What a year 2018 has been! For team Conker, it’s been full of milestones, with an office move, a shiny new rebrand and some fantastic new account wins. There’s been plenty happening in the marketing world too, with the introduction of GDPR shaking up direct communications, advances in AI and increased focus on personalisation to name a few.
To round off the year we’re running through our favourite campaigns of the year – we can’t wait to see what 2019 brings!
Emily’s campaign of the year:
‘The Nike / Colin Kaepernick campaign was my standout campaign. It divided consumers, but it showed what Nike stood for, and was really successful with its target audience. At the risk of losing favour with some (who are less likely to buy their products), Nike made a positive impact where it mattered.
‘It raised some interesting questions – how effective is influencer marketing versus celebrity endorsement, and is being divisive a good thing for a brand?’
Read the full Conker Edit on the campaign here.
Hannah’s campaign of the year:
‘2018 was the year of the planet! January saw the nation gripped by plastic pollution fever, with David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II delivering a rallying cry for us to do more to protect the environment. Iceland’s ‘Rang-Tan’s Story’ advert was a marketing brainwave. Drawing attention to the devasting effects of palm oil production, the advert was banned for being too ‘political’ – which saw the likes of James Corden and his 10M Twitter followers take note. With 70 million views secured and counting, there’s nothing like a ban to get people watching!
‘Looking a little closer to home, at Conker we’ve been leveraging the public’s passion for the planet to help show people how a small switch from plastic to glass milk bottles can make a huge difference. The response to our ‘Glass is Greener’ campaign for our client Creamline has seen a massive response, with over 10 million glass bottles delivered to homes and businesses across Greater Manchester in 2018 alone – saving a staggering 183 tonnes of plastic from local landfill.’
Sue’s campaign of the year:
‘Showing people that print still matters, the KFC ‘FCK’ campaign is my choice for 2018 – although we’re not quite so potty-mouthed at Conker! By addressing the situation directly, KFC’s marketing team took control of a potential PR disaster and turned it on its head.
‘The print ad was placed to achieve maximum exposure; in The Sun and Metro the ad was estimated to reach around 6 million people. Admitting their error made the brand seem more human – and thus, more relatable. What was initially a response to a potentially disastrous crisis was transformed into an award-winning campaign. Clucking brilliant!’
Sarah’s campaign of the year:
‘My choice is the Stabilo ‘Highlight the Remarkable’ campaign. I particularly liked this one as it was great to see an established, household brand shaking things up and taking a fresh approach – something we shine at here at Conker.
‘The fact that it was an outdoor campaign which also drove online engagement was clever too, proving our firm belief in the need for multiple marketing touchpoints. Finally, I loved that it highlighted previously overlooked historical figures – who happen to be women – sparking debate along the way.
‘Looking ahead to 2019, I think tactile and offline marketing will continue to become more and more important – alongside digital campaigns.’
Martin’s campaign of the year:
‘For me the campaign that has really caught my eye in 2018 was Soda Stream’s “Join the Revolution”. Firstly, I always wanted a Soda Stream when I was growing up, but wasn’t allowed one. Secondly, when we switched from plastic milk and water bottles to glass milk bottles and Soda Stream water, we halved the amount of plastic collected from our house overnight. The timing of the Soda Stream campaign in January ‘18 was perfect, it caught my eye just after Blue Planet 2 finished, it’s funny, silly and topical all in one. I saw it on YouTube and LinkedIn and ordered a Soda Stream the next day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5FoXLxpFPk’
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from team Conker!
