Creativity and ingenuity usually lead to success in Social Media campaigns, but sometimes you can be creative and successful by going old school. Volkswagen is doing just that by bringing back the old “Punch Buggy” game. Remember it? Every time you passed a VW Beetle on those long family road trips you and your little brother would exchange punches. It’s a game that pretty much everybody can remember being a part of at some point, which is why it makes for a great social media campaign. People can relate to it and get a tingly feeling of reminiscence.

So, starting with an ad during the 3rd quarter of this year’s Super Bowl, VW is reinventing the game and calling it “Punch Dub”, referring to their nickname “Vee Dub”. The new game allows punches whenever any VW is spotted, not just a Beetle. The modern version of the classic game will feature celebrity comedian Tracy Morgan (from SNL and 30 Rock). Fans of Volkswagen will be able to share their excitement over the reemergence of the game by going to VW’s Facebook page where they can become “Punch Dubbers” and dole out punches of their own and also get a chance to win a new VW CC.

The combination of bringing back a classic game with a chance to win a car and a popular comedian is something that will almost surely turn into a successful campaign. While most companies can’t afford Tracy Morgan, or a Super Bowl ad, the formula can still be followed by small businesses. Connect with your fans on a personal level by inviting them to get involved with a fun and quirky activity and offer them incentives to do so. Chances are, if you remind people of something from their past that they enjoyed, even something small like the “Punch Buggy” game, they will see your brand as more human and more fun. While it might not last long, such a campaign can leave a lasting impression on people and can leave them seeing your company as more Social Media-friendly.

One of the biggest social media campaigns will begin in January when Pepsi launches the Pepsi Refresh Project. The company’s social media campaign will focus  on collecting ideas from fans and followers. How, you ask, will that cost Pepsi $20 million? Pepsi wants ideas on ways to refresh their communities. The top ideas will be put into effect and funded by Pepsi, hopefully making the world a little better and, for Pepsi’s sake, generating brand awareness and publicity for the company. This is by far one of the largest budgets to be allocated for a social media campaign by any company

Pepsi isn’t taking this $20 million project lightly. In order to afford the project Pepsi wont advertise during this year’s Super Bowl, something it has done every year for 23 years. In the past decade they spent $142 million on those iconic Super Bowl ads, such as those featuring Britney Spears. Now, though, the company hopes the same amount of buzz, if not more, can be generated by getting fans of the brand to interact and become a part of the Refresh Project and, at the same time, improving communities throughtout the world. The campaign will start on January 13th and voting for the best user-submitted ideas will begin February 1st.

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