Advertising is a tricky thing to get right. Even following all of the essential tips for marketing law firms doesn’t guarantee success. However successful advertising leads to wildly successful products. Brand recognition at an unprecedented scale and public trust.
Today we’re going to take a look at some successful marketing campaigns. This is to help you understand what that means. Along with how long it can take for some campaigns to find that success.
Nike
Whether you see the logo as a checkmark or a deeply symbolic swoosh, you’re definitely familiar with both it and the shoe brand’s slogan, “Just Do It.” The campaign first started in 1988 and has continued on to this day thanks to the athletes who shared their stories.
From professionals to amateurs, you can find plenty of Nike ads that tell the story of the athlete and the time they just decided to go for something they expected to fail only for it to be a massive success in some way.
Many people connected with this message and started sharing their own stories of similar circumstances. Not all are as athletically focused as the 80-year-old who runs 17 miles every morning though.
Some people discussed applying for their dream job finally asking their crush on a date, or even just quitting their old job that they hated. No matter which story you hear online or on television the message is clear: just do it.
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC for short has had many successful marketing campaigns. If you need proof then just look at the connection between Japan and their KFC Christmas meals.
However the camping you’ll learn about here is more of a funny response to fan feedback than an attempt to create a new tradition. See, many people want KFC to offer a turkey sandwich during the holidays. KFC was very aware of this and decided to respond in probably the best way possible: a new sandwich.
Those watching TV in November of 2023 may have been excited. KFC showed the tweets of people asking for a turkey sandwich as an employee walked around the kitchen. Clearly preparing some food. Eventually the sandwich’s silhouette was revealed as KFC responded with “We saw you…we heard you…and we ignored you. We’re sticking with chicken.”
Yes, they teased people with the idea of a turkey sandwich only to reveal a limited-time chicken one instead. While some were disappointed, the comedy of this ad is gold and definitely kept the brand in many people’s minds for quite a while. At least they made it clear that they do see customer feedback, even if they do decide not to listen to it.
Snickers
The term “hangry” exists for a reason: we all tend to get upset when we’re hungry. This usually comes out as irritation, crankiness or anger. While it’s something we all experience there is one brand that went above and beyond to highlight this fact to the point that it’s a cornerstone of their brand: Snickers.
Many commercials for the candy bar showcase someone who is clearly out of place like a grandma trying to play football or a man as a little gremlin. They then are told a negative trait they only exhibit when they’re hungry before taking a bite of a Snickers bar.
They then turn back into whatever they were supposed to be originally smiling and saying that they feel better.
Of course, Snickers sometimes takes this idea and pushes it even further. For example in 2017 they made a commercial where they had free Valentine’s Day cards attached to a board that spelled out “You’re forgetful when you’re hungry.” The commercial focuses on the people who approach and grab a card and jokes that they forgot about Valentine’s Day, always mentioning that Snickers was there to save the day.
The best part about all of these commercials is that they were and still are pretty funny. This comedy when combined with a universal love of chocolate bars and their slogan makes it one of the best-selling candy bars even today.
Lay’s
We’re all familiar with the movie Groundhog Day where the protagonist finds himself stuck in a time loop on February 2nd. It’s a classic that is referenced constantly but it will be even more familiar to those who saw advertisements on February 2nd 2024. Lay’s took the idea of a time loop where only one person is aware of the day repeating itself and had some fun with it.
They had the same actor who played the main reporter in Groundhog Day Stephen Tobolowsky, repeat that experience but instead of being trapped in a town he’s in line at the grocery store. There are ten different commercials showcasing his slow retaliation that the trip is repeating with the only change in each one being the flavor of chip he decides to buy.
If you’ve not seen them before you can easily find them on YouTube to understand the experience of those watching TV on February 2nd, 2024. The only thing you’ll be missing is the show in between that helped add to the comedy of these commercials.
Kay Jewelers
If you go up to anyone who watched TV in the 2000s and start a commercial slogan, they’ll probably be able to finish it. Ricola, McDonald’s and more all had a simple slogan that everyone saw and heard everywhere. One of the most memorable, though, comes from Kay Jewelers with their commercials. They always ended with their slogan, “Every Kiss Begins with Kay.”
The goal of these commercials was to get people to associate Kay Jewelers with engagement and wedding rings. Every commercial showed people trying on rings or admiring jewelry. And they always took the time to show off the diamonds the store uses. Close-ups of the shiny little gems were always accompanied by messages explaining how each was hand-picked to convince customers that they always got the most beautiful jewelry available.
Even when someone doesn’t remember the slogan off the top of their head. Just reminding them of Kay Jewelers will bring the slogan to the forefront. Proving just how successful the campaign truly was. In fact they still use that same slogan to this day.
