With the New Year right around the corner, there is no better time for reflection. While reflecting upon our success this year, it is also important to take a step back and think about some big name marketers that have succeeded in not only grabbing the public’s attention, but also telling a powerful story that successfully relayed a message to an audience.
The year 2012 was full of powerful marketing campaigns that truly represented the new era of advertising. Whether it was using social media to leverage their message, or using humor and thrill to capture their audience, the following 5 companies truly encapsulated how telling a story to promote a specific message can not only move an audience, but make themselves memorable within a highly competitive industry.
INVISIBLE CHILDREN: KONY
With a clear story to tell and mission in mind, the non-profit organization, Invisible Children, received global attention through their poignant video by using powerful tactics such as social media and big name celebrities to reach an unbelievable response of over 94 million views on YouTube.
Watch KONY 2012 to see how an idea and story was brought to life through the virality of social media.
NIKE’S FIND YOUR GREATNESS
During the 2012 Olympics, Nike introduced the “Find Your Greatness” campaign, hoping to inspire regular, every day people to celebrate their athletic accomplishments no matter how small those might be. In finding a message that every individual viewer could connect with on some level, Nike ran with this idea and took advantage of their ability to spread an inspiring and moving message to a massive audience all over the world.
Watch 12-year-old Nathan find his inner greatness.
PROCTOR & GAMBLE: THANK YOU, MOM
P&Glaunched a campaign on Mother’s Day, 2012 called “Thank you, Mom,” which featured Olympic athletes training from day one, emphasizing the mother’s role and impact on their journey to the Olympics. Remembering their brand image and knowing their audiences’ lifestyle, P&G took full advantage of this worldwide event and launched this massive campaign, ultimately hitting 53 million views on YouTube.
RED BULL: STRATOS JUMP
Red Bull took their tagline, “Red Bull gives you wings” to a whole new level when extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner broke the world record of the longest freefall jump of 128,000 feet above Earth. Relying on YouTube to reach an audience, this Red Bull video received over 30 million views. Staying true to the culture and mission of Red Bull, this company was very strategic in making sure that their message and campaign matched the interests of their audience, ultimately making for a very memorable campaign.
As the majority of the public focuses on the latest and up-to-date phone available, AT&Ttook a different approach to market their message and mission by focusing on an issue that has had a major impact on our country- texting and driving. These documentary type commercials clearly show how powerful the art of storytelling can be when it comes to relaying a message.
Do you agree with this list? What other campaigns stood out to you in 2012?