Digital marketing works best when it combines innovation, storytelling, social causes, and engaging people with a brand. In this post, we'll examine the best marketing campaigns of all time and what we can learn from them.
What Is a Digital Marketing Campaign?
A digital marketing campaign is a strategic effort to promote a company’s products or services to an online audience using one or more marketing channels. A digital marketing campaign aims to raise brand awareness, boost engagement, and increase sales.
While old-school marketing still has its place, more businesses choose digital marketing because it's effective. Other benefits of digital marketing campaigns include:
- Reaching a wider online audience
- Highly Targeted advertising
- Cost-effective compared to traditional marketing
- Easy to monitor and measure results
- Increase customer engagement and loyalty
- Greater flexibility
- Access to global markets
- Improved conversion rates
Let's examine some of the last decade's most effective digital marketing campaigns to see how the above benefits can be translated into real-life scenarios.
10 Examples of Successful Campaigns
- Airbnb - "We Accept"
- McDonald's - "Adults Happy Meal"
- Uniqlo - "Uncover"
- Lyft - "Referral Program"
- Nike - "Just Do It"
- Spotify - "Only You"
- Dove - "Project #ShowUs"
- American Express - "ShopSmall"
- Heineken - "Open Your World"
- Sephora - "Black Beauty Is Beauty"
1. Airbnb - "We Accept"
Airbnb has achieved tremendous growth using several strategies since 2007. CEO Brian Chesky said investing in brand marketing and public relations and spending less on search engine marketing was key to the company's success.
So, if Airbnb's success was not dependent on SEM (SEO and paid search ads), how did they do it? Let's look at some examples of digital marketing campaigns that contributed to Airbnb's growth.
Campaign Details
The We Accept campaign was launched in 2017 to protect the brand's reputation from rumors that some hosts discriminated against guests. In addition to promoting diversity and universal acceptance, it donated $4M to the International Rescue Committee. The campaign received over 87 million impressions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and it's still among their top marketing campaigns.
Why It's a Good Example?
It shows how a company can protect its brand from criticism and connect to a wider audience by addressing issues beyond its brand boundaries.
The campaign reached millions because it was not just about the company and its products. It was about sharing values and bringing people together. It's a great example of how showing what your brand stands for can make a big difference in how people see and feel about your company.
2. McDonald's - "Adults Happy Meal"
In 2022, McDonald's launched the Adult Happy Meal campaign to connect with its adult customers and remind them of their childhood memories with the company.
Campaign Details
What made this campaign stand out from other campaigns created by McDolands were the collectible toys designed for adults. The goal was to bring back the joy of opening a Happy Meal to adult customers.
The campaign went viral on social media, creating over 129.2k social mentions and 1B social impressions.
Why It's a Good Example?
It's a great example of how to connect with your customers emotionally and how to retarget your loyal customers with new products and ideas.
3. Uniqlo - "Uncover"
Uniqlo, a Japanese global retailer, launched the Uniqlo Uncover campaign in 2016 to promote their Heattech cloth technology and to present Uniqlo as an innovative technology company.
Campaign Details
They placed digital billboards in malls and other places across Australia that displayed cloth images featuring their Heattech technology. The images also showed some fast-changing numbers. People had to use their phones to take a photo of the banner to get a 5-digit code, which they could use on their website to get discounts and a sample T-shirt.
The campaign reached 4 million people, gaining 25K subscribers and 35K new customers.
Why It's a Good Example?
It's a great example of how to get people's attention with clever marketing and engage them with your products. Asking people to take a photo and then claim a reward is a clever way to get them to visit your website and remember your brand.
4. Lyft - "Referral Program"
The Lyft referral program is a great example of leveraging referral marketing and word-of-mouth to grow a business.
Campaign Details
To withstand Uber's competition, Lyft has devised an easy way to make each existing customer a brand advocate.
They reward customers who refer new riders and drivers to the platform. The referral reward varies per customer, and the maximum limit is $2000 per week in free rides.
The campaign started in Lyft's early days, and while it has been revised several times, it is still applicable today. According to published statistics, it generated 20-35% of Lyft's new users.
Why It's a Good Example?
The success of Lyft's referral program lies in its simplicity and mutual benefit. Users are more likely to share their referral code with friends if they know they will receive a direct reward.
For marketers, the key takeaway is the effectiveness of leveraging referral marketing to grow your customer base. Creating a referral program that offers meaningful rewards can motivate users to spread the word about it and make them brand advocates.
From experience, referral marketing reduces customer acquisition costs, making better use of the marketing budget.
5. Nike - "Just Do It"
Nike's "Just Do It" campaign is one of the best examples of how a single marketing campaign can change a company's future.
Campaign Details
Launched in 1988, it transformed Nike from a small sports company into a global brand. Nike employed professional athletes and people of all ages and sports levels to pass the message that anyone can become the best of themselves if they push harder, no matter the obstacles or fitness level.
The simplicity of the slogan "Just do It" and the inspiring stories surrounding it made this campaign one of the most successful in marketing history.
Why It's a Good Example?
Campaigns that are easy to remember and have a motivational tone can appeal to a wider audience and help a brand connect with consumers emotionally. In the long run, this can create a loyal brand community and drive success.
At the time the initial campaign was launched, there were no social media or online channels (only TV ads and billboards), but the way messaging resonated with the audience was the critical success factor of the campaign.
6. Spotify - "Only You"
Spotify has run many successful campaigns over the years, but one area in which it excels is its ability to retain existing customers.
Campaign Details
The Only You campaign launched in 2021 and included several app features to help users find music that matches their unique listening style. The campaign also encouraged users to share their playlists on social media, increasing engagement and word-of-mouth promotion.
Why It’s a Good Example?
For marketers, the "Only You" campaign teaches two lessons. First, it highlights the effectiveness of personalized digital marketing by utilizing the power of data analytics. The second is that marketing is not just about getting new customers but also about understanding your audience and keeping your existing customers engaged.
In addition, having users actively interact with a campaign (like the examples of Uniqlo and Lyft) is an effective way to turn customers into brand ambassadors, organically spreading the word about your brand and products.
7. Dove - "Project #ShowUs"
Dove is another global brand that uses social responsibility and emotions to engage with its audience.
Campaign Details
One of the campaigns that changed the beauty industry is Project #ShowUs by Dove. The campaign launched in 2019 with a simple mission to break the beauty standards and show individuals as they are, not as others believe they should be. Dove partnered with Getty Images and Girlgaze to create the largest collection of genuine photos of women and binary individuals showcasing natural beauty.
The campaign won several awards, including a Gold Global Effie Award, and generated a database of more than 14,000 photographs. Over 900 companies worldwide have downloaded 7,500+ images from the collection.
Why It’s a Good Example?
Similar to Airbnb's WeAccept campaign, this campaign had a global penetration. It's another great example of how addressing social issues and breaking stereotypes can help companies create a strong connection with an audience beyond their customer base.
8. American Express - "ShopSmall"
Amex's #ShopSmall campaign is another example of how a marketing initiative can shape an industry, in this case, the Small Business Industry.
Campaign Details
Launched in 2010, the American Express ShopSmall campaign introduced Small Business Saturday to encourage shoppers to shop and support small and local businesses. The campaign was so successful that it's still valid today.
AMEX created free resources (such as social media posts) and partnerships with social media platforms like TikTok to help small business owners expand their reach with Gen Z & Millennial shoppers.
The campaign earned the attention of mainstream media, helped thousands of small businesses, and gained over 900K views on creator videos across social channels.
Why It’s a Good Example?
There is a lot to learn from this campaign. For starters, it's a good example of how a campaign launched before the social media buzz can adapt over time. Amex is still supporting the campaign by utilizing the power of social media platforms. Another takeaway is that collaborating with influencers is an effective method to engage with a specific audience.
9. Heineken - "Open Your World"
There are hundreds of beer companies, but only a few of them are as well known as Heineken, and this is due to their innovative marketing tactics.
Campaign Details
Heineken has launched the ‘Open Your World’ campaign to promote openness and encourage individuals with different views to converse over a beer. The campaign's focus was the "Worlds Apart" video, which received over 40 million views across various social media platforms. The #OpenYourWorld became trending on Twitter, receiving over 20K mentions.
To enforce the campaign, Heineken partnered with The Human Library, a non-profit organization that uses conversation to combat stereotypes.
Why It’s a Good Example?
We can learn much from Heineken's "Open Your World" campaign. It's a great example of how storytelling, video marketing, and social media marketing can help a campaign reach and connect with a wider audience. Global brands, like Heineken, don't create campaigns to promote their products. They create experiences to surface social issues and highlight their brand values.
10. Sephora - "Black Beauty Is Beauty"
Sephora is known for its innovative marketing campaigns that touch on important social problems. One such campaign is the Black Beauty is Beauty.
Campaign Details
Sephora launched its "Black Beauty Is Beauty" campaign in 2021. The purpose was to support and promote brands owned by people of color. The campaign was a huge success, with many awards. The Black Beauty is Beauty video received more than 3 million views on YouTube alone.
The company committed to several actions to support black-owned brands, like dedicating at least 15% of shelf space, funding businesses, and creating products more suited to people with darker skin.
Why It’s a Good Example?
Sephora found this opportunity to connect with a specific audience, helping them solve problems that have existed for decades. In doing so, they cleverly promoted their new products and positioned their brand as a gatekeeper of a big cause.
Read the guides below to learn more about digital marketing and how to create campaigns that resonate with your audience.
