Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • WARC Best Practice, February 2020

Explores how the roles of modern men in society are changing and advises on how marketers should respond to this behavioural change in order to effectively advertise to men, particularly across different cultures and at a time of social change.

How a gender strategy can improve your marketing

Article • Amy Fridlund, WARC Best Practice, November 2017

Provides advice for marketers on how to better meet the needs of different genders and highlights the potential problems for brands with gender issues.

How to market effectively to men

Article • Scott Manson, WARC Best Practice, February 2017

This article describes the best practices and principles to keep in mind when marketing to men, a group changed by recent history; ideas of masculinity and roles in society have changed - marketing must change also.

Emirates NBD: Inspire What's Next

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Tala Arakji, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Private bank Emirates NBD grew brand favourability and sales with an awareness campaign in the United Arab Emirates.

Etisalat Misr: Hekaya – Family Talk.

Case Study • Dina El Dessouky, Yosr Khalifa, Mustafa Darwish, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Egyptian telco Etisalat crafted a comic campaign to narrow the gap between itself and Vodafone and win customers over to its hybrid offer.

Burger King: Who said men don't cry?

Case Study • Ali Khalil, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

QSR brand Burger King targeted young Saudis with a social media 'trolling' campaign featuring football icon Sami Al-Jaber to drive sales of its new spicy menu across Saudi Arabia.

Effects of nonstereotyped occupational gender role portrayal in advertising: How showing women in male-stereotyped job roles sends positive signals about brands

Article • Karina T. Liljedal, Hanna Berg, and Micael Dahlen, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 60, No. 2, 2020, pp. 179-196

Stereotyped occupational gender-role portrayals still are used frequently in advertising. Despite this, no previous research has examined their effects.

Unilever South Africa - Shield: Sbonis’Idiski

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Platinum Finalist, Africa, 2020

Shield, a deodorant brand, launched PR events that discussed the state of football development in South Africa to increase relevance for the brand and its soccer sponsorship.

Gillette: We Believe

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Diamond, North America, 2020

Gillette, a shaving brand, created a YouTube film in the US to turn its classic tagline into a thought-provoking question surrounding masculinity.

Buffalo Wild Wings: B-Dubs – Jewel Stool

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2020

Buffalo Wild Wings, a restaurant company, promoted itself as an authentic sports bar by designing custom barstools for vasectomy patients to recover in during the March Madness basketball event in the US.

Pampers: #LoveTheChange changing tables commitment

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2020

Pampers, a nappy brand, partnered with influencers and celebrity partner John Legend to promote the need for more changing tables in men's toilets in the US and Canada as part of its mission to celebrate hands-on dads.

Washington State Department of Health: It's About Respect pilot campaign

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2020

Washington State Department of Health, a state agency of Washington, tackled the issue of sexual violence among young people in Washington by launching social videos and posters in a pilot school.

GWI Coronavirus Research: Multi-market research wave 3

Article • GlobalWebIndex, WARC COVID-19 Series, April 2020

This third wave of GlobalWebIndex's multi-market study, fielded in 17 countries between April 22 - 27, shows how the picture is evolving as some countries hope to enter the recovery phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

Snickers: Bring Back the Idols

Case Study • Kaori Yatsu, Hiroaki Taki, Akie Suzuki, WARC Awards, Silver, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Confectionery brand Snickers collaborated with smartphone game Idol Master to appeal to young males and boost single-bar sales in Japan.

Burger King: Who said men don't cry?

Case Study • Ali Khalil, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

To win over young Saudis, QSR brand Burger King joined their conversation via a social stunt that trolled one of their most famous football icons.

Yes on 3 Coalition: Be a Masshole, Not an Asshole

Case Study • Ellie Gogan-Tilstone, Annabelle Butler, WARC Awards, Bronze, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

The Yes on 3 Coalition created a social film to help uphold transgender rights in a Massachusetts referendum.

Unilever Malaysia: Unilever Makes You The Steadiest Football Zombie

Case Study • Chiann Yi Cheah, Galen Lau, Victoria Kovalan, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

FMCG brand Unilever boosted sales of its male grooming products and brand engagement among male football fans in Malaysia.

Castrol: Influence the Influencer

Case Study • Benjamin Condit, Chaojie Miao, Rocker Hu, Sienna Zhang, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Lubricant oil brand Castrol used WeChat to build a gamified educational campaign for mechanics to get them onside as influencers in China.

Ford Everest: Carpool Talk

Case Study • Hang Nguyen, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Car-manufacturer Ford used a disruptive content marketing campaign, amplified on social media, to change perceptions of its Everest SUV in Vietnam.

Axe: Boca vs. River, the Match of the Century

Case Study • Tatiana Moizo, Carolina Sarlo, Patricio Shilton, Vanesa García, Ornella Carricarte, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Male personal care brand Axe turned to sponsorship to increase awareness and growth in Argentina.

Al Arabia: Be A Man

Case Study • Sanjay Kumar, Carl Bou Abdallah, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Al Arabia for Outdoor Advertising, a Saudi outdoor company, used the issue of prostate cancer screening to grab the attention of decision makers in areas of business expansion.

Bad Lab: Man-gineered

Case Study • Edmund Hon, Vinod Manoharan, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Innovation, 2020

Bad Lab the men's personal care brand disrupted the market in Malaysia with its new range designed especially for men.

Rexona: Move Yang Betul

Case Study • Mochammad Iqbal, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Deodorant brand Rexona used a hyper-adaptive creative solution to leverage its partnership with the English Premier League and improve brand awareness in Malaysia.

AXE: Lollapalooza 2019

Case Study • Guilherme Aquilante, Verusca Casciano, Gabriela Amato, Carolina Buzetto, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Antiperspirant body spray brand AXE looked to Lollapalooza for the launch of a social-powered campaign that would boost engagement with its target audience in Brazil.

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.

Men