How do the best and biggest — or maybe just the most recognizable — businesses get where they are? Good marketing.
A rock-solid marketing strategy helps brands be seen and heard in a crowded space by connecting with the right audience to turn window shoppers into wallet-openers. Sure, “show me the money” is a big impetus behind marketing campaigns, but creating a catchy, compelling and resounding strategy is of the utmost importance to reach that bottom line. Whether it’s viral videos, influencer antics or data-driven campaigns, companies with the best marketing strategies are in it to win it.
Let’s find out who’s doing what best when it comes to companies with good marketing strategies.
6 Brands With the Best Marketing Campaigns
Check out these real-world examples of A+ digital marketing campaigns for inspiration and insights on building a strategic marketing plan that works.
Best Influencer Marketing Campaign
Why include influencers in your digital marketing strategy? Trust and credibility. Influencer marketing isn’t just about callouts from the Kardashians. Local influencers build genuine connections, fostering brand trust and driving engagement.
Choosing the right expert influencers can amplify your brand reach and ROI; just look at the stats: 80% of marketers consider influencer marketing highly effective and 63.8% of brands plan to partner with influencers in 2025. Whatever the type, influencer marketing has pushed social media to the top of the advertising world, with global spend projected to soar to $266.92 billion by the end of 2025. Here’s one brand that’s helped move the needle with great influencer marketing campaigns.
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Häagen-Dazs
This ice cream brand collaborates with diverse influencers — including florists, fashion designers, musicians and collectors — to create engaging TikTok content that captures the brand’s fun and inclusive image.
At ComplexCon 2022, Häagen-Dazs featured singer-songwriter Leslie Grace at a live experiential marketing event. Leveraging Grace’s social media influence — including more than 229,000 TikTok followers — this immersive experience amplified the company’s brand reach when the singer shared a TikTok video resulting in 20.8 million views. By bridging the physical and digital experience and leveraging Grace’s influencer credibility, Häagen-Dazs was able to elevate its brand awareness reaching millions — turning a single event into a far-reaching brand moment.
Best Social Media Marketing Campaign
With a massive reach of 5.24 billion users worldwide, social media remains one of the most effective marketing strategies —and a good place to invest your marketing budget. More than a platform, social media is a relationship offering engaging content that builds community, fuels organic reach and keeps your brand culturally relevant. So, which brand is winning social media marketing?
Duolingo
The world’s most downloaded educational app, Duolingo turned its social media marketing into a unique brand voice and presence by leveraging humor, social trends and brand personality. Dominating platforms like TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, the company used meme marketing and its mascot to create a witty and playful brand identity and voice.
“Duo” — Duolingo’s green owl mascot — was a sassy, unhinged meme that won the brand some noticeable street cred and … engagement. Between flirting with celebrity influencers like Dua Lipa and threatening to “hunt you down” if you skip your linguistic lesson, the brand successfully turned its language-learning app into a cultural phenomenon garnering nearly seven million followers and over 147 million likes since 2021.
Important Update: Duo the Owl was declared deceased on February 11, 2025. Access Hollywood documented his life and death with Dua Lipa.
Best Brand Awareness Campaign
Without strong brand awareness, getting your audience to tune in and become part of the conversation can feel like shouting into the void. Before your audience commits, they need to:
- Know you exist.
- Trust your brand.
- Remember you.
Sound like a tall order? That’s where brand awareness campaigns come in. With storytelling and consistent messaging, these campaigns can strengthen brand positioning, build recognition and expand market share. Learn from one iconic and memorable brand awareness campaign.
Barbie Movie Marketing
I truly thought I left Barbie and her 18” waist behind at age … let’s just say eight. But, lo and behold, Barbie came back to engage adults — feminists included — as a cultural phenomenon with a new message. The landmark brand awareness campaign that launched the 2023 movie breathed new life into Barbie.
This omnipresent branding began with a strategic collaboration between Mattel and Warner Brothers — and over 165 product partnerships that wove Barbie into daily life from fashion and beauty to food and technology. Limited-edition Barbie-themed apparel and accessories were launched with accessible brands including Aldo, Forever 21 and Gap. Pink Barbie themes also appeared in Brazil’s Burger Kings and Xbox games. Promotional events like the Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge — a renovation reality competition series — and a life-sized Malibu Airbnb Barbie Dreamhouse that brought the Barbie lifestyle to, well … life.
Investing $150 million into promoting the Barbie movie, Warner Brothers surpassed the $145 million production budget, but this brand strategy paid off for the movie-making megalith. Barbie has become a cultural touchstone, breaking multiple box office records to become the highest-grossing movie in 2023.
Best Digital Advertising Campaign
Making noise in marketing is only effective when you’re talking to the intended audience. Through targeted digital advertising campaigns, brands can deliver personalized messaging based on user demographics, interests, behavior and real-time data while also tracking clicks, conversions, impressions and ROI instantly with real-time analytics. With the global market for digital marketing and advertising expected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2030, it’s clearly an effective marketing strategy. Let’s look at one iconic company known for blending emotion, storytelling and precise audience targeting into its digital advertising campaigns.
Nike
From its “You Can’t Stop Us” digital ad campaign released in 2020 to the “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” campaign launched in 2024, Nike uses emotional storytelling, music and powerful visuals to connect with its target audience. “You Can’t Stop Us” weaved 72 video clips together to create a seamless split-screen visual highlighting the parallels between different high-profile athletes — think LeBron James and Serena Williams — and everyday athletes. Showcasing the triumphs and struggles of diverse athletes resonated with audiences, gaining millions of views and sparking conversations across social platforms.
“Winning Isn’t for Everyone” followed suit, including familiar faces and focusing on what drives top-tier athletes, encouraging reflection on the true nature of winning. This tone continues into the 2025 “So Win” commercial highlighting elite female athletes and addressing the power of sport as well as the double standards that women in sports often face. Nike’s campaigns excel by:
- Leveraging emotional storytelling to make ads memorable and shareable.
- Addressing relevant social issues like gender bias in sport.
- Featuring authentic athletes, both elite and every day.
- Reinforcing brand values of resilience, excellence and overcoming obstacles.
Best Affiliate Marketing Campaign
Sometimes it is just about the money. Luckily, affiliate marketing campaigns deliver as a cost-effective, performance-driven strategy to boost brand reach, sales and credibility. It’s a good bang for your marketing buck and about 81% of marketers agree.
Globally, the affiliate marketing industry, worth about $37 million in 2025, is projected to hit $48 billion by 2027, growing at over 15% annually from 2023 to 2032. This pay-for-results marketing strategy means brands only pay when affiliates — including influencers, bloggers or niche websites — drive a sale, lead or action. With a $12 return for every $1 spent, it’s a low-risk, high-reward strategy that expands reach and builds trust.
Here’s one brand that’s nailing affiliate marketing.
Shopify
By partnering with entrepreneurs, educators, influencers and content creators, Shopify is strategically expanding its global audience with little cost. The Shopify Affiliate Program is free to join and incentivizes partner affiliates with commissions for subscribers and point-of-sale pro referrals. These affiliates also serve as influencer experts, educating their followers on entrepreneurship and e-commerce using Shopify. But they aren’t left to their own devices.
Shopify offers affiliates resources and a personalized dashboard to help maximize their earnings — and Shopify’s ROI. With a market capitalization of about $145 billion USD, Shopify was the world’s 115th most valuable company. It seems Shopify is winning with affiliate marketing ROI.
Best Consumer Behavior Campaign
Dollar signs have less value here, with Psych 101 finally paying off. Consumer behavior campaigns focus on understanding, predicting and influencing how, when and why audiences engage with your brand.
Tapping into consumer psychology drives engagement and builds brand loyalty in this digital marketing strategy. By analyzing data — like purchasing patterns, demographics and buying triggers — brands can create highly personalized experiences that resonate with target markets.
So, what brand has mastered the art of enhancing each customer’s unique journey?
Netflix
Using recommendation and search algorithms, Netflix keeps its audience engaged and feeling heard. With tailored recommendations, custom promotions and personalized content all derived from consumer behavior, Netflix offers focused high-converting messaging leading to higher consumer engagement, brand loyalty and retention.
I mean, let’s be honest — what would you give to stop endlessly scrolling through titles or investing precious minutes in a show that’s just not for you? A lot, it seems, considering Netflix generated $39 billion in revenue in 2024 with over 277 million subscribers worldwide.
Knowing what your audience wants appears to be pretty good for your bottom line.
How Can You Create a Good Marketing Campaign?
Forget flashy ads and viral moments. Great marketing is born of strategy, consistency and knowing how to listen to and engage with your audience. The best marketing campaigns prove that success can come from just about anywhere in the digital universe. Through data-driven personalization, influencer collaborations or bold brand storytelling, marketing strategies work best when they’re authentic, engaging and aligned with your audience personas.
Take it from OG influencer Hunter S. Thompson, who said, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right” … right?
Learn from brands doing it right with the best marketing strategies and take inspiration, adapt their creative marketing campaigns to fit your brand and test what resonates with your audience.
And remember — the best marketer is always evolving.
