7 Awesome Online Marketing Campaigns from 2011: Part I

As the years progress and advertising/marketing becomes more innovative and progressive, online marketing is constantly changing. And with every new year, brands roll out different digital promotions or campaigns that stand out above the rest. There are different factors that make each campaign unique to its industry or digital medium, but one thing does stay constant—its interaction with its target consumer.

Here at Firespring, we put our minds together as a company to come up with the best examples of online marketing from 2011. We thought about just leaving it to social media, but that excludes other campaigns and promotions that have a solid social media piece that’s tied in to a bigger online marketing campaign. So, we now present you with the best online marketing campaigns of 2011.

Underheard in New York – Over the past few years, unemployment and homelessness have been major issues all over the country. It especially hit hard in major cities such as L.A., New York City and Detroit. So the people at Underheard, with the help of BBH, decided to give a voice to the unsheltered. They picked four people (Danny, Derrick, Albert and Carlos), gave them each a phone with unlimited texting for a month along with a Twitter account. With these tools, people were allowed to get to know these guys on an individual basis and include them in a global/digital community through social media. The outcome was more than satisfying as donations poured in from around the world, job offers came to surface and even New York Giant’s tickets were offered. Underheard not only exposed these four men to the world around them, but also gave them a voice for themselves and the rest of the homeless.

Dermablend “Go Beyond the Cover” – I’m sure everyone has heard of the phrase “never judge a book by its cover”—which is exactly what Dermablend was going for with their new professional product. Here they are targeting people with skin concerns or tattoos. And who better to promote your product than fashion model “Zombie Boy?” Their website and viral video have exploded on the Internet and have given a voice to people whose underlying beauty isn’t yet socially acceptable in today’s world. But the viral video showcasing the product’s use is what really makes this campaign pop. At first you see what appears to be a normal looking man with a couple piercings—but within a few seconds, the man wipes away the Dermablend makeup to reveal his actual surface. The campaign is eye opening and effective, and in some cases, a learning experience.

Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” – Characters are nothing new to the world of advertising and marketing. In fact, many brands are built around a face such as Frosted Flakes (Tony the Tiger) and GEICO (the GEICO Gecko). But if you asked anybody today to name a famous advertising character that came out within the this past year, over half would probably mention Dos Equis’s “Most Interesting Man in the World.” A persona built on “Chuck Norris-isms”, Dos Equis created a character that isn’t so much relatable as he is inspiring. With quotable one liners, an excellent YouTube page and interactive website (Stay Thirsty My Friends), the “Most Interesting Man in the World” is a phenomena that won’t die out anytime soon.

What our audience can take away from these examples is that the integration of online marketing with any promotion or campaign is important in today’s culture. You don’t have to have a major budget to get the same effect as these three examples—all you need is solid content that is contagious. Making a quality video and uploading it to YouTube with a link back to a landing page or your business’s home page can go a long way for a promotion that just needs some affection to be a major success.

Stay tuned next week for 7 Awesome Online Marketing Campaigns from 2011: Part 2.

What are some of the best online marketing campaigns you’ve seen this past year?