Top Social Media Campaigns of 2019

We’re wrapping up 2019 and you know what that means—we’re ranking our top social media campaigns of the year. 

We know just how important social media is to your brand’s overall marketing strategy, which is why it’s important to reflect on what really works across different networks. And because social media channels are the primary way consumers determine what to buy, now is more important than ever to learn from the very best.

The following top social media campaigns will provide you with plenty of inspiration to help level up your social media strategy in 2020.

1. Dove: Project #ShowUs

In 2018, Dove launched their #RealBeauty campaign, which was successful in helping bring self-esteem into their marketing content. Though Dove’s global campaign has taken many forms since launching 16 years ago, it has morphed into a corporate mission.

This year, Dove continued their success with a brand new campaign called Project #ShowUS. According to their website, 70% of women still don’t feel represented in media and advertising. Dove partnered with Girlgaze, Getty Images, and women everywhere to create the world’s largest photo library created by women and non-binary individuals to shatter beauty stereotypes.

Today, with over 1,000,000 uses of the hashtag and 5,000 images in the photo library, Dove’s social media campaign demonstrated that brands can use online communities and forums to create positive and lasting changes for people globally.

2. Purple: Every Supermom Needs a Sidekick

In 2018, Purple posted revenue of $285.8 million, an increase of $88.9 million over 2017 revenues. There are a lot of factors that go into a successful company, but there’s no doubt that Purple’s social media strategy plays a role in their growth.

In 2019, Purple created the “Every Supermom Needs a Sidekick” social media campaign, which piggybacked off of their already massive video hit on YouTube. Purple, as with many brands in 2019, relies heavily on advertising campaigns to help ignite and fuel the popularity of their videos over a long period of time.

That’s not all. Purple has been working with partners like Facebook Creative and Agency Within to use data to better connect with consumers.

For example, Purple created a video series inspired by data that phone usage spikes on Sunday nights. It’s pure comedic gold from well-known influencers Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, as the Purple Boys, brainstorming on how to conquer the “Sunday Scaries”.

Over 12 weeks, the campaign received 8.5 million views, 35,000 shares, and 32,000 comments. 

3. Oreo: #GameOfCookies

One of the biggest media highlights of 2019 was the “Game of Thrones” finale and so it’s no surprise that tons of brands tried to hitch their wagon (a.k.a. newsjacking) to the excitement. But even with fans’ disappointment in the GoT finale, one brand garnered significant enough attention during the mania to stand out: Oreo.

Oreo’s #GameOfCookies reimagined the opening sequence of the show done entirely with cookies, becoming one of the most talked-about videos or commercials that Oreo has ever produced:

The 50-second video—which was also cut into a 15-second TV ad —was created to promote limited-edition “Thrones” packaging and has more than one million views on YouTube at the time this post was written.

4. Starbucks: #ExtraShotOfPride

Starbucks has a reputation for doing things differently than other companies, especially online.

And Pride Month is a busy time for millions of people on social media. In 2019, not many campaigns matched the impact of Starbucks’ #ExtraShotOfPride campaign.

They capitalized on this moment to not only show support for the LGBTQ community, but to engage with their own community as well. This helped to endear Starbucks’ already loyal community even further, showing support for a cause that is near and dear to their hearts. 

Brands, take note.

Reading Tip: 5 of the Most-Shared Pro-LGBTQ+ Articles of 2023 So Far

5: MoonPie: Twitter

MoonPie lit the Twitter world on fire throughout 2019 with non-stop, hysterical content that garnered media attention from just about every outlet. While we’re not featuring MoonPie for a single successful campaign, we did want to highlight just how powerful developing a unique brand voice can be for your business.

A key element of creating a successful Twitter presence and brand voice is inserting some personality into your tweeting. With only 280 characters per post, you have to give each Tweet as much creativity as possible.

MoonPie has this art down to a science:

What’s in Store for Top Social Media Campaigns 2020

As you tell from the content above, social media campaigns can ignite and evoke the interest of consumers and potential customers. Not only that, they can fundamentally change the way we engage with brands in the social space.

Only time will tell, but 2020 is sure to involve highly-charged, incredibly-creative, and groundbreaking social media campaigns led by some of the world’s top brands.