Summer Campaigns that leveraged social media to keep citizens cool

Summer campaigns have evolved to run longer periods, be more immersive with a new narrational slice every season. We take a look at summer campaigns that over the years leveraged social media to offer a solution for the scorching heat.

Do you remember the rawness of that Glucon D advertisement where the sun would suck energy off children with a straw or how the redness would disappear from the back on the application of Dermi Cool? No matter which generation you belong to, there are some summer campaigns, TVC or digital, that are bound to be lodged in your memory.

In the last few years, as our screens grew smaller, the tussle between brands to make a mark has grown fiercer. Campaigns became more likely to go beyond a TVC, with insights and concepts that would cover a large chunk of the season. Experiences created tended to be more immersive and engaging over social media.

While a lion share of summer campaigns seems to constitute of FMCG brands, other sectors too have leveraged it to the hilt. One of the most important factors in the mix is how the season often coincides with big cricketing leagues, making it a lucrative trend to be leveraged.

We take a look at some digital summer campaigns that have stood out over the years.

Lipton #100DaysOfSummer

For #100DaysOfSummer, Lipton roped in comedian Jose, magician Neel and recipe maker Shailarna to create digital content and highlight the brand's offline initiatives like helping traffic cops to refresh with ice tea. Consumers were encouraged to gift ice tea to strangers and share their stories with #RefreshSmiles under the #100DaysOfSummer campaign.

Delmonte #DontBeASucker

A major chunk of the Delmonte #DontBeASucker campaign was a video featuring Baba Sehgal. The campaign revolved around promoting the idea of drinking juice from a can over a tetra pack. The aim was to highlight that only aerated drinks aren't sold in cans.

The brand's green apple juice offering was used to counter the popular idea that apples are red, drawing parallels with can v/s tetra pack narrative. Scope of the campaign was extended on digital using bright creatives and hashtags like #DontBeASucker, #CanIt, and #FollowMatKar.

Havmor Ice Cream #TheCoolestSummerJob

Havmor has run the #TheCoolestSummerJob campaign thrice over the last three years. Each year, they ask ice cream enthusiasts to register themselves on a microsite. Selected candidates are then invited to a Havmor manufacturing facility, where they work closely with a celebrity chef mentor (Saransh Goila, 2019).

After a round of activities, one of them is eventually declared the Chief Tasting Officer. It works as a platform for the brand to launch new flavours. The entire journey is documented online.

Paper Boat's My First Train Journey

Paper Boat paid tribute to the Indian Railways with the help of a digital film-led campaign. On social media, it was promoted with the help of and supported by illustrations of key nostalgic moments associated with a person's first train ride, most commonly taken as a child in summer vacations.

Sprite v/s Summer

Sprite v/s Summer campaign was led by a TVC, which was released in eight Indian languages, featuring regional celebrities. On digital platforms, the viewers could choose where the story would go next and see it proceed accordingly.

Another innovation in the campaign was a temperature-based digital activation where an increase in the temperature in a city would allow people there to get free sampling coupons on clicking the banner.

KFC's Krushers Komic

To engage with their TG online, KFC launched a Facebook application in 2013. It allowed users to input pictures, names, and a couple of their favourite catchphrases into a storyline. The app would generate a comic for them, which they could share with friends online.

The best one stood the chance to get a print version from KFC. According to the brand, 17,000 consumers had created their own Krushers Komics within 7 days of the app's launch. Weekly prizes were also announced to keep people engaged.

#SummerWithGoogle

For parents with young kids at home, #SummerWithGoogle came with two interesting propositions: Kids would be engaged in regular assignments given to them by Google as a part of the campaign and that they will learn the basics of how to responsibly use the internet.

Offline, experiential zones were set up and about 100 kids were to be given the chance to visit Google India offices with their parents for a short summer camp.