Every day, when we watch TV or surf the internet, we see hundreds of brands and marketing campaigns. With tons of them appearing on our phones or TV screens, or on the billboards on the highways, it becomes a bit difficult to remember them all. Think about it, what brand campaign made an impact on you this past week, and why?
This has been the competition for most brands, especially for those who offer the same products and services, thus the McDonalds vs. Wendy’s vs. Burger King spectacle. Having a good ad campaign that stands out from the rest and stays in the minds of consumers is the optimum goal.
That being said, we have come up with a list of ten of the most iconic ad campaigns in history. Let’s reminisce on them, shall we?
Why Marketing Campaign is Important
Every business in this world thrives from sales. Truth be told, no matter how good your products or services are, if you don’t know how to sell, then you might be wasting your time. Why do you think book stores always have a ‘best-selling’ section and not a ‘best-written section’?
Hey, we’re not telling you to not care about your product, but branding and marketing are as important. This is why successful brands, no matter how small or big they are, have a marketing team or department solely focusing on their marketing campaigns.
The 10 Most Iconic Marketing Campaigns of All Time
Marketing campaigns promote products on different platforms such as print, TV, radio, and many more. Tons of ideas go into marketing ads and millions of dollars are spent on each campaign. However, only a few have stood out from the rest.
1. Nike: ‘Just Do It’
34 years ago, Nike created the ‘Just do it’ campaign. It became an instant hit and served as the brand’s slogan since then.
The slogan was inspired by the phrase “Let’s do it”, Gary Gilmore’s last words before being executed for being a serial killer, that’s according to SportsCasting.com.
Although the history of ‘Just do it’ is pretty dark, it sparked the fitness junkies inside many consumers. With being successful with the initial goal of just selling more shoes than Rebook, Nike had also sold a lot more fitness apparel for both men and women since then.
Those three words were all that Nike needed to kick start its powerful empire. The takeaway on this? Choose a slogan that mirrors your brand’s initiative and will speak for your target audience.
2. Volkswagen: ‘Think Small’
There’s a saying that ‘Only dead fish go with the flow’. Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) and Volkswagen knew this, even way before marketing strategies were highly developed.
So, in the ’50s, when fast, aggressive, and masculine cars were the norm, people reading the newspapers were naturally shocked with VW’s ad ‘Think Small’. “What? Why would I do that?”
Just put yourself in the consumer’s shoes. And so, you continue reading the ad, and you get more surprised! You expected to read lines along “You just think we’re small but we’re really not”, or “We look fantastic but you just don’t realize it”, or “We’re fast cars too!”. Instead, the makers tell you the truth: that they are small, slow, and ugly. But, as you read along, you would realize that they are not modeled to be badass cars, they’re designed to be smart cars.
3. Dove: “Real Beauty”
Sadly, most beauty brands, may it be cosmetics, personal care products, or any other, would set a beauty standard by using models with perfect skin and bone structure. They tell us we can look like them if we use their products. Truth is, instead of making us feel better, they only add to our insecurities.
And so, when Uniliver released an ad campaign for Dove which showed the truth, everyone was shocked. It was so refreshing to see an ad like this. The ‘Real Beauty’ campaign shows us that we’re beautiful in someone else’s eyes, even if our minds tell us otherwise. It showed us another perspective to which we should look upon ourselves.
4. Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Can Smell Like”
32 seconds. 108 words. One Isaiah Mustafa. That’s the recipe for the most iconic body wash commercial of all time. This campaign was an instant hit. It’s humorous, straight to the point, and sometimes makes you dizzy!
The funny thing is that the ‘Old Spice Man’ was promoting the product to women instead of men. Such a smart move!
5. Miss Clairol: “Does she or doesn’t she?”
In the 50s, women needed to look perfect. That was their job, literally. Their clothes need to be nicely put on, their shoes on point, their make-up flawless, and their hair perfect! And so, Miss Clairol did not mind that TV back then was just back and white, she needed to promote her hair dyes that make women look youthful!
6. Apple: 1984 Super Bowl Ad
Apple aired this commercial only one time, but it was stuck to people’s minds. “Why 1984 Won’t Be Like 1984” was Apple’s way of introducing Macintosh.
With technology just being introduced to the world, people were skeptical that it will control them eventually, but not Apple. They claimed that their technology would be used for freedom. This commercial was very successful and we can say that it proved Apple was different from the rest.
7. Coca-Cola: “Share a Coke”
Coca-Cola effectively used both face-to-face connection and social media in making ‘Share a Coke’ successful. It made coke feel personal to consumers. Looking for a bottle with your or someone else’s name was an already effective strategy, but Coca-Cola took the next step and engaged consumers to share their Coke experience through Twitter and other social media platforms.
8. Wendy’s: “Where’s the Beef?”
Who thought of putting three old ladies in a burger commercial? Well, Wendy’s! We think that Wendy’s made a home run by creating this campaign. A subtle, yet direct way of telling consumers how their competitors lack meat on their burger.
It was so successful that ‘Where’s the beef’ became a catchphrase that people use until now to question something’s substance.
9. Apple: “Get a Mac”
Apple’s marketing team is doing something right. In 2006, a series of ‘Get a Mac’ ads were aired. Although the main point of the ads were to show the pros of getting a Mac instead of a PC, it shows what Apple really is: creative, relaxed, but advanced.
10. Pepsi: “Is Pepsi OK?” Campaign
Pepsi knows how they can be the second choice when it comes to beverages, and they don’t sugar coat it. Instead, they used it to tell people that Pepsi is in fact more than okay. Steve Carrell, Lil John, and Cardi B proved that to us in 2019’s Super Bowl.
