A campaign is anything that skyrockets your marketing efforts and benefits your brand by either boosting its brand recall, recognition or sales.

By now you’re fully aware of the incredible potential social media has so let’s look at a few brands that took their campaigns to the next level through these platforms.

While their insights and research are unique to them there is always something that they tapped into that we can learn from.

So, listed below are some of the most creative social media campaigns in recent times for you to take a little inspiration from. 

1. Honda CR-V – Pinterest Marketing

Honda, the world’s largest manufacturer of 2 wheelers, was geared to launch the new CR-V in a unique way. It became one of the first automakers to mark its presence on Pinterest, finding and encouraging five Pinterest influencers to take a break and do the things they actually pinned on their boards. 

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Honda set up their own individual pinboard with participants instructed to add images they took during their Pintermission. To further maximize their reach Honda was added as a collaborator to these user’s boards on their own Pintermision focused pinboards. As well as creating promotional posters for the platform and sharing them through these users.

What did they do? 

While on a break for 24 hours known as their ‘Pintermission’, these Pinterest influencers, broken down by the highest number of followers (and relevance), received 500 dollars to do everything on their board and document the same – taking videos, pictures, and creating a special board dedicated to Honda’s Pintermission. Making at least one of their pinned pictures a reality using Honda’s new CR-V.

The End Result:

The campaign garnered over 16 million total media impressions proving highly successful in exposing more than 4.6 million individuals to the #Pintermission boards. The boards on Pinterest itself garnered more than 5 thousand re-pins and 2 thousand likes. And bled into other platforms that shared the story and the images. The result was a massive success, marking a big impact for very little cost. 

Why did it work?

Though seemingly a simple plan, Honda took the initiative to research the activities, aspirations, and dreams of their target audience by checking what they were pinning on Pinterest. They used their product to tie in with these same aspirations and made a way to connect the two using the new Honda CR-V. Their ultimate goal was to integrate their product launch in a seamless way – associating ‘fulfilling your dreams’ with the car.

How can you tap into this idea?

Tap into what your current target audience’s goals and dreams are by deep diving into their habits, lifestyles, where they are on different platforms, and their purpose and habits in using each. Understand what your audience wants to achieve. For Honda – this was understanding that people spent a lot of time on Pinterest that pinning boards became a ‘habit’. This frequent pinning is what made the brand initiate its Pinterest campaign.

For more Pinterest-specific marketing campaigns check out: Kotex: Inspirational Women’s Day.

2. Mejuri ‘For My Damn Self’ – Instagram Marketing

Mejuri is an e-commerce jewelry brand that disrupted the jewelry industry throughout 2019 with their campaign ‘For My Damn Self’. The goal of the campaign was to increase the number of sales by female customers i.e. convincing women to buy jewelry for themselves and without any occasion, rather than it being gifted to them – a notion always associated with jewelry. 

While DeBeers, the jewelry brand behind ‘A Diamond is Forever’, invented the ‘Right Hand Ring’ moving away from the classic jewelry for married women and symbolizing the celebration of a woman’s independence, Mejuri took it a step further by adding a more modern touch with a sassier tagline.

What did they do? 

In honor of Women’s Day, Mejuri launched the campaign ‘For My Damn Self’ celebrating independent women, encouraging them to indulge in activities that bring them joy, on Instagram, while wearing Mejuri. They spread the message of not waiting for jewelry to be gifted but rather to celebrate your own achievements as a woman be it a promotion or just for a regular day’s wear. The brand also took to spreading their message offline by giving away free pop sockets with the message ‘For My Damn Self’ printed on a mirror image.

The End Result:

The brand garnered an increase of over 90% in their number of Instagram followers with a database of over 130,000 tagged photos to date that they use on their social media to date as user-generated content. Their product waitlist went up to totaling 40,000 people. This also led to a subsequent increase in engagement and built a sense of community for their present and future customers. 

Why did it work?

Since its inception, Mejuri valued community and self-care. With #ForMyDamnSelf they integrated their core values with the present-day outlook and need, and successfully so. Each facet of the campaign resonated with their followers and reflected their views and lifestyle.

They had a clear target audience and found a way to align both their and the end consumers’ thinking. They also set their tagline to the tone of the audience they were speaking to – making a stronger connection between the two. 

So, how can you tap into this idea?

Speak your consumers’ language and find a way to align both your values and needs to generate an increase of positive exchange from both sides. At the same time constantly question the notions we have about – well, everything! Don’t be afraid to be bold and redefine preconceived notions. What Mejuri did best is showcase purchasing a simple piece of jewelry from them as a means to feel empowered – because after all, you’re doing something for yourself.

3. Disney’s ‘Beauty & The Beast’ – Instagram Marketing

Disney by no means needs any introduction. The mass media company – in the simplest of terms, covers everything from movies, TV programs, and games to theme parks, resorts, and a whole lot more. Their goal for this campaign was to promote the new movie ‘The Beauty and The Beast’.

What did they do?

For any movie being released today, there is always an event dedicated to its premiere and Disney took advantage of just that. They promoted the event by bringing their followers inside the premier and handing over their Instagram to a character from the movie, Gaston, played by Luke Evans. They uploaded Instagram videos of Gaston and encouraged fans to tune in to the premiere virtually.

The End Result:

What resulted was a boost in their follower count and interaction for days before, during, and after the event as this was something unique that they couldn’t get access to anywhere else.

Why did it work?

Most people don’t get an inside look into movie premieres and the chances of attending one is usually pretty slim as it’s an event that’s only meant for a few, making it an exclusive affair not open to everyone and Disney capitalized on just that. Disney helped fans of the movie get an exclusive insider look into what a premiere at Disney is like, using their curiosity to their advantage. 

What also made it special was that this look was through the lens of someone they know – an actor from the film. Getting to see the premier through the eyes of a film star and not just someone covering the event.

How can you tap into this idea?

Giving your followers something unique and different – that they know instantly they won’t get anywhere else. Making them feel as though they are part of something like an event for example really boosts their connection with the brand as well as leaves them on a note of a new experience. Tap into what your brand’s USPs are, what unique to your brand, and find a way to create curiosity around that – whether it’s through an event or something like future posts to look forward to.