Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

How digital channels can help build a brand

Article • Oliver Feldwick, WARC Best Practice, April 2018

Explains how digital channels, when used well, can play a fundamental and complementary role in brand building.

How to run an effective rich media campaign

Article • Jaime Enrico Singson, WARC Best Practice, May 2017

This paper explores the key points for the running of a successful rich media campaign and provides examples of case studies that have succeeded in creating compelling rich media content.

The state of rich media

Article • Jaime Enrico Singson and Mike McNulty, WARC Best Practice, May 2017

This article explores the notion of what rich media is as well as delving into its formats, channels, providers and the challenges facing it.

How to maximize the return on investment from digital marketing

Article • Gian Fulgoni, WARC Best Practice, March 2016

This article explains how marketers can maximize the return on investment in digital marketing, a platform predicted to overtake TV in adspend in 2016.

Building a brand across the scale of immediacy: Practical progress from a theory of online advertisements

Article • Gareth Price, WARC Exclusive, January 2020

The effectiveness of online advertising is under increased scrutiny, but focusing on direct response metrics does a disservice to the many new ways online can help build a brand.

Why healthcare brands can fall into a digital short-termist trap, and what they can do about it

Article • Shann Biglione, Admap, January 2020

As the industry becomes increasingly commoditized, healthcare brands need to return to a blend of short-term and long-term marketing and this article details how brands can strike that balance.

Olay tackles a deeply-felt issue by telling Chinese women to be 'Fearless of Age'

Case Study • Jenny Chan, Case Studies on WARC, ROI Festival, October 2019

Olay kicked off a social discussion on age-related taboos and judgment facing older women and urged females to instead pursue their dreams without prejudice.

'Unkickable' Timberland boots glorifies the idea of unfinished business

Case Study • Jenny Chan, Case Studies on WARC, ROI Festival, October 2019

Timberland built on the past success of its unusual China marketing campaign to promote its boots among young Chinese consumers, with videos that mostly avoided the faces of wearers in favour of shots of the products, and counter-intuitively stressed that the individuality of the boots increases with age.

Measuring effectiveness

Article • Imaad Ahmed, WARC Webinars, December 2019

Imaad Ahmed, head of planning and field marketing at WARC, looks at how marketers can measure marketing impact across multiple channels.

How Denny’s fights a negative “diner” stereotype with multicultural initiatives

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, November 2019

Denny’s, the quick-service restaurant chain, has committed to engaging multicultural consumers in powerful, authentic ways, helping overcome an uneven legacy in this area.

Marketer's Toolkit 2020: Building brands in the walled gardens (Industry)

Article • WARC Trends, November 2019

Part of WARC's Marketer’s Toolkit 2020, this chapter offers a deep dive into industry trends affecting marketing plans in 2020.

Spark: Spark's Search Engine Marketing

Case Study • Cheyenne Welham, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

New Zealand telecommunications brand Spark took a new approach to search engine marketing to sell more high-value mobile plans and strengthen its operating margins.

Pantene: Blend-In

Case Study • James Barnett, WARC Media Awards, Gold and Platform Pioneer Special Award, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Hair care brand Pantene reinvented the approach of its Beautiful Lengths programme to build hair donation momentum and reduce barriers to donating hair in Israel.

Captain Morgan: Personalised Messages

Case Study • Emma Bowers, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Best Use of Data, 2019

Diageo-owned rum brand Captain Morgan ran a mobile-led campaign to personalise messaging to consumers and increase redemption of promotions in the UK.

Radio-Canada: Fighting Fake News in Real Time

Case Study • PHD Montreal, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Best Use of Data, 2019

Public broadcaster, Radio-Canada developed a multiplatform strategy to fight fake news to increase the number of users on its digital platforms and become the leading destination for credible and verified media coverage during elections in Quebec, Canada.

Smirnoff x Live Nation UK: Sustainable waterfall and bar festival activations

Case Study • Beryl Crofton-Atkins, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Smirnoff, the vodka brand, promoted its Infusions drink to socially-aware consumers by partnering with Live Nation to run sustainable activations at summer music festivals across the UK.

Rexona: Grab life by the hands

Case Study • Patricio Shilton, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Best Use of Data, 2019

Number-one deodorant in Argentina, Rexona created a precision marketing campaign to launch its new hand soap, grow market share and generate awareness.

Rexona: Silverpush Sports Sync

Case Study • Oscar Maalihan, Jeff Ng, Abhishek Gupta, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Rexona Men, the deodorant brand, launched a cross-screen campaign to leverage its association with basketball and highlight the brand's functional benefits to male audiences in the Philippines.

ZEE5: Using Google Search ads as a real-time news portal

Case Study • WARC Media Awards, Bronze, Best Use of Data, 2019

India-based video-on-demand website ZEE5 brought together data, content and technology in a unique execution to raise awareness of its digital news offering.

Castrol: Influence the Influencer

Case Study • Benjamin Condit, Chaojie Miao, Rocker Hu, Sienna Zhang, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Lubricant oil brand Castrol used WeChat to build a gamified educational campaign for mechanics to get them onside as influencers in China.

Onet: The Power of News.The Power of Help.

Case Study • Anna Traczewska, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Online news brand Onet sponsored healthcare charity WOSP to raise funds and build and strengthen the image of Onet as a meaningful brand in Poland.

Carlsberg Danish Quarter x Live Nation UK: Festival Programme

Case Study • Beryl Crofton-Atkins, WARC Media Awards, Silver, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Carlsberg, the beer brand, launched Danish Pilsner to music fans in the UK through a number of brand activations at six major summer music festivals.

Puck: Save the Cows

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Anna Sadykova, WARC Media Awards, Silver and Effective Native Special Award, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Food brand Puck's Blue Jar Cheese used a gamification strategy delivered through Snapchat to appeal to kids and mums and fight off other breakfast alternatives in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

DirecTV GO: The House of Soccer

Case Study • UM, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Best Use of Data, 2019

Satellite broadcast provider DIRECTV used data from social media to connect audiences in Colombia with its OTT service and increase use of the platform during the Copa América.

Sport Chek: Digital Window Shopping

Case Study • Touché!, WARC Media Awards, Gold, Best Use of Data, 2019

Canadian online retailer Sport Chek used cart data to create a mass retargeting campaign, backed by traditional and digital media, to drive sales on Black Friday.

Digital media