With 2012 now history, it’s time for my “Top 10”
marketing highlights list. What campaigns were great, and which were duds? What
do you remember from the 2012 marketing reel?
With a quick thanks to David Letterman
for the format, here’s my list:
Number 10:
Hashtags appeared everywhere on
television. No matter what program was on the screen, there was that darn little
hashtag in one corner to facilitate social media conversations. Here are just a
few: #TheVoice #SharkTank #BigBangTheory #60Minutes and #TonightShow.
Number 9:
After 244 years, The Encyclopaedia
Britannica ended its print edition to focus on digital products.
Number 8:
The 100-year anniversary of the Titanic disaster
was observed. This disaster continues to capture people’s imagination
especially since James Cameron filmed the ship at the bottom of the Atlantic
Ocean and memorialized the story in his epic Oscar-winning film.
Number 7:
RIM announced that it would leave the
consumer market and instead focus on the enterprise (business market). This
formal decision was not a surprise to those who watch the tech world, but after
creating a product category with the Blackberry, this end of an era taught all a very important lesson: you must listen to and learn from your
core customers.
Number 6:
Pinterest emerged as the social media
darling. The site created a buzz while still in its beta phase and with
membership by invitation only. Different from other social sites, Pinterest’s
focus is visual, and users share pins to themed boards.
Number 5:
Facebook’s initial public offering was
the largest in terms of dollars and most talked about IPO in NASDAQ history.
However, despite problems on the day of the IPO and decline of the stock’s
value in the months since the IPO, Facebook continues to grow its membership. During 2012,
Facebook welcomed its one billionth user. However, information security
(infosec) professionals still question Facebook’s attention to user privacy versus
who will have access to user data.
Number 4:
Some redesigned logos were unveiled
during 2012. Twitter launched a new logo without its company name, just the
blue bird. Others included JCPenney, Wendy’s, eBay, and Microsoft.
Number 3:
“Dallas” returned to television (TNT)
after a 20-year absence with three original actors portraying their original
characters: JR, Sue Ellen, and Bobby. Whenever a television show is recreated,
fans wish for elements from the initial version. But this new version was so
similar to the twists and turns of the original that it made this blogger a
quick fan.
Number 2:
While the London Olympics closely followed
the Royal Wedding of Prince William and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, there was
plenty of interest. Despite complaints from locals, tourists traveled from all
over the world. The world’s attention was on London for the events, and the XXX
Olympiad went off without a hitch. From a marketing perspective, there was an
increase in tourism throughout the UK, an increase in buying British products,
an increase in fans for the James Bond brand (due to the memorable arrival of
the Queen and James Bond at the Opening Ceremonies), and an increase in
positive attention for the British Royal family. The strange logo created
conversations but didn’t damage the integrity of the Olympics.
Number 1:
After the death of Steve Jobs in 2011 and
rumors that Apple could not survive without him, the company unveiled its
newest phone, the iPhone 5. Bigger, better, faster, and without a doubt,
something all iOS fans can’t get their hands on quickly enough – and something
that new users of Apple products dream about.
What would you add to this list? Here’s to 2013 and another year of
marketing highlights. Happy New Year!
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