“Did you see Wendy’s roast McDonald’s on Twitter?” Yes, of course I did. I saw Wendy’s throw sarcastic comebacks at people every week, all year. It’s not that they weren’t hilarious, because they were. Hats off to Wendy’s for dominating the Twitter game this year. When a company is constantly in the headlines for their latest strategic marketing move, however, it can sometimes overshadow other ideas that are just as genius, if not more (Yes, Wendy’s, I’m challenging you in the hopes that you’ll slam me on Twitter, too.) Let’s take a look at some creative ideas that should’ve gotten more love this year.
Delta Dating Wall
In a partnership with Tinder, Delta created a wall in Brooklyn plastered with images of international destinations. With the headline “Until You Take The Trip, We’ll Help You Fake The Trip,” users could snap photos of themselves “looking like attractive jet-setters.” It’s apparent the users are standing in front of a mural, but the idea poked fun at how people can position themselves on social media while promoting the activity of traveling to new destinations. Sure, the group they’re targeting doesn’t have the money to take trips right now, but when the time comes to book the flights, Delta will be on their minds.
“Pass the Heinz”
For their recent campaign, Heinz went back 50 (fictional) years to Don Draper’s pitch in the AMC series “Mad Men.” Draper’s campaign displayed foods that go great with Heinz ketchup, but didn’t actually show the product. This strategy intended to create a “craving for a product through its absence.” While Draper didn’t land the account then, Heinz approves of the campaign now and even gives the fictional firm, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, creative credit. This idea brings an alternate universe to life while capturing brilliance with such simplicity.
The Fearless Girl
In the heart of Manhattan’s Financial District stands the dominant “Charging Bull” statue, symbolizing the power of the companies on Wall Street. This was disrupted when a confident young girl came onto the scene earlier this year. State Street Global Advisors wanted a tangible representation of how valuable women are today and will continue to become in the world of business. Installed on the eve of International Women’s Day, The Fearless Girl encourages people to reevaluate what leadership can and should be. The statue has generated such a buzz that people are calling for the statue to be a permanent fixture on Wall Street.
KFC’s 11 Herbs And Spices
To pay homage to their “secret recipe,” KFC followed a very specific group of people: the five former Spice Girls and six guys named Herb—11 herbs and spices. What did KFC do next? Absolutely nothing. They waited about a month until a user noticed the subtle move and then tweeted about what he discovered. This cost the company no money at all, but the discovery generated over 300,000 retweets and over 700,000 likes and caused absolute mayhem in the Twittersphere.
This year brought a lot of empowering, witty, and downright creative ideas and these were just a few. Creative Spot looks forward to what’s in store for advertising, including our own clients, in 2018!
Creative Spot is a full-service marketing and advertising agency in Columbus, Ohio. If you would like to learn more about how we can help your organization with strategic marketing, please contact us.