The Best Marketing Campaigns for 2022

A marketing campaign is any activity planned to achieve a company’s marketing goal. For example, the goal could be to raise awareness for a product, service, business or organization; drive new revenue; or aid recovery. Marketing campaigns can reach many people, create trends and needs, and define the market. By studying them, we can learn valuable marketing lessons and get one step closer to creating enticing campaigns.

Fast-moving consumer trends encourage marketers to be more daring in their approach, resulting in more data-driven campaigns and audience-centric storytelling. Furthermore, brands now have many channels, ranging from social media, to email marketing, to brand awareness campaigns, to Google ads. The offline and online worlds are your oyster. However, each channel requires a different level of finesse – you must tell the same story differently. The battle for consumers’ attention – and their money – is becoming more complex. So, how can brands differentiate themselves?

What makes a good marketing campaign?

A good marketing campaign will appeal to many customers and pique their interest and excitement about the campaign. But whether you want to market a service or a product, you must understand how to make your campaign stand out. The best advertising campaigns have a few critical elements in common. Here are some of those.

Audience

Launching an advertising campaign that targets all potential customers is nearly impossible. To ensure the success of your campaign, you must first identify the audience you want to reach and then target it specifically to those individuals. For example, you could target pregnant women and new parents with a new baby product, or IT professionals with a new tech product. Narrowing your focus and targeting a specific audience can help your campaign succeed.

Content

You must have compelling content. The content, whether it’s a blog or an email campaign, must appeal to the intended audience. Consider the ‘Rule of Seven’, a marketing theory that states that someone needs to see or hear a message seven times before they take action to buy the product or service, and ensure that your messages are consistent no matter how you communicate them. A marketing campaign should be only a tiny part of your overall marketing strategy. Whatever you’re offering, and whatever channel you’re offering it through, it should fit in with any other specific actions you intend to take to interest potential customers and clients in your product or service, ultimately working to persuade them to buy what you’re offering.

Offering

This will determine the nature of your content. If your offer cannot be something unique to your brand or service, then make it valuable and worthwhile for them to accept. For example, eBooks, reports and case studies are excellent for businesses that provide managed services rather than physical products. It is not a direct sale but a trusted method that showcases your expertise and lets customers understand your company.

Suppose you’re planning a money-off voucher campaign. In that case, your campaign will be reasonably straightforward, visually focused, with coupons to cut out, and repeatable across all social media platforms. Suppose you’re offering a discount on products or services. In that case, you could use a multi-channel approach, including an email campaign in addition to social media posts and blogs. Examine what your rivals are doing. Make sure that your website is up to date and contains valuable information that visitors will appreciate. For example, do you have a ‘how to use guide’ for your product?

Measuring

Depending on the channels you’re using and your end goal, this will look different for everyone. You could track open email rates, new Facebook Page likes, product pre-orders, or a combination of the three. If your campaign involves multiple marketing channels, it’s a good idea to define how you’ll measure each medium. What does ‘success’ mean to your company? Reaching a predetermined goal is exciting, but it’s not always possible. Consider setting up some checkpoints along the way when deciding how to measure your campaign. It will not only remind you to keep pushing toward your ultimate goal, but it will also boost morale among your team members and remind you that your hard work is paying off.

Concept

Marketing campaigns require a mission statement, a vision statement, and a visual identity. Great campaigns are visual and creative offshoots of their parent brand. They stay consistent with the business brand while maintaining their own identity. Some companies use an in-house team to create campaign assets, while others hire an agency. Another option is hiring a freelancer or contractor to complete a specific portion of the project, such as the copy or design.

Depending on your campaign objectives, I would recommend starting with your in-house team and progressing from there. If marketing campaigns are a feature of your business, investing in your in-house team could be wise. For example, an online master’s in communication could help them interact with your target audience and ultimately lead to achieving your goals. They are your company’s experts and can speak to what your campaign requires to succeed. Because you’ll be creating your campaign concept from scratch, this step will most likely take the longest. Following that, you’ll discuss how you’ll distribute your campaign assets and connect with your target audience.

Goals

Before you begin, you must determine your goals for this marketing campaign. What do you hope to achieve? What is its function? Do you want to generate leads, close new customers, re-engage old ones, boost your visibility, increase sales of a specific product or service, or drive more traffic to your website? Before you begin your marketing campaign, you must establish realistic and measurable goals. You’ll then be able to tell whether it was a success.

Best marketing ads of 2022

1. Reddit

Brands are bidding for Super Bowl ad time every year – and it makes sense if you want to reach your intended audience. According to our data, more than one in every two NFL fans discover new products through TV advertisements, and 41% of Americans watch or follow the NFL. However, that eye-catching Super Bowl spot is not cheap. For example, 30-second ad slots were expected to sell quickly for around $6.5m in 2022, making them the most expensive in NFL history. In the past, some brands have gone above and beyond, extending the slots by 15 or 30 seconds. However, Reddit chose a novel approach to its video marketing campaign: go small or go home.

Reddit took a considerable risk, and it paid off. It purchased a five-second commercial spot during the Super Bowl. Beginning with what appeared to be a generic car commercial, it cut into a glitch-like screen, displayed some text, and then switched to horses galloping through a field. The ad was so perplexing that people assumed that it was an accident. At a big event such as the Super Bowl, this draws attention. However, it was over in an instant. Viewers flocked to social media to learn what had just occurred. A Reddit Tweet was waiting for them, which has since received millions of views on the social media platform. According to the New York Times, it quickly became one of the most discussed advertisements.

2. Aegean

The largest Greek airline, Aegean, is known for its outgoing personality. So, its 20th-anniversary celebration should come as no surprise. As a reward for their loyalty, the company created an email marketing campaign in which subscribers were offered a 50% discount on their flights. In addition, the firm paid close attention to the design of this newsletter to make it even more successful. You can see that it’s a pretty neat and minimal email that delivers the message clearly while also pleasing the reader’s eye. The good news is that you don’t have to be an expert in Photoshop to create such a newsletter. You’ll only need a simple Drag & Drop editor and a little imagination.

3. IKEA

IKEA collaborated with Uzina to create its ‘Fresh at IKEA’ marketing campaign promoting its summer bedding to showcase its summer collection. It’s an inventive take on IKEA’s bedding products that also makes you hungry. This is a double hit for Ikea, which sells duvets and food! The designs don’t require much copy, but the ‘fresh’ concept is clear. It’s promoting lighter summer bedding with ‘fresh’ connotations associated with ice cream and bright summer colors. Furthermore, the sensation of a ‘fresh’ summer ice cream is nostalgic for most who see it, creating instant relevance with its audience.

With this campaign, IKEA has thought outside the box. The company has made duvets more attractive while also drawing attention to its products. Suppose you’re having trouble getting your marketing campaigns to resonate with your target audience. In that case, it’s possible that you haven’t identified a pain point or emotional connection with them. Nostalgia is something that everyone can relate to – consider incorporating it into your campaigns like IKEA.

4. Barclays

Barclays Bank UK created a mini dating show rather than a video ad to sponsor a TV show. ‘Moneyverse Matchmaking’ pairs couples who are compatible in all ways except one: their financial philosophies. Through quiz questions, the show seeks to discover whether a romantically compatible couple can find love despite their financial incompatibility. Making money work for you is the tagline.

It doesn’t matter if it’s to satisfy a harmless hint of voyeurism or a natural craving for drama. The point is that people adore reality television. This campaign capitalizes on the entertainment value of filmed blind dates, while remaining focused on finance. Barclays adds educational value to the content by providing a link to resources for couples navigating difficult financial conversations. Find an entertaining reality TV concept and inject it with educational, actionable tips for your audience if you want to replicate its success.

5. Clorox

Clorox’s short video shows customers how its products solve sanitary issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. During a grocery store run, the product is used to clean high-touch areas as a woman shops for ingredients for a ‘can’t miss’ family dinner moment. The video concludes with a happy family sitting down to eat. A good marketing campaign demonstrates how a company solves a problem, affects viewers’ emotions, and makes the target audience feel good.

6. Progressive

Progressive promotes its insurance offer in a direct line in ‘The Ad Where Nothing Happens’. When a prospective insurance customer asks if something crazy will happen now, Progressive representatives say that people have been through enough. When three members of NSYNC show up at the house, their celebrity endorsement is unnecessary. This advertisement demonstrates that sometimes simplicity is best. To attract attention, not everything has to be overdone. As long as the marketing campaign stays true to the brand’s identity, simplicity can go a long way toward generating buzz.

7. Burt’s Bees

This campaign is aimed at visitors who are about to leave a website. The campaign offers a discount in exchange for signing up for email and text marketing. There are only two fields for phone number and email address, which may feel less intrusive than requesting their name. The design is straightforward with a neutral background. With no fluff or distractions, a single-column layout directs the eye straight to the option fields. ‘Can We Get Your Number?’ is a playful headline asking permission to contact them. ‘Get $5 Off’ is more appealing than ‘Subscribe’ because it reminds users what they will receive in return. Waiting until the user is about to leave ensures a less disruptive browsing experience.

8. Menchie’s

This campaign is intended to drive customers to a physical store. The call to action is simple and low risk. There is no need for a purchase or subscription – the visitor simply clicks. The eye is drawn to the colorful food photography, which allows the viewer to imagine themselves in the restaurant. The table in the photo is the same color as the background of the copy area. This draws the viewer’s attention away from the image and toward the call to action.

‘Come and see us!’ is a friendly invitation. The button copy ‘Find our nearest location’ is straightforward and does not put the visitor under any pressure. Anyone who has been on the site for more than 30 seconds will see this campaign. The only exception is any visitor who is already on the location page. Be aware of your visitors’ behavior to avoid showing them something that they’ve already seen.

9. Domino’s

As brands prioritize connecting with pop culture, Domino’s went big, collaborating with Stranger Things, the streaming phenomenon that has broken Netflix viewership records with its fourth season. Fans could also play in the show’s universe thanks to the chain’s ‘mind-ordering’ app, which uses facial recognition and eye-tracking features to allow consumers to order pizza using expressions and head movements. A video featuring Stranger Things stars was also included in the effort.

This isn’t just a ‘move your head to order a pizza’ type of experience. It’s a more in-depth experience and a storytelling tool that I believe is used very well. Domino’s frequently positions itself as a technology company that also happens to deliver pizza.

10. Heineken

As the pandemic shows signs of nearing an endemic phase, some brands have zeroed in on pain points of the ‘new normal’, with Heineken’s entry on this front standing out by combining utility, sympathy and optimism. Heineken launched a campaign centered on The Closer. This Bluetooth-enabled device closes work applications when users crack open a beer, to address the growing work-life imbalance. Aside from the device, which was only available for one hour, the campaign included a high-gloss film and a satirical collaboration with comedian Billy Eichner.

The Closer shows how a brand such as Heineken can market around a new reality faced by a target audience of white-collar workers while reinforcing a premium positioning. It can be difficult for global brands such as Heineken to develop a global idea that does not feel generic. However, the brand has consistently done an excellent job of incorporating current consumer truths into upbeat work. The Closer is a solid addition to that journey. What I like about this concept is that it connects modern, pandemic-accelerated behavior with truth while remaining charming and helpful to consumers.

Final thoughts

It takes skill to create a marketing campaign that produces compelling results. Before it hits the floors, it requires sophistication, creativity and a solid blueprint. Because these outcomes can be subjective, it is critical to define your goals for a marketing campaign. Would you like to increase your sales? Or are you looking to raise brand awareness? A successful marketing campaign aims to connect with the target audience. When your target audience can relate to your marketing campaign, you are more likely to leave a mental imprint on them.