The world of web marketing and online advertising is changing rapidly.
Since the emergence of social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and even YouTube, an increasing number of companies have decided to use them as platforms for their marketing campaigns. And who could blame them? Social media platforms are an excellent tool for reaching wider audiences, thus a larger number of people are likely to see your marketing messages and in result buy the products they offer.
2016 has been a remarkable year in terms of Social Media marketing campaigns. We’ve seen some unique and quite effective ideas that have taken the Internet by storm. Perhaps the most interesting fact is that giants like NASA or Paramount have used the social media to promote their products and campaigns. This is a huge step forward because social media has been, until recently, mostly an advertising tool for smaller companies who can’t afford huge budgets and have to look for alternative ways of promoting themselves. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective social media marketing campaigns of the previous year.
NASA’s #AYearInSpace
Not all social media campaigns have a commercial purpose. #AYearInSpace was a hashtag that NASA’s astronaut Scott Kelly used while he was on one of the most exciting space missions we have ever seen. Scott and his Russian colleague Mikhail Kornienko spent an entire year in space. The main objective of their mission was to widen our knowledge on the effects the prolonged stay in outer space has on the human body and mind.
During one year Kelly posted videos, photos and all sorts of content on social networks. He tweeted daily about his experiences, while he posted regularly on Facebook, YouTube and SnapChat. He even had Facebook live sessions while floating in zero gravity. The hashtag #AYearInSpace allowed millions of people to follow the adventures of the astronauts live. Scott Kelly’s experiences from this mission will be featured in a documentary ‘A Year In Space’. You can find additional information about this remarkable campaign at this link.
Knorr – #LoveatFirstTaste
Romantic, heartwarming, cute, original and above all effective campaign by Knorr. They asked more than 12.000 thousand people about how flavor affects their lives, and they got some remarkable results. Love at First Taste campaign started out as an online project that asked people a simple question – What does the flavor mean to you? People from ten different countries participated in the survey and revealed that 78% of the participants are more likely to be attracted to a person who likes the same flavors as they do.
Knorr’s team decided to take the whole thing a step further and put together complete strangers on a romantic dinner with their favorite foods. The only condition was that they have to feed each other. The results of this extraordinary experiment were captured in a brilliant video that will make you laugh and remind you that the love at first taste is possible. You can watch the whole video at this link.
Paramount – #BlueSteelSelfie
Although this can’t be considered as a groundbreaking campaign, Paramount’s idea created a lot of buzz before the premiere of their hit movie Zoolander 2. The campaign encouraged fans to take selfies in the iconic pose of the movie’s lead character Derek Zoolander.
The Paramount released the following comment: ‘You want to look really, really ridiculously good? Create a Blue Steel selfie and share it with the world now. Zoolander 2 is coming to theaters February 12.’ Pretty smooth, don’t you think? You can find more info about this hilarious campaign here.
Disney – #ShareYourEars
Wishes do come true, sometimes. The Make-A-Wish Foundation joined forces with Disney in one of the most beautiful and noble social media campaigns of our time. They simply asked their fans to take pictures of themselves wearing Micky Mouse ears and upload them on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #Show your ears. Each post unlocked a 5$ donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The final result was overwhelming because the campaign managed to raise more the one million dollars.
David Williams, president, and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation said:
‘We were overwhelmed by the response to Share Your Ears. The campaign not only raised valuable funds for wish granting, it allowed us to engage with both current Make-A-Wish supporters and those who learned about us for the very first time. We now have a worldwide community who is more enthusiastic about our unique relationship with Disney than ever before.’
You can find out more about this amazing campaign and the Make-A-Wish Foundation at this link. Share your ears campaign is a great example how social media can be utilized for purposes other than generating more profit and how social media marketing can be used as a tool for making wishes come true.
Budweiser: Harry Caray’s Last Call
Staying relevant has been more important than ever for brands that want to be successful in our fast moving culture. This, of course, doesn’t mean that each brand should just pick up any trending topic and try to gain profit on it. The trick is to recognize the moment and the audience that will ensure the success of the marketing campaign.
Budweiser’s golden opportunity appeared when the Chicago Cubs clinched the spot in their first ever World Series. The Bud Man and the legendary Cub fan Harry Caray served as a perfect advertising vehicle that Cub fans can always relate to. Budweiser’s team sent a crew on the streets of Chicago to document the fans watching and celebrating the win in this historic game.
The day after the World Series, when people talked about the Cubs, they also talked about Budweiser’s commercial. Within days the video became a trending topic on social networks with more than 34 million views. The power of great storytelling and the willingness to go a step further is always beneficial for those who dare to take an extra step and think out of the box. You can watch this amazing video at this link.