The Best Social Media Campaigns of 2020
2020, what a year it has been. With lockdowns, social distancing and travel bans in place, more and more people have turned to social media and marketers have certainly been challenged to come up with entertaining, meaningful and shoppable content. As we head towards the end of the year, we have rounded up our favourite social media campaigns of 2020.
#1 Zoom - Virtual Background Contest
The world went online in 2020. Virtual meetings with coworkers become normal and Zoom is now also a key part of our communication with friends and family. Naturally, video conferencing tool Zoom was looking to increase brand awareness, while driving new users to install their product. That’s when they came up with a virtual background contest and giveaway. Zoom asked their community to share a picture or video using its virtual background feature. Every month three winning entries were awarded branded items as prizes that were announced on their social channels.
What Did They Get Right On Social Media?
They hyped the event on Facebook – Creating hype around an event, whether virtual or online is key to achieving success. Zoom created hype with countdowns and funny promos of their contest. The post below from their Facebook page shows how they provided all the info users needed. You’ve got the date, the contest, the prize and the all-important rules. Bonus points for the campaign hashtag #MeetHappy.
User Generated Content (UGC)- Very much like Go Pro, Zoom heavily utilizes UGC in its marketing. And it makes sense. Why spend a fortune hiring actors, locations, and props when your audience and indeed employees are all around the world can do it for you? Running with the “Zoom backgrounds” theme, the company showcases fan and employee backgrounds and locations over on its blog. We love the real stories of how people around the world are working and got some jaw dropping envy at some of the incredible locations.
This is such a smart marketing move too. It shows that Zoom can work on the go in a small RV but also in a huge auditorium by a lecturer. Remember, this is user generated content and excellent storytelling. It all comes down to content and great images, not a hugely expensive campaign.
A dedicated campaign page- If you’re running a social media contest it makes sense to have a dedicated portal, landing page or at least a section of your site. Here you can host leader boards, images, entrants and eventually winner. That’s what Zoom did with backgrounds.win.
And wait for it… they also created a winning Twitter account. Here they show off the winners and have some fun over Zoom backgrounds.
This tweet below went viral with nearly 5 million views and was retweeted by Zoom’s account.
They also follow trending news and funny stories like that of Trump and the Four Seasons Landscaping press conference. This is certainly our favourite Zoom background entry.
Instagram Tips- On Instagram, Zoom combines educational tips with funny clips. This educates fans about new features in an entertaining way. Because none of us are on Instagram for a lecture!
#2 Starbucks – WhatsYourName
A key issue in content and social media marketing right now is authenticity. Customers want to buy from brands that stand for something and mean what they say. So, kudos to Starbucks for this integrated social media campaign #whatsyourname.
In February 2020, Starbucks collaborated with Mermaids - an organisation that supports gender-diverse and transgender youth - on a campaign titled #WhatsYourName.
The goal was to celebrate and welcome every customer's name inspired by the real-life experiences of people who were transitioning. This is on-brand with Starbucks who write customer’s names on cups. We have seen previous funny campaigns around this involving misspellings and confusion and of course 2020 mask confusion…
Yet this campaign was more impactful.
The campaign video tells the story of Jemma who is transitioning to James. It shows how her name traps her to confirming to societal norms until she reaches Starbucks. It ends with the messaging “Every Name’s A Story” and #whatsyourname.
It’s accompanied on YouTube by this content:
At Starbucks, writing your name on a cup and calling it out is a symbol of our warm welcome. It’s a small gesture, but it's symbolic of what we believe in: Recognition and acceptance, whoever you are, or want to be. We welcome everyone.
Learn more on the Starbucks Stories website: https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/st...
We’re proud to support Mermaids, a charity supporting young transgender and gender diverse people and their families. If you need to speak to someone, you can find their helpline here: http://mermaidsuk.org.u
What Did They Get Right On Social Media?
They inspired stories with a hashtag – Hashtags are not just about promoting products. They allow a community to come together to discuss common topics. The hashtag #whatsyourname inspired thousands of stories like this one.
They also used YouTube to show how their donation system works and it’s so perfect. Buy a mermaid cookie (remember that’s also their logo) and 50p goes to Mermaids to help support a helpline for young transgender and gender diverse people.
#3 Gucci Christmas Advert 2020
We have to finish with a Christmassy social media campaign and we love this Gucci Gift 2020. Playing on this year’s retro/ nostalgic vibe, the video shows office workers gathering for a Christmas party. Shot by Akinola Davies Jr it is set in 1994 but to us it has a strong 70’s vibe of wide collars, oversized glasses and big fringes.
But the feelgood vibes of logging out of email, setting your out of office, getting your secret Santa gift and partying in the office are awesome.
What Did They Get Right On Social Media?
Instagram Frame By Frame- The commercial features real shoppable outfits which Gucci highlights on its Instagram channel frame by frame. This is such a smooth tie in with the advert and bring the shoes, bags and dresses into the current realm by reminding users they can buy them.
They also added video for some of the products like this Gucci bag- also featured in the ad.
And they’ve highlighted Gucci Gift 2020 so that all the images and videos can be found easily later.
The Blogging- Gucci has a beautiful way of blogging about all their campaigns and creating stories from them. “A holiday party set in the 90s where the workplace becomes an impromptu mix of dance floor, nightclub and bar is the theme of the new Gucci Gift campaign” begins the blog. It then combines the story with stunning photos from the ad. Storytelling is not going anywhere in 2021, and in fact it is likely to become more significant as internet users seek out real connection and meaning from advertisers.
On Twitter- Gucci’s campaign is entirely coordinated with Twitter and Facebook carrying cover images that send a nod to the advert. It’s a firm reminder that you can integrate campaigns cleverly across all your channels. This is especially important if you’ve invested a lot of budget in a campaign.
Other 2020 Social Media Campaigns
Creativity was at an all time high this year. That is truly incredible, given the constraints, stresses and worries everyone faced. We can’t mention them all so here are a few more of our favourite 2020 social media campaigns.
· Black Friday from Kohl’s – Understanding that there would be no physical Black Friday sales event, many brands ramped up their online promos. Kohl’s did a great job by running online sweepstakes from their Twitter and Facebook accounts. Whilst not necessarily innovative, it was energetic and right for this year. Expect to see more online coupon campaigns throughout 2021.
· Burger King Summons the Ghost Of Ronald McDonald on Halloween- Officially the weirdest sentence we ever wrote here at Moondust Agency. In what they called the "Cancelled Clown" promotion, (a play on the legend of Bloody Mary), Burger King diners are encouraged to enter the bathroom of their local restaurant and say "Cancelled clown” three times to the mirror. This not only summons poor Ronald (in creepy costume) but rewards those brave enough to say his name with a treat. The campaign crossed between virtual with people uploading internet pranks and also real-life footage from their restaurants.
· Planters - The Death of Mr. Peanut (#RIPPeanut)- In perhaps the weirdest and most unique social media campaign of 2020, Planters said goodbye to their beloved Mr. Peanut. The #RIPPeanut campaign was inspired by the internet’s response to the death of Iron Man. Planters got 50,000 Retweets, 1.5 million hashtag mentions and
7 million total views. Check out the video here.
