the brand continues to push ‘play’ as much as they do with sales. As the majority of its iconic brick designs remain the same as they were decades ago, the goal is to get people to think about how to come up with new and better ways to play with LEGO, which is exactly what continues to drive LEGO’s global sales revenue.
McDonald’s Iftar Sand Clock
Other than its recognisable foods, McDonald’s success as the biggest fast-food franchise in the world is largely due to its global culture-crossing appeal that speaks to different cultures across continents.
For instance, McDonald’s deployed a timely advertisement in Saudi Arabia during the fasting period that comes in the form of a virtual hourglass that counts down the time until Iftar (breaking of fast) every day. As the country prohibits food advertisements during the holy month of Ramadan, McDonald’s has found a way to circumvent without breaking any rules. The hourglass, however, is not like any other hourglass, as it is shaped and coloured like the iconic McDonald’s products such as the Big Mac, Mcflurry, and french fries.
The campaign was widely promoted on social media and was showcased on the outdoor McDonald’s Drive-Thru screens as it revealed the exact time consumers can break their fast. The sand falls in exactly 12 hours, which was the fasting period throughout the day. As the sand falls, a McDonald’s meal will be formed. This clearly shows how the success of McDonald’s lies in a clear understanding of the importance of cultural diversity and localisation!
Adobe and Pantone’s “Glowing, Glowing, Gone”
Climate change has long been an underlying issue that plagues the entire planet. One notable example is the gradual declining numbers of coral reefs precipitated by rising ocean temperatures and other man-made causes. Enter “Glowing, Glowing, Gone”, a collaborative effort between two household names in the design industry, Adobe and Pantone, as they worked together with a non-profit organisation, the Ocean Agency to raise awareness on this alarming issue by capturing three exact hues of coral fluorescence.
This campaign caught many people’s attention as it addresses the marine life crisis by highlighting three specific colours associated with three different endangered sea organisms using the famous Pantone colour palette, PANTONE Glowing Yellow, PANTONE Glowing Blue, and PANTONE Glowing Purple. The campaign was to inspire more people in the creative community to utilise such colours in digital works ranging from photography, book covers, to simple designs, to generate awareness on this rather complicated issue using an easy-to-understand approach.
Ariel’s “#ShareTheLoad”
The notion of household chores means a lady’s work remains a prevalent social issue today, as indicated by the contentious yet successful 2019 follow-up to its 2016 #ShareTheLoad campaign by detergent brand, Ariel. Both videos attempted to break the mould as they portrayed the idea of gender inequality when it comes to doing household chores.
Needless to say, the campaign received acclaim from netizens and critics alike as it garnered numerous accolades with the original video considered as one of the world’s top-ranked ads. And this goes to show that ‘controversy’ works effectively if there are value and connection to the brand itself.
FairPrice’s “A Fresh Start”
In a country that comes small in size but largely diverse in culture, the largest supermarket chain in Singapore, FairPrice, reminded us that even the most dramatical year is not so different from the previous years as life is still largely made up of the normal people from all walks of life doing the little things that keep life going.
The timely message worked well in unison with the company’s decision to freeze prices for 100 house-brand products until the end of 2020 as a means to alleviate the living costs of Singaporeans. True to its name, FairPrice will undoubtedly be remembered for its uncompromising values even in times of emergency.
Here at LOOP, we are convinced that adapting to changes is inevitable and necessary to improve our services. This is why we learn not only from our experiences but from others’ too. We strongly believe that digital marketing is the way to go for your business today, as evidenced by the great examples compiled here.
Want to learn more about digital marketing campaigns and how they can do wonders for you? Feel free to drop by and schedule a 15-minutes call with our lead Marketing Consultant today.
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This article was contributed by Philip Phang.
