We’re now a month into 2019 and the creativity and campaigns are yet to disappoint. In less than 31 days, the world had been enticed by vegan sausages rolls, controversial men’s razors, playlists written in the stars, innovative job applications, and even a record-breaking egg.
All of the above have been major conversation points across the nation, if not globally – each bringing something different to the table and highlighting different social issues. So, without further ado, here are some of my favourite campaigns of 2019 so far…
Greggs went vegan on us
To coincide with Veganuary, where people are encouraged to opt for vegan options, Gregg’s launched their vegan sausage roll. The plant-based alternative to their already popular classic sausage roll, which sells approx. 1.5 million units per week, was rolled out in 1,850 stores and sold out in no time.
The online campaign poked fun at its product by launching it with the same kind of feature-laden videos that normally launch the iPhone, and it has clocked up 5.28 million views on Twitter to date. After showcasing the new Quorn-based product, as you can expect, it received a mixed bag of responses.
One of the passionate nay-sayers was Piers Morgan who simply said:
“Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns.”
Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns. https://t.co/QEiqG9qx2G
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 2, 2019
Oh hello Piers, we’ve been expecting you
— Greggs (@GreggsOfficial) January 2, 2019
Brand awareness, purchases, and profit all spiked after Piers’ Twitter rant. He really should have seen that coming.
The best thing about the social leg of the campaign was the way Greggs handled any backlash they received. The tone of voice was short and sweet but unapologetically confident and humorous all at the same time… All in all, this is one well-baked campaign.
Spotify have been out of this world
Christmas may be over but Spotify seems to be the gift that just keeps on giving. They’re blessing their 170 million monthly users with cosmic playlists to suit each horoscope and personally, I couldn’t be more excited.
The music giant has teamed up with astrologer, Chani Nicholas, to bring its users an awesome collaboration between music and horoscopes. The result?
The songs included will “reflect and find direction” in the listeners lives, also including a short blurb for each playlist, summarising the horoscope of each star sign for the month. I’ve checked it out – it’s eerily on point and definitely one to check out.
Gillette told men they should be ‘The Best Men Can Be’
Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past month or forgot to take off your blindfold after attempting the Bird Box challenge, you’ll have seen the Gillette, “The Best A Man Can Be” advert that sparked major debates but also broadened Gillette’s female fanbase.
The ad evoked some strong emotions from viewers from around the world, as it put a spotlight on bullying, sexism and #MeToo, pushing the responsibility onto men to be better and lead by example for younger generations.
It was a brave and bold stance to take, which in turn received some pretty strong backlash from people like regular commentator, Piers Morgan, who vowed to boycott Gillette after using their products for 30 years.
On the flip side, perhaps not surprisingly, a recent study has shown that the ad had the biggest impact with women. 51% of women reacted with a sense of joy upon seeing the ad, while 28% were disgusted, but it’s worth noting that the majority of these women were disgusted with toxic masculinity highlighted and not the ad itself.
The outcome? Gillette have reacted and interacted with a whole new audience and will likely convert many of them into paying customers.
Netflix
Netflix have recently ramped up their internal recruitment campaign and have decide to capitalise on the success of Bandersnatch – the first ever interactive experience on their platform, created as part of the Black Mirror series.
The streaming service has shown how innovative their team is yet again and are making the most of their latest success. The job advert, posted by Tuckersoft (the tech company featured in the movie), also included images of character, Mohan Tucker, from the movie and was recruiting for games designers. It’s hard to imagine how they’ll up their game from here, but I don’t think this is the last interactivity we’ll see from the platform if recruitment goes well.
How do you ‘like’ your eggs? Viral?
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The ‘record-breaking egg’, under the handle of world_record_egg, has been smashing numbers on Instagram and stealing Kylie Jenner’s world record for the most-liked picture on Instagram. 51 million people have liked the egg to date, blowing Kylie’s 18 million straight out of the boiling water.
There doesn’t seem to be a clear strategy behind the egg’s success – after all, it’s just a brown egg on a plain white background – but it draws attention to the power of social media and its unpredictability.
Alternatively, you could delve a little deeper and deconstruct the egg’s record-breaking success… The photo’s caption says, “let’s set a new world record together”, and promotes a sense of togetherness with a common goal – which is often appealing for the majority.
I imagine some people also liked the photo as a rebellion against Kylie and the image many feel she portrays; superficial beauty, overpaid endorsements, and everything that’s wrong with this generation.
Well there you have it, we’re just one month in and already have so much to talk about, we can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has to offer.
Have you seen another campaign that really inspired you in the first month of 2019? Share it with us!