Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • WARC Best Practice, August 2019

This article provides marketers with information and guidance on generating earned media.

How to use influencers to drive a word-of-mouth strategy

Article • Ed Keller and Brad Fay, WARC Best Practice, April 2016

This article offers best practice advice on engaging influencers - defined as consumers who are much more likely than the average to seek out and share information - for campaigns based around word-of-mouth strategies.

Burger King’s ‘Moldy Whopper’ hits campaign objectives

News • 13 March 2020

Burger King’s controversial Moldy Whopper campaign was certainly eye-catching and received a mixed reception from industry observers, but the company’s CMO has unveiled some hard statistics to highlight the campaign’s success.

Fernando Machado: Why Burger King’s “Moldy Whopper” is a strategy, not a stunt

Article • Stephen Whiteside, WARC Exclusive, February 2020

Burger King, the quick-service restaurant chain, caused an instant marketing sensation with its “Moldy Whopper” campaign.

A guide to TikTok for brands

Article • Frances Sinclair, WARC Best Practice, February 2020

A guide to using social video app TikTok as a marketing platform, including its organic and paid advertising opportunities, working with TikTok influencers, and how to measure performance.

The power pair: how couples are shaping influencer marketing

Opinion • Amelia Neate, February 2020

On Valentine’s Day, Amelia Neate, from Influencer Matchmaker, notes how couples are driving a new wave of influencer marketing It’s Valentine’s Day, love is in the air.

Edelman Intelligence for Hologic: Getting tested gets put to the test

Case Study • SABRE Awards, IN2, North America, Best in Measurement, Post-Campaign Analysis, 2020

Hologic, a medical technology company focused on women's health, used a core analytics offering by Edelman Intelligence in the US to create smarter investments in its campaign to prevent cervical cancer.

David Dobrik breaks records with Chipotle

Case Study • SABRE Awards, IN2, North America, Best Influencer Programs + Endorsements (Paid), 2020

Fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle partnered with YouTube star David Dobrik to appeal to Gen Z consumers and drive digital sales in the US on National Burrito Day and Cinco de Mayo.

Visit Finland: A more fashionable Finland with #ANTHROINFINLAND

Case Study • SABRE Awards, IN2, North America, Lean Marketing, 2020

Visit Finland, a tourism brand, launched a partnership with clothing retailer Anthropologie to create a social media and influencer campaign that showcased the ease of travelling from the US to Finland.

Chipotle’s summer of TikTok

Case Study • SABRE Awards, IN2, North America, Best in Crowdsourcing & Co-creating, 2020

Fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle leveraged video-sharing social networking service TikTok to encourage use of the Chipotle app and drive digital sales among Gen Z audiences in the US.

What we know about marketing on Facebook

Article • WARC Best Practice, January 2020

Explores the current reading on the topic of marketing on Facebook – the best used social network in the world, reaching over two billion users every month.

Why WOM is a key Super Bowl ad metric

News • 10 January 2020

Marketers that run Super Bowl commercials would benefit from rigorously tracking online and offline word of mouth (WOM) as they seek to determine the effectiveness of their spots, a study in the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR) has argued.

What drives electronic word of mouth on Facebook

News • 20 December 2019

Brand posts on Facebook, the social network, typically generate more electronic word of mouth (eWOM) by using hashtags and images or video, but perform less well if they rely on high levels of positivity, a paper in the Journal of Advertising ...

What we know about Super Bowl advertising

Article • WARC Best Practice, December 2019

The current thinking and reading on Super Bowl advertising, an event for which the advertising has become as important as the sport, but the way in which people watch is changing – brands must be ready.

How measuring consumer conversations can reveal advertising performance

Research Paper • Brad Fay, Ed Keller, and Rick Larkin, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 59, No. 4, 2019, pp. 433-439

Generating “buzz” is a marketing objective for many Super Bowl advertisers, but “buzz” as a campaign objective should not be limited to big tent-pole events like the Super Bowl.

How do brands’ Facebook posts induce consumers’ e-word-of-mouth behavior? Informational versus emotional message strategy: A computational analysis

Research Paper • Taemin Kim, Hyejin Kim, and Yunhwan Kim, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 59, No. 4, 2019, pp. 402-413

Using a computational analysis, a so-called big-data approach, this study examines how brands' Facebook posts affect consumers' electronic word-of-mouth behavior.

The impact of airing Super Bowl television ads early on social media: Benefits and drivers of watching, liking, and sharing advertisements on social media

Research Paper • Jennifer Lee Burton, Kristen M. Mueller, Jan Gollins, and Danielle M. Walls, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 59, No. 4, 2019, pp. 391-401

Every year, executives debate whether to release their Super Bowl advertisements early on social media or whether this early release will hurt the surprise and impact of being seen for the first time during the most viewed televised sporting event in the United States.

VOXI Drop

Case Study • Data and Marketing Association, Silver, 2019

VOXI, a mobile offering for people aged 25 and under, reached its Gen Z audience in the UK by developing its own range of limited releases.

Danner: United Against Abuse

Case Study • James Barnett, WARC Media Awards, Bronze, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Danner, a women's refuge in Denmark, worked with influencers on social to raise awareness of domestic violence and encourage sufferers to get in touch.

L'Oréal: Winning Mothers' Hearts

Case Study • Sarah Shen, Lim Suk Yee, Nicholas Short, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Makeup brand L'Oréal Paris partnered with parenting app, Qin Baobao to boost trial of its new Filler Eye for Face product among young mothers in China.

Neutrogena: Hydro Boost

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

Skincare brand Neutrogena carried out an influencer marketing campaign via social media to launch its Hydro-Boost line of products in Colombia.

Santoor: Beauty Spot

Case Study • Kedarnath Gupta Devadula, Sonia Bhatnagar, Siju RS, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Santoor, India's leading beauty brand, rolled out its Beauty Spot campaign to connect with young voters during the recent elections.

Booking.com: Data-proofed social campaign

Case Study • Camille Lin, Linda Qin, Doris Xu, Nicholas Short, WARC Media Awards, Bronze, Best Use of Data, 2019

As a newcomer in China, Booking.com sought to build strong audience connections in what is a fiercely competitive online travel industry.

Vans: Not Just One Creator

Case Study • Jessica Perrin, WARC Media Awards, Grand Prix and Personalisation Special Award, Best Use of Data, 2019

Vans, the footwear and clothing brand, used influencers to successfully broaden its appeal among teens and young adults in the US, generating revenue and brand awareness.

Nike: Airmax Goes Bigger with Air

Case Study • Benjamin Condit, Matthew Nolan, Chaojie Miao, Sienna Zhang, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Sportswear brand Nike partnered with a vlogging app and created an interactive immersive space to cement its connection with youth and creativity and launch its Air Max 720 shoe in China.

PR, WOM & earned media