Mission & purpose

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Trust, truth and sanctuary create a pathway for US brands in a polarized nation

Opinion • Cathy Taylor, January 2021

Navigating the polarized political landscape in the US is no easy feat, but WARC's Cathy Taylor offers some key themes in her introduction to a deep dive on how brands can meet these challenges.

Polarization – why, for brands, it’s a good thing

Opinion • Kirstie Maryott, January 2021

Kirstie Maryott shares how polarization can be good for brands, arguing that the greatest enemy is indifference.

It’s not just political: The cross-currents buffeting US consumers

Article • Victoria Sakal, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight US, January 2021

While there has been much emphasis, especially in the last year, on political divides, the differences in American society go deeper as perceptions and attitudes also vary depending on factors such as age and income – differences which have real implications for the role of corporations in society.

US consumers voted for stability over disruption, and that has implications for brands

Article • J. Walker Smith, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight US, January 2021

Despite polarization, people in the US voted against disruption in the recent presidential election.

Renowned political strategist Mark Penn on why the US is actually moderate

Opinion • Cathy Taylor, January 2021

As part of our Spotlight US series on Marketing in a Polarized Nation, we talked to the person perhaps best positioned to translate the election’s outcome into what it means for brands – Mark Penn – who for decades has been one of the leading political pollsters and strategists. He has worked on campaigns for President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

World Animal Protection: Don't be fooled by a smile

Case Study • DMA (UK), Gold, 2020

World Animal Protection (WPA), an animal welfare organisation, set out to pressure travel industry giants to stop promoting dolphin entertainment with its campaign Don't Be Fooled by a Smile.

International heritage vs. China future: A cultural conundrum

Article • Greg Sutcliffe, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight China, December 2020

GPB’s Greg Sutcliffe argues that finding the right balance between celebrating an international brand’s heritage and safeguarding its future in China is a critical endeavour.

Standard Chartered: Art Gap

Case Study • Remie Abdo, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2020

Multinational banking company Standard Chartered Bank used a social media approach backed by an art exhibition to raise awareness of the gender pay gap and the bank's commitment to gender equality in the United Arab Emirates.

L'Oréal Paris: Making age a non-issue

Case Study • Joy Molan, WARC Media Awards, Bronze, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2020

L'Oréal Paris, the global beauty brand, used a special edition of fashion monthly British Vogue to champion age positivity and reconnect with British consumers.

U by Kotex: Black Community PMP

Case Study • Sherine Patrick, Nisha Ashra, Rachel Lowenstein, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2020

Feminine hygiene brand U by Kotex founded a Black Community private marketplace (PMP) in the United States that supported Black content creators and publications; its goal was to raise brand awareness, consideration and favorability by allying itself with Black Lives Matter (BLM).

Clear: Abtal El Shawarea' (The Stars on the Streets)

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Yasmin Shehab, WARC Media Awards, Gold, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2020

Shampoo brand Clear boosted brand favourability and awareness through a football-centred initiative in Egypt.

Dove: Dove Reshapes Stock Imagery To Shatter Beauty Stereotypes

Case Study • Chris McCraw, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2020

Dove needed to reclaim ownership of the 'real beauty' conversation to drive sales and penetration in the United States.

Should brands be activist? If so, how? Insights from Ben & Jerry’s, Tony’s Chocolonely and IKEA

Article • Sam Peña-Taylor, WARC Exclusive, December 2020

This article explores how three brands that pursue activist causes establish, execute, and measure the impact on their chosen causes.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority: Gen Less

Case Study • APG (AUS), Creative Strategy Awards, Finalist, 2020

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), a government agency, encouraged people to produce fewer carbon emissions by creating a generation defined by the decision to embrace life with fewer emissions.

From founder to employee, Patagonia is committed to agitating for change

Article • Sam Peña-Taylor, Event Reports, Festival of Marketing, October 2020

Patagonia’s European marketing director explains how the company doesn’t just talk about an abstract purpose; the brand and its employees act directly to address these issues.

How Absolut activates brand purpose

News • 20 November 2020

Absolut, the vodka brand, has demonstrated how brand purpose can be activated successively in different contexts with campaigns based on the notion of acting “responsibly”.

Heineken Spain: #FUERZABAR

Case Study • Oscar Herraiz, Gonzalo Figari, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Channel Integration, 2020

Brewing company Heineken created a social movement, #FUERZABAR, to support bars and restaurants suffering from the COVID-19 crisis and increase brand awareness in Spain.

How Pernod Ricard has responded to social disruption with purpose

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ANA Masters of Marketing Week, October 2020

Pernod Ricard, the spirits manufacturer, has responded to social disruption with a purpose-driven mindset that feeds back to its core values.

Band-Aid: Job-Hunting in Sneakers

Case Study • Kaori Yatsu, Akie Suzuki, WARC Media Awards, Grand Prix, Effective Channel Integration, 2020

Plaster brand Band-Aid created a multiplatform campaign to appeal to younger consumers and, in the process, launched a new movement in the job-hunters' market in Japan.

Which 2020 trends did we get right? (Spoiler: we didn’t predict a pandemic)

Opinion • David Tiltman, November 2020

WARC’s annual Marketer’s Toolkit looking at the year ahead is being released this week. Head of Content David Tiltman looks back at a tumultuous 2020.

Courageous Conversation Global Foundation (CCGF): Not A Gun

Case Study • ARF Ogilvy Awards (US), Grand Ogilvy, 2020

Courageous Conversation Global Foundation (CCGF), a non-profit organization, highlighted the implicit racial biases among police officers in the US with its campaign that likened an innocent candy bar to a gun.

Prized insights: The power of strategic thinking in Asia

Article • Ed Pank, Siew Ting Foo and Anamika Sirohi, WARC Webinars, November 2020

Following the launch of the 2020 WARC Prize for Asian Strategy report, this webinar takes a deep-dive into the trends and insights from the winning campaigns and explore the future of strategic thinking in Asia.

How Procter & Gamble takes a stand for racial equality while building brands

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, Advertising Week, October 2020

Procter & Gamble (P&G), the consumer-packaged goods giant, has been a champion of racial equality in its advertising while also driving growth.

How Reporters Without Borders and DDB Berlin snuck past censors with music streaming

Article • Brian Carruthers, Event Reports, Lions Live, October 2020

Reporters Without Borders, an NGO dedicated to the right to freedom of information, and its agency DDB Berlin exploited platform loopholes to get their message across.

Kiko Network/CAN-Japan: Connecting KIDS

Case Study • SABRE Awards, APAC In2, 2020

Kiko Network, a Japanese non-governmental organisation and member of the Climate Action Network, used its 20th anniversary as an opportunity to tackle climate change and inspire environmental organisations around the world to work together more closely.

The WARC Guide to Marketing in the COVID-19 recession

Article • WARC Best Practice, May 2020

A summary of new thinking and best practice on Marketing in the COVID-19 recession, from the WARC Guide.
The Future of Strategy 2020

Article • WARC Exclusive, July 2020

Analysing the results of a global WARC survey of senior strategists, the Future of Strategy report provides both quantitative and qualitative data with a focus on the disruption of COVID-19.
The Marketer's Toolkit 2021: Navigate through uncertainty

Article • WARC Exclusive, November 2020

The Marketer’s Toolkit 2021 is a guide to six major challenges facing brands in the year ahead.
The effectiveness code

Article • James Hurman with Peter Field, WARC Exclusive, June 2020

This whitepaper presents the results of a major new study of creative effectiveness which has analysed and compared a total of 4,863 effectiveness award entrants and winners from 2011 through 2019, from every major market in the world.
Marketer's Toolkit 2020

Article • WARC Trends, November 2019

WARC's Marketer’s Toolkit 2020 adopts the STEIP methodology to cover five drivers of change that will affect marketers next year, built from an annual survey, 10 CMO interviews and WARC analysis.
What we know about brand purpose

Article • WARC Best Practice, March 2020

Explores current writing and thinking on the topic of brand purpose, a powerful way to engage consumers and gain preference, it is fast becoming an expectation for some customers.