There’s no set formula for creating the perfect viral social media campaign. And this is reflected in the crazy, heartwarming, inspiring and hilarious brand stunts that hold the top spots for best social media campaigns of all time.
The most viral social media campaigns ever
1. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (2014)
- Platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram.
- Impact: Raised over $115 million for ALS research.
- Why it worked: Participatory, simple, celebrity-backed, highly shareable
In the summer of 2014, the ice bucket challenge took over the internet to help raise awareness for ALS (a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord).
It all started when three guys living with ALS (Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates, and Pat Quinn) took the Ice Bucket Challenge and launched a global campaign that over 17 million people took part in.
People across the world copied, posting their attempts on social media and challenging their own friends and family to do the same. With big stars such as Taylor Swift, Eminem and David Beckham also taking part, the social media trend made a huge impact, as over $115 million was raised for ALS research.
We’re even betting there’s a grainy old video of you doing this challenge somewhere on social media, but how was this campaign so successful? It was a simple concept which had full support from celebrities and the press. Not only that, but it was as easy to participate in as it was to share on social media.
2. #ShareACoke by Coca-Cola (2011-ongoing)
- Platforms: Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
- Impact: Personalised bottles created a social sharing frenzy
- Why it worked: Customisation + nostalgia + user-generated content.
The ongoing #ShareACoke campaign replaces the traditional Coca-Cola logo with popular names and nicknames adapted for a range of cultures. The brand encourages consumers to not only look for their own name but share the personalised bottles with their friends and loved ones.
Remember when these bottles first hit the shelves? The chaos? You couldn’t get to refrigerators in shops to look for your name on the label, let alone find it! It was pandemonium - for a bottle that we’d all seen before, but this time it had our names on it.
This simple yet genius use of marketing shows that a bit of customisation goes a long way. It drives user-generated content for the brand, fosters a sense of community amongst audiences and makes you billions of dollars!
3. Nike – ‘Dream Crazy’ (2018) featuring Colin Kaepernick
- Platforms: Twitter, YouTube, Instagram.
- Impact: Huge engagement and polarised debate; boosted Nike's sales.
- Why it worked: Bold stance on social justice; emotionally charged storytelling.
Nike’s 2018 ‘Dream Crazy’ campaign was fronted by American civil rights activist and former professional American football quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who caused a national debate by kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. The use of the athlete sparked debate across social media, with some people posting photos and videos of themselves burning their Nike merchandise.
The campaign was a huge success due to its emotionally charged storytelling and the brand's commitment to sharing its stance on social justice. Overall, the ‘Dream Crazy’ campaign encouraged audiences to reflect on their own beliefs surrounding injustice and didn’t do too badly for Nike’s bank balance either.
4. Spotify Wrapped (Launched 2016, viral every December)
- Platforms: Instagram Stories, Twitter.
- Impact: Drives mass UGC and app re-engagement.
- Why it worked: Personalised data + aesthetic shareable content + viral gold
Despite only starting in 2016, Spotify Wrapped has quickly become a well-loved tradition for many on social media in the lead up to the new year. Every December without fail, Spotify goes viral with users sharing their most listened to music on the platform.
In 2024, Spotify managed to go double viral when it delayed the release of Wrapped. This got people talking and made audiences even more eager to reveal their listening habits, as Wrapped playlists were shared over 30 million times across Instagram, TikTok and X!
This level of user-generated content is unheard of normally and is driven by the use of personalised data and aesthetically pleasing shareable content. And us being very nosy about what other people listen to.
Following its major success, it is clear that many other brands are attempting to follow in the footsteps of Spotify by creating their own version of “Wrapped”, such as Letterboxd and Monzo. But I don’t think that any of these can replace the original, and we can’t wait to welcome it back for years to come!
5. Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches (2013)
- Platforms: YouTube, Facebook.
- Impact: One of the most viewed video ads ever, reshaped brand perception.
- Why it worked: Emotionally resonant, focused on self-perception.
This influential social media campaign was a short film produced by Dove in 2013. It featured a forensic sketch artist drawing illustrations of women who had described themselves, followed by sketching the same face but from descriptions of a stranger who had just met them.
Overall, the campaign is deeply moving and emotional, showing how we are overly critical of our looks. A trait that would resonate with a large number of audiences. The campaign became one of the most viewed video ads of all time and helped to redefine the conventions of marketing in the beauty industry.
6. #LikeAGirl by Always (2014)
- Platforms: YouTube, Twitter.
- Impact: Challenged gender stereotypes; Emmy and Cannes Lion winner.
- Why it worked: Empowering, deeply emotional, socially conscious.
This female empowerment campaign challenged the negative connotations that come with the phrase “Like a girl” and highlighted the drop in confidence that occurs for girls after they have experienced puberty.
Always produced an emotional, socially conscious campaign that resonated with a large audience globally - this resulted in it becoming an Emmy and Cannes Lion winner as well as tripling their following on Twitter in the first three months.
The #LikeAGirl campaign proves that marketing can make a long-lasting impact on society's perception of people and how capturing real emotions helps a brand to build stronger connections with audiences.
7. Red Bull Stratos (2012)
- Platforms: YouTube, Facebook.
- Impact: 8 million concurrent viewers, broke livestream records.
- Why it worked: A man jumped from space, Need we say more?
Red Bull is known to love an adrenaline rush, often sponsoring or hosting events for extreme sports. However, nothing is more extreme than Stratos. For Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, the brand's famous slogan “Red Bull Gives You Wings” really was the case. In 2012, the brand supported a space-diving mission, in which Baumgartner made a record-breaking freefall jump from the stratosphere!
This daring campaign got the audience's hearts pounding as the brand broke livestream records with 8 million concurrent viewers and now has over 1 billion views on YouTube. But what made it so successful? Well, a dude jumped from space and reached terminal velocity! Need we say more?
8. #ThisGirlCan by Sport England (2015)
- Platforms: Twitter, Instagram, Youtube.
- Impact: Inspired over 2.8 million women to be more active.
- Why it worked: Body-positive, inclusive, real-life stories.
Sport England’s #ThisGirlCan campaign celebrated real women getting active - sweating, moving and pushing past stereotypes. It defied the conventions of traditional fitness marketing by featuring women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds, creating a body-positive message that inspired over 2.8 million women to be more physically active.
It’s not tricky to see why this campaign went crazy viral. It gave women who weren’t used to being represented a voice. It’s inclusive and life-like storytelling influenced a social media movement of empowerment and health across YouTube, Instagram and Twitter for women across the world.
9. KFC's Twitter Stunt (2017)
- Platform: Twitter.
- Campaign: They followed only 11 people - 5 Spice Girls + 6 guys named Herb.
- Why it worked: Humorous and genius-level brand play.
In 2017, Twitter users began to notice that the brand KFC only followed 11 people. Which 11 people? 5 Spice Girls and 6 guys named Herb. This playful campaign was a genius nod to their famously secret recipe, which uses 11 herbs and spices.
However, what we love most about this campaign is how under-the-radar it was. It was a Twitter user who noticed it; KFC didn’t have to lift a finger. Well, other than to follow the spice girls and some herbs.
The initial tweet from the user who first spotted this has generated over 320,000 reposts and 700,000 likes. KFC’s campaign, that was never really a campaign, has proven that even the simplest of details combined with humour can create the perfect trending social media campaign.
10. Wendy's Twitter Roasts (Ongoing)
- Platform: Twitter
- Impact: Reinvented brand voice for fast food
- Why it worked: Bold, savage, ultra-memable - reshaped how brands behave on social
From beefing with McDonald’s to their witty puns, Wendy’s has used humour to capture the attention of millions of Twitter users. Their savage tweets have reinvented how brands communicate with their audiences on social media, showing that total professionalism isn’t always a way to win customers! By creating memorable yet consistent content, this fast food chain has engaged younger audiences and repeatedly earned viral status.
Now, many have tried and failed to replicate Wendy’s Twitter roasting. So be very careful trying to roast your own customers; it could just backfire. If anything, though, that’s why it’s this campaign is so impressive; it somehow worked without anyone getting too angry.
The takeaways from these viral moments
Whether it’s a global movement that encourages audience participation like the Ice Bucket Challenge or creating a playful brand voice that breaks industry stereotypes like Wendy’s viral tweets, each of these campaigns shares some common traits; they evoke emotion, from simply making people laugh or inspiring change.
These campaigns are centred around their target audiences' experiences and emotions. They are packed full of sass, in some cases, and are never afraid to be bold. Were they lucky or were they strategic, though? That’s probably a discussion best saved for another day.
Well, other than Mr Baumgartner falling from the edge of space! There had to have been some luck involved in that one!
