Social media was both wonderful and wonderfully awful this year. On the one hand, it was splendidly efficient. You had record-breaking selfies, heartbreaking stories, and the greatest digital charity campaign ever all encapsulated in your news feed. On the other hand, there was bizarre banality, misplaced irreverence, and general clumsiness by brands attempting to insert themselves into our online conversation. Amongst all the noise, there were a few bright cases that stood out.
Originally, I tried to write this using a highly scientific, expertly quantifiable formula with concepts like “Virality” and “Timeliness” (there was even a 10-point scale). That didn’t last. Instead, this shortlist of social media happenings was compiled using highly unspecific and subjective judgments. If I liked a brand’s take, quality, or timing, I lauded it. If it was so cringe-worthy that I was left dumbfounded, it was probably DiGiorno (Related note: Please Digiorno, for the love of the Internet, just stop. We’re not entertained).
Without further ado, here’s the Best of Social Media in 2014:
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
I wanted to avoid this. I think we all eventually grew tired of watching our relatives and distant friends douse themselves. But you can’t ignore the massive scope of its appeal. This campaign is easily the most recognizable social charity movement ever hatched. Just look at the sheer numbers: 10 billion video views and over $100 million raised. Cheers to Pete Frates for creating something that truly transcended the idea of charitable fundraising online.
I knew this was a phenomenon once my grandma joined in. She’s 88 years old. She doesn’t own a personal computer. Her entire knowledge of the campaign consisted of watching the ladies of “The View” do it. Yet, she ended up recording a participatory video. If you can get my Gram to join in an online conversation, then you’re a wildly successful movement. Well done.
Newcastle’s “If We Made It”
If I had to pick a brand that killed it on social this year, it’d be Newcastle. They were timely, but never overwhelming; boisterous, yet charming; superficial, but also irreverent. The “If We Made It” campaign focused on a phantom Super Bowl ad was a sharp idea that set the tone for a truly impressive yearlong run.
At its core, the “If We Made It” concept centers around how wildly expensive and inefficient it is to produce a Super Bowl commercial. Anna Kendrick provided a two-minute rant that captured half of the campaign’s 10 million views online. But they didn’t stop there. This tone continued throughout the year:
- Newcastle gave away a million dollars…by distributing $1 each to a million Twitter followers
- #IfWeWon was a cheeky reminder about how the British would have run America had we lost the Revolutionary War
- A partnership with the US Bartenders Guild gave praise to bartenders with pop-up concerts by Grouplove and Spoon
- #NewcastleAdAid invited fans to upload photos that were Photoshopped into social ads
- Wil Wheaton chimed in to highlight Newcastle’s Scotch Ale with a clever video
Each one, on its own, is a great idea. But as a whole? That’s a stellar run of engaging your fans with new and exciting ideas.
Pharrell & the Arby’s Hat
Did you know that 70% of your body heat escapes from your head? That fact alone is enough to make you a fan of hats. But in 2014, Pharrell made it even cooler to appreciate headwear.
Ellen Degeneres and Samsung may have broken Twitter with a selfie, but I find what Pharrell did more noteworthy. After appearing at the Grammy’s with an oversized cowboy hat, he openly quipped with Arby’s about how it resembled their logo. This would have been nonsensical if it wasn’t for what came next.
Pharrell went on to auction the hat off, and Arby’s shilled out over $44,000 to purchase it in support of his charity. Say what you want about how silly that hat is – the greater good prevailed when it came to this stunt.
Alex from Target
Early in November, someone happened to snap a cell phone photo of a kid running his local Target checkout line. He seemed like the average teenager. But, for whatever reason, Twitter took on a mind of its own. He suddenly became a trending topic.
A lot has already been written about how “Teen Twitter” reacted to this out-of-nowhere phenomenon. I’m not going to try to decipher it. Instead, I’m curious how this fascinatingly happened right before Target’s busiest season of the year. Once #AlexFromTarget was identified, his account amassed over 300,000 followers in a matter of 24 hours. Brands would kill for that kind of exposure. And for it to conveniently mention Target right before Black Friday? It seemed too good to be true.
Oh…this was a sham from an upstart viral marketing company?!
Of course, it was. Good luck in 2015, everyone.
