Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • WARC Best Practice, February 2019

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.

Castrol India: Do you think YOGA can sell more truck lubricants?

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Asia-Pacific, Community Relations, Gold, 2019

Castrol, a brand of industrial and automotive lubricants, connected with Indian truck drivers by drawing comparisons between the health of the truck and the driver which led to the brand beating category growth.

Pond's Men: Bodybuilder

Case Study • Nayantara Atal, Sumegha Rao, Benoit Wiesser, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2019

Skincare challenger brand Pond's Men leveraged a new way of thinking to shake up a tired category and reverse declining sales in Indonesia.

Unstereotyped: How brands can get their gender strategy right

Article • Duncan Southgate, WARC Best Practice, August 2019

Assesses how men and women are portrayed in advertising, and how creating and placing advertising with an eye to brand strategy, media strategy and creative development can transform the performance and value of brands.

Gillette: Handle with care

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Bronze, Creative Strategy Lion, 2019

Gillette, a razor and shaving products brand, created the TREO razor in the UK to bring a better experience to men who can no longer shave for themselves.

CALM: Project 84

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Bronze, Creative Strategy Lion, 2019

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a charity, created a striking public installation in the UK to increase awareness of male suicide and suicide prevention.

AXE: What's your magic?

Case Study • MIXX Awards, Bronze, Social Media, 2019

Axe, the deodorant brand, gave its consumers in Poland the opportunity to show people their hobbies in action which led to over 13 millio views for the brand.

AXE: Starladder 2018

Case Study • MIXX Awards, Bronze, Native Advertising, 2019

AXE, the personal hygiene brand, connected with e-sports fan by sponsoring e-sports league StarLadder and integrating a promo code into match live streams for fans in Russia.

Beko: The D-Remote

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Entrant, 2019

Manufacturer Beko used online video, influencer marketing, PR and a specially created TV remote control to improve its brand relevance with men and increase sales of its smart TVs in Turkey.

Tefal: Getting People To Barbecue Under 50°C

Case Study • Alvaro Bretel, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Entrant, 2019

Tefal, the global cookware brand, used whole-funnel marketing to extend the purchase season and increase sales of its electric grill in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

P&G's Gillette weathers the 'fast and furious hate'

News • 08 July 2019

Gillette caused a storm at the start of the year with its ad addressing “toxic masculinity”, but the shaving brand never considered pulling back on its new posture, according to Procter & Gamble’s chief brand officer Marc ...

P&G’s Pritchard: Gillette’s brand purpose drive never in doubt

Article • Geoffrey Precourt and Anna Hamill, Event Reports, Cannes Lions, June 2019

Gillette, the male-grooming line owned by Procter & Gamble, repositioned its brand in a courageous way that prompted a wider social debate.

Seem: The Family Way

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

Recruit Lifestyle, a human resources company, launched the Seem device to raise awareness of men’s fertility issues in Japan.

Gillette: Babyface

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

Gillette, a shaving brand, reversed a decline in sales in Israel by targeting new and expectant dads with a video campaign that showed the importance of skin-to-skin contact with their newborns.

Sickkids Foundation: Sickkids Vs – All In

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

SickKids Foundation, a children's health research organisation, launched an integrated campaign that targeted neighbourhoods in Toronto to generate donations to build a new hospital.

Why Axe went 'full immersion' in its research

News • 27 May 2019

Axe, the deodorant brand, abandoned all notions of objectivity in research by going “full immersion” when exploring what the concept of attraction means for its target audience of young men.

Head & Shoulders: #GoScalpBrave

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Marketing to Men, Gold, 2019

Shampoo brand Head & Shoulders launched a creative platform based on the England football team to drive awareness, engagement and sales of its Men Ultra shampoo in England.

INFINITI Middle East: Let the cars speak

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Trade Show, Gold, 2019

Infiniti, the luxury division of Japanese carmaker Nissan, created an integrated campaign encompassing PR, social media, creative and digital, for the global launch of its QX80 model in the Middle East.

Brands back a new masculinity

News • 13 May 2019

Harry’s, Estee Lauder, Wellman, Coty and Freedom beer are among the brands who are backing a drive to address issues around men’s health – and mental health in particular, as UK Mental Health Awareness Week begins.

Dove Men+Care Champions Paternity Leave for All Dads This Father’s Day

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Cause-Related Marketing, Gold, 2019

Dove Men+Care, a men’s skincare brand, celebrated dads on Father’s Day in the US by making contributions to crowdfunding pages looking to raise money for paternity leave.

Discover Boating: Welcome to the Water

Case Study • Vanessa Williams, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2019

Marine industry association Discover Boating used social media content to increase sales of boats in America.

Clear: NBA app in-game sponsorship

Case Study • Michael Alegre, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2019

Anti-dandruff shampoo Clear stood out in a cluttered category via an in-app integration within the NBA Live app in the Philippines.

Heineken: Chairman

Case Study • Adeola Kayode, WARC Awards, Silver, Effective Social Strategy, 2019

Nigerian Breweries developed a ground-breaking campaign to attract consumer attention and drive volume sales of its Heineken brand in the cluttered World Cup period.