Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • WARC Best Practice, January 2020

Details how marketers can use personalisation effectively, including which media work best and why a two-way conversation with the consumer is essential.

Convenience, inspiration, accountability: Kroger’s three steps for success

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, Association of National Advertisers Innovative Commerce, August 2020 Conference,

Kroger, the retailer, has drawn on various sources of customer insight as it responds to changing demands during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nike: Just Don't Quit

Case Study • Matthew Nolan, Nicholas Short, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Sports brand Nike created a livestream workout series on WeChat and TikTok to maintain a connection with customers and athletes as lockdown began in China.

Nike: Next% – Speed is Your Currency

Case Study • Matthew Nolan, Lauren Cadman, Nicholas Short, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Nike created buzz around its fastest running shoe, the Next%, to cut through the lifestyle clutter of the running shoe market in China and drive a halo effect across mass audiences.

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.

Zomato: How Zomato won the game before the game

Case Study • Tushar Handa, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Food delivery app Zomato ran a gamified, multi-channel campaign targeting young male cricket fans in India to drive sales, user acquisition, engagement and regional penetration.

Grab: Personalised Social Impact Reports

Case Study • Krshna Prashant, Sulin Lau, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Mobile technology brand Grab used customer data in a new way to reframe and personalise its social impact activity in Southeast Asia.

P/S: The Adventure With King Leo and Friends

Case Study • Sang Lam, Anish Appukuttan, Soumya Ranjan Panda, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Toothpaste brand P/S harnessed the power of AI to encourage kids to brush their teeth, increasing consumption and boosting growth in Vietnam.

What we know about 3D printing

Article • WARC Best Practice, September 2020

This article provides guidance and reading on the new technology of 3D printing, allowing customers to become part of the production process.

Personalisation after COVID-19

Article • Research on WARC, August 2020

Examines the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on e-commerce companies and their website personalisation strategies.

The impact of Coronavirus on customer experience: Lifestyle brands vs customer journey

Article • Euromonitor Strategy Briefings, August 2020

For lifestyle brands, relevance remains critical, but will be more elusive – consumers that spend more of their time at home will socialise differently, need different products, and will engage brands differently.

How low-quality giveaways can hurt brands

News • 14/08/2020

Low-quality giveaways can “backfire strongly” on brands and have a negative impact that is more memorable to consumers than receiving high-quality items, a study in the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR) has found.

Can psychographic targeting techniques be used ethically?

Article • Brian Carruthers, WARC Exclusive, Nudgestock, June 2020

Patrick Fagan, former lead psychologist at Cambridge Analytica, ponders the ethical dimensions of psychographic targeting.

Burberry teams with Tencent for ‘social retail’

News • 03/08/2020

Luxury fashion brand Burberry has partnered with Tencent’s WeChat to combine the physical and social media worlds in a new way; a ‘social retail’ store in Shenzhen is the result.

NTUC Income Content Amplification

Case Study • Case Studies on WARC, 2019

Insurance provider NTUC Income used native ads to drive consumers to its content marketing pages and build loyalty in Singapore.

SAP: The Future of Marketing has Feelings

Case Study • Case Studies on WARC, 2019

German software corporation SAP launched the new category of Experience Management with a campaign that used psychographic targeting to reach its audience of business travellers.

How to deliver personalised content experiences to consumers

Article • Leigh Gammons, WARC Best Practice, July 2020

Best practice advice for brands creating and managing personalised marketing campaigns.

Why cheap, low-quality giveaways are bad for brands: Quality of freebies drives consumer attitudes, but personalization can help

Research Paper • Samuel Stäbler, Journal of Advertising Research, Digital First, July 2020

Companies employ giveaways primarily to create awareness and strengthen their brands. Little academic research has examined the effectiveness of giveaways, however.

In Japan, e-commerce goes beyond the online storefront

News • 07/07/2020

With the strange economic shock unleashed by Covid-19 now starting to materialise, the fortunes of some companies operating in Japan, show how e-commerce is adapting to fill a void left by physical retail.

Mastercard: Start More First Times

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

Financial services corporation Mastercard boosted transactions and brand visibility through a content series in the United Arab Emirates.

Nissan Patrol: Conquer Everywhere

Case Study • Garrett Olexiuk, Bhaskar Bateja, Remie Abdo, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Bronze and Research Excellence Award, 2020

Car manufacturer Nissan Middle East used a multichannel, personalised data-driven strategy to relaunch its Patrol marque in the United Arab Emirates.

OMO: The 100 Stains Challenge

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Anna Sadykova, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Entrant, 2020

Laundry detergent brand OMO harnessed the power of data-driven targeting to deliver its stain removal message to mums, increase consideration and boost usage in the Middle East.

Nissan Altima: Bio-Colour

Case Study • Garrett Olexiuk, Bhaskar Bateja, Remie Abdo, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Entrant, 2020

Car manufacturer Nissan Middle East attracted younger buyers to its Altima marque by giving them an opportunity to personalise their car colour based on their DNA, improving the brand's tech credentials and boosting sales in the United Arab Emirates.

OMO Sensitive: Tough on Stains. Gentle on Skin.

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Anna Sadykova, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Entrant, 2020

Laundry detergent brand OMO Sensitive adopted a multi-channel approach in Saudi Arabia and the UAE to win share and boost take-up among new mothers.

Yas Theme Parks: Summer Says Yas!

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Mario Morby, Prabhakar Iyer, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Entrant, 2020

Abu Dhabi resort attraction Yas Island created a multi-channel character-based campaign to improve visitation levels and increase revenues.