The Best Marketing Campaigns of 2023 – Fearless, Individualistic and Refreshing

2023. What a crazy year for marketing. With marketers having to become more creative than ever to stand out on billboards, social media or other online forms of media, the struggle to stand out over competitors is higher than ever. Not only that but with social and cultural changes continually evolving, which marketers have had to stay up to date with, it’s a surprise we still had time to run our brands and make our TikTok videos.

This insight post will delve into some of the best creatives we’ve seen this year. With guerilla campaigns popping up all over the place, AI becoming even more integrated into society and authenticity being a big vocal point for this year, let’s see what brands have done to keep their audiences coming back for more. 


Imagine – OOH 

The 9th of March 2023 marked a big day for women across the globe, with a celebratory mark of International Women’s Day. One of the standout campaigns that you could not have missed, unless you lived under a rock or don’t have LinkedIn, is the ‘Imagine’ campaign brought to you by CPB London with other official supporters of this campaign including Creative Equals, Goodstuff, Assembly and Open Media. 

This campaign was a standout out-of-home piece that left many questioning the gender bias of society in 2023. Something we should not even be questioning now however, unfortunately, there is still much improvement to go when resolving the problem. 

Imagine OOH - Marketing Campaign 2023
Imagine OOH – Campaign 2023

CPB write in their case study that “The study, of 1,000 parents of primary school age children and 1,000 UK based children aged 5-11, showed that bias is embedded at a young age. It revealed that 45% of the children polled believe that nurses are always women, while 22% said a doctor was likely to be a man. In addition, 60% of kids think that being a plumber or electrician is a man’s job – and almost half (46%) of the boys and girls surveyed said that men always make better engineers.” 

The campaign hit success due to its popularity as an OOH billboard however the campaign also took place over various media formats such as social media platforms and was showcased within the cinema industry.  

Many of us can agree that a ‘shock factor’ form of advertisement, when appropriate, is an effective way to get the public talking and involved in the conversation. In regards to this campaign, many believe that the gender stereotypes are reducing however this campaign just shows and brings awareness of how they might still be around, maybe more than we thought.   

Imagine OOH - Marketing Campaign 2023
Imagine OOH – Campaign 2023

The campaign also included the ability for people to buy a children’s blank colouring book where each child would have the space to draw “what you imagine when you read the headline”. A spokesperson stated “The idea (behind the drawing book) is that there are no right or wrong drawings – just insight into our assumptions about gender roles. We all have unconscious bias, and the only way to change that is to question, and to get people talking.”

Imagine OOH - Campaign 2023
Imagine OOH Campaign 2023

Whilst many days such as these celebrate and highlight important changes across the world many companies feel the need to jump on board for the sake of it. This can be known as ‘purpose-washing’ however CPB London has captured the essence of the work that is still yet to be achieved within society and its stereotyping.   

To read more about this campaign, click:

🔗 New ad campaign tackles everyday gender bias

🔗 Ad agency CPB London launches ‘Imagine’ campaign to tackle gender bias


Barbie 

Where to begin? Barbie. The children’s toy that so many of us love. With no limitations, Barbie is the IT girl of the summer. Did you know she even had a very successful film made with her staring in it? The film itself was something extraordinary but the amount of marketing behind it left us feeling like we lived in our own dream marketing worlds. 

Barbie Campaign 2023
Barbie Campaign 2023

With an estimated budget of $150 million (bigger than the estimated film budget), it’s no surprise we saw marketing for Barbie absolutely everywhere! 

One of the first big stunts we saw for Barbie was back in 2022 when a single film poster of Barbie in her pink Corvette was released. That alone sent some buzz and excitement around however with the film being a year away, would the buzz of lasted without any other marketing campaigns? Probably not.

Barbie Campaign 2023
Barbie Campaign 2023

The next big stunt has us all personalising our own Barbie film posters whether that be for family or people at work. Whilst, unless confirmed, we can never say for sure whether certain released content was to evoke us as an audience into doing anything but the realising of each Barbie character in a poster was a brilliant piece of strategic marketing that led to a surge in UGC for the film.  

Each Barbie film poster created a sense of personalisation and of course, for us consumers, we loved this and this is why the next big step of success for the marketing of this film had to be reactive content. We even did our own… PinPoint if they were Barbie & Ken’s

Barbie Campaign 2023
Barbie Campaign 2023

Throughout the build up to the film we saw just recognisable pink billboards, personalised Xbox Barbie-designed controllers and even a Barbie dreamhouse AirB&B that people could go and stay in. 

Like it always does, social media had a lot to play in the film’s marketing strategy and with Barbie’s key demographic being social media users, the marketing team had to hit the nail on the head when it came to engaging with their online audience. But it didn’t take much. 

Film go-ers used the platform to showcase their experiences when they went to go and watch the film with many filming their experiences seeing Barbie with other women in their life, the pink outfits they wore and even fellow Barbie enthusiasts greeting each other saying the iconic line of “Hi Barbie.” This was not a tactic that the marketing genesis pushed and therefore demonstrates the powerful impact and connection an audience can have with a film. This theory of the importance of connection can be applied to a service or product and not just a film! 

barbie movie outfit planning
Barbie Movie outfit planning

Beyond the above and below advertising methods that were used during this campaign, the theme of ‘girlhood’ very much stood out for the majority of the women and girls who ventured to go and see the film however this cleverly did not come out in the promotional content. Was this done intentionally, maybe? If it was integrated in the trailers could it of deterred audiences? Quite possibly.     

Barbie will forever go down in history. Whether it was OOH billboards, social media campaigns or Barbie Dreamhouse AirB&B, Barbie had it all. It was a brand everyone wanted to be associated with and wanted to be a part of this summer. 

 

To read more about this campaign, click here:

🔗Inside ‘Barbie’s’ Pink Publicity Machine: How Warner Bros. Pulled Off the Marketing Campaign of the Year

🔗Lights, Camera, Barbie! 5 Out-of-the-Box Brand Marketing Strategies From the Barbie Movie

 


Heinz – It Has To Be Heinz

In a global first for Ketchup company, Heinz, it sees themselves launch its first-ever global brand platform ‘It Has To Be Heinz’.

 The campaign focuses on a series of different films which ‘celebrate the love generations of people all over the world.’ Even better all the films are supposedly based on true stories!

It has to be Heinz
It has to be Heinz

Heinz has always stood out with their marketing campaigns, from incorporating AI into their digital campaigns Heinz A.I. Ketchup to getting kicked out of the World Cup in a 2022 campaign Heinz @ The World Cup.

Heinz continues to celebrate its product and the individuality behind each person’s usage. Whether that be on sushi or whether you collect all Heinz merchandise. Heinz knows how to celebrate their audiences which keeps them loyal to the brand. 

So whilst this is only a small nod to this summer campaign, if you’re looking for brand inspiration when trying to attain loyalty and appreciation for your consumers, look no further than this Heinz campaign! 

 

To read about this campaign, click here:

🔗 It has to be HEINZ – Anthem 

🔗 It has to be Heinz

 


British Airways – OOO

Most of us can’t escape work even when we’re on holiday and British Airways took this bad habit and made it into one of their most successful OOH campaign ideas of this year. 

With sarcastic copy as the vocal point of the design, the rest of the advert design is formatted as a typical ‘out of office’ response with the desired holiday snapshot we’d all love to be in the location of.     

Whilst many of us don’t have the guts to say such a response on our OOO, BA has created an advert stating what we would rather put. 

OOO BA 2023 campaign
OOO BA 2023 campaign

The campaign ran at the start of this year creating a sense of holiday longing with it’s beach background and outstanding sea photography. The campaign ran during the end of January which is around the time many of us will be organising our annual leave so this campaign acted as a reminder for us to take our holiday seriously… and to book with them – obviously.

A new survey revealed that 50% of UK working adults do not take their full annual leave allocation which further statistics also show The survey, commissioned by British Airways Holidays with YouGov Plc., also found that 48% of working Brits have checked their work emails whilst away, when science suggests that not taking time off can shorten your life expectancy.

 

To read about this campaign, click here:

🔗 BA Holidays’ ‘out of office’ emails remind Brits to switch off on holiday

🔗 Cheeky Auto Responses Urge Brits to Take a Break in British Airways Holidays OOH Spots

 


Tube Girl – Influencer 

Whilst this isn’t a traditional campaign, the uproar of ‘Tube Girl’ is something that should be discussed as a success this year. We’ve all seen how TikTok can change a brand’s positioning and the awareness of the business however what we don’t discuss enough is personal branding and the importance of how social media can lift your own branding. Tube Girl demonstrated just this.

Sabrina Bahsoon, also known as Tube Girl, came to popularity when she posted videos of her confidently dancing, in 0.5, on the Tube. The power of the wind coming through the Tube window and her striking confidence was the perfect combination for TikTok success.

Tube Girl Influencer 2023
Tube Girl Influencer 2023

With viral numbers, it was only a matter of time before brands would start sniffing up on the success of  Sabrina. With a love for modelling, Sabrina was quick to take up brands that wanted her! MAC Cosmetics was one of the first brands to snatch her up and with the signing of a few contracts Sabrina was walking at London Fashion Week for them. The video content of her fashion walk as well as a behind the scenes resulted in Sabrina’s TikTok channel having 2 videos, with a combined 10m views MAC Cosmetics’ TikTok channel: 1 video, 160k views – 150k higher than its average views per video. 

When speaking with the BBC Bahsoon commented “I think that the Tube Girl has already become something more than just dancing on the Tube. So I think it’s about confidence and it’s about being more comfortable with your authentic self.”

Tube Girl Influencer 2023
Tube Girl Influencer 2023

Whilst many social media users can be their authentic selves, there are many people out there who don’t feel the same way however with ‘The Tube Girl Effect’ having affected many on the platforms, there has been a continuing theme of authenticity that has come through one of the top the influencers of the year.  

To read about this campaign, click here:

🔗 Tube Girl is the moment, and these brands made it theirs too 

🔗 TikTok’s Tube Girl has everyone talking

 


The Stanley Cup – UGC 

UGC is/has always been a great strategy of content, when positive towards a brand. With brands not having to put money and resources into consumer production and the ability for social media to make UGC as viral as possible with platforms such as TikTok making for the sharing of content easy, it’s no surprise that this piece of UGC blew up into flames… quite literally. 

Stanley Cup UGC Campaign 2023
Stanley Cup UGC Campaign 2023

One of the greatest campaigns this year, and will probably go down in history, is The Stanley Cup. If you’re more familiar with The Stanley Cup being the term for the NHL trophy, you’re sadly mistaken. Instead, this cup has been classed as one of TikTok’s trendiest go-to purchases of 2023. With many people taking to the recently pushed ‘e-commerce’ platform to purchase and sell products, many consumers have questioned whether or not the quality of the products being sold are worth the money. 

However, in this UGC ‘accidentally’ produced content that proved The Stanley Cup was worth the price tag. The cup, which is supposed to keep liquids at their desired temperature, did just that after a woman’s car caught on fire and neither the Stanley cup or the ice in the Stanley Cup had melted. 

Stanley Cup UGC Campaign 2023
Stanley Cup

Whilst many brands would’ve just commented or maybe interacted with the UGC content with the bare amount of effort, Global President Terence Reilly responded with quite the reply. Not only did he state his thanks for Danielle’s video and state he will be sending some Stanley Cups as a thank you but the company will be replacing her car!

Whilst the video content was slightly unconventional for UGC, its not every day you come across a piece of content that sees a car burnt to prove a point for a cup! Whether you’re questioning whether UGC is worth it, the theory behind this video only proves this. According to Hubspot, 48% of marketing professionals believe that content created by customers can help humanise their marketing. (Helping to bring in the authenticity consumers look for within their advertising) That’s not the only shocking statistic that HubSpot provide! According to the report ‘Consumers find UGC 9.8x more impactful than influencer content.’

Stanley Cup UGC Campaign 2023
Stanley Cup UGC Campaign 2023

The video itself would’ve created some buzz for the brand and naturally would’ve increased sales, especially when 79% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions’ however the response video on top of that is where the brand relationship with its consumers starts to pull through. 

 

To learn more about this campaign, click here:

🔗Stanley Cup Surviving A Car Fire

🔗Terence Reilly’s Response

🔗Woman who showed her cup full of ice after being left in burning car gets offered new car by company 

 


AI has had a big influence on many marketers around the globe and that is why there is no surprise when we think about 2024 and how AI is here to stay. With the technology developing rapidly and more impressively, how can marketers integrate the novelty of the technology it currently has into their strategy.?

One outstanding campaign that highlighted how deceiving AI can be was France’s Women’s World Cup advert. The telecommunications company Orange, combined football and AI into the most impressive advert of the year. 

The advert starts with various video footage of who we think are the male French team including French footballing legend Mbappé, working together, scoring goals and showcasing some impressive ‘footy’ skills. Just before the advert reaches the one-minute mark, in brand colours, Orange writes ‘only the Blues can give us these emotions.

Orange - Les actions folles de l'équipe de France qu'on a tous oubliées
Orange – Les actions folles de l’équipe de France qu’on a tous oubliées

However, it’s not them that you just saw.’ The advert then switches from the excitement and buzz of watching the French Men’s team, to watching how the use of AI and editing can trick us into believing what we watch is genuine. The advert then reveals the footage we watched prior to the one-minute mark was actually the French Women’s team. 

Orange - Les actions folles de l'équipe de France qu'on a tous oubliées
Orange – Les actions folles de l’équipe de France qu’on a tous oubliées

In this incredible combination of AI and editing Orange have really made us question the difference in narrative that the world has towards Women’s football. The Fifa Men’s Games gained hundreds of millions of views, whilst the Women’s merely gained much attention or financial contributions.

Just like the first campaign we discussed at the start, the ‘shock’ factor played a big part for Orange’s campaign and it worked a treat and stood out in the noise of other campaigns. Many football lovers are blasé to women’s football with many believing they either shouldn’t play or they shouldn’t be allowed to judge the Men’s due to ‘skill differences.’    

We’re glad to see Orange don’t think the same and are trying to break the stereotypes surrounding gender differences within the sport.  

At this current time, many AI-driven campaigns do see the hype and can often have a sense of success when using AI in their campaigns however, considering how quickly AI is developing and how much brands want to jump on the trend, would this advert of had the same effect next time we see the World Cup? How much would AI of developed by then?    

 

To learn more about this campaign, click here:

🔗Les actions folles de l’équipe de France qu’on a tous oubliées – Orange (Advert)

 🔗French Women’s World Cup twisted commercial spins gender using AI

 


Conclusion:

In conclusion, beyond these mentioned campaigns 2023 has shown we’re now stabilising to the fact AI is going to be sticking around and we’re slowly learning how to use the various software platforms to create standout campaigns. Brands are thinking bigger and better when it comes to creativity however this is not the only thing that has changed through the year. How consumers are reacting to the marketing content they’re fed is also developing, especially with the changes in data security and the shift social platforms must obey to when creating our algorithms. 

I strongly believe 2023 saw the beginning of a new era in marking that will continue to be showcased as we head into 2023.

 

Written by Emily Parr

 


If you’re interested in reading more marketing insights from PinPoint Media, click to read:

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