The Warc Prize for Connection Strategy Awards went live on warc.com last week. These awards focus on channel ideas that deliver brand advantage. It is a global case study competition that looks for excellence in connection strategy, channel analysis and measurement. Coca-Cola, the soft drinks giant, won the Grand Prix. I've dug a little deeper to highlight a selection of content that I found particularly noteworthy.

Lowe's Fix in Six: A sensation in six seconds

Lowe’s, a home improvement brand in the US, used Vine, the six-second video platform, to engage millennials. It did this by putting utility at the heart of its strategy. #LowesFixinSix created “quick hits” that provided amateur DIY’ers with creative solutions to household problems and projects. The campaign was immediately a success for the brand; in the last two years over 100 executions have been created, together achieving over 50 million impressions.

O2: Bringing smart tech to life for O2 Gurus

This case study shows how O2, a mobile phone provider in the UK, used rich media content and device-specific adverts to raise awareness of O2 Gurus tech advice and increase online sales. And it provides interesting insight on the consumer path to purchase. The authors argue that consumers go through a five-stage decision-making journey - regardless of the category or market. These stages apply to all the products and services that consumers buy; they just manifest themselves in different ways.

Very.co.uk: A Very stylish Christmas

This case study for Very.co.uk, an online fashion retailer in the UK, describes how the brand used a range of mobile apps to reach its target audience of 25-44 year old women, C12DE, in the build up to Christmas. Capitalising on consumers’ dual-screening behaviour, Very.co.uk partnered with Shazam, the audio recognition app. The audio recognition technology meant its mobile ads were targeted to coincide with its TV ad soundtrack as well as current UK hit singles AND competitors’ TV ad soundtracks. These media placements enabled mobile to act as a direct response channel for TV, amplifying and converting the reach of the brand’s TV advertising and targeting that of their competitors. Further, Twitter was used to countdown guaranteed Christmas delivery while geo-targeting creative was used to reach consumers in high footfall shopping areas. Total sales increased by 23% and mobile sales by 45%.

Microsoft: Does TV Still Matter? Accounting for paid and earned media impact

Wondering if TV should feature in your marketing media mix? Well so was Microsoft, the global information technology company, was querying the role of traditional media, specifically TV, and how it should fit in its media plan. Microsoft analysed three cases to test the impact of the relative roles of traditional and digital media on sales and found that TV is still very relevant. This channel attribution and optimisation case study showed that optimisation tests helped show an 8% opportunity to further improve TV impact (ROI) and showed that less expensive media could not be as effective as TV in driving sales.

Bonnington's Irish Moss: A Story of David vs Goliath

Bonnington’s Irish Moss, a challenger brand in the Australian cough remedy sector, used social listening techniques to develop a real-time flu tracker that influenced media planning and buying. The campaign had a heavy emphasis on programmatic tech. It saw a 23% rise in sales, and the impact has continued beyond the campaign period.

Fair and Lovely: Project Forshya: The best ever (Re)-Launch

This case study describes how Fair and Lovely, one of Unilever India's biggest and most profitable brands, used previously untapped data to target lapsed consumers, most of whom were in media dark areas of India.Specifically, outdoor, mobile and low-cost sampling were used to lure back dubious customers. The campaign almost instantly reversed the sales slump and saw significant improvements in perceptions of the brand.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label: The Gentlemen's Wager

This case study explains how Johnnie Walker Blue Label, the Diageo-owned whiskey brand, executed a global digital campaign which was activated across 24 countries including eight countries in Asia. The campaign aimed to elevate the brand to luxury status. This was done through a smart mix of storytelling, celebrity endorsement, online video and a strategic partnership with Mr Porter, the online men’s fashion portal. The result? A 41% increase in bottle sales globally, strong growth in brand equity measures, and successfully elevated the Blue Label brand to an icon of new luxury.

EXIT-Deutschland: Nazis against Nazis – Germany's most involuntary charity walk

EXIT-Deutschland, an organisation that fights right-wing extremism in Germany, used an ambush marketing strategy to raise awareness and donations. During an annual Nazi march through a small German town, participating neo-Nazis were surpised to find their protest march has covertly been turned into a charity walk. Thus, for every metre the neo-Nazis walked, €10 went to the charity. Digital and social media magnified the campaign’s impact which successfully delivered against two business objectives: driving donations and engaging potential neo-Nazis quitters.

Duracell: 10X power in your hand

This case study describes how Duracell, a battery brand, created online video content to engage young consumers in India. It used humour, storytelling and content marketing to stoke engagement in a traditionally low-involvement category. Online video and a partnership with TVF, one of India’s largest online entertainment youth networks, were chosen as the best platforms to reach this audience. The content was successful in engaging consumers and building the Duracell brand.

Warc subscribers can view the full case studies here.