It was not easy picking the most clever marketing campaigns to highlight.
However, with an increasing number of emerging channels and technologies in the hands of marketers, today’s campaigns are incredibly innovative and impactful in their vast majority.
Prosperous ad campaigns hold the power to stir up emotions and dwell in our minds for a lengthy time. Therefore they influence our buying decisions, directly or indirectly.
So you must always keep an eye on them! Therefore here are 21 brilliant ad campaigns we can all learn from in 2022.
Nest Bedding Aims Low
Nest bedding is not what you’d call precisely low budget. Their mattresses range from around $900 to $1.800.
But they wanted to change that. So they decided to go for something bold and innovative to help them fill the gap between them and a different audience.
They introduced Flip, the mattress which retails on Amazon exclusively, sold for the discounted price of $399.
According to Joe Alexander, CEO and founder of Nest Bedding:
“There’s a lot of people who shop on Amazon, but it’s more of a commodity purchase. We want this to introduce the customer who might never find us because they’re looking for an inexpensive bed, and that’s not really what our brand is.”
Best Video Marketing Campaigns
Video today is hands down the most popular marketing tool. Shareable, captivating, and short videos created by simple online video editors can improve SEO, draw attention and lead to more conversions.
The use of video marketing can help your campaign just about anywhere. From Facebook and Instagram to Twitter and Snapchat, many great platforms are out there to promote your video content.
Sephora Commits to Inclusivity
To kick off Pride Month, Sephora decided to celebrate the LGBTQ, Non-Binary and genderfluid people with a video and a beautiful message.
The “Identify As We” campaign continues Sephora’s newly launched We Belong To Something Beautiful company platform. It features influencers such as interdisciplinary artist Fatima Jamal and gender non-conforming model Aaron Philips.
The video is a beautiful ride that follows the cast as they put on makeup, drive, dance, go to the beach and kiss, accompanied by Shirley Bassey’s “This is my life.”
Trying to foster a greater sense of belonging within the beauty community, Sephora says on Instagram:
“We’re thrilled to share our “Identify as We” campaign, which celebrates the transgender and non-binary community and our long history in beauty together. As a company, we hold ourselves to a high public standard around creating a welcoming space for every client.”
In addition to launching the new campaign and debuting a new manifesto, all United States stores closed for an hour on the 5th of June for a day of diversity training.
Philips Makes Life Better
Are you interested in targeting men in the male grooming area? The new Philips advertisement encourages men to follow their gut instincts.
Lyrical, funny, and emotional, the campaign moves away from traditional masculine stereotypes.
Hey men, it’s ok to express your feelings!
Created by Ogilvy London, the global spot for electric razors stands out. Therefore, creating a contrasting image between the seemingly aggressive act of shouting and the calming, reassuring words that reveal a multi-dimensional modern man.
In a press release, Philips says the campaign is themed around making life better for men by letting them express their feelings. However, it’s taking a more “positive” approach than recent more “preachy” campaigns.
Pedigree Spreads Happiness
I don’t know if it’s the best marketing campaign of the year. But it’s my favorite one.
And yes, it’s because it involves dogs. The World Health Organization states that 5.8% of Brazilians suffer from depression. But dogs can help their owners retrieve their lost happiness.
That’s something Pedigree knows and decided to spread the word with its new campaign, “Brings it back,” a beautiful animated short.
The campaign also included a line of fetch toys emblazoned with the words “love,” “happiness,” “life,” and “hope.”
They were sent out to influencers and people who had recently been through difficult times.
Pedigree’s sentimental “Brings it back” aims to raise awareness of the benefits of adopting a dog and encourage adoptions cleverly and touchingly.
Wetransfer Wants to Inspire You
In its new global brand campaign, “Please Leave,” WeTransfer highlights how its file-sharing service helps people save time and use it for something creative. With a spot that aims to get people off the internet and back to pursuing their authentic selves, the platform reminds us of how it assists the creative community.
The poetic spot, narrated by author Roxane Gay, stems from the company’s global Ideas Report. They polled 10,000 creative industry pros, discovering that online distractions steal precious time from inspiration and creation.
Highlighting its company’s values of putting people first with its time-saving tools. WeTransfer builds its business around its target audience and delivers a strong message.
Email Marketing Campaigns
Email marketing is one of the most effective and inexpensive marketing tools. Using the right strategy, you can grow your business astronomically.
As a matter of fact, for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42. Add to that that you can use email marketing tools like EmailWritr to send your campaigns and the ROI skyrockets.
All you need to do is decide on the email template that suits you and create a fabulous copy! You can even start by trying EmailWritr’s excellent and responsive email templates!
American Apparel Gets To The Point Fast
A welcome email is one of the most popular and effective email marketing campaigns all companies should use.
American Apparel, true to its simplistic style, welcomes its subscribers with a clean-cut email that focuses precisely on what the subscriber wants to see.
The products and the discount, of course.
Luckily that’s not an advanced technique that requires experience in email marketing.
It’s also a feature that most email marketing services will provide to you, and in the case of Moosend, you can get it when you sign up for a free account.
Aegean Shows Appreciation
Aegean, the largest Greek airline, is a company known for its extrovert character. So their 20th-anniversary celebration shouldn’t be a surprise.
They created an email marketing campaign offering their subscribers a 50% discount on their flights as a reward for their loyalty.
To make it even more successful, they paid close attention to the design of this newsletter.
You can see that it’s a pretty neat and minimal email that delivers the message clearly and simultaneously satisfies the reader’s eye.
The good news is that you don’t have to be a designer with excellent Photoshop knowledge to create such a newsletter. You’ll only need an easy-to-use Drag n’ Drop editor and a bit of imagination.
Kate Spade Sells Its Sales
We all know how sales go these days. First, you get a 10%, then a 20%, and God knows they might never stop dropping their prices.
So you wait and see.
To promote its big sale, Kate Spade decided to create urgency with this email marketing campaign and get subscribers shopping.
By informing you that “It won’t get any bigger than this,” the company comes across as honest while also provoking FOMO to speed up the visit to its online store.
If this is a campaign that fits your business, you only have to grab our discount newsletter template, add your styling and send it to your email list for free.
Best Marketing Campaigns: Social Media
Social media marketing means creating and sharing content on social media to drive engagement. However, this includes posting text, images, videos, and paid advertising.
The key benefits of social media marketing lie in relationship building.
Be it Instagram, Facebook, or other popular platforms. Social media is one of the cornerstones of modern marketing.
IKEA Takes a Big Step
The iconic 200-page IKEA catalog doesn’t want to sit in your mailbox anymore.
That’s why the company decided to give it a place it can truly live other than on IKEA’S website and transitioned the print version to Pinterest.
To have the catalog have a longer life, IKEA has created a shoppable version.
Therefore, a product questionnaire is built into Pinterest to learn the user’s preferences and build personalized user boards or recommendation boards and products.
Here is a fantastic guide to getting started with Pinterest Marketing!
According to IKEA media project manager Kerri Longarzo “We didn’t want just to copy and paste — we already have a digital catalog online,” said Longarzo.
“But promotions in the past felt a little stale. We were running out of ways to show the catalog to people online, so we sought out something different.”
Twix Makes a Dream Come True
Good marketing relies on knowing your audience. Twix can tick that box since their latest product is about pleasing their fans.
Who wouldn’t want a Twix-flavored coffee? That’s what the brand thought and created the Twix Meltdown device that combines your favorite everyday habit with your favorite candy bar.
“Enjoying a TWIX® and coffee together felt like a natural pairing,” said Michelle Deignan, TWIX® Brand Director, Mars Wrigley Confectionery. “So it only seemed appropriate to provide consumers a way to combine the two, literally.”
The device was a limited edition, and the only way to get your hands on one was by following Twix on Instagram and waiting for the contest’s official rules.
Best Marketing Campaigns: 360° Marketing
A 360° Marketing Campaign is a complete marketing campaign that uses a mix of marketing elements to achieve its goal.
This campaign aims to spread a cohesive message across multiple customer contact points.
According to the 2018 World Happiness Report, Romania ranks amongst the top 10 unhappiest countries in Europe.
To turn the Romanian’s attention to the overlooked positive news of the country, Coca-Cola Romania launched an inspiring campaign with the hashtag #halffull and an innovative package.
The particular bottle, complete from the half-up, displays positive news about Romania and urges people to share their “half-full story.”
Marketing manager Iuliana Nedelcu says:
“Optimism and positivity are the heart of the Coca-Cola brand. What better way to launch a conversation about seeing the half-full side than through Coca-Cola’s most iconic asset, the glass bottle? We believe this idea has the power to make a true impact, and the reactions & engagement with the campaign so far are a testament to its success.”
The campaign appeared in contextual outdoor displays, online videos, social media, and websites. Also, Coca-Cola sent 200 bottles to Romanian influencers.
Diesel Leverages the Power of Social Media
Who wants to be an influencer when you can be a follower?
Diesel’s new campaign, “Be a follower,” takes inspiration from the world of social media and its cliches, celebrating the fans and followers.
The campaign starring real-life influencers revolve around three videos featuring a series of scenarios in which real-life influencers have a hard time.
On the other side are the followers, living more comfortable lives in similar situations and wearing Diesel jeans. Diesel’s no1 rule is to break the rules, and it hits home again.
The campaign also includes print advertisements depicting many more stories from a follower’s life.
McDonald’s takes advantage of late-night cravings
McDonald’s McDelivery Day’s campaign positions its brand as a food solution for late nights. In Singapore, it takes inspiration from the symbol of a late night- the lit window-and turns it into its array of iconic offerings.
DDB’s group chief creative officer Chris Chiu explained: “We’ve all been up late for a myriad of reasons. And no matter how late you’re up, McDelivery Singapore wants you to know it’ll be right there with you.”
Therefore, McDonalds created a print advertisement and special offers for the day of the campaign. McDonald’s also created a short online film that celebrates the guardians of the night and those working hard in Singapore’s most remote and forgotten corners.
Best Offline Marketing Campaigns
Offline marketing strategies raise awareness with the use of offline media channels. These include radio, television, print advertising, billboards, posters, shows, and events.
Offline marketing appeals to a broad audience, generates a strong ROI, and gives opportunities for integration.
KLM Connects Travelers
Good God, airports can be boring!
But don’t worry, you’re not alone in this. KLM’s new campaign aims at eliminating before-flight boredom while connecting travelers through an informative and innovative brand experience called “Take-off Tips.”
“Take-off Tips” is booths set up in various airports worldwide. Travelers can visit them to connect with fellow travelers projected onto a hologram fabric. The point of this campaign is to connect travelers and exchange tips on the destinations where they are traveling.
“Many travelers get bored at the airport waiting for their flight. With ‘Take-off Tips,’ we want to give them a more valuable and memorable way to pass the time.
This new KLM initiative is an excellent example of how we combine vital insights with innovation. Therefore, highlight that KLM is number one in customer service.” Ed van Bennekom, Creative Director of DDB Unlimited.
To share this experience with a broader audience, KLM also created a short film showing the conversations of real travelers in the booths.
Kellogg’s Aims at Transparency
They might be the most iconic cereal packages in the history of cereal packages. Still, Kellogg’s felt it was time for a change.
And maybe they were right. The rebranding of its entire range of cereal brands for the European market makes for the company’s most extensive redesign in its 113-year history.
The new design uses a bowl of cereal as the focal point. The name of every grain is in a smaller font, and the iconic characters are now bottom-left.
The rebranding marketing campaign aims at making the packs instantly recognizable. It also gives the brand a “cleaner” and more honest, transparent look that matches the modern consumer’s needs.
Research conducted by Kellogg’s found that 70 percent of customers could locate the new packs more efficiently and that they increased “purchase intent” by 50 percent.
According to branding agency Landor, “the old packaging was muddled and sent out “mixed messaging meant the brand was losing its identity.
The redesign focuses on natural grains by including more information about the cereal production on the back of the pack”.
Tulipán Touches a Strong Issue
Sexual consent is a huge issue today. And companies are doing their best to raise awareness while also doing creative marketing. With a new, creative condom pack, Argentinian brand Tulipán highlights the issue. Since opening the condom box can only be done with four hands. Therefore, this means that two people must do it together.
A limited-edition number of the so-called “consent packs” was given out free at bars in Buenos Aires. At the same time, the company also created a video explaining how this new package works.
While this new product created a backlash for various reasons, these “consent condoms” make a creative and powerful statement about how “it takes two to tango.”
Whiskas Nails Innovation
Cats are curious. And so are children. So, based on feline curiosity and with a playful touch, Whiskas created its digital assistant, MIA, exclusively for kids.
The device, designed in the shape of a cat, works with a motion sensor. When it senses humans nearby, MIA starts asking questions on various topics and offers multiple choice answers.
White and purple match the brands’ colors on the 3D printed device and are, for now, only used experimentally. The company has also created a 1-minute video to promote the concept.
Burger King Gets Inspired by Marketable Stereotypes
Stereotypes are not always harmful. Sometimes they can even help your marketing, as was the case for Burger King.
To advertise a new venture allowing fast-food fans to speed up their order using their mobile phone, Burger King used the “quiet Finns” stereotype. And they created the world’s first silent drive-thru called “Silent Pick Drive” in Helsinki.
Customers can order, pay, and pick up their order from the restaurant without verbal communication or waiting.
Toni Flyckt, Burger King Finland’s marketing director of Burger King Finland, said:
“It’s a bit of exaggeration, of course, but there’s a truth behind it. Many Finns are, in fact, private and shy people who don’t particularly enjoy having any conversation with someone we are unfamiliar. While picking up their food, we wanted to use that positive stereotype of our fellow Finns and create a new kind of drive-thru service”.
Spotify Gets Creative with Memes
Funny, easy-to-understand, and relatable memes are the perfect way to communicate without saying much. That’s why Spotify decided to make them the star of their new global ad campaign, “Everywhere.”
Inspired by memes, the campaign uses the “Me, Also Me” format to show how the platform offers music for every mood. And with a few simple and clever ads, it puts the spotlights on playlists like Feel Good Dinner and Sad Indie.
The campaign also features three short film clips that pair songs with everyday moments.
However, this campaign is also the second part, aiming for Spotify’s young audience in Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, France, Italy, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa, and Spain.
In those areas, Spotify will debut ads that position the platform as a destination for music discovery, using taglines like “Vem de Spotify” in Brazil, which translates to “It Comes from Spotify.”
June Sauvaget, Spotify’s global head of consumer and product marketing, says: “This multifaceted campaign sets the stage as we seek to deepen our connection with the people who already know and love Spotify and cultivate relationships and moments of discovery in areas of the world where we want to expand.”
Lego Makes Learning Braille Fun For the Whole Family
Marketing is so powerful. It can even make learning fun, and Lego did its best to prove it.
Aiming to help visually impaired children learn Braille through play, the beloved toy company released Braille Bricks. Fully compatible with existing Lego toys, the Braille Bricks are molded with studs that match Braille letters and numbers.
The design idea was to be inclusive, so parents, teachers, and fellow students who are sighted can also interact.
In a video on the advantages of this new Lego product, Sue Lock, a teacher at New College Worcester, says:
“Children dislike making mistakes. If you’re using a Braille machine, your mistakes are written large. Children love being able to make something and unmake it if it’s wrong and make it again. And that’s the great thing with the Braille bricks.”
The product is currently available in Danish, Norwegian, English, and Portuguese alphabets. French, Spanish, and German alphabets will be tested later this year. At the same time, the launch of the final Braille Bricks collection will officially occur in 2020. Distribution will be free to select institutions.
Corona Cares for the Environment
Who pays for beers when they can get them ‘-almost- for free? Corona’s brilliant “Pay with plastic” global campaign combines a cause-driven character with a fun and practical approach.
Joining forces with Parley for the Oceans, the company celebrated the Week of World Oceans Day. How?
Users could get a beer in exchange for plastic bottles by placing recycling machines.
The campaign, run in Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Spain, and Colombia, also included a limited-edition pack. Corona and Parley commit to cleaning one square meter of the local beach with every purchase.
Moreover, the two organizations urged people to sign up for beach cleanup opportunities over the summer season.
Best Mobile App Marketing Campaigns
If done right, one app marketing campaign can make a huge difference in building your audience.
Mobile app marketing is also about interacting with your users through their entire lifecycle, from the beginning till they become loyal users. However, this requires knowing your audience and keeping up with their expectations and need the whole time.
Domino’s Makes Clever Marketing
Technology today works wonders. And Domino’s excels at using it to propel record market-share numbers.
More than half of all of its global retail sales in 2017 came from digital channels, while in the U.S, the company generates more than 60% of its sales via digital media.
Combining clever marketing with product development, the pizza delivery giant launched a loyalty program called “Points for Pies.”
Coinciding with the Super Bowl and valid for 12 weeks, the Domino’s app allowed customers to earn points for every pizza they scanned, regardless of where it came.
Genius? We agree.
Brewdog Raises Awareness for Drunk Driving
According to the World Health Organisation, Sao Paulo is the state with the highest number of road traffic deaths, and drunk driving is the second largest cause of these deaths.
In this context, Brewdog decided to create a safety message that highlights the risks of drunk driving during Brazil’s Carnival festival.
With the help of the Waze app, during the 15-day festival, the “Throwback Crash” campaign mapped 50 fatal crashes that occurred over the previous years.
When drivers clicked on the incident, they could see accurate media coverage of the fatality and a message reading, “Don’t let it happen again. Don’t drink and drive.”
Wilson Mateos, VP of Creation for ad agency Leo Burnett explains: “The idea was first to pique their curiosity and then raise awareness. It’s not by chance that the regions with the greatest history of alcohol-related accidents have the greatest flux of vehicles during the Carnival because they’re areas with many bars and festivities. Our action was to generate accident reports on Waze’s platform simultaneously and call users’ attention due to the atypical number of these reports”.
The Bottom Line is That Creating Clever Marketing Campaigns Requires a Plan
So unique, so engaging. You just discovered some of the best marketing campaigns to date.
Yes, they are all very different from each other. However, they succeed in raising brand awareness and standing out from the competition.
If there is one thing you should remember after reading this post is this.
Authenticity, creativity, and understanding of your audience are your key opponents to creating an effective marketing campaign, even with a low budget.
Did you like the best marketing campaigns I chose? Is there a marketing campaign that you fell in love?
Don’t keep it to yourself!
