Inspiring campaigns from around the World!
- viktor8585
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
Here are some of my favourite campaigns from the past few years!
Quiet the noise
Apple – Air Pods Pro
Concept & Strategy:
The active noise cancelling of the Air Pods Pro makes it feel like you have your own bubble of quiet, no matter where you are.
Why I think it's interesting:
What Apple does very well - apart from the amazing film craft - is taking a specific feature of their products and showing them off in the most creative way.
I think it’s something a lot of Hungarian advertisers could learn from. Here, we have the mentality of “if I’ve shelled out millions for these 30 seconds, let’s cram every information and feature into it”.
This overload leads to information fatigue and lower recall. Also, it’s way harder to have a clear strategy and message, and this takes toll on the creative execution as well.
And the same can be said about picking a target audience as well.
Apple’s approach finds a clear target based on attitude or activity, then picks one clear feature to build the strategy and execution around.
The wish
Penny
Concept & Strategy:
The Covid lockdown has robbed the younger generations of their formative years and experiences, leading to isolation and FOMO. Penny, the smallest discounter in Germany - a category where price is king - redefined their playing field by providing an emotional advantage to an audience usually not in discounters’ focus, and indirectly, their parents.
Why I think it's interesting:
Again, it’s a Cannes Grand Prix winner for film craft, but behind the looks, there are several very good foundations.
The hook: The parents would never tell their kids to skip homework, to run away, to throw a houseparty, hook up with a girl, have their hearts broken, backpack around the world, etc. They catch your attention and pull you in. Why? The mom wants her teen son to get the formative teen experiences he missedout on because of the lockdown.
The target: Penny found a target usually ignored by their category, but someone they could not only approach with a relatable message, but also provide value for. Emotional connection.
The prize: While promotions usually lean into the “you buy, you can win”, Penny chose an insight-based, emotional conflict to resolve: the prizes were experiences for the youth to reduce their FOMO.
Morning After Island
GE PAE Honduras
Concept & Strategy:
When Honduras outlawed the morning after pills as the only latin-american country, teen pregnancies are high, and women’s contraception is given prison sentences for, GE PAE created a stunt as a solution.
An artificial island (buoy) on international waters, where girls could take the pill safely.
Why I think it's interesting:
It’s always great to see our industry being capable of creating actual change in the world and especially for such a good cause. The campaign resulted in a big online backlash against the government, 180M organic reach and 2M signed petitions.
And finally, the government decided to take steps in the right direction.
A day at your first job
McDonald's SK/CZ
Concept & Strategy:
Your first days at your new workplace might be a bit clumsy - but in a good and welcoming collective, such as McDonald’s, even this will be a great experience.
McD is a popular first job for the youth, just as it is a meeting place. Placing these relatable mishaps into the center of their employer branding, they show what they preach in practice.
Why I think it's interesting:
It finds the perfect audience. It is relatable. It dares to use humour - which is a dying breed in the current meta of advertising, especially in our region.
Bubbles
Deutsche Telekom
Concept & Strategy:
As our world is ever more divided on everything - beliefs, looks, identities -, we should rather cherish all the little things that connect us. As they might not be that little at all.
This is especially fit for a telco brand, as they aren’t selling a service or products, but the promise of connection.
Why I think it's interesting:
It’s one of those Christmas ads, that stick with you.
The insight is really strong and really well illustrated: the echochambers and bubbles we build around us tend to separate us. But if we dare to open our eyes to what connects us, we can realize the isolation is mostly self-imposed.
The campaign also had longetivity. As the TVC ends on a sort-of cliffhanger, we’re left wondering what happened to the girls. The after comms finally brings the two together as the ads start to focus on the conversion part of the message funnel.
AND A WONDERFUL MISHAP!
Winning isn't for everyone
Nike
Concept & Strategy:
Winning a competition is usually not gonna be one for the lighthearted. The feelings of athletes can be quite vile against each other. But apparently these are winners’ qualities just as the hard work they put into training.
Why I think it failed:
Nike had a long-standing and inclusive core ides: “if you have a body, you’re an athlete”.
And this campaing goes against everything the brand stood for. It alienates a lot of Nike’s sport wannabees, leaves a nasty taste in the mouths of sportspeople, and many found it disrespectful. Especially timed to the Olympics, an event that symbolizes unity, understaning, respect.
Maybe a different brand at a different time could have pulled it off better, but Nike’s new marketing leadership tried too hard to make a mark on a strategy that has long-proven itself to be good. And this mark was a nasty one.
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