What the Effective 100 can tell us about commercial success

Commitment to brand purpose, tech innovation and breaking category norms lead to commercial success, a new report from WARC Creative finds. 

WARC Rankings: Lessons from the Effective 100 looks at the strategies and approaches of some of the world’s most awarded campaigns for effectiveness from 2022, ranked in this year’s Effective 100. 

Why it matters

“We’ve analysed the multi- award-winning campaigns ranked in the Effective 100 to get an understanding of the approaches highly effective brands are taking to drive commercial impact,” says Amy Rodgers, Head of WARC Creative, and author of the report. “These findings will provide confidence to marketing decisions through evidence-based insight and inspiration.”

Takeaways

• Peak purpose. Half of the ranked campaigns – the highest number recorded in the Effective 100 to date – have a purpose element to them as brands try to make a difference in the world. But while there are still campaigns that might be seen as purely brand purpose work, more brands are investing in initiatives that support audiences while also growing the bottom line.

• Technology innovation paves new routes to attention. Advances in technology are providing innovative ways for marketers to reach their audiences through social media and gaming. The use of virtual reality, CGI and 3D technologies are all used in the most-awarded campaigns for effectiveness, often combined with the use of influence, be it human or virtual, to target specific audiences.

• Hunger sells. Marketers should take inspiration from the food, drink and QSR categories, which make up 34% of the top 100 campaigns, including four of the top five campaigns – Michelob Ultra (ranked #1), Cadbury (#2), McDonald’s (#3) and Jif (#5). Innovation and versatility within the category is evident. The use of creativity is pushing the boundaries of category norms to gain attention, and purpose and celebrity/influencer partnerships are proven to be effective strategies.

The Lessons from the Effective 100 report is available to WARC Creative subscribers. The study includes expert commentary, winning case studies, data analysis and best practices for advertisers, agencies and media owners.

The WARC Effective 100 has been compiled by applying a rigorous, unbiased and transparent methodology. Available to view in full here, the ranking includes the world’s top 100 awarded campaigns for effectiveness, top 50 creative, media and digital/specialist agencies, agency networks, brands, advertisers, countries and top holding companies.