Marcus RichardsWhat makes a great marketing campaign? The truth is that it is not an exact science. What works for one business may not work for another. So, a great marketing campaign relies on people who understand the relationship between the business and the customer and how to use that in a way that brings great satisfaction to the customer, while simultaneously promoting the brand. To see how different businesses achieve this, let’s look at some recent examples of successful marketing and PR campaigns.
Hitting the right note
In 2021, we saw the latest incarnation of one of the most successful marketing campaigns in recent years. Spotify Wrapped is a data-driven breakdown of a user’s music listening habits over the previous year. It reveals an individual’s favorite songs, albums, artists, genres, and minutes spent listening over the past 12 months. This information is presented in a shareable card format that encourages users to promote the brand in a natural way.
The remarkable thing is that the Spotify-wrapped campaign was not a measured plan. Instead, it evolved over years from an idea to reward customer loyalty before the company realized the full marketing power of the data it has in its hands.
The campaign now hits more than 60 million shares in a year (not including screenshots). It gives the customer something of personal value that they are compelled to share. And that really is a magic formula. The company further cemented its global profile in 2022 by agreeing to a four-year deal to sponsor Barcelona Football Club.
A sales-focused approach
This approach won’t work for everyone. Other companies need to take a different approach; for example, where the main goal is simply to boost sales, cash incentives can be used instead. In the world of online casinos and iGaming, customers are drawn to the possibility of winning money from playing casino games and video slots. This means that cash incentives work well as promotions.
At sites such as PlayStar casino online in New Jersey, new players can get a welcome bonus of up to $1000 as well as daily incentives. But this promotional model may not work in other industries. This takes us back to the point about understanding the relationship between the business and the client. Fulfilling a need of the client should be at the heart of your marketing plan. For startups, this means in-depth market research and focus groups need to be part of your marketing strategy.
The bigger picture
One campaign that really made waves in 2021 was the #ShowUs campaign from Dove. It demonstrated how to use social media to drive user-driven content and strengthen a brand’s core identity. The company has been really focused on audience engagement and promoting body positivity and self-esteem in recent years and the latest campaign took this to new levels.
To head the project, they appointed Grammy award winner Lizzo as a brand ambassador. The campaign featured thousands of images from women and non-binary individuals around the world. The project rejected body and image stereotypes in favor of a more inclusive approach, something that has become the company’s key focus. The database of images has been made commercially available to all media to encourage inclusivity.
It is vital to know your customers and what drives them. Or if you are a start-up, you need to know the habits of your target demographic. But you must also be clear about the goals of your marketing campaign. Are you looking to increase sales and/or brand awareness, or to emphasize your stance on a particular cause? Once you understand your own motives as well as your customers, you can then find the right paths toward your perfect marketing strategy.
