Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about experiential marketing and sampling

Article • WARC Best Practice, December 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.

Experiential marketing leads the way for cannabis companies

News • 16 March 2020

Brands entering the US cannabis market face a legal labyrinth in that the sale of cannabis products is now legal in 11 states, plus the District of Columbia, but brands are fairly rigorously excluded from traditional forms of advertising.

What General Mills learned from launching LÄRABAR in the UK

Article • Anna Hamill, Event Reports, POPAI Retail Marketing Conference, February 2020

Lärabar, an all-natural energy bar owned by General Mills, was a market leader in the US, but launch in the UK required a strategic and hyper targeted approach.

Oppo stages a 'New Year's Strange Encounter' for its R17 launch in China

Case Study • Jenny Chan, Case Studies on WARC, ROI Festival, October 2019

Courageous Studios

Case Study • SABRE Awards, IN2, North America, Most Innovative Agency Initiative, 2020

Courageous Studios, the Branded Content Studio of WarnerMedia's News Division, launched its new experiential marketing division in the US through a series of 360-degree campaigns and purpose-driven films.

Mastercard: #AcceptanceMatters

Case Study • SABRE Awards, IN2, North America, Best in Live Events, 2020

Credit-card brand Mastercard appealed to the LGBTQIA+ community in the US with the launch of its True Name card via a street installation in New York's West Village during the World Pride festival.

Christiana Care Health System: #HitMeWithYourFluShot

Case Study • SABRE Awards, IN2, North America, Employee Engagement, 2020

Christiana Care Health System, a network of private, non-profit hospitals in the US, created an employee-engagement campaign that encouraged workers to get their flu shots.

W2O: A healthcare targeted approach to provide client value

Case Study • SABRE Awards, IN2, North America, Best Live Event - Agency, 2020

W2O, a marketing company, created a curated program for the SXSW Interactive Festival in the US to dominate share of voice and reach C-suite and senior healthcare marketing and communications professionals.

What we know about stunt marketing

Article • WARC Best Practice, February 2020

Provides guidance and reading on the tactic of stunt marketing – a form of experiential marketing that aims to generate buzz and boost engagement.

Experiential marketing in 2020: The opportunities and challenges

Article • Mark Gass, WARC Exclusive, February 2020

Experiential marketing is increasing in popularity as brands seek to offer consumers fresh, exciting perspectives in real life, away from screens.

Why The San Francisco Chronicle is doubling down on reader revenue

Article • Alex Brownsell, Event Reports, INMA’s European News Media Conference, September 2019

Looks at how The San Francisco Chronicle is tackling the issues of declining print revenues and local engagement.

The Economist: Opening minds in a closed world – purpose-driven brand engagement

Case Study • Data and Marketing Association, Silver, 2019

The Economist, a weekly magazine, attracted a younger generation of readers across the UK by launching a platform that helped them navigate the forces that shape the future.

WarnerMedia: Privacy time with blindfolds, Playdoh and lemons

Case Study • Data and Marketing Association, Silver, 2019

WarnerMedia, a mass media company, developed an experiential learning programme for its employees in the UK to show them how to approach privacy regulation.

To win the Super Bowl, you have to define 'winning'

Article • Samantha Deevy, Admap, December 2019

The annual Super Bowl game is one of the biggest moments in the US advertising calendar, but how can brands make an impact without investing in the banner TV spot?

Bentley Motors: EXP100GT – The future of extraordinary journeys

Case Study • Data and Marketing Association, Silver, 2019

Bentley Motors, a luxury automotive brand, created a 360-degree campaign hub and AR app to engage future customers in the UK who aren't typically car fans.

Cheltenham Science Festival: AIDA – AI Science Festival Curator

Case Study • Data and Marketing Association, Gold, 2019

Cheltenham Science Festival, a leading science festival, took an abstract idea – AI, data, machine learning, neural networks – and used creativity to deliver a compelling narrative to attract people to the festival in the UK.

Almond Board of California: How Fashion Saved Farming

Case Study • Mimi Lu, Leslie Yu, Eliza Poor, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Almond Board of California, an agricultural service, sought to break away from its previous marketing approach in China to turn the negative price hikes resulting from the US-China trade war into an opportunity.

Becel: Power of Plants

Case Study • WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Plant-based spreads and oils brand Becel used influencer marketing, backed by digital and social media, to raise awareness of the brand and of the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle in Canada.

Al Tayer Motors: Unseen Potential

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Mario Morby, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 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.

Audi: Audi City Lab at Milan Design Week

Case Study • Philip Hewitt, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Audi built on its aspirational positioning as the best-selling premium car brand in Italy with an awareness event at Milan Design Week, designed by famous architect Hani Rashid and installed in Milan's famous Piazza Sempione, to target 'premium progressives'.

Skittles: The Broadway Musical

Case Study • James Barnett, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Confectionery brand Skittles reached a Super Bowl-sized audience by appearing on Broadway with a bespoke new production.

XFINITY builds engagement with power of reality TV

News • 12 November 2019

XFINITY, a unit of Comcast that provides cable television and internet services, identified an opportunity to reach people with an unrivaled passion for live content by connecting with fans of reality TV.

XFINITY drives real-time viewer engagement with “Reality Week”

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, 4A's Strategy Festival, October 2019

XFINITY, the cable TV and online services brand, engaged an audience of millions with a campaign that drew on the mass appeal of reality television.

Huawei Turkey: Live broadcast hackathon with the seeds for the future youngsters

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Finalist, EMEA, 2019

Huawei, a technology brand, successfully reached new Turkish participants for its Seeds of the Future training program by launching a social media focused campaign that not only engaged new candidates but broadcasted their training progression throughout the program.

Events & experiential