The 10 Best Social Media Campaigns of 2012

By RORY KEANE 1) President Obama's reelection campaign Most retweeted tweet ever? check.  A think tank of super nerds crunching numbers and running thousands of simulations daily? check.  In many ways, Obama's reelection push was a defining moment for a social media campaign's capacity to analyze data, ride trends and impact news cycles.  They took the groundbreaking playbook from the '08 campaign and threw it out, forging a model for any tech-savvy organization that wants to move “Forward.” 2) Red Bull Stratos A man plummeted 24 miles from the sky, and people just watched.  Then they tweeted it, shared it and watched it again.  More than 30 million people tuned in for 2012’s most over-the-top stunt.  The record-setting leap by daredevil Felix Baumgartner proved to be a coup for sponsor Red Bull, who’s logo was plastered across every video, tweet and Facebook page associated with the “space jump.” 3) NBC Olympics 2012 To deal with a time delay and entertain an audience that’s more connected than any previous Olympics, NBC had to think outside the box.  While viewers stuck watching on TV had complaints about the delayed broadcast, social media was abuzz nearly 24-7 with updates, medalists and inspiring stories from the #London2012 Olympic Games.  For the first time in history, a massive audience migrated online to watch streaming video of a major sporting event, stealing the traditional broadcasting model’s thunder in the process. 4) Oreo’s 100^th Birthday More than 30 million fans liked Oreo’s Facebook page while they commemorated our century-long infatuation with the twistable, dunk-able delicious cookies. Hyperlink: 5) The Walking Dead This primetime cable drama actually encourages viewers to avert their eyes from the TV screen, and not because of the show’s graphic content.  AMC's The Walking Dead recognized the rising trend in dual-screening and worked up a campaign to dominate the audience's attention for the entire broadcast and beyond.  Original hashtags, mobile games and other content for fervent fans on social media have turned this successful saga about flesh-eating zombies into a multimedia juggernaut. 6) Nike Soccer #MyTimeIsNow Who hasn't fantasized about stealing the show on the world's largest stage? The most-watched ad on YouTube this year featured a litany of soccer's biggest stars, and the thrill that only Nike can deliver when it comes to empowering everyday athletes with the drive to reach greatness. 7) Pepsi MAX & Kyrie Irving Uncle Drew What happens when you take one of the NBA's most talented young stars and dress him up--convincingly--as a washed up baller pushing retirement? You get Pepsi's uproarious Uncle Drew story.  For part two of the story, Kevin Love gets in on the action…to hilarious effect. 8) Old Spice Television viewers got a healthy dose of Old Spice spokesman Terry Crews, but fans of the deodorant brand on social media got much more.  An arcade game done up in glorious 80s arcade style that featured former NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo (also riffing on the Mayan Apocalypse) was among the inventive, wacky and downright fun offerings that Old Spice rolled on just for their connected audience. 9) Dollar Shave Club The viral ad campaign that dominated the web and got scruffy college guys excited about personal grooming did more than just generate laughs.  It also hailed a return to the subscription-based business model.  Co-founder & CEO Michael Dubin remains committed to growing this startup as an online-only business.  Connected customers can count on laughs and close shaves for many months to come. 10) Ted Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane didn’t launch his live action cinema debut with a shout, but instead with a foulmouthed teddy bear on Twitter.  The word-of-mouth buzz generated by the Twitter handle @WhatTedSaid helped to fuel the surprising box office returns of this summer’s sleeper hit.  Stacked up against juggernaut films about superheroes and alien invaders, the producers of Ted got creative and turned to social media, luring fans into theaters in the process.