10 Most Interesting Brand Strategy Examples from 2021

23 November, 2021

Image Credit: Mike Petrucci at Unsplash

As December is around, the debate on burning crackers on Diwali has again faded into the smog. As part of the new-age North Indian middle-class, I am ready to welcome the winter season with my Signature blanket from a cousin's wedding, H&M and Zara jackets and boots from the end of season sale last year, Diwali leftover roasted almonds, Nescafe coffee sachets, and peanuts and gur (jaggery) from the nearby Kirana store. I spent the last few weeks in peer pressure secretly trying to google about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday. As a ritual, I intend to spend the next few weeks contemplating a fascinating new year plan (in the air) and a (useless) resolution for healthy eating from January 1, 2022.

While I deal with these ordinary contradictions every year, I decided to write about my favourite brand strategy examples this year. I had a lot of fun discussing these cases in my classes; sharing here so that I feel motivated to use new examples next year.

Amazon Prime: The latest advertisements from Amazon Prime, featuring Pankaj Tripathi and Maanvi Gagroo in different versions, used an anti-intuitive marketing strategy. The brand urged consumers to spend time with family during Diwali rather than binge-watching. It's a classic case of telling consumers things they would hardly expect or something that goes against popular logic. But what really is logical in the world of real consumers?

Video Credit: Prime Video India at Youtube

Cadbury Celebrations: Cadbury released a fresh, AI-powered branding campaign amid a raging controversy surrounding Shahrukh's son. Despite a negative sentiment floating around, the appropriate combination of technology, support for local entrepreneurs, Shahrukh's connection with the general public, and the proper post-pandemic festival timing made it garner appreciation.

Video Credit: Celebrations India at Youtube

Joy E-Bike: While electric vehicles have been the talk of the town for some time now, Joy launched an e-bike by positioning it only around bachat (saving). Although sustainable development seems a significant agenda in international forums, the e-bike seller in India targeting middle-class families focused only on the economic angle and not social or environmental.

Video Credit: Joy e-bike at Youtube

Whitehat Jr: Whitehat Jr was a favourite case study this year for all the right and wrong reasons. They created a market need by promoting coding for kids as a dire essential skill and eventually shifted to advertisements like the one with the living legend Asha Bhonsle ji to promote createlikeachild campaign. Based on the classical approach of selling fear to parents, like Bournvita and Horlicks, it would be interesting to see how the brand communication unfolds next year.

Video Credit: WhiteHat Jr at Youtube

Dabur Fem Bleach: 2021 was also the year of controversies for various brands, including Surf Excel, Fabindia, and Manyavar. The latest to face criticism was Dabur when it launched an advertisement for Fem bleach showing a lesbian couple celebrating Karwa Chauth. The brand received severe bashing and ended up giving a public apology. What was common to all such cases - the extensive use of social media, critique of a widely prevalent ritual, and a sudden perspective of the brand on a social issue of long-standing.

Image Credit: Dabur India Ltd's X (Formerly Twitter) Account

Netflix Money Heist: The launch of Money Heist Season-5 was a hot topic this year. While it is a popular series with an IMDb rating of 8.2, it was commendable how Netflix used a combination of media for its launch. An advertisement featuring actors from various series of Netflix singing an anthem created exclusively for promotion in the Hindi language was aired on social media platforms as well as Tata Sky.

Image Credit: Netflix India at Youtube

McDonald's: McDonald's has consistently received criticism for being an unhealthy choice, especially for its target market of children. The company made significant changes to its happy meal by replacing fries with fruit and carbonated beverage with juice. The next step is to remove plastic from the toy. Honestly, I had to order extra fries with this meal. So, I have my reservations about the move. But they made me spend more than I was expecting.

Image Credit: McDonald's.com online menu

CRED: The CRED advertisement featuring Jim Sarbh and Kapil Dev in the avatar of Ranveer Singh was a blockbuster. Kapil Dev proved once again that he will always be the real Hero. It made eminent that tasteful creativity and humour go down very well with the Indian audience. Such humour runs through the veins of every Indian - neither subtle nor loud; epic in observation, a little crazy and slightly different. However, CRED campaigns have attracted mixed reactions from experts as they do not focus on the product/service exclusively.

Video Credit: CRED at Youtube

First Cry: The Fussy Mummy campaign was launched by First Cry. It was based on breaking the norm and being oneself. The company leveraged the changing dynamics of the Indian middle class with working mothers and nuclear families. Interestingly, kids picked up the phrase 'fussy mummy' quickly – good for brand recall.

Video Credit: FirstCry Parenting at Youtube

Cadbury Dairy Milk: Finally, Cadbury Dairy Milk completed a full circle this year with a fresh take on the old and famous kuchh khas hai advertisement of the 1990s. It involved a significant effort to use nostalgia, highlight role reversal in the changing times, and re-communicate the happiness in consuming Dairy Milk by adults.

Video Credit: CadburyDairyMilkIn at Youtube

Apart from these, there were many others like Meesho, Zomato, Swiggy, Byju's, Facebook, WhatsApp, Gillette etc., with exciting campaigns and strategies. The main trends were (a) using fresh ideas, (b) calling a spade a spade, (c) using humour and anti-intuitive approach, (d) relying on user-generated, close to real-life or AI and data-backed content, (e) highlighting the changing fabric of the society or taking a stand on social issues, (f) actively pursuing a social media strategy, and (h) being agile, contemporary and always on the toes.

As we enter the post-pandemic era, it would be fun to see what comes next. I am glad I only have to teach and not create such ideas daily.

Until next year, phew! ☕

Acknowledgement: All the videos are from the official YouTube channels of the respective brands. I used to dream as a child how would it feel to get lifetime access to advertisements. YouTube made it a reality. Thank You.