2022 has brought an array of updates and developments to the marketing world, and we have seen some great examples of how companies are using these updates to create their adverting material; here, we have made a list of what we think were the Top 5 campaigns of 2022 when looking at brand awareness, and brands that have utilised industry updates/trends to optimise their advertisement.
‘Summer Better Be Ready’ campaign – Boots
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The first campaign in our top 5 is Boots’s 2022 “Summer Better Be Ready” campaign. They took the challenge of exceeding results from previous campaigns, such as the 2021 “Feel Good”, giving the 2022 campaign a budget that was 20% larger than the budget in 2021, resulting in it being the most significant brand push for Boots to date.
The ‘Summer Better Be Ready’ campaign was also the first campaign to be launched as part of the “Here For You, For Life’ brand platform. Therefore reflecting the brand’s new purpose to ensure their customers that they will always have what they need, supporting them through anything in life. Working alongside partners such as The Pharm and VMLY&R, they created their material with an emphasis on the effectiveness of their advertising. They removed a scene from the advertisement that marketers loved but failed to resonate with the audience. Producing an advert that was impactful for the brand and relatable and impactful on its audience.
The campaign created some great results; according to Marketing Week, Boots saw a return on investments of £2.50 for every £1 they spent, beating Boots 2021 campaign ROI of £2 for every £1 spent. The brand reached all its goals from the 2022 campaign, including buzz, relevance and value for money perception, and the belief in customers that Boots has everything they need. They also saw a massive rise in their own-brand sun soltan, seeing the highest sales of the brand’s product.
Reddit’s brand awareness Super Bowl campaign
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The Super Bowl is watched globally by millions of NFL fans. The game has 41% of Americans gripped for a whole day every year, and 1 out of 2 have said that they discover new products just from watching the advertisement during the halftime show and general ad throughout the day. With a 30-second ad costing up to $6.5 million, Reddit had a clever idea for how they would advertise their brand in a financially savvy yet impactful way.
Reddit decided they would take the cleaver route of creating a short yet gripping 5-second ad that started off looking like a generic car advert, then glitched and changed to a scene of horses galloping through a field. This caused massive confusion during the game and grabbed the audience’s attention, as it looked as if something had gone wrong.
Of course, the audience’s initial reaction was to head straight to social media. Reddit’s tweet was waiting for them with the primary advertising material. The tweet has now received over 450,000 likes and has been named, by the New York Times, as one of the most creative and impactful brand advertisements the game has ever seen.
Duolingo’s innovative social media campaigns
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Duolingo has successfully created a robust and influential online presence through its TikTok campaigns, in particular. Duolingo has taken a unique yet practical approach to creating and improving brand awareness without explicitly focusing on the company’s services.
TikTok is a vast platform that offers an array of opportunities for businesses to utilise, increase their following and gain access to audiences they may not otherwise have access to. 63% of users said they prefer entertaining and ‘funny’ content over specifically branded content, which is precisely what Duolingo has done with their content and social media. They have taken a funny and entertaining approach, creating videos and stories using their green owl mascot, Duo.
They have increased their following from 500,000 in September 2021 to 2.9 million in February 2022. They are growing rapidly, with their TikTok account now having 5.4 million followers. Their path focuses on creating funny and entertaining content, not just informative or persuasive, and has had an impressive impact on their brand awareness and general popularity.
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Corona’s “Pay With Plastic” campaign
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Corona’s “Pay With Plastic” campaign was a huge success that focused on improving the environment, partnering with the CI Chamber of Commerce and Parley for the oceans to create plastic waste stations. The brand created stations where you could collect plastic waste and bring it to be weighed. In return, participants would receive an array of Corona-branded products.
The brand created waste stations on beaches in Mexica, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Columbia and saw a considerable amount of people participating by collecting plastic from the surrounding areas in exchange for their beverages. Partners in the campaign also cleaned beaches per the number of recycled waste collected—creating an overall cleaner environment while increasing brand awareness and their following by partaking in and running environmentally conscious campaigns.
In an article for DailyStory, they said, “With so many weather issues happening around the world, campaigns that positively impact the environment will always gain attention. This particular campaign stands out because it’s more than just marketing”.
Tesco’s “Out Of Home” Ramadan campaign
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During Ramadan, Muslims across the UK fasted from sunrise to sunset. In the evening, upon the call to prayer, families and communities got together to eat at Iftar (breakfast). In April 2022, Tesco showed its support for those participating in what has been described as a poetic way. Digital Billboards showcased hands holding empty plates during the day, and as the evening progressed, traditional dishes and cuisine started to fill the table.
Below the image is where the advertisement had the most impact. Below the picture, a small amount of text read,“ Together this is Ramadan” and “In honour of everyone fasting, these plates only fill up as the sun goes down.”
This is a prime example of how the correct placement and timing can emphasise out-of-home advertising. It can considerably impact the brand itself and the communities involved.
In conclusion
2022 has brought an array of updates and developments, and it has been interesting to see the creative minds of today utilise them to make impactful and innovative marketing materials for campaigns that have the potential to create change. With the ever-improving world of marketing and technology, we will see much more innovation throughout 2023. We can’t wait!