Challenger brands

Are big brands really doomed? How big brands can adapt to the threat from small insurgents

Article • David Taylor, WARC Best Practice, October 2018

Explores insights from new research into the threat to big brands of attack by small 'insurgent' brands.

Article • Nick Geoghegan, WARC Best Practice, July 2016

This article explores the position of a brand as challenger - a state not necessarily conferred by not-market-leader status; traditions won't do so the rules must be re-written.

Lexus: Find Your Unbeaten Path

Case Study • Terence Ling, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Luxury vehicle brand Lexus ran a data-driven campaign for its UX crossover SUV that used personalised test drives to engage adventurous urbanites in Hong Kong.

Habito: Mortgages Made Easier

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, The Brave Awards, Winner, Start-Ups, 2020

Habito, a mortgage broker, increased awareness in the UK by launching OOH and TV spots that showed how it could save consumers from the hell of getting a mortgage.

Heinz: How [seriously] good marketing turned a featherweight into a contender

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, The Brave Awards, Highly Commended, 2020

Heinz, a food processing company, promoted its mayonnaise in the UK by launching a series of OOH billboards that directly called out its competitor, Hellmann's.

Gordon's Gin: Legacy brand turned challenger

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, The Brave Awards, Winner, Brand Revitalisation, 2020

Gordon's, a gin brand, redesigned its bottles and launched a set of standout creatives and films to increase brand value in the UK.

Jawwy: The Fair Telco Company

Case Study • Mario Morby, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Gold and Local Hero Award, 2020

Mobile telecom brand Jawwy used entertaining video content to resonate with Saudi youth, and achieve positive results in terms of both short-term sales and long-term brand building.

RAKBANK: She Can Play

Case Study • Mohit Lodha, Kevin Pinto, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Entrant, 2020

Banking brand RAKBANK used a three-part social media strategy, She Can Play, to spark a conversation about girls playing football to build buzz and talkability and improve brand perception in the United Arab Emirates.

Almosafer: As far as we go

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Bronze, 2020

Travel platform Almosafer reversed declining market share through an emotive Ramadan film in Saudi Arabia.

Jawwy: The Ramadan campaign that didn't launch during Ramadan

Case Study • Mario Morby, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Bronze, 2020

Telco Jawwy drove revenue growth and brand awareness with an unconventional Ramadan campaign in Saudi Arabia.

Inmarsat Aviation: Sky High Economics

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, EMEA, 2020

Inmarsat, a mobile satellite company, promoted its brand globally by launching research with the London School of Economics which showed how much revenue in flight connectivity (IFC) can bring to airlines.

WaterWipes: #ThisIsParenthood

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Diamond, EMEA, 2020

WaterWipes, a baby wipes brand, increased market share globally by creating a documentary-style video that showed the real and honest life of being a parent.

Eaton Power Quality: Ticket of Terror

Case Study • Case Studies on WARC, 2019

IT solutions brand Eaton Power Quality got jaded IT professionals to put their trust in its products through a tongue-in-cheek online mystery game demonstrating its expertise.

Well & Truly: Rebrand – Say goodbye to sad snacks

Case Study • Design Business Association, Design Effectiveness Awards, Silver, 2020

Well & Truly, a gluten-free snack brand, increased distribution and sales across the UK by rebranding its packaging and approaching healthy snacking with a more positive attitude.

Dalston's Soda Co.: Soda with Soul – Rebrand

Case Study • Design Business Association, Design Effectiveness Awards, Silver, 2020

Dalston's, a soda brand, expanded in the UK by changing its bottle design to cans and developing a new look for each of its six flavours in striking multipacks.

BEARFACE brand design: Canadian whisky – Hide nothing. Fear nothing

Case Study • Design Business Association, Design Effectiveness Awards, Bronze, 2020

BEARFACE, a Canadian whisky brand, promoted its products in Canada with a bold personality and a crafted aesthetic to appeal to a young, modern audience.

TrueStart: Wild for Life

Case Study • Design Business Association, Design Effectiveness Awards, Silver, 2020

TrueStart, a coffee brand, expanded its distribution from sports-focused retailers to on-trade and its own café bar by creating the Wild for Life brand strategy and packaging design in the UK.

Almosafer: As far as we go

Case Study • AME Awards, Silver, 2020

Almosafer, a travel platform, reversed declining market share through an emotive Ramadan film in Saudi Arabia.

WARC from Home classic webinar: What DTC brands know that you don’t

Opinion • WARC from Home, May 2020

WARC from Home is our series of content for those looking to skill up in the lockdown – including a weekly re-run of a classic webinar from the WARC database.

Nothing disrupts category inertia like a recession

News • 20/05/2020

Sometimes recessions and hardships are where challenger brands are made; Nick Geoghegan of eatbigfish explains how in The WARC Guide.

The challenger’s guide to finding opportunity out of volatility

Article • Nick Geoghegan, WARC Exclusive, May 2020

Nick Geoghegan shares lessons from challenger brands on how to thrive during recessions and hardships - organisations must be a little more Netflix and a little less Blockbuster as we sail into this storm.

US Cellular: Most Valued Coach

Case Study • Lucia Corso, Annabelle Butler, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Mobile operator US Cellular reinvented a community focused programme – Most Valuable Coach – with a user-driven voting contest on social media to win over new customers and keep existing ones engaged in the US.

Betadine: Feel the sign? Betadine

Case Study • Maxine Thomas, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Innovation, 2020

Antiseptic brand Betadine launched a new product in Canada, stealing market share from competitors and driving behaviour change.

Rexona: Grab Life by the Hands

Case Study • Patricio Shilton, Alejandro Gleser, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

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

ookyo: Gaming the telco ecosystem

Case Study • Sheryl Tan, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Digital prepaid brand ookyo gamed the eSports space to its advantage to increase brand awareness and boost sign-ups in Malaysia.