Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • WARC Best Practice, August 2019

Provides guidance and reading on brand characters, a non-celebrity animate being that can perform a multitude of roles from the perspective of brand or user.

Identifying and measuring the Fluent Device

Case Study • MRS Awards, Winner, MRS Award for Media Research, 2019

System1 Research, the market research company, found that Fluent Devices are effective, and their use is in decline in the UK and US.

Fox Cricket: Monty – The world's first AI predictive commentator

Case Study • Sam Turley, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Australian pay TV brand Foxtel created a truly game-changing campaign to encourage people to pay for a product they'd previously enjoyed for free.

Nescafé: From Tianyi with Love

Case Study • Benjamin Condit, Chaojie Miao, Jerry Perez, Sienna Zhang, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Bottled coffee brand Nescafé Smoovlatte partnered virtual idol Luo Tianyi to grow sales and brand love among a youth audience in China.

P/S: The Adventure with King Leo and Friends

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Gold, X (Global), 2019

P/S, a toothpaste brand, created a 21-day tooth-brushing campaign for children in Vietnam, which used artificial intelligence and augmented reality to encourage them to change their toothbrushing habits.

Nestle Smoovlatte: Nescafe – From Tianyi With Love

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Silver, X (Global), 2019

Nescafé, an instant coffee brand, partnered with a famous virtual celebrity to create a campaign in which young Chinese consumers could unlock a personalised message by scanning Nescafé bottles.

P/S: Ready Player – Mom

Case Study • Entrant, X (Global), 2019, MMA Smarties

P/S, a toothpaste brand, launched a mobile game for children and mothers in Vietnam to encourage sales of its anti-cavity toothpaste.

Fanta: The Snack Saga

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Silver, X (Global), 2019

Fanta, the soft drink, created a platform game to introduce its new brand mascot The Mouth, which increased brand awareness and sales in Brazil.

P/S: Brushing is Playing

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Silver, X (Global), 2019

P/S, a toothpaste brand, launched a partnership with a child-safe social media platform to deliver content that effectively educated Vietnamese children about brushing their teeth and increased brand awareness.

Foxtel: Monty's Wicket Warnings

Case Study • MMA Smarties, Silver, X (Global), 2019

Foxtel, a sports TV network, increased channel subscriptions across Australia by launching a multi-media campaign featuring Monty, the world's first AI predictive cricket commentator.

Undoing difficult: Ten years of helping families Change4Life

Case Study • Account Planning Group - (UK), Gold, 2019

Change4Life, a public health programme, helped tackle childhood obesity in the UK as a result of the humorous and non-judgemental way it framed the health conversation.

Greenpeace: There’s a Rang-tan in Our Awards Entry – How We Took Palm Oil from Obscurity to Centre Stage

Case Study • Account Planning Group - (UK), Silver, 2019

Greenpeace, a non-governmental organisation, used a young, animated orangutan to turn a wall of ignorance around palm oil into front page news through an emotional film in the UK.

THINK!: They had sphincters like limpets

Case Study • Account Planning Group - (UK), Entrant, 2019

Think!, the UK government's designated road safety campaign, launched a campaign to reach a disproportionately vulnerable audience, young male drivers aged 17-23 in a push to combat recklessness and save lives.

KFC: How strategy led KFC from crisis to comeback

Case Study • Account Planning Group - (UK), Bronze, 2019

KFC, the fast food brand, remedied its sales loss in the UK with an integrated campaign that brought back its iconic figurehead and used the reason for its chicken shortage as the anchoring message.

HMRC: The tax ducks

Case Study • Account Planning Group - (UK), Entrant, 2019

HM Revenue & Customs, a governmental department responsible for taxes, encouraged people to file their tax returns on time by characterising the niggling feeling as Tax Ducks.

Financial Conduct Authority: Decisive matters – How firm decisions liberated creativity

Case Study • Account Planning Group - (UK), Entrant, 2019

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), a financial regulatory body in the UK, prompted the British public to decide whether they would make a claim for mis-sold PPI.

Whiskas: How cat content grew up to drive digital growth

Case Study • Account Planning Group - (UK), Entrant, 2019

Whiskas, the cat food brand, created a branded content platform to consolidate its position in the UK as the reference in cat care and stand out in a crowded arena.

Life Direct Insurance: RIP Simon

Case Study • Jay Chiat Strategic Excellence Awards, Honor, National Strategy, 2019

Life Direct, a life insurance comparison site in New Zealand, encouraged Kiwis to compare and buy life insurance with the brand by killing off its brand mascot, Simon the sloth.

HONOR Artology

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Asia-Pacific, Marketing to Youth, Gold, 2019

HONOR, the smartphone brand, worked with an artist to create an art instillation that contributed to the three million sales of the HONOR 10 phone globally.

Jollibee Foods Corporation: Jollibee Going Global – Making a Filipino Brand Matter in the Big Apple

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Asia-Pacific, IN2, Winner, 2019

Jollibee, a fast food-restaurant, used PR and influencers to promote the opening of its restaurant in Manhattan.

DETTOL BANEGA SWACHH INDIA: DETTOL BANEGA SWACHH INDIA

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Asia-Pacific, Consumer Health, Gold, 2019

Dettol, a brand of consumer hygiene products, reduced instances of diarrhoea by 10% among school children in India.

Kellogg: Gut Bacteria Zoo

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Asia-Pacific, Publicity Stunt, Gold, 2019

Kellogg's, the cereal brand, created a bacteria zoo to reach people across Australia and New Zealand and increase sales of its cereal.

Air New Zealand: Is New Zealand Worth The Time?

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Asia-Pacific, Product Media Relations (trade media), Gold, 2019

Air New Zealand, an airline, increased Taiwanese tourism to New Zealand by showing them its attractions with the help of relatable storytellers.

JOY STORY II: JOY and Koi

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Asia-Pacific, IN2, Winner, 2019

JD, an e-commerce company, launched a short branding film for JD and advanced marketing work of the JD mascot Joy to promote the brand in China.

Air China Land Your Dream Digital Campaign

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Asia-Pacific, Digital Campaign, Gold, 2019

Air China, the airline, increased sales revenue by 13% after re-imagining the booking process with a focus on emotions for its customers in China, the UK, France and Germany.

Brand character