Project Description:

Viral marketing campaigns rarely emerge as fully formed successes overnight. Often careful curation and strategic decisions must be made to ensure a campaign becomes successful, and lasting, in consumer’s minds. Both Spotify’s ongoing Wrapped campaign and 2014’s viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge have achieved notoriety as iconic advertising campaigns because of their lasting impact on viral marketing. Each campaign is a worthy case-study into how social media marketing can drive brand awareness, influence consumer behavior, inspire organic content, and create positive returns on investments.

Conducting this case study required significant research into the origins of each campaign and the public’s perception of it. It was particularly interesting to track the specific decisions that allowed Spotify’s Wrapped campaign to evolve from fledgling idea in 2016, to a highly anticipated viral campaign in 2019. This case study expanded my understanding of social media campaigns by connecting my experience with digital marketing with practical examples of successful viral campaigns. I grew my ability to contextualize why certain campaigns find success year after year and why key performance indicators matter for planning long-term, repeatable success.