The top 5 marketing campaigns that aced the summer
This summer there were some pretty big marketing misses, we’re looking at you American Eagle, but there were also some winners that aced the summer, so let’s take a look at those and what you can learn from them.
Gap featuring Katseye - Better in Denim
You’ve probably heard about the backlash American Eagle had for their “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” campaign, but here’s the super short version in case you haven’t. Viewers found the campaign offensive and compared it to Nazi propaganda.
A short time later, Gap shared their “Better in Denim” ad featuring the girl group Katseye. This campaign worked for various reasons. At the top of that list, was their use of the girl group Katseye - a diverse group of young women who are rising in popularity right now. In addition, it also featured the group dancing to a hit song that many would find nostalgic, Kelis’ Milkshake. Showcasing a group of diverse women who each have their own individual styles AND showing that you can move around in Gap jeans proved to be a hit with audiences, hitting over 25 million views on YouTube.
What to take from this campaign - Representation is important! So is showing what your product can do (like withstanding a dance number).
Crush Canada - Orange Crush Zero Sugar
I talked about this in a previous blog post, but earlier this summer Crush Canada launched the new Orange Crush Zero Sugar. As part of their campaign, they released ads featuring 2000’s heartthrob Chad Michael Murray, placed free posters in Toronto and threw a prom inspired event. Shortly after it launched, I was walking downtown and can confirm that ALL of the posters I spotted were taken. The Crush Prom was also posted all over social media by influencers and the like, and many people (me included) had major FOMO.
What to take from this campaign - Nostalgia works (in this case the team up with CMM and a prom inspired event) - so don’t be afraid to tap into it in fun ways.
NYX Cosmetics- The Olandria Combo
If you were on social media at all this summer or even chatting with your friends or co-workers, you may have heard about Love Island USA. It was HUGE this summer and I’ve mentioned it in some previous blog posts, like this one. Last month, NYX launched a mini campaign featuring 2nd place runners up Olandria and Nic, with Olandria talking about her love for NYX and introducing her lip combo, which quickly sold out!
What to take from this campaign - Tapping into pop culture can be beneficial, but make sure that it makes sense for your brand!
McDonald’s Canada x Shania Twain
This summer McDonald’s Canada teamed up with Canadian singer Shania Twain to offer “Shania’s Sides” a limited time offer that included McShaker fries (with the iconic Canadian flavouring of All Dressed), strawberry pie, and a cute keychain featuring pink cowboy boots. I saw people all over social media heading to McDonald’s to try the sides and/or to score the keychain and even saw McDonald’s collectors from the U.S. offering to buy the keychain from Canadians, so it’s safe to say Shania had another hit with this collab. Personally, I love a cute keychain, so I had to pick one up too!
As we close out summer, they are launching a new collab with Kpop boy band BTS which I’m sure will be another hit.
What to take from this campaign - Like I mentioned above, tapping into nostalgia and pop culture, like working with an iconic Canadian artist that many Canadians have loved for decades, can be beneficial for your brand. For example, it can help audiences connect with your brand.
KPop Demon Hunters x Nongshim
From being Netflix’s most watched movie ever, to breaking music records, having songs and the soundtrack hit #1, to a theatrical run, and more, the animated movie KPop Demon Hunters has DOMINATED this summer!
At the beginning of the movie, the 3 protagonists, the girl group Huntrix are seen devouring food, including ramyun (think ramen) which is personalized for each member, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. After the mega success of the movie and soundtrack, audiences were left wanting more, like branded products from Huntrix and their boy band enemies Saja Boys. Nongshim, a South Korean brand that is popular for their instant noodles (e.g. ramyun) and snacks, took the idea of their noodles and ran with it! They quickly released KPop Demon Hunters branded instant ramyun and snacks for a limited time and according to the brand, 1000 units sold out in less than 2 minutes, insane right? It’s no wonder, they’re gearing up to restock for a second release.
What to take from this campaign - Opportunities are everywhere and it can be important to strike when the iron (or the ramyun 😉) is hot!
We hope these ideas helped inspire you for your future campaigns. Did you have any favourites this summer?