How the best marketing campaigns of 2023 mastered pop culture nostalgia

Regardless of a better-than-expected financial local weather, a preponderance of challenges acted as inventive handcuffs for entrepreneurs in 2023. The few manufacturers that have been capable of break by relied on tried-and-true ways slightly than inventive disruption.

The tone of 2023 was set early by a Tremendous Bowl advert season described by some as protected, lazy and boring. Entrepreneurs by no means appeared capable of get out of the block because the 12 months went on. Most noteworthy efforts fell into the classes of rebrands, refreshes and repositionings as entrepreneurs sought to reconnect with evolving customers slightly than wowing them with splashy campaigns.

On the media entrance, surging spend on retail media and related TV have been met with issues about fraud, fragmentation and FTC intervention. And whereas generative synthetic intelligence dominated headlines — changing final 12 months’s shiny object, the metaverse —  manufacturers weren’t capable of incorporate the tech into their promoting in a significant means, with one notable exception.

As a substitute, profitable entrepreneurs leaned much more aggressively into campaigns round nostalgia and popular culture, sparking pleasure for in any other case beleaguered customers. With that in thoughts, Advertising Dive has assembled the standout inventive work from 2023: Campaigns that made a distinction, even when the playbook stays acquainted with advertising at a crossroads.

McDonald’s shakes unfastened for Grimace’s birthday

No stranger to turning childhood nostalgia into buzzy advertising, McDonald’s struck gold — or maybe, purple — with a summer time promotion round model mascot Grimace’s birthday. Paying homage to reminiscences of birthday events at PlayPlaces, the multichannel marketing campaign included advertisements, an 8-bit online game, merchandise, a Snapchat augmented actuality expertise and a telephone quantity to textual content with birthday needs. 

Essentially the most participating aspect of the marketing campaign was a limited-edition purple shake that drove greater than 3 billion views on TikTok and helped enhance gross sales development. In a shocking viral development, younger customers flocked to the platform to share clips of themselves consuming the berry-flavored deal with and imagining surreal, typically horrible negative effects.

“A part of displaying up authentically in tradition means sharing the pen with followers to allow them to make the model their very own,” mentioned JJ Healan, vp of U.S. advertising, model, content material and tradition at McDonald’s, in emailed feedback. “And typically, which means they take the dialog in an surprising course. However we’re right here for nonetheless they wish to have a good time with us. Due to our followers, Grimace’s Birthday was considered one of our most socially participating campaigns of all time.” 

The Grimace birthday marketing campaign was billed as a continuation of McDonald’s efforts to satisfy customers on the intersection of nostalgia and tradition, a theme to which the QSR continues to return. The marketer in November partnered with Crocs (one other model that has benefited from a cultural obsession with nostalgia) for a limited-edition line of footwear, socks and Jibbitz charms impressed by Birdie, the Hamburglar and — in fact — Grimace.

Mattel says, ‘Hello, Barbie!’

Mattel and Warner Bros. “Barbie” film was nothing in need of a worldwide sensation, producing $1.36 billion on the field workplace, with gross sales of the toy up by 25% after the movie’s launch. Numbers like these mark a turnaround for the model from a decade in the past when it was shedding social forex with the mother and father who make purchases regardless of retaining an affinity with youngsters. That every one modified this 12 months, defined Lisa McKnight, government vp and chief model officer at Mattel, throughout an Promoting Week panel. 

“The notion has solely improved. Dad and mom with daughters and younger youngsters alike actually see [Barbie] as a job mannequin, see this model as one thing that’s related to tradition, that’s inclusive, empowering, and celebratory and enjoyable, and that is necessary, too,” the manager mentioned. “You wish to be purpose-driven, however you additionally wish to carry pleasure, enjoyable and somewhat little bit of leisure — that’s what individuals are searching for.”

This 12 months, Barbie was seemingly in all places as manufacturers of all stripes seemed to get in on the motion. Relationship app Bumble gave customers the possibility to match with characters from the movie whereas a Barbie selfie generator went viral with 13 million customers. Barbie’s vital market penetration was a win for each the model and accomplice entrepreneurs.

“[There were] actually over 165 companions world wide on this film, and we mentioned ‘no’ to individuals,” McKnight mentioned. “The engagement stage — the quantity of those who needed to have a playdate with us — was unimaginable.”

Coca-Cola leads the way in which with generative AI

The hype round generative AI made it the 12 months’s greatest story throughout advertising, know-how and tradition at-large. However whilst tech giants and company holding corporations made large investments, most manufacturers haven’t totally embraced generative AI of their inventive efforts — with some noteworthy exceptions.

Coca-Cola jumped on the hype prepare early as the primary marketer to leverage a partnership between administration consultancy Bain & Firm and OpenAI, the developer of AI software program like ChatGPT and DALL.E, to launch its “Create Actual Magic” platform. Since then, Coke has used generative AI at music at festivals, at a takeover of the Las Vegas Sphere and to make digital vacation playing cards.

Coke used AI to assist create a brand new beverage — a launch that noticed robust preliminary outcomes, per a current earnings name — and the corporate continues to search for each consumer-facing and non-consumer-facing functions of the know-how, Selman Careaga, president of the worldwide Coca‑Cola class, advised Advertising Dive.

“So long as we really feel that we are able to create one thing that individuals can interact with and create a great expertise for our manufacturers, we will certainly proceed to make use of the software,” the manager mentioned. “And likewise, to create, internally, a few of our processes — if we are able to make one thing quicker and use higher insights, as effectively, I believe we’ll proceed to make use of that software.”

As generative AI strikes from buzz to make use of circumstances, count on entrepreneurs trying to create magic of their very own to comply with Coca-Cola’s lead into 2024 and past, as Careaga hinted at “different thrilling stuff developing that we’re engaged on.” 

State Farm’s pink period

The celebrities aligned for State Farm this 12 months for a marketing campaign which leveraged the hype surrounding the connection between Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Throughout an Eagles sport on Oct. 1, Jake, the State Farm mascot, cozied as much as Donna, mom of each Travis and Philadelphia Eagles heart Jason Kelce. Through the sport, Jake sat with Donna and recreated moments from her interactions with Swift the week prior. 

The stunt, which noticed the pair consuming hen nuggets, amongst different callbacks, was made attainable by a collaboration with Most Effort, which is owned partly by Ryan Reynolds, a private buddy of Swift. The entire thing got here collectively over a really quick time period. 

“The reality is, one thing like that solely occurs once you create the circumstances for it years, a long time prematurely,” mentioned Alyson Griffin, head of selling at State Farm in an interview with Advertising Dive. “It’s uncommon that you may catch lightning in a bottle by probability… manufacturers should type of work on their model and make the circumstances proper in order that one thing like that may occur.” 

Donna and Jake’s journey paid off for the model, equal to the impact of 1,700 cable advertisements, in keeping with Griffin. There was additionally a 15 occasions search improve for State Farm on-line, whereas State Farm ads that aired throughout the sport proved more practical than common. 

Swift has grow to be a advertising darling lately, particularly together with her Eras Tour set to generate $4.1 billion, making the solo tour the highest-grossing in historical past. Her star energy is so robust, Heinz got here up with a brand new condiment, “Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch,” in lower than 24 hours after a tweet about her selection of condiments at a Kansas Metropolis soccer sport went viral.

Dunkin’ builds model with Ben Affleck, Ice Spice

Amid a sea of forgettable superstar cameos and goofy humor on the Tremendous Bowl was one union that performed to the strengths of each the model and the ambassador: Ben Affleck’s look in a Dunkin’ advert that the Hollywood star directed.

The partnership acknowledged long-running memes concerning the Boston native’s love for the Massachusetts-based breakfast spot and managed to ship each authenticity and precise laughs. Dunkin’ didn’t cease there: In April, it returned with a spot that performed off Affleck’s relationship with Matt Damon, his accomplice in manufacturing home Artists Fairness, with which Dunkin’ not too long ago formalized a relationship. 

Then, in a push to interact with youthful customers, Dunkin’ enlisted upstart rapper Ice Spice to call and promote a limited-time drink that blended the chain’s Pumpkin Munchkins Donut Gap Treats into its Frozen Espresso, an effort Dunkin’s advertising crew was capable of pull off by transferring at “the velocity of popular culture,” CMO Jill McVicar Nelson mentioned in emailed remarks.

“Connecting the model to tradition isn’t nearly being fashionable for the sake of it or for superstar cache — we use these moments to maintain Dunkin’ high of thoughts as a every day ritual, and to create affinity with the following era of espresso drinkers,” the manager mentioned.

In the identical means the chain performed off Affleck’s popular culture affiliation with Dunkin’, the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink pulled inspiration each from Dunkin’s donut holes and Ice Spice’s fan base, often called “munchkins,” as a sweet-toothed providing for customers who by no means noticed Affleck and Damon in 1997’s “Good Will Searching.”

“Our Ben Affleck and Ice Spice marketing campaign was such a enjoyable option to take tried and true pumpkin spice season up a notch with a star-powered collaboration nobody noticed coming,” Nelson mentioned. “Their connection and shared real love for Dunkin’ made the spots resonate with audiences throughout all demographics and pursuits.”

Pepsi marks visible overhaul with one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary advertising blitz 

Model refreshes have been in vogue in 2023, however few have met the second like Pepsi, which unveiled a complete design overhaul — its first in 14 years — within the spring. The brand new look’s official introduction was timed to have a good time the model’s one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary within the fall as a part of a monthslong advertising blitz.

Years within the making, Pepsi’s rebrand swapped the soda’s muted coloration scheme for an electrical shade of blue paired with sharp black tones. The refresh, which emphasizes its zero-sugar providing, noticed the PepsiCo marketer pivot away from minimalist branding to as an alternative embrace a louder, extra vibrant look. It’s a theme that others have adopted not too long ago and one meant to embrace what Pepsi payments as a “disruptor” status.

Pepsi in August kicked off 125 days of promotions spanning conventional spots, social content material, SMS promotions and experiential ploys, together with a Pepsi 125 Diner idea. Nostalgia is a robust focus of the advertising, which has manifested in a number of methods, together with by the reimagination of decades-old collabs and the resurrection of previous commercials from stars like Madonna. Every aspect is supposed to have a good time “Pepsi’s previous within the service of constructing Pepsi’s future,” in keeping with Jenny Danzi, senior director for Pepsi Trademark. 

“We’re totally ourselves with this rebrand and we’ve seen a extremely good response — individuals need merch, individuals love the product,” mentioned Danzi. “Persons are very clear that that is the Pepsi they’ve recognized and cherished and we expect it’s making us interesting to audiences which may not have been serious about Pepsi high of thoughts.”

Taco Bell liberates Taco Tuesday

Taco Bell seemed to free Taco Tuesday from its trademark shackles in 2023. Finally, LeBron James bought in on the motion. Throughout a 30-second commercial, the basketball star might be seen being “bleeped” each time he makes an attempt to say the beforehand trademarked slogan.

The model in the end discovered success in July after Taco John’s deserted the trademark which it had held in each U.S. state excluding New Jersey since 1989. The rival chain introduced it will donate $100 per location to the Youngsters of Restaurant Staff (CORE), calling on Taco Bell to do the identical. 

To have a good time the liberated trademark, Taco Bell teamed up with DoorDash to present away $5 million in free taco orders on Sept. 12. The cash went to collaborating distributors and elevated the connection between the 2 corporations, which has existed since 2022, past the transactional.

“The surest, quickest option to have a good time it was by supply,” Taco Bell Chief Digital Officer Dane Mathews mentioned at Promoting Week. “If we needed to succeed in the taqueros, if we needed to amplify and have a good time their potential to make use of Taco Tuesday, essentially the most simplified, simple platform to do this with was DoorDash.” 

The Yum Model’s chain noticed exceptional success with its efforts, which prolonged far past liberating the trademark. #TacoTuesday generated $1.1 million earned media worth (EMV) from 103 creators throughout 14 posts. This spectacular efficiency makes #TacoTuesday the model’s sixteenth most profitable hashtag by EMV, in keeping with knowledge from CreatorIQ.

The success of the trouble speaks to Taco Bell’s robust place within the QSR panorama. As Mathews mentioned at Promoting Week, “We imagine it’s a means for the class and taco tradition to proceed to thrive in a burger world.”