These 11 most successful marketing campaigns of all time have been responsible for putting their companies to the top. The success of these marketing campaigns essentially revolutionized the way marketing is done, with most companies trying to top the next one when it comes to unique and long-lasting campaigns. Some of the ones listed here range from simple yet effective phrases to iconic imagery rarely reproduced today.
A lot of large scale companies can agree that marketing can be one of the most important factors in a business’ success. With campaigns having the capability to launch companies to multi-million status, it can easily turn things around which is why high amounts of money are spent on proper marketing. A lot of these campaigns also had very long runs and are even used today. It marks a great achievement considering that most of them existed way before the popularity of the digital world. On the other hand, the opposite end of the spectrum contains the top 10 worst marketing campaigns ever produced.
So how do we rank them in terms of success? While we can look at the financial aspect of each company from when the campaign started up to today, it’s quite difficult to get the specific numbers for these companies as they are not readily available. As such, we can measure their success in terms of their popularity and how many consider them the most successful.
While there are recent marketing campaigns that have found lots of popularity through the internet, a lot of them have not yet proven the same amount of success the ones on this list have done. The fact that a lot of people still recognize these campaigns is a testament to their success. A lot of them have also found success internationally which proves their marketing campaign’s global appeal. Let’s find out more about the 11 most successful marketing campaigns of all time.
11. Marlboro Man
The Marlboro man is considered as the most successful marketing campaign in the tobacco industry. The campaign started in the 1950s, after a redesigning of Marlboro’s packaging and a desire to battle against new marketing campaigns from their rival Philip Morris. The Marlboro Man was an effort to focus on more masculine characters and avoided the health issue altogether. It proved successful and launched Marlboro to the top of the tobacco industry.
10. De Beers – A Diamond is Forever
Prior to the De Beers marketing campaign, a diamond ring was unheard of in terms of engagements and weddings. The diamond didn’t even have any real value until it was promoted by the De Beers marketing campaign. The iconic slogan “A Diamond is Forever”, put De Beers over the top and now diamond rings have become a cultural necessity all around the world. That along with the monopoly of the company in the diamond market launched them to success.
9. Clairol – Does She or Doesn’t She?
Prior to the Clairol hair dye campaign, hair dyeing was considered a bit of a taboo and most of the population had already accepted how hair would eventually turn out at old age. They then released the hair dye campaign with the simple yet effective tagline “Does She or Doesn’t She?” Now the hair dye market has become so common that it has been one of the most successful beauty products for three generations now. It also increased Clairol’s sales into the hundreds of millions after the initial launch of the campaign.
8. Miller Lite – Great Taste, Less Filling
We are continuing our list of most successful marketing campaigns of all time with Miller Lite’s marketing campaign, that is one of the longest-running campaigns of all time. The success of the campaign helped launch Miller Lite to huge amounts of success, and their television commercials became one of the most popular during their prime. Eventually, the popularity led the company to get popular athletes and celebrities. Thanks to their marketing campaign, light beer became a norm and was considered “manly”.
7. Absolut Vodka
Prior to Absolut Vodka’s long-running vodka bottle campaign, vodka was almost unheard of, and sales were quite dismal as compared to the multi-million dollar company it is today. Absolut did a great job of blending design, art, with alcohol, driving the public’s eye thanks to its appealing look. It also sported simple two-word headlines such as “Absolut Perfection” which caught the public’s attention and helped the company become the most successful vodka brand.
6. Volkswagen – Think Small
The Volkswagen Think Small campaign ranks 6th on our list of most successful marketing campaigns of all time. It is considered the greatest print campaign of all time and one of the most successful campaigns before the popularity of television. Prior to their campaign, cars were thought of as big statements in terms of power and fashion. Volkswagen went the total opposite direction which turned out to be a great move as it reeled people outside of the car norm. They use the “think small” slogan to attract readers and then once they were hooked, they reeled them in with the benefits of the Volkswagen. The effectiveness of this campaign helped it become one of the 11 most successful campaigns of all time.
5. Got Milk?
Up next in our list of most successful marketing campaigns of all time is Got Milk. It is one of the world’s best-known advertising campaigns, and it helped make milk become one of the most common drinks in the modern era. The campaign started out of a desire to promote cow’s milk for consumption. The slogan was so simple and effective that it instantly became a hit once the commercials started rolling. Just a few years after the release of the campaign, milk was selling by the billions of pounds all around the world.
4. Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
Old Spice ranks 4th in our list of most successful marketing campaigns of all time. They came up with their commercial during the time that sales were starting to slow down. The research found out that women were one of the main reasons why the customer base was still alive. As such, they designed a campaign that talks directly to women. It was simple, funny, and unique helping the brand get a lot of popularity. They even followed it up by responding to the people who responded to their ad giving a level of intimacy not seen in advertising campaigns before. Old Spice is now considered one of the most successful men’s care brands in the market.
3. Dove – Real Beauty
Prior to Dove’s most successful marketing campaign, they were being overshadowed by numerous brands on a saturated market. They found out that only a few percentage of women interviewed considered themselves beautiful which marked the start of their campaign. The campaign helped widen the narrow definition of beauty and helped people get involved with making women feel empowered about their looks. The campaign was so successful that it prompted other brands to try and go the same direction.
2. Nike – Just Do It
The Just Do It campaign was a very simple yet effective campaign that helped Nike become one of the top sportswear brands in the world. The branding was liked by a lot and had a lot of meaning despite its simplicity. It represented an honest and direct brand which helped the company expand not only to sports athletes, but everyday people as well. It turned Nike into a multi-billion dollar company.
1. Get a Mac
While Apple has had a lot of successful campaigns, the Get a Mac campaign is responsible for more than 40% market share growth in just the first year after the campaign. The premise of the campaign was to debate on the Mac vs. PC which ended up in a clever campaign that gave all the benefits of the Mac without being overt about it. The campaign helped the Mac’s sales and helped Apple fight against one of their biggest competitors in Microsoft. The success and popularity of this campaign helped it reach the top of the 11 most successful marketing campaigns of all time.
