Campaigns we Loved in July
July was HOT (for about three days), and so were the marketing campaigns that made an appearance. One thing about summer, you’re guaranteed mega campaigns, with holidays and sporting events really starting to take off. The new ‘it’ marketing strategy? Sensory marketing, and we are SO here for it.
Let’s dive right in.
Rhode – Lemontini
As an avid lover of the marketing strategy Rhode has implemented since day one, it’s no shock that this has landed on this month’s list. They launched another flavour of their iconic lip glosses – Lemontini. And how would you market said product? Hailey Bieber, on holiday, sipping a Lemontini, with a lip gloss sticking out of it.
Genius! Hailey is the face of the brand and will always be in the campaigns, that’s a given. But that’s not what made us love it so much. The use of sensory marketing went into overload, and we are not mad about it. You could see the holiday vibes in the visuals (pastel yellow, poolside aesthetic), you could imagine the citrus scent, and you could almost taste the Lemontini. Add in Hailey’s relaxed, aspirational energy, and you’ve got a campaign that feels like summer in a swipe.
They didn’t just sell a gloss, they sold a feeling. A mini-vacation in your handbag. The content rollout was cohesive across all platforms, the influencer seeding was timed perfectly, and the aesthetic? Spot-on for their Gen Z/Millennial hybrid audience. Rhode is nailing brand consistency while staying fresh, and we can’t wait to see what flavour is next.
McDonald’s – Canada Stampede
This may come as a surprise, so take a seat… Our Founder is a HUGE cowboy fan. I KNOW, who would have guessed? (It’s not like he’s just come back from a week on a ranch or anything…) So when we saw the McDonald’s Canada Stampede campaign, we knew it had to be mentioned, or I could quite possibly lose my job.
McDonald’s could easily rest on its global success and keep it simple. But instead, they leaned into regional culture with this campaign, creating something that felt hyper-local yet universally fun. The campaign was tied to the Calgary Stampede, a massive event in Western Canada known for rodeos, country music, and cowboy hats galore.
What’s clever here is how McDonald’s celebrated community pride. They didn’t just slap a logo on a cowboy hat, they embraced the vibe of the event and created content that locals would want to share. And in doing that, they reminded the rest of us that even a global giant can show up in a way that feels local, authentic, and just plain fun.
P.S. The jacket? We want one. Immediately.
Penn 1 – The French Open
Now, we’re not the biggest tennis fans in this office, but when we see a great campaign, we give it the love it deserves. And this one? It served.
Penn 1, the iconic tennis ball brand, took a refreshingly playful approach for the French Open by debuting a croissant-shaped tennis ball. Yes, you read that right, a croissant-shaped tennis ball. Strange? Maybe. Brilliant? Absolutely.
What makes this so clever is how it taps into instant visual association. You think France, you think croissants. You think tennis, you think Penn. Merge them together, and you’ve got a surreal, scroll-stopping image that instantly links the product to the event, without a single word of explanation needed.
It was an elegant example of minimalist, high-impact campaign thinking. The visual stood out in a sea of overly branded tennis content. It was shareable, meme-able, and made even non-tennis fans stop and say, “Wait… is that a croissant?” And once you’re in, you’re in, you’re engaging, clicking, talking.
Penn reminded us that product marketing doesn’t always need a full rebrand or celebrity face. Sometimes, all it takes is a clever visual and a deep understanding of culture to make your mark.
Unexpected. Sophisticated. Deliciously on-brand.
Wimbledon – Overheard at Wimbledon
Now, this isn’t a campaign per se, but the attention it got is noteworthy. Sometimes, we think our campaigns need to be prim, proper, and polished, three words that perfectly come to mind when you think of Wimbledon.
However, their most-watched videos online are from a segment called ‘Overheard at Wimbledon’, where they’ve eavesdropped on conversations in the crowd. Not the people in the royal box, the ones sat on the hills, enjoying sunshine and Pimm’s. Not footage of the actual tennis, but the real moments around it.
The content lands because it’s not polished. It’s not a random influencer who doesn’t know the rules of tennis. It’s real, honest people sharing their real, honest thoughts. It shows that even the biggest events are tapping into user-generated content and making genuine connections with their audience.
Round of applause for you, Wimbledon! (Also, please can my mum have free tickets for next year?)
Royal Mail – England Lionesses
Now, did you really think we’d forget about them? The England Lionesses made history last weekend, winning the Women’s Euros back-to-back, and naturally, the marketing world responded at full volume. But amidst all the noise, one piece stood out for all the right reasons: Royal Mail.
No flashy visuals. No over-the-top fanfare. Just one smart, simple, perfectly-timed message that honoured the moment without trying to hijack it. It was reactive marketing done right: clean, iconic, and unmistakably British.
It proved that sometimes the best move is the simplest one, especially when your brand is already embedded in national identity. Hats off to the Royal Mail team. A first-class moment (pun very much intended).
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