Discover 5 famous social media campaigns that made waves! Learn what made them iconic and how you can apply their strategies to your own marketing.
We often talk about failed social media campaigns. But what about the famous social media campaigns that absolutely nailed it? The ones that had people hooked, talking, and sharing non-stop? There’s just as much—if not more—to learn from the ones that worked.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to focus on in this blog post—five famous social media campaigns that were done… just right. And what you can learn from them!
Let’s break ‘em down.
5 Famous Social Media Campaigns and What You Can Borrow From Them
1. Spotify Wrapped
The first place on the list of famous social media campaigns is Spotify Wrapped. Every December, Spotify turns social media into a giant music-sharing festival with Spotify Wrapped—a personalized, data-driven recap of users’ listening habits over the past year.
The campaign started in 2016, initially as a simple “Year in Music” feature that compiled users’ most-listened-to songs and artists. Over time, it evolved into a highly interactive, visually rich experience that users eagerly anticipate.
How it’s executed:
Spotify Wrapped works by turning user data into a personalized story. The company collects detailed listening data from each user throughout the year, tracking their most-played songs, favorite artists, top genres, and even how much time they spent listening to music.
This data is then formatted into a visually engaging slideshow, similar to Instagram Stories, making it easy to scroll through and share.
A key factor in Wrapped’s success is the FOMO effect. The feature is only available for a limited time, so users feel pressured to check their Wrapped before it disappears.
🚀 What you can learn from this campaign:
- Make data personal: If your brand collects customer data (assuming you have their permission), find ways to turn it into engaging, individualized content that users want to share.
- Create a tradition that builds anticipation: What makes Wrapped a success is that they’ve established an annual tradition. So, as much as a one-time viral moment is great, a campaign that’s focused on a tradition keeps people coming back. It works because you create habitual engagement, where your audience looks forward to your content and actively participates.
2. Duolingo’s Duo the Owl Mascot
Next up on our list of famous social media campaigns is Duolingo’s wild “RIP Duo” stunt. In February 2025, the language-learning app shocked the internet by announcing the death of its iconic green owl mascot, Duo. What followed was a masterclass in chaotic, viral storytelling that had everyone talking.
It all kicked off with a dramatic post: Duo was gone, supposedly flattened by a Tesla Cybertruck. Duolingo didn’t stop there—they updated their app store icon and social media profiles with a dead-eyed Duo, complete with crossed-out eyes and a lolling tongue. Then came the TikTok: fellow Duolingo characters Lily and Zari solemnly carrying Duo’s coffin to a truck bed, sprinkling rose petals as they mourned.
How it’s executed:
Duolingo turned Duo’s “death” into a full-on interactive spectacle. After the initial announcement, they dropped cryptic posts about an “ongoing investigation,” even offering a reward for identifying the Cybertruck driver. A website, bringback.duolingo.com, popped up, challenging users to rack up 50 billion XP by doing lessons to “resurrect” Duo.
Spoiler: it worked. Two weeks later, Duo climbed out of his coffin, strutting back to life with a snarky “y’all really think I’d let a Cybertruck take me out?” The whole thing was a fake-out—a genius ploy to guilt-trip users into practicing their Spanish conjugations.
The campaign leaned hard into Duo’s unhinged persona (you know, the owl who’d threaten to burn your house down if you skipped a lesson). It played on urgency and guilt, with posts like “he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson,” sparking both outrage and giggles.
Netflix jumped in with a “Squid Game” twist, posting a clip of Duo getting “eliminated” in the deadly competition.
Even Dua Lipa, Duo’s long-time celebrity crush, chimed in with a heartfelt “Til’ death duo part,” playing into the app’s running gag about their “relationship.” It was a brand crossover chaos that fueled the fire gathering over 21 million views.
🚀 What you can learn from this campaign:
- Lean into your brand’s personality: Duo’s sassy, slightly menacing vibe was cranked to eleven here. If your brand has a distinct voice, don’t be afraid to double down and get a little weird with it—people remember bold.
- Gamify engagement: Telling users they could “bring Duo back” by hitting an XP goal turned a passive audience into active participants. Give your followers a challenge they can’t resist. A one-off stunt is cool, but tying it to your product’s core (in this case, language lessons) keeps it meaningful—and keeps ‘em coming back.
3. Adidas: “End Plastic Waste” Campaign
Third on our list of famous social media campaigns is Adidas’s bold “End Plastic Waste” initiative. Launched in 2015 with their partnership with Parley for the Oceans, Adidas turned heads by vowing to tackle the planet’s plastic pollution crisis, one sneaker at a time. What started with a concept shoe made from recycled ocean trash has since exploded into a global movement that’s impossible to ignore.
How it’s executed:
Adidas kicked things off by teaming up with Parley to scoop plastic waste from beaches and coastal communities before it hits the oceans. That trash—think PET bottles and discarded fishing nets—gets shredded, melted, and spun into high-performance yarn dubbed “Ocean Plastic.” This stuff forms the backbone of their Primeblue and Primegreen fabrics, which now show up in everything from Ultraboost sneakers to soccer jerseys.
By 2024, they’d fully ditched virgin polyester for recycled versions across their product line, hitting a goal set years earlier. In 2021 alone, they churned out over 17 million pairs of shoes with Ocean Plastic.
Adidas supercharged the campaign with “Run for the Oceans,” an annual event starting in 2017 that gets people moving to fight plastic waste. For every kilometer tracked via their app, they pledge to clean up the equivalent of 10 plastic bottles from beaches—capping out at 500,000 pounds per event.
🚀 What you can learn from this campaign:
- Turn purpose into product: Adidas didn’t just preach sustainability—they wove it into their core offerings. If your brand has a mission, make it tangible, something people can buy, wear, or use, rather than just a feel-good slogan.
- Partner up for impact: Teaming with Parley gave Adidas credibility and scale, while “Run for the Oceans” roped in the masses. Find a cause-aligned partner or create a participatory hook that gets your audience involved, because a campaign that moves people (literally or figuratively) sticks.
4. Salesforce – Candy Shop
Number four brings us to Salesforce’s sugary-sweet “Everyone’s an Einstein – Candy Shop” spot, which kicked off in January 2024.
This 30-second TV and social media blitz turned heads by pairing a candy-coated vibe with a serious pitch: AI isn’t just for tech geniuses—it’s for everyone. And with Matthew McConaughey’s silky voice-over guiding the way, it landed like a dream. Can we all agree that B2B brands don’t always have to be boring?
📖 Related Read: B2B Social Media Content Ideas to Make Your Campaigns Less Boring
How it’s executed:
The campaign drops you into a pastel-drenched candy shop where the narrator proclaims, “Poof! Just like that, everyone’s an Einstein!”
The ad showcased Salesforce’s Einstein AI dishing out predictions, automating tasks, and crunching data fast. Tied to the Einstein 1 Platform push from late 2023, it hit LinkedIn hard, with #EveryonesAnEinstein trending as businesses jumped on the hype sharing how they’d “sweetened” their workflows.
The magic’s in the simplicity. Salesforce took enterprise AI—usually a snooze—and made it feel approachable. They capped it with a free-trial link, and the buzz took off like wildfire.
🚀 What you can learn from this campaign:
- Make the complicated approachable: Salesforce turned AI, something that could scare off or bore folks, into a fun, digestible tale, with McConaughey’s narration as the cherry on top. If your product’s tricky, boil it down to something light and relatable—people stay for the vibe.
- Ride the shareable wave: That jingle and candy-colored look? Prime for clips, GIFs, and memes. Build something your audience can’t resist reposting, hand them the tools to spread it, and they’ll carry it far.
5. SKIMS Campaign
Closing out our top five is SKIMS’ heartfelt team-up with Olivia Munn in October 2024, a campaign that hit hard for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand went beyond slinging bras, partnering with a breast cancer survivor to shine a light on resilience.
How it’s executed:
SKIMS partnered with Munn, diagnosed with luminal B breast cancer in 2023, to model their Ultimate Nipple Bra and Teardrop Push-Up line. Shot by Vanessa Beecroft, the campaign got real when Munn chose to show her double mastectomy scars—unplanned, as she told Today. From October 23 to 31, SKIMS donated 10% of every bra sale to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Pushing early screenings and supporting research, Munn’s story, paired with the brand’s reach, sparked buzz—her past advocacy had already put risk assessment on people’s radars.
The move was bold. SKIMS doubled down on empowerment, blending their sleek vibe with a cause that hit home.
🚀 What you can learn from this campaign:
- Wear your story loud: Munn’s scars turned a photoshoot into something deeper. If your brand’s got a real tale, let it breathe—raw beats polished every time.
- Cause plus commerce works: Linking bras to Komen amplified the impact. Tie your product to a purpose that fits, and your audience will lean in.
What Ties These Winners Together
We started this article asking what makes a social media campaign work—not just limp along, but demands people’s attention? The kind that grabs people, keeps them hooked, and sparks conversations?
The key is knowing your audience and giving them something they can’t scroll past—whether it’s a powerful story, an exciting challenge, or a cause they care about. Make it personal, make it stick, and make sure it ties back to what your brand stands for.
Of course, a great idea is just the beginning. To truly succeed, you need the right tools to simplify your content workflow and approval process. If you want every post to align with your brand’s standards before going live, Gain has you covered. With powerful content management features and a seamless approval system, your team stays organized and on-brand—every time.See it for yourself!
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