Best Marketing Campaigns of 2023

The marketing industry has the power to do good and evil.

Creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin. They are essential forces that propel the cycle of innovation in every aspect of life and business.

Many of my favourite campaigns this year tackle social, cultural and environmental issues created to create social change.

Campaigns are not just for building brands but for starting movements.

There is a long-held belief that advertising is to convince people to buy stuff they don't need. That couldn't be further from the truth when advertising is done right. 

We are pretty obsessed with campaigns around here; it's in our name, Campaign Del Mar. I have spent two decades creating campaigns for big and small brands and consider myself a campaign expert. But let's be clear: no one appointed me as a judge. While many of these campaigns have won significant awards, this list is based on my informed opinion. 

SHORTLIST

Duolingo, High Valyrian

Entertainment meets education. When a Game of Thrones prequel was announced, Duolingo saw an opportunity to ride the wave of excitement by offering High Valyrian as a language on the Duolingo language learning app. Talk about speaking an audience's language.  

Marketing tactics used:

• Advertainment
• Brand collaboration 
• Earned media

GE PAE, Morning After Island

After a decade-long ban on the morning-after pill, which resulted in a staggering number of underage girls giving birth in Honduras, women’s rights advocates collaborated to establish a creative solution. They created Morning After Island, an offshore sanctuary beyond Honduran jurisdiction, where women could access the pill without facing legal repercussions.

The video campaign gained remarkable traction, garnering over 800,000 signatures in under six months. This extraordinary response generated widespread attention, with hundreds of media outlets covering the initiative. As momentum grew, the advocacy efforts caught the attention of Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who called for legislation that eventually passed Congress.

Marketing tactics used:

• Storytelling 
• Video Marketing
• Earned media

Dove, Toxic Influence

Parents underestimate how toxic beauty advice can be online. Using generative AI and deepfake technology, Dove embarked on their latest social experiment. The brand put highly toxic advice into the mouths of mums while their daughters watched on. The message was loud and clear: You wouldn't say that to your daughter, but she hears it online, every day.

Marketing tactics used:

• Storytelling 
• Generative AI 
• Documentary-style video marketing
• Earned media 

CALM x ITV, The Last Photo

TW: This campaign deals with suicide.

People think they know what 'suicidal' looks like - crying, anger, despair. In the absence of these signs, nobody intervenes. This campaign by CALM and ITV showed home movies of people smiling, laughing, and seemingly enjoying life before revealing that these were the last videos and photos of people who killed themselves, driving home the message that suicidal doesn’t look suicidal. In addition to the 90-second film, there was a photo installation in London.

Marketing tactics used:

• Storytelling 
• Physical installation / activation 
• Documentary-style video marketing
• Earned media 

Mastercard, Where to Settle

Mastercard set out to help Ukrainian refugees resettle in Poland.

The app cross-referenced Mastercard transaction data from Poland’s statistics office and merged that with data from Poland’s leading real estate and jobs portal with the aim of helping families find the best opportunities.

The initiative helped 20% of the 1.5 million refugees resettle in Poland.

Marketing tactics used:

• Marketing Technology
• Owned media channels

And the winner is.... chosen by you.

Vote for your favourite campaign, and we will announce the People's Choice Winner.