Reviewing successful digital marketing campaigns can generate ideas and strategies for your own brand.
Here is a list of outstanding marketing campaigns from established companies in 2023. Campaigns feature generative AI, celebrity spots, unusual partnerships, retrospectives, looks to the future, new audiences, content focused on a mission, physical and user-generated pop-ups. content.
McDonald’s: Grimace’s birthday
This summer, McDonald’s ran a campaign to celebrate Grimace’s birthday. Customers could order a Grimace birthday meal that included a limited-edition purple shake. McDonald’s also launched an exclusive Grimace-inspired video game and merchandise, and fans could visit McDonald’s Instagram Story and share a photo of their favorite birthday memory via the “Add Yours” sticker. For every photo shared, McDonald’s donated $5 (up to $200,000) to the Ronald McDonald House Charity.
In response, campaign follower Austin Frazier created a simple 10-second video on TikTok of him trying the shake, then a cut of him lying on the floor with the purple shake all around his mouth. Then Gen Z took over, posting a viral assortment of Grimace Shake horror scenes. According to Guillaume Huin, head of social media marketing at McDonald’s, the campaign and resulting user-generated content generated billions of reach, millions of engagements and mentions, a top trend for at least eight days on X and the top three hashtags on TikTok. To answer any questions from campaign supporters, Huin released a insider’s point of view from the social media team about what happened.
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Dunkin’ with Ben Affleck
Throughout 2023, Dunkin’ has created a series of comedy spots with Ben Affleck and his production company, Artists Equity. In the spots, Affleck celebrates the Massachusetts-based brand and its connection to the region. The spots remind young audiences of the power of simple and funny videos on social networks.
The campaign also highlights Dunkin’s ability to capitalize on an opportunity, since the series’ origin likely comes from a Saturday Night Live. parody from a Dunkin commercial starring Casey Affleck as a real Boston customer.
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“Not All Parties Are Over” by Heineken
Heineken launched the “Not All Nights Out are Out” marketing campaign this year, the first targeted at video game culture. Celebrating online entertainment and gaming socialization, its lead video spot, “Just Another Night Out,” tells the story of four individuals overcoming end-of-day obstacles for a fun social evening of multi-player gaming and their space shared digital.
In another episode, Heineken unveiled “TH3 G4M1NG FR1DG3”, a custom-built PC designed to cool both the hardware and the Heineken bottles inside so gamers can enjoy a cold beer while maintaining performance high. While not actually for sale, the fridge-PC hybrid highlights Heineken’s view on the importance of socialization within gaming culture, connecting gamers to the brand.
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Coca-Cola “Create Real Magic”
This year, Coca-Cola joined the generative AI conversation by inviting digital creative professionals to generate original works of art using iconic assets from the Coca-Cola archives. Built exclusively for Coca‑Cola by OpenAI and Bain & Company, Create real magic leverages GPT-4, which produces human-like text from search engine queries, and DALL-E, which produces text-based images.
Four AI artists launched the crowdsourcing campaign by creating custom artwork using Coca‑Cola’s platform and assets. Artists could submit their works to be featured on Coke’s digital billboards in New York’s Time Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus. A group of 30 creators was selected to travel to the company’s global headquarters in Atlanta for the “Real Magic Creative Academy,” a three-day workshop hosted by Coke’s global design and creative teams in partnership with OpenAI .
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Pepsi: 125 years
On August 28, Pepsi launched 125 days of promotions ahead of New Year’s Eve to celebrate the brand’s 125th anniversary. Fans received free Pepsi products by texting “PEPSI125.” The campaign includes nostalgic marketing spots from the past, such as the Pepsi Challenge, and a look to the future with the unveiling of its new logo.
Pepsi deployed traditional spots, social media content, SMS promotions and an experiential component. In October, the brand opened The Pepsi 125 Diner in New York, which served a Pepsi-milk hybrid drink called Pilk and a soda-infused condiment called Colachup.
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The “What’s Next?” program » from Patagonia
For its 50th anniversary, Patagonia organized the “What’s Next?” » campaign, taking the opportunity to hope for life on Earth and prioritize purpose over profit to protect the planet’s ecosystem. The campaign also included a montage of brand moments mission driven story.
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Heinz + Absolut: Vodka and tomato pasta
In one of the most unexpected partnerships of 2023, Heinz and Absolut Vodka have launched a limited edition Heinz + Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce. The campaign celebrated the combination of two iconic brands to create a much-loved pasta sauce.
The campaign is an example of how brands can join a discussion on social media. Recent attention to pasta and vodka began in 2020 when influencer Gigi Hadid shared her sauce recipe, which went viral. The reaction created an organic opportunity for the Heinz-Absolut collaboration.
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Barbie Selfie Maker
Before the release of the Barbie movie, Warner Bros. has teamed up with PhotoRoom, an AI-powered photo editing app, to create the official filter for fans to transform into Barbie characters.
According to Photo roomthe interactive tool Barbieselfie.ai, used more than 13 million times, took less than an hour to implement and provided fans with an instant, shareable Barbie aesthetic. Fans, influencers and celebrities like Rihanna and Pedro Pascal attended the event.
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Dove: #FreeThePits
In 2004, Dove created the Self-Esteem Project to ensure the next generation grows up with a positive relationship with their appearance. The company also created the Dove Real Beauty Pledge, pledging to honestly and respectfully portray women as they are in real life.
This year, Dove continued its mission to build positive body image by launching a #FreeThePits campaign, a series of initiatives encouraging women to reject underarm stereotypes and embrace their underarms in all their forms. Dove ran ads on New York City subway lines, then held a Dove “Pit Stop” pop-up store during fashion week to celebrate underarms and give away Pit Kits containing Dove deodorant, free MetroCards and more. other articles to help women feel confident.
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Apple’s “Shot on iPhone”
Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign began in 2015 to highlight the iPhone 6’s improved 8-megapixel camera. Photos from 77 users in 25 countries and 73 cities showcased the capabilities of the camera and the various experiences users have with the iPhone.
In 2023, to showcase the capabilities of the new iPhone 15 Pro, Apple’s release event was filmed on this iPhone and edited with a Mac. This behind-the-scenes video shows the director, colorist, and editor sharing their production experiences with the iPhone. More importantly, it inspires users to produce their own videos and share their vision.