10 examples of the best advertising campaigns on WhatsApp

We have witnessed the rise of advertising campaigns on WhatsApp that have left a mark notable in the field of marketing. Instant communication plays a fundamental role, and here WhatsApp has allowed the emergence of innovative advertising campaigns.

Next, we will explain some of the best WhatsApp campaigns of recent years, analyzing their profound impact on the customer experience. Also how these strategies not only drive business results, but also strengthen emotional connections between brands and their audience. 

From captivating personalization to creating irresistible offers , we will discover how WhatsApp campaigns are redefining marketing and the way in which companies connect with their customers, generating a more solid and lasting relationship.

10 examples of the best advertising campaigns on WhatApp

1. Coca-Cola: Label Personalization

• Goal: Encourage user engagement and increase emotional connection with the brand.
• Coca-Cola allowed users to personalize their bottle labels to via WhatsApp. This not only generated enthusiasm, but also strengthened the emotional bond with customers.

For small businesses, you can also consider personalizing products with names, messages or unique details that can be adapted through WhatsApp messages, thus creating a unique experience for customers.

2. Nike: Exclusive Flash Offers

• Objective: Increase online sales and strengthen brand loyalty.
• Nike used exclusive flash offers through WhatsApp, offering limited discounts or special promotions for its subscribers.

This will not only stimulate sales, but will also encourage customers to stay subscribed to receive exclusive benefits.

3. Hellmann’s “WhatsCook” campaign

Hellmann’s identified that many people within its target audience often found themselves uncertain about what to cook with the ingredients available in their refrigerators. In response, the brand sought to interact with these consumers at that precise moment, becoming a practical solution and establishing a positive association with its brand.

• Hellmann launched the first live recipe service via WhatsApp. 
• Participation was simple: users only had to register on the website by providing their phone number to connect with the brand’s chefs. 
• Users could send photos of the ingredients available to them, and the chefs, in response, suggested recipes that included the use of Hellmann’s mayonnaise. For greater clarity, the chefs complemented their recommendations with images and videos.

The results obtained by Hellmann were truly “delicious” during the 10 days that the campaign lasted:

• 50% of all website visitors chose to register for the service offered.
• A total of 5 million people came into direct contact with the brand through this service.
• Consumers discovered new and creative ways to incorporate Hellmann’s mayonnaise into their everyday recipes.
• 500 new recipes were generated that included Hellmann’s products, showing the versatility and potential culinary brand.

4. Burger King: “Whopper Detour”

• Objective: Boost online sales and increase user engagement.
• Burger King used the geolocation function of the mobile application to detect the location of users. The campaign focused on users who were near a McDonald’s restaurant, who received a special offer through the Burger King application. The offer allowed you to unlock a Whopper for just $0.01. To take advantage of the offer, users had to place their order through the Burger King app and pick up their Whopper at the nearby restaurant.

The campaign generated a significant increase in downloads of the application, as well as in sales thanks to the exclusive offer.

5. Absolut Vodka: “Absolut Unique”

• Objective: Highlight the originality of the limited edition “Absolut Unique” with 4 million unique bottles.

• Absolut launched the limited edition “Absolut Unique”, which consisted of 4 million bottles, each with a unique design. The campaign focused on conveying the message “One of a kind. Millions of Expressions”, emphasizing the uniqueness of each bottle and the diversity of designs. To promote the launch party in Argentina, the Woonky agency devised an innovative strategy using WhatsApp. They created a promotion where those interested in obtaining tickets for the party had to convince Sven, the “doorman” in charge of exclusive entry, through messages on WhatsApp.
• The activity on WhatsApp added an interactive and novel component , where participants had to convince the “doorman” to obtain tickets, thus supporting the originality of the campaign.

This strategy combined product exclusivity with creative digital promotion, leveraging WhatsApp as an interactive platform to engage consumers.

6. Adidas: “Tango Squad”

• Objective: Encourage the interaction and participation of young football talents who have not yet stood out in renowned clubs.
• Adidas launched “Tango Squad”, a platform that seeks to identify and promote promising young soccer players. The campaign used WhatsApp as a key tool so that participants could enroll in the program. Those interested had to leave at least one of their social media users to be considered. Those selected had the opportunity to interact with great soccer stars such as Toni Kroos, James Rodríguez and Paul Pogba, who supported and promoted the initiative.
• In addition to gaining visibility, participants had the additional benefit of trying on clothing Adidas, even before its official launch.

This strategy demonstrates how big brands can use platforms like WhatsApp to engage their audience in a unique and engaging way, leveraging the emotional connection with their sports ambassadors and offering exclusive benefits to participants.

In addition, by creating WhatsApp groups for customers where they can receive exclusive content, participate in surveys and share their experiences, you will not only strengthen the relationship with them but also provide valuable feedback.

7. Accor Hotels in Ireland and the United Kingdom

• Objective: Optimize customer service and improve room service through the use of WhatsApp.

• Accor, the hotel chain, launched an innovative WhatsApp marketing action in Ireland and the United Kingdom to improve the customer experience during their stay at the hotel. When staying at Accor facilities, each customer received a dedicated phone number to contact room service via WhatsApp. This strategy allowed guests to place orders, make inquiries or request additional services conveniently and efficiently using the WhatsApp messaging platform. 
• The main objective of the campaign was to improve customer service and efficiency of room service through WhatsApp integration. By providing guests with a direct and familiar means of communication such as WhatsApp, the aim was to increase customer satisfaction and ensure a more comfortable and seamless experience during their stay at Accor hotels in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

This WhatsApp marketing strategy allows us to realize how companies can use instant messaging tools to offer personalized services and improve interaction with their customers – and the experience -, especially in the hotel and service sector in general.

8. Heineken “Road to the Final”

• Objective: Merge passion for football with creativity, encouraging fan participation and offering the possibility of winning a trip to London.

• The “Road to the Final” campaign took advantage of WhatsApp as a platform to interact with fans in a direct and personalized way. Fans were invited to answer football-related questions via WhatsApp messages to participate in the campaign. As an incentive, the brand offered the chance to win an exciting trip to London, creating an extra attraction for participation.
• The strategy hoped to achieve resounding success by engaging fans actively and emotionally through the combination of his love for football and the creativity of the answers. By using WhatsApp, the brand made it easier for users to participate, offering a direct channel for interaction and providing a more immersive and personalized experience.

This campaign demonstrates how brands can leverage the popularity of messaging platforms like WhatsApp to create interactive campaigns, encourage user engagement, and generate buzz around their products or promotional events. It is evident that events of this magnitude generate large-scale interactions, however, actions like these can also be carried out in a more local or segmented environment.

9. Toyota, “Get an AYGO”

• Objective: Generate fun and valuable interaction between customers and the brand using WhatsApp as the main platform.

• Toyota launched the “Lígate un AYGO” campaign, offering as a prize a car that would be delivered on Valentine’s Day. The brand invited participants to use their best seduction techniques through text messages, photographs, videos and audios to “fall in love” with Aygo. Participants believed they were interacting with Aygo itself, but in reality, it was managed by another community manager who responded to messages.

• The campaign was a resounding success, generating more than 17,000 messages and 89,000 conversations. Peaks of up to 300 simultaneous conversations were recorded. The brand registered the seduction tips on its website and highlighted the best participants, which generated great visibility in multiple media outlets in Spain.

The strategy sought to demonstrate WhatsApp’s ability to create fun and valuable interactions between customers and the brand, using the seduction game as an innovative and attractive approach. The massive participation and success of the campaign highlights the effectiveness of using messaging platforms to create interactive experiences and engage audiences in a unique way.

This marketing campaign reflects how brands can take advantage of the creativity and interactivity of WhatsApp to carry out unique and memorable promotions, generating significant impact and massive user engagement.

10. Pringles

• Objective: Use WhatsApp Marketing to connect with the younger audience, challenge the creativity of the participants and strengthen the relationship with the brand.

• Pringles recognized the potential of WhatsApp Marketing to reach its younger audience and decided to move its contests from Facebook to WhatsApp in 2013. The contest consisted of several phases, starting with sending messages using only emojis, a challenge that had be surpassed by Mr. Pringles. Participants advanced to five mini-challenges that tested their leadership capacity and crowd-moving skills. Those who managed to overcome the challenges received a phone call with a clue, adding an element of mystery and excitement to the contest.

The campaign was a resounding success, attracting more than 300,000 participants. The final winner became a Pringles ambassador on social networks with a monthly salary of 1,000 euros. 

The strategy demonstrated how WhatsApp Marketing can be used to engage customers in fun and exciting contests. By challenging the creativity of the participants and offering attractive rewards, Pringles managed to strengthen the connection with its younger audience and turn the winner into a brand ambassador on social networks.

Best Practices:

1. Audience Segmentation: Divide the audience into segments to personalize messages according to the preferences and behaviors of each group.
2. Attractive visual content:< /strong> Use eye-catching images, gifs and videos to capture users’ attention. Visual content has a high impact in instant messaging.
3. Personalization: Address users by their names and tailor messages based on their past interactions to create a personalized experience.< /li>
4. Exclusive offers and discounts: Take advantage of the platform to offer special offers and exclusive discounts to WhatsApp subscribers, generating a sense of exclusivity.
5. Interactivity:Encourage user participation through surveys, games, or the possibility of customizing products through the application.

Useful Tools:

1. WhatsApp Business API: For large or medium and small businesses, the WhatsApp Business API makes it easy to automate messages and manage interactions.
2. Chatbots: Implement chatbots to answer frequently asked questions, collect information and offer assistance in real time, improving the user experience.
3. Unioxi: The multi-channel platform that allows you to easily talk to customers wherever they are. Simplicity and functionality.
4. Data Analysis: Use analytical tools to evaluate the performance of campaigns, measuring metrics such as opening rate, clicks and conversions.
5. Consent and Privacy: Obtain users’ consent before sending messages. Respecting privacy is key to building relationships of trust.
6. Graphic Design Platforms: Use tools like Canva to create attractive visual content that stands out on the platform.

Advertising campaigns on WhatsApp have proven to be not only an effective strategy, but also a vital bridge between companies and their customers. By exploring featured campaigns, we’ve seen how personalization, creativity, and interactivity have taken customer experiences to new levels.

These strategies not only drive tangible business results, but also cultivate emotional relationships, establishing WhatsApp as an essential platform for building strong brands and customer satisfaction.