Creating a successful marketing campaign is daunting, especially for small businesses competing with major brands. But the truth is, great marketing isn’t just about big budgets. It’s about memorable messaging, creativity, and reaching the right audience across multiple platforms.
For over 10 years, OptinMonster has worked with small businesses and top brands to boost their digital marketing efforts. Our customers include huge companies like Patreon and American Express, along with thousands of small businesses and startups. In short, we know what a great marketing campaign looks like, and we know how to help businesses improve their strategy.
In this article, I’ll look at 8 of the best marketing campaigns from iconic brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Barbie. I’ll discuss what makes them so effective and share what small businesses can learn from their success.
What Makes a Great Marketing Campaign?
The best marketing campaigns are so widely recognized that they become synonymous with the brand. But what sets these campaigns apart? Here are the key elements that make a marketing campaign truly impactful:
Memorability
Memorable campaigns stick in people’s minds long after they’ve seen them. They create emotional connections with the audience through a catchy slogan, a heartwarming message, or an unforgettable gag..
Think of Nike’s “Just Do It” or the “What Would You Do For a Klondike Bar?” ads, both of which I’ll explore later. Both campaigns are instantly recognizable and inseparable from their respective brands.
Cross-Platform Execution
A great marketing campaign isn’t confined to one medium. Instead, it’s strategically spread across multiple channels to reach a wider audience and present consistent messaging.
The key channels in cross-platform marketing include:
- TV: Traditional television advertising remains a powerful way to reach a broad audience.
- Print: Magazines, billboards, and flyers provide physical touchpoints that complement digital efforts.
- Radio: Radio spots are still effective for local and niche markets, especially when combined with online strategies.
- Social media: Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and LinkedIn allow brands to engage with followers, share content, and build communities. Social media is also key to any marketing campaign going viral.
- Email: Personalized email marketing campaigns can nurture leads, promote special offers, and drive engagement.
- Paid search ads: Targeted ads across search engines help capture traffic from interested customers.
- Brand, celebrity, and influencer collaborations: You can expand your reach through partnerships and notable spokespeople.
- Website: Your website is a central hub for campaign information, product details, and purchase opportunities.
- Onsite Marketing Tools: Marketing campaigns drive people to your website. Popups, lead capture forms, and personalized offers can convert those visitors into customers.
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With OptinMonster’s popups, floating bars, and other onsite campaigns, you can grow your email list and drive more sales!
8 Best Marketing Campaigns to Inspire Your Strategy
I’ve chosen 8 famous marketing campaigns to discuss in this article. For each ad campaign, I’ll explore why it was so popular and share ideas of what you can learn from each brand’s success.
1. Nike‘s “Just Do It” Campaign
Launched in 1988, the “Just Do It” campaign transformed Nike from a sportswear company into an inspiring lifestyle brand. The campaign wasn’t just about selling athletic gear. It focused on motivating people to push their limits, regardless of their fitness level. With “Just Do It,” Nike positioned itself as a brand for everyone, from professional athletes to everyday people.
Why It’s Memorable: The simplicity and universal appeal of the slogan made it instantly relatable. Nike’s “Just Do It” ads have featured the most beloved athletes in the world, from Michael Jordan to Serena Williams. In the ads the athletes share how they’ve pushed through adversity to succeed:
“Just Do It” is now part of the brand’s DNA. In August 2024 alone, there were 141,100 internet searches for “Just Do It,” according to Semrush:
Platforms Used: Nike’s comprehensive campaign includes TV commercials, print ads, social media, celebrity endorsements, influencer marketing, and more.
What You Can Learn: The “Just Do It” campaign teaches the power of simple, universal messaging that taps into emotion. It also shows the power of consistency: “Just Do It” wouldn’t be as memorable if Nike constantly switched up its slogan.
2. “What Would You Do For a Klondike Bar?”
The “What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar?” campaign became iconic for its fun and quirky approach. Launched in the 1980s, the campaign asked people to perform silly, sometimes outrageous tasks in exchange for a Klondike bar. The ads showcased regular people engaging in lighthearted challenges, and they included a catchy jingle.
Why It’s Memorable: The campaign’s charm lay in its simplicity and humor. The company turned a simple ice cream bar into the ultimate reward for silly stunts. The campaign became so well known that it’s regularly referenced and parodied in pop culture.
To this day, the Klondike Bar YouTube channel is dominated by “What Would You Do For a Klondike Bar?” videos:
Platforms Used: Klondike’s campaign has spanned TV commercials, online videos, in-store promotions, social media, and website messaging.
In fact, the current exit popup on their website features the slogan:
With OptinMonster, you can have a popup like this up and running on your site in just a few minutes. Our exclusive Exit-Intent® technology detects when users are about to leave your site. You can ask for their email address before they go, or offer an enticing coupon to encourage them to buy.
What You Can Learn from Klondike’s Marketing Campaign: Today, the most successful marketing campaigns go viral. And Klondike went viral before the internet existed! Klondike shows the value of creating engaging, interactive campaigns that consumers want to be a part of.
3. GoPro Awards
The GoPro Awards is a long-running marketing campaign by the popular video equipment company. GoPro encourages users to submit videos and photos shot with GoPro equipment for a chance to win prizes. Winners are also featured across the brand’s social media channels and on their website. The campaign highlights the diverse uses for GoPro products, from surfing and skydiving to everyday moments. And they’re all captured by real customers.
Why It’s Memorable: The GoPro Awards is an example of user-generated content (UGC) done right. The professional quality of the winning videos shows what’s possible with a GoPro. With the potential to win prizes and gain exposure, GoPro users are motivated to share their most thrilling footage. This competitive challenge helps build community and brand loyalty among customers.
Platforms Used: YouTube, social media, the GoPro website’s dedicated GoPro Awards page, and influencer collaborations.
What You Can Learn: UGC can be a powerful marketing tool, especially when combined with incentives. That’s why I’ve written a complete guide to UGC to help small businesses use it in their own marketing strategies:
Check Out Our Ultimate Guide to UGC
What Is User-Generated Content (UGC) & How to Use It (With Examples)
4. Coca-Cola‘s “Share a Coke” Campaign
In their “Share a Coke,” Coca-Cola replaced their iconic logo on bottles with popular names, encouraging customers to find bottles with their names or their friends’ names. The campaign sparked a wave of social sharing as people posted photos of their named bottles. This type of user-generated content is a powerful way to spread a brand message.
Why It’s Memorable: With these personalized bottles and cans, it became a fun challenge to find your own name or to find one to gift to a friend.
The aspect of sharing a Coke with friends taps deeply into the brand’s history, going back to the iconic “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” commercial from 1971. Coca-Cola now uses the “Share a Coke” slogan beyond the named-bottle campaign:
Platforms Used: Social media, in-store displays, TV commercials, online ads, and a website that let customers order bottles with specific names.
What You Can Learn from “Share a Coke”: Personalization is key to driving engagement. You can strengthen your connection by tailoring your marketing to individuals. You don’t have to launch a huge campaign to take advantage of personalization. You can use special tags in your email campaigns and website popups to include your customer’s name, city, or other information.
Personalize your website messaging with Smart Tags by OptinMonster!
5. The Pepsi Challenge
Now that we’ve covered Share a Coke, let’s examine one of Pepsi’s most popular advertising campaigns. Launched in 1975, the Pepsi Challenge was a taste-test campaign where blindfolded participants compared Pepsi and Coca-Cola. The ads showed participants choosing Pepsi as the better-tasting cola.
Why It’s Memorable: The campaign stood out for its hands-on approach, directly involving consumers in the brand battle. By offering a blind taste test, Pepsi made the brand’s rivalry with Coke a central focus of public conversation. The Pepsi Challenge campaign isn’t currently a major focus for the brand, but they still occasionally bring it back, like in this video:
Platforms Used: TV commercials, in-store events, print advertisements, and social media.
What You Can Learn From the Pepsi Challenge: Try engaging your audience with interactive experiences. For example, you can offer quizzes, polls, or challenges on your website or social media.
6. Old Spice‘s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
This wildly successful campaign gave Old Spice a fresh and funny makeover. The commercials introduced the now-iconic “Old Spice Guy,” who delivered quirky humor about “smelling like a man.” The ads revamped the brand’s image and made it relevant to a younger audience. The commercials targeted not just men, but also women who shop for their partners.
Why It’s Memorable: The combination of unexpected humor, charm, and absurdity made the ads highly shareable. The rapid-fire jokes caught viewers off guard, encouraging them to watch the ads multiple times and to share them with friends. I personally remember the week the first ad launched. Everyone in my office crowded around a computer monitor to watch the ad on YouTube, and “I’m on a horse” instantly became a catchphrase.
14 years later, the ad’s tongue-in-cheek, exaggerated masculinity is still central to Old Spice’s branding:
Platforms Used: TV commercials, social media platforms, website, and YouTube.
What You Can Learn: Don’t be afraid to shift or revitalize your brand messaging. Humor and bold content can resonate with audiences and make your brand stand out. Also, carefully consider your target audience. Old Spice’s ads also appealed to women, who then encouraged their partners to use Old Spice.
7. Media Blitz for the Barbie Movie
Summer 2023 was an exciting time for movie fans, as the Barbenheimer viral phenomenon brought post-pandemic audiences back into theaters. While neither movie studio predicted Barbenheimer, Barbie had one of the most successful and popular marketing campaigns in recent years. The Barbie campaign brilliantly combined nostalgia, memes, and brand collaborations to generate excitement for the film. They tapped into Barbie’s cultural significance and created a playful, inclusive atmosphere for all ages.
Why It’s Memorable: This campaign seamlessly blended nostalgia with modern internet culture. Every aspect of the marketing was carefully planned. For example, each time actress Margot Robbie promoted the film, she was dressed in an outfit inspired by a vintage Barbie doll, evoking memories of people’s favorite childhood toys. The market was also flooded with Barbie brand collaborations, ranging from swimsuits to rugs:
While the studio didn’t specifically plan Barbenheimer, it still tapped into it with a powerful viral strategy. For example, the Barbie Selfie Generator allowed users to put themselves on the Barbie poster. Social media quickly filled with these UGC images, each one promoting the movie’s release. In fact, I was one of the people who immediately participated by posting Barbie posters featuring my pets:
I was just one of thousands of people who provided free marketing for Barbie, simply by having a bit of fun on social media.
Platforms Used: Social media, press events, influencers, online ads, meme culture, and branded partnerships.
What You Can Learn from Barbie: Nostalgia is a powerful tool in marketing. Your brand probably doesn’t evoke as many memories as Barbie, but you can still look for ways to tap into past traditions or childhood memories.
8. Dollar Shave Club‘s Funny Videos
Back in 2012, subscription boxes for household products weren’t very common. Enter Dollar Shave Club, which made a huge splash with their brand launch video:
The funny, irreverent ad quickly went viral and has reached over 28 million views on YouTube. That’s a lot of people watching a video about an online razor company! This and other videos set the company up for success. It’s now a leading brand in the shaving industry, with products available in many stores.
Why It’s Memorable: The video’s witty, slightly crude tone resonated with viewers, making it highly shareable and helping turn a small startup into a billion-dollar company.
Platforms Used: YouTube, social media, website, and email marketing.
What You Can Learn: Video content is incredibly effective in marketing, especially if you create content that people want to share. If you’d like some help with developing a video content strategy, check out our guide to video marketing.
Do you already have a great brand introduction video? Embed it in your website’s welcome message so you can put your best foot forward.
With OptinMonster’s easy drag-and-drop builder, you can easily embed your video in a lightbox popup or fullscreen welcome mat:
You can use our OnSite Retargeting® display rules to show your welcome video only to first-time visitors. Then, you can retarget returning visitors with special offers like coupon codes.
Create a Great Marketing Campaign, No Big Budget Required
You don’t need a massive budget like Nike or Coca-Cola to create a successful marketing campaign. By studying some of the best marketing campaigns from big brands, you can apply their strategies to your own business, no matter the size.
At OptinMonster, we know that small businesses can achieve big marketing results. With the right tools and tactics, you can drive engagement, generate leads, increase sales, and grow your business. If you’re ready to start converting your website traffic into subscribers and customers, sign up for OptinMonster, with our 14-day money back guarantee.
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