MxMIndia

Tag: Lucy Aitken

  • Insights from the 2020 Effective Social Strategy Report released by WARC

    Social is effective in linking brand & performance marketing

     

    From a WARC communique

     

    Social’s role in marketing continues to evolve as it increasingly plays a role in linking brand and performance marketing and in converting engagement into effectiveness via social commerce.

     

    This is one of the conclusions outlined in WARC’s latest study, the 2020 Effective Social Strategy Report, which provides insights and themes from the winners of the Effective Social Strategy category of the 2020 WARC Awards. It also includes an assessment of the implications for advertisers, agencies and media owners alongside contributions from members of the judging panel and other expert commentary.

     

    Also highlighted in the report is the need for social strategies to be relevant not just to the audience they’re targeting but also the platform where they run, and that brands facing dramatic shifts in budget can learn from the social efforts of non-profits.

     

    Said Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, WARC: “We’ve analysed this year’s winning case studies to identify the key social marketing trends and the main drivers that link a social strategy to business success. In this report, we provide actionable insights for marketers and agencies that can be applied to the social strategies of future campaigns.”

     

    WARC’s 2020 Effective Social Strategy Report identifies four key themes:

    :: Linking brand and performance marketing

    A clearly articulated social strategy can help join the dots between brand and performance marketing. When insights mined from social platforms are combined with the right data, it becomes easier to target the right people with the right message at the right time, boosting click-through rates and subsequent engagement.

     

    German Rail did just that with social video showing young Germans how much money and CO2 could be saved through domestic tourism.

     

    Carla Funk, Senior Strategic Planner, Ogilvy Germany, advises: “To link brand and performance marketing, avoid silo mentality and embrace a common goal.”

    :: S-commerce is on the rise

    Social commerce is becoming more prevalent, particularly due to brands accelerating their e-commerce strategies because of lockdowns: 62% of brands say they will decrease their investment in brand advertising in the coming months, while 32% say they will be spending

    more on e-commerce.

     

    This year’s winners, particularly those in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector, offer valuable lessons in how to engage people throughout the funnel and convert engagement into effectiveness. Burger King achieved a sales uplift by promoting its new product through a campaign based on ‘creeping’ on social media influencers’ pages.

     

    More recently, new iterations of social commerce have started to emerge, particularly in China where consumers are starting to purchase more regularly from livestreams and short-form videos.

     

    Jury member Zoe Virtue, Head of Social & Digital, Mango Communications, says: “While consumer behaviour evolves, so must brands. The only certainty from here is that when it comes to e-commerce, social media will continue to be one of the most important channels.”

    :: Audience and platform relevance is needed

    Social strategies must be rooted in both platform and audience culture if they’re to be relevant to both the audience they’re targeting and the platform where they run. This is particularly the case when targeting younger audiences. Care must be taken to execute authentically and on the right platform for the right audience: for instance, TikTok is now as popular as Twitter among 18- to 24-year-olds in the UK.

    :: Brands can learn from non-profits

    Non-profit brands can offer commercial enterprises some inspiration on developing a successful social media strategy and achieving reach on a limited budget.

     

    For example, a simple Instagram idea, through Facebook Creative Shop for WWF, hijacked Black Friday by targeting people in a shopping frame of mind only to reveal a powerful message around endangered species.

     

    The 2020 Effective Social Strategy Report in full is available to WARC subscribers on warc.com and includes in-depth chapter analysis with views and opinions from the judges, what the trends mean for advertisers, agencies and media owners, data analysis and summaries – objectives, insights, strategies and results – of the winning case studies.

     

  • WARC unveils report highlighting effective media strategy

    By A Correspondent

     

    WARC has released the Media Strategy Report 2020, highlighting key trends and themes for an effective media strategy. The insights are drawn from the winners of the WARC Media Awards 2019, a global case study competition rewarding comms planning that has made a positive impact on business results.

     

    Following an analysis of the shortlisted and winning entries across the four categories – Effective Channel Integration, Effective Use of Tech, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, and Best Use of Data – the key insights are:

     

    1. Influencers are becoming a more trusted component in the media mix

    Brands are turning to micro influencers in particular, combining their followers to achieve further reach. The collective clout of credible influencers and what they can bring to the mix is increasing: brands are expected to spend $10bn globally on influencer marketing in 2020, according to Mediakix. What’s more, as many people across the globe are now based entirely at home, there’s been the emergence of what the Financial Times has dubbed the ‘lockdown celebrity’, influencers in relevant areas such as fitness, education and food preparation.

     

    2. AI is being deployed in different ways that show off its range and flexibility

    Artificial Intelligence has progressed beyond being a bolt-on or a gimmick designed to generate PR, and instead is at the core of transformational ideas that are firmly rooted in commercial objectives. Data is key to encouraging behaviour change.

    Among this year’s winners were three stand-out uses of AI: a wicket predictor that enhanced the viewing experience of cricket fans in Australia, a hands-free smart speaker to help new parents in China and a video-insertion tool to embed ads within a popular Hong Kong sitcom.

     

    3. Brands are exploring innovative angles and approaches when leveraging passion points such as sport and music

    Audiences are receptive to original ways that brands choose to engage with them. Connecting with people through their passion points can be a useful way to hit the right target audience at a time when they are already highly engaged.

    Yet effectiveness remains a tricky area. Sport is a popular passion point, though many marketers admit to being uncertain about its effectiveness: $666bn is invested annually in sports sponsorship, yet in a recent Kantar study, 44 per cent of marketers admitted that it was one of their least understood channels in terms of ROI.

    Other areas which were popular among the winning papers included gaming, cycling and running. This year, of course, sponsorship will also bear huge losses because of Covid-19.

     

    4. A combination of innovative and creative touchpoints can cut through and engage with audiences at all points throughout the customer journey

    Approaching touchpoints in a lateral way that considers the customer journey beyond traditional media can be a highly effective way to capture attention.

    Among this year’s winners were several brands that found highly original and engaging touchpoints to communicate their message more powerfully: for its World Without Walls campaign, Middle Eastern children clothes retailer Babyshop invested in a song, a children’s book and immersive in-store experiences. Chocolate bar Oh Henry! targeted a new audience by using macro-influencers married with a pop-up store; and no-frills New Zealand telco Skinny, wrapped convenience stores in Skinny branding.

     

    Said Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, WARC: “Channel selection is one of the most demanding aspects of campaign building. At a time when many countries are locked down and brands all over the world are rethinking their marketing activity, unprecedented levels of agility are currently required to adapt to constant change, while achieving an appropriate balance between performance marketing and brand-building continues to challenge marketers,” adding: “We hope that the insights outlined in our Media Strategy Report 2020 will provide some guidance to media planners and strategists during these unprecedented times.”

     

     

  • The report has insights from the WARC Media Awards from across 31 countries

    WARC reveals trends for effective media strategies

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    WARC has released its 2019 Media Strategy Report, highlighting key trends and themes for an effective media strategy. The insights are drawn from the winners of the global WARC Media Awards, recognising communications planning which has made a positive impact on business results.

     

    Said Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies at WARC: “Against a backdrop of greater automation in the media landscape, the rise in search budgets and the inexorable rise of Amazon as an ad platform, the 2018 WARC Media Awards winners were an impressive combination of data-driven insight, precision targeting and well thought-out strategy.”

     

    Following an analysis of the shortlisted and winning entries spanning 31 countries, the key insights include:

    Imaginative phasing can reach elusive audiences

    Effective Channel Integration winners in the 2018 WARC Media Awards show how to reach elusive audiences through imaginative phasing and leveraging the right combination of paid, owned and earned media. Grand Prix winner, Droga5’s ‘Dundee’ campaign for Tourism Australia, shows how a massive media moment can be successfully leveraged and how a breakthrough creative concept, when combined with a full-funnel, orchestrated approach, can unlock true effectiveness.

     

    TV is a flexible tool for successful partnerships

    TV proved to be an agile channel in the Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships category. In its quest to appeal to millennial women, the Grand Prix winner, ‘Suzuki Ignis: An Ignis Adventure’, by the7stars London, created an entire TV show from scratch when it couldn’t find the right programme to partner.

     

    Tech can create new channel opportunities

    Tech is entering new territory, enabling brands to communicate their unique propositions. And context is playing a key role. Grand Prix winner The National Safety Council’s ‘Prescribed to Death’ initiative by Energy BBDO used 3D printing to put the faces of real victims of opioid overdoses onto pills – but then used a memorial as the backdrop for a compelling art installation.

     

    Data is key to encouraging behaviour change

    Many Effective Use of Data winners showed the vital role for data in instigating positive behaviour change. Grand Prix-winning ‘Lifebuoy: The Adaptive Data Lighthouse’ by Mindshare Mumbai, used a data-driven algorithm to promote hand hygiene and increase sales in rural India.

     

     

  • WARC reveals insights from the 2018 IPA Effectiveness Awards which attracted 70 entries

    Insights from Effectiveness

     

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    WARC has released an insights report examining current effective marketing trends following an analysis of the winning campaigns from the 2018 IPA Effectiveness Awards, an international competition rewarding campaigns that demonstrate payback on marketing spend.

    Said Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, WARC: “WARC’s IPA insights report analyses the metadata of the winning entries to establish themes and trends to improve the understanding around what typifies effective advertising. A more sophisticated understanding of emotion-led ad campaigns, the flexibility of TV, distinctive assets to achieve cut through and the power of influence were four clear themes to emerge from the 2018 IPA Effectiveness winners.”

    Added Neil Waller, Co-Founder, Whalar: “The effective influencer campaigns are not just using influencers as an audience rental opportunity that’s been bolted onto a campaign with a little bit of leftover budget to tick the influencer marketing box.”

    The 2018 global IPA Effectiveness Awards attracted 70 entries, of which nine Golds, 19 Silvers and 11 Bronzes, along with 10 special prizes, were awarded to companies from six countries.

     

    The following are the main insights from the winning campaigns of the 2018 IPA Effectiveness Awards are:

    :: Understanding how emotion works

    Emotion is a key creative driver among the awarded 2018 IPA Effectiveness papers as advertisers develop their understanding of how emotional marketing works. 55% of winning campaigns, including the Grand-Prix winner Audi, cited emotion as their main creative strategy.

    However, in the report, Phil Barden, Managing Director of DECODE Marketing and author of ‘Decoded. The Science Behind Why We Buy’ points out the complexities of using emotion and highlights the importance of a motivational message to trigger an emotional response to prompt purchase. He comments: “To impact consumer behaviour we need to get both the emotional impact as well as motivation drivers right.”

    :: A TV-led model continues to dominate

    The 2018 Awards confirmed the appeal of TV advertising, with 71% of winning papers using it as a lead medium. Brands such as The Automobile Association (UK) relied on TV to help turn around their businesses, while others, including Guinness and Audi, depended on it to build fame. “TV is evidently not dead,” writes Tom Sussman, Planning Partner, adam&eve DDB. “The internet has not terminally unplugged our television sets.”

    :: Succeeding in a low-attention economy

    Many winning campaigns used distinctive assets to help gain attention. Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot Christmas campaign (UK) achieved instant-recognition distinctiveness which, according to Tom Ewing, Head of Communications, System1 Group “is a major driver of brand growth”. System1 calls these assets ‘Fluent Devices’ and there were many examples among the winning papers. Having assets that are distinctive in this way represents an opportunity for brands to short-circuit capturing people’s attention.

    :: The growing power of influence

    Nearly all campaigns that were entered into the Awards had a social component, with 71% of winners using social in their media mix. Some of the most striking uses of social, however, leveraged its ability to attach shared meaning to brands. For instance, L’Oréal Paris True Match’s 23 Shades, 23 Stories campaign used social media and influencer marketing to story-tell and communicate its inclusive message.

     

  • The WARC Prize for MENA Strategy is an annual free-to-enter awards recognising the best strategic thinking from the region

    WARC’s MENA Strategy Report highlights regional trends

    By A Correspondent

     

    WARC, the global marketing intelligence service, has released its second MENA Strategy Report, examining trends in marketing strategy in the Middle East and North Africa, with lessons drawn from an analysis of the entries to the WARC Prize for MENA Strategy 2018.

     

    Said Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, WARC: “Based on an in-depth analysis of the results of this year’s WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, we are able to put the thinking behind the campaigns into context to establish how the best strategic ideas are responding to consumer needs and growing brands in the Middle East and North Africa.”

    WARC’s MENA Strategy Report 2018 highlights the following key insights and marketing trends in the region:

     

    This year’s winners demonstrated breakthrough thinking in sectors that are ripe for disruption. Whether it was Grand Prix-winning auto brand Nissan developing a new unit of measurement that was relevant to the region or a food brand encouraging families to be more conscious of waste around Ramadan, the campaigns that were successful showed how changing the conversation can be a powerful strategic statement.

     

    It is impossible to ignore gender equality as an issue among the winners of this year’s MENA Prize. While many campaigns have aimed to show their support for women, what was different about campaigns such as Nissan’s #SheDrives and Puck’s Cook with Her, was how they also targeted men, encouraging them to take an active role in progress and equality.

     

    Winning campaigns from local brands showed the power and significance of local insights leading to a strong strategic idea. Two campaigns from Lebanon demonstrated this: one understood and empathised with the country’s slow internet connection, while another tapped into the national pride felt by Lebanese living overseas.

     

    While the true value of influencers continues to be widely debated across the industry, this year’s winning entries offered some tangible examples of how influencers can be invaluable in brands’ quest for transformation.

  • Asian brands are moving from tactical, activation-based marketing to more long-term, consistent and strategic marketing, notes a WARC report

    Asian Marketing Trends 2017

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    WARC, the global body tracking advertising and media effectiveness, has released its annual Asian Strategy Report, an analysis of the region’s most effective marketing trends based on insights from the 2017 WARC Prize for Asian Strategy.

     

    Said Lucy Aitken, Case Study Editor at WARC: “We’ve analysed the data of close to 200 entries from 17 countries to the 2017 WARC Prize for Asian Strategy to ascertain insights and trends that Asian marketers are deploying to build their strategic capabilities.

     

    “Against a backdrop of demographic challenges, new technologies and market-orientated reforms, we’re seeing that Asian brands are moving from tactical, activation-based marketing to more long-term, consistent and strategic marketing.”

     

    WARC’s Asian Strategy Report highlights the following key insights and marketing trends in Asia for 2017:

    Mirroring social change: Purpose continues to be a popular strategy for many brands in Asia that successfully plug into the social and cultural change that is still under way in many territories. Brands are still recognising the long-term value in appealing to women and taking on the issues that are important and significant to them. However, brands need to exercise caution: those that are not entirely authentic to a particular cause will find themselves called out by consumers.

     

    Low-interest categories, high-interest ideas: User experience is starting to play an important role in brand differentiation, so smart product or packaging ideas are emerging within Asian communications. These ideas are efficient at engaging with elusive target audiences, particularly if they can prove that they are useful products. Asian brands are increasingly putting innovation at the heart of their marketing strategies.

     

    Channel-first ideas: Channel choice is core to an effective strategy and is not an afterthought. Having a particular target audience and the means by which it is reached, is reframing the brand, building awareness and engagement, and adding to the bottom line.

     

    Blue Ocean brands: Deploying a Blue Ocean strategy – which sees brands existing in places where they are not competing with rival brands for the same sector – is increasingly important at a time when brands are finding it hard to differentiate through mere function alone.

     

    WARC Datapoints – Asian Strategy 2017

    • 78% of shortlisted campaigns used online video – a 34% increase from 2016
    • 72% of shortlisted campaigns used emotion – a 41% increase from 2015
    • 2 out of 5 shortlisted campaigns targeted influencers – a 17% increase from 2016

     

    The Asian Strategy Report 2017 in full is now available to WARC subscribers on warc.com

    The WARC Prize for Asian Strategy is an annual competition showcasing the smartest