Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • WARC Best Practice, January 2019

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

How Diageo is tackling ad fraud, data and personalisation at scale

Article • Anna Hamill, WARC Exclusive, May 2019

Diageo, the multinational drinks company, is prioritising responsible data handling, combating ad fraud and finding the right balance on personalisation.

Beautyrest Be More Awake Campaign

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Home & Furniture, Gold, 2019

Beautyrest, a mattress company, increased brand awareness in the US by partnering with composer Max Richter, who played his original 8-hour concert while people enjoyed a good night’s sleep on a Beautyrest mattress.

India's progress in personalisation

News • 02 May 2019

The use of consumer data for personalisation is a growing trend in India, two recent reports have revealed, but users and advertisers are about a year away from fully understanding the issues, according to one industry executive.

Nescafé Dolce Gusto: Coffee Corners

Case Study • Alvaro Bretel, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Content Strategy, 2019

Nescafé Dolce Gusto used an inspirational, personalised multi-channel campaign to grow sales, improve penetration and increase its cultural relevance in the Middle East.

BBC showcases audio, video innovations

News • 01 May 2019

Personalised audio and dynamic video content are among the innovations BBC News is touting to advertisers in the year ahead.

Imaginative retailers can win over Gen Z shoppers

News • 29 April 2019

Received opinion maintains that Gen Z shoppers are so digitally savvy that they shun in-store shopping, but that is a misconception and retailers stand to benefit if they adapt to meet the expectations of these young consumers.

Mass personalisation: The future or foe of successful brands?

Article • Brooke Hemphill, Event Reports, ad:tech Sydney, March 2019

Is mass personalisation the future of brand growth or the foe? Thinkerbell’s Adam Ferrier and PHD’s Stewart Gurney debate.

River Island: Labels Are For Clothes

Case Study • Zehra Chatoo, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2019

River Island, the British fashion brand, successfully increased revenue in the UK by running an informed social media campaign.

OMO: Less screen time, more play time

Case Study • Soumya Ranjan Panda, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2019

Detergent brand OMO created a campaign to get mums in Vietnam to spend less time on their phones and more time with their kids in summer, using TV, digital and OOH advertising.

Starbucks: Starbucks & Social – How Starbucks created the fourth place in coffee culture

Case Study • Rachael Lake, Matthew Philip, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Social Strategy, 2019

Starbucks, the coffee company and coffee house chain, ran a social media campaign that successfully drove sustainable, long-term growth in the UK market.

Lifebuoy: Preventing people from infections during Ramadan

Case Study • Alvaro Bretel, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Social Strategy, 2019

Lifebuoy, the soap and hygiene brand, used YouTube ads during Ramadan to promote hand washing and increase sales of its products in the Middle East.

KFC: The Burger Wars

Case Study • Vikraman Raja, Hajar Yusof, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Social Strategy, 2019

KFC, the fast food restaurant chain, used a TV ad and social media GIFs to promote a special-edition burger in Malaysia.

Al Rajhi Bank: The Woman Behind the Veil

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Innovation, 2019

Islamic bank Al Rajhi Bank used digital outdoor posters and Bluetooth beacons to create a connected tech experience and encourage female customers in Saudi Arabia to take up its personalised credit card.

Virgin Trains: Hot Spots and Hell Spots

Case Study • Tamara Cross, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Innovation, 2019

Virgin Trains, the British trains operator, increased journey numbers in the UK by a data-driven, targeted campaign through TV, radio and DOOH.

Google Cloud: Ask the Cloud

Case Study • Jane Dorsett , Ellie Gogan-Tilstone, Chris Oliver, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Innovation, 2019

Search engine Google used direct marketing to target chief technology officers in the US to achieve growth in the B2B cloud computing market.

Alepa: Block Wish

Case Study • Juha Halmesvaara, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Innovation, 2019

Alepa, the Finnish grocery store chain, ran a digital campaign that successfully improved brand perceptions and generated audience engagement.

Jo Malone London: Omnichannel Communications Programme

Case Study • Richard Calvert, Louisa Osmond, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Innovation, 2019

British fragrance house Jo Malone London ran a personalised email campaign driven by AI and data to increase rate of repurchase and drive sales among its customer base.

Theraflu: Flu Tracker

Case Study • Alexandra Kondrashtina, Dania Azymova, Daria Zarubina, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Innovation, 2019

Theraflu, Russia's market-leading anti-cold and flu treatment, created the Theraflu Flu Tracker which warned its target audience when flu and colds were heading their way.

M.A.C. Art of The Lip

Case Study • Tangrams Strategy & Effectiveness Awards, Gold, User Experience, 2018

MAC, the cosmetics brand, created an e-commerce interface allowing women in China to preview lip colours, and subsequently increased basket size by 2.8 times.

HBO's Suicide Squad On WhatsApp

Case Study • Tangrams Strategy & Effectiveness Awards, Bronze, Mobile (incl. Apps), 2018

HBO, a television network, promoted the release of the film Suicide Squad on its network in India by releasing a WhatsApp number through which audiences could contact villains of the film.

Acuvue: The Lens to Her World

Case Study • Tangrams Strategy & Effectiveness Awards, Silver, Small Budget Marketing Campaign, 2018

Acuvue, a contact lens brand by Johnson & Johnson, launched its new Radiant Sweet contact lenses in Hong Kong by using first-party data and programmatic buying to convince wearers to upgrade their lenses.

Quartz gives news content a personal twist

News • 20 March 2019

Quartz, the news brand, is using chatbots and artificial intelligence as it seeks to personalise stories for its audience on a truly individual basis.

How Quartz is using artificial intelligence to truly personalize the news

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, SXSW Interactive, March 2019

Quartz, the news brand, is using conversational tools such as chatbots to personalize content for its readers in nuanced ways.

Programmatic creative: Four pillars of personalisation

Article • John Nardone, ANA Magazine, Forward, March 2019

Outlines the four pillars that will take your programmatic creative that final mile.

Personalisation