7 B2C Marketing Examples to Learn From

Historically, people have looked at B2B marketing as the serious, traditional cousin to the fun and creative B2C marketing.

However, that's not always the case. But we admit that it can be a little more complicated to think outside of the box when it comes to B2B campaigns.

To help you with this challenge, we've compiled a list of great B2C campaigns across various channels along with the key takeaways to help inspire you.

B2C Marketing Strategy Examples

The General

In 2021, insurance company The General launched a rebrand to combat a negative public image.

According to the brand’s CEO, the brand has national brand awareness. However, the public did not perceive them as a reputable company due to their advertising.

As a result, the brand revamped its advertising strategy by ditching the animation but still keeping its celebrity influencer Shaq. They also addressed the elephant in the room (their previous ads) in their newest ads.

This is why monitoring brand sentiment is vital, as you may discover valuable insights about how consumers see you. This will allow you to craft messaging to address their concerns or reinforce certain ideas.

Spotify

Every year, people get a peek into (and the opportunity to judge) their friends’ music tastes with Spotify’s annual #Wrapped campaign.

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For the last couple of years, Spotify has released end-of-year stats on top artists, songs, genres, and podcasts. They also do this on an individual level by sharing each user’s listening behavior, including minutes listened, favorite genres, artists, and songs.

This campaign naturally creates a lot of buzz for the brand, as users are eager to share their music preferences with their followers on social media.

Many brands struggle with incorporating data into their advertising strategy. Spotify successfully leverages this user data by promoting it with its audience and encouraging them to share it as a way to build community.

The Lip Bar

When makeup brand The Lip Bar reached its 10-year anniversary, its founder decided to do it big.

In addition to reaching a company milestone, they also timed this with the release of a new product.

This led to an omnichannel marketing campaign to celebrate the anniversary but also introduce a new product.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by The Lip Bar (@thelipbar)

While the brand could have launched two separate campaigns for each, combining them potentially had a bigger impact. If you’re considering this approach, be sure to clearly outline your key objective as that will determine how to move forward.

B2C Content Marketing Examples

Fenty Beauty

Are you a beauty brand if you don’t have a YouTube channel?

YouTube is a major channel for beauty brands, as it allows them to showcase their products in action without being constrained by time.

Fenty Beauty leverages YouTube as a mini-masterclass, bringing in skilled, award-winning makeup artists to each consumer tips and tricks on makeup application using the brand’s products.

With content marketing, your goal is to add value to your audience by presenting information they care about. Fenty Beauty accomplishes this by helping its audience learn from experts in the field while they discover more about the brand’s products.

Hekaya

Nowadays, consumers want brands to pull back the curtains and share more about what goes on behind the scenes. It creates a sense of transparency and authenticity that many buyers now prioritize when shopping.

Fashion brand Hekaya used this approach to introduce its newest line.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Hekaya | Fashion & Education (@livehekaya)

While the brand likely has more traditional promotional videos to advertise its clothing, this strategy is more intimate.

The audience gets to hear directly from the founder as she describes what makes this collection special. In just under two minutes, shoppers will likely feel more connected to the brand through this content marketing piece than they would with pictures and videos of the product.

B2C Email Marketing Examples

Anima Iris

For some, February 2nd, 2022 was a special day because of the repetition of the number “2.”

Whenever something creates buzz and conversation, it’s a great opportunity for brands to jump in. And that’s exactly what luxury purse brand Anima Iris did.

In an email to subscribers, the brand promoted a 22% off deal in celebration of the day, used a scarcity tactic to encourage purchases, and used a GIF to add some humor.

While most brands celebrate national holidays like Labor Day, Memorial Day, and New Year’s, many stay quiet during the not-so-official holidays and celebrations. As such, don’t be afraid to take advantage of that quiet to promote your brand and potentially reach users who would have been distracted otherwise.

Asana

Asana is a project management software that caters to both B2C and B2B.

As such, they have a different strategy when targeting individual users versus team-based users. For instance, on my personal Asana account, I receive newsletters relating to productivity, project management tips, and goal achievement.

However, on my work account managed by my company, I receive emails related to team engagement, collaboration, and meetings.

Here’s an example below.

This shows that Asana has a great understanding of its audience segments and what each might be interested in learning about. Knowing this allows them to form a stronger connection with their subscribers and nurture a positive relationship.

B2C Marketing Example Takeaways

With B2B marketing, the door is open to technical jargon and long, deliberate marketing funnels. Yet, B2C marketing seems to have more imaginative advertising with lofty expectations for either witty or tear-jerking campaigns.

But despite the dissimilarity between the two, there is an opportunity to surface fresh ideas by exploring out-of-the-box examples. With a bit of inspiration and original execution, your B2B campaigns can rival the creativity of the most buzz-worthy consumer marketing.

There are a lot of things you can take away from the examples above.

The first is to always listen to your audience. Monitor brand mentions on social media, send out email surveys, and conduct calls to really understand how your audience views you. This will help you create strong messaging that resonates.

Another takeaway is that pulling back the curtains often helps your brand be more relatable to your audience. Whether it’s employee spotlights, behind-the-scenes product shots, or something else, it’s worth testing.

Lastly, brainstorm how you can leverage user data to build community. We often think of the value of data internally. However, with some creativity, you’ll likely find ways to do so externally and strengthen your brand loyalty.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in Jan 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.