4 Major Marketing Campaigns You Can Mimic for Your Small Business
Yes, we already know you don’t have the budget of the world’s heaviest hitters, but their marketing campaigns are successful for a reason. Learning from the best, and finding key takeaways that you can make work on a shoestring budget is always beneficial. Here are four wildly successful marketing initiatives that you can dissect and garner ideas for your own small business.
1. Air B&B/ Pineapple Magazine
With so much noise surrounding consumers these days, it’s more important than ever to create quality content—even if it takes a little extra time or effort. Airbnb did just this, with the creation of Pineapple Magazine in 2014. The magazine unites impeccable storytelling (always interesting) with travel and community. By tapping into their own user base—which they call their “extended family”—Airbnb was able to utilize a plentiful resource that promotes their brand in a positive light.
Key takeaway: Quality content may seem like a luxury, but it’s an absolute must in every small business’s’ marketing plan. Stop creating blog posts that are just regurgitated mush and become inspired by true journalism.
2.Oreo/ Wonderfilled Campaign
Can people really ever truly change? It’s an age-old question that’s plagued humans—couples, inparticular—for generations. With an Oreo they can! At least that’s what the brand’s Wonderfilled campaign led us to believe in 2013. A play on words, the campaign reinforced the brand’s playful nature by taking childhood villains, like the big bad wolf, and changing their perspective with the gift of a cookie. The campaign also had room to grow, which was just an added plus.
Key takeaway: Whatever campaign you’re conceptualizing, keep in mind the importance of staying true to your brand’s vibe. Every campaign should be different, yet similar enough to flow—like a fashion designer’s seasonal collection. Find a balance that works for your business, and market the heck out of it on social media.
3. American Express/Small Business Saturday
It started with a need to help smaller merchants boost sales at their small businesses, and it ended up as a nationally celebrated holiday. So how did American Express create a movement like Small Business Saturday? It piggybacked on an already growing “support local” mentality and turned itself into a helpful resource. Amex created an entire content destination with articles created specifically to help small businesses, and also sent out logos, posters, doormats and other swag to businesses that joined as neighborhood champions for the brand.
Key takeaway: If you have an idea, don’t stop until you make it happen! Think of your customer’s needs and make it your mission to help them in a positive way. There are always others out there who will stand alongside your ideas and join your movement—you just have to be brave enough to put yourself and your brand out there.
4. Procter & Gamble/Thank You, Mom Campaign
This campaign was P&G’s largest in its entire 175 years as a brand, so even though it is back from 2012, it still reigns supreme as one of the big dogs. Kicked off during the months before the 2012 London Olympic Games, the Thank You, Mom campaign melded an event (Olympics), an emotion (Unconditional love and support and the warmth that feeling brings) and their overarching messaging (P&G is for moms everywhere) to massive praise. By telling stories of how Olympic athletes got to the games, and the roles their mothers played along the way, P&G induced a worldwide “awwwww” that associated their brand with universal appeal.
Key takeaway: Creatively thinking about something almost everyone in the world has and loves—like a mother—and strategically interweaving your brand with a universal emotion will always bring widespread success when done right. Think about your largest audience and the emotions that move them. Link it to your brand’s message and the positive connotations will begin to form.
