As crazy as 2020 was, it was also a year in which brands showed off their creativity. With consumers confined to their homes and smartphones, social media became an important force for brands to connect with consumers—about the pandemic, racial injustice and the 2020 election, among other issues and events.

We’ve compiled the best brand social feeds of 2020—the ones whose messages became extensions of their brands and a way to educate and entertain their growing followers.

Ben & Jerry’s for social justice reform

Vermont-based ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has been a leading voice for social justice causes, especially on its Twitter (458,000 followers) and Instagram (1.4 million followers) accounts. The brand wasn’t shy about giving its take on the election, called attention to trans rights and highlighted the importance of the climate crisis.

Ben & Jerry’s has also been outspoken on racial injustice, calling on followers to dismantle white supremacy and defund the police. It even used its channels to announce a limited-edition flavor, Justice Remix’d, which raised funds for criminal justice reform. Most recently, the brand announced a partnership with Colin Kaepernick to introduce a “Change the Whirled” flavor, with a portion of proceeds going to Kaepernick’s nonprofit, Know Your Rights Camp. For consumers who look to brands to take up a cause, Ben & Jerry’s is a shining example.

Ryan Reynolds for resourcefulness

Ryan Reynolds was a marketing madman, using his 17-million-follower Twitter account and production company, Maximum Effort, to promote his businesses—Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile—with new campaigns seemingly every week. The actor used his celebrity and business experience to creatively hawk his goods and services, and cross-promoting was not off limits. Soon after releasing campaigns for Match and Frida Mom, Reynolds put out a spot plugging Aviation Gin as well as his upcoming movie, “The Croods: A New Age," even though they cater to wildly different age groups.

Netflix for fun

Netflix is a pro when it comes to using its catalog of shows to inspire social media content, whether on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. The media company is quick to jump on popular memes and shares endless jokes about its own shows, sometimes merging different shows into one meme or using characters to make points about viewers’ shared culture. No matter what, Netflix is always speaking from the perspective of a viewer in a tongue-in-cheek, fun-loving fashion. The brand has 73 million followers on Facebook, 26 million on Instagram and 10 million followers on Twitter.

Bumble for keeping it real

Dating app Bumble has proven itself as the voice for socially aware daters. The brand uses its social feeds to shine a light on outdated dating rules, celebrate dating success stories and give affirmations and advice. It also celebrated Kamala Harris' election as the nation's first female vice-president. Bumble has 553,000 followers on Instagram.

Chipotle for cultural touchpoints

Chipotle tuned in to TikTok in a big way and now has 1.3 million followers on the platform. Those numbers aren’t for nothing. The quick-service restaurant is able to tap into cultural touchpoints via smart partnerships with celebrities and TikTok influencers. Chipotle used the platform to promote Bill Nye the Science Guy's campaign for its app's environmental “foodprint” tracker, worked with TikTok influencer David Dobrik for an after-party for students whose proms were canceled and launched a Miley Cyrus burrito after the star responded to a TikTok post.

Oreo for creativity

Oreo’s social feeds, especially its 920,000-follower Twitter account, are filled with creative ideas and culture-driven memes. When news spread that an asteroid was falling to Earth, Oreo built an asteroid-proof vault in Svalbard, Norway, and produced a film documenting its existence—even though NASA insisted the asteroid posed no threat. On social media, the brand shared a picture of the vault, clips from the documentary and photos of the vault’s Oreo ration packs, complete with powdered milk. The cookie brand also highlights its partnerships through its social media channels, such as its recent one with Lady Gaga.

Wendy’s for experimentation

If something is bubbling up on the social scene, it’s likely Wendy’s is calculating how it can be used to reach new audiences. Although known for its often snarky and quick-witted Twitter account with more than 3.7 million followers, Wendy’s can also be found on Twitch, where the brand livestreams gaming sessions for popular video games including Mario Kart, Among Us and Animal Crossing. Recently, the brand partnered with UberEats and five popular Twitch streamers, including Myth and Tfue, for a five-day streaming challenge. Wendy’s growing Twitch channel has 107,000 followers.

Steak-umm for wisdom

Philadelphia-based Steak-umm might sell only frozen steaks, but it has also been a pandemic voice of reason for its 173,000 Twitter followers and 93,000 TikTok followers. The brand has become known for words of wisdom and factoids about misinformation, often encouraging followers to read accredited news sources and rely on scientific data.

Like some other brands, Steak-umm behaves like a regular Twitter user, even commenting on other brands’ posts. On TikTok, the brand mixes insight with humor as Nathan Allebach, the mastermind behind the brand’s social media accounts, dances and gives tips with a giant Steak-umm box on his head. Many people (as well as the brand itself) have remarked on the irony of taking advice from a brand trying to generate sales. But—hey, it has been a strange year, so why not take some counsel from a meat purveyor?

MoonPie for playfulness

MoonPie's banter has helped grow fans on Twitter, where it has 295,000 followers. In such a traumatic year, the snack brand showed that a bit of playfulness goes a long way.

"This year Twitter transformed into an emotional melting pot of the world’s collective anxieties, which posed serious questions about how and whether MoonPie should participate,” says Dooley Tombras, president at independent full-service agency Tombras, which developed the strategy for MoonPie’s Twitter account. “Ultimately we leaned into our ‘Outta This World’ brand strategy and found clarity in our role. Whether you’re eating a MoonPie or following us on Twitter, we bring levity and a smile to your day, and this year that’s exactly what the world needed."