In 2022, businesses need digital marketing strategies to thrive and drive customers to their products and services. But if you’re not marketing digitally, your competitors will be. Plus, the digital marketing landscape is constantly changing. So it's vital to keep up with marketing trends, making it easier for customers to find you.
The good news is there’s no better place to look for inspiration for brilliant marketing ideas than the most successful digital marketing campaigns in recent times. That’s why today, we have a list of 7 of the most successful marketing moments in 2022.
American Apparel’s Big Savings Welcome Email
A welcome email occurs when a customer signs up for a newsletter to receive promotional emails from a company. American Apparel sent out a welcome email this year that was simple, to the point, and led customers right to the information they wanted: ways to save money. In big, bold letters, the welcome email informs customers that they can save 15% off their next online order — an exciting incentive to subscribe. From there, customers can learn more information or can start shopping.
Reddit’s Shortest Super Bowl Ad
Super Bowl ads are often as much a part of the entertainment as the game itself, which is why companies are willing to pay so much to get airtime on the Super Bowl. This year, Super Bowl ads cost as much as $6.5 million.
Reddit, however, had a more limited budget than many of the larger companies buying Super Bowl ads. They spent their entire marketing budget to purchase one 7-second ad. The ad began the way many Super Bowl ads do, with the image of SUVs speeding dramatically across a dirt road. Then it cuts out, with the Reddit logo over a “technical difficulties” screen. The screen then seemed to glitch before revealing a message in a typical Reddit style.
The message flashed across the screen for only a few seconds (and could not possibly be read in full throughout the ad), but it encouraged viewers to find a place to “rally around something they really care about” on their many forums. “One thing we learned from our communities last week,” Reddit wrote, “is that underdogs can accomplish just about anything when they come together around a common idea.”
The ad seemed almost accidental, which led users to go to social media to investigate more. This was the point, and it proved effective for Reddit, garnering well over 450,000 views.
Dove’s Powerful Demonstration of a “Reverse Selfie”
In a quiet and powerful Dove ad this year, a girl was shown posting a heavily manipulated selfie to Instagram — in reverse. The beginning of the ad showed a heavily edited picture on social media with comments telling the poster how amazing she looked. Then the comments began to reverse, and so did the filters and augmentation used to alter the poster’s features.
As the ad goes on, it removes the girl’s makeup and her efforts to change the shape of her hair until the end shows a young teenage girl sitting on her bed, looking down on herself. “The pressure of social media is hurting our girls’ self-esteem” Dove stated, and then prompted viewers to find out how to “have the selfie talk” by going to Dove.com.
What was most striking about this ad was that Dove did not promote their own products in the ad. However, by prompting viewers to visit their website, they continued to drive traffic to their brand.
Scent & Fire’s “Once in a Lifetime” 22% Off
Scent & Fire is a brand known for their eco-conscious scented candles. On February 22, they offered a one-day-only promotion, which they posted to their Instagram. “It’s Twosday!” the post read. “2.22.22. Today only happens once in a lifetime.” They then offered some tips to “manifest abundance into your life” and offered 22% off all the products on their website for that day only.
This is an example of a perfectly timed ad. Scent & Fire took a day that would only happen once in their customer’s lifetimes. They seized on that opportunity to offer a unique discount and profited with new sales and, likely, new loyal customers.
Duolingo Takes To TikTok
When Duolingo first launched in 2011, it was a sensation: a free app that allowed users to learn from over 30 different language courses. If you’ve always wanted to learn a different language, this offered an accessible and fun way to do so.
The mascot, the green Duolingo Owl named Duo, became famous for his reminders — and then, jokingly, notorious. In 2019, Duolingo expressed some self-awareness in a fake ad for “ Duolingo Push,” poking fun at Duo’s rather aggressive reminders.
The app has continued to grow since then, offering more languages with more effective learning methods. This year, Duolingo took to TikTok to engage with younger audiences. The many TikToks continue to joke about Duo reminding users to keep up their streaks. They even created the idea of Duo’s crush on pop singer Dua Lipa.
Ikea Teams Up With Pinterest
Most companies take their marketing to Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. But Pinterest also has its uses in specific markets. Homeowners who want to remodel or furnish their homes, for instance, will often create Pinterest boards to visualize the space they want. That’s why Ikea teamed up with Pinterest this year, creating an interactive product questionnaire that was built to show up on certain Pinterest searches. This questionnaire successfully targeted younger audiences who wanted to furnish their homes in the coming year.
Meghan Trainor’s Album Hype on TikTok
Meghan Trainor made a comeback in 2022 and used TikTok marketing expertly to do it. The pop singer wanted to build hype for her new LP, Takin It Back, across Gen Z audiences. But before she released the album, she created a TikTok account and started making content.
What was so successful about Trainor’s TikTok is that she didn’t spend all of her videos promoting her album. That would have seemed like too much of a sales pitch and driven some away. Instead, she made several silly videos about her life: parenting with her spouse, joking about taking MiraLax, and filming skits with her friends. Though some of her videos — like the MiraLax videos — might have seemed like TMI, they resonated with her fans. They made her seem more real.
Only after garnering considerable attention for her more personal videos would she show a video sharing a new song. This helped fans get excited about the album and added a personal connection with the artist.
Add Your Flare to Marketing
Whether you’re a pop singer promoting an album, a social media platform, or a candle company, unique marketing ideas are almost always worth the risk. Get a sense of your customers' interests, have fun, and don’t be afraid to show some self-awareness. A brand's ability to poke fun at themselves can go a long way in today’s marketing landscape.
Contact Scorpion to learn how to make the most of modern marketing trends and keep your business ahead of the curve.
