There’s something so satisfying about a good marketing campaign. Or, maybe, it’s just us. Either way, here’s some of the best marketing campaigns keeping us inspired, plus an example of what happens when you miss the mark.
Getting the #Squad Together
The #SephoraSquad has been chosen! In an interesting campaign, Sephora opted to work with influencers for more than just a one-off post, hosting an open talent search for their #Squad on social media. Pulling from creators from diverse backgrounds, the squad will appear in Sephora’s digital feeds and in in-store marketing for 2019. 15,000 influencers applied for the chance and Sephora plans on creating a new squad next year.
It will be interesting to see what a long-term partnership such as this can do for both brands and creators. Overall, more companies are moving away from short term, one off posts towards multiple posts and longer partnerships. To see Sephora take that even further lend credence to the latter.
All In This Together
And taking a leaf out of Sephora’s book, several German Publishers are creating their own squad. Instead of funneling money into third parties, such as Google or Facebook, these media powerhouses (which own publications such as Bild, Welt, and Business Insider) are instead focusing on advertising within each other’s platforms. They hope to extend the offering beyond themselves, starting on September 1,2019. By doing so, they’ll be able to reach around 50 million unique visitors in Germany.
This is an interesting response to the growing concern of Google and Facebook taking up so much of the ad spend on the internet. By leveraging their existing audience, these companies are offering a new alternative to others who also may be feeling frustrated by Google and Facebook constant changes and fighting with the algorithms. Definitely worth keeping an eye and an ear out for!
What’s Old Is New Again
80s Nostalgia is in full force, it seems. Coca-Cola’s partnership with Netflix for the next season of “Stranger Things” only brings that further into the spotlight. They are bringing back New Coke, the reformulation of their classic cola that was universally canned. But people are feeling pretty warm about it this time around.
Collectors are clamoring to get their hands on one of the limited edition bottles of New Coke. Others are simply reminiscing about the memories that are accompany it. Goes to show even once hated moments of shared culture can become points for fond memories. And a way to create an A+ partnership campaign.
Godzilla, SMASH!
Speaking of “what is old is new again,” Old Spice released their new ad, featuring an… interesting remake of the old Godzilla movies of the 1950s & 1960s. Paired up perfectly to release alongside Godzilla: King of the Monsters hitting theaters, you can have your epic CGI spectacle and your cheesy real effects, too.
It also shows that marketing doesn’t have to be boring. Entertaining content, regardless of source, is entertaining content. Many people follow brands on social media simply for the entertaining content – about 48%, in fact. So when planning your campaigns, make sure to take a step back and ask “is this entertaining?” It may be the question to help put you on the path to a successful campaign.
You can find the video here. What? Did you really think we’d leave you without it?
Maybe Don’t Do That
But marketers don’t get it right all the time. North Face participated in a campaign that attempted to push their images to the top of search results by placing within Wikipedia articles. While they claimed it was in partnership with Wikimedia Commons, the organization made a statement responding that they did not. It has since been pulled by North Face, who also issued an apology:
We believe deeply in @Wikipedia’s mission and apologize for engaging in activity inconsistent with those principles. Effective immediately, we have ended the campaign and moving forward, we’ll commit to ensuring that our teams and vendors are better trained on the site policies.
— The North Face (@thenorthface) May 30, 2019
This is actually preeeeeetty terrible. The mission of Wikimedia Commons is to provide information for all, free of charge. They never advertise. This is an important lesson and reminder that not all spaces on the internet are meant for ads, and that thinking you’re smart for being sneaky just makes you look bad.
Keeping up with the latest and greatest (and occasionally, questionable) in the biz is, well, our biz, biz! And sometimes, we even make some pretty cool campaigns ourselves! You can see more about what we do on our website and if you have any questions, you can always drop us a line!