Social Media

12 Outstanding Marketing Campaigns from 2022

​​Reviewing successful digital marketing campaigns can generate ideas for your own brand.

Here is a list of outstanding digital marketing campaigns from established companies in 2022. The campaigns feature iconic products, menu hacks, actions for social good, inspirational stories, and more.

Oscar Mayer – Bologna Mask

Image of the Oscar Mayer - Bologna Mask.

Oscar Mayer – Bologna Mask

Oscar Mayer partnered with Korean beauty experts Seoul Mamas to create a facial mask inspired by its bologna. Utilizing the iconic shape of the bologna and its packaging, the mask, through multichannel posts, ingeniously capitalized on an entire generation who grew up eating and playing with bologna slices. The results were a quick, visual gag, ideal for social media.

Warner Bros. Pictures – #Barbie

Image of Margot Robbie in the new Barbie movie.

Warner Bros. Pictures – #Barbie

One of the year’s most successful campaigns was by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film production company began dropping images on social media to promote the big-screen 2023 release of Barbie, the Mattel doll. Using the hashtag #Barbie, the posts featured images of Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as her boyfriend Ken. The initial posts planted the cultural seed at the right time. Followers expanded the idea into a #Barbiecore movement, as the kitschy pink aesthetic began turning up at events such as the Met Gala and in social posts from celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Lil Nas X, and Megan Fox.

Twitter – If you can dream it, Tweet it

Image of a tweet by Twitter reading "if you can dream it, Tweet it," with a picture of singer Tina Snow.

Twitter – If you can dream it, Tweet it

Twitter ran an omnichannel campaign launched with a tweet, “If you dream it, Tweet it,” followed by photos of billboards containing tweets from celebrities expressing their dreams before achieving them. The campaign included 39 billboards across eight cities, many in the hometowns of the featured stars, including Demi Lovato and Leonard Fournette. On Twitter, the sequence of posts closes with “Tweet it into existence.” The campaign resonated with the core of social media, and the call to action defines Twitter as where those aspirations come alive.

Duolingo – TikTok

Screenshot of a TikTok by Duolingo.

Duolingo – TikTok

Duolingo is one of the most influential brands on TikTok and across social media. Targeting TikTok’s mainly Generation Z audience, Duolingo content features its owl mascot, Duo, in silly, musical spots on language translation and pop culture, as well as taunts at its competitor, Google Translate. Duolingo’s TikTok account has over 5.3 million followers and 106 million likes.

#AldiAdminOOO

Aldi, the international grocery chain, used a May bank holiday to draw some attention. Aldi used its Twitter account to announce taking the day off, letting other big brands take over for the day. Over 40 brands, including some supermarket competitors, got in on the action. Without spending any money on the campaign, Aldi generated 5.1 million views and 140,000 engagements over the week.

Havana Club – The Amparo Experience

Image of Havana Club - The Amparo Experience.

Havana Club – The Amparo Experience

The Amparo Experience is the story of the Arechabala family, the creators of Havana Club rum, beginning with the Cuban revolution on January 1, 1959. This immersive theatrical story is experienced primarily on Instagram and includes videos, trivia, and more. This campaign is a good example of the power of story and demonstrates the need to adapt your narrative to the various social media formats.

Dove – #DetoxYourFeed

As part of its ongoing Self-Esteem Project, Dove produced a new short film, “Toxic Influence,” in which mothers and their daughters confront toxic beauty advice on social media and how it’s become normalized for many girls around the world. The film and campaign were promoted with the hashtag #DetoxYourFeed and linked to a 4-step guide to help. The Dove Self-Esteem Project was established in 2004 to help young people fulfill their potential by building positive body confidence and self-esteem.

McDonald’s – Menu Hacks

Image of a tweet by McDonald's featuring menu hacks created by fans.

McDonald’s – Menu Hacks

McDonald’s invited fans to create their own menu hacks and post them on social media. The company then posted a menu of the limited-time mash-up creations: “Hash Brown McMuffin,” “Crunchy Double” (chicken nuggets and double cheeseburger), “Surf + Turf” (fish sandwich and double cheeseburger), and “Land, Air & Sea” (Big Mac, chicken sandwich, and fish sandwich). The campaign is an extension of McDonald’s previous “Famous Order” campaign, featuring personalized choices from Travis Scott, Mariah Carey, and others.

Corona – #PayWithPlastic

Screenshot of a Corona tweet promoting #PayWithPlastic.

Corona – #PayWithPlastic

Corona, in partnership with the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce and Parley for the Oceans, produced plastic weigh stations where helpers traded recyclable plastic for Corona products. Recycling machines were placed in Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Spain, and Italy, and participants got a beer simply by depositing plastic bottles and cleaning the beach and ocean. This campaign was built on growing environmental concerns worldwide and the brand’s efforts for a larger social good.

Firehouse Subs – Rewards Week

Facebook image from Firehouse Subs promoting Rewards Week.

Firehouse Subs – Rewards Week

Firehouse Subs celebrated seven years of rewards with seven days of exclusive offers and bonus points for its app members. Each day of Rewards Week, the brand posted hints to users on the location of bonus points for their accounts. Social media posts highlighted fan-favorite menu items and generated plenty of engagement with the Firehouse app.

HubSpot – 1,000 Integrations

Image of a tweet by Wistia congratulating HubSpot on reaching 1,000 app integrations.

HubSpot – 1,000 Integrations

This year the HubSpot App Marketplace officially crossed the 1,000 apps milestone, which the company announced in a multichannel campaign. Not only did HubSpot’s announcement let current and prospective customers know about the platform’s versatility, but it also leveraged the integrated partners, prompting them to highlight their own involvement as they congratulated HubSpot. This event demonstrates the power of a connected and motivated network.

Swoop – This Beach Is a Coupon

https://vimeo.com/744383424

Swoop, the low-cost Canadian airline, launched its Swoopons weekday deals program with the release of one big Swoopon — a 60% off promo code streamed from the beaches of Mazatlán. A super-sized beach coupon was stamped in the sand and used the help of the tide to countdown the clock on this time-limited offer. Combining offline and online, the promotion was streamed on Facebook, giving viewers a taste of the soothing location while creating urgency and engagement as the deal slowly washed away. The promotion drove an 80% increase in sales for the campaign’s duration.

Sig Ueland
Sig Ueland
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