Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • WARC Best Practice, January 2019

This paper summarises knowledge and offers guidance and reading on mobile research, encompassing both the methodological use of mobile devices and technologies in the research process, and the research of consumer mobile habits.

Location ads reach nearly all mobile Americans

News • 24 May 2019

Brands that have allocated budgets to location-marketing are likely to be encouraged by findings from a new survey of US consumers, which suggests they are mostly comfortable with the experience despite some privacy concerns.

Mobile ads must work in under a second

News • 21 May 2019

Advertisers have less than half a second to make an impact among consumers on mobile, according to a study conducted by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).

Why the first half-second of a mobile ad is a must-win moment

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, MMA Impact, March 2019

Research led by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), the industry body, found that ads typically have less than a second to engage consumers on mobile.

Radio buttons in web surveys: Searching for alternatives

Article • Alexandru Cernat and Mingnan Liu, International Journal of Market Research, Vol. 61, No. 3, 2019, pp. 266-286

Web surveys are struggling to attract and retain respondents due to high burden and competition for the users' attention.

Ten things RPA knows about Gen-Z

News • 23 April 2019

For all the time spent trying to understand stable truths about Generation Z, a new report suggests that a shifting identity is fundamental to understanding the cohort.

Mobile Trend: A panel that enables fundamental decision-making based on a consumer centric approach

Research Paper • Edmar Bulla and Enric Cid, ESOMAR, Latin America, 2019

Croma Solutions, a security solutions brand, performed a quantitative survey featuring an online tracker to collect data on smartphone usage and carriers in Brazil.

Looking inside the Digi-Qual Toolbox: Tips and tricks to leverage the digital qualitative revolution

Research Paper • Garnette Weber, Cláudia Mota and Dalila Antonacachi, ESOMAR, Latin America, 2019

There are many options available for time-pressured people looking to adopt or expand their use of digital qualitative research and automation of processes in Latin America.

Identity shifters: A Gen Z exploration

Article • Research on WARC, April 2019

Details research carried out by by advertising agency RPA that reflects the thoughts of more than 1,090Gen Z researchers and research participants.

Where Do Surveys Fit into the Modern Marketing Ecosystem?

Article • Kyle Findlay, WPP Atticus Awards, Merit, 2018

Surveys are good at answering all types of business issues and have done so successfully for decades, but the role of surveys in the modern data ecosystem is evolving thanks to technology.

How Bluetooth can unlock the mystery of outdoor reach

News • 18 January 2019

Bluetooth, the technology that uses wireless connectivity to exchange data across short distances, could be a powerful solution for measuring outdoor ads, according to a paper published in the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR).

Enhancing mobile data with understanding of bias and error

Research Paper • Hugh Neffendorf, Chris Wroe, and Aled Davies, International Journal of Market Research, Vol. 60, No. 6, 2018, pp. 635-639

This conference note examines how Transport for London (TFL) and Telefonica have been enhancing their mobile data to better serve transport in the UK capital.

Measuring audience reach of outdoor advertisements: Using Bluetooth technology to validate measurement

Research Paper • Bill Page, Zachary Anesbury, Sophia Moshakis and Alicia Grasby, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 58, No. 4, 2018, pp. 456-463

Outdoor advertising is criticized for its lack of verified reach, and the few existing measurement techniques have not been validated.

Christmas LIVE – Aldi shoppers’ journey to Christmas

Research Paper • MRS Awards, Winner, MRS Award for Applications of Research, 2018

Aldi, the value supermarket chain, changed how UK consumers viewed the store and Christmas shopping behaviours to contribute to a record-breaking Christmas 2017.

Nationwide and Generation M: A meeting of hearts and minds

Research Paper • MRS Awards, Finalist, Virginia Valentine Award for Cultural Insights, 2018

Nationwide, a British mutual financial institution and building society, uncovered insights around British Muslims by launching a lifelogging study to generate product ideas for the target.

Google: The battle of the campaign effectiveness methodologies: can two diverse approaches deliver one truth?

Research Paper • MRS Awards, Finalist, MRS Award for Media Research, 2018

Google, a multinational technology company, created two studies that delivered empirical findings to uncover the effectiveness of an offline campaign in France.

Auto Trader Group: The Car Buyers Report – not new, not used but next

Research Paper • MRS Awards, Finalist, MRS Award for Applications of Research, 2018

Auto Trader, a digital automotive marketplace, was able to shed its reputation among UK consumer as a place for ‘cheap second hand cars’ and delivered a twelvefold ROI.

IKEA: Using the power of "chat" to uncover consumer needs around the world

Research Paper • MRS Awards, Finalist, MRS Award for International Research, 2018

IKEA, a furniture retailer, combined all the different survey data streams from test countries Japan, Saudi Arabia and the UK to discover the impact that in-the-moment experience has on future share of wallet.

ITV and Channel 4: BVOD – Project Firefly

Research Paper • MRS Awards, Finalist, MRS Award for Media Research, 2018

Channel 4 and ITV, both TV channels, joined forces to deliver the most comprehensive exploration of BVOD (broadcaster video on demand) viewing behaviours of British people and its impact on advertising effectiveness.

Reckitt Benckiser: Durex Global Sex Survey - Supporting Sexual Health & Wellbeing Across the World

Research Paper • MRS Awards, Finalist, MRS Award for International Research, 2018

Reckitt Benckiser, a British multinational consumer goods company, needed to launch the Global Sex Survey for its condom brand Durex by using research to make it sensitive and accessible to all genders, sexualities and regions.

Dis-Chem – Winter Care Guide

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Silver, South Africa, 2018

Dis-Chem, a pharmacists, used digital ads to promote its Winter Care Survival Guide in South Africa to ensure good health throughout the winter months.

India's smartphone market set to double in four years

News • 30 October 2018

India’s smartphone market continues to record powerful growth, new data shows, with Chinese handset brands dominating the market by sales.

McNext: McDonald’s Canada adopts a fusion approach to menu innovation

Research Paper • Michaela Charette and Michael Edwards, ESOMAR, Congress, 2018

McDonald’s, the US fast food company, operates 1,400 restaurants across Canada and decided to rethink its “menu innovation process” to stay relevant and on-trend in the country.

Superior targeting and ROI drive in-app adspending

News • 18 October 2018

Media agencies and ad buyers see mobile as the most effective channel to reach and engage users, as well as deliver the best ROI, researchers have found.

McDowell’s no.1 soda: Real Time -1

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Finalist, India, 2018

McDowell's No.1, an Indian spirits brand, increased reach among Indian consumers by using mobile surveys and audio fingerprinting to track and target alcohol consumers.

Online & mobile research