{"id":673,"date":"2020-05-17T12:48:37","date_gmt":"2020-05-17T12:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/?p=673"},"modified":"2020-10-31T23:58:26","modified_gmt":"2020-10-31T23:58:26","slug":"marketing-campaigns-that-went-viral-and-why-they-were-awesome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/marketing-campaigns-that-went-viral-and-why-they-were-awesome\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Campaigns That Went Viral And Why They Were Awesome"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are so many boring and uninteresting marketing campaigns out there, that people enjoy the funny and creative ones so much more. That\u2019s when we find campaigns that went viral &#8211; the ones that people liked so much they had to share it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is not often that marketers manage to find humour in the world of advertising. Sure, they try but finding success so big it leads to campaigns that actually went viral&#8230;well, that doesn\u2019t happen so much.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll be looking at some of the most clever marketing and advertising campaigns of the past few years, and how they managed to stand out.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 36pt;\">Our Favourite Marketing Campaigns That Went Viral<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following list is in no particular order, we simply share the marketing campaigns that we think did really awesome.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>MoonPie<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In our discussion of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/marketing-plan-creating-a-strategy-that-will-reap-rewards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">marketing plan strategies that will reap rewards<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we mentioned this popular baked goods company. The marketers behind MoonPie really know how to go about creating clever advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This time, the iconic treat didn\u2019t stick to the warm and fuzziness people expected. In fact, they got real about the struggles of their consumers. MoonPie had a months-long campaign on Twitter and it was a success.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\u2019s as good a day as any to stick a MoonPie in the microwave light a couple candles and scream into a soft pillow<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; MoonPie (@MoonPie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MoonPie\/status\/936253250961059842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 30, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Why did this marketing campaign work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was surreal, humorous and realistic &#8211; it spoke to people about their realities without going too dark. By showing consumers that MoonPie cares about them, they personalised their brand to people. The wit and creativity of the campaign is something that we all can aspire to have in our own strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Kentucky for Kentucky<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although a small brand, Kentucky for Kentucky grabbed attention by intentionally making a mistake. The company, which sells Kentucky-themed products related to the US state, placed an advertisement in the Oxford American\u2019s Kentucky issue. However, they misspelt the word \u2018your\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, this was part of their plan and made it clear with the comment that they added underneath it. As a brand that would not have been able to catch a lot of attention outside the state of Kentucky, they reached a much wider audience with this cheeky \u2018error\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_692\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-692\" style=\"width: 1320px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-692 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Kentucky-For-Kentucky.jpg\" alt=\"Kentucky For Kentucky had a campaign that went viral because it was different\" width=\"1320\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Kentucky-For-Kentucky.jpg 800w, https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Kentucky-For-Kentucky-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Kentucky-For-Kentucky-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Kentucky-For-Kentucky-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1320px) 100vw, 1320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-692\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kentucky for Kentucky really nailed being different and standing out with their advertisement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Why did this marketing campaign work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, because it was funny and different. Making mistakes on purpose doesn\u2019t always work, but Kentucky for Kentucky pulled it off nicely. Perhaps it was their reference to American writer and Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner is what made people giggle.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No list about marketing campaigns that went viral would be complete without the inclusion of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Few campaigns have seen the kind of success that this one has.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the summer of 2014 was all about this challenge &#8211; pour ice-cold water over yourself and nominate a friend to do the same. The point of the challenge was to create awareness about Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and it worked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Pete Frates helped bring the fight into the national spotlight with the 2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IceBucketChallenge?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IceBucketChallenge<\/a>. For this, the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/baseballhall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@baseballhall<\/a> has displayed his BC hat, glove and the bucket from his own challenge at Fenway Park. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/X5nqf6Ltlj\">pic.twitter.com\/X5nqf6Ltlj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; BC Baseball (@BCBirdBall) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BCBirdBall\/status\/1260284356821610496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Why did this marketing campaign work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ice Bucket Challenge had a fantastic and interesting call to action and targeted a massive demographic &#8211; just about anyone who wanted to take part. Teachers, children, celebrities and athletes all joined in on the ice bucket challenge. Also, many people failed the challenge, making it so much funnier. As a result, the campaign saw LAS receiving over $30 million in donations. This is a huge improvement from the $1.9 million that it received in the previous year.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>White Claw Capitalizes on User Generated Content<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This alcoholic brand was launched in 2016 and in 2019 it entered the mainstream industry and became really popular. That is because the marketing team was able to make use of user-generated content and quickly became one of our favourite marketing campaigns that went viral.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although White Claw had many television advertisements, they could cut on their budget by using content given to them by their loyal users. User-generated content is a great tool in marketing. We suggest that you take a look at our guide on how to use this kind of content in your own marketing campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"*drinks White Claw once*\" width=\"1778\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FApbkER3uIY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Why did this marketing campaign work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">White Claw rethought their approach to marketing and tapped into a more organic way of sharing their consumers\u2019 experiences. This made people feel more involved and close to the brand. It was entertaining and creative and tripled the drink\u2019s sales to about $320 million. Actually, the campaign was so successful that White Claw had to declare a nationwide shortage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Miller<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Miller doesn\u2019t need any introduction &#8211; who doesn\u2019t know the phrase \u2018It\u2019s Miller time!\u2019? &#8211; their marketing team knows the value of a good marketing campaign. They tapped into a trend by social media users and called on consumers to \u2018go dark\u2019. This means being silent on social media and spending time with your friends in real life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miller Lite encouraged their supporters to put down their cellphones and spend time drinking their beer with their friends and loved ones. On top of that, Miller gave away free beer to all their followers on social media that unfollowed them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Followers\" width=\"1778\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GBF3r-v4EFE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Why did this marketing campaign work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their move was a risky one but it paid off. Miller was able to get attention from a whole new generation. Although people were a little confused on whether or not they should start following Miller on social media, they loved the theme of the campaign, which is why it makes our list of marketing campaigns that went viral.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>SodaStream<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SodaStream has been around for many years and is a household name but was able to give new life to their brand with an interesting marketing campaign. The marketing team tapped into the trend of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/consumer-insights\/asmr-videos-youtube-trend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">watching ASMR videos<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The brand also made use of a celeb to work with them &#8211; Jonathan Van Ness of Netflix\u2019s \u201cQueer Eye. By working with Jonathan, SodaStream was able to create a campaign that is funny and reached a very wide audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Jonathan Van Ness Tries ASMR with SodaStream Soothing Sounds\" width=\"1778\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zL-0NdSJWoY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Why did this marketing campaign work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By targeting a new audience, SodaStream introduced itself to new consumers. The younger generation loves ASMR and now they love SodaStream as well. Combining social media, television and digital marketing, the brand was able to earn themselves a spot on our marketing campaigns that went viral list.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 36pt;\"><strong>Tips On Creating Your Own Marketing Campaigns That Will Go Viral<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you\u2019ve seen campaigns that went viral in action, let\u2019s discuss how to create your own. While there is no \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019 formula, you can still use clever tactics to give your marketing campaigns the best chance at doing well.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Master Your Target Audience<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is one of the most basic things you need to get right &#8211; targeting the right audience and targeting them well. If you want to create marketing campaigns that go viral, you need to understand your audience. Your content will only be effective if it speaks to the right people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to have a clear idea and understanding of your audience and have created accurate personas. The best idea is to speak to real customers and get an idea of how they feel about your industry and products. Get to know their problems, dreams and aspirations. Feel free to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/what-content-marketing-is-and-how-to-get-it-right\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">check out our content marketing guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more on this.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Time Your Content For The Best Reach<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Timing is very important when it comes to sharing viral content. If you want the best possible reach for your content, you have to release it at the right time. Focus on getting your content out when it has the maximum ability to be seen by your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting engagement that will see your marketing campaigns go viral depends on having your audience see it and share it. You will have to do lots of research to determine when is the best time to share content, depending on your target audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Have Content That Begs For Engagement<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned above, you want lots of engagement and for that to happen, you need to create the kind of content that people want to engage with. Content that gets engagement will always be more popular than even the most expensive paid ads that lack engagement elements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, this will call for research to be done on your side. You need to give people content that they want to like and share with their friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Choose The Right Social Media Platforms<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your marketing campaign needs to be seen by the right people, at the right time and on the right platforms. There\u2019s no point in sharing your content on Facebook if your audience is on Twitter or Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your platforms are influential on the kind of content that you create, so knowing where you\u2019ll share is vitally important. We have an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/social-media-advertising-how-to-make-the-best-of-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in-depth guide on social media marketing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that you may find very useful.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Share Fresh Content<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People don\u2019t want to see the same old and boring content, they want new and fresh content. Creating original and unusual content is what you want to create so your marketing campaign will go viral.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you\u2019ve probably seen from our list of campaigns that went viral, content that is interesting and entertaining does the best. If you want to be successful, you need to start thinking outside the box.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Get The Attention Of The Media<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once your marketing campaign takes off, you want to get as many eyes on it as possible. Getting the attention of the media is a great idea. When a brand is doing something interesting and new, media organisations are sure to want to get involved. You want this kind of attention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to prove you\u2019re worthy of the media\u2019s attention, you need to show them that you\u2019re getting engagement from people. This will reflect positively on your brand and your marketing campaigns. You can even contact news organisations and give them press releases with relevant figures and data.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Work With A Social Media Influencer<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working with social media influencers us a great way to boost your brand\u2019s awareness. Almost 95% of brands that make use of these celebrities see their strategy\u2019s effectiveness rise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Established influencers have built a relationship with their followers \u2013 there is already a big sense of trust there. And this is what you can tap into by working with them. Their recommendations and views are respected. That means if an influencer is promoting your brand, people will see it as trustworthy. For a more comprehensive discussion on social media influencers, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/influencer-marketing-a-helpful-guide-for-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">take a look at our guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Have A Clear Call To Action<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No marketing campaign is complete without a proper and engaging call to action. It is what calls on people to take action, as the name suggests. A good call to action (CTA) will help your target audience know that they should click to visit your website or have another important action take place. It\u2019s the \u2018Buy Now\u2019 button that we all know. They are on advertisements and landing pages everywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having a call to action that provides ample information is advantageous to everyone involved \u2013 possible customers as well as the marketer. With a good call to action, you will get the right people to click on your button. In addition, you will also dissuade the wrong people from reacting. Your audience will know what to expect when they click on your ad or button. We\u2019ve got a great guide on how to use this marketing tool as well, so go ahead and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/call-to-action-the-why-and-how-of-this-marketing-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">check that out too<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><strong>Use Advertising<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can use advertising to boost the visibility of your campaign. Although using organic content to get attention is the preferred way, you can always pay for some extra exposure. Create advertisements that are aimed at influential users, this will increase your success. Although this may take a while to get right, you will find that paid advertising is a great way to reach more people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 36pt;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So there you have it &#8211; the marketing campaigns that went viral and how they managed to do that. We\u2019ve shared some really great advice on how you can get the same kind of success. By reading <a href=\"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the guides that we share<\/a> to help you create killer content and marketing campaigns, you will be able to create your own viral marketing campaigns as well. Good luck!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are so many boring and uninteresting marketing campaigns out there, that people enjoy the funny and creative ones so much more. That\u2019s when we find campaigns that went viral &#8211; the ones that people liked so much they had to share it. It is not often that marketers manage to find humour in the  &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1064],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-marketing","category-viral-marketing"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialplanner.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}