• Red Bull: Red Bull Stratos

 

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner broke the internet when he was streamed flying 24 miles to the edge of space itself over New Mexico and jumped. He free-fell for six incredible minutes before deploying his parachute and floating back to earth from the highest level anyone has ever jumped from before. 

This publicity stunt was one of the most live streamed events in the history of the Internet and as Felix was covered in Red Bull logos and the stream was provided by Red Bull themselves, it really helped their brand and slogan that Red Bull does indeed “give you wings”.

This is one of the biggest digital marketing campaigns ever to have not been on TV or in print and was sure to change the way companies look at the reach of digital marketing. With companies now investing in services such as PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and social media interaction, the age of print and television advertising may one day soon be behind us. Michael Ryan, owner of MR SEO, a digital marketing agency in Essex, says “TV ads are so iconic, but the pandemic might make companies adjust their marketing businesses accordingly, meaning we see more internet based investments like Red Bull Stratos and huge SEO campaigns in the coming years.”

 

 

• Budweiser: “Whassup?”

 

Beer brands have been using a jokey, funny tone forever. As drinking beer is often a super chilled out (excuse the pun) pastime, brands almost always reflect this in their marketing campaigns. However, few have ever reached the dizzy heights of cultural influence that Budweiser did with a single greeting.

When's the last time an advertisement literally changed the way we talk to one another on a daily basis? Allow me to answer that question with another question: "Whassup?!" Incredibly, the younger generations have picked this up and use it in the same tone and scenario as the original advert without even being alive to see it be aired.

This series of commercials, which first appeared in late 1999, features a group of friends connecting on a group phone call (we don't do those much anymore, do we?) while drinking beer and "watching the game" on TV.

It starts gently: "What are you doin'?" Someone asks on the phone to their friend. "Watching the game, havin' a Bud" (a Budweiser), someone replies. Again, reflecting the chilled out vibe of drinking a beer and also immediately interesting the male target audience. As stereotypes go, drinking a beer and watching sports is about as male as it gets! 

As more friends pick up the phone, the basic conversation ensues: "WHASSUP!?" is yelled back and forth, becoming a classic catchphrase used between friends all the time and even became an icon of beer-drinking culture that ran constantly on sports networks over the 90s.

 

• CocaCola: “Share a Coke With”

 

The famous campaign ad was first broadcast in 1999. It only ran for two short years, but became a huge success in that time.

It was also reintroduced to a new generation of Coke drinkers in 2014. The premise was simple- consumers can buy Coke bottles with the name printed on the labels, which is really cool.

Big brands often have to go big and bold to do anything that makes a seismic dent when they're already such a big brand. So, what did Coca-Cola do to produce this seismic shift? They appealed to individuals — by putting their names on each bottle. People began searching through supermarket fridges, their local newsagents and even buying bottles off of ebay just to have one with their name on.

The Share a Coke campaign began in Australia 3 years prior, when Coca-Cola personalized each bottle with the 150 most popular names in the country. Since then, the U.S. and U.K also followed suit and it became a worldwide success. You can even order custom bottles on Coke's website to request things like nicknames and company logos as well as people with more obscure or unique names being able to order a crate load with their name in the iconic coke font.

It was a breaking story across the marketing and advertising industry. Many consumers were enchanted by it, while others were confused by it but however you regarded it, Coke received immediate attention for it.

 

 

• Nike: “Just Do It”

 

In 1988, Nike sales were $800 million. They introduced their iconic “Just Do It” campaign and within a decade their sales topped $2 billion. 

“Just Do It” is a core message that still works 30 years later and has become arguably the greatest slogan ever. What do you get when you have an advertising campaign that doubles as a logo? You get a slogan that’s embedded into everyone’s mind from a young age across multiple generations with no sign of slowing up. And you get a slogan that matches your brand vision and gradient logo.

The Just Do It slogan is synonymous with taking action. What company can help customers take action and motivate them to just do it? A sports brand! When people see the slogan, they immediately associate it with the company’s brand, making it an incredible piece of marketing.

Recently, Nike faced controversy by running ads featuring NFL player Colin Kaepernick. His message to viewers is to believe in something, even if you have to sacrifice everything- something he did himself. When Kaepernick played football, he is well-known for kneeling during the national anthem. Some fans boycotted the game and recently have boycotted Nike products. Nike insists they don’t want these people as customers, in a “good riddance” type of announcement at the time.

Others, though, applauded the move, of both Kaepernick and Nike- making them favourable to people who believe in Kaepernick’s message and just standing up for what you believe in in the first place. Nike isn’t afraid to take chances, which will likely benefit their future marketing campaigns.

 

 

• Skittles: “Taste The Rainbow”

 

There are some slogans that are so iconic, “Red Bull Gives You Wings” and “Just Do It” are a couple of examples we have already touched on, but Skittles “Taste The Rainbow” is another.

Since 1994, the multi-coloured candy Skittles was synonymous with its slogan "Taste the Rainbow," with an incredible 40+ different TV ads have aired that play with the phrase, and we're willing to bet you remember several of them. A real winner in the confectionary side of marketing, Skittles once again has produced a slogan sure to stand the test of time with generations to come.