In the digital age, customers no longer believe in one-way advertising. They believe in stories, emotions and the values that brands bring. Therefore, Content Marketing - content marketing - has become a “strategic weapon” to help businesses build trust, attract customers and create sustainable revenue.

No longer just discrete posts, Content Marketing today is a strategic system where content is designed to educate, inspire and connect emotionally. Big brands like Dove, Oreo, Duolingo, and Nike have proven that, if done right, content marketing can change the way consumers perceive a brand, even an entire category.

1. Dove - “Real Beauty” and the Power of Social Content

When it comes to the most successful marketing campaigns, Dove’s “Real Beauty” is always at the top. Launched in 2004, the campaign did not promote soap, but celebrated women’s true beauty—a topic that had never been explored in depth in advertising at the time.

Dove broke traditional beauty standards by celebrating flaws and body diversity. Videos, images and articles encourage women to be confident and love themselves beyond their appearance.

Results: The campaign went global with millions of personal stories shared and hundreds of organizations supporting it. Dove not only sells products, but also sells social values, builds deep trust and a humane image.

Lesson: Effective Content Marketing touches emotions and beliefs, not just reason.

2. Oreo - “Daily Twist” and a lesson in speed, creativity, and timing

In 2012, Oreo celebrated its 100th anniversary with the “Daily Twist.” In 100 days, they created 100 digital ads, transforming the Oreo cookie based on daily events - from the London Olympics to LGBT Pride Day.

Key points: High speed of response. The team updates news every morning and designs content in just a few hours. Fun content, suitable for the trends that the public is discussing.

Results: Millions of shares, hundreds of analytical articles, increased engagement with young customers on social networks.

Lesson: Content marketing is not only good, but also must be timely to make the brand come alive and close.

3. Duolingo - When "funny and silly" content conquers Gen Z

If Dove represents emotion, Oreo is creativity, then Duolingo illustrates how to "catch trends" on new platforms like TikTok.

Free language learning apps used to have a hard time keeping young users. But with the "silly" owl mascot Duo - through videos like "Duo stalking for not studying" or jumping on trends - everything changed. The content is both humorous and cleverly reminds you to return to the app.

Result: TikTok account reaches tens of millions of views, strongly increases new users in Gen Z.

Lesson: Content Marketing is effective when the brand speaks the same cultural language as the customer, turning the channel into a playground .

4. Nike - “You Can’t Stop Us” and the power of emotions in crisis

In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Nike launched “You Can’t Stop Us” - a video celebrating the spirit of resilience and inclusiveness in sports.

Video combines hundreds of parallel scenes: Athletes of different skin colors, genders, and circumstances but with the same spirit of “Sports does not stop”.

Result: More than 50 million views after 5 days, hundreds of thousands of shares, becoming a symbol of overcoming adversity.

Lesson: Content touches core values - perseverance, connection - to inspire life, not just sell products.

What can Vietnamese SMEs learn from these 4 case studies?

Despite different fields, scales or styles, the four campaigns have one thing in common: Content is the soul of the brand. Dove touches trust, Oreo creates speed, Duolingo resonates with culture, Nike inspires inspiration.

This is also a lesson for SMEs:

• Invest in value instead of expensive advertising: Create educational content, connect emotionally to build a long-term community.
• Flexible application for SMEs: No need for a large budget, just need a "right - enough - touch" strategy to create influence.
• Take advantage of technology: Combine AI to produce content quickly and economically - the key for small businesses in Vietnam.

GTG CRM: AI solution helps SMEs exploit Content Marketing effectively and cost-effectively cheap

For SMEs, creating high-quality, consistent content is a big challenge - it requires a professional team and is expensive. GTG CRM solve this with smart AI, simplifying the process of content marketing.

Create social media posts: AI generates engaging, industry-relevant, multilingual (including Vietnamese) content, and creates illustrations exclusive in minutes.

SEO-standard sales content: Write keyword-optimized landing pages, personalized email marketing to increase conversions.

Create professional email content: Prepare a standard email with just one simple command

Without the need for a large content team, SMEs can produce 100 articles/month with a budget of only 208,000 VND/month, perfectly synchronizing the brand.

In particular, GTG CRM's AI assistant can also help you create a Content Plan for each month, each year, and even suggest content directions for business owners.

GTG CRM "popularizes" Content Marketing, turning ideas into real campaigns - like Dove or Nike do, but easier for businesses Viet.

See more: Smart Marketing solutions for SMEs: Cut costs, maximize efficiency with GTG CRM

Conclusion

From Dove to Nike, the world proves that Content Marketing is more than just selling products - it builds trust, emotions and community. With AI from GTG CRM, Vietnamese SMEs can now replicate that power without worrying about high costs.

Start your content marketing journey today - turn your brand story into sustainable revenue!