And the Oscar goes to...
By Nicole Martins In honor of the 86th Academy Awards a few weeks ago and the continuing hype of the “Oscar selfie”, here are our own awards for a few noteworthy achievements social media-driven public relations campaigns in the past year.
Best Foreign Campaign: Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign
Launched in Great Britain in April 2013, this summer-long campaign drastically improved consumer perception of the world’s largest beverage company. Coca-Cola replaced the logo on its bottles of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero with 250 of the most popular names in the country. Coupled with the hashtag #ShareaCoke, marketing efforts encouraged consumers to find their personalized bottle and share them with friends and family.
Best Viral Video: Carrie’s “Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise”
Distributors for the 2013 remake of Stephen King’s “Carrie” successfully generated interest in the film by partnering with Thinkmodo. The agency produced an elaborate hidden camera prank in a fantastic execution of viral marketing. The video, released just prior to the film’s October 18 release, features coffee shop customers reactions to a freaky stunt with a short promo for the film at the end. The video has reached over 54 million views at the time of writing.
(Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlOxlSOr3_M)
Best Spotlight Steal: "Dorito’s Super Bowl Photobomb"
Doritos created a “human Dorito” by dressing a group of people in orange outfits and arranging them in the shape of the iconic triangular chip. This in-person prank proved to be especially memorable and effective as viewers gathered in masses through social media to discuss the photobomb. Along with images tweeted from the company, Doritos also produced a video displaying the orange-clad participants receiving a special award: the World Record for world’s biggest Dorito.