In the world of marketing, brands will align their campaign strategy with current events or the overarching sentiment of their audience to connect with them.

3 Great 2021 Marketing Campaigns: Thoughts From our Denver Marketing Agency

Fitbit - What's Strong with Me

When times are tough, it can be easy to feel emotions of fear, anxiety, and depression. Upholding a strong sense of confidence in a year where a pandemic is still pervading everyday life is a noteworthy feat.

The popular fitness company "Fitbit," which is best known for its movement tracking technologies, created an uplifting campaign to inspire its viewers during these times of hardship. The "What's Strong with Me" campaign presents a twist on the common internal criticism many of us experience when we aren't doing our best (most commonly, we ask ourselves, “What's wrong with me?”).

By replacing “wrong” with “strong, Fitbit creates an effective ad in 2021 because it tells a story of strength in the face of hardship -- something everyone who has endured the pandemic can relate to.

Guinness - Welcome Back

The colloquial saying "you don't know what you got till it's gone" became a reality for society amidst the pandemic. Post-work happy hours at the local bar unfortunately became a thing of the past for many. And when we lose something, it’s relevance seems even more prominent than before.

The classic Irish beer "Guinness" found creative inspiration in this concept. In their commercial "Welcome Back," the Guinness team clipped together a series of seemingly random instances: snow falling on top of a trash can, a pair of socks on a laundry line, an unfinished painted fence and more. The ad culminates with a realization that these images are all representations of a glass of Guiness, with the dark brew on the bottom and the white foam on top.

Thanks to vaccination rollouts in 2021, there has been a return to in-person happy hours and get-togethers. This campaign harped on the sentiment of missing "old times" and having reminders all-around of what once was.

Wendy's - Rick and Morty

The fast-food chain, Wendy’s, is widely known for its spicy nuggets and celebrity collaborations. The burger chain paired up with the popular Cartoon Network program "Rick and Morty" to create special beverage concoctions like a pickle-flavored Frosty and more to entice more customers to visit their locations. This immersive campaign transformed the restaurant's traditional menu into a cartoon-lovers dream.

This whimsical collaboration is a successful marketing campaign because it sparked tons of engagement and brought two audiences together. It may seem counterproductive to promote your brand through another brand, but Wendy’s was able to marry the goals of both organizations seamlessly in this collaboration.

Successful Marketing Tips to Take into 2022

Marketing is an ever evolving industry with innovative technology and audience interests. Make 2022 your year by adopting strategies that will boost your ROI with these advertising takeaways:

• Share the sentiment - Put yourself in your customer’s shoes to understand the kinds of messages they will find appealing. Marketing is all about communicating with your audience effectively. So leverage empathy to your advantage.
• Tell an impactful story - Go beyond selling a product, and create a narrative for the company. This will help refine your brand identity which can ultimately lead to greater market exposure.
• Own your audience - Like we saw with the Wendy’s x Rick and Morty collaboration, you need to know who you’re targeting and what they like. It might be best to create target personas of your audience to help you get creative with your campaigns to spark new engagements.

To close it out, remember to create engaging experiences that your audience can participate in or discuss. Make it visual, make it emotional, and make it memorable!

Create Campaigns That Make an Impression with our Denver Marketing Agency

Want to create compelling and engaging advertisements to boost your ROI? Reach out to us today at the Real FiG Advertising + Marketing. We always take the time to identify and understand our clients’ audiences and create results-driven ads and marketing materials that will resonate with the right people.

Contact us today to learn more about what makes us a top Denver marketing agency.