Through our live events and awards programs, marketers and agencies share with MediaPost what is working for them in the market and the
key insights they are drawing from these efforts. The MediaPost Cases condense these live presentations and entries into a library of
real-life cases, best practices, campaign examples and lessons learned exclusively to Research Intelligencer members.
- "The way we designed the sweaters felt in-line with our audience. They might want to participate in this trend, but not wear something that looks like a drunken reindeer on it or just something else goofy and silly."
- "We wanted to do something D2C, and as we studied the landscape, we felt cleaning was one area that was overdue for disruption."
- Friends since their days as students at UCLA, Hannah Hong and Mollie Cha have created a thriving CPG based on their shared intolerance for lactose. What began in the mid-2000s as a way to enjoy ice cream is now sold in 600 stores in California with an eye to the Northeast.
- "For organic content, embrace the fact that you're on YouTube and don't focus on click-through rates because viewers really aren't interested in doing that. You just want them to stay on YouTube and enjoy the experience."
- "Our target audience is people who care about personalization for their pets so it was important to target areas where there is a strong density of people with a wide variety of breeds like New York City."
- Through personalized CTV ad experiences, Pringles was able to connect with viewers on an entirely new level.
- Within the film, they asked USWNT stars of past and present about the ongoing challenges facing female athletes, and the sacrifices they've made to create opportunities for future generations.
- MediaPost asked Sandeep Ahluwalia, Innovation Director, and Chris Lehane, Data Strategy Director, both at Essence, what they learned in the process of creating this award-winning campaign.
- "Rely on your loyalty partner to really give you suggestions. Ask them what you should be doing that you're not doing; they're great resource." Their partner was Punchh.
- For the first time, every woman photographed personally defined her own search tags. In media, their mission was to creatively bring #ShowUs to life.
- Using augmented reality (AR), GS&P was able to rewrite one of the most popular U.S. history textbooks without changing it physically.
- Simply tweeting #MINIonDemand + [red car emoji] would engender a cheeky response with a link to schedule the personal, hassle-free test drive.
- "The success of this campaign was based on that core insight of how few female statues or how underrepresented females were. It gives the campaign a lot of depth when it's born out of something that is a unique, human truth that everyone can relate to."
- Along with the campaign, they implemented a CRM strategy that enabled them to fully welcome new e-mail subscribers and send them more targeted information throughout the year. The net result was a 20% increase in the size of their subscriber database.
- The brand sparked the biggest TikTok brand challenge in history, which ignited a global viral moment that attracted celebrities and shook dance floors from Chicago to Berlin.
- Samsung agency Starcom went to NBC with an idea that the network rejected but it came back with an even better one: Let Jimmy Fallon film an entire episode of "The Tonight Show" on the phone.
- When some of the main cast was a little less socially active, TBS armed its many fan accounts with exclusive content and first looks, to act on its behalf.
- Having scaled so fast, however, they realized they needed to take a step back and focus on engaging their customer base in a meaningful way, while still maintaining sales momentum.
- Travis McCan, email strategist for The Salvation Army account, says DEG learned how different audience segments engage with the brand. "We were able to see how much they gave, the frequency, and differences from other groups."
- "Put yourself in the customer's shoes and consider the roadblocks, pain points, and motivations at each stage of the journey -- paying close attention to the transitions between each stage."
- Podcast advertising has been one of Policygenius' top customer acquisition channels over the past several years, helping it achieve "phenomenal growth."
- Universal created a week-long influencer campaign that began 14 days before the film's release, consisting of a real-time skit that mirrored its terrifying plot.
- Sleep Number, which produces adjustable and smart beds, was creating short-form videos that were getting -- at the most -- 2,000 organic views. It needed to ramp up awareness.
- With "free" in the name, it's no wonder that cage-free was the golden child of the grocery store. People had no idea that cage-free eggs come from hens that live their entire lives indoors.
- I t developed longer-form branded content with a three-part series about player Josh Jacobs and his road to becoming a running back for the Oakland Raiders in 2019.
- The Twitter tipping point occurred when actors Lin-Manuel ("Lin the Man-uel") Miranda and Ben ("Jean Ralphio") Schwartz engaged in an exchange over their nicknames.
- To enhance authenticity, Tech Drive was shot live, in a real car, on real streets, with threats as close as they would be in real life.
- The brand searched for a new way to celebrate Canadians' commitment to sharing and found it in the sport's unlikeliest team: the Ice Lions - Kenya's only hockey team.
- What's more, the data helped predict where the highest demand would be so it could give the first taste of Asteroids to its biggest fans.
- To promote Season 2 and integrate "The Last O.G." into the broader cultural conversation, TBS conceived of The Bigger Picture Instagram Live after show.
- "Roll The Dice" showcased MGM's hottest Vegas entertainment at its properties as unsuspecting Sin City visitors answered trivia for huge prizes and a chance for an only-at-MGM experience.
- It spread heavenly love across all of its social channels with thoughtful community management and a custom Daniel Radcliffe angel emoji on Twitter, where it saw over 20,000 mentions across its campaign.
- The contest was built into interactive digital display that allowed users to browse through tools and storage, place their most coveted products inside the garage, and enter to win-all without leaving the ad unit.
- Through highly engaging creative units and strategic ad placement, the campaign allowed the user to explore information about the RDX model in ways unique to each channel.
- Historically, Bravo had been known as a destination for quality reality programming. To change perceptions and become a destination for premium scripted television, the campaign had to breakthrough in a truly memorable way.
- Amplifon needed a service to help its customers get comfortable with their hearing aids, learn how to use them quickly and simply and get the maximum benefit to ensure continued use.
- A three-phase, constantly evolving launch campaign excited fans of the genre, amplified engagement with these new evangelists as they spread the word.
- This innovative unit ran alongside premium on-demand video content where, in exchange for spending a minimum of 30 seconds interacting, users could reduce their traditional commercial load for the rest of the episode.
- The ads engaged users with hit after hit of reward, and Subway capitalized on this with a post-game call-to-action that prompted users to learn more in a secondary tab.
- On the day of the launch #TakeTheTime represented 45% of all conversations on paternity leave even though there was a major news piece regarding the legislation at the same time.
- Four creators -- and real life friends-- participated in an extended skit, in which they meet a mysterious stranger named Ma, and must grapple with her increasingly disturbing behavior.
- The strategy was to use gaming to demonstrate the Note9's hidden traits in the same way gamers revealed their own characteristics.
- The visually compelling content was created to appeal to outdoor enthusiasts ages 21 to 27 who embraced new experiences and were forward thinking.
- The Leading Hotels of the World wanted to make sure its loyalty emails were data-driven while resonating across countries and cultures.
- People were invited to use emojis on Twitter to pair the chili emoji with an emoji representing all 57 Super Bowl advertising brands -- putting that s#!t on everything -- with #FranksSweepstakes.
- By optimizing digital, the brand's history -- dating to 1731 -- and various products were shown as part of a distinct cooking experience.
- A paranormal investigation powered by Xfinity xFi Pods on Twitter Live was staged at the Winchester Mystery House, a haunted house in San Jose, Calif., known for its crazy number of rooms and stairways.
- For example, messages about its onboard comfort and amenities across uncomfortable transit environments and inflight food and beverage messages throughout mall food courts.
- In getting user feedback, SimpliSafe interviewed current customers at all levels as well as competitors' customers. It focused on the emotions customers were having with home security.
- YouGov reported that of all Super Bowl campaigns, Avocados from Mexico was the only the top advertiser that drove purchase consideration one month after the Big Game -- for three years in a row.
- On the day of circulation, "The Blank Page" spread ample awareness, driving an increase of traffic to the paper's website that surpassed the average visits by 16.6%.
- To get America to pay attention to its launch, and to prove that IHOP was bringing its A-game to its new burgers, it needed to fundamentally, dramatically challenge people's most entrenched beliefs about IHOP.
- At the heart of the program was a memorial wall to the victims of the opioid crisis, a data visualization comprised of 22,000 pills carved with the real faces of people who had died.
- "Ask the Cloud" allowed CTOs to ask all of their questions about the cloud to The Cloud itself, thus avoiding that whole fear-of-looking-dumb thing.
- Perception after media coverage of its SXSW event went from 40% to 90%, with both "forward-thinking" and "thought leadership" in food production as attributes that popped.
- To reach the younger crowd, Pilgrim has developed an augmented reality lesson plan that teaches them how to use the entire bird. It has four chapters in 3D, the same feeling as Pokemon Go.
- Haven Life, purchased by Mass Mutual a decade ago and launched in 2015, wanted to lower the cost of acquiring new customers as well as improve applicant quality and its propensity score.
- "We weren't talking like a brand. We wanted to make it simple." By featuring people, the videos gained wider currency because those people shared it with friends. "We had never focused on the smiles before."
- "What I love about this is we can now give attribution toward more of these awareness channels and actually prove the return on ad spend."
- Four years ago, HP started the journey by owning its own data. "Getting through legal and procurement took a full year." Then it took on email, "and pulled that one off; now we're pulling in most of the digital media activation: DSPs, paid social, and paid search."
- CMO Tom Dixon noted at MediaPost's Brand Insider Summit: "We had low household penetration and low buy rates -- but otherwise, it was perfect."
- Organic Valley was finally hitting a point of breakthrough in awareness. It was time to "get the brand out there, to establish the brand."
- GasBuddy's Car Profile feature allows for the inference of tank size and segmentation of offers through personalization. Emails to customers show how much they could save in a year.
- Users can leave their laptop at home, easily write emails, and follow up with customers between bites of pizza, yoga poses, or errands.
- By creating a new blueprint for the digital expression of the vibrant Alamo brand, it was able to further set the stage for the evolution of its digital properties, namely Alamo.com.
- The digital experience encourages members to maximize the full value of the network while improving the conversion rates of people on-boarding, interacting, and attending events.
- The Bulletin leverages machine learning and AI technology to generate a single-sentence summary of a story's most salient details at a glance, giving busy professionals a pulse on the stories of the moment.
- The frictionless AR experience allowed the target to "sit" inside the RDX, customize the interior trim color and explore the numerous high-end innovations via interactive hotspots.
- The campaign drove awareness with late-night workers in real-time via a geofence around each extended bus route and allowed late-night workers to plan their trip home.
- Users play as an unnamed "Westworld" host, and are guided through "choose-your-own-adventure" style gameplay with questions about the "Westworld" universe, spanning 11,000 lines of script with over 60 storylines and 400 potential choices.
- Social content was not just the name of the game as Kabam delivered movie-themed content to Marvel Contest of Champions with the launch of two in-game events per film.
- Berry Network implemented a B2B dynamic mobile display advertising program that was delivered in-app through banners and full-screen ads across a network of leading apps.
- Its mobile-optimized website, Fist Pump, was an integral part of this initiative, helping to reinforce the day as an escape for the week and an event for "Jersey Shore."
- Nick Ferrugia, head of media strategy and execution at Fifth Third Bank, put it all into paid search, as it pays the highest value and is based on digital tactics. "We decided to go all in and see how far it goes."
- The 2% market share player had to reflect internally on how to connect better with potential buyers. It set out three goals: Clarify the fan, fortify the brand and modernize the plan.
- The brand saw an opportunity to shine a spotlight on grass roots issues; specifically, the protection of public lands and encouraging President Obama to grant monument status to specific areas of public lands.
- A $20,000 "Golf Digest" print ad, while effective no doubt, was not going to be cost-efficient. Instead, Cut Golf went after its audience on social media.
- When Eric Bandholz started Beardbrand in 2013, his goal was to provide tools for men to feel confident about growing their beards.
- It wanted to give Cheetos Vision a launch worthy of any hot, new tech innovation, so it took it to the biggest stage in the industry: SXSW Interactive.
- Customers who apply for a checking account in a bank branch tend to have longer relationships with the bank, signifying these customers as higher quality.
- It intentionally positioned the experience at the intersection of one of the busiest gates and the main corridor that leads to baggage claim so that a highly affluent audience of Super Bowl attendees could not miss it.
- The LGBTQ community, possessing a bold and rebellious mindset to live life on their own terms, perfectly embodied both BMW's Modern Maverick target and X2 manifesto of "Give No Explanations."
- It abandoned conventional tactics and created the next trend its ladies would covet, the "Santa Clarita Diet"-a new lifestyle that addressed their biggest passions: professional success, health, and beauty.
- The communication strategy included TV spots, live integrations, print, digital advertising, social media, radio and, even, an interactive website.
- "The sugars" is a well-known enemy, with African Americans almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as non-Hispanic whites. An issue of this nature was a clear target for Anthony Anderson, star of the ABC sitcom "Black-ish" and a diabetic himself.
- With Halloween approaching, it staged "Project Dead Zone," the first-ever live paranormal investigation controlled by the internet and powered by Xfinity xFi Pods on Twitter Live.
- Gimlet Media partnered with Crest Kids to create a brushing audio companion that entertains kids every morning and night, over the course of exactly two minutes.
- It determined that it wouldn't just talk about its excellent camera, but would celebrate its authenticity by shining the spotlight on trendsetters who reflect Google's philosophy.
- Offering a more in-depth look into the life of a diabetic, a film was embedded into a custom article online to show how the device enables them to live more normal lives without constant finger-pricking.
- In addition to the native homepage, these cartoons were also featured in promotional assets designed to drive traffic across display, social, and newsletter activity.
- Giant Spoon took readers on 10 sonic journeys--from Mozambique to Hawaii--while GE organically showcased destinations with sounds that are essential in driving its community energy efforts.
- The campaign garnered 69MM+ earned media impressions across traditional and cannabis-oriented publications, nearly 16.5MM video views, and reached #1 on Reddit's "/r/funny" even though Canada has only 9MM Millennials
- Several weeks prior, it launched branded behind-the-scenes "leaks," press releases and four blockbuster trailers complemented by "official" branded assets including movie website, social handles, IMDB/Wiki pages, digital banners and videos, and OOH billboards.
- Concluding the weekend, Cadillac partnered with rapper Nas to give away the most exclusive drop of the weekend, a Cadillac diamond-encrusted chain to one lucky fan.
- Going through a U.S. repositioning, Rimmel discovered its highest-volume customers weren't Caucasian or blonde, but Hispanic or African American,
- The brand's proactive and agile approach led it to perform well above its 2017 benchmarks. With clear pacing and more visibility into paid data, it was able to guide, measure and optimize its creative, publishing and bidding on a weekly basis.
- The releases ramped up ahead of the holiday, supported by both "Funny or Die"'s digital and social footprint and the brand's own. It released real Cinco Equis cans at locations in New York City and Texas, supported by geo-targeted Snap filters.
- The campaign promoted the event near Austin not as an HBO activation but as a real-life trip to "Westworld." Guests arrived at SXSWestworld via an exclusive Delta flight, Lyft partnership, and luxury buses.
- Lexus LS sales increased by +184% in February 2018 compared to the prior year, and increased by +269% in March 2018 compared to prior year.
- The idea was simple: Show people how much it costs to do everyday activities on their phones by turning pre-roll ads into price tags.
- With a slashed media budget for the key season - 22% smaller than the previous year - every dollar needed to work harder and smarter. But first, the brand needed to define "cold."
- Planters Cheez Balls were an icon of '90s snack food. Since being discontinued in 2006, passionate fans have pleaded for their return on social media. There was even a petition.
- From self-aware AI and police interrogations using VR to bio-organic printers printing actual human flesh, its content sucked "Wired" readers into a world where immortality is possible.
- Aiming to change the perception of hairspray, Tresemme needed to show how a woman's hair can still move after using the product.
- Fans who called James Franco had their phone numbers captured and matched for targeting on Facebook and Adwords. Throughout the remainder of the film campaign, A24 messaged them with customized content.
- The brand sought to amplify Mountain Dew ICE's launch in 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards through a multi-platform marketing campaign to generate product awareness.
- Research revealed the many nuanced ways that today's youth understand fame, the value they place on honest influencers, and the lessons brands can borrow to create influence on their own.
- While there's plenty of news about the future of retail and payments, there wasn't a place for business leaders to find the "so what?" perspective on these topics.
- How do you combat the narrative that brands don't need television in their media mix? Create and nationally air documentary pieces profiling startups that boomed after advertising on TV.
- The team is basically the entire marketing department for OpenConnect. It manages the web, all social media, all new content development (email, blog, product, sales), videos, conference/events development, PR, and analytics.
- It highlights top content for the month as one's own personalized reading list and leverages data to dynamically include relevant content for upcoming trip if a rewards member has a reservation.
- The effort focused on people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and readers of "The New York Times" Technology and Health sections and its Facebook newsfeed.
- The investment management firm needed to transform brand opinion, and a partnership with a respected, trusted media partner was required to accelerate and bring credibility to the transformation.
- In popular TV shows like "Will & Grace," "This Is Us" and "Black-ish," it wove milk into the story lines, with characters like Debra Messing's Grace dunking Oreos into a fancy glass of milk.
- Fender made a list of things it wanted to test and then evaluated the value of items on that list based on how they change the customer experience or impact their journey.
- To bring the survey to life, the TODAY Brand Studio filmed a series of poignant interviews where women discussed what beauty means to them.
- Instead of serving up communications laden with complicated bullet points, it created Shazam-enabled print ads and challenged veterinarians to test their OA knowledge with a quirky quiz show.
- The user experience opened with the movie trailer, followed by the address of the nearest theater and the timing of the next show, based on real-time location.
- Company's marketing fueled curiosity with education and engagement to drive personalized discoveries and timely offers.
- Visitors provide name, shoe size, style preferences. So the brand has really rich data. It captures what a customer's browsing, and adding to her wish list.
- "One datapoint I find interesting is how often people go back to the email; 51% come back three or more times. We see this in real time."
- Emily Randall, interactive digital media, Chick-fil-A, says her team has rallied around this: When you know someone's story, you can care for them personally.
- The key to building excitement around this campaign was a comprehensive roll-out across various social channels which started a month before with teaser content.
- Honda was looking for a unique way to showcase its racing chops through a campaign that would resonate with its enthusiasts as well as a gaming audience.
- The focus is predominantly on personalization by incorporating things that are local and personalized to an individual's pace and environment.
- The Farmer's Dog knows a great deal about each individual dog and can capitalize on that knowledge by suggesting subscriptions, and it can use relevant messaging even to those who haven't subscribed.
- "Give a customer a solution that reduces their consumption, give them a better hygienic solution and help solve for labor. There's no better trifecta."
- The team created end-to-end automation in paid media by building an ad tech stack designed as an orchestration and activation layer that sits atop a content and delivery system.
- Banking on emotion, the brand launched a new product, Nutters, a peanut butter-covered puff and is testing it in the Denver market with samples, activations, outdoor, and in-store.
- The videos that get the attention of consumers all leverage humor and feature a series of rotating characters from Goldilocks to Sasquatch to sumo wrestlers.
- In the past year, any extra money went to digital. Normally, there would be a last-minute TV buy late in any campaign but in the last weeks, money is going to run more ads online and to turn out the vote digitally.
- WeddingWire sends a personalized confirmation message to a segment of users after they request information from a vendor in order to enhance the customer experience.
- In real time, still so much of what the company can do is trigger based and often creates an opportunity but then the actual message is highly personalized based on that audience.
- "Once you've gone from thinking brand awareness is enough to really measuring foot traffic, you can't go back the other way," says Elizabeth Bazner.
- To be relevant again, the brand had to get back to what it stood for when it was at its best. Col. Sanders was front and center, whether it was the bucket, the restaurant or the advertising.
- The Google Map in the email shows live traffic going to and from the game. It is one of the most clicked-on links of any email and accounts for nearly 28% of all clicks.
- Clorox had to think about how to reframe its message about Pine-Sol, from functional to something more human-centric and purpose-driven. It started with a brand purpose: It champions the heart and hustle of "doers."
- "It wasn't just 30 TV commercials, it was also on the news ticker on the morning news, on radio, a ton of digital - every aspect we could do," says Cindy Donohoe.
- It doesn't change recipes as frequently as subscription does. It's a one-off purchase that allows for trial. It feels and looks like a meal kit, extending the brand's equity.
- Chobani works with one partner very closely. By doing so, it mitigated the complexity of a partner like Facebook or Google, allowing the team to focus on getting the job done.
- Amid so much uncertainty, building confidence was going to be important. Kimball Wilkins' team created an internal brand line, "Never stop."
- Users could learn about a variety of Walgreens "Find Care Now" services, showing off its relevance to a broad demographic of users. Those who clicked through were directed to an information page.
- Toyota set out to increase impressions for awareness, engagements for interest, and retargeting and lookalike audiences for decision and action.
- The videos show the back stories of each traveler before they are onboard. A brand logo with the person's seat assignment hovers nearby.
- Bank of America sought to drive positive sentiment among Millennials was through its largest corporate responsibility program, sponsorship of Ken Burns' PBS documentary "The Vietnam War."
- They followed up with a debate about the name, with nominees like "tomayo" and "fry sauce," and an interactive experience that designed containers with these different names.
- On Hulu, they ran four 15-second units across a program, each one trippier than the last to turn up the crave, and extended the High-atus across online video using re-targeting.
- The new product combined an array of sophisticated technologies, including: TV ad interactivity, dynamic API-driven creative, addressable ad messaging, e-commerce integration, and place-shifting.
- The robots made their way into the homes of Bravolebs like Josh Altman (Million Dollar Listing LA) as well as Tom and Katie Schwartz (Vanderpump Rules).
- Tostitos had a less-than-Super-Bowl-requisite budget of $850K and had the added difficulty of needing to reach the demographic that cares the least about pro football: Millennials.
- When Netflix tasked MediaHub with growing viewership and social conversation for Season 2, they needed Eleven-level powers to make an even greater impact than its initial breakout success.
- In a fast-moving industry that is growing quickly, Spartan needed more than a good email system. It got one.
- Current paywall models, said Dow Jones's Alex Halen, were a "one-size-fits-all approach, dictated by content. To be the world's foremost membership for the ambitious, we said everything we do has to be focused on the customer."
- Be the Match's objective going into 2019 is to determine the optimal size and composition of the registry and launch a campaign that expedites that level of quality participation.
- Before the arrival of Ruth Hakkenberg, the email program at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport was a strategy-free, once-a-month affair going to everyone on the list.
