​​​​​​​5 marketing campaigns that got us talking in 2019

The year is steadily coming to a close, and with a few months left to go until 2020, there isn’t a more fitting time for a yearly roundup of what we believe to be the top 5 Marketing Campaigns of 2019.This year has seen a staggering variety of Marketing Campaign strategies, from the strikingly controversial to the weird and wonderful internet sensations, and everything in between. Picking 5 out of the many examples we have been bombarded with this year was a difficult task, but we did it, and we’ve even gone through the extra effort of compiling them into a list for you.

1. Greggs

Adverts don’t always need to be controversial to garner the attention of a large audience. This was perfectly illustrated by Greggs this year, as the British bakery chain took everybody by surprise with the launch of their vegan sausage roll, which wouldn’t have been so popular if it wasn’t for their highly effective marketing campaign.

With tongues firmly in cheek, they published a video on social media that served as a parody of the kind of advert Apple would usually release when promoting the launch of a new iPhone. They did this to hilarious effect, and it was the perfect start to the year for the bakery chain, seeing a 14.7% rise in sales across its outlets, marking the company’s best ever sales growth (The Independent, 2019).

2. ‘Glowing, Glowing, Gone’

This is by far one of the most moving and educational marketing campaigns of the year, and it focuses on the subtle signals that our planet is giving off in response to rising levels of global warming. The Glowing, Glowing, Gone campaign is a collaborative force formed of The Ocean Agency, Adobe, and the Pantone Colour Institute.

This campaign featured the release of a set of three colours that match the fluorescent hues that coral give off before their death. While beautiful to look at, the purple, yellow, and blue glow that coral reefs project are an indicator of ocean warming, making them the staple colours associated with the climate crisis on the back of the campaign. What many would have thought were pretty coloured coral reefs are now a thought provoking, palpable symbol of climate change.

3. Gillette’s “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be.”

This advert was too close a shave for some, so close that many Gillette users swore off using the product! The advert actually had very little to do with shaving, though, and instead addressed the topic of toxic masculinity in an effort to promote a more positive example of masculinity for men to follow.

The campaign was incredibly polarising, generating spades of both love and hate. Some thought the advert was incredibly patronising, whilst others received it as a refreshing challenge to widely held stereotypes of masculinity. It also managed to generate over 30 million views on YouTube within a very short space of time, which only further illustrates the breadth of its appeal, especially among Millennials.

The controversial advert successfully highlighted the importance of being a socially responsible brand, but the divisive advert left many feeling unsure of whether its message was a genuine, heartfelt sentiment of sincerity towards the issue, or a mere facade for social concern (virtue signalling) in order to keep up with younger generations.

4. Hinge: The Dating App ‘Designed to be Deleted’

The dating app scene is saturated, which has forced new dating apps to push the boat out a little differently. The ‘Designed to be Deleted’ is their first international ad campaign, and it plays on Hinge being the platform to go to for more serious, less superficial relationships, which sees that the app gets deleted after its users find their match.

This point is hammered home in their highly creative video campaigns, where they personify their logo by turning it into a furry, bright-eyed mascot called ‘Hingie’. In each of the 12 videos, they end up killing off Hingie in a number of ridiculous scenarios, all of which are set in motion each time a couple finds a meaningful connection.

This campaign was successful as a result of its bold stance in the face of the ever growing problem of digital addiction, especially within the realm of dating apps. The fact that they openly encourage users to delete the app once it works for them signifies a witty marketing message that managed to successfully navigate through the sea of existing dating apps.

5. The Egg

This one scrambled the internet for good. On January the 4th 2019, a photo of an egg was posted on Instagram, and it ended up being the most liked picture on Instagram with over 53 million likes. The obvious question remains: Why?

After the initial post, the World Record Egg posted 3 more images of eggs, with each one featuring more cracks in the shell. Many still had no idea if there was any discernible meaning behind the posts, until they posted this:

It turns out that the World Record Egg was actually a mental health campaign, which was revealed through a video commercial that was released during the Super Bowl. The growing cracks on the posts were there to illustrate the growing pressure that social media can have on its users.

A very wholesome aspect of this mrketing campaign is that it didn’t cost a single penny, and yet it still managed to generate interest from millions of social media users in an effort to raise awareness for mental health surrounding social media. The campaign #talkingegg resulted in a non-profit website being launched called talkingegg.info, which lists a host of mental health organisations that people can access and speak to.

This campaign goes to show the power in simplicity. There’s a design principle called KISS, which is an acronym for “Keep it simple, stupid”, which was coined by the U.S Navy in the 1960s, and it is very clear that this has some level of application when it comes to the likes of the Egg, as well as other simple yet effective marketing campaigns. This is something to bear in mind for the next time you’re conceptualising your next digital marketing operation!