Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about seasonal and occasion marketing

Article • WARC Best Practice, January 2020

This article provides advice about how marketers can improve brand perceptions and preference, and drive sales during popular events or cultural festivities such as Christmas or the Super Bowl.

The rise of the second-hand Christmas

News • 17 December 2019

Following the growth of re-sale specific sites and brands’ interest in driving more value from products, new research from Deloitte indicates that over a quarter of all consumers plan to give a resale item this season, with younger consumers ...

Ad stories are for life not just for Christmas

News • 11 December 2019

Christmas advertising in the UK sets the bar for what more brands should be doing year-round, according to Kantar: eight out of ten Christmas ads use a story, as opposed to just four in ten that use stories in the rest of the year.

UK Christmas shoppers are mobile-driven

News • 09 December 2019

A minority of consumers in the UK say they have bought goods or services on their mobile device directly from an ad (42%), but this rises to 64% who would purchase something directly from an ad if the product is relevant to them.

Understanding the evolution of Chinese New Year

News • 05 December 2019

Chinese New Year has changed greatly over the 20 years since the government first introduced a holiday period and it continues to evolve in ways that brands need to consider if they are to take advantage of what is now the country’s biggest annual ...

Big event marketing

Opinion • Anna Hamill, December 2019

The eight articles in December’s issue of Admap examine a new era of occasion marketing against a back drop of social, cultural and technological change.

Aligning Chinese New Year with China’s new forces of change

Article • Lin Liu, Admap, December 2019

China is rapidly evolving, and that means brands must rethink well-worn strategies for the country’s biggest holiday, Chinese New Year.

Seasonal micro-moments drive Ramadhan marketing in Indonesia

Article • Anish Daryani, Admap, December 2019

Ramadhan is one of the most important rituals in the Islamic calendar, and consumer behaviour changes to accommodate religious rituals such as iftaar, prayer and fasting.

Designing meaning for the Hajj journey

Article • Tahaab Rais, Admap, December 2019

The Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is considered a pivotal moment in a Muslim’s life.

Smart approaches to occasion marketing: Admap summary deck

Article • Admap, December, 2019

A summary of smart approaches to occasion marketing from Admap.

The secrets of UK Christmas advertising success

Article • Daren Poole, Admap, December 2019

Christmas is the height of the advertising year in many Western markets.

Getting it right in the Year of the Rat

News • 28 November 2019

The Year of the Pig has seen many luxury Western brands operating in China suffer a backlash after offending Chinese sensitivities on various matters, but there are ways they can avoid this in the coming year, an industry expert suggests.

How luxury brands can avoid mis-stepping during China’s year of the rat

Article • Marc-Olivier Arnold, WARC Exclusive, November 2019

Chinese consumers are becoming more sensitive to mistakes made by Western brands, especially around key holidays.

Why Kevin the Carrot is a great Christmas ad

News • 25 November 2019

Different, emotional, enjoyable, attention-grabbing and able to create love for the brand – these are among the reasons that Aldi’s latest outing for Kevin the Carrot has been judged the UK’s most powerful ad of Christmas 2019.

Colors Cineplex: Nauchandi Mela

Case Study • Brian Sequeira, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Colors Cineplex increased brand visibility and loyalty by delivering uninterrupted entertainment to small-town India with a solar-powered cinema.

OMO: Express it, don't text it

Case Study • Uyen Nguyen Diep, Soumya Ranjan Panda, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Best Use of Data, 2019

Laundry brand Omo launched a one-day, data-driven digital and social execution to build relevance for a new product variant on Mother's Day in Vietnam.

India’s festive sales: Flipkart wins in smaller cities, Amazon strong on loyalty

News • 19 November 2019

Sales on Flipkart and Amazon during the 15-day October festival period in India fell short of the $5bn analysts had expected, according to RedSeer Consulting, but the e-commerce giants each performed strongly in certain areas.

Cornetto: Conefessions

Case Study • Kat Alday, Meryl Yap, Abhishek Gupta, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Ice-cream brand Cornetto used programmatic to leverage Valentine's Day and build its brand equity among young consumers in the Philippines.

Uniqlo: Top Gifting Choice

Case Study • Benjamin Condit, Colin Xu, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Clothing brand Uniqlo focused on Chinese New Year as an opportunity to target young consumers and drive sales.

Hsu Fu Chi: Chinese New Year Memory Train

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

Hsu Fu Chi, the traditional Chinese candy brand, recaptured the waning Chinese New Year food gifting market by using the nostalgic power of music to gain relevance and drive purchase.

P/S: Ready Player Mom

Case Study • Anish Appukuttan, Hang Tong, Sang Lam, Soumya Ranjan Panda, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

P/S, a popular oral hygiene brand in Vietnam, increased sales of its anti-cavity toothpaste by creating a mobile gaming platform targeted at millennial mums.

Paneton D'Onofrio: Spreading the Christmas spirit

Case Study • WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Peruvian fruitcake brand Paneton D'Onofrio took a multi-platform approach to transform its Christmas relationship with Peruvians and secure sales growth.

Babyshop: World Without Walls

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, WARC Media Awards, Silver, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Children's retailer Babyshop used a multichannel approach to redefine its brand strategy during Ramadan in the Middle East.

Volkswagen: Boxing Day

Case Study • Ivan De Santis, Paolo Damato, Matteo Merulli, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Auto brand Volkswagen used a highly targeted campaign to reach football lovers outside traditional channels and moments, and increase its association with the sport.

Quebec Milk Producers: There's milk here

Case Study • Touché!, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Focusing on the Christmas holidays, Quebec Milk Producers implemented an innovative campaign, delivered through all media, to raise awareness and boost sales.

Seasonal & occasion marketing