Canva and Taco Bell Do the Unexpected With These July Campaigns

In London, commuters passing through Waterloo Station may’ve spotted a giant Canva logo paired with the caption: “When ‘make the logo bigger’ goes a bit too far.” This billboard was part of Canva’s larger-than-life marketing campaign promoting its graphic design tools, highlighting relatable situations that designers are all too familiar with.

What Did Canva Achieve?

By blending relatability with humor, Canva’s billboards cracked inside jokes with its
target audience that didn’t miss the mark. Creatives who felt seen by the campaign formed a closer connection with the brand, or were inspired to share the billboard designs with their friends and colleagues.

Key Takeaway for Your Business

The market is saturated, so your marketing material needs a creative approach to stand out. What might make your target audience stop in their tracks? Keeping Canva’s billboards in mind, you could base your next campaign on a specific audience experience or pain point.

Dove’s values are closely tied to its brand identity, since the skincare brand is known for promoting body confidence and self-esteem among women. These values were at the heart of its July podcast series, Why2K?, that unpacked “2000s culture and the lasting impact of the era’s beauty ideals.” 

What Did Dove Achieve?

With Dove’s campaign marking 25 years since the millennium, it speaks to customers who’ve grown up with these unattainable beauty standards and might still be coming to terms with their impact years later. Instead of simply promoting a new product, the campaign feels driven by purpose and tells customers that this is a brand that cares.

Key Takeaway for Your Business

A successful marketing campaign shouldn’t feel “salesy.” Instead, you need to bring direct value to your audience by creating marketing material that’s catered to their needs. This will help you increase customer loyalty, since shoppers are more likely to return to a brand that they can trust and rely on.

Here’s a collaboration I didn’t see coming. In July, Taco Bell teamed up with golf apparel brand Bad Birdie for a unique campaign. The brands hosted a two-day golfing competition, with 16 of America’s most promising junior golfers competing to win a spot at a professional tournament. To mark the event, the brands released a limited-edition capsule wardrobe, too.

You can watch an overview of the event below:

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What Did Taco Bell Achieve?

Tacos and golfing might sound like an unexpected combination, but that’s exactly what made this marketing campaign so memorable. The limited-edition merch was also highly coveted, with many of Taco Bell’s Instagram followers expressing their need to grab one of the T-shirts themselves.

Key Takeaway for Your Business

When looking for your next partnership, you don’t have to play it safe. If you want to break the mould and reach new audiences you might’ve otherwise missed, see if you can strike up a collaboration with a brand that’ll make people stop and share. Of course, you can’t go completely off the rails, especially if a brand doesn’t represent your values.

Next up is my favorite experiential marketing campaign of July, which saw the cracker brand Goldfish open its own “Goldfish Retrieval Service” along the Jersey Shore. During the Fourth of July weekend, families could drive in for complimentary car cleaning (to clear up those pesky car seat crumbs), and get themselves stocked up on Goldfish crackers in 15 different flavors.

What Did Goldfish Achieve?

Goldfish’s cheery marketing campaign was not only creative, but it left families with a unique experience that they could share on their socials. Goldfish’s own social media feed was buzzing with praise too, with customers giving the marketing team their accolades.

Key Takeaway for Your Business

Even if you don’t have the budget to transform a car wash, you can provide customers with a smaller, tailored experience that’ll leave them feeling uplifted and loyal to your brand. If you’re planning a pop-up shop or a brand activation in your neighbourhood, focus on creating a social media-friendly experience they’ll want to share. Can you create an eye-catching photo backdrop, or a quirky prop?

With July’s best marketing campaigns covered, I’d love to hear if you have a favorite from the month. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.  

But if you’re ready to create your next marketing campaign for August, keep these top tips in mind:

• Know your target audience – maybe there’s an inside joke you could crack with them, or a common experience you could share
• Be driven by purpose, not your product alone
• Don’t be afraid to pair up with an unexpected brand for your next collaboration, so long as it shares your brand’s values
• For pop-ups, create a shareable moment that’ll look fantastic on your social media profiles