January was a long month and we're sure many of you are happy to see it pass. However, there was some good to come out of it — innovative digital campaigns.
Here,
media update's Taylor Goodman unveils the best of the best over the past month :
Let's get stuck in:
Twitter's inspirational billboards
I know what you're thinking — '
Why are billboards featured in an article about social media campaigns?'
Well, it is a Twitter campaign after all and the campaign is
omnichannel, meaning it ran online and in an OOH (out of home) format. And let's be honest, it was such a feel-good effort that we just
had to mention.
This manifestation campaign was launched by the platform in a Tweet that read "
if you dream it, Tweet it", followed by pictures of billboards in
eight different United States and Canadian cities.
The billboards featured Tweets that relevant public figures posted before they rose to fame, sharing their wildest dreams, which in time became their reality. These Tweets were superimposed onto images of said celebrities.
Here, we saw that Twitter broke the boundaries of what we think a social media campaign should be. Yes, it's on billboards,
but it's on social media too — and making major waves at that. According to Adweek, manifestation is quite the popular topic on Twitter, with
59 million tweets about manifestation populating the platform over the past three years.
By amplifying Tweets that these celebrities made when they were regular folk, the brand inspires its users, telling them that they could achieve their dreams too. And it didn't hurt to showcase how these public figures are long-time Twitter users either!
This campaign is a part of Twitter's charity outreach, as the brand aims to
donate USD$ 1-million to nonprofit organisations on behalf of the featured public figures.
Oscar Mayer bologna face mask
Yes, you read that right — bologna face mask, and it is
genius. Oscar Mayer, an American meat production company decided they would venture where no other meat manufacturer had gone before … skin care?
As random as this sounds, this playful and quirky take on one of the brand's products made headlines and had people talking. The face masks even sold out on Amazon in
less than a day after its release.
This campaign's aims to strike up nostalgia in all those kids (now adults, who
hopefully don't do this anymore) that used to bite eye and mouth holes out of bologna slices and put them on their faces.
And don't fret, dear reader, no deli meats were harmed in the making of this face mask. In fact, there is a big warning sign on the packaging that reads "do not eat bologna masks".
Oscar Mayer teamed up with Korean skincare brand, Seoul Mamas, to create a "
hydrating and restoring hydrogel mask".
As many of us wouldn't have expected this move from a meat company, Oscar Mayer hit the goldmine not just because of this campaign's shock factor, but its humour as well.
Okay, you've piqued our interest!
McDonalds' #McDonaldsHacks
Have you ever been eating a double cheeseburger and thought, "Wow, this could really use a fillet o' fish", then consider this your lucky day!
As of 27 January 2022, McDonalds in the United States of America launched its 'menu hacks' campaign where fans of golden arches could choose from four new secret menu items. This includes:
- land, air and sea
- crunchy double
- hashbrown McMuffin, and
- surf + turf.
These major mash-ups allow consumers to experiment with their meals, and McDonalds is able to capitalise off of an out-of-the-box campaign, with items that already exist on their menu.
Despite there being mixed reviews online (we're looking at you, Wendy's), many were intrigued by the fast-food giants' colourful promotional materials and innovative food combinations.
Social media quips aside, it was a smart move from McDonald's to use the inevitable controversy of these sensational mix-ups to get their followers posting about their brand on social media. It doesn't hurt that it's a limited offer either.
Additionally, it allows consumers to take things into their own hands and get creative with it. "This campaign shows that it has never been 'our menu' — the menu belongs to our fans",
says McDonald’s vice president of marketing, Jennifer Healan.
What is your favourite social media campaign of January? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below. Want to stay up to date with the latest social media news?
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*Image courtesy of Vecteezy.