Click here to view the full “Greatest Marketing Campaigns” analysis side-by-side with the REAL marketing material!
Coors Light- Lights Out (2023)
This advertising campaign won a Clio award (Toronto/Montreal/Vancouver, 2024) for product innovation and usage. This campaign uses an organic event as a marketing initiative. After a baseball was hit into one of the screen panels displaying a Coors Light advertisement at a MLB game, it causes one of the panels to go dark. The panel light went dark in the top left corner of the image of a Coors Light can.
Within 48 hours, Coors Light turned this advertising flaw into an unofficial sports sponsorship. They launched a special edition can featuring the dark panel on the can. The black square was also added to existing Coors Light advertisements to quickly promote this new campaign. This campaign influenced Coors Light to become the beer of baseball, with $0 in players sponsorships and endorsements. The viral Lights Out can became an item of baseball memorabilia. The player who had the hit that cause this phenomenon was Shohei Ohtani from Japan, which resulted in Coors Light becoming the most sought-after beer in Japan.
This event targeted the masses; fans, viewers of both the MLB and Shohei Ohtani, and generated increased Coors Light sales across the globe.
Chick-fil-A- The Break Room (2023)
This advertising campaign won a Clio award for experience and activation in product and services (New York, 2024). This campaign recognized the commitment of delivery workers, as the food delivery industry has expanded tremendously in recent years. This advertisement focused on the65,000 food delivery workers in New York. The campaign ran through the winter, as it is cold for food delivery workers. Many restaurants turn food delivery workers away from using their restrooms, and in 2022, those 65,000 New York food delivery workers made a cumulative 120 million steps.
Chick-fil-A created the Break Room to target this demographic by providing food delivery workers with a space to sit, rest, use the restroom, drink some water, and have a coffee for free. This campaign served to empathize with an underserved group of people to make them feel appreciated for the first time.
This initiative resulted in 1.8 billion media impressions, $10.5 million in earned media, and 600 plus media impressions for the company. In addition, it produced 99.9% positive brand sentiment.
Heineken- Bar Experience
This advertising campaign won a Clio award for a creative business transformation in operations (Milan, 2024). This campaign targeted young adults in Italy. It served to show them that bar work should not be overlooked, as it presents a great opportunity for individuals to master important life and work skills, like sales, customer service, team management, logistics, and verbal communication.
Advertisements for this campaign were placed on bar exit doors for workers and people to view. The company also created vests for maintenance workers to wear featuring this campaign. These advertisements include a QR code for people to scan to see how they can because a certified bar worker through Heineken’s program.
Oreo- Oreo Eclipse (2015)
This advertisement took place during the 2015 Solar Eclipse in the UK. The advertisement was broadcasted on a digital billboard screen at various public locations in London, England and Edinburgh, Scottland. The video broadcast lasted roughly two hours and accumulated 20 million viewers. Oreo used data from the Royal Astronomical Society and TimeAndDate.com to create an unforgettable Oreo Eclipse, mirroring the exact movements of the solar eclipse. The video showed an Oreo covering the sun at the peak of the Eclipse when the sky went dark. At the end of the broadcast, Oreo reminded the crowd that “You won’t have to wait 11 years for the next one”.
This advertising campaign resulted in a 59% increase in sales the next week. Oreo is ranked number three on the Effie Index for Food & Beverages (non-Alcoholic), with 140 points. Effie Index ranks represent the most comprehensive global rankings of marketing effectiveness.
McDonald’s- We Deliver (2021)
To promote their new delivery service, McDelivery, McDonald’s released a series of billboards and bus stop signs that showcased select parts of their famous gold arches. As one walks down the streets of the city, passing various bus stops, they encounter individual pieces of the golden arches, creating a form of puzzle, showcasing the golden arches bouncing their way alongside you. This advertisement uses a clever use of color and a minimalist style to promote sales and brand recognition, on a diverse range of architectural designs and outdoor features.
This shows great utilization of their pre-established brand awareness, as McDonald’s didn’t even need to show their full logo on the posters for consumers to understand the message and recognize the brand. This campaign targeted the mass population, particularly those traveling home after work or a night out, reminding them that a delicious McDonald’s meal could await them if they chose to use their McDelivery services.
McDelivery is ranked number four on the Effie Index in the Delivery Services category, garnering 50 points. McDonald’s is ranked first on the Effie Index for Restaurants & Foodservice category, boasting a stee 744 points. Effie Index ranks represent the most comprehensive global rankings of marketing effectiveness.
Access all references to this content here!