As we’ve wrapped up another year, we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best digital campaigns of 2022.
From the reigning supreme Spotify Wrapped to the overnight fame of the Duolingo owl, we’ve picked out our top contenders for the past year!
Spotify Wrapped
Every year, millions of people across the globe eagerly await their Spotify Wrapped. And without fail, it takes no prisoners. Everyone’s expectation to have a somewhat ‘cool’ Wrapped gets thrown out of the window, and anyone who’s anyone gets listening shame - it’s human nature.
You think your binging of the Encanto soundtrack went unscathed, huh? Think again. We see you. But the plus side to the embarrassment is that the worse your Wrapped, it makes for funnier memes.
This year, Spotify released its gift-wrapped data package with an out-of-this-world space theme. Top genres were released as planets in the solar system, and everyone was given one of 16 listening personality types that reflected their listening habits. Move over Myers Briggs. And we were also gifted video messages from our top streaming artists and had our daily routines decoded into mornings, afternoons and evenings.
Wanna know more about how Spotify continues to break the internet time and time again? Luckily for you, we’ve already written a blog on it.
Volkswagen - #NotWomensFootball
We may have lost out in the World Cup this time, but football well and truly came home this year thanks to the Lionesses and their triumphant win in the Women’s Euros! To commemorate the tournament, Volkswagen teamed up with UEFA to release a campaign titled ‘NotWomensFootball’ to both celebrate and encourage women in sports.
The campaign aimed to draw attention to the gender divide that currently exists in most sports, but more particularly in football. In the words of Volkswagen, "women play football, but it shouldn’t be referred to as women’s football" An athlete is an athlete, hard work is hard work, and football is still football, regardless of gender. The advert presented young women training and was a positive reinforcement that football is for everyone!
Duolingo - Calling all Emilys
Duolingo has once again stolen the show this year with its digital campaigns. We all know the running joke in digital marketing is that there is a social media intern behind the scenes pulling the strings for every successful campaign. In the case of Duolingo, it’s Zaria Parvez - their 24-year-old social media coordinator, who runs their increasingly successful TikTok account.
Of course, there were so many campaigns to choose from. But for us, the one that stole the show was their Emily campaign. The show we all love to hate, ‘Emily in Paris’ landed on Netflix, featuring an American woman in her 20s struggling with French culture and learning the language. As it became a huge talking point, Duolingo stepped in to help other Emilys across the globe avoid the same fate as the show’s protagonist. The campaign allowed all Emilys (including variations of the name such as Amelie, Emilie etc.) to receive one month free of Duolingo premium to learn French.
Lounge Underwear - #FeelYourBreast
To commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness, Lounge Underwear released its best campaign to date. Taking social media by storm, their #FeelYourBreast went viral across Twitter and Instagram! Their aim was to teach women how to check their breasts for crucial signs of cancer and to take preventative action.
The campaign was praised across the board and helped to break down the stigma of female health. Additionally, the campaign featured a ‘Remind Me’ feature via a pop-up on their website. Anyone who signs up for their mailing list will receive regular emails or text messages to encourage them to check their breasts regularly!
Virgin Atlantic - Gender Neutral Uniforms
Virgin Atlantic made a huge step towards individuality this year with its campaign centered around gender identity. The airline company announced the launch of their new uniform policy, which consists of wearing whatever uniform makes you feel most comfortable. In their own words, staff and pilots are encouraged to choose from the Vivienne Westwood-designed outfits,‘“no matter their gender, gender identity or gender expression”.
The airline pledged for any staff members to wear any of their uniform items, regardless of the original ‘male’/’female’ design, including options for badges with relevant pronouns!
With celebrity endorsement from non-other than Michelle Visage, the campaign was praised across social media and was a positive move for gender identity!
Love Island x eBay
Love Island has long been the face of fast fashion. Creating influencers overnight, the highly-viewed reality show has become synonymous with the fashion industry. Featuring sponsors by companies such as ‘I Saw It First’ to their former contestant Molly Mae landing a seven-figure brand deal with Pretty Little Thing, later becoming named as their Creative Director, fast-fashion has been at the core of the show.
However, 2022 saw Love Island take a completely different route. Partnering with eBay, the aim of this year’s show was to promote pre-loved fashion and upcycling clothing. Every outfit worn by the contestants was available to buy on eBay with their ‘Shop the Show’ section.
It’s estimated that 20% of Brits now buy more secondhand clothing compared to two years ago and that 18-34-year-olds have the highest average of pre-loved items in their wardrobe. So with conscious fashion on the rise, it was a forward-thinking move for the reality show to take.
Greggs x Primark
Greggs has no doubt nailed its digital marketing. Over the past year, we’ve seen everyone’s favourite bakery branch out into yet more vegan options, run a very in-demand collab with Primark and smash their Christmas campaigns out of the park.
Their notable fashion collab, however, was the real show-stealer this year. Partnering with the high-street retailer Primark, they released an 11-piece collection which consisted of accessories and clothing, all branded with the iconic Greggs logo, of course. The collaboration was launched in selected stores across the UK, with thousands of people queuing to get their hands on the items.
And there it is, some of our favourite digital campaigns from 2022! Think we’ve missed one? Drop into our DMs on social and let us know!
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