7 Video Marketing Campaigns That Will Blow Your Mind

Learn from their success.

Ever-so-often, a marketing campaign comes around and sets the world on fire. We’re not talking about the polarizing campaigns (looking at you, Pepsi and Gillette), that often are more damaging than beneficial to their brand. Rather, the campaigns we are talking about are ones that capture our imagination with ideas that are nothing short of sheer genius. There’s a lot to be learned from the kinds of mind-popping campaigns companies like Google and GoPro can piece together. Aside from throwing money at the problem, these companies were able to come up with videos that changed the way we look at video marketing as a whole.

Here are some of the most impressive video marketing campaigns and a few lessons we can learn from them:

 

Android: Friends Furever

Friends Furever was a short marketing campaign run by Google to promote its Android subsidiary. It was so successful that by the end of the year, it was shared over 6 million times, making it the most shared video of 2015.

The success of this video shows just how vital simplicity is in marketing videos. All it does is create a combination of cute, unlikely pairings of animals, capitalizing on our love of cute animals.

Additionally, the video was designed to look like a normal video you could come across the internet when you’re busy browsing for cute cat videos on YouTube. At the end of it all, however, the logo is plugged in together with the brand’s catchphrase.

 

Coca-Cola: The Last Customer

Soda companies are known for being in the spotlight for their viral video marketing campaigns – at times for being wholesome and uplifting, and other times, not so much. Coke’s take was an example of one of the most uplifting video marketing strategies used by a big brand, and is far removed of the traditional go-to marketing tactics (e.g taking jabs at competitors).

During the Super Bowl, Coca-Cola aired its ad featuring the often-overlooked retail workers and highlighted the important role they play during the holiday season. This was followed by granting an approximate 15,000 people gifts during the holidays. Coca-Cola managed to win over people’s attention and trust by committing itself to the Christmas spirit. Doing something as seemingly selfless as this did much in the ways of humanizing an often maligned brand.

 

GoPro: A Hero In Action

The GoPro brand has been developed to cater to an adventurous buyer persona. One of the ways this has been achieved has been by making use of user-generated content. Things like jumping out of buildings and planes are the most typical scenarios in which the company likes to involve itself with.

This video is nothing like what you’d typically expect from the company. There are no giant waves the size of several buildings or bikes riding down a mountain at full speed. Why then, did GoPro decide to go for something that’s never been associated with its brand – saving a helpless kitten from a fire – in one of its video campaigns?

Well, GoPro found this to be a great way to extend its brand image and inspire people by convincing them that anyone can be a hero.  You don’t have to be a full-time athlete to make a difference.

The takeaway from this is that you should never be afraid to venture into uncharted waters. Pushing brand image just short of its breaking point may help you find new ways to express your brand’s personality. In the process, you may be able to find areas to explore and expand your market.

HubSpot: Customer Success Story

 

When it comes to boosting video engagement among professionals, nothing beats having someone of similar or higher clout talk about their experiences. Rather than reading about it, a video testimonial or case study is a much better method of generating a feeling of trust.

Best known for its heavy use of video automation, Hubspot provides an excellent example of effectively delivering a story. It has everything a complete story needs – the setup, the climax (conflict) and the resolution. It manages to let people who have used the product before share their views and culminates with a credible problem-solving finale.

Dove – “Choose Beautiful”

 

When you think of Dove, you probably associate their brand with solid (if slightly boring) ads and videos. In this ad by Ogilvy & Mather Chicago, however, Dove managed to stick out. Instead of opting for their ordinary product exposition, the soap manufacturer decided on an original route. The beauty products manufacturer conducted a real experiment, using people that were filmed without their knowledge (they presumably gave their consent later). It delivers a powerful message, and shows how many of us struggle with self-image problems.

Additionally, Dove refrains from shoving its product line down people’s throats during this campaign. The kind of reactions it was able to elicit, all by taking advantage of customers’ positive emotions, enabled it to have a complete lock-down on viewers’ video engagement.
Just like GoPro, Dove appealed to viewers’ humanity.

Gainsight: Blank Space

 

Gainsight is a customer success software. The company’s market is one that typically takes itself seriously. When it came time to announce its most significant event ever, you’d think it would get a bunch of CEOs to announce their participation and feature the crucial things they will be talking about.

Well, they did get VPs and CEOs on board, but instead of giving two-minute motivational speeches, they sang along to Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’ with custom lyrics. The results were incredible: Over 2,000 new inquiries and a significant spike in brand awareness.

The lesson to be learned from this is that even companies that are set in their ways can benefit from shaking things up with their video campaigns. If the video is fun and catchy, people will blow right past the video call to action.

 

Always: Like a Girl

 

Feminine hygiene brands are notorious for generic ads, which is odd, seeing how competitive a market they operate within.  Market revenue for these products is estimated to reach $47.3 Billion by 2024 and with the right marketing, it might go even further.

With its catchy music and highly-active social media campaign, Always is a brand that somehow manages to free itself from the generic messaging of its competitors.

The #LikeAGirl video campaign is an example of how taking an old phrase and turning it on its head can encompass a powerful message.

 

Conclusion

Common stereotypes can be used and twisted in hilarious ways, yielding impressive results. The key is to identify where your brand stands in regard to various cultural and societal issues. Society is a lot more important than the kind of product line you offer. With a little bit of creativity, you can easily plug in a CTA for the user to react to.

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Originally published on August 27th, 2018, updated on September 22nd, 2020
The Blog

7 Video Marketing Campaigns That Will Blow Your Mind

by Simi time to read: 5 min
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