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5 <strong>Out</strong>-<strong>of</strong>-<strong>the</strong>-<strong>Box</strong> <strong>Digital</strong> <strong>Marketing</strong> <strong>Examples</strong> <strong>from</strong> <strong>2018</strong><br />
We are barely halfway through <strong>2018</strong> and already <strong>the</strong>re have been several digital marketing examples<br />
that have raised <strong>the</strong> bar high. By tapping into trends and sharing engaging stories through multiple<br />
platforms, <strong>the</strong>se out-<strong>of</strong>-<strong>the</strong>-box marketing campaigns used a variety <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>mes and styles to help<br />
organizations generate a lot <strong>of</strong> buzz around <strong>the</strong>ir message, product, and brand.<br />
With 61 percent <strong>of</strong> marketers citing <strong>the</strong>ir top inbound marketing priority is to improve SEO (search<br />
engine optimization) and grow <strong>the</strong>ir organic presence according to HubSpot’s 2017 State <strong>of</strong> Inbound<br />
report, <strong>the</strong> digital marketing campaigns need to drive engagement by evoking emotions and capturing<br />
imagination <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> target audience. Why? Because impactful campaigns sway customers when <strong>the</strong>y are<br />
making purchase decisions.<br />
To help you out, here we have aligned five out-<strong>of</strong>-<strong>the</strong>-box digital marketing examples <strong>from</strong> <strong>2018</strong> (thus<br />
far), so you cans see what strategies <strong>the</strong>y have used to influence <strong>the</strong> users.<br />
1. ABTA Jumps on <strong>the</strong> ‘#footselfie’ Bandwagon to Lure Holidaymakers<br />
Image Credit: ContentWorks<br />
Last year, ABTA, a renowned association <strong>of</strong> travel agents and tour operations in <strong>the</strong> United Kingdom,<br />
launched a campaign on <strong>Box</strong>ing Day to highlight why vacationers should book with an ABTA member<br />
throughout January.
The campaign was named ‘Travel with Confidence’. The digital marketing agency handling <strong>the</strong> campaign<br />
tapped into <strong>the</strong> social media trend <strong>of</strong> taking ‘footselfies’ to show <strong>the</strong> wide array <strong>of</strong> destinations <strong>from</strong><br />
ABTA brands. Besides this, <strong>the</strong>y also promoted <strong>the</strong> hashtag #beABTAsmart and arranged a competition<br />
for social media users which gave <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> opportunity to win several prizes.<br />
2. Intuit Creates an Animated Movie to Get its Idea Across<br />
Image Credit: Intuit<br />
Intuit — that develops and sells tax preparation, accounting, and financial s<strong>of</strong>tware to individuals and<br />
small businesses — launched a new brand campaign this year. The first part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> campaign comprises<br />
a short animated story <strong>of</strong> two business owners that was showcased at <strong>the</strong> <strong>2018</strong> Super Bowl.<br />
The idea was to bring all <strong>of</strong> Intuit’s brands toge<strong>the</strong>r, including Quickbooks, Mint, and TurboTax. Since<br />
millions <strong>of</strong> people were using Intuit’s products, but only four out <strong>of</strong> every thousand users were<br />
leveraging two or more <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m. So <strong>the</strong> brand took <strong>the</strong> leap <strong>of</strong> faith and attempted to show <strong>the</strong><br />
audience that its products are best when used toge<strong>the</strong>r.
To represent <strong>the</strong> power <strong>of</strong> its products, <strong>the</strong> company’s digital marketing agency created a character <strong>of</strong> a<br />
giant robot in <strong>the</strong> animated movie. The agency believed animation was <strong>the</strong> best way to get Intuit’s idea<br />
across. The 15-second teaser was run during <strong>the</strong> Super Bowl LII, driving users back to <strong>the</strong> full film online.<br />
In addition, <strong>the</strong> social media campaign <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> brand featured a Snapchat filter showcasing <strong>the</strong> Intuit<br />
Giant. The robot was used as a symbol in <strong>the</strong> campaign showcasing how <strong>the</strong> brand’s services harness<br />
technology to make financial processes easy-peasy for its users. The animated movie revolves around<br />
Pete, a flower shop owner, who fails to find time to enjoy his outside passions owing to his frantic<br />
schedule and Pari, an engineer and entrepreneur, who is keen to help him by creating <strong>the</strong> Intuit Giant.<br />
Shedding light on <strong>the</strong> target audience for <strong>the</strong> marketing campaign, <strong>the</strong> chief marketing <strong>of</strong>ficer, Lucas<br />
Watson divulged <strong>the</strong>re are 750 million people around <strong>the</strong> globe that work for <strong>the</strong>mselves and manage<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir finances while chasing <strong>the</strong>ir passions. Unfortunately, <strong>the</strong> pressure <strong>of</strong> managing time and money<br />
sometimes makes <strong>the</strong>m feel as if <strong>the</strong> odds are stacked against <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
The campaign has worked wonders for <strong>the</strong> brand so it will continue to use it throughout <strong>the</strong> year. In<br />
fact, Intuit will work on additional channels and executions to promote its cohort <strong>of</strong> services.<br />
3. Dollar Shave Club Marks its Arrival in <strong>the</strong> UK with a Creative Campaign<br />
Image Credit: CityAm<br />
Founded in 2011, Dollar Shave Club was acquired by Unilever in 2016. Lately, <strong>the</strong> razor subscription<br />
brand decided to step into <strong>the</strong> UK market and to mark its arrival <strong>the</strong> company used a creative social and<br />
experiential campaign.
Not only <strong>the</strong> Dollar Shave Club launched a pop-up in Old Street station earlier in January to <strong>of</strong>fer<br />
passers-by free shaves, live comedy, and foosball tournaments but also partnered with several social<br />
influencers to create hype and relevant content around <strong>the</strong> launch. This partnership worked for <strong>the</strong> firm<br />
as it made <strong>the</strong> heads turn.<br />
Sure, we are yet to see if <strong>the</strong> Dollar Shave Club’s products make a strong impact in <strong>the</strong> UK market. But, if<br />
you compare <strong>the</strong> hotly anticipated marketing campaign <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> brand with <strong>the</strong> classic US version, you’ll<br />
come to know that Dollar Shave Club is surely <strong>of</strong>f to a good start.<br />
4. ESSC Launches a Thought-Provoking Campaign to Encourage Social Change<br />
Image Credit: ESSC<br />
Easterseals Sou<strong>the</strong>rn California (ESSC) is an organization that assists over 10,000 people with disabilities<br />
in different parts <strong>of</strong> California. The organization has recently launched a new thought-provoking ad<br />
campaign that stars its own program recipients. The title <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> campaign was “Changing <strong>the</strong> Way to See<br />
Disability,” and its aim was to encourage social change and create inclusion. And to make it work <strong>the</strong><br />
marketers came up with a really catchy slogan: ‘Celebrate. Don’t Separate.’
Image Credit: #CelebrateDontSeparate<br />
According to Mark Whitley, <strong>the</strong> President and CEO <strong>of</strong> ESSC, when people unite as one, <strong>the</strong>y can break<br />
down barriers and create social change. He said that each day people make sweeping statements about<br />
people with disabilities and a lot <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m don’t even realize what <strong>the</strong>y are doing. So to aid people look<br />
beyond what <strong>the</strong>y see at first glance ESSC has launched this movement so we can have a more inclusive<br />
world.<br />
The campaign was rolled out through many different channels, including internet, print, and outdoor<br />
ads along with “Make <strong>the</strong> Promise” social media campaign. The idea behind launching <strong>the</strong> social media<br />
campaign was to ask general people to promote <strong>the</strong> message <strong>of</strong> inclusion and use <strong>the</strong> hashtag<br />
#CelebrateDontSeparate.<br />
To create a pr<strong>of</strong>ound impact, six California residents were used in <strong>the</strong> first phase <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> campaign<br />
along with two ESSC recipients who met through <strong>the</strong> program and are now engaged. The new campaign<br />
has greatly helped ESSC in bringing <strong>the</strong> social change.<br />
5. LinkedIn Steps Up to Crush its ‘White Collar’ Typecast with New Campaign
Image Credit: YouTube<br />
The popular business social network LinkedIn is looking to squash it's ‘white collar’ typecast and to<br />
realize its dream <strong>the</strong> brand has released a TV spot titled “In it Toge<strong>the</strong>r” back in January during <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>2018</strong> Golden Globe Awards show.<br />
This was something LinkedIn has never done in <strong>the</strong> past. However, it certainly makes sense since <strong>the</strong><br />
brand is looking to disentangle itself <strong>from</strong> its current perception. The influential thing about <strong>the</strong> “In it<br />
Toge<strong>the</strong>r” campaign was <strong>the</strong> diverse range <strong>of</strong> businesses and people that featured in it.<br />
The new campaign was <strong>the</strong> first real integrated marketing effort by <strong>the</strong> social network. Apart <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
TV spot, <strong>the</strong> marketing campaign also included a digital display, online video, search engine marketing,<br />
paid social media & outdoor ads, partnerships, podcasts, and radio spots. All in all, <strong>the</strong> campaign lasted<br />
for 12 weeks and it targeted four core markets: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.<br />
The idea was to compare LinkedIn activity in <strong>the</strong>se cities with o<strong>the</strong>r parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world that haven’t been<br />
targeted to comprehend <strong>the</strong> results <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> campaign. The black-and-white, documentary-style video<br />
showcased <strong>the</strong> success stories <strong>of</strong> LinkedIn users in <strong>the</strong>ir own unique environments.<br />
While explaining <strong>the</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> campaign Stacy Peralta, <strong>the</strong> campaign director, revealed in an email<br />
to Adweek that she knew <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> beginning that this is one <strong>of</strong> those rare opportunities. Because<br />
LinkedIn wanted her to share real stories about real people and <strong>the</strong>y wanted <strong>the</strong> candor, energy, and<br />
enthusiasm <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> people involved.<br />
So her team found and documented unique people who are using <strong>the</strong> platform. They filmed new<br />
musicians, real-life cowboys, chefs, MMA fighters, animators, and physics teachers. All <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m were not<br />
only using LinkedIn but are keen to share its effect on <strong>the</strong>ir careers.<br />
Final Thoughts
Of course, <strong>the</strong> tried-and-tested elements <strong>of</strong> advertising remain <strong>the</strong> same, but <strong>the</strong> unique thing about all<br />
<strong>the</strong> aforementioned marketing campaigns is <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> elements that produced emotions, encouraged<br />
empathy and most <strong>of</strong> all humanizes <strong>the</strong> brand. This tells digital marketing service providers to explore<br />
various avenues in order to find <strong>the</strong> best fit for <strong>the</strong>ir clients so <strong>the</strong>y can achieve desired results.