Best Digital Marketing Campaigns During Pandemic
The Coronavirus pandemic brought out the worst in the world with massive layoffs and a landslide of a recession. However it did evoke a sense of unity in adversity globally among the human race. And this was also true about some of the major brands.
Coca-Cola, KFC, McDonald’s, Audi, Volkswagen and several other brands created visibility and awareness about the pandemic by tweaking their logos and/or taglines to spread the message of the necessity of social distancing. The leading FMCG companies Unilever and P&G pledged their support during the pandemic by facilitating the production and movement of essential hygiene goods across different markets globally. Even Google and Facebook jumped to the goodwill bandwagon and rendered their support to small businesses by providing free ad slots.
And during these dark times, some of the best marketing campaigns emerged that left a lasting impact on not just on our minds, but also our hearts. Here are some of the best digital marketing campaigns that sparks light during this dark pandemic:
You can’t stop us by Nike
Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4dDs0T7sM
Standing strong for sports community, Nike developed a mesmerising video from over 4,000 pieces of footage from across sports. The ad is narrated in the voice of American soccer player, Megan Rapinoe and produced by Wieden & Kennedy Portland. The campaign celebrates the sports community and inspires a spirit of hope and unity. Besides, it also acknowledges the ‘black lives matter’ movement and supports gender inclusivity and diversity.
To the human race by Coca Cola
Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyYROCpfcs4
Coca Cola highlighted and paid tribute to the local heroes and healthcare workers while spreading the message of kindness and optimism in its global campaign, ‘To the human race’. This digital campaign was conceptualised by Dentsu Group, Malaysia. In its India leg of the campaign, Coca Cola India rekindled their iconic song ‘Umeedon waali dhoop’ sung by children to re-iterate hope and positivity.
Stay Home of the Whopper by Burger King
Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsQ7Wto0FJg
Burger King came up with this campaign, ‘Staying Home of the Whopper’ to encourage everyone to stay home to curb the spread of the virus. Inspiring a sense of American patriotism, Burger King offered free home delivery for all orders above $10 made through the mobile app. Besides, Burger King joined with The American Nurses Foundation as part of this campaign, and pledged to give away 2,50,000 Whopper sandwiches to nurses for free.
The ad alludes to wartime clarion call and evokes the idea of saving lives by staying home. The campaign equates the pride of staying home with the honour and privilege of saving the country.
Courage is beautiful by Dove
Watch now: https://youtu.be/sQOq0-ODBbc
Developed by Ogilvy’s team from London & Toronto, Dove in its powerful ad paid tribute to the heroic acts of healthcare workers who are fighting the pandemic from the front-lines. The ad showcases the faces of real doctors, which the agency from Instagram and others digital sources after seeking necessary permissions from the individual doctors. The ad was rolled out globally and was quick to capture the love and affection of billions around the world.
The pandemic led to numerous creative marketing and advertising ideas and campaigns. Among other notable campaigns is YouTube’s #StayHome #WithMe movement which included celebrities and popular YouTubers to encourage staying and learning new things at home. On a similar note is Apple’s Creativity goes on campaign which expresses how creative people can use this time for producing art using iPads and MacBooks.
