Key takeaways:
- We highlighted some of the most innovative social media campaigns from the world’s largest brands in 2022.
- Social media teams created successful campaigns through TikTok, BeReal, Instagram, Metaverse, and more.
- Creating engagement through creative social sharing interactions and influencer/celebrity endorsements helped these companies increase brand awareness.
A successful social media campaign engages your audience and increases brand awareness. But implementing an effective campaign requires innovation to stand out in a social media landscape that is highly competitive across industries.
From TikTok videos to interactive storytelling, social media teams at the world’s largest companies have demonstrated how effective a campaign can be in engaging with large audiences and spark conversations.
As you prepare your 2023 social media strategies, here’s a look at some innovative brand campaigns to inspire your efforts.
1. Spotify wraps up the year with creativity
Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign is one of the most anticipated social media campaigns every year. In 2022, they added new features to their strategy by making the feature more interactive than ever.
Wrapped allows users to view and share their top-listened-to artists over the past 12 months, and this year, they offered listening personalities for all customers.
In an article by The Drum, Vice President and Global Executive Creative Director Alex Bodman added, “We give millions of people their Wrapped, and they talk about it. But this year, Wrapped is going both ways. It’s all about interactivity and play.”
The campaign allowed users to share their top artists across various platforms and included video messages from artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Shania Twain thanking fans for their support.
2. Conagra Brands dominated user engagement
SocialMedia.org member Conagra Brands, whose membership is led by Board Chair and Director of Brand Communications Amy Morgan, took the social media world by storm using aggressive commenting tactics across all platforms.
Their Slim Jim brand was highlighted for their ability to comment on as many users’ videos as possible on TikTok and Instagram. Their content uses entertaining videos often based around trends on TikTok, which feature their products, fans of their brand, and influencers who partner on creation. Amy shared some of the highlights of their efforts.
Amy explained how their willingness to explore new trends and learn from past experiences has led to their success.
“If you can, find the time to identify the content that’s on there and approach it with a test-and-learn attitude,” Amy told SocialMedia.org.
3. McDonald’s kicked off a World Cup campaign with guest stars
SocialMedia.org Member McDonald’s, whose membership is led by Board Chair and Social Media Manager Sonia Summers, launched their largest global campaign in honor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Their “Wanna go to McDonald’s?” campaign stretched across 75 different markets in 10 languages and four dialects. It featured celebrities like Twitch streamer Edwin Castro and “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudekis asking soccer fans if they’d like to go to McDonald’s.
4. Unilever’s Dove aims to boost self-esteem
As part of their mission to help people detoxify their social media feeds, Unilever’s Dove launched their #DetoxYourFeed campaign to present a four-step guide on talking to kids about toxic beauty advice.
Their campaign helped their team win Brand of the Year for 2022 in The Marketing Society awards and saw a partnership with influencer Athena Ashley Bates who highlighted Dove’s installation dedicated to educating young women about the toxic effects of social media.
5. Southwest Airlines asked customers to fly with heart
SocialMedia.org Member Southwest Airlines, whose membership is led by Board Chair and
Listening and Insights Manager John Young, launched their “Go with Heart” campaign reinforcing their company values to customers and highlighting their policies and commitment to customer satisfaction.
Vice President of Marketing and Digital Experience Bill Tierney explained how the campaign also showcased their customer experience improvements.
“We’re here to connect customers with what’s important to them by making travel easier with less anxiety, and through this campaign, we’re also emphasizing our commitment to continuous forward momentum through improvements to the customer experience,” Bill said in an article by The Drum.
6. Samsung partners with TikTok to engage with younger audiences
Through a series of creative TikTok videos, Samsung marketed a variety of flip phones and their ability to work as a social media tool.
In order to appeal to younger audiences, Samsung combined the use of retro flip phones with modern social media functions. Chief Marketing Officer Benjamin Braun shared their three goals for the campaign: increasing awareness of their range of electronics, increasing their brand presence with customers, and authenticity with user engagement on TikTok.
“TikTok is a place where we can reach young people,” Benjamin said in an article by The Drum. “But if you take our traditional way of doing marketing like we would do on TV, that format doesn’t work.”
7. Chipotle had a scary good time on social media
In their much anticipated ‘Boorito’ annual event, Chipotle took to BeReal, TikTok, and Instagram to engage with growing social media consumers.
Their campaign, called ‘BooReal,’ offered an award to 10 winners who use BeReal to post a picture of themselves in costume at one of their locations for Halloween using the hashtag #booritosweepstakes. They also allowed contestants on Instagram to enter the sweepstake by tagging them and using the campaign hashtag.
Director of Social and Influencer Candice Beck explained how they’re leveraging trending social platforms like BeReal to engage with audiences.
“New apps always have the potential to get big,” Candice said in a Retail Brew article. “We are going to prioritize it in terms of places to play and test new content just in the same way we did with TikTok a few years ago.”
8. Target’s “Take Pride” Metaverse
SocialMedia.org Target, whose membership is led by Board Chair and Senior Director of Brand and Inclusive Marketing Aimee Roesler, took to the Metaverse for a one-of-a-kind experience in honor of Pride Month in their “Take Pride” campaign.
The project was led by SocialMedia.org Member and Senior Manager of Social Evolution Kelsey Dahlager and was aimed at boosting their brand awareness and allyship with the LGBTQIA+ community.
Web developer and artist Kiernan “Flutt3r” Pearce, a transgender creator, also led the project to develop an immersive world that allowed users to properly interpret their collective journeys of self-discovery.
Part of the campaign included Target’s experience in Metaverse’s Horizon Worlds, a virtual reality space for LGBTQIA+ creators to build relationships and celebrate their authentic selves.
9. Fidelity Investments gets real on their social campaign
SocialMedia.org Member Fidelity Investments, whose membership is led by Board Chair and Senior Vice President of Social Media Pamela Neville, presented a behind-the-scenes look at their thought leaders’ lives using BeReal.
Director of Enterprise Channels and Social Media Nanci Freed shared the authentic content from the campaign that showcases their leaders’ everyday lives.
Learn what social media leaders are planning for 2023
As you plan your social media budget and programmatic goals for 2023, what strategies or resources are you prioritizing?
If you lead social media at a large company, you can apply to join SocialMedia.org to learn best practices from your peers at the world’s largest brands. Members are sharing strategies for program needs in 2023 and how they’re leveling up their social media campaigns.
Learn how SocialMedia.org can help you strategize for innovative social media campaigns for 2023.
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