Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about experiential marketing and sampling

Article • WARC Best Practice, January 2019

This article provides an overview of the thinking and reading on the subject of experiential marketing and sampling, both live activities that involve direct interactions with audiences that can have an impact indirectly.

How to do effective experiential marketing

Article • Alex Smith, WARC Best Practice, April 2016

This article explores best practice in the area of experiential marketing, arguing that it is a technique, not a channel, putting the idea first, and thinking about media second.

Al Tayer Motors: Unseen Potential

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Mario Morby, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2019

Car dealership Al Tayer Motors got its staff to create an art project from old car parts to showcase its dedication to service to drive brand preference in the UAE.

National Safety Council: Prescribed To Death

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

American non-profit organisation, the National Safety Council, raised awareness of prescription opioid overdose in the US with an innovative live experience, supported by a multimedia campaign.

Kwality Dairy: Making Vitamin D A Part Of Children's Timetable

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

Kwality Dairy, an Indian company that processes and handles dairy products, tackled the problem of vitamin deficiency among Indian children through a campaign centred around school assemblies.

Anglian Water’s First Water Funfair

Case Study • Design Business Association, Gold, 2019

Anglian Water, a water company, increased engagement in the UK by designing a funfair-themed consultation event that inspired families to engage with Anglian Water.

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.

Intel at Mobile World Congress 2018

Case Study • Design Business Association, Bronze, 2019

Intel, the manufacturing and technology company, created a booth for Mobile World Congress, which made it the most visited and recalled stand at the event in Barcelona.

Ecover/Rubbish Café: Pay for your meal with a piece of plastic waste

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

Ecover, a Belgian cleaning products company, drove engagement by highlighting the environmental damage of plastic and companies’ responsibility for designing recyclable products.

Amgen JAPAC: The Cost of Silence

Case Study • Case Studies on WARC, Winner, Coporate Influencer, 2019

Amgen, a global bio-pharmaceutical company, made strides to change policies regarding the older population in Hong Kong.

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.

Hartwall Original Long Drink: The Greyest Day of The Year

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Special Event, Gold, 2019

Finnish alcoholic drink brand Hartwall Original Long Drink created an integrated campaign to boost sales outside summer, while taking care not to flout Finland’s strict alcohol advertising rules.

East Midlands Trains: On Track for Brand Fame

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Travel & Tourism, Gold, 2019

East Midlands Trains, a UK train operator, created portraits made from train tickets and a lost property orchestra to drive positive consumer engagement and promote its mobile and lost property services.

Svenska Spel: Home Swede Home

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Sponsorship, Gold, 2019

State-owned gaming operator Svenska Spel ran a competition for a fan to live in a footballer’s real home to distinguish itself from gambling rivals in Sweden during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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.

Whirlpool EMEA: #PlacesthatMatter

Case Study • SABRE Awards, EMEA, Home & Furniture, Gold, 2019

Whirlpool, the global manufacturing corporation, created a travelling photo exhibition to strengthen its position as a strong industrial asset in the places where it operates in the EMEA region.

OBOS 24

Case Study • SABRE Awards, In2 EMEA, Best in Audio: Podcasts + Music, Gold

OBOS, the Norwegian cooperative building association, increased its reach by sponsoring the Oslo Sommertid festival.

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.

BioMarin Pharmaceuticals: Hemophilia – The Musical

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Special Event, Gold, 2019

BioMarin, a biotechnology company, increased awareness of theatre as therapy for people dealing with a bleeding disorder in the US by producing Hemophilia: The Musical.

ABInbev, Bud Light: Victory Fridge

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

Bud Light, a beer brand produced by Anheuser-Busch InBev, promoted its product in the US by launching a set of smart fridges that automatically unlocked when the Cleveland Browns football team finally won a game.

Air New Zealand Launches New Chicago Route

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Travel & Tourism, Gold, 2019

Air New Zealand, an airline brand, dropped shipping containers in downtown Chicago featuring all the good aspects of New Zealand to promote its new Chicago to Auckland flight among US consumers.

The Allstate Foundation: Purple Purse – Overshare the Invisible

Case Study • SABRE Awards, North America, Community Relations, Gold, 2019

The Allstate Foundation, a nonprofit, generated over 3.1 billion earned media impressions from its public awareness campaign in the US featuring Serena Williams.

Mahindra Auto: PowerPath – A step towards a better future

Case Study • Aadya Sharma, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2019

Car manufacturer Mahindra grew interest in its electric vehicles by associating them with a good cause in India.

Stayfree: Project Free Period

Case Study • Aditya Kanthy, Toru Jhaveri, Sanchari Chakrabarty, Natasha Bohra, WARC Awards, Gold, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2019

Feminine care brand Stayfree created a provocative social initiative in India to drive genuine change in the lives of marginalised women.

Virgin Active Thailand: CPROBIC

Case Study • Predashanok Isarangura, Suthisak Sucharittanonta, Anuwat Nitipanont, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2019

Virgin Active, the gym chain, created an exercise class to help people in Thailand learn how to save lives with CPR.

Events & experiential