11 best CPG marketing campaigns that boosted brand recall

By the time your ideal consumer walks into a grocery store, they’ve already got a gazillion brands battling for their attention. So while packaging design is important for success, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies need to reach audiences before and after the moment of purchase too. 

Cue CPG marketing campaigns. 

In today’s article, I’m going to share with you 11 CPG marketing campaigns that drove brand recall and brand loyalty through the roof. We’ll look at ads from household names in the CPG industry across food, cosmetics, cleaning, and more. 

So no matter what aisle your products are in, you’ll pick up lots of inspiration along the way. 

Here’s a roundup of the best CPG marketing campaigns: 

1. Colgate – A Million Logos 
2. OREO – OreoCodes
3. Pot Noodle – Fills a Hole
4. Honest Eggs – FitChix
5. Ariel – #ShareTheLoad
6. Vaseline – See My Skin
7. Heinz – Draw Ketchup
8. The Ordinary – Minimalist billboard campaign
9. Coca-Cola – Share a Coke
10. Liquid Death – Murder Your Thirst
11. Hellmann’s – Mayo McHack

Alrighty, let’s take a closer look! 

1. Colgate – A Million Logos 

Image source: D&AD

We’ve all seen the typical toothpaste ads showing people beaming from ear-to-ear, showing off their perfectly straight teeth. But this one from Colgate broke the mold big time. 

Inspired by the insight that 94% of people feel they can’t smile freely, with three in five experiencing smile shame because of their “imperfect teeth”, Colgate wanted to spread the message that every smile is beautiful. And they did just that by recreating their iconic logo to showcase a million unique smiles. 

By speaking up against unfair beauty standards, Colgate put its money where its mouth is (couldn’t resist) and it was a huge hit with audiences around the globe. 

2. OREO – OreoCodes

Source: D&AD 

Pancakes and maple syrup. Crackers and cheese. Pickles and peanut butter (just me?). All great food combinations, no doubt. 

But nothing beats OREOS dunked in a glass of cold milk. Something which this OREO campaign took to a whole new level. And consumers absolutely loved it! 

Playing on a barcode’s uncanny resemblance to a stack of OREOS, the brand turned every milk in America (milk alternatives like oat and almond milk included) into a chance to get some delicious discounts. All consumers had to do was scan the barcode on their carton or bottle of milk to get an OREO discount code.

This one went down a treat across social media and changed the way you’ll look at barcodes for good! 

3. Pot Noodle – Fills a Hole

Image source: The Drum

Pot Noodle. The quintessential, quick and easy comfort food that’s been filling bellies for decades now. It’s by no means fancy, but it’s been using that to its advantage since day one. And this British campaign showcased the brand’s deprecating humor brilliantly. 

To hammer home the point that “Nothing fills a hole like Pot Noodle”, the brand created a series of striking visuals across print and social. 

There were bird boxes, bowling balls, washing machines, and more. All filled to the brim with Pot Noodle. They even ran press ads in local newspapers in the parts of the UK worst affected by potholes.

Not exactly the most appetizing approach, right? But this wacky, no-nonsense CPG campaign stood out for that very reason, and hit the spot for the brand’s target audience. 

4. Honest Eggs – FitChix 

Image source: Contagious

Another cracking campaign here, this time from the Honest Eggs Co. 

There are a lot of dodgy dealings in the egg industry. And a lack of transparency makes it hard for consumers to make an informed purchase. To tackle this, Honest Eggs invented the world’s first step counter designed for a chicken – aka FitChix. 

The device counts the steps and movement of hens as they wander around the farm. Honest Eggs then prints their step count onto their eggs, to give consumers a better idea of how free range the product actually is. 

This idea naturally lent itself to a refreshingly honest print campaign which took over the streets in Australia, and made its way onto social feeds around the world. 

5. Ariel – #ShareTheLoad

Historically, there’s been some stark inequality when it comes to household chores like laundry, with moms being expected to take on all the responsibility. 

While this is slowly changing around the world, stats showed that India was still lagging behind. So in 2015, Ariel created an award-winning campaign that urged men to share the load and do their share of the household chores.

The campaign kicked off with the thought provoking video advert above. The brand then launched an online petition as part of the initiative, urging people to pledge their support for equal chore distribution, and over 1,500,000 men took a pledge to #ShareTheLoad. 

The campaign has grown and developed over the years with massive success on social media, winning its fair share of awards. Most importantly, it helped Ariel win the hearts of its target audience around the nation and beyond. 

6. Vaseline – See My Skin

In 2023, the American Academy of Dermatology revealed a shocking finding that less than 6% of image-based search results showcase conditions on colored skin. This meant that when people of color searched for skincare information online, they struggled to find results that accurately reflected their skin type. 

To bridge this gap, Vaseline launched the world’s first database designed to connect individuals with dermatologists who understand their unique skincare needs. See My Skin wasn’t merely an awareness campaign. It took an action-oriented approach to a real world problem faced by millions of people around the world. 

Vaseline made a tangible impact with its CPG marketing strategy through:  

• Educational resources
• Expert recommendations for at-home skincare
• Guidance on when to speak to a professional
• Tips on how to prepare for dermatologist appointments.

 This campaign stands as a stunning example of how CPG brands can (and should) add real value to their consumers’ lives. 

7. Heinz – Draw Ketchup 

Image source: Campaigns of the World

Heinz has dominated the condiments aisles for ages. So in 2022, when the brand saw its ketchup sales being nabbed by its competitors, it had to do something to remind ketchup-lovers around the world that Heinz is still Number One. 

This campaign started as a simple social experiment, where participants from 18 countries were asked to draw ketchup. And when the majority of people drew ketchup, they drew Heinz’ food packaging (phew!). 

The brand then took a selection of real drawings and turned them into labels that featured on a limited-release batch of Heinz bottles and digital billboards. 

A campaign film also ran on Heinz’ social media channels before quickly going viral. A wonderful example of showing rather than simply telling audiences to buy your product. 

8. The Ordinary – Minimalist billboard campaign 

Image source: MUSE

The Ordinary is a no nonsense skincare brand that has taken the market by storm in the last couple years, especially among Millennial and Gen Z audiences. 

The CPG company’s goal is to take the fuss out of skincare by using science-backed ingredients and clear, simple product messaging with an affordable price point to match.

This billboard campaign poked fun at beauty brands that rely on industry trends, influencer marketing, and glitzy ads to sell products. It spoke to an audience that’s tired of being bombarded and bamboozled by conflicting skincare advice on social media platforms. 

The simplicity and transparency of these ads was a refreshing move away from the traditional approach. This helped The Ordinary connect with its audience and build brand loyalty in a crowded marketplace.

9. Coca-Cola – Share a Coke

Image source: Digitaltripathi

While brand recall isn’t a problem for Coca-Cola, the company has still worked to deliver some of the most iconic CPG marketing campaigns of all time. If I had to pick just one, it’d be Share a Coke. 

Trialed way back in 2011 in Australia, Coke wanted to add a human element to its CPG packaging design, so it printed 150 of the country’s most popular names on millions of Coca-Cola bottle labels. The campaign became such a hit that it then rolled out in 70 different countries across the world. 

People went wild for the novelty of finding their own names on the bottles, which led to a huge jump in product sales. But social media was where the campaign really came to life, with over 18 million impressions across the brand’s social media channels. 

The drinks company also gave customers the chance to personalize their own bottles of Coca-Cola, which could be gifted or kept as a souvenir. 

10. Liquid Death – Murder Your Thirst

Liquid Death made one hell of a splash when it hit the market back in 2019 with its edgy, offbeat brand and the tagline, “Murder your thirst”. 

This CPG brand wanted to break the stigma around drinking water instead of alcohol at bars and festivals. It wanted to make being healthy something cool and rebellious. And looking at the brand’s $1.4 billion valuation in just a few years, it’s safe to say it succeeded in shifting this consumer behavior. 

This gory, graphic brand campaign set out to rebel against traditional corporate marketing, which turned out to be a genius marketing strategy in itself. 

Brutal beheadings and bloodshed sounds like a recipe for disaster, but this campaign serves as a wicked reminder that taking risks in the world of CPG can reap serious rewards. 

11. Hellmann’s – Mayo McHack

In the world of CPG marketing, it’s hard to beat a brilliant brand experience, especially if it involves discounts or freebies. And this cheeky campaign from Hellmann’s offers a masterclass in experiential advertising.

Mayo McHack came into being based on the insight that at McDonald’s UK, you can’t get mayonnaise on your fries! But you can get it on something else: the Mayo Chicken burger.

Customers were invited to customize their Mayo Chicken burgers (removing everything but  the mayo) and post a picture online to get a Hellmann’s digital voucher for their efforts. At last, Brits could now get their favorite dip at McD’s. 

This simple stunt turned out to be one of Hellmann’s UK’s most successful digital marketing tactics, achieving an 842% increase in impressions across the brand’s social media channels. 

Ace your next CPG campaign with Filestage

If you work in the CPG industry, you already know that collaboration is a key ingredient for any successful CPG campaign. This is especially true when it comes to reviewing campaign concepts and assets, and gathering feedback on files. 

Filestage is an online proofing software that keeps teammates and stakeholders on the same page from initial ideation through to the final deadline. It essentially handles all the time-consuming, organizational stuff so you can focus on creating quality work. A game changer for time-strapped CPG marketing teams! 

Here’s how to make the most of your CPG marketing efforts with Filestage: 

• Sign up to Filestage for free
• Create a project and upload your files 
• Invite collaborators to review and leave feedback 
• Upload a new version of the file 
• Repeat the process and click approve 

Final thoughts

In the jam-packed consumer packaged goods market, creative collaboration is everything when it comes to delighting audiences and boosting brand recall.I hope you’ve enjoyed browsing through these CPG marketing strategies with me. And if you’d like to streamline the way you share and review your own CPG marketing projects, try Filestage for free today →