Top Social Media Campaigns by Big Brands in 2024

In 2024, several brands captured global attention through highly innovative and impactful social media campaigns. These campaigns set new benchmarks by harnessing user-generated content, humor, cultural trends, and purpose-driven messaging. Below, we examine some of the most memorable social media campaigns from major brands in 2024 and explore why they succeeded.

1. Nike: “What the Football” Campaign

Nike’s campaign, “What the Football,” marked the Women’s World Cup with a nostalgic and empowering approach. The ad series featured top soccer players, including Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, and depicted a father-daughter bond through their shared love of the sport.

• Why It Worked: Nike tapped into the rise in popularity of women’s sports, engaging audiences by combining iconic moments with a family-centric storyline. Research showed that 31% of sports fans found women’s sports exciting, aligning with Nike’s focus on women athletes.
• Takeaway: Brands that amplify gender representation and nostalgia tend to capture a broad, diverse audience.

2. McDonald’s: “As Featured In” Meal Collaboration

McDonald’s created a buzz with its “As Featured In” meal, celebrating the brand’s iconic appearances in movies, TV shows, and pop culture. The campaign featured limited-edition meals inspired by famous moments in media, such as in movies like Space Jam and Loki. Fans could engage on social media by sharing their “As Featured In” meals, with McDonald’s reposting top posts and comments across its platforms.

• Why It Worked: McDonald’s tapped into nostalgia and pop culture appeal, resonating with a broad audience. The campaign’s interactive element encouraged fans to share their experiences, creating buzz and excitement around familiar media references​.‍
• Takeaway: Brands that leverage pop culture and nostalgia can create a powerful sense of connection and spark high engagement across social channels.

3. Spotify Wrapped 2024

Spotify’s annual “Wrapped” campaign continued to dominate social media. In December, users eagerly awaited personalized summaries of their most played songs, artists, and genres. Spotify enabled seamless sharing across platforms, which spurred user-driven promotion and became an anticipated social media event.

• Why It Worked: Wrapped leveraged personalization and FOMO (fear of missing out), encouraging users to engage and share their music statistics publicly. It also positioned Spotify as integral to users’ daily lives through data-driven storytelling​.
• Takeaway: Personalization combined with social proof fosters widespread user engagement and organic promotion.

4. Liquid Death: “Marketing BS” Spoof

Liquid Death’s campaign turned soda advertising norms on their head with a humorous, anti-soda message, featuring models comically promoting water. The spoof ad style resonated with audiences on YouTube and Instagram.

• Why It Worked: Liquid Death took a humorous stance, using satire to challenge traditional soda marketing. The unexpected content generated over 3.6 million views within a month, driven by bold messaging and unique storytelling​.
• Takeaway: Humor and satire, when aligned with brand ethos, can drive strong engagement and memorable impressions.

5. Patagonia: Mission-Led Social Content

Patagonia has consistently focused on environmental activism. In 2024, its social media channels showcased various environmental initiatives, including recycling awareness and climate change impacts. Rather than promoting products, Patagonia’s content encouraged users to consider sustainability.

• Why It Worked: Patagonia prioritized purpose over sales, creating authenticity that resonated with environmentally conscious consumers. Its social media presence reinforced its commitment to sustainability, building trust and community loyalty​.
• Takeaway: Values-driven campaigns resonate deeply and cultivate a loyal community.

6. Starbucks: Seasonal Marketing on TikTok

Starbucks used TikTok to create seasonal content centered on popular drinks like pumpkin spice lattes. The brand encouraged customers and employees to share their Starbucks experiences, creating a sense of community and season-specific excitement.

• Why It Worked: Starbucks effectively used social proof, showing real customers enjoying its drinks. The seasonal theme created a sense of urgency, driving customers to partake in limited-time offerings​.
• Takeaway: Seasonal themes can enhance engagement by tapping into FOMO and community sentiment.

7. KFC’s “No Turkey” Campaign

KFC’s unusual decision to refuse customer requests for a turkey burger during the holiday season made waves on social media. Despite demand, KFC held firm to its identity as a fried chicken brand, highlighting that customer satisfaction sometimes involves staying true to brand values.

• Why It Worked: The campaign sparked conversations around brand consistency, with customers admiring KFC’s authenticity. By acknowledging feedback without changing its core product, KFC demonstrated respect for customer input while upholding its unique brand identity​.
• Takeaway: Brands that confidently uphold their identity, even against popular demand, can foster respect and reinforce brand values.

8. Axis Bank: Mother’s Day Campaign

For Mother’s Day, Axis Bank used sentimental storytelling with a series of videos celebrating mothers and their unique contributions to families. By spotlighting heartwarming stories, the campaign strengthened the bank’s connection with family values.

• Why It Worked: The emotional appeal struck a chord with audiences, reinforcing the bank’s commitment to family-centric values. The campaign’s relatable content encouraged widespread sharing, making Axis Bank a part of users’ celebrations​.
• Takeaway: Emotionally driven content often inspires user engagement and brand affinity.

9. Adidas: “End Plastic Waste” Campaign

Adidas took a bold stand on environmental sustainability with its “End Plastic Waste” campaign. Using social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, Adidas engaged users worldwide through impactful visuals and challenges encouraging reduced plastic use. The campaign included partnerships with influencers and athletes, inviting followers to join the cause by sharing their efforts to reduce plastic waste.

• Why It Worked: Adidas connected with a broad audience by promoting an urgent global issue, leveraging visuals and high-profile partnerships. The campaign created a sense of community action, inspiring users to post their own contributions under #EndPlasticWaste​.
• Takeaway: Campaigns centered on global issues that invite active participation and user-generated content can foster high engagement and long-term brand loyalty.

10. Apple: “Shot on iPhone” User-Generated Content Campaign

Apple’s long-running “Shot on iPhone” campaign continued to make waves in 2024 with a fresh approach. Apple encouraged users worldwide to showcase photos and videos taken on their iPhones, spotlighting the power of mobile photography. The campaign featured select user content across Apple’s social channels, highlighting the quality and creativity possible with the iPhone.

• Why It Worked: Apple empowered users to become creators, celebrating authentic content that demonstrated the iPhone’s capabilities. This campaign created a strong sense of community and gave Apple organic, visually appealing content to share across its platforms​.
• Takeaway: User-generated content campaigns that celebrate customers’ creativity can build engagement and reinforce brand pride through authentic showcases of product use.

Lessons from 2024’s Top Campaigns

These campaigns reveal recurring elements that make for high-impact social media strategies:

Personalization: Whether through individual data (Spotify) or location-based humor (Monzo), personalized campaigns drive engagement.

Humor and Satire: Bold humor (Liquid Death, KFC) resonates with audiences, especially when it challenges norms.

Purpose-Driven Content: Campaigns centered on social issues or values (Patagonia, MTV Nishedh) foster loyalty and integrity.

Seasonal and Cultural Relevance: Time-sensitive themes (Starbucks) and cultural touchpoints (Coke Studio Bharat) create urgency and connect with audiences on a deeper level.

These campaigns illustrate the power of authentic storytelling, relatability, and strategic timing in capturing audience interest on social media.

‍