Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

How to market to rural consumers in India

Article • Kunal Sinha, WARC Best Practice, September 2017

This article explains key steps marketers need to take to market effectively to rural consumers in India – a population of 840 million that is expected to grow.

Emirates NBD: Inspire What's Next

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Tala Arakji, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Private bank Emirates NBD grew brand favourability and sales with an awareness campaign in the United Arab Emirates.

Ahmini: The Uncovered

Case Study • Melek Ourir, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Telco provider Tunisie Telecom harnessed the power of mobile to help bring about social change in Tunisia.

Codina Partners: Downtown Doral invites unhappy New Yorkers

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2020

Codina Partners, a real estate investment and development firm, created a digital platform for unhappy New Yorkers to explore what life could be like if they moved to Downtown Doral.

More than trading down: How consumers really shop and buy during a recession

Article • J. Walker Smith, WARC Exclusive, May 2020

Explains that the idea that all consumers trade down during recessions is overly simplistic.

Internet usage in rural India overtakes urban areas

News • 08 May 2020

The number of internet users in rural areas of India has surpassed those living in metropolitan cities for the first time, according to a new report that also found women partly responsible for driving the trend along with better connectivity and ...

Local brands win out in India as availability trumps loyalty

News • 07 May 2020

Smaller, local brands are often outperforming big market leaders in lockdown India, as consumers go for what is available rather than confining themselves to brands they know and trust. Retailers say smaller brands have outpaced sales of ...

Are brands really connecting with Indonesia’s digital youth?

Opinion • Gabey Goh, April 2020

What will it take to win over the young Indonesian consumer and find success in the third largest youth market in the world? WARC's Asia Editor, Gabey Goh, introduces a deep-dive into the insights you need to know.

Marketing across the spectrum of Indonesia’s youth market

Article • Voon Tai, WARC Exclusive, April 2020

Geometry Global’s Voon Tai dives into the distinct sub-groups that make up Indonesia’s youth population and argues for a nuanced and hyper-local approach for genuine consumer connections.

Barclays Private Bank: Smarter Giving

Case Study • Emilie Uzan, Alice Pike, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Barclays Private Bank devised a philanthropic campaign to help increase donations from high net worth individuals to the charity sector in the UK and Europe.

Audi: e-tron Has Landed

Case Study • Paloma Ho, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Innovation, 2020

Car maker Audi took a chance on augmented reality to increase its popularity and build awareness of its first purely electric car in Taiwan.

Mastercard: Start More First Times

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Prabhakar Iyer, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Financial services corporation Mastercard boosted transactions and brand visibility through a content series in the United Arab Emirates.

Ducati Motor Holding Spa: Multistrada Family – Born to travel

Case Study • Giacomo Frigerio, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Motorcycle brand Ducati Motor Holding launched a new positioning in the travel sector with its Born to Travel campaign in Europe and the US.

Bentley: An Extraordinary Journey to the Future

Case Study • Hanna Lubin, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Luxury automotive brand Bentley changed perceptions of a new younger audience in the UK through the use of innovative, compelling content.

Emirates NBD: Inspire What's Next

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Tala Arakji, WARC Awards, Bronze, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Private bank Emirates NBD grew brand favourability and sales with an awareness campaign in the United Arab Emirates.

Al Tayer Motors: Unseen Potential

Case Study • Tahaab Rais, Mario Morby, WARC Awards, Silver, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Car dealership Al Tayer Motors got its staff to create an art project from old car parts to showcase its dedication to service to drive brand preference in the UAE.

Fair & Lovely: Democratising Education for Women in Indonesia

Case Study • Ayida M. Sulfa, Bernadette Adinadia, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Beauty brand Fair & Lovely used TV, mobile and radio to raise awareness of its brand commitment to female education and drive sales in Indonesia.

Ahmini: The Uncovered

Case Study • Melek Ourir, WARC Awards, Gold, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Telco provider Tunisie Telecom harnessed the power of mobile to help bring about social change in Tunisia.

China’s wealthy shift spending focus

News • 10 April 2020

China’s luxury sector has been especially savaged by the fallout from the COVID-19 crisis, and one customer may be hardest to win back, the most desirable of all, the High Net Worth Individual (HNWI).

Nestlé: Ok Nestlé! Tell me more about food.

Case Study • Vibha Gupta, Jitender Dabas, WARC Awards, Bronze, Effective Innovation, 2020

Food conglomerate Nestlé created a Google Voice-powered knowledge service platform to position itself as a nutritional expert and build brand trust among millennial mothers in India.

Comfort: How Comfort made laundry fashionable

Case Study • Maan Bernardino–Dominguez, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Innovation, 2020

Unilever launched its Comfort laundry detergent brand in the Philippines as a challenger in the premium category by identifying the changes in fashion and leveraging these through social media.

Volvo Cars Australia: Omtanke – rethinking Volvo

Case Study • Matthew Simms, WARC Awards, Grand Prix, Effective Innovation, 2020

Car manufacturer Volvo created a Living Seawall to reinvent its image and attract luxury car buyers in Australia.

Mahindra Finance addresses financial inclusion in rural India

News • 07 January 2020

Rural India remains largely a cash economy but that will change in the future and finance brands have to be alert to where they can intervene digitally, according to the managing director of Mahindra Finance.

Time to end out-of-date rural marketing conventions

News • 20 December 2019

Many of the conventions of rural marketing in India are well past their expiry date, according to two agency strategy executives, who argue that that it’s time to retire these and connect more richly with the emerging rural Indian consumer.

Marketers need to take the long view in rural India

News • 19 December 2019

A strategic, sustained and inclusive approach is required to convert rural consumers into brand fans – return on investment cannot be an immediate direct result of an initiative, according to an industry veteran.

Socioeconomic groups