The Start of Fall Brought Us These 3 Top Marketing Campaigns

To help promote its new butter-yellow speaker, Bose went down an unconventional but effective route. In collaboration with cnc_merch, the brand took product photos that presented the speaker as a stick of butter — parchment paper wrapping and all!

What Did Bose Achieve?

Though the speaker in its butter-style packaging isn’t available for purchase, which could be a missed opportunity for Bose, the unique promotional photos were a stroke of genius that sparked plenty of conversation among its audience. The campaign also tapped into a surging trend, with searches for “butter yellow” increasing by 324% YoY between February and May 2024/25, according to WGSN.

Key Takeaway for Your Business

If you’re releasing a limited edition range or a seasonal variation of a bestselling product, your ecommerce packaging can make all the difference. Without diverging too far from your current branding, you could experiment with a one-off color palette or motif, or present your product in a completely different light, like Bose did.

“Just do it” is one of the most recognizable taglines out there, so what happens if you reimagine these famous words for the modern age? You get “Why do it?” instead, a question that’s designed for the next generation of athletes. For this campaign, Nike released a one-minute ad narrated by Tyler the Creator, which you can watch below.

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What Did Nike Achieve?

By reframing its tagline, Nike’s messaging speaks to Gen Z audiences that have a different approach to greatness. Rather than greatness being a societal expectation, the brand gives young athletes the agency to choose to work towards their goals instead. Here, Nike’s messaging has evolved without discarding the rich history it’s known for.

Key Takeaway for Your Business

Is your brand still speaking to your target audience, or have you lost touch? When you’re working on the messaging for your next campaign, make sure that it’s closely based on your audience research and reflects current cultural trends. It’s all about striking the right balance between your brand identity and engaging with your audience’s current mindset, fears, and aspirations.

Each month, I can find a nostalgia-based marketing campaign without fail, so here’s September’s pick: a Y2K campaign that combines apple bottom jeans with a carbonated treat. To launch a new drink flavor, Bubly Sparkling Water collaborated with apparel brand Apple Bottoms, releasing limited edition jeans with two apple-shaped pockets on the back.

What Did Apple Bottoms and Bubly Achieve?

For this throwback marketing campaign, Bubly and Apple Bottoms’ visuals stood out. Most notably, Bubly’s drinks can packaging featured a denim print background, alongside a glamorous, curved font choice that reflected Y2K nostalgia perfectly. The jeans also came with a host of freebies – like two cans of sparkling water and a custom keychain – that shoppers wanted to get their hands on before they sold out.

Key Takeaway for Your Business

Nostalgia-based marketing is all about being playful and evoking positive emotions from the past, so don’t be afraid to tap into memorable cultural moments. However, the memories you bring up will depend on the age range of your target audience, so make sure that your marketing speaks to the right generation.

September was an incredible month for marketing, and you can also capture that magic with your brand’s next campaign. As you brainstorm, here are my top tips to keep in mind based on what we’ve seen:

• Get creative with your branding – Like Bose did with its butter-shaped packaging, think about how your marketing campaign can showcase your products in a new light and increase their desirability. Maybe you want to refresh your packaging for a limited edition product, or test out a seasonal color palette.
• Keep up with cultural trends – Though your branding should be consistent, your brand also needs to evolve with the times, so don’t forget to keep up with the latest cultural trends and make sure that your campaign messaging still resonates.
• Target throwback marketing wisely – Referencing the past is all well and good, but just make sure that you’re bringing up the right cultural moments first. Research your target audience and create user personas that pinpoint who you’re trying to target.

Do you have a favorite marketing campaign from September that I might’ve missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below.