2013: 10 Best Facebook Campaigns Till Date

Whenever I think of campaigns, thrusting placards and shouting slogans come to my mind. Though nothing can be farther from the truth than this. These days, campaigns are everything that's defined by subtle, stylish and interactive. And most of them are carried out on social media platforms like Facebook. 2013 already has a plethora of them but I've taken upon the task of choosing ten that I've liked a lot. Since I have a thing for countdowns, I'll move in reverse order.

(Feel free to excuse me if you like it the other way round!)

10. Where will your signature take you

Since my mind, right now, is set on creative ways of engaging consumers, I just can't ignore 'Where will your signature take you'. What else can you say about a campaign that promotes a fun, unplanned and surprise journey based only upon your signature?

'UN' was the name Fox Traveller decided to give this journey, where UN stood for UNmapped. Created in partnership with Yatra, this campaign made use of a simple Facebook application that would take you to a blank page - so that you could scribble out your signature. You could keep working at it until you were pleased. Once done, the app would reveal a destination based on your unique signature. The app gave you the option of inviting friends and those with the maximum number of friends would be eligible to move to the final round.

Verdict - Snazzy way of building the love of travel among people and promoting the 'fUN' element in journeys. Though Fox Traveller remained true to their warning: “contest lasts till we've lost our mind”.

9. KitchenAid Mother of the Year

On any given day, mothers are the most taken for granted. But then, it's good to see initiatives that are aimed at engaging them in a meaningful way. The 'Mother of the Year' campaign by KitchenAid was a step in that direction.

The campaign required children to nominate their mothers along with their photo and best recipe. There was a dedicated app to do all this. KitchenAid merchandise comprised giveaways though the big prize was a KitchenAid Stand Mixer. This short and sweet campaign lasted for the whole Mother's Day week in May.

Verdict - An interesting way to engage customers and reminding them of the amazing souls that nurtured them. The dedicated app didn't seek access to your profile, friend list and all that blah like apps usually do. A big plus that.

8. Puma Finger Bash

How could I not feature a cricket-related campaign in this list? The 'Finger Bash' campaign was unleashed by sports-lifestyle brand Puma even as the IPL season was getting over. It was to give fans an interesting gaming experience through viral avataars of Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Adam Gilchrist among others.

The game continues to be there so you can let your fingers do the thwacking whenever you want! You choose from one and two over games. The game has been created along the lines of Rock-Paper-Scissors. It's interactive and gives the active spectator a chance to play their skills out.

Verdict: One campaign that didn't make it necessary for you to like their Facebook page! Though a grand prize may have made this one more attractive.

7. The Magnificent 7

Biggies like Yatra and MakeMyTrip may have been giving a tough time to ClearTrip, but the latter remains unfazed. Their recent 'The Magnificent 7' campaign sure seems to be proof of that. The online travel company is celebrating because they've garnered 7 lakh likes (and are moving ahead at the speed of light).

The campaign presents you with a quiz, all of which you will need to answer correctly. This gives you a chance to win a free return air ticket every day for seven days!

Verdict: A simple campaign with a multi-pronged approach. So, it not only engages people and makes them aware about the brand but also gives the company insights into customer behaviour. A ClearWinner this one!

6. Padding up with Sachin

Aviva might be all about life insurance but its recent campaign 'Padding up with Sachin' has gone beyond. And that's exactly what I like. The company has teamed up with Masterblaster Sachin Tendulkar for the campaign, which uses a simple Facebook app.

Once you like Aviva India's Facebook page, you can access the app. At the moment, it allows you to take a Sachin-centric quiz. In the early days, right after its launch, you could watch video tutorials by the cricketing great and also videos that had him talk about family and why protection is important.

Verdict - It's not everyday that you get the chance of watching Sachin Tendulkar look straight at you and talk to you about important things like family and insurance. Aviva has surely found an engaging way to spread the message.

5. Shovel

This phoenix is finally rising from the ashes and how. Internet Explorer, the web browser that many of us grew up with, is back with a bang (read: Facebook campaign). Shovel is the newest way the brand has decided to resurrect itself. The idea is to create awareness about the latest IE browser version that feeds on a more socially connected world.

The campaign uses a Facebook app that you can access to unearth some interesting data from your profile - details about your friends, your fans, where they are located, their activities. From updates and tags to likes, Shovel lets you dig out information that you would've not known otherwise.

Verdict - It's heartening to see IE make a comeback in a fun, engaging way. It has been able to use Facebook as a canvas to demonstrate it's newest features quite successfully. Though I suspect a bit of nostalgia is also responsible for me vouching for this.

 4. Help a Child Reach 5

Talk of awareness and Lifebuoy's recent Facebook campaign can't be far behind. 'Help a Child Reach 5' sheds light on the statistic that 2 million children aged less than five fall prey to hygiene-related diseases every year. But that's not all - the campaign is meant to make people understand how important hand-washing is.

A straightforward Facebook app takes people into the heart of the campaign. The app is linked to a Youtube video and once you like it, the 'like' automatically translates into a pledge.

Verdict: A realistic yet engaging video gives the campaign a nice twist. A successful attempt at establishing the brand as a 'responsible' entity.

3. Ahaar Abhiyan

Running for a year now, this Horlicks campaign still continues to take a strong stand on the message of fighting malnutrition among children aged between three and six. This year spells the second leg of the campaign, which will see GlaxoSmithKline Healthcare (creators of brand Horlicks) work with consumers to raise funds for awareness efforts -yet again. This time around, the brand is implementing a pilot project in West Bengal in association with CARE India and Chennai in association with Save The Children.

The Horlicks Ahaar Abhiyan Facebook page comes with three apps - one to make a donation, one to take a pledge and another called 'Art of Nutrition'. The last allows users to upload their children's paintings. For every pledge taken, donation made and painting uploaded, one rupee is contributed towards the cause.

Verdict: It's CSR in its truest form but done in a way to engage consumers and build brand loyalty. Vidya Balan as the ambassador also makes the campaign's reach wider.

2. Powerlight a Village

Ever since I got to know about Garnier's popular campaign, I've re-worded the popular saying into : where there's light, there's a way. The objective of the 'Powerlight a Village' campaign is to bring the power of light into the many lightless villages of India. Through the campaign, one can further the chances of every lightless household having access to a solar lamp, a solar tubelight and solar panel.

A user-friendly Facebook app is what powers this campaign that Garnier has come up with, in association with Project Chirag. There's no contribution to be made either in cash or kind - just pledge your support towards the movement. And every comment and share will translate into a specific unit of energy. Also in the picture are on-ground activations where men can pedal bicycles and record the energy that's been generated. Everything put together will bring about light in the existence of the remotest Indian villages.

Vedict: A thoughtful campaign that is well-aligned with Garnier's brand message - 'Take Care'. The campaign's message of using solar energy is awareness-building.

And it's time for the Numero Uno spot. At least for now.

1. Bid for Silk

I can safely say that love of chocolate is universal. And knowing that all too well, Cadbury decided to make 'giant' acknowledgements. How? By putting up huge cubes of Dairy Milk Silk chocolates for auction at the Oberoi Mall, Goregaon East. People had to place their bids through a Facebook post or a Tweet declaring what they could do to get a bite of Silk. And the more out-of-this-world an answer was, the greater were the chances of winning. A simple Facebook app and BidforSilk hashtag were all that one needed to be part of this campaign.

The sole reason I have a soft corner for Bid for Silk is the hype it managed to create - interesting, engaging hype around the re-launch of Dairy Milk Silk in a softer, smoother avataar. What gave the re-launch more momentum was 'ByeByeSilk', a teaser campaign that roused a lot of curiosity and heartache among Silkaholics when Cadbury declared Silk was to be no more. But soon Silk was back -bigger and better!

Verdict - Awesome at building brand awareness and showing the brand will never disappoint. Coming back to creativity, this one thrilled me to bits.

There were many other campaign contenders, which could have made it here. But then, so much of the year is left and I'm sure to try my hand at this again. Soon.