Social media campaigns are the fuel for your marketing efforts. They provide a concentrated dose of energy that can result in major brand recognition, awareness, and sales.
Are you looking for inspiration for your next campaign on social media? To show you how it works, we’ve collected some of the most successful social media campaigns from recent history.
Bonus: Get a free template for social media campaigns to help you plan your next goal crushing campaign, regardless of size or budget. Set up responsibilities, assign responsibilities, create timelines, list deliverables and much more!
Social media campaigns can be used to support or reinforce your social media marketing strategy. It is a combination of coordinated actions designed to achieve the goals in your overall strategy.
A social media campaign will have specific outcomes that can tracked and measured over a specified time period (e.g., for one month). It should be targeted and more focused than the “business as usual” social media content.
You can limit your campaign to one network or spread it across multiple social media platforms. It will often have a particular theme such as “Black Friday” and “Fashion Week”.
Are you looking for inspiration for your next campaign on social media? To show you how it works, we’ve collected some of the most successful social media campaigns from recent history.
Getty Museum Challenge
Platforms: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
What Getty Museum did: Los Angeles’ Getty Museum asked the public to create home-made recreations of its artworks during the lockdown. The public responded with hilarious and impressive homages.
We challenge you, create a work-of-art with objects and people in your own home.
Select your favorite artwork
Three things are lying around your home.
These items can be used to recreate the artwork
Share your experience with us pic.twitter.com/9BNq35HY2V
Getty (@GettyMuseum), March 25, 2020
Getty shared images alongside the original artwork as they came in. Getty’s humor and warmth were evident in the posts, which also showcased the vastness and diversity of its collection. In a time when there was not much news on social media, user-generated content kept the content schedule full. It also cost nothing and made its fans happy.
Still Life with Lobster, Champagne, Fruits and Newspaper by William Michael Harnett – And my “Still, life must go on” (c) 2020 Bebejabets Sophie Lapointe #CanadianArtist#GettyMuseum #GettyChallenge#GettyMuseumChallenge #Quarantine #CoronavirusPandemic #COVID19 #COVID__19#Art pic.twitter.com/8hIQ2VH07Y
— #Artist Bebejabets
(@bebejabets) May 27, 2020
It worked because it was easy to do. “Choose your favourite artwork and find three items around your home to recreate it. Share your work with us,” tweeted Getty Museum. This was a fun challenge for art lovers that eventually brought joy and community to a time of darkness. There was no time limit or prize.
To get the ball rolling, the Museum provided a few examples and submissions began to pour in.
Madonna and child.https://t.co/ZbnVeToUPE pic.twitter.com/7Vkl91CF6D
Getty (@GettyMuseum), March 25, 2020
You can learn this: Creativity is a result of constraint. By offering followers a simple-yet-structured way to showcase their fandom (and stave off quarantine boredom), Getty sparked inspiration for thousands of pieces of content. Which kind of inspiration or IP can you give your followers?
Save The Music’s #musicsaves
Platform: TikTok
Save the Music Foundation was founded to provide music education for public school students in America. The foundation’s #musicsaves campaign was created to bring attention to the foundation and raise awareness about the impact music has on mental health.
Save the Music partnered with TikTok to get a #musicsaves hashtag added to the Featured Hashtags List. This allowed people to use the hashtag to share their musical stories. The audience could easily absorb the emotions and songs of music on an app like TikTok. The campaign received 229 million views.
People who used #musicsaves as a hashtag activated TikTok’s new Donate sticker, which allowed them to tap into their audience for fundraising.
It worked because: Two unavoidable truths combine here: People love sharing their stories, which is a powerful force for fundraising overall. Save the Music was able to let anyone on TikTok share their music-related stories, which allowed them to reach a wider audience than they might have with a more formal campaign.
@chloeflower
Click the button to donate and help my friends @savethemusic Spread the word MusicSaves! #SavetheMusic #chloeflower #flowerthroughconcrete
Flower through Concrete – Chloe Flower
What you can learn: Sharing inspiring personal stories with your fans and followers not only gives your brand something to share but also builds a positive relationship. Anyone could become an ambassador for a cause through the #musicsaves campaign. Invite your followers to advocate for your brand if it is a charity or non-profit organization.
Cadbury’s #justaskanAus
Platforms
What Cadbury did: A Cadbury UK team created a street-level billboard with an Australian seat. The text read, “It’s amazing, just ask the Aussie.”
Although it was not an Instagram Live video, the campaign felt immediate because of the constant updates over the course of one day about the stunt. It lives on in Cadbury’s highlight reel.
It worked because: Stories offered an opportunity to participate in the gag even if you couldn’t physically harass the chocolate lover. The videos of the Aussie responding also created more content that the Cadbury UK account could share.
The blending of social and the “real world” created a feeling of urgency. Who knows how long this person will be answering questions on the billboard? Users were prompted to interact by the “real” world and social media.
What you can learn: Social media is magical when it’s combined with real-world events. It’s like a portal into another world. What special event or stunt could be used to generate content for your brand’s brand?
Campaign thlete’s foot’s Katch to the Kayanos
TikTok Platform
What did Athlete’s Foot do? A global retailer that specializes in athletic footwear created a TikTok virtual race. Athlete’s Foot teamed up with Sarah Magusara to create a series targeted ads.
@user037048
Get a pair ASICS Gel-Kayano 28. Follow @sarahmagusara to see more
Original sound – theathletesfootaunz
TikTokers could see Sarah running in the ASICS Gel-Kayano28s and be invited “race” her through For You to the finish line. Scrolling further will bring up additional ads featuring Sarah running, as well as information about the shoe. The final ad of the story could be viewed by those who have reached the end to enter for a chance to win a pair.
TikTok explains that “As people scrolled through their For You Feeds the advertisements served as indicators with different In-Feed Ads encouraging them to keep scrolling to get to the finish.” Lucky few were able to win the ASICS Gel Kayano 28s.
It worked because: The sequential storytelling appealed to TikTok users, and Sarah’s treasure hunt aspect of “finding Sarah” in your For You feed was almost irresistible. Katch the Kayanos received 8.5 million impressions with a 5% engagement rate.
What you can learn: Paid campaigns can be as creative and as fun as organic ones. Gamification is a great way to attract new followers.
Oreo’s #oreoscope
Platform on Twitter
What Oreo did: The cookie brand tapped into the current obsession about horoscopes, star signs, and offered to analyze fans’ most recent tweets to create a customized “Oreoscope”, which included insights about their personalities and how they connected to one brand’s products.
You are familiar with your sun sign. You are familiar with your moon sign. You may be familiar with your moon sign. But what about your OREO sign.
.
This is your chance to get an OREO scope reading that’s based on the way you tweet. #StayPlayful pic.twitter.com/HvU9rxfW4X
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) May 17, 2021
Why it worked: People are drawn to personalized content. If the success of Spotify Wrapped every year isn’t enough proof, we don’t know what else is. Even though there are a lot of “Oreoscopes”, getting your personal diagnosis from the brand is still a special experience. It inspires users to share their results with others to better understand them.
Personalized results, whether they’re from data analysis or a quiz, are a great way to give fans the opportunity to talk about their products and themselves.
Bonus: Get a free template for social media campaigns to help you plan your next goal crushing campaign, regardless of size or budget. Set up a timeline, assign responsibilities, and list the deliverables.
Get the template now!
Sun: Sagittarius Moon: Cancer Oreo: #OREOscope pic.twitter.com/pnDwqa4m3O
— Captain Chaos (@HOLLYifUNeedMe) November 3, 2021
What you can learn: A chance for followers to share something about themselves will result in a higher share rate. This doesn’t mean that you have to use an AI program, or a Spotify listener or tweet cruncher. Your fans can have fun with memes that relate to different stars, age groups, or life experiences.
Collaboration between Weetabix & Heinz
Platform on Twitter
What Weetabix did: A high-fiber cereal team teamed up with Heinz beans to troll a nation back in February 2021.
Weetabix is the best alternative to bread. @HeinzUK Beanz served on bix with a twist. #ItHasToBeHeinz #HaveYouHadYourWeetabix pic.twitter.com/R0xq4Plbd0
— Weetabix (@weetabix), February 9, 2021
The brand started by sharing a strange photo of beans on bran cakes. It then suggested that the unusual combination was a good idea. This sparked a huge conversation and slews of reactions.
It worked. What is funny? This photo is normal. It was taken as any other breakfast photo and has a text accompanying it. Innocently, the tweet asks: “Why should bread have all of the fun when there’s Weetabix?” Some people, and tons of brands! Some people (and tons of brands!) saw the joke immediately and offered their humorous commentary. Others assumed it was a real pairing suggestion and couldn’t resist reacting with outrage.
We are from Switzerland so we will be staying away.
— Toblerone (@Toblerone), February 9, 2021
TikTok users started to make videos in which they tried the pairing suggestion.
It was so easy to do!
pic.twitter.com/MnNFNOk4rk
Georgia Kain (@georgiakain), February 9, 2021
You can learn this: First, lying to your audience is not a good business decision. If you have a brand account that is able to use some humor appropriately, it’s possible to make your followers laugh by offering a joke.
This weirdo image will not only stand out in your newsfeed but it’ll also spark conversation. That would be delicious! Is this really crazy? Is this a joke or serious? A post or image that sparks curiosity can also spark conversation.
Zalando’s #styledayfriday
Platforms: Instagram, TikTok
What Zalando did. When Covid struck and many people were at home or not going to work, loungewear sales spiked as the most fashionable pieces (read: clothes that have buttons and waistbands) dropped drastically. Zalando, a European fashion brand, tried to counter the decline by encouraging its followers to take part in a weekly challenge: make Casual Friday Style Day Friday.
This post is on Instagram
Zalando (@zalando), shared this post
Weekly themes and challenges were offered, such as “Matchy Monochrome”, or “Flower Power”; live content was promoted by Zalando employees and fashion influencers. Participants in #styledayfriday were awarded with promotions to the “Zquad” which they featured on Zalando’s social channels.
It worked because: Zalando’s challenge allowed people to reconnect with their passion for fashion and gave them a chance at a time when it was difficult. The inspiration was provided by seeing other people’s outfits flooding in each week, and it also allowed for some playful one-upsmanship. That’s a crop top, right? (You call that a crop top?
@irinahp
Flower power
#styledayfriday #tiktokvienna #viennagirl #vienna #outfitchallenge @zalando
Originalton – Irina
Zalando’s channels were flooded with comments from followers, including “Good occasion to dress up!” and “Thanks for the joy you brought me fridays!”, which clearly demonstrated the positive impact of the campaign. The #styledayfriday campaign increased Zalando’s engagement by more than 50% and quadrupled brand follower growth to over 182 million.
What you can learn is that tying a campaign to a specific time period (in this instance, once per week) creates an event: something fans look forward to or plan for. You can also create a weekly challenge that is layered with urgency. If you want to take part, it was either now or never.
@levinhotho
Today is StyledayFriday Share your favorite Flower Power Outfit with me. You might win a 200 EUR @zalando gift card! *Anzeige
Original sound – Levin
Social media campaign template
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Bonus: Get a free template for social media campaigns to help you plan your next goal crushing campaign, regardless of size or budget. Set up responsibilities, assign responsibilities, create timelines, list deliverables and much more!
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