Many companies make digital campaigns in hope that they go viral and have a lasting effect on consumers’ thoughts, so they always have a brand at the top of their mind. However, to create a successful digital ad or campaign, it is essential to choose an appropriate platform to advertise on to most effectively reach consumers.
As Keith Coulter and Joseph Sarkis identified in their article “Development of a media selection using the analytic network process”, the internet has “emerged” as a new advertising platform that is competing with more traditional forms of media. Social media, more specifically, has proven to be a great tool to help create digital campaigns. In 2014, Calvin Klein created their #mycalvins campaign to promote their infamous underwear. The hashtag on Instagram alone has over 700k posts and that number is still growing. As well as social media influencers, the general public also use the hashtag and created endless user-generated content for Calvin Klein. Kevin Allocca stated in his Ted Talk: ‘Why videos go viral’ that “participation” is how we become included in campaigns. And because the mycalvins hashtag is so popular and easy to be a part of, more consumers will purchase Calvin Klein underwear.
TAC’s road safety advertisements have shown countless scenarios of the possible outcomes of driving while speeding or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. These advertisements were created to persuade drivers who consume alcohol and/or drugs to not drive while intoxicated. The advertisements were primarily shown as television ads which was an excellent media channel for it to gain recognition, as many females and males aged between 25-49 were watching television for about 1.5-2 hours a day (from 2008-2012) which garnered the advertisements millions of viewers. These advertisements, coupled with other campaigns enforced in Australia, have assisted greatly in reducing the number of deaths on our roads by getting people to think twice before driving in a dangerous situation. In Western Australia, deaths from speeding dropped from 479 to 134 (between 2008-2015), and deaths from alcohol dropped from 30% of road deaths to 21%.

Digital media channels can also be used inappropriately for marketing a product if a channel is wrongly chosen. In 2016, Kim Kardashian was paid by ‘Diclegis’ to promote their pills to help morning sickness, however, the post violated FDA rules because the side effects of the pill were not mentioned. The post therefore had to be deleted immediately.
This is a prime example of a company failing to give their product the acknowledgement they wanted because they did not execute the advertisement correctly. Digital ads and campaigns are not a one size fits all, correct market research must take place for them to run successfully.
What do you think makes a successful campaign?