Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • Peter Gasston and Camila Toro, WARC Exclusive, June 2021

The pandemic forced socialising online.

Why are Chinese consumers and VCs alike opening their wallets to DTC Disrupters?

Opinion • Jenny Chan 陈詠欣, June 2021

Yet another millennial-targeting, direct-to-consumer disrupter wannabe with cult-like followings…? Don’t brush them off. Legacy companies are taking notes as DTC brands seem to be outsmarting, outpacing, and outmaneuvering them. Jenny Chan, WARC’s China Editor, ruminates about their moves in this Spotlight series.

Amazon advertising costs have risen 52% in past year

Data • Rob Clapp, WARC Data Points, June 2021

An overview of the cost-per-click of Amazon advertising in the United States since January 2020.

Fluid like water: Lessons from Chinese DTC brands

Article • Mimi Lu, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight China, June 2021

China’s DTC or direct-to-consumer brands are shapeless like water, says OMD China’s Mimi Lu, with fluid branding, a fluid omnichannel and fluid segmentation based on small data.

Brand in action: How BuffX turned candy into its X factor

Opinion • WARC, June 2021

BuffX founder Kang Le shares how his functional food brand achieved rapid e-commerce success with nutritional gummies that target strong consumer need for good sleep and energy.

The DTC business model: Reshaping the China market and consumer behaviour

Article • Laura Liang, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight China, June 2021

The term “direct to consumer” or DTC may have been coined by Western brands it is not an entirely new concept in China where DDB China Group’s Laura Liang says the mature e-commerce scene has produced pioneer brands that have been following the DTC business model.

Brand in action: How Bencross introduced home improvement to China

Opinion • WARC, June 2021

Bencross is the home-furnishings disruptor that grew this hitherto undeveloped market in China and Bencross CEO Sheldon Li shares how the brand and the Chinese consumer have evolved since the company was established six years ago.

Brand in action: How Florasis reinvented makeup with Chinese style and culture

Opinion • WARC, June 2021

Chinese make-up brand Florasis’ co-founder Freeman shares how it rode on the Chinese-ness trend to disrupt the market amid stiff competition and become an internet hit virtually overnight.

Brand in action: How NaiTangPai made it big with bras

Opinion • WARC, June 2021

NaiTangPai’s Michael Zhang shares how he tapped a niche segment in China’s lingerie business to develop a brand that thrives on customer-centric values.

Fast-growing brands making fast-moving goods: Why China´s FMCG challengers are special

Article • Alexander Kremer and Cedric Jäger , WARC Exclusive, Spotlight China, June 2021

Picus Capital’s Alexander Kremer and Roland Berger’s Cedric Jäger examine what is driving the exponential growth of FMCG challenger brands.

DTC disruptors: Consumer sentiment data from GWI

Article • WARC Exclusive, Spotlight China, June 2021

Analyses data from ongoing surveys of Chinese consumers, provided by GlobalWebIndex.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd in Retailing (World)

Article • Euromonitor , Research on WARC, June 2021

E-commerce in China continues to be Alibaba’s growth engine, with opportunities from lower tier cities to be explored.

World market for pet care

Article • Euromonitor , Research on WARC, June 2021

The global pet care market is expected to increase in 2021, as the trend of bonding with companion animals during lockdown will persist.

What’s working in FMCG

Article • WARC Category Intelligence, June 2021

Global strategies, campaign updates and trends in the FMCG category.

What we know about challenger brands

Article • WARC Best Practice, June 2021

Current reading and insights on the topic of challenger thinking and how challenger brands can break through in their category.

Voice of the consumer: Lifestyles survey 2021 – key insights

Article • Euromonitor Strategy Briefings, May 2021

Analyses key aspects of consumers in a variety of settings including at home, at work, in-stores and online across 40 key markets.

Fashion and electronics see largest online shopping growth

Data • Rob Clapp, WARC Data Points, June 2021

An overview of consumers shopping more or exclusively online or in store across different categories.

State of the industry 2021: Mobile marketing in EMEA

Data • WARC Data, June 2021

Summarises the findings of WARC's latest mobile marketing survey, conducted across EMEA on behalf of the Mobile Marketing Association, to assess how advertisers and agencies are using, and planning to use, mobile in their marketing activities.

What Shopify’s rise says about the future of retail

Article • Sam Peña-Taylor, Event Reports, Retail Connected, May 2021

Retail platform Shopify is growing fast by providing services to modern DTC retailers – there are lessons to be learned from their, and Shopify’s, success.

Nestlé aims for ease of use across all buying journeys

Article • Mukta Lad, Event Reports, Adobe Summit, April 2021

After acquiring Gerber, Nestlé rolled out e-commerce operations for the baby food brand with a combination of content and B2B functionality to cater to both consumers and businesses.

Superimposed text size and contrast effects in DTC TV advertising: Bigger is better, high contrast not so much

Research Paper • Ryan S. Paquin, Amie C. O’Donoghue, Bridget J. Kelly, Kevin R. Betts, Mihaela Johnson, Christine N. Davis, Alyssa Jordan, and Peyton Williams, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 61, No. 2, 2021, pp. 178-191

Direct-to-consumer prescription-drug television advertisements often contain superimposed text (supers) to convey information about the advertised product.

Exploring the value of shoppable live advertising: Liveness and shoppability in advertising media and future research avenues

Research Paper • Kirk Plangger, Zixuan “Mia” Cheng, Jianyu Hao, Yiru Wang, Colin Campbell, and Sara Rosengren, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 61, No. 2, 2021, pp. 129-132

Live advertising is on the rise, with many influencers, brands, and retailers investing in the format online.

Mid-priced products achieve best Amazon advertising ROI

Data • Rob Clapp, WARC Data Points, June 2021

An overview of Amazon advertising spend and return on investment by product price.

Live-commerce: How to level up and stand out

Opinion • Sega Cheng, June 2021

Live-commerce or live-selling is an emerging new trend in e-commerce and iKala’s Sega Cheng shares three ways that brands can take this fast-growing channel to the next level.

APAC is winning at e-commerce: Here’s how brands and retailers can win too

Article • Low Lai Chow, Event Reports, eTail Asia Virtual Summit, May 2021

APAC countries like China and Korea are shaping e-commerce trends, with consumers pivoting online more quickly than the rest of the world as the pandemic fast-tracks their initiation into digital.

Retail & e-commerce