As the web has experienced burgeoning growth over the past ten years or so, we’ve seen a simultaneous increase of online brand presence, advertising, and marketing efforts alongside it. While some embrace elements such as targeted ads, others turn to browser add-ons such as AdBlock to help alleviate some of the clutter that advertisements and pop-ups can cause. However, every so often a marketing campaign comes along in which the inhabitants of the ‘net are happy to participate in and follow.
Such campaigns are a marketers dream: Consumers not only enjoy the message, but they’re voluntarily sharing it with friends and family, and we all know how much personal recommendations matter in the world of e-commerce. Below are some notable examples of such campaigns, and hopefully you’ll find good laughs and some inspiration for your next campaign.
Doritos
Every year during the Superbowl, Doritos hosts a contest for people to make and upload their own Doritos commercials. After being narrowed down to five finalists, viewers vote on their favorite and the winner pockets $1 million. The contest has spawned several hilarious commercials, but my personal favorite (which unfortunately did not win) offers a how-to on making your own Doritos, with ingredients including Elven Joy, the Philosopher’s Stone, and salt.
Pepsi
Pepsi recently hosted what it called the first ever Internet Taste Test on Facebook. The premise was simple and ended up generating some hilarious results: Record and submit yourself trying out Pepsi Next and if you’re selected, an improv comedian from Funny or Die will act out an impression of you incorporating your mannerisms and things about you from your profile. They also rolled out quite a few celebrity impressions, including Rob Riggle, Scumbag Steve, and one of social media’s very own, Gary Vaynerchuk.
Old Spice
Everyone knows the ridiculously handsome Isaiah Mustafa from the Old Spice commercials, AKA the Man Your Man Could Smell Like. What started off as simply a hilarious commercial turned into a series of dozens of clips that could only be seen online, including Isaiah’s direct responses to questions asked of him from the Internet.
Smartwater
Going a bit overboard at times but still delivering on laughs, this ad by Smartwater sought to combine several instances of viral video into one, beautify it by adding Jennifer Aniston as the spokesperson, and to top it off, initially released it with the title “Jen Aniston Sex Tape.”
