Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about business-to-business marketing

Article • WARC Best Practice, April 2019

Provides guidance and reading on business-to-business marketing; similar to B2C marketing in its emphasis on human traits, but very different in terms of budget size and a greater emphasis on relationships and networks.

How B2B and professional services brands can weather disruption

Article • Peter Matthews, WARC Best Practice, February 2019

Explores how B2B marketers can harness the opportunity to strengthen their relationships with their clients by clarifying and revitalising what they stand for.

What we know about internal marketing and employee engagement

Article • WARC Best Practice, January 2019

This article explains how employees are internal customers and why brands should consequently put them at the heart of brand strategy.

How to develop an account-based marketing strategy

Article • Bev Burgess, WARC Best Practice, July 2017

This article provides a best practice guide to developing an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy, which treats individual accounts as markets and focuses business-to-business marketing on specific organizations.

HP's online video success story

News • 16 July 2019

HP, the technology giant, has driven sales of its secure printers through the smart use of customer insights and leveraging the power of online video with a narrative content initiative entitled “The Wolf: True Alpha”.

How action-packed online video boosted demand for HP’s secure printers

Article • Reed Karaim, Event Reports, Brand Marketing Summit, May 2019

Compelling online video helped HP, the information technology company, boost demand for its secure printers among business-to-business customers.

How to create a B2B marketing strategy

Article • Vincent Rousselet, WARC Best Practice, June 2019

Looks at the creation of a B2B marketing strategy, highlighting what is the same and what is different between B2C marketing and marketing aimed at selling to businesses.

Google Cloud: Know What Your Data Knows

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2019

Google Cloud, a tech service, used the NCAA basketball tournament to display the value the brand offers to IT decision makers in Fortune 500 companies in the US.

IBM: Cognitive Couture

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2019

IBM, a computer hardware company, established Watson as the leading AI for business in Australia, India and China by creating cultural capital in its support of fashion in these regions.

Hiscox: Cyber

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, The Brave Awards, Winner, Business to Business, 2019

Hiscox, an insurance company, set up a real-time cyber experiment with "honeypot" servers to expose the true extent of cyber attacks on UK businesses.

Embraer: Profit Hunter ‘Tiger’ Campaign

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, The Brave Awards, Highly Commended, 2019

Embraer, a Brazilian producer of aircraft, built on the interest in its new airplane and increased sales by applying a bold visual style to the cone of its plane and creating buzz at the Singapore Airshow.

IAG Cargo: All Together Better

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, The Brave Awards, Highly Commended, 2019

IAG Cargo, the cargo handling division of the International Airlines Group, launched a new visual identity to unify the five airline cargo brands under one umbrella, and increase clients' and employees' familiarity with the brand.

Dimension Data: Reinventing brand perceptions at the Tour de France

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, The Brave Awards, Winner, Brand Communication B2B, 2019

Dimension Data, the information technology company, brought technical solutions to the Tour De France, which helped to communicate the company’s innovation capabilities and contributed to its USD526m sales pipeline.

IBM #FindTheAdvantage

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, The Brave Awards, Highly Commended, 2019

IBM, a US multinational information technology company launched a campaign – demonstrating how athletes from different sports could gain an advantage over their competitors – to promote the brand and sponsorship of the Wimbledon Championships in the UK.

Understanding the “Elements of Value” for business-to-business brands

Article • Mary Connors, Event Reports, ANA Masters of B2B Marketing, May 2019

Bain & Company, the consultancy, has established a pyramid of values that separate the top-performing business-to-business (B2B) operators from the competition.

Credit Suisse: The Power of Entrepreneurial Thinking

Case Study • Case Studies on WARC, Winner, Brand & Media Owner Partnership, 2019

Credit Suisse, an investment banking company, produced a documentary to help position it as a global leader in the entrepreneurial space.

Deutsche Bank: Global Treasury Leaders Programme

Case Study • Case Studies on WARC, Winner, Financial Services, 2019

Deutsche Bank, an investment banking company, connected with 415 treasury professionals across many industries in Germany to ensure it is seen as a global leader in transaction banking.

Korn Ferry: The Global Talent Crunch

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Global Programme, Gold, 2019

Global executive search firm Korn Ferry created a global, data-led thought leadership campaign to reinforce its talent capabilities and elevate its position from transactional headhunter to strategic advisor.

Square: Square: Digital Towns

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Financial Services, Gold, 2019

Electronic mobile payment company Square took a boots-on-the-ground approach to raise its profile among small business owners, and reach national and local influencers for its launch in the UK.

Refinitiv: Revealing the true cost of financial crime

Case Study • SABRE Awards, In2 EMEA, Best Use of Original/Commissioned Research for PR, Gold

Refinitiv, the international provider of financial markets data and infrastructure, revealed the true cost of financial crime through a global report.

SonicWall: Helping the good guys look cooler than the crooks

Case Study • SABRE Awards, In2 EMEA, Best in Digital/Print B2B Media (Earned), Gold

Internet security company SonicWall increased its share of voice by 50% using its existing data to develop press-friendly pitches for journalists in the UK.

SAS: Meet the man who hears colours

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Africa, Public Education , Gold, 2019

SAS, a software company, launched a media event that introduced Neil Harbisson, the world's first and only cyborg, to promote the notion of AI.

Siemens: Fabric

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Africa, Best in Show & EMEA, Gold 2019

Siemens, an automation company, used data from Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg to create unique fabrics for a truly African fashion collection that shows the power of data-connected cities.

Sage: Sage Budget Speech Campaign 2019

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Africa, Financial Communications, Gold, 2019

Sage South Africa, a software company, launched a "media deskdrop" and series of videos surrounding the South African government's annual budget speech to showcase its expertise in tax and compliance.

Patagonia & Levi Strauss & Co: Time to Vote

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Retailers, Gold, 2019

Patagonia and Levi Strauss & Co, two clothing brands, launched a campaign across social media and print ads in the New York Times that encouraged US citizens to vote by enlisting the support of CEOs.

B2B audiences