Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

ARF report: How brands have responded to social unrest

Article • Research on WARC, July 2020

Report from the Advertising Research Foundation offers guidance on how brands should respond to social unrest.

Delight at the doorstep: letterbox packaging – the new moment of truth

Article • Jenn Szekely, WARC Best Practice, July 2020

With the inevitable rise of e-commerce since the global lockdown, the mailbox has increased in significance as a new retail experience.

Disney’s Hamilton success indicates how the streaming wars are, ultimately, about content

News • 08 July 2020

Figures from Disney Plus show how the content business does indeed continue to be about content, as the post-mortem continues on the ailing Quibi.

How companies can Brand the Vote! (And why they should)

Opinion • Drew Train and Davianne Harris, July 2020

Corporate activism doesn't always have to mean taking sides. Supporting voting rights and voter registration is an HR issue as much a branding opportunity, argue Drew Train and Davianne Harris.

A beginner’s guide to messaging, media and measurement in podcast advertising

Article • Giles Martin, WARC Exclusive, July 2020

Covers the basics of advertising in podcasts, looking at considerations for messaging, media and measurement.

Generating brand growth beyond crisis for a brighter future

Article • Katie Anderson & Casie Cook, WARC COVID-19 Series, July 2020

Considers a model for brand growth that elevates Purpose, Innovation and Experience as the three key pillars of brand value beyond communications.

Walmart drive-in cinemas bring respite to ailing medium

News • 06 July 2020

American mega-retailer Walmart will use its massive physical footprint to create drive-in cinemas across the United States in partnership with Tribeca Enterprises, in a move that charts a way forward for a medium battered by the coronavirus ...

Scott Galloway’s four stats on the future of e-commerce

News • 03 July 2020

It’s been a volatile few months for e-commerce during the pandemic – here are four stats from NYU’s Professor Scott Galloway that point to its future.

Four ways TV content providers can improve user experience

Article • Alex Brownsell, Event Reports, Mediatel Videoscape Europe online conference, June 2020

Understanding TV viewer personas and how these will shape the future of content discovery.

Wieden+Kennedy named North American agency of the decade at Lions Live

News • 25 June 2020

Wieden+Kennedy in Portland has been named as the North American agency of the decade by Cannes Lions, an honour that reflects a body of groundbreaking work delivered by the independent shop.

Nielsen: Connected TV usage above pre-COVID-19 levels as traditional TV viewing normalizes

Article • Nielsen, WARC COVID-19 Series, June 2020

Examines how connected TV viewing habits have grown and changed during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bozoma Saint John seeks to make sure Black voices are heard in new places

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, Lions Live, June 2020

Bozoma Saint John, the CMO of Endeavor, has invaluable advice for marketers that are seeking to advance the cause of racial equality.

Nielsen report: Local spot TV advertising is on the upswing as states begin to reopen

Article • Nielsen, Research on WARC, June 2020

Looks at trends in local spot TV advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, by examining changes in the number of ad units by category and in individual markets.

Procter & Gamble steps up to tackle systemic racism with marketing action

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, Lions Live, June 2020

Procter & Gamble, the consumer-packaged goods manufacturer, is using the power of marketing to help tackle the systemic racism faced by the Black community in the United States.

Keep calm and advertise on: How to successfully navigate your brand through an economic downturn

Article • VAB, WARC COVID-19 Series, June 2020

This research looks at recent TV audience behavior, what sports fans are watching during COVID, OTT trends and COVID-19 ad performance.

COVID-19 conversations: Greg Revelle, Chief Marketing Officer of Kohl’s

Opinion • Greg Revelle, June 2020

Greg Revelle is Chief Marketing Officer of Kohl’s, a major US retailer with 1100 stores in 49 states.

Updating the Foote, Cone & Belding Grid: Revisiting the product classifications of the FCB Grid for online shopping and contemporary consumers’ decision making

Article • Hyuk Jun Cheong and Yunjae Cheong, Journal of Advertising Research, Digital First, June 2020

This article proposes an update of the Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB) grid, which has been one of the most popular product-classification schemes in advertising and consumer research since its conception in 1980.

Can advertisers overcome consumer qualms with virtual reality? Increasing operational transparency through self-guided 360-degree tours

Research Paper • Nathalie Spielmann and Ulrich R. Orth, Journal of Advertising Research, Digital First, June 2020

Perceived lack of authenticity and inferences of manipulative intent by an advertiser can impede an advertisement’s intended effect.

Edelman Trust Barometer 2020: Brands and racial justice in America

Article • Edelman, Research on WARC, June 2020

Looks at US consumer attitudes and buying behaviors related to racial justice, based on a representative survey of 2000 US consumers conducted from June 5 – 7, 2020.

Europe’s growing opportunity in addressable TV

Article • Brian Carruthers, Event Reports, Mediatel Connected TV world Summit, March 2020

Adtech firm Cadent sees the addressable TV market growing in Europe, albeit at different rates across a fragmented ecosystem.

Marketing powers McDonald’s recovery from COVID-19

Article • Stephen Whiteside, WARC Exclusive, June 2020

McDonald’s, the quick-service restaurant chain, is putting marketing at the heart of its efforts to bounce back from COVID-19.

What next for the restaurant business?

Article • Sam Peña-Taylor, WARC Exclusive, June 2020

The hospitality sector has been hard hit by coronavirus-driven lockdowns; research by Zagat offers some pointers for restaurants re-opening in a socially distanced world.

US ad spend to shrink 20% this year, but digital will see rapid recovery

News • 18 June 2020

Ad buyers expect a 20% cut in budgets this year compared to 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent economic effects, finds a survey by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

How P&G’s SeeMe is reaching women over 50

News • 17 June 2020

SeeMe, a direct-to-consumer beauty line targeted at women over 50 years old that is made by Procter & Gamble, is tapping nuanced insights to ensure it fully matches the self-perception of its target audience.

Campbell’s Soup seeks out impulse purchases for e-commerce

News • 16 June 2020

The Campbell Soup Company, the food and snacks manufacturer, is seeking to understand how consumers can be encouraged to make impulse purchases in the e-commerce space.