The Top Marketing Strategies of 2023: Part 1

McDonald’s – ‘#RaiseYourArches’

Going to McDonald's without actually saying it is the premise of the first ad for the brand that does not feature any of its food, restaurants, or logo. The fast-food chain plays on the idea that a suggestion to go for a sneaky McDonald's often only requires a subtle, secretive glance. 'Fancy a McDonald’s #RaiseYourArches' depicts a group of office workers who communicate their lunch plans with just a raise of an eyebrow.

Leo Burnett UK's ad, although not explicitly branded, creatively incorporates recognizable elements that leave no doubt in the viewer's mind about its purpose. From the hand-drawn M on a yellow Post-it note to the clothing worn by the woman in the ad, and even the raised eyebrows resembling the brand's iconic Golden Arches, McDonald's is prominently featured throughout the 60-second spot.

As a result, 98% of consumers correctly identified the ad as being for McDonald's, as reported by System1. Recognition was particularly high within the first 10 seconds, as soon as the Post-it note appeared, demonstrating the ad's exceptional brand recognition strength. It also received a very strong long-term brand-building effectiveness score of 4.7 out of 5.9 stars, and an exceptional spike rating of 1.48 for short-term sales.

BBC – ‘Eurovision 2023’

The UK's Eurovision history has been lackluster for nearly thirty years, with disappointing entrants consistently placing in the bottom half of the leaderboard. However, after Sam Ryder's unexpected second-place finish in 2022 and with Ukraine unable to host due to the ongoing war, the UK stepped up to take on hosting duties.

The BBC's promotional campaign for the Song Contest exemplified everything that makes the event beloved: it was flashy, vibrant, and delightfully campy. Balancing a celebration of Liverpool with solidarity for Ukraine was no easy feat, but the campaign, featuring European elements, Ukrainian language, and the Scouse drag performer The Vivienne, managed to strike the perfect balance.

The BBC's participation in Eurovision was its most successful in modern history, with a peak audience of 11 million and an average of 9.9 million viewers, garnering a 63% audience share. This broke the previous record of 9.5 million viewers in 2011. The BBC confirmed that this was the highest number of viewers the contest has had since records began in 2002. However, the UK finished 25th out of 26, showing its consistent struggle in the competition.

Barbie

The year 2023 saw a pink revolution. The highly anticipated Barbie movie captivated audiences with a meticulously coordinated and comprehensive marketing campaign leading up to its July release, making it one of the most talked-about films of all time.

Relying heavily on its unique brand assets, particularly the color pink, the movie promotion has been praised as "marketing genius" by many. The association is so strong that one movie poster only featured Barbie's specific pink hue and the release date - no logo, product, actors, or text - and that was enough.

Numerous brands also joined in, further spreading Barbie fever to new audiences. Barbie Crocs, Airbnb's Malibu Dreamhouse, the BBC turning Doctor Who's Tardis pink, and Burger King launching a Barbie burger all contributed to the excitement. These collaborations created a significant buzz on social media, maintaining the promotional momentum for the movie leading up to its release.

The movie was a huge success, breaking box office records for the highest opening weekend of 2023 with an estimated worldwide revenue of £293m. It is currently the highest grossing movie of the year, with global sales surpassing $1.4bn and has had a significant impact on cinema advertising. According to AA/Warc data, cinema advertising is forecast to grow by over 20% in 2023, far surpassing the pace of growth predicted for any other media channel.

Mattel and its marketing team, along with the movie's director and writer Greta Gerwig, have taken branded content to a new level by effectively bringing Barbie back into the spotlight for all the right reasons. Eight years ago, the brand acknowledged that it had lost relevance in society and with parents, accused of reinforcing unrealistic ideals and conforming to stereotypes. Since then, they have made changes to their dolls to better represent different races, abilities, and body shapes, with the aim of inspiring the limitless potential in every girl. This initiative has brought Barbie back to its original purpose, as stated by Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s global head of Barbie and dolls portfolio.

Fiat – ‘Operation No Grey’

Marketers may have different opinions than consumers on what makes a good ad, but Fiat's 'Operation No Grey' managed to please both. In the two-minute ad, the Italian car manufacturer announced that they would no longer make grey cars. The brand's stylish CEO used a large tin of orange paint to make the announcement, stating that while grey may be suitable for other car brands, it had no place in Italy. "Italy represents joy, optimism, love, passion, and life. What does grey have to do with any of that? Nothing," he declared.

Leo Burnett Italia's ad quickly ranked in the top 5% of all UK car ads, earning a "strong" 3.6 star rating, according to System1 data. This rating is significantly higher than the average 2.4 star score typically seen in the category. Additionally, the ad demonstrated strong potential to drive short-term sales, with an "exceptional" 1.34 spike score, surpassing the category average of 1.04. It is also the top-scoring 90-second-plus car ad that System1 has ever analyzed.

Columnist Mark Ritson praised the ad as "fabulous," highlighting its focus on five key aspects of brand building. He emphasized the importance of differentiation, explaining that it's not just about being unique, but also about being more distinct than competitors. Ritson commended Fiat for achieving this effectively and for quickly showcasing its differences from competitors, making it a "perfect branding one/two." System1's Jon Evans also lauded the ad as Fiat's best, suggesting that shorter edits could further improve its impact.

Heinz – ‘It has to be Heinz’

Kraft Heinz made its largest media investment ever in June with the launch of its first global brand platform, 'It has to be Heinz'. This marks the first time in history that the brand has been unified under a single global strategy. Developed in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy, the platform takes a humorous look at the extreme lengths people will go to in order to get their hands on Heinz products. According to Kraft Heinz chief growth officer for America, Diane Frost, the platform is the brand's "love song" to its fans. It debuted in the US, UK, and Canada, and was later introduced in 13 other territories over the next six months.

Heinz broadened the platform beyond TV and social media, venturing into OOH and other channels. In Shanghai, the brand brought the campaign to life with a Heinz 'village', showcasing Heinz products on Chinese dishes. In the UK, Heinz continued the campaign with a new ad highlighting British people abroad, leveraging consumer insights that revealed Brits often bring Heinz beans through airport security.

Heinz's initial market results indicate that the platform has significantly boosted awareness of key brand equity drivers and increased social media awareness in all countries. In the US, the brand's performance is surpassing industry standards for important metrics such as sentiment and engagement rate on social media platforms, resulting in the campaign amassing over 12 billion impressions.

The success of the campaign is a clear example of the brand reinvesting its financial gains from recent years into marketing and branding. In August, Kraft Heinz's CFO Andre Maciel announced that the company would maintain its marketing investments, with a 23% year-on-year increase in Q2 marketing spending. The "It has to be Heinz" campaign represents a bold new direction for the food and beverage brand and appears poised to continue telling the brand's story on a global scale.

TSB – ‘The elephant in the room’

This year, TSB made the decision to refresh its brand following a long-term partnership with David Schwimmer, best known for his role in the popular television show Friends. The bank sought to realign its marketing strategy around the theme of sparking conversations about money. As part of this initiative, TSB introduced its first-ever brand mascot, a literal elephant named Tiny.

According to TSB CMO Emma Springham, the brand's decision to refresh comes on the heels of increased brand awareness from the Schwimmer-led campaign, and a desire to address longstanding misunderstandings about finance. Tiny, voiced by actor Daisy May Cooper and featured in a campaign created by McCann London and Riff Raff, was intended to bring these misconceptions and other unspoken questions about finance to the forefront.

The mascot received high approval ratings from 74% of test participants, who described it as ‘likeable’ or ‘really likeable’. The character was intentionally designed to have enduring appeal, with Springham emphasizing the importance of longevity and a bold, courageous image.

Studies have indicated that well-executed mascot campaigns can effectively draw in new customers, increase market share, and decrease price sensitivity. This is particularly relevant in B2B marketing, with experts from the LinkedIn B2B Institute highlighting mascots as an underappreciated asset in this sector.

TSB’s marketing performance and planning manager, Owain Jevons, previously described TSB’s long-term "journey" back in April, emphasizing that the bank is committed to looking at the next three years, not just the next one. In addition, the character was designed with long-term customer acquisition in mind. The bank's in-school program introduces financial information to young people, and according to Springham, the character provides a playful element to bring into that space.