Best-Ever Social Media Campaigns

posted by: Tara

Here are the 7 Best-Ever Social Media Campaigns according to Forbes:

1. "The Blair Witch Project"

This is considered the best-ever social media campaign and one of the first viral marketing efforts. The marketers behind this horror flick were able to generate big buzz for a movie with a teeny budget by using Web sites and message boards to stoke interest in the flick months before its release in the summer of 1999. Was the story of young documentary makers lost in the woods true or false? Fake newspaper clippings about the disappearance of the movie's main characters and police photos of their missing car were posted. Movie site Box Office Mojo reports that the film made more than $29 million during its first week of wide release. It has generated about $249 million to date worldwide.

2. Blendtec: Will it Blend?

Web videos for the Blendtec Total Blender show the kitchen accessory destroying just about everything from a baseball to an iPhone. Our judges unanimously ranked this series of destructive shorts as one of the best social media campaigns. According to Jeff Robe, Blendtec's director of marketing, the videos have done more than boost awareness of Blendtec blenders. Home sales of blenders have increased 700% since November 2006.

3. Old Spice "Smell Like a Man, Man."

Old Spice spokesman Isaiah Mustafa was popular in TV commercials, but what really made this campaign an interactive hit was the recent Web-based element with Mustafa responding to questions submitted by fans on Twitter and other social media outlets in as many as 180 Web videos this summer. He proposed marriage to one fan's girlfriend. She accepted.

4. Burger King: "Subservient Chicken"

With the help of a person in a chicken suit, dubbed the "subservient chicken," Burger King and agency Crispin, Porter + Bogusky's campaign was created in 2004 to promote the chain's TenderCrisp Sandwich. According to the ad agency, the Web site, where a participant can still type in commands like "moonwalk" and "make a sandwich" and watch the chicken obey the order, received 15 million hits in the first five days.

5. Pepsi Refresh

While Pepsi's Refresh campaign, which gives people the chance to get funding for philanthropic and charitable ideas, is ongoing, the Forbes judges highlighted the use of "Refresh" as a way for Pepsi to push toward a new identity while still maintaining its youthful image.

6. VW: "Fun Theory"

This social experiment campaign looked to see if making things more "fun" would influence consumer behavior. This included Volkswagen transforming a Swedish subway staircase into a giant, functioning piano, which resulted in 66% more people choosing the steps rather than an escalator. Created by DDB Stockholm, the campaign was awarded a 2010 Cyber Grand Prix Lion at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

7. OfficeMax: "Elf Yourself"

For its 2006 holiday campaign, the office supply retailer encouraged Web users to upload pictures of themselves. An elf, with those faces, would then dance. The campaign, created by New York-based independent agency Toy and San Francisco-based EVB, led to the creation of more than 122 million elves during that holiday season. It increased site traffic and generated a number of wannabes and spin offs, driving sales and brand awareness, according to the judges.

Source: Forbes 


Search the Blog!

Rate This

No votes yet

Other Posts from Tara

Similar Posts

Popular Blog Posts

Highest Rated Posts

Tags for Best-Ever Social Media Campaigns

Tags