Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about sponsorship effectiveness

Article • WARC Best Practice, July 2019

Examines how brands can build awareness and increase loyalty through effective sponsorship.

What we know about marketing at major sporting events

Article • WARC Best Practice, April, 2019

The current thinking and reading on the subject of sports marketing – aligning a brand or product with an event or team – including major sporting events such as The Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup or The Super Bowl.

What’s working in sponsorship

Article • WARC Category Intelligence, January 2019

Global strategies, campaign updates and trends in sponsorship.

How to plan an effective sports sponsorship strategy

Article • Neil Hopkins, WARC Best Practice, March 2018

Provides marketers with key best practices on planning an effective sports sponsorship strategy, which is dependent on a rigorous strategic planning process to ensure effective targeting.

Sports sponsors need to tap fan goodwill

News • 27 November 2019

Traditional measurement of sports sponsorship packages indicates an uplift of 30% in commercial effects when fans are aware of the linkage, but this more than doubles when fans can see how their own experience improves.

Generating fan goodwill: The key to increased sponsorship effectiveness

Article • Professor Tony Meenaghan, Jamie Macken and Mark Nolan, WARC Exclusive, November 2019

Research study by Core Ireland showing that fan engagement is a key driver of effectiveness in sponsorship.

Carlsberg Danish Quarter x Live Nation UK: Festival Programme

Case Study • Beryl Crofton-Atkins, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, 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.

Volkswagen: Bye Bye Beetle

Case Study • Eliza Poor, Jordan Heathfield, Delinda Pu, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Volkswagen announced it would be retiring its much-loved VW Beetle, so it launched a farewell event in China to give the Bug one last sales push.

Volkswagen: Jump on the Wagen

Case Study • Annelise Donahue, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

When the USA failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, auto brand Volkswagen switched tactics, implementing a multi-channel campaign to drive awareness, opinion and consideration among football-loving Americans.

Pepsi Max: MAX Your Summer

Case Study • George Shearring, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Soft drinks brand Pepsi Max ran a data partnership campaign with publisher Time Out to drive sales growth over summer in Australia, while increasing relevance and consideration to purchase.

Zhonghua: How Zhonghua Shone Through

Case Study • Lisa Lu, Tony Chan, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Zhonghua toothpaste went from being a heritage brand stuck in China's saturated, commoditised toothpaste category, to a formidable challenger in the cosmetics category.

Pharmaton: TV sponsorship enhanced interaction with second screen

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Silver, EMEA, 2019

Pharmaton, a multi-vitamin brand, partnered with a TV program about physical endurance in order to successfully increase brand awareness and sales in Turkey.

New Balance: The Runaway Pub

Case Study • Jay Chiat Strategic Excellence Awards, Silver, Product/Service Creation, 2019

New Balance, a sportswear brand, created The Runaway pub, a pub specifically for runners where the only way to pay for a pint was with miles run, to connect with London Marathon runners in the UK.

Zhonghua White Now: How Zhonghua Shone Through

Case Study • Tony Chan, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2019

Trusted toothpaste brand Zhonghua expanded into China's toothpaste whitening category with a product placement deal that targeted the young viewers of popular reality TV show Produce 101.

Aquafina: From essential to quintessential

Case Study • Lam Ung, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2019

Bottled water brand Aquafina used digital and social media to amplify its strategic partnership with Fashion Week and elevate the brand in Vietnam.

Dove Chocolate: New Year, New Blessings

Case Study • Aaron Zhang, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Entrant, 2019

Chocolate brand Dove created engaging content and viral videos that coincided with Chinese New Year to maximise profits and spread its brand message to young consumers in China.

Pharmaton: TV Sponsorship Enhanced Interaction with Second Screen

Case Study • MIXX Awards, Bronze, Campaign Effectiveness, 2019

Pharmaton, a multivitamin product, sponsored TV show Survivor which enabled it to reach 50% of its target audience in Turkey.

Does sports sponsorship get noticed?

News • 03 June 2019

In a summer of league finals and World Cups in multiple sports, a handful of blue-moon moments are arriving all at once.

A massive summer for sports sponsors, but will fans notice?

Article • Alex Charkham, WARC Exclusive, May 2019

With research revealing that most people people dislike or are indifferent to advertising, sponsors of sporting events need to think carefully about playing a useful role in the fan experience.

Otrivin: Near at hand

Case Study • Dmitry Anureev, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2019

Nasal spray brand Otrivin used a mix of traditional and digital media to increase spontaneous awareness of the brand in Russia.

Bank of America: Echoes of Vietnam

Case Study • Jessica Perrin, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2019

Bank of America created an online streaming audio-visual experience based on the Vietnam War to drive positive sentiment among millennials in the US.

Media Strategy Report 2019: Insights from the WARC Media Awards

Article • WARC Exclusive, March 2019

Analysing trends in media strategy, including the use of data, tech, channel integration and partnerships, with lessons drawn from the winners of the WARC Media Awards.

Coles and MasterChef: Commercial sponsorship in Australian TV

Article • Brooke Hemphill, Event Reports, Mumbrella Entertainment Marketing Summit, November 2018

The decade-long partnership between Australian grocery chain Coles and MasterChef is a standard setter for brand integration within a television setting.

After fake news, now it's fake sponsored content

News • 20 December 2018

Sponsored content on Instagram user feeds was once seen by many as “selling out”, but now it’s considered cool and a sign of success.

Diageo: The Welcome Drink

Case Study • Anouk Kalaf, Linda Fagerlund, WARC Media Awards, Silver, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2018

Drinks manufacturer Diageo joined forces with TV cooking show MasterChef and created a multimedia strategy to boost spirit sales in Australia.