COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many marketing campaigns to go digital. Here are our favorite mobile marketing campaigns that worked their magic in 2020.
2020 has been a whirlwind year for everyone. COVID-19 pandemic has upended most of our marketing plans. And marketers have reconceptualized their brand messages to reach out the audiences in their safe zones, their mobiles. Here are our top picks of the best mobile marketing campaigns, so far, in 2020.
Mobile is where you can reach your customers in their comfortable, safe zone. So, a message that resonates best in micro-moments will help you form an emotional connect with your customers and form lasting relationships. Thus, mobile marketing campaigns must strike the right chord, at the right moment, right time, without being too intrusive.
COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many marketing campaigns to go digital. And, we have seen some innovative and engaging marketing campaigns on mobile, to adapt to the novel and complex circumstances.
Tough times inspired marketers to think out of the box and bring together the socially distanced audiences.
Here are a few of our favorite mobile marketing campaigns that won us over, in the first half of 2020:
In pre-Corona times during the Super Bowl, Pepsico brands Doritos and Mountain Dew featured a dance-off between rapper Lil Nas X and the screen cowboy Sam Elliot who spoofed with TV stars Bryan Cranston and Tracee Ellis Ross.
They took this beyond Super Bowl, when Doritos partnered with Sway Magic Dance App. Consumers could transpose their image over the video of a professional dancer using artificial intelligence (AI). While Mountain Dew used Snapchat’s augmented reality (AR) filters that let people superimpose themselves onto the “Shining” scene, just like the Super Bowl’s spoofed ad featuring Cranston and Ellis Ross.
Lessons learnt
Pepsico tells us how to keep the conversations going. By recreating their popular Super Bowl ads on mobile, they drove conversations and in turn improved brand recall.
By tapping into the latest trends like TikTok’s dance battles or Snapchat’s AR filters, they could capture the pulse of their young audiences.
The use of cutting-edge AR and AI technology piqued consumers’ interest and kept them engaged, long after Super Bowl was over.
Pro tip: Tap into the hot trends to keep your target audiences interested and engaged. Use emerging technology to create immersive, interactive experiences for consumers to stay in conversations.
Learn More: How to Increase Sales with In-Store Mobile Marketing
Many fast food chains suffered a setback this year because food brings togetherness, but, while practicing social distancing, a meal together is a distant option. But, Chipotle, figured out a virtual lunch time together in the times of the pandemic.
Chipotle began hosting daily virtual lunchtime hangouts in March, this year. Celebrity guests and up to 3000 fans could gather for a virtual lunch, a link to which was shared every day on their Twitter handle. Each session included Chipotle inspired presentations, Q&As, and a chance to win free online delivery voucher codes. Apart from this, they also offered free deliveries on orders above $10 via their app and website.
Source: Chipotle
Lessons learnt
Chipotle was swift in responding to the call for social distancing and adapted quickly to stay relevant, while many others were on the brink of going out of business.
While they had to drastically change their operations, they found ways to engage their customers and stay connected with them by bringing in celebrities and breaking the monotone of a lonely lunch.
They reached where their target customers were – in their homes, on a call.
In-app free delivery offers, and vouchers motivated the customers to buy from them.
Pro tip: Risk and uncertain situations can be tackled with agility. Being proactive in responding to the needs of the customers and engaging them in their comfort and safe zones will help you stay relevant.
Learn More: The Benefits of Personalized Mobile Marketing
As the panic-stricken Americans hoarded all that was required to survive the pandemic quarantine, stocks of sanitizers, toilet paper, grocery items, started disappearing from the shelves. Cottonelle, a toilet paper brand worked extra hard to maintain the stocks and assured there will be enough to go around.
But Cottonelle in a simple yet powerful message, urged everyone not to stockpile on paper, show generosity to those who need it the most, and stay united in their #ShareASquare campaign.
Cottonelle also donated $1 (up to $100,000) to United Way for every social post featuring #ShareASquare through June 1, 2020. They also donated $1 million to United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund. Cottonelle and United Ways also collaborated to donate 1 million rolls of toilet paper to those in need.
Lessons learnt
There are a lot of takeaways from this counterintuitive campaign.
When the demand was at its peak, Cottonelle did not take advantage of the customers’ anxiety, rather dissuaded them from panic buying. This helped them project themselves as a brand that cared and in turn pave way for lasting relationships with the customers.
They could deliver a message that resonated with everyone and tapped into the most relevant conversations at that moment.
The brand stepped up and assured the customers that there will be enough for everyone. Acknowledging customers’ anxiety and empathizing with them, helped them win customer trust.
A contribution of $1 for every share motivated audiences to engage with #ShareASquare campaign and led to brand recall. Audiences too felt associated with the cause just by hitting the share button.
Learn More: 10 Tips for Moving Social Media and Mobile Marketing out of Silos
Pro tip: Cottenelle did not need high-end technology or rich content to make this campaign a success. A message that resonates with the audience at the right place and the right time can do wonders for your campaign.
These were the three campaigns we loved for the right blend of technology, agility, and empathy to connect with the target audiences. Other noteworthy mentions are Sephora’s app for a make-up try on, Miller Lite’s Bartender Emergency Program (#VirtualTipJar), Sumo’s #NoonWithNoah, and many more that innovated, adapted, and resonated.
What are your favorite mobile marketing campaigns in 2020, so far? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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