Given the nature of social media engagement today, a brand’s social media channel is about more than just followers, fans and photos. Each social campaign and post is an opportunity, as well as a significant responsibility, for a business to show what it’s made of.
The most successful social media marketing campaign is one that’s thoughtfully crafted to reach a target audience, evoke emotion and elicit a response from those users.
Let’s revisit some of the most remarkable moments in social media marketing, and why these top social media campaigns work so well.
Social Media Is the Most Powerful Form of Digital Persuasion
Around the globe, nearly two-thirds of the 13-and-over population is now active on social media, with an average of 9 accounts per person. Engaged followers use a variety of platforms — from Instagram and Facebook to YouTube, Twitter and TikTok — to build trust in brands and find community.
But today’s typical user doesn’t just count on a fresh stream of social media content to influence their purchasing decisions and provide entertainment — they also scour social media platforms for news, seeking accounts that help reinforce their value systems and expand worldviews.
Brands that understand how these factors fit together can create the most compelling social media advertising campaigns. Here are the best ones we’ve seen:
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1. #EmpowerMoves by United Nations Women Australia
With over 70 million views on TikTok, the #EmpowerMoves campaign by United Nations Women Australia was undoubtedly one of 2021’s most successful social media campaigns. The campaign sought to empower women by encouraging them to learn a self-defence dance and share it online. They used Australian singer Wafia’s voice and entrepreneur Karla Mura’s choreography to publish a powerful and uplifting video on the International Day of the Girl.
While some brands have attempted similar campaigns, only a few have done it with such authenticity — and fun! — as #EmpowerMoves. Not only was this social media campaign able to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women for a new, younger audience, but it also inspired women around the world to share their stories and join the movement.
@unwomenaust #EmpowerMoves is the dance that’s also self-defence. Join the movement today #UNWomenAust ♬ Good Things (R3HAB Remix) – Wafia
2. #ShotOnIphone by Apple
In January 2022, Apple launched its #ShotoniPhone marketing campaign, which highlighted the power and capabilities of the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max to take detailed, macro-photography images. Apple shared guidance to get the best shots and encouraged users to share their photos on social media using the hashtag #ShotoniPhone. Throughout the campaign, they also offered in-person events at Apple stores for users who were eager to learn more about iPhone photography and get advice from professionals in the field.
This revolutionised the way people thought about their iPhone cameras, igniting a spark of creativity within them. No longer were iPhones just for sharing mundane photos of meals or selfies with friends. They became a tool for crafting professional-quality photography, pushing the boundaries of what was previously thought possible with a smartphone camera. As a result, more than 25 million people submitted photos to the campaign, and Apple used them in their advertising and marketing materials. Talk about a win-win scenario!
3. ‘Meet Our Family’ by Symbio Wildlife Park
As visitors to Sydney’s Symbio Wildlife Park dried up during the Covid-19 pandemic, the park’s owners needed a creative way to bring more people through the gates again. They decided on a video that gave a rare, insider look into the lives of the park’s animals. This resulted in an emotional masterpiece that beautifully portrayed the deep love and connection each animal had with their home and family at the park, which was a hit with viewers and helped bring new visitors in droves.
The campaign was designed to achieve high levels of engagement through emotionally compelling video content featuring the animals, zookeepers and their lives at the wildlife park to develop meaningful connections with a worldwide audience and promote the park as a destination for families, animal lovers and adventure seekers. In the end, the marketing strategy — with more than 400 million impressions — achieved greater success than anticipated, with an 828% increase in video views and over 200,000 new followers on social media.
4. ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ by MetroTrains
Although this campaign was created back in 2012, it’s still one of the most memorable and creative social marketing campaigns ever. It was a public service announcement for Metro Trains that focused on safety — a necessary yet boring topic for most people. So, the company opted for a humorous approach. Through an online music video featuring doodled characters and a song written by John Mescall, the campaign gained a lot of traction and ultimately helped Metro Trains increase safety awareness.
This campaign went viral almost overnight, reaching the top 10 iTunes charts in 24 hours, and after 250 million views on YouTube alone, the campaign continues to be shared and remembered across the world. Spin-offs, including a book and mobile app, swiftly followed. Talk about pulling out all the (train) stops to a talking point!
5. #2022Wrapped by Spotify
The Spotify Wrapped campaign is an annual event that showcases each user’s most listened-to songs and artists of the year. Although it’s not exclusive to Australia, it has been highly successful here and is a great example of a social marketing campaign that encourages interaction and shareability.
One reason for its success is that it appeals to users’ sense of personalisation and nostalgia, allowing them to reflect on their music listening habits over the past year. It also nudges users to share their #Wrapped results with their friends and followers on social media, which helps to stir interest and increase the campaign’s reach. In terms of its success in Australia, Spotify is the leading streaming music platform in the country.
6. ‘An Aboriginal Culinary Journey’ by Breville
According to Breville’s Head of Global Brand Strategy and Advertising, Noel Burchill, this campaign was 16 years in the making. ‘An Aboriginal Culinary Journey’ was inspired by the company’s goal to celebrate Australia’s rich Aboriginal culture and heritage, while also showing how the cuisine has influenced modern Australian cooking. With a new six-item product line featuring work from highly-regarded Western Desert artists and members of the original Pintupi Nine, Breville launched the campaign across social media, online and in-store.
What made it so unique was the way in which Breville managed to combine its commercial objectives with a strong sense of social responsibility. The campaign was designed to raise awareness about Aboriginal culture as it strengthened consumer engagement and brand loyalty. They didn’t just celebrate the food, but also explored the importance of Aboriginal culture and art.
7. The Vegeknife by Vegemite
The Vegemite Vegeknife campaign was a success for several reasons. Firstly, it addressed a real concern for many Australians: cross-contamination between butter and Vegemite at breakfast. How did they do it? By releasing a limited edition knife with separate ends for each spread. Genius, right? Secondly, the campaign was well-promoted both online and in person, which likely increased its reach and visibility.
But this wasn’t just a one-way conversation — the campaign was interactive, too! It included an Instagram contest that allowed followers to participate and potentially win one of only 200 Vegeknives by following, liking and tagging friends, helping to engage and retain the attention of Vegemite’s followers.
And finally, the campaign was a hit — it generated lots of buzz and interest around the brand, with people chatting and writing about it on social media and beyond. All in all, the Vegeknife campaign was a well-executed digital marketing asset that solved a real issue, was promoted well and generated engagement.
Takeaways
High-quality content is getting harder to create because the definition of “high quality” continues to evolve.
In one context, it might mean gathering and sharing lighthearted or even silly user-generated posts. In another, it could mean boiling down science-backed guidance into a shareable graphic. Across the board, social media users are raising expectations about what an effective social media campaign can and should accomplish.
When choosing which social media campaigns to highlight, we opted to feature those that:
- Offered a truly unique, fresh take on a familiar brand, product, service or industry.
- Tactfully expressed values that resonated with those of their audience.
- Thoughtfully delivered memorable on- and off-screen experiences.
Brands looking for a starting point can use web and social media analytics to understand the types of content their audience responds well to. From there, it will become clearer where and how innovative social media marketing campaigns will fit in.
Editor’s Note: Updated January 2023.
