15 Successful Hashtag Campaign Examples To Inspire In 2025

Hashtags have evolved beyond mere sorting tools; they’ve become a conduit for people to share their thoughts, discover intriguing content, and participate in online dialogues. They also serve as powerful tools for brands, as seen in numerous hashtag campaign examples that have successfully engaged audiences and amplified messages.

Imagine this: someone searches for #bakingtips and stumbles upon your excellent recipe post. That’s the power of hashtags!

Brands have recognized the popularity and power of hashtags and have begun incorporating them into their campaigns, offering a unique opportunity to connect with their audience on a more personal level.

These campaigns can be game-changers for brands, helping them reach broader audiences, generate excitement, and spread their message about noble causes.

If you’re a brand considering running a hashtag campaign, you’re at the right place!

This blog will help you learn and get inspired by some of the most successful hashtag campaign examples that achieved more than pre-set goals.

So, let’s get started and dive right into clearing our basics: What is a hashtag campaign?

What Are The Hashtag Campaigns?

A Hashtag campaign is a go-to social media strategy for many brands using a specific hashtag to get themselves part of online conversations. These hashtag campaign examples help brands get better visibility and propagate their brand message, which helps them be seen in the industry and by their target audience.

Top 15 Unique & Successful Hashtag Campaign Examples

Here are successful examples of hashtag campaigns:

1. #ShareACoke by Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola aimed to return to the market, so the company ditched its logo and put people’s names on its bottles and cans. 

It even included nicknames and titles like “Bestie”! This innovative approach was part of the #ShareACoke campaign, showcasing the brand’s creativity and ability to think outside the box.

People loved this hashtag campaign! As the campaign spread, people started finding their names or searching for family and friends.

Everyone started snapping pics with their named bottles and posting them online. This whole thing was a massive win for Coca-Cola. It got people talking and even helped sell more drinks.

2. #MyCalvins by Calvin Klein

The following hashtag campaign example is of Calvin Klein, which wanted to show off its new underwear line excellently. So, they launched a social media campaign called #MyCalvins. 

This campaign encouraged people to take selfies in their Calvin Klein underwear and share them online with the hashtag.

One of the most engaging aspects of the # MyCalvins campaign was that Calvin Klein featured user-generated content on their official social media pages, allowing regular people to be seen by millions! 

This was a big deal because it allowed regular people to be seen by millions. Even though the campaign was launched for a specific underwear collection, the hashtag #MyCalvins is still popular today, showing how much people liked the idea.

3. #ShareYourEars by Disney

This hashtag campaign example is one for Disney’s charity. They ran a social media campaign with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

People posted photos of themselves wearing Mickey Mouse ears (or any ears!) using the hashtag #ShareYourEars. For each photo shared, Disney donated $5 to Make-A-Wish. It was a fun way to raise money for a great cause!

The campaign was a big hit, raising $2 million! Even though it’s over, people still use the hashtag to show their Disney spirit.

4. #WorthSaying by L’Oréal Paris

L’Oréal Paris hit the jackpot with its hashtag campaign, #WorthSaying. The campaign encouraged women to speak up about important issues using the hashtag. 

This campaign came at a time when women’s voices were gaining momentum, making it the perfect moment to spark conversation. As a brand, you can take these Successful Hashtag Campaign Examples and get inspired to start your own for a provocative topic.

#WorthSaying empowered women to speak their minds, and the movement gained so much attention that even celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Blake Lively joined in. 

The # WorthSaying campaign by L’Oréal Paris demonstrated how brands can leverage hashtag campaigns to support social causes, connecting with their audience on a deeper level.

5. #DoUsAFlavor! by Lay’s

Lay’s wanted a super-tasty new chip flavor, so it ran a Facebook contest in the US. It asked its consumers to join in and suggest their flavor idea with the hashtag #DoUsAFlavor!

To make things even more exciting, the winner could get $1 million or a share of the winning flavor’s sales – that’s a lot of chips! Lay’s then picked the top 3 ideas and let everyone vote for their favorite.

This contest was a huge hit! More people visited Lay’s Facebook page than ever, and Lay’s sales went way up. Plus, they have tons of cool flavor ideas – almost 4 million! It was a win-win for Lay’s and all the chip lovers.

6. #WantAnR8 by Audi

#WantAnR8 started with a superfan. She wanted an Audi R8, so much so that she kept tweeting at Audi using the hashtag #WantAnR8. 

Audi didn’t respond for a while, but Joanna kept doing it. Finally, Audi surprised Joanna by showing up at her house and giving her a free ride in an R8!

This turned into a massive campaign!  The following year, Audi used #WantAnR8 for a contest where they gave free rides in R8s to 8 lucky winners.  Because of all the excitement, the number of people following Audi online doubled, and many more interacted with them on social media.

The campaign also generated a lot of buzz online, with millions of people seeing Audi’s posts and fans making tons of videos about why they love the R8.

7. #ChipotleLidFlip by Chipotle

ChipotleLidFlip challenge is still considered one of the best hashtag campaigns as it generated more than enough brand awareness. 

This challenge asked customers to show off their skills by flipping their burrito bowl lid and landing it perfectly in the bowl. It was inspired by one of the Chipotle employees who casually flipped his burrito bowl in a TikTok video. The video went viral and inspired millions of customers to do the same. As a result, it  turned into a full-fledged campaign. 

Results? This hashtag campaign example, launched in early May, generated 110,000 video submissions and 104 million video views in its first six days, driving record-breaking digital sales and app downloads, particularly among Gen Z. 

8. #JustDoIt by Nike

‘Just Do It’ is marketing at its best. It started as a Nike tagline in 1988. However, over the years, it evolved into a social media campaign. The campaign spread like wildfire on social media, and the hashtag became synonymous with motivation and resilience.  

Athletes and fitness enthusiasts around the globe incorporated this hashtag to showcase their victories and achievements. 

As a result, there are currently over 15 million Instagram posts with the #JustDoIt hashtag, making it an exceptional marketing campaign.

9.#PutACanOnIt by Red Bull

#PutACanOnIt by Red Bull is another tremendous interactive hashtag campaign example. This successful hashtag campaign was one of its kind, just like everything else Red Bull does. It was posed as a challenge to ask the customers to take a picture with a Red Bull can, which appears to be a part of daily life. 

As a result,  in just a few months, almost 10,000 original #PutACanOnIt photos were uploaded and hashtagged across Instagram and Twitter.

10. #OreoHorrorStories By Oreo 

Oreo launched #OreoHorroStories, a campaign that mixed horror with humor while keeping its signature cookie at the center of the narrative. This campaign taps into the spine-chilling and spooky horror stories people often tell during Halloween, stating that it “actually” happened. 

The campaign reimagines mundane activities like running out of Oreos, dropping one in milk for too long, or splitting the cookie unevenly as scary nightmares. It became so big that it got a retweet from Jack Dorsey (Founder of Twitter).

11. #ORIGINALis by Adidas

As inspiring as these hashtag campaign examples are, they are potent tools for spreading the word about your product launch, event, or anything else you want to get noticed. Fans can search the hashtag to find the latest news and updates.

Take Adidas, for example. They used this hashtag campaign example and started #ORIGINALis to launch their Originals line. 

The campaign was so successful, generating so much buzz, that Adidas had to create a separate social media account just for this product line! This shows the incredible reach hashtags can have.

12. #ShotoniPhone by Apple

Apple started the hashtag #ShotoniPhone to show people how excellent iPhone photos can be. People take amazing pictures on their iPhones and share them with this hashtag, which makes others want to take great pictures with their iPhones, too!

Over 26 million photos have been shared with this hashtag! People sharing their photos made the campaign more fun and exciting.

13. #WeAccept by Airbnb

Airbnb was criticized in 2016 for not treating everyone fairly. To address this, they started the #WeAccept campaign. 

This campaign meant that Airbnb welcomes everyone, no matter their background or beliefs. They don’t care about your race, religion, who you love, or where you’re from.

#WeAccept launched during a big football game (the Super Bowl) and quickly became popular. People loved the idea of everyone being accepted. 

The campaign video got millions of views online, and most people on social media liked it. To show their severity, Airbnb even donated money to help build homes for people who needed them.

14. #GreatStarts by Kellogg’s

Kellogg’s created a winning social media campaign called #GreatStarts. It cleverly connected the idea of breakfast, often seen as the most important meal of the day, with the excitement of the Olympics. 

They launched the campaign 100 days before the games, encouraging people to share their morning routines using the #GreatStarts hashtag. 

There was even a contest to win a trip to the Rio Olympics to sweeten the deal! This campaign was a huge hit, generating a lot of buzz and even attracting celebrity participation. 

It’s a great example of how Kellogg’s leveraged a popular sentiment and a significant event to create a catchy and engaging social media experience.

How To Create Successful Hashtag Campaigns With Social Walls

When combined with Social Walls, hashtag campaigns can bring your brand blockbuster success. Social Walls help brands raise awareness and attract the engagement they need. 

1. Set Your Campaign Goals  

For starters, you need to decide what you want to achieve with the campaign. This ensures that your goals are aligned with the brand’s objective. For example, if your goal is to improve your visibility in the industry, you should focus on creating a unique and memorable hashtag for your campaign. 

However, you can launch a hashtag with the challenge to make things even spicier and create buzz around your brand. 

2. Choose Your Hashtag  

Selecting the right hashtag is as important as naming your brand when it comes to marketing. The hashtag has to be catchy enough to be everyone’s and easy enough for them to remember and chat about at dinner. It acts as a rallying point for participants, which makes it easier for audiences to discover content.  

When brainstorming hashtags, consider incorporating keywords related to your campaign’s theme or central message. Choose a hashtag that encourages your target audience. For example, Maybelline launched its # MakeItHappen hashtag. 

This hashtag encouraged their followers to share their dreams and aspirations using it, creating a positive and empowered campaign that resonated with their target audience. 

Another excellent example of using a hashtag is Jack Astor. This bar and restaurant chain launched its hashtag campaign, #Jackastors. Using Social Walls, the brand collected user-generated content posted by restaurant visitors and displayed it on the restaurant’s digital signage. 

The result? This campaign increased visitors by 20% and drove 2x social media engagement. 

3. Get Sponsors Involved 

Getting sponsors can enhance the visibility and credibility of your campaigns. 

Research potential sponsors that align with your values and target audience. This will help to ensure a mutually beneficial partnership. Present a clear proposal that outlines the benefits, such as brand exposure. This helps you to access a new audience and positive public relations.

Collaboration with sponsors can involve financial support or the sharing of promotional resources. 

For example, In October 2021, Etihad Arena hosted the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC 267). The brand wanted to supercharge the fan experience and propagate social media visibility. The results were as follows. 

• Nearly 84,140 social media interactions were registered during the UFC 267 event.
• The Social Walls kept the attendees excited and actively participating in the event.
• The platform collected over 1054 User-generated content in just two days.

Beyond all this success and metrics, Etihad Arena still had an opportunity to provide more visibility to its sponsors via Social Walls. Event organizers could have provided real-time visibility by showcasing sponsor brands on digital signage. 

4. Publish/ Ask Quality Content 

Producing high-quality content is vital for capturing and getting your audience’s attention. Invest proper time in creating engaging, visually appealing materials that resonate with the target audience. This could include well-researched articles, eye-catching graphics, or a compelling story about your campaign. This helps to set the brand tone of the campaign. 

Brands can also ask their target audience to produce content for the campaign. User-generated content helps to build genuine relationships with the target audience. 

💡:  93% of marketers leveraging user-generated content in their marketing efforts claim that it performs notably better than traditional branded content. 

5. Promote Your Campaign With Social Walls 

To promote your campaign with Social Walls, use the branded hashtag to aggregate all the content created for your brand. This fantastic platform helps users showcase user-generated content on various marketing touchpoints like websites, digital displays, and more. 

To begin prompting your hashtags campaign, create a branded hashtag, ask your target audience to create content, and upload it on their social channel with the hashtag. This hashtag will now be the central hub for all the aggregated content. 

Social Walls also offers a SnapUp feature, which brands can use to allow their target audience to scan the QR code and upload their content for the hashtag campaigns without logging onto social media platforms.  

Benefits Of Running A Hashtag Campaign

Hashtags, those little labels on social media, are a powerful tool for businesses. They help people find interesting content, and businesses can leverage them to get their posts seen by more people. 

This section will discuss some of the top Benefits of the Hashtag Campaign.

1. Know Your Customers Better:

These hashtag campaign examples show what people think about your brand. You’ll see how many people join in, who they are, and what they say. This helps you understand your customers better. Hashtag campaigns are a great way to know what people want and start working on it.

2. Build A Strong Brand Image:

People who participate share their positive experiences and the causes they care about. This creates a good image of your brand and makes people want to connect with you. You can use a social wall display at trade show booths and showcase hashtag feed to help you increase brand visibility and establish a strong brand image.

3. Get People Talking:

Hashtag campaigns encourage people to chat about your brand online. They might share stories, pictures, or videos of how they use your products, which increases interest in your brand.

4. Free Content:

People create content (pictures, videos, etc.) for your campaign for free! This content shows others why your brand is excellent. Don’t forget people trust brands that share their customers’ content: visuals and reviews. This user-generated content can help your brand build trust among others.

5. Reach More People:

Hashtags help new people find your brand. Imagine a hashtag like #ShoeLover. People searching for shoes might see your posts if you sell shoes and use this hashtag! Display a live hashtag feed at events and on your website to keep people updated. 

Overall, hashtag campaigns are a powerful tool for connecting with more people, building a solid brand image, and ultimately selling more of your products or services.

Start Your Hashtag Campaign Today!

As we conclude this blog, you know everything there is to know about marketing campaigns. This blog has discussed some successful hashtag campaign examples, how to benefit from your plan, and what to avoid. 

As a marketer, you already know the impact of running a hashtag campaign. It can help you achieve your goals of increased brand visibility, boosted audience engagement, and broader reach. 

What’s the wait for? Pick an example of your hashtag campaign from which you get inspiration, and start your marketing campaign to reap the benefits.