Viral marketing campaigns: Transgression

Cases
108
Median Spread Score
42
Most started on
YouTube34%
First post to peak
3 days

By mechanic

All380Controversy154Newsjacking140Response chain110Transgression108Real-world spectacle75Pairing74Mystery & lore60Scarcity drop49Visible in use46Creator relay41Identity badge29Challenge26Maker origin18Underdog17Political adoption16Sell-out loop16Remixable template15Shareable output13Revival11Brand pile-on9Fandom mobilisation7Dupe economy6

e.l.f. x Liquid Death Corpse Paint

62
Corpse Paint by Liquid Death x e.l.f. Cosmetics

8B impressions

Mr. Clean retires

59
"Congrats, Damon! With your impressive degree, you can now do PR for laundry and cleaning products!” While that might not have been the most aspirational job offer I received, I’d say it’s…

21M views

Apple Three Minutes

58
An iPhone X-shot film about a train attendant’s brief Chinese New Year reunion with her son.

40M views

IKEA paid Roblox jobs

55
Official game screenshot showing the IKEA showroom and co-worker avatars.

16B impressions

Ariel: Dads #ShareTheLoad

53
Why is Laundry only a mother’s job? Dads #ShareTheLoad (Hindi) – Ariel

2B impressions

e.l.f. Judge Beauty

53
In e.l.f we Trust | e.l.f Cosmetics Game Day Commercial 2024

105B impressions

Husqvarna: DOOM Mowers

53
HUSQVARNA x DOOM

3.8B impressions

Taco Bell: Freeing Taco T***day

53
Taco *Bleep* (Commercial) | Taco Bell

21B impressions

Xbox (Football Manager): The Everyday Tactician

53
Meet Nathan, Bromley FC’s unorthodox recruit! 🎮⚽ Ep.1 The Everyday Tactician | Xbox X TNT Sports

1.5B impressions

A Recipe for Seduction

52
A Recipe for Seduction | Presented by Kentucky Fried Chicken | Full Mini-Movie | Lifetime

1.8B impressions

Burger King Whopper Neutrality

52
An in-store video stunt that charged more for faster Whoppers to explain net neutrality.

4.3B impressions

BYD Demolish the Old Legends

52
Contemporary screenshot of BYD’s original Weibo film, posted at 20:10.

800M impressions

Duolingo kills Duo the owl

52
an important message from Duolingo

1.7B impressions

Jaguar: Copy Nothing

52
Jaguar | Copy Nothing

160M views

State Farm: Batman vs. Bateman

52
Jason Bateman tried to protect Gotham while Batman rescued him in a State Farm insurance commercial.

2.1B impressions

Rang-tan

51
Rang-tan: the story of dirty palm oil

4B impressions

IKEA Guilty Pets

50
3.INGO Hamburg - IKEA Al-Futtaim - Don’t worry, you can afford it.Sami

4.1B impressions

Instacart: For Papa!

50
Spike Jonze’s extended Instacart musical with Ben Stiller and Benson Boone competing over banana ripeness.

22B impressions

Billie's Scratch-and-Sniff Armpits

49
Billie on Instagram: "Love the fresh smell of @billie pits in the morning #whatisnewyork #billiepartner"

1.75B impressions

REI #OptOutside

49
Company Signs

6.7B impressions

Tubi: Interface Interruption

49
Tubi Interface Interruption | Super Bowl

7B impressions

ASICS The Desk Break

48
ASICS | The Desk Break

2.3B impressions

Doja Cat's Mexican Pizza Jingle

48
Doja Cat’s TikTok rap about Taco Bell’s discontinued Mexican Pizza.

1K derivatives

Fiat Operation No Grey

48
FIAT | Waiting for… operation No Grey

10.2M views

It's a Tide Ad

48
It's A Tide Ad :60

3.6B impressions

MGA Presents: Diss-mas

48
MGA PRESENTS: The Rizzler - DISS-MAS 🎁

545.7M impressions

AVAVAV Fake It Till You Break It

47
Avavav on Instagram: "AW23 - ‘Fake it til you break it’ Creative director - @beate.karlsson Film director - @danielhallberg Photographer - @petroli0 Videographer - @leo.casalini Mua -…

128.1M views

Duo’s Great Resignation

47
Agency creative showing Duo’s Chinese resignation letter dated March 11, 2026.

108M impressions

Sweethearts Situationships

47
Sweethearts takes 'Situationships' to the next level

4B impressions

Aspercreme: The 58 Year Old Freshman

46
Aspercreme on Instagram: "You lose something when you age. The ability to give a damn about what anybody else thinks. @cillo.tom #NIL #Ad #AspercremePartner"

1.13B impressions

Extra Gum: The Story of Sarah & Juan

46
A two-minute love story told through gum-wrapper drawings, set to Haley Reinhart’s Elvis cover.

1.3B impressions

McDonald's UK: Raise Your Arches

46
Edgar Wright’s office workers invited colleagues to McDonald’s by raising their eyebrows to Yello’s Oh Yeah.

4.4M impressions

Adidas Support Is Everything breast grid

45
Official Breast Gallery campaign image in the copywriter’s portfolio.

Burger King Google Home of the Whopper

45
A Whopper ad whose spoken Google command made nearby Home speakers read Wikipedia.

10.5B impressions

Equinox: We Don’t Speak January

45
It’s not you, it’s January. #ItsNotFitnessItsLife

2.4B impressions

Nike: The Conductor

45
Kobe Bryant conducted rivals and fans singing an Otis Redding ballad rewritten as a farewell about hate.

7M views

Why Not? — Trúc Nhân x Techcombank

45
Trúc Nhân and Mew Amazing’s branded music video with Thùy Tiên and Tiến Linh for Techcombank Inspire.

8.2M views

Xbox Cheeky Controller

45
Image of a custom ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Xbox Series X console with two katanas attached to the backside and a Deadpool-themed covering, set in an industrial scene. Two Deadpool-themed controllers…

5B impressions

Balenciaga Paris destroyed sneaker campaign

44
os novos tênis da balenciaga vou postar aqui e você pense o que quiser

390M impressions

Clé de Peau Beauté: Thirst Trap feat. Martha Stewart

44
#ad Gorgeous, gorgeous people love @cledepeaubeauteUS concealer! #ad #cledepeaubeaute

48M on a 845K followers at seed

e.l.f. eyes.lips.face.sticky.

44
eyes.lips.face.sticky. | e.l.f. Cosmetics Game Day Commercial 2023

57B impressions

LEAD FROM BEHIND: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

44
Rob & Ryan Lead From Behind

3.3B impressions

Martha Stewart: I Only Wear MAC

44
M·A·C Cosmetics on Instagram: "I’m Martha Stewart and #IOnlyWearMAC. #MACFleshpot #MACNudes MUA: @daisybeautytoye"

Assume That I Can

43
ASSUME THAT I CAN | World Down Syndrome Day 2024

35M views

Back Market: Hack Market

43
Back Market - Hack Market (ENG)

100M impressions

Cluely launch

43
Cluely is out. cheat on everything.

Ford Men's Only Edition Explorer

43
A spoof Explorer ad removed features credited to women and revealed a tribute for Women’s History Month.

39M impressions

Mr. Clean Cleaner of Your Dreams

43
A woman watched Mr. Clean dance while cleaning, then saw her husband doing the chores.

17.6M views

NYX x Cardi B Duck Plump

43
A Cardi B lip gloss ad that ended with a mock news report about men misusing Duck Plump.

2M views

Pop-Tarts: The First Edible Mascot

43
Welcome to the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

4B impressions

Revlon’s “Thanks girl” lip-liner reply

43
Thanks @HeatherRaeElMoussa! Don’t sleep on our #ColorStay Lip Liner. Comment below for a ski pants storytime 😈⛷️

8M views

British Airways: May We Haveth One’s Attention

42
British Airways | Safety Video 2024 | May We Haveth One’s Attention

2.4M views

Dr. Squatch Nick Cannon Ball Insurance

42
Dr. Squatch on Instagram: "It’s official! I have the most valuable balls in the world! @drsquatch has insured them for $10M through their Ball-to-Ball Coverage. Visit http://drsquatch.com/balls to…

12B impressions

Government of Tuvalu: The First Digital Nation

42
Rising sea levels force Tuvalu to move to the Metaverse: COP27 speech

2.1B impressions

Miracle-Gro Full Bush Summer

42
It's a #FullBushSummer with @Miracle-Gro #ad

1.35B impressions

Visit Oslo: Is It Even a City?

42
Is it even a city?

8M views

Billy Goes to the River

41
A Cherokee hybrid ad in which a father and son freed Billy Bass before a bear and eagle attacked him.

800M impressions

No Smiles (Smile Agenai)

41
ano「スマイルあげない」Music Video

85M impressions

IKEA x Chupa Chups meatball lollipop

40
IKEA UK on Instagram: "We heard you like Swedish candy 🍭 So here’s the sweetest mashup no one asked for, but everyone will want to taste!"

25M impressions

MSCHF Microscopic Handbag

40
MSCHF on Instagram: "Microscopic Handbag by MSCHF🔬 Smaller than a grain of sea salt and narrow enough to pass through the eye of a needle, this is a purse so small you'll need a microscope to see…

$63.8K revenue

Nissan ARIYA Lofi

40
Enjoy the Powerfully Peaceful ARIYA | Nissan USA

395M impressions

Hilton: The Ad You Stay In

39
Unexpected & amazing things can happen when you stay, and we want you to stay with us for 10 minutes. Yup, we made a 10-minute TikTok AND we’re giving away 10M Hilton Honors Points + more.…

35.7M views

Specsavers wrong-city airport welcome signs

39
Specsavers Welcome to Melbourne billboard on a road at Sydney Airport.

97.2M impressions

Duolingo’s TikTok Refugee Mandarin Campaign

38
Learning Mandarin out of spite? You're not alone. We’ve seen a ~216% growth in new Chinese (Mandarin) learners in the US compared to this time last year.

18.8M views

e.l.f. So Many Dicks

38
Official So Many Dicks campaign artwork with a grid of male portraits.

5B impressions

Lidl Eau de Croissant

38
Plunge Creations’ croissant-shaped bottles for Lidl’s perfume campaign.

9M views

Peloton: Such a Great App

38
We love all our Members...even those who observe interesting holidays #NationalNudeDay

400K views

The Ordinary's Ordinarily Priced Eggs

38
The Ordinary on Instagram: "We heard NYC needed eggs. 🥚 This weekend, you can get 12 ordinarily priced eggs at our stores for $3.37. No frills, just eggs. While supplies last. 📍 Nolita 26 Prince…

Dame’s Trump Tariff Surcharge

37
Yes, there’s a “Trump Tariff Surcharge” in our checkout. | Alexandra Fine

Diesel x Durex condom mountain

37
Diesel on Instagram: "A very big D. The #DieselFW23 runway show set revealed a mountain of 200,000 condom boxes as part of a partnership with @durex . In the Diesel and Durex spirit of individual…

PedidosYa: World Cup Delivery

37
Campaign vendor’s screenshot of the World Cup delivery tracker, with Lionel as courier.

26M impressions

Škoda x Zepto: Ten-Minute Test Drives

37
Zepto on Instagram: "Humare pass mixer hai, phone hai, tablet hai, aur abb… Coming soon on 8th Feb! #SkodaIndia #SkodaIndiaNewEra #LetsExplore"

100M impressions

Dove Men+Care: First Fatherhood Moments

36
Father’s Day for dads to be | Dove Men+Care

6.5M views

IKEA: U up?

36
Agency photograph of a phone showing IKEA’s u up? Instagram message.

4.5M impressions

Apple TV+: Silo in a Tweet

35
Award-entry board showing Apple TV’s original full-episode Silo tweet.

58M impressions

Lulumelon EOSS

35
Lulumelon Official on Instagram: "The biggest shopping extravaganza of the year is here! Get crazy daels on the latest trends and up your style with the Lulumelon End of Season Sale. Shop now!…

28M impressions

Central Houston Nissan's Bait-and-Switch TikToks

34
KNOCKOUT deals 💥🥊 #CentralHoustonNissan #CentralHouston #Houston #Texas #HoustonCars #Nissan #NissanFamily #Car #Cars

20 sold

Electrikhana: High Stakes Playground, Las Vegas

33
Ken Block’s ELECTRIKHANA: High Stakes Playground; Las Vegas, in the Audi S1 HOONITRON

100M impressions

Dr. Squatch Body Wash Genie

33
Sydney Sweeney granted men wishes for natural body wash in Dr. Squatch’s Guys Only Want One Thing spot.

7.3M views

KFC Extra Crispy Sunscreen

33
A fried chicken-scented sunscreen giveaway promoted by an infomercial starring George Hamilton as the Colonel.

200K views

Scrub Daddy and Duolingo Have a Baby

33
and we’re back after legal review 🤡#DuoDaddy #Duolingo #Scrubdaddy #DuaLipa #DulaPeep #comedy #trend #workplace #couplesgoals

4M views

Barbie: Imagine the Possibilities

31
Imagine The Possibilities | @Barbie

Insta Novels

31
Phone screens showing the Alice, Yellow Wallpaper and Metamorphosis Insta Novels covers.

Manforce DOT AI

31
Manforce Condoms on Instagram: "Introducing the new era of pleasure and protection with the world’s first AI-powered condom - Manforce DOT AI. Coming Soon. #ManforceDotAI #TheFutureOfPleasure…

Oddly IKEA ASMR

31
“Oddly IKEA”: IKEA ASMR

88M impressions

Alexander Wang Ricco Celebrity Lookalikes

30
alexanderwang on Instagram: "100% certified authentic - ricco back in stock 5.22"

22.3M views

Hims & Hers: Sick of the System

30
Hims & Hers Big Game Commercial: “Sick of the System”

Durex Annu Kapoor true-friend advertisement

29
Durex India on Instagram: "Nolan : 0, Annu Kapoor : 1 . . . . . . #Collaboration"

806.6K impressions

Phexxi’s Unhinged Microfeminism Post

29
Original microfeminism prompt over a selfie of a person wearing sunglasses; image supplied by TikTok’s official embed.

12.9M views

Daniel Craig for Loewe Fall 2024

28
Daniel Craig for Loewe (2024)

196.7K views

Specsavers: The Misheard Version

28
Rick Astley playing guitar in the studio, from Tangerine’s campaign case study.

Volkswagen Das Chair

28
The Volkswagen electric office chair with its headlights illuminated.

586 views

Chevrolet A Holiday to Remember

27
A granddaughter drove her grandmother with dementia through familiar places in a classic Chevrolet Suburban.

9.1M impressions

Full Steam Ahead with Francis Bourgeois

27
HIGHSNOBIETY on Instagram: "It’s full steam ahead for @gucci and @thenorthface as they take their second collaboration to the tracks with TikTok star and trainspotter @francis_bourgeois43.⁠ ⁠ With…

The Best Place in the World to Have Herpes

27
Make New Zealand The Best Place In The World To Have Herpes - An Introduction

22.4M impressions

Denny’s Zoom-In Tweet

26
zoom in on the syrup

30M impressions

Heliot Emil Man on Fire

26
Model on Fire at Heliot Emil FW23!🖤

1.2M views

Julie: Your Friends with Benefits

26
Two women argued over the last box of Julie, comparing reasons they could not have a baby with their partners.

9.4M views

SKIMS Ultimate Nipple Bra launch campaign

26
Kim Kardashian on Instagram: "COMING OCT 31: THE ULTIMATE NIPPLE BRA. Perfect fullness with a built-in, faux nipple for shock factor – meet the newest innovation to our Ultimate Bra collection on…

10.1M impressions

Maggie Smith for Loewe

22
Jonathan Anderson on Instagram: "So proud Juergen Teller captures @LOEWE Spring Summer 2024 precollection featuring #MaggieSmith Photography @JuergenTellerStudio Creative direction…

Sylvanian Drama for Marc Jacobs

22
Kildare-based Thea von Engelbrechten started using Sylvanian Families toys to create online videos during the Covid pandemic

Welcome to Featherstone

21
Featherstone University | Colorado Mesa University

18M impressions

Coinbase’s “Everything Is Fine” musical

19
If everything is fine, then don’t change anything at all. But when the financial system isn’t working for so many people in the UK, it needs to be updated.

4.3M impressions

Patagonia: Don’t Buy This Jacket

18
Patagonia 2011 Don’t Buy This Jacket print advertisement. Original black-and-white campaign creative reproduced in a 2018 retrospective.

Whopper Sacrifice

18
Whopper Sacrifice Facebook application shown in the campaign portfolio

Always #LikeAGirl

13
A filmed comparison of how older participants and young girls acted when asked to do things like a girl.

Burger King Subservient Chicken

10
Subservient Chicken leaning toward the camera in its interactive living-room setting. 2004 campaign screenshot in a contemporary article later updated.

IKEA Better Late Than Never

0
NEW WORK: Why is IKEA Sweden jumping on viral trends a decade too late?!? 🧐 Loyalty programs that reward customers with points aren’t exactly new. So when IKEA Sweden asked for a launch campaign… |…

6.1K views

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Transgression in every industry