When hashtags were first introduced, nobody thought they would become an integral part of any digital marketing campaign. And yet, ten years later hashtags are not just playing a key role in social media marketing, but also assists in successfully running an entire marketing campaign.
Today hashtags have given away to brands to engage with audiences. In fact, the most successful social media marketing campaigns have driven exemplary engagement through hashtags. Since hashtags dominate on popular social media channels like Instagram and Twitter, they bring a great advantage that we can’t afford to overlook.
To give you some inspiration, I’ve compiled a list of five of the most successful hashtag campaigns that went viral in recent years.
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Audi’s #WantAnR8 Campaign
This hashtag campaign by Audi was probably the longest-running campaigns on Twitter. The campaign was initiated in 2011 when a woman took a photo at the company with the hashtag – to let the brand know how much she wanted to have an R8. The hashtag went viral and Audi saw the opportunity to use the hashtag to drive conversation and promoting their brand around the world.
Audi went up to giving the opportunity to people to drive their dream car for a weekend just by tweeting the hashtag. Overall, the campaign became very successfully to drive engagement in car buyers around the world.
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Ryu’s #WhatsInYourBag Campaign
Clothing brand Ryu created a unique hashtag campaign. The brand used the hashtag #Whatsinyourbag to drive curiosity around their various products. Whenever a user posted a photo of what they carry in their gym bag along with a campaign hashtag they automatically enter a competition with a chance to win a prize.
Ryu promoted this campaign heavily on Instagram stories which took the form of a successful giveaway contest. The competition took the attention of numerous people and became the prime reason for their audience to interact with them.
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Nest’s #CaughtOnDropCam Campaign
Security cameras inside a home can make people a little uncomfortable. Honestly who wants to be watched in their private time?
But security camera company Nest managed to create a quirky hashtag campaign that restrains the creepiness of being watched and present users with a more human side of their brand. They started a #CaughtOnDropCam campaign to encourage users to share hilarious videos.
The campaign went quickly viral and the hashtag was soon filled with a selection of great video content. The videos got everything from frenzied family moments to pets acting mischievously. The hashtag campaign turned out to be a huge success, also enabling the brand to get new customers.
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L’Oréal Paris #WorthSaying Campaign
This is one of those hashtags that used a social cause to promote their brand. The hashtag campaign was launched by L’Oréal in 2016, asking women to share what is important to them.
The hashtag campaign went viral because of its social impact and the importance of the subject. The campaign got the support of thousands of women, including celebrities like Jennifer Lopez. To make the campaign even more successful, the brand even took the initiative to donate $0.25 for every mention of #WorthSaying on social media channels.
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Purina’s #PetsAtWork Campaign
Purina started a campaign called #Petsatwork. Their aim was simple: they wanted to encourage people to share photos of their pets at work. With the hashtag campaign people were encouraged to take their pets to work and share a photo of them with the hashtag. In fact, the brand wanted to promote the benefits of people bringing their pets to work which primarily include less stress during the day.
The hashtag campaign soon turned into a success as the brand emphasizes how much they care about pets and pet owners. With the #Petsatwork campaign Purina was able to find a lot of engagement and user-generated content in no time at all.
Author Bio:
Kirsten Pike is a senior writer and editor at a top-notch essay writing service UK. When she is not writing for work, she likes to spend time writing informative content on web development, social media marketing strategy and e-commerce. She spends weekends with her family, driving around the outskirts of her beautiful town in the UK.
