The Most Successful Social Media Campaigns of 2022

Social media has become integral to our daily lives, and companies worldwide are leveraging it to reach out to their customers. In 2022, we witnessed several innovative and successful social media campaigns that captured the attention of millions of users and resulted in increased engagement, brand awareness, and sales. Let’s take a look at the valuable lessons we can learn from them:

1. GOAT vs. GOAT by Louis Vuitton

The GOAT vs. GOAT social media campaign of Louis Vuitton featured the two goats of football, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Captured by photography goat Annie Leibovitz, the image had the footballers playing chess on top of Louis Vuitton checkered trunks on Instagram.

The campaign aimed to promote Louis Vuitton’s luxury travel trunks and accessories and targeted soccer stars’ fans and fashion and luxury enthusiasts. If you need an example of a highly successful social media campaign, this is it.

2. If You Can Dream It, Tweet It Campaign by Twitter

The “If You Can Dream It, Tweet It” campaign on Twitter featured the real-life success stories of celebrities who shared their dreams on the platform. The emotional advertising campaign empowered users to pursue their passions and showcased how dreaming big can lead to fulfilling life experiences.

By leveraging the power of social media to connect with its target audience, the campaign demonstrated how emotional advertising could create impactful messages. It effectively communicated positive messages of hope and perseverance, encouraging users to move toward achieving their own goals and aspirations.

3. Footballverse by Nike

In November of 2022, Nike released an innovative social media campaign that brought together past, present, and future football players in a fictional storyline. The campaign included a short film called “Footballverse,” which showcased a team of scientists calling up legendary football players to compete with current and future stars of the game.

The campaign successfully engaged a wide range of fans by featuring a star-studded cast of football icons. Overall, the campaign demonstrated how an engaging storyline could be used to promote a product and generate excitement and buzz around a brand.

4. #UnboringMornings by KFC

KFC’s #UnboringMorning social media campaign aimed to promote the fast-food chain’s breakfast offerings. While KFC is known for its lunch and dinner menu, the campaign was designed to shift the brand’s perception as a breakfast destination by showcasing a series of quirky videos and contests that were far from ordinary.

The campaign featured unique breakfast items like the KFC Chizza. It also offered the chance for customers to win fun prizes. This is a compelling example of how social media can be used to introduce new offerings while creating a buzz.

5. OMG! Fund By Airbnb

June 2022 saw Airbnb create a social media campaign called OMG! Fund. The brand invited people to submit their ideas for unique and innovative places to stay, which would then be judged based on originality, feasibility, and user experience.

In an exciting twist, 100 winners were selected, each awarded $100,000 to bring their idea to life. The campaign successfully engaged Airbnb’s target audience and showcased the brand’s commitment to creativity and innovation.

6. Wrapped Campaign by Spotify

Spotify’s “Wrapped” campaign was a highly successful social media marketing initiative that showcased the brand’s dedication to personalized and engaging user experiences. The campaign allowed users to explore and rediscover their favorite artists, songs, and podcasts in a highly interactive and customized way.

With over 60 million shares from 90 million users, the “Wrapped” campaign has become an annual tradition that fans eagerly anticipate each year. The campaign’s success demonstrates the power of social media to create immersive and exciting brand experiences that resonate with users and generate enthusiasm and buzz around a product or service.

7. Super Bowl Awareness Campaign by Reddit

During the 2022 Super Bowl, Reddit launched a unique brand awareness campaign that captured viewers’ attention. Instead of a typical flashy commercial, the Reddit ad started like a typical car ad but abruptly cut to an image of the Reddit logo and galloping horses in a field.

The 5-second ad was an unconventional way to grab attention, but it successfully drove viewers to social media as they tried to make sense of what they had just witnessed. Reddit then followed up with a tweet explaining the ad, which garnered over 464,000 views, further amplifying the campaign’s reach.

8. Bologna Face Masks by Oscar Mayer

American meat and cold cut producer Oscar Mayer made a bold move when they ventured into the skincare industry for the first time. They released the social media campaign that caught many by surprise: the bologna face mask campaign. It played on the nostalgia trend of the 80s and 90s, where bologna sandwiches were considered a gourmet meal for many kids. 

The masks resemble the pseudo-face masks kids make from real bologna by tearing holes for their eyes and mouth. Of course, the masks weren’t edible.

9. Daniel Craig for Belvedere Vodka

This social media campaign created by Belvedere Vodka featured Daniel Craig bidding his James Bond persona a farewell. In the video, we see the actor ditching his Bond ways to arrive at a hotel, dance along the corridors, and finally enjoy a sip of the vodka.

The ad’s message is that everyone has different sides to their personality and should embrace their true selves, just like what Craig did in the ad. The campaign successfully utilized Craig’s star power and was a fun and fresh take on the typical celebrity endorsement campaign.

10. McDonald’s Menu Hacks Campaign

In January 2022, McDonald’s launched a social media content strategy that featured its own menu hacks, capitalizing on the popular trend of secret menus and menu hacks. McDonald’s combined two or more popular items into a single meal and these Frankenstein-type offerings.

Even if the food combinations weren’t well-received, the campaign effectively engaged with McDonald’s social media fan base and successfully tapped into the enthusiasm for menu hacks and secret menus.

Final Thoughts

As social media continues to evolve, it is essential for businesses to stay up-to-date on trends and to experiment consistently with new ideas to keep their audiences engaged. These ten social media campaigns provide a valuable source of inspiration for businesses of all sizes and industries, demonstrating that social media can be an effective tool for building brand awareness, driving conversions, and, ultimately, achieving business success.