Social media campaigns succeed when they spark participation, tap into trends, or tell stories that resonate. The examples below show how brands across industries used creativity to drive engagement, virality, and lasting impact.
1. Spotify - “Wrapped”
Every December, Spotify users look forward to Wrapped, a personalized year-in-review that highlights their top songs, artists, and listening habits. What started as a fun analytics feature quickly turned into a cultural phenomenon, as users eagerly shared their results on Instagram Stories, X, and TikTok.
Spotify Wrapped transformed private data into a public badge of identity. By encouraging organic sharing, it boosted user engagement, reinforced loyalty, and gave Spotify free promotion across millions of timelines.
2. ALS - Ice Bucket Challenge
In 2014, the ALS Association launched one of the most viral challenges in internet history. Participants filmed themselves dumping a bucket of ice water over their heads, nominated friends, and posted the videos to Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The campaign raised $115 million for ALS research, reached global audiences, and showed how a simple, participatory format could drive both awareness and fundraising at an unprecedented scale.
3. Apple - “#ShotOniPhone”
Apple leveraged user creativity by encouraging customers to post photos taken with their iPhones under the hashtag #ShotOniPhone. Apple then curated and showcased the best submissions on billboards, social platforms, and official channels.
The campaign generated massive volumes of user-generated content, highlighted the iPhone’s camera quality, and positioned Apple as the brand for everyday creators. It also turned loyal customers into brand ambassadors at no additional cost.
4. Nike - “You Can’t Stop Us”
Nike’s campaign featured a split-screen video seamlessly blending athletes from different sports, backgrounds, and abilities. Released on Instagram and YouTube, the ad emphasized resilience and unity during a time of global uncertainty.
With millions of shares and high emotional impact, the campaign reinforced Nike’s brand values of inclusivity and perseverance. It became a reminder that sports—and people—continue to push forward no matter the challenges.
5. Oreo - “Dunk in the Dark”
During the 2013 Super Bowl blackout, Oreo quickly tweeted an image with the caption: “You can still dunk in the dark.”The post wasn’t pre-planned, it was real-time creativity at its best.
The tweet went viral instantly, with thousands of retweets and widespread media coverage. It became a textbook case of agile marketing, showing how brands can win by being witty and relevant in the moment.
6. Dove - “Real Beauty Sketches”
Dove’s YouTube campaign featured an FBI-trained sketch artist who drew women based first on their self-descriptions and then on descriptions from strangers. The stark contrast highlighted how harshly women view themselves.
The video gained millions of views and sparked meaningful discussions about beauty standards. It aligned perfectly with Dove’s long-running “Real Beauty” platform, deepening emotional connections with its audience.
Wendy’s broke away from corporate monotony by giving its Twitter account a sharp, sarcastic personality. From playful roasts of competitors to witty comebacks at customers, the brand used humor to stand out.
The tweets often went viral, boosting followers and engagement. More importantly, it established Wendy’s as a bold, relatable brand that thrived on interaction and pop culture relevance.
8. Chipotle - “#GuacDance” on TikTok
To celebrate National Avocado Day, Chipotle partnered with influencers and launched a TikTok hashtag challenge, asking users to post dance videos with the tag #GuacDance.
The campaign quickly became TikTok’s highest-performing branded challenge at the time, with over 250,000 submissions and hundreds of millions of views. It proved how tapping into platform-specific trends could fuel massive reach.
9. Starbucks - “#RedCupContest”
Every holiday season, Starbucks launches the Red Cup Contest, inviting customers to post creative photos of its festive red cups on Instagram with the branded hashtag.
The campaign drives thousands of user submissions annually, creating buzz around Starbucks’ seasonal offerings and reinforcing its place in holiday traditions.
10. Airbnb - “#WeAccept”
In response to global conversations around inclusivity, Airbnb launched the #WeAccept campaign during the Super Bowl. The campaign featured real people from diverse backgrounds and was shared widely on Instagram and Twitter.
Airbnb strengthened its identity as a socially conscious brand while fostering community engagement. The campaign became a model for how brands can merge purpose-driven messaging with cultural moments.
Even the most viral campaigns share common strategies. To create your own:
Start with a clear message that resonates with your audience
Encourage user participation and creativity
Leverage real-time opportunities for relevance
Tell authentic, relatable stories
Align campaigns with your brand values
Design content that’s easy to share across platforms
Conclusion
Creative social media campaigns have the power to spark conversations, boost engagement, and strengthen brand identity. From witty tweets to user-driven challenges, the examples above show that impact doesn’t always come from big budgets, it comes from ideas that connect.
Start planning your next campaign with simple, authentic ideas that speak to your audience—and make execution easier with a social media post maker that helps you create and share content effortlessly.
