Christmas music is seeping out of our radios and it’s getting chillier by the day. The countdown to New Year is officially on. It’s been a busy year in the marketing world, with more Instagram updates than we can count and trends flowing.
In an attempt to bounce back stronger than ever before, businesses have really pulled out all the marketing tricks (and treats!) for creating campaigns that made an impact on consumers. With many of us enduring yet another lockdown at the beginning of the year, smartphone users rose to 82.9% in the U.K. alone. Brands harnessed the increase of screentime that came along with this, whilst also developing offline marketing strategies for when we were ready to get back outside again. Let’s take a look at the best brand campaigns 2021 has given us.
Weetabix: Heinz Beanz on Bix
If you want to get your audience talking (and every other brand under the sun), tweet something that will make consumers do a double-take. Weetabix’s campaign with Heinz U.K. sent cereal fans into a frenzy, as people couldn’t cope with an image of beans poured all over the breakfast choice of millions. Other big businesses got involved with Weetabix, with Innocent Drinks replying, ‘Even we wouldn’t do this. We’re not monsters’. Social media users went into fits of laughter as even the Great Morning Britain hosts tried the catastrophic combination. Well done, Weetabix, you’re definitely in with the best brand campaigns of 2021.
© Image owned by Weetabix
McDonald’s: Happy Halloween
The spookiest time of the year called for some minimalistic marketing genius from the fast-food apex predator. Of course, we’re talking about McDonald’s. The billion-dollar brand knows how to create campaigns that thrive, and it was no surprise with its Happy Halloween ad.
To get creative and wickedly fun, McDonald’s took minimalism and made it work. With vignetting and spotlight exposure, consumers feasted their eyes on haunting yet hilarious images of the classic cheeseburger and fries. Inspired by recognisable Halloween monsters such as vampires, everyone became hungry for more from McDonald’s.
© Image owned by McDonald’s
No Time To Die: James Bond
Splashing $150 million on one of the most expensive marketing campaigns, James Bond’s No Time to Die spread like wildfire. The marketing team for 007 got everyone hyped after a delayed cinema release. By having actors such as Daniel Craig and Rami Melik feature on The Graham Norton Show, BBC Radio 1 and more, word of mouth projected the film into a new league of brilliant. Not to mention the fact that Aston Martin, Smirnoff Vodka, Coca-Cola and other brands have jumped on the James Bond bandwagon in collaboration with the movie.
Image not owned by Girls in Marketing
Adele: 30
Personal branding matters when it comes to marketing and the singing sensation, Adele, made a mega comeback in 2021. Fans were left intrigued (and extremely hopeful) for new music from the British icon, and they weren’t left disappointed. Projections of 30 were cast across landmarks such as Edinburgh Castle, NYC’s Empire State, the Eiffel Tower and beyond. People took to social media to post pictures of the projections in awe of where they’d come from. Therefore, taking offline marketing to new heights on online platforms.
Once social media was shook, Adele took to Twitter during the blackout of Facebook and Instagram during October with a casual ‘Hiya babes!’. All of these techniques hyped up the world for when the release of 30 was eventually confirmed!
Image not owned by Girls in Marketing
Disney: The Stepdad
If any brand knows how to get the waterworks flowing, it’s Disney. The 2021 Christmas campaign launched a week earlier than other major superstores such as John Lewis and Aldi, meaning that The Stepdad conquered the hearts of many way ahead of the festive season. With over 3-minutes of family fun, stepdad Mike joins the family of Nicole and her two children. Cleverly, Nicole was featured in the 2020 Disney Christmas advert too! Throughout the latest campaign, Disney Easter eggs are dotted throughout, with movie characters coming to life through Xmas magic and family time. It really is a wonderful marketing technique, and the multi-billion company always bring out the feels with everything they do. Watch The Stepdad here (bring tissues!).
© Image owned by The Walt Disney Company
These are some of the best brand campaigns 2021 has brought us, and they made a huge impact in the marketing world. The aim of a successful campaign is different for every brand and its goals. However, all of the above campaigns soared in success, retaining consumers and gaining new ones along the way.
No matter the year, always pay close attention to marketing trends and how brands are going above and beyond for their consumers!
