Digital marketing campaigns are relatively new due to the invention and widespread use of technology. Yet, digital marketing is quickly becoming more effective than traditional marketing campaigns.
What is digital marketing? In a few words, it is any marketing strategy conducted on electronic devices. It includes using websites, blogs, social media, videos, emails, and more to reach customers.
Screen time is at an all-time high. Digital marketing targets people where they are most likely to be reached; their device screens. Digital marketing campaigns take advantage of online marketing tactics to make a meaningful and lasting relationship with people.
These facts make digital marketing a very effective strategy. But digital marketing is a broad concept with various methods. How can a company successfully maximize a digital marketing campaign?
Companies can look at other digital marketing campaigns to see what they did right. This article will do just that. Here are successful digital marketing campaigns that were seen by millions and helped brands grow.
Best Digital Marketing Campaigns
Heineken: #openyourworld Campaign
In this digital marketing campaign, Heineken decided to tell a story with emotional triggers. Instead of focusing on a single narrative, this brand highlighted the world’s many differences.
The ad:
The ad starts with individuals explaining their viewpoints on topics like feminism, transgenderism, and climate change. Next, they pair up people with conflicting views to complete several tasks.
After they complete the tasks, they see their partners’ interviews. They are now given the option to leave or stay and discuss their differences over a beer (a Heineken beer, of course).
Why the ad was successful:
This campaign inspired an emotional response. It did not focus the attention on the beer but instead on the people. It allowed time to engage people first, and then Heineken introduced the brand.
What to take away from this digital marketing strategy:
Use the art of storytelling to inspire an emotional response from viewers. Allow time for them to engage with the campaign.
Volkswagen: The No Show Room Campaign
This digital marketing strategy from Volkswagen was an interactive campaign that involved customers.
The ad:
The video of this marketing campaign featured beautiful shots of a Volkswagen Passat in the snowy terrain. It also showed Sweden's national ski team trekking in the wilderness. The video ends by inviting viewers to find the location of the Passat Alltrack vehicle.
Why the ad was successful:
The ad got people involved in the campaign. People might not remember an ad they see on TV, but they will definitely remember something they participated in.
The video itself dropped several clues as to the location of the vehicle. Volkswagen also placed several hints on social media channels.
The brand also selected the location of the vehicle wisely. The snowy and mountainous terrain emphasized the car's driving ability.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Interactive campaigns are successful. They are even more successful when the interactive element is unique. Also, brands should post campaigns on multiple platforms to boost exposure.
Lego: Rebuild the World
Lego launched its first marketing campaign in 30 years. The ad received over 11 million views online. Legos pretty much sell themselves, but the brand wanted to emphasize the room for creativity that legos provide.
The ad:
The ad opens with a man trying to catch a rabbit. Viewers watch the man chase the rabbit throughout a town with several interesting backdrops. The end of the video shows that the town, the man, and the rabbit are made of legos.
Why the ad was successful:
The Lego brand has always been about creativity. Legos allow people to create anything they want. The ad stressed that brand value. It also used visuals and songs that appealed to both adults and children.
It appeals to adults because they are the ones with the money to buy the product. But it also appeals to children because they are the target audience.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Stick to brand values. Create a story and express brand values in a way that viewers will remember. Appeal to the audience that can afford the product or service and those it is meant for.
State Farm: Not the One
State Farm has produced some of the best digital marketing campaigns. The brand consistently infuses humor into its ads but keeps its message clear. Once again, the latest "Not the One" ad successfully brought humor and brand awareness to this digital campaign.
The ad:
In this ad, State Farm shows a man being dumped. Jack from State Farm meets him as he exits his ex-girlfriend's house. He comforts the man telling him that she was not the one for him, especially because she does not have good insurance.
Why the ad was successful:
The humor of the ad did not overshadow the message. State Farm kept the story in line with its branding message "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." The timing of this ad was also well-thought-out. They released it on Valentine's day.
What to take away from this digital marketing strategy:
Humor has a good impact on viewers. People are more likely to remember and choose a brand if their ads make them laugh. Do not be afraid to be silly.
State Farm has managed to make the boring subject of insurance amusing. Also, timing is important. Think about world events when releasing ads campaigns.
Spotify: Meme Campaign
Spotify's meme digital marketing campaign took the internet by storm. It uses a new trend to connect with its clients.
The ad:
Spotify posted memes and billboards that look like memes. They use humor to create relatable content for their target audience.
Why the ad was successful:
Spotify took advantage of the popular meme trend to increase its brand awareness. This brand connects with its potential clients by providing relatable content.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
This campaign highlights the importance of discovering what interests potential clients. It also shows that for ads to be successful, they need to be in line with current trends. Find out the interests of potential customers, then speak their "language" to connect with them.
Tena: Social Media Campaign
Tena is an adult incontinence brand. Obviously, this is a less-than-glamorous brand, and many people shy away from talking about it. But that does not prevent the brand from promoting its product.
The digital marketing campaign:
Tena's entire campaign is meant to create a safe space and help those dealing with this challenge. This brand decided to showcase the condition on social media so people who deal with it can see that they are not alone. Tena has a Youtube channel, website, and an app.
The Youtube channel provides video content with helpful tips. The brand also launched an app that provides practical help. It instructs users how to do muscle-strengthening exercises to control their bladders. When Tena launched the app, they used social media channels and a contest to spread the word.
Why the campaign is successful:
The topic of incontinence is uncomfortable to talk about and can be embarrassing. Tena takes into consideration the feelings of their clients and strives to create a safe space for them.
It provides practical tips to its clients to help them improve their way of life. It also harnesses the power of social media, bringing people dealing with this problem together from all around the world.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Tena shows that even if a brand is not glamorous, it can still become popular with the right marketing efforts. The first thing to take away from this digital marketing campaign is that social media is a great marketing platform.
Social media marketing helps brands reach more people and can bring people together. Even if people are embarrassed by their condition, they can find a helpful community online.
The second thing to take away from this campaign is that brands should provide practical information. This includes helpful tips, instructional videos, and more to explain the product better.
Third, launching an app is a great way to increase brand awareness. Fourth, contests go beyond content marketing and get people engaged with a brand.
Dove: Real Beauty
Dove goes beyond selling soap. It sees the bigger picture and understands that women want to feel better and not just look better. In its real beauty campaign, Dove helps women rethink beauty.
The campaign:
The video of the real beauty campaign starts with an artist blindly drawing sketches of women based on how they describe themselves. Next, he draws the same women based on how other people describe them.
The women were then shown the sketch of how they described themselves and the sketch of how others described them. Many realized that they focus on their flaws while others notice their true beauty.
Dove has taken the real beauty campaign one step further with #showus. Project #showus is a collaboration between Dove, GirlGaze, and Getty Images.
It is a collection of more than 10,000 images of women and non-binary individuals available to viewers and advertisers. The goal of project #showus is to have a more inclusive representation of beauty in all types of advertising and media.
Why the campaign is successful:
Dove understands the needs and desires of its clients. Instead of focusing on self-care products, it takes part in the bigger picture of beauty.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Understand the needs and underlying reasons why customers are interested in your brand. Focus on the bigger picture, even if that means going against normal business standards.
American Express: Content Marketing
American Express has established itself as an authority on financing information. It is known as being reliable and trustworthy. Itscontent marketing has strengthened its authority. People now turn to it for advice and information.
The campaign:
American Express started its content marketing campaign when it opened a site called Open Forum. It is now called Trends and Insights. This site provides articles and video content that deal with corporate solutions.
The idea is to give reliable, practical, and relevant information about corporate matters. It includes information about:
- financial news
- business trends
- marketing tips
- sales
- productivity
- cash flow
Why the campaign is successful:
The website has a constant flow of articles and posts with relevant information. It has become a wonderful tool for entrepreneurs who are starting a business or trying to grow one.
What to take away from this digital marketing strategy:
Content marketing is a great way to establish a business as an authority. This is especially true if businesses choose other authorities as sources of information. Content marketing can be done in-house, making it one of the least expensive ways to market.
Airbnb: User Generated Content
Airbnb wisely uses user-generated content for its marketing strategy. This strategy creates brand awareness, generates organic leads, and engages with the public.
The marketing strategy:
Airbnb allows its users to share travel experiences on many platforms, including social media. It also encourages clients and owners to create videos, photos, and travel guides that encourage tourism.
Why the campaign is successful:
This marketing strategy encourages people to travel, uses images that resonate with clients, promotes interaction, and inspires adventure. Like reviews and testimonials, it instills trust in the brand. It is also a good resource for social media e-commerce. Plus, it is free and takes very little time.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Harness authentic user-generated content to instill trust and encourage people to use your brand.
Tesla: Social Media Marketing Campaign
Tesla has one of the best and most efficient marketing strategies out there ROI-wise. Its strength comes from its social media presence and word of mouth.
The digital marketing strategy:
Tesla has more than 10 million followers on Twitter. That is more than BMW, Audi, and Chevrolet combined. Tesla's official Twitter account only tweets about 4 to 6 times a month. But every tweet is interesting, not just to those buying a car, but to a broader audience.
Why the campaign is successful:
The success of this campaign is due to three things. First, Tesla is a forward-thinking company that comes up with some interesting solutions.
Second, Tesla's CEO is very popular and active on Twitter. Elon Musk uses his Twitter account to express his personality. It makes him more personable and transparent to the world.
Third, Tesla likes to live stream events. These events draw a lot of attention and build up Tesla’s hype. Many people share the links to these live events on social media.
What to take away from this digital marketing strategy:
If you are a CEO, do not be afraid of social media. An active social media presence makes a brand more personable and relatable. Also, use live stream events to engage customers and start conversations around the world.
Lyft: Creating Promoters
Although Lyft competes with other rideshare apps, its success comes from its ability to create promoters. Its main marketing strategy is for users to promote the company.
The strategy:
Lyft uses a loyalty program to encourage the spread of word-of-mouth advertising. It offers things like free rides to users who refer friends and family.
Why the strategy works:
Few things are more powerful than the recommendation of someone you trust. Lyft combines trustworthy word-of-mouth advertising with excellent delivery. This combination makes it a powerhouse business.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Start a loyalty program that encourages clients to refer your service to friends and family. Make sure also to provide excellent service so that referred clients turn into a loyal client base.
Coors Light: #CouldUseABeer Campaign
Coors Light has produced some amusing advertisements lately. This includes the clone machine ad. This ad encourages people to put a recording of themselves as their Zoom background. Then, they can enjoy a beer during a meeting without anyone realizing they are gone.
But the #CouldUseABeer campaign went even further in ingenuity.
The campaign:
The #CouldUseABeer campaign describes the difficulties that many people are facing right now. It recognizes that if people had a beer, things might be easier. So Coors Light offered a free six-pack for anyone tweeting the hashtag #CouldUseABeer. They gave away 500,000 beers.
This campaign came after Coors Light responded to the pleas of a 93-year-old woman who was in quarantine and needed more beer.
Why the campaign was successful:
People like free things. They also love when companies come to people's aid during disasters. It gives the company a very positive image.
What to take away from this digital marketing campaign:
Start a giveaway to gain wider recognition and a positive image.
Digiorno: #DeliveryDigiorno
Even if people have never eaten Digiorno before, they often remember its popular tagline, "It's not delivery, it’s Digiorno." During the month of October 2019, Digiorno started a marketing campaign that took the internet by storm.
The campaign:
October is national pizza month. Digiorno offered free pizza to anyone who tweeted the hashtag DeliveryDigiorno. They also ran a contest asking for input on which cities should participate in the giveaway.
Why the campaign worked:
Digiorno capitalized on a common trend to boost its brand, draw attention to its campaign, and create organic interest.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Take advantage of popular events and social media trends. This will help create a larger audience for campaigns. Encourage participation by offering rewards to the participants. Create a tempting offer and an attention-grabbing concept to succeed against the competition.
Domino's Pizza: Use of Innovative Technology
Domino's has incorporated new innovative technology into its pizza business. This boosts its marketing efforts and reshapes the way people view something as simple as pizza delivery.
The campaign:
Domino's uses an innovative loyalty program, "points for pies." Customers earn points on the Domino's app when they order pizza.
But the real innovative technology that Domino's is now experimenting with is self-driven pizza delivery vehicles. The brand has teamed up with a robotics company named Nuro and is currently testing out these driverless pizza delivery vehicles.
Why the campaign is a success:
Revolutionary measures appeal to consumers. Domino's is reshaping the future of the pizza delivery industry. It is attempting to enhance customer experience and adding value to its service wherever possible.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Wherever possible, implement revolutionary measures to impress consumers. Focus on enhancing customer experience and adding value to the product or service.
Wholesome Culture: Build a Community
Wholesome Culture is not just a company that sells clothing. Instead, it sells an entire lifestyle. It leverages the interests of its customer base to gain more attention.
The strategy:
Wholesome Culture uses social media, memes, and pop culture references to gain an audience. After attracting a large audience, it introduces content about its products.
All the messages that this brand posts on social media leverage the concerns and interests of its customers. Some of those interests include a vegan diet, protecting animals, and reducing carbon footprint.
It produces blog posts with helpful articles about these lifestyles. For example, it provides vegan recipes and instructional videos. The brand also uses several relevant hashtags that draw people with the same interests to its channels.
Why this online marketing strategy works:
This marketing strategy works because it offers practical information to its customers. The brand produces content that supports its philosophy and that of its customers instead of focusing on the product.
What to take away from this digital marketing strategy:
Use the interests of your clients to build a community. Post content that attracts the attention of the target customer and gains a large following. Sprinkle information about the product or service in with other posts. Create content that supports the company's core values and gives practical assistance.
Procter & Gamble: #DistanceDance
Procter & Gamble is responsible for well-known goods such as Bounty, Oral-B, Tide, and more. This business giant used influencer marketing to further its cause. It wanted to help those severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The campaign:
With the help of the Grey Group agency, this brand partnered with the TikTok sensation Charli D'Amelio. They launched the #DistanceDance on D'Amelio's channel to urge people to stay home.
Procter & Gamble donated to Feeding America and Matthew 25 for the first 3 million videos with the DistanceDance hashtag. In one week, 8 million people had viewed the video, and there were more than 1.7 million iterations.
Why it was successful:
Procter & Gamble understands TikTok and its audience. It partnered with an influencer to make this campaign a success.
What to take away from this marketing strategy:
Influencer marketing can take a campaign to a new level. Companies do not need to partner with the most popular influencer. It is important to find an influencer that aligns with the brand and target audience.
Bud Light: Consistent Voice
Bud Light has worked for years refining its voice. It is a fun brand and does not take itself too seriously. It uses a relatable personality to appeal to consumers. Its consistent voice includes humor and lemons.
The strategy:
In 2020, Bud Light used its consistently humorous voice to add a little laugh to the very serious world. The ad showed how 2020 was a year of raining lemons.
But Bud Light did not stop there. Its social media channels often post funny memes. The brand offers comic relief and easily digestible content for a large audience.
Why the strategy is successful:
Bud Light uses memes to enhance its digital presence. It makes good use of popular platforms to promote its product and engage with customers. It also continues to use its consistent voice.
What to take away from this digital marketing strategy:
Create a clear and identifiable voice. Use memes and other social media trends to enhance digital presence and engage with customers.
Ending thoughts on the best digital marketing campaigns
Embracing the internet and new technology helps the visibility of businesses in many ways. There are multiple strategies for digital marketing. They include content marketing, social media marketing, and influencer marketing.
The key to a good digital marketing campaign is to touch people's lives by using relevant material and creating a positive message. Find a connection between your brand and your target audience.
The digital marketing campaigns above are from well-established brands. What’s more, they are far from their first marketing attempts. So if your first marketing campaign is not a success, do not get discouraged. Start by understanding your clients and go from there.
