2022 was a year in which viral campaigns on the web went up a notch.
The authenticity and lack of fear of raising social issues, sometimes controversial, on the agenda, paid off more than once when they gained attention and much more virality on the web and in the media.
Millennials and Generation Z are much more socially engaged than previous generations.
They are much more open and want to take part in social changes.
Brands that managed to tell a story that went beyond entertainment and pleasure, that combined social messages along with authenticity and bringing to the fore "real people" who face challenges that we all experience, have had much greater success.
The young people are looking for campaigns with meaning, and not another presenter who presents a product artificially and superficially.
From the climate march that swept millions of teenagers out to demonstrate on Fridays instead of going to school. (Photo: Unsplash)
DOVE - #DetoxYourFeed
Already in 2004, the grooming company launched an important campaign like no other, which set itself the goal of raising the image and self-confidence of young people.
With all the advantages that social networks have brought into our world, it is hard to ignore the body image and the impossible beauty ideal that they sometimes dictate.
The care company decided to fight the severe damage that this ideal causes to young people, which include anxiety, depression, eating disorders and in extreme cases - self-harm.
According to the company, 8 out of 10 girls avoid certain actions due to lack of confidence in their appearance.
During the campaign, the company distributed instructional, educational and informational videos, aimed at both the youth and the parents, with the aim of helping them clean up "toxic feed" on the networks, and stop following anyone whose messages might lower security.
What worked in the campaign?
First of all, transparency, authenticity and courage to reveal one of the biggest challenges that social networks pose to the younger generations.
The educational message and the ability to put everything on the table, openly and honestly, while including teenagers and parents in the videos, was a WIN-WIN move, for all parties.
Dove's brilliance in this important campaign is a move that puts it in the league of the really big brands.
The results
according to the company, since 2004, the campaign's messages have already reached over 82 million young people in 150 different countries, and by 2030 the goal is to reach a quarter of a billion young people.
Body Shop - #BringBackOurBottles
In recent decades, Indonesia, the spectacular island nation located in Southeast Asia, has suffered from many natural disasters, starting with floods, powerful earthquakes and even tsunamis that follow them, which are probably caused, among other things, by global warming.
Out of the desire to contribute its part to the fight against global warming, the Body Shop cosmetics company decided to launch a welcome initiative already in 2008, in which consumers who return the plastic bottles of its products will enjoy various benefits and credit points.
What worked in the campaign?
The willingness of the brand to engage with the important issue, which has been at the top of the public agenda for some time, and especially in a country hit by natural disasters like Indonesia, is a brilliant move, which touches on a very important issue for the brand's customers.
During the campaign, the brand earned "credits" with consumers from Indonesia and around the world, strengthened consumer loyalty, and also contributed to the planet.
With all the cynicism that may sometimes arise in these contexts, this is a very important goal.
Bottom line: this campaign created significant brand awareness and exposure for the company, the value of which is enormous.
TikTok star "Francis Bourgeois" for Gucci and North Face
In recent years, the TikTok videos of the British Luke Magnus Nicholson, known as Francis Bourgeois, have become a hit on the Internet, with over 2.7 million followers and 55 million likes.
Francis comes to train tracks all over the country, showing great enthusiasm and impressive knowledge when it comes to the train stations and the trains themselves.
Gucci and North Face decided to take a certain bet and use Bourgeois to produce web videos to promote their fashion brands.
Some of the videos were produced exactly according to Bourgeois' usual format, only that this time he is dressed in the brand's clothes and that some of them include a scent of the past when the network star stars this time as the train announcer and next to him are models wearing designer clothes.
What worked in the campaign?
Bourgeois is not exactly the expected choice of presenter for these brands, but this is precisely where the crackling and brilliance of the campaign lies.
The authenticity, kindness and simplicity of Bourgeois is something that is priceless in today's age.
Young people are looking for influencers that they can identify with, feel close to.
The use of a presenter like Bourgeois is intended to help these brands reach additional audiences, who today avoid or shy away from those brands, because they feel they are not accessible enough to them.
ExpressWithPride#
In the last pride month, which took place in June, the brand Livon in collaboration with the digital company Ogilvy launched a joint network campaign under the hashtag ExpressWithPride#, which touched on the rights of queers (people who do not define their sexual identity or gender), a very sensitive and complex issue.
During the campaign, the company interviewed queers of Indian origin and heard from them about day-to-day challenges, about relationships with parents, about what it's like to deal with stares from people on the street, and to be forced to explain their identity to every person they meet.
What worked in the campaign?
Here, too, we see an unfiltered confrontation with the struggle of queers for social recognition.
The authenticity, speaking to the heart and the personal interviews make it possible to soften the walls between them and the rest of the population.
The campaign was revealed on the company's YouTube channel, Instagram and Spotify.
Authenticity, social messages and accessible presenters that evoke empathy
This is the entire Torah.
As Generation Y and especially Generation Z want to work in places that do good, they want to buy and be part of brands that contribute to humanity and the environment.
One of the challenges in the campaigns of big brands is authenticity, which is so characteristic of small creators and is one of the pillars of Tiktok and Instagram.
One of the ways to increase authenticity is to bring the social message to the fore, provided it is real and honest.
The thinking should first focus on the environment, but not only on protecting the environment, but on thinking about the user.
This can be expressed in educational, valuable and meaningful content, and the marketing of the products and the sale will be a derivative of the same value provided.
It is highly desirable to do this through accessible characters that evoke empathy and are easy to identify with.
Dana Gilboa is a lecturer and guides business owners in the worlds of social media with an emphasis on Instagram for organizations, companies and businesses.
Marketing and digital
360
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Generation Z
Brands
Corporate Responsibility
