7 Successful Mobile Marketing Campaigns in 2020 – As the year 2020 rolled in, we looked forward to a year where mobile marketing campaigns would focus more on budding video-sharing platforms like TikTok along with the evolution of influencers, as well as the continued development of social commerce, shoppable ads, and more.
In truth, the majority of those predictions are still viable today. However, not many could have foreseen the disruption of COVID-19 on digital and mobile marketing.
Arguably, all of the best mobile campaigns in 2020 came in the wake of the pandemic.
In a rush to meet consumers via digital channels that have now become more necessary than ever, marketers turned to mobile applications as a move to reaching and engaging customers.
It didn’t matter if this meant utilizing platforms like Zoom or leveraging games like Fortnite. Read on to see the seven mobile marketing campaings that made millions of dollars in 2020.
1. Cottonelle
The major goal of any marketing campaign is to get as many people as possible to buy your product or service. Thus, it’s often weird to find a brand bold enough to discourage people from buying its products.
Especially at a time when most consumers are rushing to stock up on that product. Surprisingly, this form of counterintuitive marketing is exactly what Cottonelle did.
During the early days of the pandemic, many went into a crazed rush loading and stocking up on large amounts of toilet paper from retail stores.
The social media-focused campaign #ShareASquare was geared at urging consumers to drop avoid bulk buying the product. The ultimate goal was to show acts of empathy for other consumers in need.
The video assured its audience that there will be enough toilet paper for all and rather than stockpile the product, they should “stock up on generosity.”
This unpopular yet noble campaign drew lots of attention from the press. It was a brilliant way of tapping into the ongoing conversation of toilet paper shortages across the US at the beginning of the nationwide lockdown.
2. ELF Cosmetics
Although TikTok was already an increasingly growing social media platform before the outbreak of COVID-19, its success boomed worldwide in the middle of the pandemic as consumers feasted on it to consume, create, and share entertaining content at home.
Brands, taking note of its growing popularity, also jumped in on it. However, one brand that stood out in its use of TikTok to create content is ELF Cosmetics.
ELF implemented a distinct strategy that focused on strong engagement mixing original music with clever videos and popular influencers.
The mega beauty brand first sampled the short-form social video sharing platform back in 2019. They created a video with an original song produced by a record label (Republic Records). At the time, it was the first branded hashtag challenge on TikTok.
The video generated over 5.9 billion views using the #eyeslipsface hashtag. In 2020, ELF beefed up its TikTok presence with a new video that remixes its first song.
This video featured fresh lyrics carefully picked out to raise awareness about the coronavirus safety measures.
Later that year, the beauty company issued an original song on TikTok for their Poreless Putty Primer. It urged users to c=make videos showing how the product can make anything vanish.
ELF used the influencer, Romina Gafur with 8.6 million TikTok followers to promote the dance challenge.
The winning strategy of ELF on TikTok lies in the importance of creating original music rather than licensing songs from publishers.
The younger audience may not be as responsive to traditional marketing and that’s why you should try out new stuff such as creating an original song.
It can produce a memorable brand identity for your company and help it connect with younger consumers.
3. Warner Bros.
Because of the lockdown during the pandemic, all movie theaters remained closed. This halted expectations for a peak summer box office season.
However, tough times breed innovation, thus, Warner Bros. decided to debut the trailer for Christoper Nolan’s new film, Tenet, in Epic Games popular video game ‘Fortnite.’
Although other entertainment companies have previously leverage Fortnite as a marketing bridge, including Disney, whose “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” footage was teased in the game in 2019, Tenet’s trailer arrived at a time the media landscape was upended by COVID-19.
However, Fortnite rose to the moment to reach homebound consumers. Tenet’s trailer ran in the game’s Party Royale mode – this is a combat-free space where players can gather and watch in-game events.
This feature is an intelligent move on the part of Epic Games as it embodies the kind of virtual hangouts that were rapidly in demand as people sought to avoid in-person gatherings.
Party Royale was the perfect channel Warner Bros. needed to engage the type of young audience who view traditional media less often and might need that extra push to make a trip to the cinema over streaming movies from home.
4. KFC
Mother’s Day was one of the first major holidays that was affected by COVID-19 in 2020. However, fast-food giant, KFC was set and ready socially distanced occasion.
The event included a virtual experience for Facebook Messenger that had video chats, personalized invitations, event reminders, and digital stickers.
Traditionally, Mother’s Day is KFC’s biggest sales day of the year. The fast-food chain has previously recorded a 50% spike in sales on the holiday.
The Facebook Messenger experience allowed KFC to hit the right tone and pinpoint what consumers would actually be missing out on because of the pandemic.
5. Chipotle
Mexican Grill, Chipotle, was one of the brands that first began to adapt to the reality of the new style of living during the pandemic.
The campaign, Chipotle Together, saw these guys launch a series of daily sessions on Zoom. Chipotle was able to bring over 3,000 fans and celebrity guests into the campaign.
According to Chipotle VP of digital and off-premise, Tressie Lieberman, they began by inviting people together over lunch at a time they’d usually be hanging out at a Chipotle restaurant under normal circumstances.
Two weeks after the first Zoom session, the campaign generated 500 million impressions and earned 100 media stories.
This meant that consumers were hungry to connect during the early days of the lockdown and Chipotle delivered just that.
In addition, this campaign was only a part of Chipotle’s diversion of its entire marketing plan because of COVID-19.
6. ‘Pokemon Go’
Launched in 2016, ‘Pokémon Go’ became an instant hit for many lovers of mobile games. What made Pokemon Go special was its playful merging of smartphones and augmented reality for interacting with the real world.
This basically cemented their role as the top dog when it comes to location-based gaming. However, that initial buzz died down at the start of the year 2020.
As the coronavirus pandemic filtered its way into our lives, it appeared that ‘Pokémon Go’ would finally be doomed to irrelevance as millions of people were forced to stay indoors to avoid exposure to COVID-19.
Its developer, Niantic, had other ideas though. It rolled out new updates that enabled players to capture digital creatures without needing to leave home. In addition, users could compete against other players virtually rather than in person.
Unsurprisingly, these updates spurred the revival of the classic game. Bored users embraced the game once again driving the in-app spending to over 67% as soon as they were introduced.
Niantic isn’t stopping there though as it is building on this renewed momentum by phasing from in-person to virtual events for fans.
Aside from reviving interest in ‘Pokémon Go,’ the pivot to indoor play is notable for being one of the first examples of the type of digital experiences that have mushroomed during the pandemic through a focus on community.
With lots of people stuck at home, the potential for developing shareable content stretches to other platforms and use cases.
7. PepsiCo
Previously, Doritos and Mountain Dew ran ads in the Super Bowl that reflected pop culture. Doritos featured a dance battle between Lil Nax X (Old Town Road) and screen cowboy Sam Elliott at the ‘Cool Ranch’ while Mountain Dew parodied ‘The Shining’ with TV stars, Bryan Cranston and Tracee Ellis Ross.
However, to expand the campaigns beyond the big game, the PepsiCo brands utilized mobile technology to augment their efforts by bringing consumers into the action – literally.
Thus, Doritos teamed with the Sway: Magic Dance app which places a user’s image over a video of a professional dancer using AI technology.
Mountain Dew also used augmented reality filters (AR) on Snapchat allowing people to superimpose themselves into the iconic ‘Shining’ scene featuring the creepy twin girls that are spoofed in the brand’s ad.
This use of AI and AR to draw consumers into its Super Bowl ads allowed PepsiCo to stretch the conversation before, during, and after the game, with Doritos tapping into the viral dance challenges of TikTok and Mountain Dew using Snapchat’s widely accepted AR filters.
Conclusion
As the world slowly unwinds to life post-pandemic, it may take a bit longer for things to completely go back to normal.
However, one thing is certain, people are going to engage with brands that invite them in. So, take a cue from the 7 Successful Mobile Marketing Campaigns in 2020 this article has revealed, and plan your strategy to be people-inclusive.
Fortunately, you don’t have to do this on your own. You can always employ the best online digital agency to help you out with excellent strategies to promote your brand or business.
Feel free to get in touch with us today at Vexceed Technologies.
