As we head into the new year, we look back at some of the best marketing campaigns of 2020 which kept us entertained during lockdown. Washington Direct Mail assessed which marketing campaigns the public were loving during lockdown this year and subsequently ranked them in popularity. They looked at social interactions and brand mentions.
History-Making Covergirls
Vogue’s July 2020 cover made history by featuring three female frontline workers in lieu of the typical celebrity lineup. These three women were Narguis Horsford, a train driver on the London Overground; Rachel Millar, a community midwife; and Anisa Omar, a supermarket worker. All the photos were taken during lockdown, following social distancing guidelines, and at each woman’s place of work. Vogue UK editor Edward Enninful said this about covers: “They represent the millions of people in the UK who, at the height of the pandemic, put on their uniforms and went to help.”
Banterous Beers
BrewDog ranked second as the nation’s favourite marketing campaign during lockdown. The brand capitalised on the political stir caused by the Prime Minister’s advisor, Dominic Cummings, when he defied local lockdown and drove from London to Durham for childcare. In a stellar display of brand engagement, the brewery asked their followers to name their new beer based on the event. Hence, the name ‘Barnard Castle Eye Test’ was chosen, with the tag-line ‘a short-sighted beer for tall stories’. The brand went one step further and put all the profits from the beer sales towards funding their own hand sanitiser which they gave free to the NHS and health care charities.
Farewell to Fast Food
When the first lockdown caused McDonald’s and others to close down, many were left heartbroken. So when they launched their ‘Return of the Mac’ advert, the campaign made it to number five on the list. Just below, KFC was at number six on the list with the nation attempting their DIY KFC attempts and sharing them across social media proving that no one does fried chicken as good as KFC.
Serious Marketing Campaigns
Many marketing campaigns of 2020 were designed to raise awareness. One key theme was our appreciation for the NHS workers throughout the lockdown. EE made it to number seven on the list for their decision to give all NHS workers free unlimited data for the lockdown period.
