15.2 In-Depth Case Studies of Notable Campaigns
4 min read•july 23, 2024
Branded entertainment campaigns are powerful tools for connecting with audiences. Successful strategies include , , innovative formats, and . These elements help create memorable experiences that resonate with viewers and foster brand affinity.
The impact of viral campaigns hinges on , timeliness, unique content, and . By integrating brand messaging subtly and aligning with core values, companies can create entertaining content that delivers long-term benefits like increased awareness, enhanced perception, and audience loyalty.
Strategies and Impact of Notable Branded Entertainment Campaigns
Strategies of successful campaigns
Top images from around the web for Strategies of successful campaigns
Brand Positioning and Alignment | Principles of Marketing [Deprecated] View original
Is this image relevant?
2.7 Storytelling and the Information Strategy – Information Strategies for Communicators View original
Is this image relevant?
5 consejos para hacer un storytelling efectivo View original
Is this image relevant?
Brand Positioning and Alignment | Principles of Marketing [Deprecated] View original
Is this image relevant?
2.7 Storytelling and the Information Strategy – Information Strategies for Communicators View original
Is this image relevant?
1 of 3
Top images from around the web for Strategies of successful campaigns
Brand Positioning and Alignment | Principles of Marketing [Deprecated] View original
Is this image relevant?
2.7 Storytelling and the Information Strategy – Information Strategies for Communicators View original
Is this image relevant?
5 consejos para hacer un storytelling efectivo View original
Is this image relevant?
Brand Positioning and Alignment | Principles of Marketing [Deprecated] View original
Is this image relevant?
2.7 Storytelling and the Information Strategy – Information Strategies for Communicators View original
Is this image relevant?
1 of 3
- Authentic storytelling
- Creates content that resonates with the target audience by focusing on narratives aligned with the brand's values and identity (Nike's "Dream Crazy" campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick)
- Ensures the brand's message is woven seamlessly into the story without feeling forced or disruptive to the viewing experience
- Leveraging influencers and partnerships
- Collaborates with popular content creators, celebrities, or other brands to tap into their established fan base and expand reach ( with extreme sports athletes)
- Utilizes the influencer's credibility and rapport with their audience to lend authenticity to the branded content
-
- Experiments with new or unconventional mediums to capture audience attention (Ikea's "Place" AR app for virtual furniture placement)
- Adapts to emerging platforms and trends to stay relevant and engage with the target audience on their preferred channels (Wendy's Twitter roasts)
- Emotional appeal
- Crafts content that evokes strong emotions, such as humor, nostalgia, or inspiration, to connect with the audience on a deeper level (Budweiser's "Puppy Love" Super Bowl commercial)
- Uses emotional storytelling to foster brand affinity and create memorable experiences that resonate with viewers
Elements of viral impact
- Shareability
- Creates content that is easily shared across social media platforms by incorporating compelling visuals, catchy taglines, or relatable themes (Dove's "Real Beauty Sketches" campaign)
- Encourages user-generated content and participation to amplify reach and engage the audience as active participants in the campaign
-
- Taps into current events, trends, or cultural phenomena to gain traction and capitalize on the momentum of popular topics (Oreo's "Dunk in the Dark" tweet during the Super Bowl blackout)
- Ensures the branded content is relevant and resonates with the target audience's interests and concerns
-
- Develops distinctive and creative concepts that stand out from competitors and capture the audience's attention (Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign)
- Ensures the content is memorable and leaves a lasting impression on the audience, increasing brand recall and association
- Audience engagement
- Encourages interaction and participation through comments, likes, and shares to foster a sense of community and connection around the branded content (Starbucks' "White Cup Contest" encouraging customers to doodle on cups)
- Responds to and engages with user-generated content to build relationships and show appreciation for the audience's involvement
Integration of brand messaging
-
- Organically incorporates the brand or product into the narrative without disrupting the flow or entertainment value of the content (Eggo waffles in Netflix's "Stranger Things")
- Ensures the product placement feels natural and relevant to the story, rather than forced or overly promotional
-
- Ensures the content reflects and reinforces the brand's core values and mission, maintaining consistency between the brand's identity and the entertainment piece (Patagonia's "Worn Wear" campaign promoting sustainability)
- Communicates the brand's stance on important issues and demonstrates its commitment to its principles through the branded content
-
- Prioritizes the audience's enjoyment and engagement with the content, ensuring it delivers value beyond just promoting the brand (Lego's "The Lego Movie")
- Balances the entertainment value with the brand's key messages and objectives, making the content informative and relevant to the target audience
-
- Maintains a consistent and genuine brand personality throughout the content, ensuring it resonates with the target audience (Dollar Shave Club's irreverent and humorous marketing)
- Uses language, tone, and style that align with the brand's identity and appeals to the audience's preferences and expectations
Long-term benefits of initiatives
-
- Generates buzz and conversations around the brand, increasing its visibility and reach (Always' "Like a Girl" campaign sparking discussions on female empowerment)
- Improves brand recognition and top-of-mind awareness among the target audience, making the brand more memorable and easily recallable
-
- Positions the brand as innovative, creative, and in-tune with its audience, showcasing its ability to create engaging and relevant content ( and adventure)
- Strengthens positive associations and emotional connections with the brand, improving its overall image and reputation
-
- Cultivates a dedicated fan base that actively engages with and promotes the brand, acting as brand ambassadors and influencers ( from loyal customers)
- Encourages word-of-mouth recommendations and user-generated content, amplifying the brand's reach and credibility through authentic customer experiences
-
- Creates evergreen content that continues to generate value over time, serving as a lasting resource or entertainment piece for the audience (Blendtec's "Will It Blend?" series)
- Repurposes and adapts successful branded entertainment for future campaigns and initiatives, maximizing the content's potential and extending its lifespan
Key Terms to Review (30)
Always' like a girl: The phrase 'always like a girl' refers to a powerful marketing campaign by Always, a brand of feminine hygiene products, aimed at challenging societal stereotypes about femininity and strength. The campaign's messaging encourages girls and women to embrace their identity and capabilities, promoting the idea that doing things 'like a girl' should be seen as positive rather than negative.
Audience Engagement: Audience engagement refers to the emotional and cognitive connection that a brand establishes with its audience through interactive experiences, storytelling, and relevant content. This connection enhances brand loyalty and promotes a two-way communication channel between the brand and its consumers, making it a vital component in various branding strategies.
Audience Loyalty and Advocacy: Audience loyalty and advocacy refer to the emotional commitment and positive support that consumers show towards a brand, leading them to repeatedly choose the brand over competitors. This loyalty often results in advocates who not only purchase the brand but also promote it to others, enhancing the brand's reputation and market presence. Successful campaigns can create strong emotional connections with audiences, fostering both loyalty and advocacy.
Authentic brand voice: Authentic brand voice refers to the distinct personality and tone a brand uses in its communications, reflecting its core values and mission while resonating with its target audience. This voice is consistent across various platforms and interactions, fostering trust and connection with consumers. An authentic brand voice is crucial in creating a recognizable identity that differentiates a brand in a crowded marketplace.
Authentic storytelling: Authentic storytelling refers to the genuine and relatable narratives used by brands to connect emotionally with their audience, often emphasizing real experiences and values. This approach fosters trust and loyalty, allowing consumers to resonate with a brand's message and identity. By leveraging true stories, brands can create deeper connections that go beyond traditional marketing tactics, making their content more engaging and impactful.
Blendtec's Will It Blend?: Blendtec's Will It Blend? is a viral marketing campaign launched in 2006 that features the company's high-performance blenders blending various unusual items, including smartphones and marbles, to showcase their power and durability. The campaign cleverly combined entertainment and product demonstration, capturing the attention of consumers and driving sales through its engaging content.
Brand values alignment: Brand values alignment refers to the consistency and harmony between a brand's core values and the messages, actions, and experiences it delivers to its audience. This alignment helps to create trust and loyalty among consumers, as they perceive the brand as authentic and committed to its stated principles. A strong alignment fosters a deeper connection with customers, enhancing brand equity and engagement.
Dollar Shave Club's Marketing: Dollar Shave Club's marketing is an innovative approach that uses humor and relatability to engage consumers, primarily through online video campaigns and a subscription model for affordable shaving products. This strategy revolutionized the shaving industry by directly addressing consumer frustrations with traditional razor companies, allowing Dollar Shave Club to carve out a unique niche and rapidly grow its customer base.
Eggo Waffles in Stranger Things: Eggo waffles are a beloved breakfast food featured prominently in the Netflix series Stranger Things, symbolizing nostalgia and childhood innocence. In the context of the show, they represent the 1980s culture and play a key role in character development, particularly with Eleven, who forms a connection with this food while exploring her new life.
Emotional Appeal: Emotional appeal refers to the persuasive technique that aims to evoke an emotional response from the audience, influencing their perceptions and decision-making processes. By connecting with consumers on a personal level, brands can create lasting impressions and foster loyalty, making emotional appeal a crucial component in crafting brand narratives, enhancing brand perception, creating engaging content, and developing successful marketing campaigns.
Enhanced brand perception: Enhanced brand perception refers to the improved image and reputation of a brand in the minds of consumers, resulting from effective marketing strategies and campaigns. This can lead to increased customer loyalty, trust, and a willingness to pay premium prices for the brand's products or services. Enhanced brand perception is often achieved through storytelling, emotional connections, and delivering consistent value.
Entertaining and informative content: Entertaining and informative content refers to media that engages audiences by providing enjoyment while simultaneously delivering valuable information. This type of content is designed to capture attention through storytelling, humor, or visual appeal, while also ensuring that the audience learns something meaningful or useful. It strikes a balance between fun and education, making it an effective tool for branding and communication.
GoPro's User-Generated Content: GoPro's user-generated content refers to the video and photo media created by GoPro camera users that showcases their adventures and experiences. This strategy effectively engages the community, building brand loyalty by allowing customers to share their authentic stories while providing GoPro with a vast library of captivating visuals for marketing purposes.
Ikea's Place AR App: Ikea's Place AR App is an augmented reality application that allows users to visualize how Ikea furniture would look in their own living spaces before making a purchase. By using the camera on a mobile device, the app superimposes 3D models of furniture onto real-world environments, enhancing the shopping experience and helping customers make informed decisions about their home decor.
Increased brand awareness and recall: Increased brand awareness and recall refers to the heightened recognition and memory retention of a brand among consumers. This concept emphasizes not only how well a brand is known but also how easily consumers can retrieve the brand name and associated attributes when prompted. Strong brand awareness can lead to greater consumer trust, preference, and ultimately purchase behavior.
Influencer partnerships: Influencer partnerships refer to collaborations between brands and individuals who have established credibility and a significant following on social media or other platforms. These partnerships leverage the influencer's reach and authority to promote products or services, creating authentic connections with target audiences while enhancing brand visibility and credibility.
Innovative content formats: Innovative content formats refer to unique and creative ways of presenting information or storytelling that engage audiences in fresh, captivating manners. These formats often leverage new technologies, trends, and platforms to enhance user experience, drive interaction, and deliver messages in a memorable way. By pushing the boundaries of traditional content, these formats can lead to more effective branding and entertainment strategies.
Lego's The Lego Movie: Lego's The Lego Movie is a 2014 animated film that brings the iconic Lego brand to life, showcasing the adventures of an ordinary Lego construction worker named Emmet. The movie is notable for its innovative use of stop-motion animation, humor, and a rich storyline that emphasizes creativity, teamwork, and the power of imagination, making it a landmark example in branded entertainment.
Long-term content assets: Long-term content assets refer to pieces of content that provide ongoing value and relevance over an extended period, rather than being tied to short-term campaigns or trends. These assets are strategically created and curated to resonate with target audiences, enhance brand storytelling, and foster deeper connections. They can include evergreen articles, videos, podcasts, and social media posts that continue to attract and engage audiences long after their initial release.
Nike's Dream Crazy: Nike's Dream Crazy is an impactful marketing campaign launched in 2018, featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the face of the brand's message promoting social justice and equality. The campaign connects deeply with Nike's brand identity, emphasizing inspiration and activism, and encourages consumers to chase their dreams despite obstacles and societal challenges.
Old Spice's The Man Your Man Could Smell Like: Old Spice's The Man Your Man Could Smell Like is a groundbreaking advertising campaign launched in 2010 that features a charismatic spokesperson, Isaiah Mustafa, delivering humorous monologues directly to the audience. This campaign revolutionized how brands engage with consumers by blending humor and storytelling while promoting Old Spice's men's grooming products, ultimately transforming the brand's image and increasing sales dramatically.
Oreo's Dunk in the Dark: Oreo's Dunk in the Dark is a social media campaign that occurred during the 2013 Super Bowl, which featured a real-time marketing response when the lights went out in the stadium. The campaign showcased Oreo's ability to engage with its audience spontaneously, using humor and creativity to connect with viewers during a high-profile event. This innovative approach highlighted the power of social media for brands to react quickly and remain relevant in fast-paced situations.
Patagonia's Worn Wear: Patagonia's Worn Wear is a sustainability initiative launched by the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia, aimed at promoting the repair, reuse, and recycling of its products. This campaign encourages consumers to extend the life of their gear through repair services and trade-ins, fostering a culture of responsible consumption and reducing environmental impact. By emphasizing the importance of sustainability, Patagonia aligns its brand values with consumer awareness around environmental issues.
Red Bull's Association with Extreme Sports: Red Bull's association with extreme sports refers to the strategic marketing approach where the brand aligns itself with high-energy, adventurous activities and athletes, promoting an image of adrenaline and excitement. This connection not only reinforces Red Bull's identity as an energy drink but also engages a passionate audience that values thrill-seeking and lifestyle choices that embody freedom and challenge.
Red Bull's Partnership: Red Bull's Partnership refers to the strategic collaborations that the energy drink brand has formed with various athletes, teams, and events to enhance its brand image and engage with consumers. These partnerships are designed to align Red Bull with extreme sports and high-energy lifestyles, effectively positioning the brand as a leader in the world of branded entertainment and experiential marketing.
Shareability: Shareability refers to the quality of content that makes it easy and appealing for individuals to share with others across various platforms. This concept is crucial in understanding how campaigns can go viral, as content that resonates emotionally or offers value tends to be more widely disseminated. High shareability often leads to increased visibility and engagement, enhancing the overall effectiveness of marketing strategies.
Starbucks' White Cup Contest: Starbucks' White Cup Contest was a marketing initiative launched in 2014, inviting customers to decorate the brand's iconic white cups and share their designs on social media. This campaign leveraged user-generated content to promote creativity and community engagement, effectively enhancing brand loyalty and visibility.
Subtle product placement: Subtle product placement is a marketing technique where brands are integrated into media content in a way that is not overt or distracting, allowing the brand to be a natural part of the story without drawing attention to itself. This approach enhances viewer experience and can create a more positive association between the consumer and the brand, as it feels less intrusive than traditional advertising methods. Subtle product placements can lead to stronger brand recall and affinity as they blend seamlessly into the narrative.
Timeliness and Relevance: Timeliness and relevance refer to the degree to which a campaign aligns with current events, trends, or cultural moments that resonate with its target audience. These two elements are crucial for capturing attention and generating engagement, as they ensure that the message feels pertinent and is delivered at the right moment. Effective campaigns leverage timeliness to connect with audiences emotionally and intellectually, enhancing their impact and memorability.
Unique and memorable content: Unique and memorable content refers to creative material that stands out and resonates with audiences, leaving a lasting impression. This type of content is designed not just to inform, but also to engage and entertain, making it a powerful tool in branding and advertising. The effectiveness of unique and memorable content often hinges on its originality, relatability, and emotional impact, which can drive consumer connection and loyalty.