A glance back at the best marketing campaigns of 2024

Back in March we saw a Specsavers van suspended in the air after parking on a rising bollard. A warning sign next to the van read: ‘Caution automatic bollards in operation. No parking’. The stunt was created perfectly to make it appear as natural and real as possible, encouraging the campaign’s shareability across social media and the press with passersby quoting the brand’s tagline “should have gone to Specsavers”. This isn’t a genius marketing campaign in isolation though – whilst it went viral at the time, we have to acknowledge the work that has gone into the brand over many years, making the tagline part of every day conversation and therefore making the connection between the stunt and the brand instantaneous. 

Here we have a moment a lot of fans have been eagerly (and impatiently) awaiting since 2009… the OASIS REUNION! After teasing their come-back for many years, they left fans speculating online after a cryptic date went viral back in August. On the band’s social media pages they uploaded an image with the date ’27.08.24’, but what could this mean? Was it an anniversary album, an Oasis collaboration with Manchester City Football Club, or could it be… the reunion…? Even indie-rock bands such as the Blossoms (from Stockport, Greater Manchester) teased the image, showcasing it on the stage screens at the end of their concert set at Wythenshaw Park, South Manchester.

After leaving fans wondering what this could mean and creating such a huge online buzz, they finally announced on August 27^th (27.08.24) that Oasis were in fact reuniting!

Although the campaign was very simple, the results were incredible and resulted in them selling out every single show… although we won’t talk about the ticket queues…

The popular toy brand ‘Polly Pocket’ announced its 35th anniversary by cleverly partnering up with Airbnb to create a 45ft liveable replica of the famous Polly Pocket ‘Slumber Party Fun’ compact from the 90s.

Polly Pocket announced alongside the Airbnb listing: ‘Hi, friends! Playdate at my place! You in? I’ll be off on a 35th birthday adventure, but my life-sized Slumber Party Fun compact is all yours for the day. I left everything just the way you remember it – from all the way back in ’94! Can you believe it’s been that long?! Anyway, grab your BFFs – I set up a retro bash that’s sure to be a blast!’

This was such a perfect way to bring back 90’s nostalgia and provide fans with the opportunity to live out their childhood dream!

A marketing stunt from the high-end supermarket Waitrose slightly backfired when it was posed as a risk to public safety. As part of a campaign for lower costs, Waitrose designed a billboard on a tilted angle, giving the appearance of lower-priced food tumbling down. However, residents in London didn’t quite catch on and began reporting it to the local council as it appeared to be falling off the wall. The council deemed it a risk to public safety and cordoned the area off.

Waitrose however were quick to make the most of this unexpected publicity by responding on X (formally Twitter), quoting: ‘Thanks for the swift action but while our prices are falling rapidly, our billboard certainly isn’t! #noneedforbollards.’

Two decades ago, Dove took a bold stand to celebrate ‘real beauty’ and challenge traditional stereotypes. This year, they launched their ‘Real State of Beauty’ campaign to raise awareness of AI’s impact on the beauty industry. The campaign highlights that by 2025, Artificial Intelligence is expected to generate 90% of the content we see online. Dove illustrated how AI depicts ‘beautiful’ women, revealing an unrealistic idolised standard that poses a risk to women’s confidence and well-being.

In response, Dove showcased their vision of ‘beauty’, featuring women of diverse nationalities, body types, ages, and skin tones to reinforce their commitment and values of ‘real beauty’.

As part of this campaign, Dove pledged to break down harmful beauty stereotypes and to never use AI-generated images to portray real women in their advertising, despite the emerging trend of AI.

Whilst we can’t deny that there can be a place for AI in marketing, we agree that it can also be harmful and detrimental and hope that other brands follow suit, particularly in relation to body confidence and overall well-being.

Rhode Skin (created by Hailey Rhodes – now Bieber) launched an innovative lip phone case earlier this year, making fans go wild! With the increased popularity of minimalism, Rhode Skin saw the perfect opportunity to merge style and functionality, designing a phone case with a built-in slot specifically designed to hold their signature lip balm! Their aim was to have everything at the consumer’s fingertips without having to dig around in their bag for their lip balm, aligning with their values of quality, practicality and chic design.

As it rapidly became an internet sensation for its uniqueness, brands such as Heinz quickly tapped into the viral stunt to showcase their own designs for those who need Ketchup in their daily life…  Maximising on the campaign and keeping up the hype, Heinz gave a few away on social media. Will we see them for sale at any point though…. To be confirmed!

In contrast to the Dove campaign mentioned earlier, Cadbury marked its 200th anniversary by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence in a unique celebration of its history. Customers could immerse themselves into Cadbury’s famous heritage by placing their own faces into recreations of original advertisement posters, offering a nostalgia trip for their older audiences and a little bit of history for the younger generation customers, showcasing what adverts looked like before television and how Cadbury’s brand has transformed.

They also brought back their iconic TV advert of a little girl buying a chocolate bar for her mum with all she had in her pocket. However, the settings around the girl and the shopkeeper subtly changed as time advanced to show technology and fashion changes throughout the years, all whilst keeping the meaningful story of love and generosity.

Cadbury didn’t stop there though! They also invited the public to send in old photos of them enjoying Cadbury products which were then displayed on billboards and campaign assets, reminiscing over the connection Cadbury holds within families, as well as way of saying thank you for the brand loyalty over the years.

As a stroke of marketing genius, a Premier Inn in Barry, Wales, has temporarily rebranded itself as ‘What’s Occur-Inn’, much to the delight of fans of the iconic British sitcom Gavin & Stacey.

This clever tribute to Nessa’s unforgettable catchphrase ‘What’s occurring’ brings a celebration of nostalgia, and adds to the excitement of the build-up for the final episode, due to air on 25^th December.

With Barry being the home of Gavin & Stacey, this has given people another reason to visit and share in the excitement. This marketing move also allows Premier Inn to showcase that it’s more than just a hotel, it’s a place that embraces the heart and humour of Barry’s Gavin & Stacey, along with reinforcing its commitment to the local community by leaning into its famous heritage.

Now… did Smithy say yes to Nessa? And WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT FISHING TRIP?

To celebrate their upcoming 30th anniversary and the highly anticipated launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro, PlayStation has partnered with Transport for London (TfL) for a fun and distinctive brand collaboration.

This exciting campaign transformed a Victoria Line tube into a PlayStation-themed experience. Inside the tube, PlayStation’s iconic button symbols, consisting of crosses, circles, squares, and triangles, have spruced up the seats, along with the playful ‘Start’ and ‘Finish’ markers, bringing a sense of adventure to commuter’s trips.

Outside of the Underground, the tube roundels have also been reimagined, now becoming neon gaming signs, linking once again to the PlayStations button symbols.

This partnership makes this the first branded design installation on the London Underground in 25 years, making it a brilliant example of how brands can come together in creative and unexpected ways, adding excitement to everyday moments such as travelling.