Here at Smoking Gun, we pride ourselves on being experts in all things digital. But we also recognise that there are some amazing social media marketing campaigns out there that we didn’t do, although we definitely wish we did!
We know far too well that the pandemic has massively impacted our daily life, brands and agencies have had to adapt and get creative with how they execute campaigns in order to cut through the noise and make an impact. Some of our favourites from the last few months include stout, chicken, and of course – hand sanitiser.
Guinness get inspirational
In contrast to the usual overcrowded pubs that we’re used to seeing on St Patrick’s day, 17th March this year was relatively quiet as the country was inching towards a lockdown.
Perhaps one of the first brands to acknowledge the changing world, Guinness released an inspirational video with key messaging about how although we can’t be together just now, we will be soon. The ‘be good to one another’ vibe in the video almost set the tone for the following few months of the pandemic.
Striking an emotional chord with viewers, it instantly became a hit due to the ‘keep calm and carry on’ nature that we’ve been conditioned to associate with times of hardship. Securing international coverage and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, it was a brave social media marketing idea that certainly paid off.
BrewDog try its hand at sanitiser
Rather than let their distilleries lay empty whilst bars are closed, BrewDog reacted to the national shortage of hand sanitiser by ditching the beer and producing hand sanitiser instead, pledging to donate the gels to the NHS and charities.
Whilst likely to be a costly venture in the short-term, their activity was an excellent brand-building exercise and the blanket coverage and viral social media content more than makes up for any initial outlay. There have been good guys and bad guys of the pandemic and we’re sure that BrewDog will be remembered for their good deeds for years to come.
KFC switch it up
We’re all too familiar with how the country reacts when KFC runs out of chicken. However when KFC closed their restaurants at the beginning of the pandemic, instead of sitting and waiting for the police to show up, KFC got creative with their social media marketing to stay relevant whilst the fryers were off.
Whilst one half of the population were seemingly baking banana bread, the other half tried their hand at recreating the colonel’s finest.
Fully aware of the entertainment value of ‘Rate My Plate’ groups and pages, KFC unleashed their savage side and began roasting users who tried (and failed) at cooking up their favourite fast food at home. Fully committed to the activity, they even temporarily changed their username to ‘Rate My KFC’.
It was a global hit, reaching huge international titles such as Fox News as well as titles a little closer to home. The hashtag #RateMyKFC has been used thousands of times and was one more trend to keep ourselves entertained during the long lockdown months.
England Squash get hearts racing
Our final social media marketing campaign is of course one of our own! We were tasked by our client England Squash earlier this year to drive people into the squash courts up and in the country.
We created a series of videos in order to show how much fun can be had when playing squash, when compared to more traditional types of exercise. Messaging was all about the fact that whether it’s something you’ve never done before or if you’re a seasoned pro, it’s never been a better time to pick up a racquet and get onto the court.
In fact, it worked wonders for our client and we’re already working on a follow-up series to help squash clubs convey key Covid-safe messaging.
Have you seen a social media marketing campaign that deserves to be on our list? Tweet us and let us know!