Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about bricolage and semiotics

Article • WARC Best Practice, August 2019

Summarises the insights from key papers on the topic of bricolage (how different materials are used in the creative process of understanding) and semiotics (the study of signs and symbols) – techniques used by qualitative researchers to deliver cultural insight.

What we know about cultural insight

Article • WARC Best Practice, April 2019

This article explores the current sources informing how brands and agencies can use cultural insight, the ideas, customs and behaviour of particular people.

NRMA learns the hard way

News • 05 June 2020

Bushfires, floods and the COVID-19 outbreak have forced Australian insurer NRMA to be flexible about plans – and it has learned some key lessons about adapting quickly.

From Koalas to Coronavirus: How NRMA Insurance learnt to move at the speed of culture

Article • Catherine Rushton, WARC Exclusive, June 2020

Mindshare’s Catherine Rushton outlines lessons learnt with insurance brand NRMA in responding to back-to-back events from bushfires to COVID-19.

How Toyota identifies the most attractive multicultural opportunities and builds bespoke programs

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, WARC Exclusive, June 2020

Toyota, the automaker, is seeking to engage with multicultural audiences in relevant, authentic ways as it drives brand metrics and sales.

Fixing the asymmetry of art, culture and commerce

Opinion • Jed Hallam, June 2020

Brands can play a vital role in rebuilding culture, spreading great ideas and creating a legacy that goes beyond revenues and profits, argues Jed Hallam, Chief Strategy Officer at Initiative.

What we know about marketing to Generation X

Article • WARC Best Practice, May 2020

Generation X is often overlooked by advertisers, however brands must reflect the independent spirit of this demographic in order to engage them, as many Generation X-ers do not recognise their depiction in contemporary advertising.

Change doesn’t just happen during a global pandemic

Opinion • Rob Campbell, May 2020

Marketing in the COVID-19 crisis This article is part of a special WARC Snapshot focused on enabling brand marketers to re-strategise amid the unprecedented disruption caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Taboo subjects that brands must avoid in China

News • 15 May 2020

International brands have always had to tread carefully in China, where an appreciation of local culture is essential, but with nationalism on the rise and sensitivity about the origins of coronavirus prevalent, communication tailored to Chinese ...

In Japan, romance blossoms in the time of COVID

News • 14 May 2020

Disaster leads people to consider life’s more profound aspects; just as marriage spiked in the year after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake, something similar appears to be happening now amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Eight strategies to serve grocery shoppers during COVID-19

Article • Callum Saunders, WARC COVID-19 Series, May 2020

As the initial COVID-19 crisis wears on, grocery retailers need to think longer term to service customer’s new needs and behaviours.

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.

Burger King: Who said men don't cry?

Case Study • Ali Khalil, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

To win over young Saudis, QSR brand Burger King joined their conversation via a social stunt that trolled one of their most famous football icons.

Burger King: Celebrating Subcultures

Case Study • Jimmy George, Annabelle Butler, WARC Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Quick-Service Restaurant chain Burger King created a content engine to become loved and talked-about online in order to grow visitation among iGen and young millennials in the US.

Best practices for purpose-driven marketing from the WARC Awards, Cannes Lions and Ogilvy Awards

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ARF Virtual Town Hall, March 2020

The Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), the trade body, and Kantar, the research firm, identified several best practices for purpose-driven marketing.

WARC from Home classic webinar: Rob Campbell and Martin Weigel on why your strategy needs more chaos

Opinion • WARC from Home, April 2020

WARC from Home is our series of content for those looking to skill up in the lockdown – including a weekly re-run of a classic webinar from the WARC database. Find all WARC from Home content here .

Just Eat: Just Amore

Case Study • Simone Colucci, Oriana Papadopulos, Milos Obradovic, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Food delivery brand Just Eat created an integrated campaign to boost online orders while celebrating love without prejudice during Milan Pride 2019.

MTV (Murr Television Lebanon): The Missing

Case Study • Remie Abdo, Roy Khachan, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Television station Murr Television used its own news anchors in a live stunt to highlight the case of those who were still missing more than 40 years after the civil war in Lebanon.

Saudi Telecom Company: What are we allowing

Case Study • Dana Alkutoubi, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Telecoms operator stc used a multimedia campaign to highlight the dangers lurking online and launch its Tuby child protection app to parents in Saudi Arabia.

Dove: My Hair, My Say

Case Study • Toni Tiu, Jessa Bartolabac, Maan Bernardino-Dominguez, Mai Manzano, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

In the Philippines, hair brand Dove challenged traditional ideals of beauty in order to kickstart stagnant growth.

Brand’s Essence of Chicken: Brand's Summer Camp – Fast Track Your Future

Case Study • Witarinee Nitiwanakun, Roxanni Garcia, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Health supplement Brand's Essence of Chicken used digital media and influencer content to relaunch its Brand's Summer Camp educational tutoring programme in Thailand.

Star Sports: #5MinuteAur – #5EmergingTechKhiladi

Case Study • Preeti Mascarenhas, Pankaj Sharma, Neha Dhar, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Indian broadcaster Star Sports partnered with the Indian government to use the country's Khelo India Youth Games as a platform to encourage sports participation among youngsters.

Racold: Mind Your Language

Case Study • Sabiha Khan, Aakash Chatterjee, Provit Chemmani, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Innovation, 2020

Water heater brand Racold exploited Indians' e-commerce mistypes to spell a disproportionate increase in sales vs money spent in the highly competitive online market.

SariWangi: Let's Talk

Case Study • Sumeet Parab, Apoorva Sheety, Fajar Adithya, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

SariWangi the tea bag brand used their Let's Talk campaign to create real conversations on social channels around respect for diversity during the 2019 presidential election in Indonesia.

Hungarian Telekom: Family can be teamwork!

Case Study • Peter Kormanyos, Karolina Galacz, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Over three integrated campaigns, telco provider Hungarian Telekom successfully positioned Magenta 1 as not just a package deal, but a service that helps families work together.

Cultural insight