Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Tapping the pent-up energy of millennials and Gen Z

Article • Brian Carruthers, Event Reports, Advertising Week Europe, May 2021

Live events and experiential marketing are heading in a new direction post-pandemic as young people demand more than mere entertainment.

The effect of guerrilla marketing on company share prices: An event study analysis

Research Paper • Svetlana Davis and Frederick Davis, Journal of Advertising Research, Digital First, July 2021

This study analyzes a hand-collected sample of 803 guerrilla marketing campaigns from 2007 to 2017 to examine the impact on abnormal share price performance.

Mastercard: Astronomical Sales

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2021

Payments provider, Mastercard, recognised a unique brand synergy with a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event to grow cards on file in the UAE.

ABAAD Resource Centre for Gender Equality: #ShameOnWho

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2021

ABAAD, a resource centre for gender equality, encouraged women in Lebanon to speak out and report their sexual assault cases by conducting a social experiment and immersive play to break taboos and highlight the shame they endure.

Tanqueray: Searching for the special color of Seville

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2021

Tanqueray, a gin brand, implemented a colourful multi-channel campaign in Spain to drive growth and stand out from the crowd.

HBO and American Red Cross: Bleed for the throne

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2021

HBO, a television network, launched the final season of Game of Thrones by testing the loyalty of its fans through a call for blood donations in partnership with the American Red Cross.

Save The Children: 100 Words Pain_ting

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2021

Save The Children, a non-profit organisation, launched a campaign on its 100th anniversary in South Korea to draw attention to the verbal abuse suffered by children.

The Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women (ONE): Sleeping flags

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Silver, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2021

The Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel (O.N.E), an organisation that provides support to Irish veterans, raised awareness of the issue of homelessness among veterans with its campaign Sleeping Flags.

Five lessons 2020 taught marketers about successful online events

Article • Sean Hargrave, Event Reports, Advertising Week Europe, May 2021

The world may be emerging from lockdowns but it won’t be returning to the sort of business events the pandemic stopped; virtual and hybrid (a mix of physical and online) events will dominate the next 12 months according to LinkedIn.

Cisco: Cisco Live

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Entrant, Business-to-Business, 2021

Cisco, a market-leading technology business, had to stream Cisco Live, it's flagship B2B regional event, across the APJC region due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ericsson: Ericsson UnBoxed Office

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Entrant, Business-to-Business, 2021

Ericsson, a provider of Information and Communication Technology to service providers, switched its B2B marketing budget from live to virtual and launched its Unboxed Office series around the world.

Zycus: Zycus virtual annual user conference

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Entrant, Business-to-Business, 2021

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zycus, a United States company specialised in cognitive procurement, moved its annual flagship event, Horizon, to an online format available worldwide.

AstraZeneca: Neb adventures

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Shortlisted, Customer Experience, 2021

Pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, combated low child asthma treatment completion rates with a child-centred approach in UAE.

Old Mutual: Ampd by Old Mutual collaboration & culture

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Shortlisted, Collaboration & Culture, 2021

Financial institution Old Mutual built a cultural hub in South Africa to drive relevance among the young aspiring artists, creatives and professionals it sought to target.

Heinz: Summer isn’t summer without Heinz

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Shortlisted, Brand Purpose, 2021

Condiment brand Heinz Ketchup increased sales and brand equity during Covid-19 restrictions in Canada with a multichannel campaign that included a jigsaw puzzle and a hotdog delivery partnership.

Help For Heroes: 40,000 Strong

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Silver, Collaboration & Culture, 2021

UK service personnel recovery support charity Help for Heroes enlisted its own mini-army to get the nation talking and effect systemic change to the medical discharge process, while emphasising the charity's vital role during peacetime.

Reese's: Halloween door

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Shortlisted, Customer Experience, 2021

Reese's, the candy company, increased year-on-year Halloween sales during the COVID pandemic with a contactless trick-or-treat experience in the US.

The Movember Foundation: A moment against silence

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Silver, Collaboration & Culture, 2021

Men's health charity Movember reframed a ritual of silence to get people talking about male mental health in New Zealand.

STIB: Voices of brussels

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Bronze, Customer Experience, 2021

Public transportation company, STIB, managed a meaningful brand connection with customers at a time when none of them could use the service due to COVID travel restrictions in Belgium.

New Zealand Government: The public service banger

Case Study • WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Bronze, Collaboration & Culture, 2021

The New Zealand Government created an unconventional public service announcement to strike a chord with Kiwis and keep them safe throughout the summer festival season.

Mastercard: Astronomical Sales

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, WARC Awards for Effectiveness, Silver, Instant Impact, 2021

Payments technology provider, Mastercard, brought its priceless proposition to life with a promotion centred around a rare solar eclipse in the UAE.

John Lewis: Social media as a modern day shop floor

Article • Brian Carruthers, Event Reports, Retail Connected virtual conference, April 2021

Retailer John Lewis operates a We Are Partners program which aims to recreate the in-store experience via social media.

To level up in 'new retail' in China, focus on the fundamentals

Article • Bryce Whitwam, Adjunct Instructor, New York University School of Professional Studies, WARC Trends, May 2021

NYU’s Bryce Whitwam introduces the fundamentals of New Retail, which integrates online and offline into a single customer experience by using technology and data to improve the overall customer experience.

Adobe: Reinvent Influencer Program When Adobe MAX 2020 Goes Virtual

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2021

Adobe, a computer software company, increased awareness and attendance of its MAX event, which was virtual and free for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, through exclusive PR boxes, online gameshows and private watch parties.

Jake's House: ASD – Rockin' the Spectrum

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2021

Jake's House, an autism charity, addressed the issue of loneliness within the autism community in Canada by using the power of music to dispel the misperception that those on the autistic spectrum prefer to keep to themselves and shun the spotlight.

Events & experiential