Lessons from the world s top effectiveness campaigns

Transcription

1 Lessons from the world s top effectiveness campaigns

2 Contents of the full report Four lessons from the WARC Executive Summary 4 Methodology 7 Chapter Two: Building long-term campaigns 28 Ariel Dads #ShareTheLoad 29 Building long-term platforms the neuro perspective 31 Chapter One: Data Analysis 8 Trend: Strategies with PR baked in are becoming the norm 9 The media mix 10 Campaign objective & soft metrics 11 The Swedish Number 12 Reword 13 Trend: The effective use of partnerships is increasing 14 Creative strategy 15 Hungerithm 16 Van Gogh BnB 17 Trend: Video-led campaigns are seeing success 18 Lead media 19 Budget of campaigns leading with TV and online video 20 Media mix of TV-led and online video-led campaigns 21 Creative strategy of TV-led and online video-led campaigns 22 Imagine The Possibilities 23 Hard metrics of TV-led and online video-led campaigns 24 Soft metrics of TV-led and online video-led campaigns 25 Care Counts 26 Geographies 27 Chapter Three: 2018 Results 34 Top campaigns Top agencies Top networks & holding companies Top brands & advertisers WARC 100: 2018 winners quotes 39 More from Gunn Report 40

3 Four lessons from the WARC Effective campaigns increasingly have PR baked in TV-led and video-led two different models The use of partnerships is on the rise Brands are looking for multi-year platforms Analysis of campaigns in this year s WARC 100 reveals the increasing use of PR in their channel strategies. This reflects the rise of creative ideas built to gain press coverage and other earned media. Several ideas at the top of the ranking centre around a highly PR-able stunt or concept, like the Transport Accident Association s Graham, that can generate content across channels and media. This year a dominance of video both online and TV is evident in the winning campaigns. Analysis of campaigns led by TV and campaigns led by online video shows they are key to emotional creative strategies. Budgets tend to be higher for TV-led campaigns, and the media mix differs between the two groups as a result. Though social media is the most common support channel regardless of lead media, OOH and print are more commonly present in the mix of TV-led campaigns, with word-ofmouth and PR supporting a higher proportion of online video-led strategies. Over the past two years, the use of partnerships as a creative strategy has increased in WARC 100 campaigns. Utilising the reach or credibility of partner organisations was an effective strategy for four of the top 10 campaigns this year, with both expected and unusual partnerships seeing success. Though seen across the WARC 100, partnerships saw particular use in campaigns targeting millennials, like Burger King's 'The McWhopper Proposal'. Long-term ideas are a growing feature of the WARC 100 as brands look to squeeze more out of their platforms. The continuing presence of the John Lewis Christmas campaigns in the WARC 100 provides a great case for the success of long-term campaigns. John Lewis has taken the Christmas period and turned it into an advertising event, annually driving huge amounts of publicity, engagement and ultimately return on their investment. Two further top 10 campaigns for Ariel and Snickers have reworked or evolved ongoing campaign themes with success over the past year, using the power of association to grow and reinforce the memory s perception of brands over time. 3

4 Executive Summary This report analyses the world s top effectiveness campaigns to uncover shared creative, media and measurement strategies. Its basis is the WARC 100, an annual ranking of campaigns based on their performance in effectiveness awards from around the world. (As of 2018, the WARC 100 became part of WARC s Gunn Report stable of rankings.) This report analyses the world s top effectiveness campaigns to uncover shared creative, media and measurement strategies. Its basis is the WARC 100, an annual ranking of campaigns based on their performance in effectiveness awards from around the world. (As of 2018, the WARC 100 became part of WARC s Gunn Report stable of rankings.) The campaigns ranked in the WARC 100 have been judged highly by their peers in terms of their impact on a client s business. To rank highly in the WARC 100 typically reflects success in multiple competitions, meaning that a campaign has been judged repeatedly on the basis of its results. As a set of campaign case studies, the 2018 WARC 100 can be analysed in two ways. First, it can be compared with the 2017 cases. Second, it can be compared with all other case studies published on WARC in the same year, to see if there are any significant differences between the highly awarded WARC 100 campaigns and a more typical example of an effective marketing campaign. This analysis is possible because WARC publishes hundreds of effectiveness and strategy case studies from all over the world it is the world s largest database of marketing ideas that work. And all of these case studies are tagged in the same way, producing a set of data that can be analysed. This case study tagging includes which media channels were used, the campaign duration and budget, metrics measured and the campaign s geographic origin. From this analysis, several trends and themes have emerged. 4

5 Executive Summary continued Strategies with PR baked in are becoming the norm PR is an increasingly prevalent part of the cross-media strategies of campaigns in the WARC 100, with creative and channel strategies often revolving around a highly PR-able element. Half of the campaigns in the top 10 used PR to great effect, with the Australian Transport Accident Commission s Meet Graham campaign a prime example. The indestructible human model central to the campaign was designed to attract maximum coverage through PR, and was a hugely successful campaign both in terms of measurement against campaign objectives, and in award wins. In a highly cluttered advertising environment, it could be argued, creative platforms need to work increasingly hard to maximise earned as well as paid media, and having highly PR-able idea is one way to achieve this. Research from the ANA has shown that a majority of marketers plan to increase staffing and spend on public relations over the next five years. This is attributed to the rise of digital communications channels, bringing PR and marketing much closer together within brands, and the increasing importance of integration and consistency across campaigns. Video-led campaigns are seeing success, but the composition of campaigns led by TV vs online video differs In previous years, the WARC 100 has featured digital channels prominently, and the most-used lead channel (i.e. the medium that takes the lead role in a campaign) has been social media. This year has seen video-led campaigns overtake social, with the latter now more likely to take a supporting role in the media mix of the majority of cases. This reflects recent research showing the growing importance of video in campaigns, and the use of social to guide and maintain the resulting conversation. When budget allows, TV is still generally seen as the best way to achieve reach and emotional impact, with online video a means to gain incremental reach and to maintain the momentum of the TV work. However, alternative models are emerging, and this is clear in some of the WARC 100 case studies. Though social is the most common support medium of both TV-led and online video-led campaigns, the remaining media mix differs between the two; there are markedly different creative strategies, and different metrics are used to measure success. Some of these differences stem from campaign budgets; TVled campaigns tend to have higher budgets, and more often have OOH and print as support media than campaigns leading with online video. TV-led campaigns are also more likely to drive a sales impact, and tend to be less reliant on social measures. 5

6 Executive Summary continued The effective use of partnerships is increasing Four of the top 10 campaigns in this year s WARC 100 used a brand partnership to some extent in their strategies. This is a recurring theme - an increased number of partnerships was also seen in the 2017 WARC 100, and the trend has continued this year as brands continue to use collaboration to gain credibility and piggyback on the reach or the organisations or individuals they are partnering. Often there is relevance or a link between successful partnerships, but unexpected partnerships can also have a big impact. The link between the Art Institute of Chicago and Airbnb is not obvious, but generated huge publicity and far exceeded its targets in terms of increased memberships and visitors. Purpose is effective when brands have a credible role Purpose-led campaigns are a longstanding presence at the top of the WARC 100 rankings proof that, when done well, purpose can be highly effective. Three purpose-driven campaigns appear in the top 10 this year; Whirlpool s Care Counts, Imagine the Possibilities for Barbie, and Dads #ShareTheLoad. Two of these campaigns Dads #ShareThe Load and Care Counts found a purpose for which their product could help. The Barbie campaign, meanwhile, plumbed the brand s history to find a credible role that the product could take for modern parents. None of these, it is clear, is purpose for purpose s sake. New takes on long-term ideas Now in its fifth year, the WARC 100 is seeing the same brands return to the top of the ranking with reworked and evolved ideas that are generating long-term success. This year s winning campaign is a development of last year s number one, Ariel s Share The Load, and is an example of a big strategic evolution, but there are now multiple ways to extend big ideas both tactically and locally. For example, Snickers Hungerithm used the You re Not You When You re Hungry theme to execute a regional campaign in Australia with a different creative strategy and objectives to the original film-led campaign. It has been argued for example, by Les Binet and Peter Field in the UK, that the increasing diversity and relative low cost of digital channels and platforms had led to some brands focusing on the short-term wins that digital can produce, at the expense of longer-term brand building. In the last couple of years, research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, among others, has discouraged that approach, suggesting that consistency in brand assets helps deliver long-term success. All three examples of blockbuster sequels in this year s top 10 campaigns Share The Load, Hungerithm and the John Lewis Christmas Campaigns - either centre on or have included television in their media mix to extend the reach of the campaign (all three are high-budget creative platforms). In each, a campaign film acts as the starting point on which the rest of the content hinges. Heather Andrew, CEO of Neuro-Insight, discusses the neuroscience behind the benefits of consistency across channels and time in Chapter Three. 6

7 Methodology The WARC 100 is now part of the Gunn Report, which tracks the winners' lists from all the most important advertising award contests, globally. The results of effectiveness competitions are used to compile the WARC 100, which is built on a rigorous methodology, developed in consultation with King s College London. The methodology is applied consistently across all competitions we track. How we built the rankings First, a list of relevant competitions was compiled. Campaigns that won awards in those competitions were awarded points based on the level of award they won (Gold, Silver, Bronze etc). Those points are then weighted according to the standing of each competition in the global marketing industry. The calculation includes data from: P l a n n e r P o l l : WARC has conducted a survey of over 100 senior agency planners and strategists to gauge which of the competitions we track are viewed as the most prestigious or rigorous. Winners at the mostcited awards schemes are given extra weighting in the final rankings. Size of market: WARC takes into account how much of the global advertising market the eligibility for each competition represents. It is able to do this using WARC s comprehensive adspend data resources, which includes analysis by channel and by geography. A campaign s score reflects the sum of all the weighted points attributed to it from different competitions. We have also collated information on the agencies behind the campaigns (including, where they have been listed, contributing agencies), and, where possible, the authors of the campaign case studies. Notes on the data analysis The comparative analysis on which Chapter 1 of this report is based, uses WARC S case study database. WARC compares the metadata of all the case studies it published during a calendar year, compared to the metadata of those case studies for campaigns that were ranked in that year s WARC 100. In 2014, WARC published 75 case studies from campaigns ranked in the WARC 100, plus 660 other case studies : 89 WARC 100 cases, and 839 others : 84 WARC 100 cases, and 856 others : 87 WARC 100 cases, and 1199 others : 99 WARC 100 cases, and 1150 others. Unless otherwise stated, all bars on charts appearing over the following pages are expressed as a percentage of this total. For example, if 56 of the 99 cases measured for the WARC 100 use a certain creative approach, the bar appears at 57% within the chart. Bars in charts may not add up to 100% for three reasons: 1 For clarity, many of the charts display only selected criteria 2 Some cases will have been assigned multiple creative approaches, media channels and so on 3 Other cases might not have all of the metadata included, missing details of campaign duration, budgets and so on. 7

8 Chapter One: Data Analysis

9 Trend: Media mix a strong year for PR PR-led strategies have become commonplace in the WARC 100, and have done particularly well this year. Three campaigns in the top 10 use this approach, where the creative and channel strategy revolve around a highly PR-able element; often a real-world product or event designed to generate headlines. The Swedish Tourist Association s The Swedish Number, Burger King's 'McWhopper Proposal', and Headspace s Reword all used this strategy to drive brand awareness and increase sales. The charts that follow demonstrate the increased use of PR using the data behind the campaigns, with PR and word of mouth marketing both seeing increased use in this year s WARC 100, and over indexing in the ranking compared to the rest of the cases published by WARC in 2017.

10 The media mix % of WARC 100 cases using each channel, 2018 vs 2017 (top 10 media shown) 82% Social media 72% 83% 83% 59% Online video 57% 63% 63% 47% Websites & microsites 31% 46% 46% 39% 45% Public relations 26% 45% 44% 45% Television 35% % 37% Outdoor, out-of-home 46% 35% Online display 17% 32% Word of mouth, advocacy 29% 29% Events & experiential 29% 25% Content marketing % of WARC 100 cases using each channel, 2018 vs all cases (top 10 media shown) 45% 27% 37% 34% 35% % 32% 26% 29% 26% 25% 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% 100% 75% 50% 25% Commentary The media mix of this year's WARC 100 follows similar trends to last year's, with social media being used in more than 80% of campaigns, and online video in more than 60%. The past year has seen an increase in the use of word of mouth marketing and public relations in the mix, both versus last year's WARC 100 and over-indexing compared to the rest of the cases published. Almost all of the top 10 media over-index in the WARC 100, continuing last year's trend of the most effective campaigns in the world using a larger media mix than typical campaigns WARC publishes. Social media Online video Websites & microsites Public relations Television Outdoor, out-of-home Online display Word of mouth, advocacy Events & experiential Content marketing 0% Overall WARC

11 Campaign objective & soft metrics % of cases with campaign objectives in the WARC 100, 2017 vs 2017 (top 10) 100% Commentary 56% 61% Awareness 31% 46% Brand building: Build brand equity 20% 41% Word of mouth 45% 38% Sales growth: Increase value/ volume 28% 23% Social, political & not-for-profit 11% 16% Brand building: Refresh brand identity 17% 15% Traffic & footfall: Web traffic 22% 12% Sales growth: Gain new customers 6% 11% Brand relaunch: Reverse decline 2% 8% Brand launch: new brand 75% 50% 25% 0% The growth of word-of-mouth marketing is reflected in its use as a creative strategy, which has more than doubled since last year s WARC 100 the largest year-on-year increase of any campaign objective. Campaigns in the WARC 100 are more likely to measure PR value as a soft metric than a typical campaign, further demonstrating the increased use of PR in this year s WARC % of cases using soft metrics in the WARC 100, 2018 vs the rest 100% 67% 74% Social media, buzz 62% 62% Brand health/ equity measures 45% 60% PR value 42% 56% Awareness 31% 34% Web traffic 26% 30% Consumer participation 11% 7% Brand-specific measures 5% 7% Search performance 75% 50% 25% 0% Overall WARC

12 The Swedish Number THE SWEDISH NUMBER Brand: Swedish Tourist Association Agency: INGO Country: Sweden Category: Transport & Tourism The Swedish Tourist Association increased membership sales in Sweden by helping people become more proud of their country and connecting them with people from abroad via a mobile app. The campaign centered on an international PR strategy, generating initial awareness and facilitiating ongoing coverage. Challenge The Swedish Tourist Association (STF) manages hotels and hostels all over Sweden. As a small organisation with a limited marketing budget, its main source of income comes from its membership fees. Between 2007 and 2015, the membership base of STF had a decrease of 18.2%, putting the company, and its mission of enabling people to enjoy the Swedish outdoors, at risk. STF realised that they needed to make up their dwindling membership base with a younger target audience of explorers, but this target group were more interested in travelling outside Sweden and were not very nationalistic unless talking about their country to foreigners. Strategy The solution was to create a platform for Swedes to have conversations about Sweden with foreigners and in that way instil pride and curiosity both among Swedes themselves and the people they spoke to. The platform was a phone number that if called from a foreign country, connected you to a random Swede. An extensive PR strategy was created for international media, launched with a live TV interview with STF s general secretary on Sweden s morning show. The campaign leveraged the story of 250 years of free speech within the country, and influencers and celebrities were used to call and take calls, both further increasing the national and international press coverage. Want to learn more lessons from the world's best marketing campaigns? WARC is a paid for subscription service. If you'd like to find out about the rest of this report and get access to more like it, get a demo at: Results The campaign was picked up by global online and offline press, which had a media reach of 9.324bn impressions, and a PR value of $146.6m. STF saw a 7.5% increase in memberships via the web, and 41.6% of these members came in during the 3 months directly after the campaign. The yearly decrease in existing memberships was also reduced by 50% in the year following the campaign. VIEW CREATIVE 12

13 More from Gunn Report Gunn Report is the global index of excellence in advertising. It identifies the most awarded and applauded creative ideas in the world and their creators. It currently offers the following rankings: Gunn 100 ranking the world s most creative advertising ideas (formerly The Gunn Report rankings, which have run every year since 1999). WARC 100 ranking the world s best advertising based on performance in strategy and effectiveness awards. Gunn Media 100 ranking the world s best advertising based on performance in media awards. As well as the full rankings, subscription to the Gunn Report site includes access to a searchable library of more than 5,000 creative campaigns, commentaries and proprietary research. The Gunn Report was founded by Donald Gunn in 1999, after a career of more than 30 years at Leo Burnett. In 2016 it became part of WARC, an online service offering advertising best practice, evidence and insights from the world s leading brands. Contact Gunn Report Emma Wilkie Managing Director +44 (0) emma@gunnreport.com Contact WARC London 85 Newman Street London W1T 3EU United Kingdom +44 (0) enquiries@warc.com Singapore OUE Downtown 1, # Shenton Way Singapore asiapacific@warc.com Follow Us Washington DC 2233 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 535, Washington, DC United States americas@warc.com Follow Us