Advertisement campaigns can be defined as a group of similar advertisements with a common or unified message. The benefit of a campaign is the ability to push the same message or idea in multiple mediums (TV, Radio, Internet, Print), in different ways and for an extended period without the content getting too repetitive for the target audience.
Many campaigns have gone a long way in improving the image of brands while a select few have taken that additional step making them “great”. These campaigns have in one form or another impacted a company, an industry, or created a market where there was none.
Below is a list of 10 advertising campaigns that we feel have achieved greatness in one way or another. Granted, this is a subjective opinion but without a doubt, all the listed campaigns have had a positive impact on either the brand or the industry, if not both!
So, without further ado, here goes our top ten list:
1. Nike’s “Just Do It” Campaign
Nike’s Campaign “Just Do It” rocketed the company and brand past its closest competitors (at the time, Reebok was selling more shoes than Nike). This campaign was run on multiple mediums (Print, Television, and Internet) and became so successful that the words “Just Do It” took on a cultural connotation. First launched in the late 1980s, Nike at the time had sales of about USD 800 million and within a decade, those numbers shot up to USD 9 billion!
The company went from selling products exclusively catering to marathon runners to anyone and everyone who wanted to get fit. “Just Do It” spoke to every person who has ever thought of exercising and addressed the challenges that we all face! Too tired to go for that run? Just Do It! This extremely well-thought-out campaign connected with potential customers by hitting the right note in its messaging and reaching that emotional sweet spot that motivates people to get healthy! Don’t take our word for it, here’s a video that says it all. Just Do It!
2. Budweiser’s “The Whassup” Campaign
Anheuser-Busch’s brand Budweiser came up with this epic ad campaign, now famously called “The Whassup” campaign that spoke to millions of people who planted themselves on their couches to watch a game and drink a beer.
This campaign ensured that the beer people thought of was Budweiser. Equally hilarious and crazy (in a good way), The Whassup campaign showed a guy getting a call from his friend to check “whassup” before having a whole host of other friends and people join in on the fun in increasingly hysterical ways. Check it out for yourself – here!
This advertisement changed the way people greeted their friends and if that doesn’t signify a successful campaign, what does?! First released on television in 1999, this series of commercials entered popular culture in 2000 and Budweiser showed that not all advertisements need to be intense and that it’s ok to be silly and fun while still being genuine to your target audience!
3. Apple’s “Get A Mac” Campaign
Apple has made a name for itself as a company that markets its products perfectly. From marketing genius and founder, Steve Job’s launch of their products to its industry-changing “1984” advertisement, we had to choose one campaign that stuck out. Apple’s “Get A Mac” television commercials which tell its viewers why they should get a Mac as opposed to a PC.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and Apple showed a 40% market share growth in the first year of this campaign while telling its audience everything they needed to know about its product. Here are some of its best iterations for your viewing pleasure!
4. Google – “Year in Search” Campaign
Started in 2009 as “Zeitgeist”, a written report of the public’s most common Google searches over the previous 12 months. Google’s “Year in Search” campaign evolved into its ongoing 3-minute video version in 2010 and has continued to remind people about just how much we depend on Google for information, news, and events around the world.
With a positive inclination (even after a tough year), Google reminds its users about the brand and just how connected we all are. Here’s a video from their 2020 iteration and feel free to find all others in the series leading back to 2010 on, well, Google.
5. Coca-Cola’s “Share A Coke” Campaign
The “Share A Coke” campaign is interesting for a few reasons, firstly, who doesn’t know Coca-Cola, right? So how does a company come up with an innovative way to keep their customers coming back for more?
Well, by showing that a large corporation is still about the individuals and they emphasized this by putting the names of individuals on each bottle. Starting in 2011 and still going on, this campaign is available in multiple mediums such as print and television. Check this video out to get an idea of how to share a coke with your friends (and pets?)!
Coke started this campaign in Australia by personalizing each bottle with the 150 most popular names in the country and then took this campaign global with customers even having the option of ordering custom bottles on their websites with nicknames or logos.
6. DeBeers – A Diamond is Forever
At the beginning of this article, we mentioned that some great advertisement campaigns create a market that was previously not in existence. Well, DeBeers memorable campaign slogan “A Diamond is Forever” is arguably the most memorable of the 20th Century and took on a life of its own.
DeBeers managed to create an impression in the minds of millions of people that marriage isn’t completely real without a diamond ring and thereby building an entire industry, leading to people spending their salaries for a necessary luxury item – the diamond engagement ring for their significant other.
This campaign came out in print and television before entering popular culture with any number of films showing scenes of diamond rings when a person proposes to his/her partner.
7. Mastercard “Priceless” Campaign
Mastercard’s Priceless campaign started in 1997 and was themed on its slogan “ There are some things money can’t buy; for everything else, there’s Mastercard”.
This uber-successful campaign has multiple iterations based on regions and could vary from one country to the next. It has a constant and recognizable message which is forever linked with Mastercard. To the point that multiple spoofs have arisen from this campaign as well! Appearing on TV, radio, and print across the years, this video is an example of one of its iterations.
8. Dove “Real Beauty” Campaign
Advertisements that send a genuine message and change perceptions are especially successful when executed tastefully and that is exactly what Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign does.
The parent company, Unilever found out that only 4% of women considered themselves beautiful and developed this heartfelt ad campaign with Ogilvy and Mather then helped change the perception of beauty standards by pointing out the difference between how one perceives themselves and how others perceive them. The results are pleasantly surprising and can be seen in these videos here!
9. Redbull “The Stratos” Campaign
Some campaigns are literally out of this world and if one had to guess which brand would be capable of pulling off something this extreme, Redbull would probably be in the top 3. This video shows the sheer insanity of the modern age advertisement campaign when skydiver Felix Baumgartner flew 24 miles to the edge of space and jumped.
After a 6 minute freefall, Felix safely deploys his parachute and floats back to earth to break multiple world records, and became the first person to break the sound barrier relative to the surface without vehicular power.
In addition, he also broke skydiving records for exit altitude, vertical freefall distances without a drogue parachute, and vertical speed without a drogue. This mind-boggling jump was one of the most live-streamed events in the history of the internet. We will let you decide about the impact it has had on the brand once you have watched the video here.
10. New York Times “The Truth is Worth It” Campaign
Having won the 2019 Clio Awards Gold for this campaign which has multiple series’ and iterations based on words such as “Perseverance”, “Fearlessness”, “Resolve”, and “Courage”. This global news media business had to remind people why it was worth supporting quality journalism in this era of “fake news” and the internet.
They did this by creating this ad campaign (check it out here) to show all of us the extent to which journalists go to bring out the trust in events across the world that impact every one of us!
And that brings us to the end of our list of ten brands that really nailed their advertisement campaigns. There are many more that we could have added to this list but nobody could argue the impact each one of them has had on their brand, industry, and even society.
Do you want a commercial for your brand that can get your message across in an effective manner? If yes, get in touch with GoDRTV now!
