Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

BBDO cleans up with LatAm and Pacific agencies of the decade

News • 24 June 2020

Omnicom-owned network BBDO has had two towering agencies named as regional agencies of the decade at Cannes Lions, with Colenso BBDO taking the Pacific regional prize, while AlmapBBDO takes the Latin American gong.

Radio audiences rise in post-lockdown Australia

News • 24 June 2020

Commercial radio audiences in Australia have seen a strong lift over the last four weeks as coronavirus restrictions were eased over most of the country.

Hospitality sector gears up for Q4 rebound and ‘Generation Clean’

News • 19 June 2020

Despite being one of the hardest hit industries, the hospitality sector remains positive in its outlook, anticipating recovery to begin as early as Q4 of this year.

NRMA learns the hard way

News • 05 June 2020

Bushfires, floods and the COVID-19 outbreak have forced Australian insurer NRMA to be flexible about plans – and it has learned some key lessons about adapting quickly.

Aussie Gen Zs just want to be average

News • 04 June 2020

A major new study into what Australia’s Gen Z are really like reveals that this group of 14-to-24 year-olds are probably the least radical young people for generations.

Diageo: Guinness Hero Harps

Case Study • Design Business Association, Design Effectiveness Awards, Grand Prix, 2020

Guinness, an alcoholic drinks brand produced by Diageo, encouraged people to pick its brand at the bar across the UK, Ireland and Australia by launching a glowing golden harp at the point of sale.

From Koalas to Coronavirus: How NRMA Insurance learnt to move at the speed of culture

Article • Catherine Rushton, WARC COVID-19 Series, June 2020

Mindshare’s Catherine Rushton outlines lessons learnt with insurance brand NRMA in responding to back-to-back events from bushfires to COVID-19.

How does consumer insight support the leap to a creative idea: Inside the creative process - Shifting the advertising appeal from functional to emotional

Research Paper • John Parker, Scott Koslow, Lawrence Ang, and Alexander Tevi, Journal of Advertising Research, Digital First, May 2020

Account planners identify and articulate a key strategic resource, consumer insight, from which creative ideation is said to leap.

The 'New Normal' is not as different as you might expect

Opinion • Jason Mander, May 2020

As more countries begin to ease their Covid-19 restrictions, there’s one inevitable question that everyone is asking: what does the “New Normal” look like? Clearly, we can’t just assume that behaviours newly acquired or significantly boosted during an unprecedented crisis will automatically continue afterwards.

Digital adspend growth slows down across all categories in Australia

News • 20 May 2020

Total online advertising growth slowed in the first quarter of 2020 to deliver overall year-on-year growth of 3.8% according to the IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report (OAER).

Brand protection (and rehabilitation) in times of crisis

Article • Nicolas Jarvis, WARC Exclusive, May 2020

Looks at Australia in the wake of the bushfires and in the midst of Coronavirus and states that crisis management and the ability to manage in times of great pressure has a direct correlation to future commercial success.

Consumer optimism remains high in APAC despite COVID-19 crisis

News • 30 April 2020

Despite huge disruption, fears of recession and job losses caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, new research finds consumers in the Asia-Pacific region remain hopeful about the future.

The changing behaviour of people in the real-world amid a global pandemic

Article • Near, WARC COVID-19 Series, April 2020

Outlines the changing patterns in people's movement, based on visitation data, in response to social distancing.

TAG fraud snapshot: Asia-pacific

Article • Trustworthy Accountability Group, Research on WARC, April 2020

Focuses on discovering rates of both General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) and Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT).

Mixed messages from the world of Aussie magazines

News • 30 April 2020

While Bauer Media announces the temporary suspension of a number of print titles in Australia due to the effects of COVID-19 on ad revenue, iconic UK mag NME says it will launch a print edition Down Under.

Aurecon Transport: 2035 – Moving People and Goods

Case Study • Chris Saxby, Courtney Lock, Nerissa Pacis, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon devised a content strategy to position itself as a thought leader in the mobility space in Australia.

Don’t stop Australia: The case for advertising during a pandemic

Article • Josie Tutty, WARC COVID-19 Series, April 2020

Research from Kantar suggests that if brands don’t exploit the situation, downplay or mock the crisis, or actively encourage restricted behaviour, then brands have a licence to communicate.

ANZ Banking Group Ltd: ANZ retail shareholder campaign

Case Study • Jemma Wight, Sue-Ellen Atherton, Andrew Cornell, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Banking and financial services company ANZ created a content marketing strategy centred on a newsletter encompassing articles, videos and podcasts to communicate with its global retail investor base.

McDonald's Australia: Macca's Summer of Spin

Case Study • Zoe May, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

QSR brand McDonald's created targeted and culturally connected content to secure a summertime win in Australia.

Bentley: An Extraordinary Journey to the Future

Case Study • Hanna Lubin, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Luxury automotive brand Bentley changed perceptions of a new younger audience in the UK through the use of innovative, compelling content.

Northern Territory: Top End Wedding

Case Study • Tony Quarmby, WARC Awards, Gold, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Destination marketing body Tourism Northern Territory created a feature film to challenge outdated perceptions of the area as a holiday destination and increase tourist numbers from Australia and the rest of the world.

Whitelion: Invest In Me

Case Study • Magdalena Tomislav-Collins, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Youth rehabilitation charity Whitelion used a multichannel strategy to reframe the charitable-giving narrative and increased its number of long-term givers in Australia.

Aurecon: Engineering Reimagined

Case Study • Courtney Lock, WARC Awards, Bronze, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Engineering, design and advisory company, Aurecon, harnessed the power of the podcast to strengthen its brand and widen its audience in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East.

Airbnb: The Country Pub Project

Case Study • Samyabrata Deb, Daniel Gervais, Shannon Crowe, WARC Awards, Grand Prix, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

In Australia, Airbnb regained its position as the most popular booking site by creating a project to support regional Australia by boosting a staple of rural life: the country pub.

Finish: #FinishWaterWaste

Case Study • Laura Portch, WARC Awards, Silver, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Dishwasher detergent brand Finish created an integrated campaign to boost consumer sentiment towards the brand and encourage water-saving practices in Australia.

Australia & New Zealand