January 2024 Marketing Roundup
The monthly marketing roundup is a series where I share the best marketing campaigns and content from each month. It is a more in-depth version of the weekly marketing roundup I do on my Instagram story.
Topical Brand Trip to Accra for Detty December
We kicked off the year with major FOMO thanks to Topical's brand trip to Accra, Ghana for Detty December. This trip has already been tagged "the way to do brand trips right" and "the brand trip of 2024” and we're only just in February!
My favourite bits about the trip:
Location: The perfect location to grab the attention of their target audience.
Product Placement: They seamlessly integrated the products into the fun: They had people wearing the “Faded Under Eye Mask” in the club, everyone with glossy lips from using “sleek salve”.
Content Overload!: If you were like me and were jumping from Instagram story to story, you would know there was no holding back. Both the Topical brand page and influencer pages shared tons of engaging content in real-time.
More Than Hype: The trip translated to sales, with Sleek Salve, the star product, currently sold out at Sephora. Plus, Topical has become the reference for inclusivity in brand trips.
💡Detty December: A month-long period of partying in Ghana and Nigeria during the festive period, especially by Africans returning from the diaspora. It is the perfect example of the TikTok sound: “bus, club, another bus, next place”.
Gentle Monster’s sick PR Packaging
Gentle Monster's PR package for their 2024 "Gentle Jelly" Collection made waves all over TikTok. While I have no interest in buying sunglasses anytime soon, I found myself watching all the unboxing videos because the packaging was so cool.
I am 100% a sucker for fun innovative packagings so this is genius to me.
💡 I hadn’t heard about Gentle Monsters before this and when I looked them up on TikTok (our favourite search engine, lol), I discovered they're known for their experiential pop-ups. Explains why they nailed this campaign!
Gentle Monsters pop-up in Seoul and Beijing
Kai Collective’s content rollout
Kai Collective absolutely killed it with the content rollout for their "I love you, I love you more" collection! I mean, they always eat, so nothing new.
Let's break it down:
Fisayo Lounge, Founder's Monologue on Love
The visuals, the dress, super eye-catching; 10/10.
Love Letters Campaign
The Love Letters campaign lets you submit a letter to your partner, friend, family member, or even yourself, and it will be shared on their Instagram.
Such a cute idea! It aligns perfectly with Kai Collective’s focus on community and vulnerability, naturally creating a safe space for love confessions.
YouTube Series "Only Feelings are Real"
This is AGELESS content! It taps into everyone's love for love. (we are all a bit nosey)
Again, the visuals and production are also 10/10. I love that the guests are wearing Kai and answering what seem to be Kai conversation cards 👀.
Elf’s true crime mockumentary on missing makeup
Elf Cosmetics released a hilarious mockumentary investigating the age-old mystery of vanishing makeup!
The documentary focuses on Olivia, a high school student who finds out on the morning of her promposal that her e.l.f. Liquid Poreless Putty Primer, Glow Reviver Lip Oil, and Halo Glow Liquid Filter Foundation have disappeared. This triggers a criminal investigation aimed at uncovering the thief.
It's a fun and engaging watch that would resonate with anyone whose makeup has randomly disappeared around family and friends.
The documentary also screened in select AMC theatres across the US, before the new “Mean Girls”.
Heinz: "The Wait" Campaign
Heinz delivered a super simple yet effective ad campaign with "The Wait."
We've all been there: food arrives, but the essential ketchup (or mayo, etc.) is missing, forcing us to wait. The campaign celebrates those willing to wait for Heinz, implying that no other condiment is worth the delay.
Heinz global campaign, 'The Wait,'
Sweetheart Candy’s Gift a gift as blurry as your relationship
Sweetheart Candy tapped into the reality of "situationships" with a pack filled entirely with misprints, perfectly capturing the confusing, undefined space situationships occupy.
It's cheeky, relevant, and honestly, kind of brilliant. I would totally gift one if I were in a situationship.
January = several fitness and wellness campaigns
January always features several fitness and wellness campaigns, as brands aim to capitalise on the "New Year, New Me" resolutions. Here are some of my favs;
Gymbox’s Exceptional Copywriting
Gymbox, notorious for their witty copywriting, kicked off 2024 with their "Made for London Life" out-of-home campaign. The campaign contrasts different unique aspects of London life.
Planet Fitness x Megan Thee Stallion: Severing big fitness energy
I very much like the copywriting and storytelling in this ad. The ad aimed to highlight Planet Fitness as a gym for everyone, where you can workout with no restrictions, gym anxiety, or judgement, thanks to its low cost.
Megan being the star of the campaign “Mother Fitness” is also fitting considering there have been talks about her weight loss and her living in the gym.
Megan The Stallion x Planet Fitness
Chipotle x Strava: Running routes to free Chipotle lifestyle bowls.
Chipotle collaborated with the running app 'Strava' on a January fitness challenge for a chance to win free Chipotle lifestyle bowls for a year.
They created different running routes, each leading to a Chipotle as a way to gamify and incentivise exercise
Debby Comment: I think this is cool as participants would automatically get to know the different Chipotle's around them, boosting brand awareness.
UGC Gold: Aya Pad had a viral moment
The review video that made Aya Pad go viral is every marketer/ product owner’s dream. When someone genuinely reviews your product and encourages others to buy it for free, heavenly!!
On top of that, It is also the perfect UGC content relatable, informative and even features a product demo.
This review resulted in great success for the brand as they have since, sold out in shops, had to increase operation, hire more staff and increase stocklists. Love it for them!
Cadbury’s "Yours for 200 Years."
To mark their 200th anniversary, Cadbury rolled out a series of heartwarming nostalgic campaigns.
Cadbury’s retro packaging for 200th anniversary
They released limited edition “retro chocolate bars” in seven distinct designs, including a design from 1915 that has soon become collectable.
They recreated an old TV commercial where a child tries to buy a birthday gift for her mum using toys. Watch the full ad here.
Lastly” Your Cadbury Photos", a competition encouraging people to share old photos featuring Cadbury products.
“Your Cadbury Photos”
That’s all for January! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram to stay updated weekly. Until next time<3
