Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about consumer decision making

Article • WARC Best Practice, October 2019

Looks at the processes through which people make decisions, often sub-conscious, instinctive and driven by bias, and how to work with these processes effectively.

What we know about behavioural economics

Article • WARC Best Practice, September 2019

This article provides marketers with information and guidance about using behavioural economics (BE) to inform marketing strategies.

How to use behavioural science to build new habits

Article • Crawford Hollingworth and Liz Barker, WARC Best Practice, June 2017

This article explains the lessons from behavioural science about the formation of habits and lists six strategies that marketers can employ to build, maintain and disrupt consumer habits.

Emirates NBD: Every Step Counts

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Tala Arakji, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Emirates NBD, a leading UAE bank, launched a reward-based initiative to help people improve both their financial and their physical health.

How to connect and communicate in these challenging times

Article • WARC COVID-19 Series, June 2020

Shows how behaviours are changing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and provides a behavioural road map for how to communicate today and in the foreseeable future.

Building shelf awareness: Quantifying radio’s last-minute influence for FMCG brands

Article • Mark Barber, WARC Exclusive, June 2020

A review of insights and best practice findings from Radiocentre and Shoppercentric’s research into the effects of radio’s last-minute reach of shoppers for FMCG brands.

Identifying consumer tensions to drive growth

Opinion • Tim Denyer, Emma Ramsay and Mark Murray Jones, June 2020

The gap between situational change and reality creates tension. Brands that respond to these tensions stand the best chance of successfully navigating COVID-19 and the oncoming recession.

King County Metro: Just One Trip

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2020

King County Metro, the metro system for King County in Washington, discouraged solo driving trips in the county by using modelling software to target people most likely to change transport methods with mobile ads, events and mailings.

Tobaccowala believes “human” skills are critical to COVID-19 recovery

Opinion • Geoffrey Precourt, May 2020

Marketers need to remember the human touch and not solely rely on data as they build brands and respond to COVID-19 alike, according to Rishad Tobaccowala, a senior adviser to Publicis Groupe.

Reassessing the eight motivators of purchase in the context of COVID-19

Article • Prasad Shinde, Steven Naert and Tammy Ho, WARC COVID-19 Series, May 2020

Ipsos outlines how the eight motivators of purchase should be adapted to the current COVID-10 context.

In-car radio and FMCG purchase intent

News • 20 May 2020

Radio ads heard in the car on the way to the supermarket have a significant effect on purchasing intentions, according to new research on FMCG advertising.

How health and wellbeing brands can grow during COVID-19

Article • Richard McAleavy, WARC COVID-19 Series, May 2020

With consumers more concerned about cleanliness during COVID-19, health and wellbeing brands are well positioned to benefit.

The social-emotional drivers to purchase decisions in COVID-19

News • 06 May 2020

Brands can create more effective advertising by understanding the motivations behind people’s purchase decisions and how they have changed under COVID-19, according to exclusive new research from Decode.

We’re only human after all: Using Behavioural Science to make sense of the wide spectrum of responses to COVID-19

Article • Crawford Hollingworth and Liz Barker, WARC COVID-19 Series, April 2020

COVID-19 is not only a huge disruption across the world, but it is also disrupting our brains, and behavioural science can help make sense of this disruption.

Behavioural economics: Immersive research, decisions and comms challenges

Article • Anna Miley, John Kenny and Sonia Misak, WARC COVID-19 Series, April 2020

Discusses how companies are outperforming their peers by applying behavioural economics to their marketing strategy.

Barclays Private Bank: Smarter Giving

Case Study • Emilie Uzan, Alice Pike, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Barclays Private Bank devised a philanthropic campaign to help increase donations from high net worth individuals to the charity sector in the UK and Europe.

RBC Diversity & Inclusion: Speak Up for Inclusion

Case Study • Michael Brathwaite, Daisy Qin, Karlina Bear, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Financial institution Royal Bank of Canada developed a video-led campaign to highlight the importance of inclusion and effect positive change in its markets worldwide.

Star Sports: #5MinuteAur – #5EmergingTechKhiladi

Case Study • Preeti Mascarenhas, Pankaj Sharma, Neha Dhar, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Indian broadcaster Star Sports partnered with the Indian government to use the country's Khelo India Youth Games as a platform to encourage sports participation among youngsters.

AT&T: AT&T x The Trevor Project

Case Study • Dana Kelly, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Mobile carrier AT&T partnered LGBTQ+ crisis intervention organisation the Trevor Project to help scale counselling training services as part of it's CSR initiative.

TD Ameritrade: Money On Your Mind

Case Study • Jill Howel, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

TD Ameritrade, the US-based brokerage, used a podcast to strengthen its muddled brand by educating customers about behavioural economics.

WARC from Home: Behavioural economics – what is it and how to apply it to marketing

Opinion • WARC from Home, April 2020

WARC from Home is a new series to help subscribers to brush up on the essentials of marketing during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Emirates NBD: Every Step Counts

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Tala Arakji, Anna Sadykova, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Innovation, 2020

Emirates NBD, a leading UAE bank, launched a reward-based initiative to help people improve both their financial and their physical health.

Brands’ behaviour now will affect future consumer buying decisions

News • 01 April 2020

Consumers have made it clear they will judge brands on how appropriately they respond to the COVID-19 crisis, by looking after their staff and help society meet the challenge, according to a special Edelman Trust Barometer report.

New frontiers of behavioural science: The growth of bespoke nudging

Article • Crawford Hollingworth and Liz Barker, The Behavioural Architects, March 2020

Explores how individual contextual factors can influence a person’s behaviour and in turn provide new opportunities to nudge in a more nuanced and tailored way.

Efficiency can’t equal effectiveness without creativity: DDB

Article • Josie Tutty, Event Reports, Mumbrella MSIX, February 2020

DDB managing director, strategy and innovation Leif Stromnes and chief creative officer Ben Welsh explain how an over-reliance on rationality is endangering creativity in marketing.

Behavioural insight