Successful Marketing Campaign

Countless campaigns have been created in the past decade in an attempt to raise brand awareness and increase sales; however, not all have succeeded. While there are many indicators of success, the general criteria met by some of the most remarkable marketing campaigns include various components such as creativity, memorability, cultural impact, and a boost in revenue. You may also see marketing checklist examples.

1. Metro Trains: Dumb Ways to Die

Who would’ve thought that a public service announcement for a local train company would turn into one of the most popular things on the internet?

Metro Trains, a Melbourne-based train company, wanted to get a simple message across: No horsing around the train tracks. But instead of taking the predictable advertising approach, they took the entertainment route with the funny yet informative mobile game phenomenon “Dumb Ways to Die”. The game has its own theme song which has generated more than 150 million views on YouTube since it was first released in 2012.

Dumb Ways to Die is an interesting mix of catchy music and cartoon characters. What makes it appeal to the public is how it isn’t your typical kind of service announcement, as it pokes fun on some of the dumbest ways to actually die, with various train-related incidents being on the top spot. This creative campaign communicates an important reminder in a way that can easily draw attention. You may also see marketing strategy examples.

2. “Got Milk?”

One of the most unforgettable ad campaigns in marketing history is the California Milk Processor Board’s “Got Milk?” campaign. By the time of its release, California milk sales increased by a staggering 7% in just one year.

It all started with a simple commercial of a historian who was in the running to win $10,000 from a radio station. The commercial showed how the historian was likely to answer the trivia question correctly but because he had no milk to wash down the peanut butter that filled his mouth, he missed his chance. You may also see marketing flowchart examples.

Soon after the popularity of the campaign rose, it moved into print advertisements with celebrities sporting the famous “milk-stache”. Although the campaign was discontinued by 2014, the campaign left a legacy that will be remembered for many more years. You may also see marketing checklist examples.

3. GoPro: Be a Hero

With the recent release of the GoPro Hero 6 camera, there’s no doubt that the brand shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The company’s “Be a Hero” campaign highlights what it takes to be a hero, focusing on individuals living their everyday lives to the fullest. This was launched to inspire everyone to live a happy life and to capture and share every experience using GoPros vast collection of cameras, software, mounts, and accessories. Since the campaign started, the company has released a variety of ads that center on outdoor activities, special life moments, and even a firefighter’s original GoPro video of him tackling a house fire head-on. You may also see communication plan examples.

4. The Blair Witch Project

The success of The Blair Witch Project is one of the most notable marketing campaigns in history. With viewers and even some of the film’s actors believing that some of the events in the movie were real, the film continues to spark theories and controversies since its debut in 1999. The novel approach of using “found footage” to complete the film is what made the legend a debatable topic of discussion. The directors of the movie even went as far as making fabricated news articles, TV news reports, and staged interviews to feed into the legend. During its premiere on January 25, 1999, a clever marketing campaign listed the actors as either “missing” or “deceased” to add that extra hype to the movie. However, some viewers were convinced that the actors were real-life victims, prompting some individuals to send sympathy cards to the families of the actors involved. You may also see internet marketing.

What was initially a simple, low-budget film turned into one of the biggest blockbuster phenomena of the century.

5. Coco-Cola: Shake Up Christmas

The Christmas holidays are always the time of spreading joy and cheer. And nothing screams Christmas more than Coca-Cola’s famous anthem “Shake Up Christmas”.

Originally performed and released by American rock band Train in 2010, the Coke jingle is apparent in the song’s music video, which shows Santa Claus enjoying a bottle of coke while shaking a snow globe. Clips from the video were then used for the brand’s commercial campaigns for the rest of the season. Today, the song has gained worldwide recognition as one of the most successful and memorable Christmas campaigns. You may also see social media marketing examples.

You have to admit, it’s hard not to listen to the song without associating it with a Coca-Cola ad.

6. Apple: Get a Mac

The “Mac vs. PC” campaign takes on a clever and relatable approach that wins the crown for being Apple’s most successful marketing campaign ever. Their brand strategy was simple: show consumers the benefits of your products without shoving it down their throats. The campaign was playful enough to be the subject of late-night jokes and parodies, yet it left a lasting cultural impact by being competitive through good-natured humor. Apple experienced a 42% market share growth because of this, which goes to show just how effective the marketing campaign was.

7. Just Do It

Even without mentioning the brand name behind this well-known catchphrase, there’s a huge chance that the athletic apparel company Nike immediately came to mind.

The “Just Do It” campaign was first launched in the late ’80s as an attempt to surpass the leading sports brand at the time, Reebok. This campaign is a reflection of everything people feel while they are working out. Should I run five miles today? Do I go to the gym this week? JUST DO IT. It’s considered to be a motivational phrase used to push ourselves beyond our limits. You may also see guerrilla marketing examples.

Ten years after the campaign launched, Nike sales exceeded a jaw-dropping 9.2 billion. That being said, it’s safe to say that Nike has successfully reached out to their target audience by hitting common issues through their marketing message.

8. Pepsi: We Will Rock You

And finally, who can ever forget music royalties Britney Spears, Pink, and Beyonce dressed up as gorgeous gladiators in Pepsi’s 2004 We Will Rock You campaign?

From the all-star casting to the impeccable cinematography, this campaign gained marketing success by featuring some of the biggest artists of the decade with a soundtrack that left viewers in a state of nirvana. Labeling such as an epic marketing campaign would be an understatement. This is the perfect example of how a brand can garner worldwide success by staying relevant to its younger audience along with the entertainment industry.

What Is a Marketing Campaign?

A marketing campaign is a marketing strategy that coordinates a set of activities that are designed to promote a product, services, or brands to a specific or target audience. This mostly involves activities like sales promotion, tactics, and advertising.

How to Write a Successful Marketing Campaign

Developing a good marketing campaign is not as easy as it seems. Behind one good strategy is a basket full of failed ones. To ensure that you take the right measures to run an effective marketing campaign, here are a few examples to consider:

Step 1: Define Your Objectives

It’s hard to develop a good marketing campaign without well-defined objectives. For one, you need to know what you wish to accomplish with your campaign. These marketing goals are typically a reflection of what has been stated in your general marketing plan. To identify your objectives, you must have a thorough understanding of consumer behavior and market demands.

Step 2: Prepare an Action Plan

What’s the point of creating a plan or a call to action? To have something that will serve as a reminder of what you want to achieve and what you could do to attain it, right? Creating an action plan with a timeline of events will help give you direction. You can use this to record successful and failed decisions, and evaluate what could be done to improve these. If you want to see better results, don’t be afraid to take risks and learn from mistakes.

Step 3: Set a Campaign Budget

The type of marketing strategies you create greatly depend on the amount of money you are willing to spend for each campaign. For instance, Super bowl ads tend to be more costly than average TV commercials, but that’s because Super bowl season generates the most number of viewers. One thing to keep in mind in commercial marketing is to never settle for free advertising, as this can sometimes affect the quality of your campaign. While good marketing campaigns don’t always need to cost much, you still need to consider the production and channels used for launching these ads.

Step 4: Choose the Right Marketing Strategies

What is the best way to communicate with your respective audience? Is it through email marketing? YouTube marketing? Online advertising? Note that some channels are best suited for your campaign than others. It’s important to consider how your message will likely reach your target audience.

Step 5: Measure the Outcomes

When all is said and done, it’s now time to measure the results of your campaign. To do so, go back to your marketing objectives. Analyze the numbers and compare it to previous campaigns. This will help you determine favorable strategies and identify loopholes that may be fixed.

FAQs

At the end of the day, regardless of the product or service you are promoting, there are various ways to reach out to your target audience. Coming up with a clever marketing campaign isn’t easy, as it requires intensive market research, creativity, and a wild imagination to achieve. So, when planning your next big campaign, make sure to keep the given campaign examples and marketing techniques in mind. You may also see making marketing plans.