Case Histories
Case histories give you an inside look at the steps advertising agencies and advertisers take to create a campaign and how effective it can be. Case histories show the preceding issue/problem, the response and the outcome. Creative is included.
If you would like to share your compelling Case History with aef.com, please submit details and materials to Content Manager.
AT&T: “It’s Not Complicated”
BBDO Atlanta brilliantly decided that enlisting kids to help simplify things would break through the clutter. This campaign quickly became a part of pop culture.
Thank you to BBDO Atlanta for sharing this case history.
Voya Financial (ING): “Orange Money”
Voya, formerly known as ING, wanted to encourage people to save for their retirment goals. BBDO Atlanta used Voya’s recognized logo colors to differentiate retirement money from money you can spend now.
Thank you to BBDO Atlanta for sharing this story.
Carnival Corporation: “Back to the Sea”
After several infamous cruising incidents, Carnival Corp. needed to convince people to begin cruising again. BBDO Atlanta created a Super Bowl ad which includes a voiceover from President Kennedy about returning to the sea.
Thank you to BBDO Atlanta for sharing this story.
Jack Daniel’s
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is a classic American brand that’s been around for over 140 years. It’s been made the same way, in the same place, for every one of those years – Lynchburg, Tennessee. For over 40 years, global creative agency Arnold Worldwide has helped Jack Daniel’s leverage it’s birthplace and core equities – Integrity, Authenticity and Independence – to connect with customers who live by the same values as the Jack Daniel’s brand.
Thank you to Arnold Worldwide for sharing this story.
IBM: Brand Equity Restoration and Advertising Evolution
During the 1970s and ’80s, IBM was one of the most successful companies in the world. However, in the 1990s, IBM had fallen behind in technology as its executives struggled to evolve the business. Read a detailed case history of their meteoric rise and view a sampling of historic IBM advertising.
AEF is grateful to IBM for sharing these materials.
Heineken Hispanic Advertising
The Vidal Partnership (TVP) needed to prove that Heineken could come alive and be woven into the fabric of the consumer’s Hispanic world. With a partnership of more than a decade, TVP and Heineken have seen significant growth in the Hispanic marketplace.
Thank you to The Vidal Partnership for sharing this story.
XFINITY: “Celebrate Black TV.com”
XFINITY needed to stand out in the crowded and evolving competitive landscape of entertainment providers. After completing ethnographic research, Burrell Communications developed a plan to move forward.
Thank you to Burrell Communications and Comcast for sharing their story.
Evian: “Live Young”
Demand for premium water brands was in decline due to a global recession. The brand needed to reinforce its youthful message in a way that would grab consumers’ attention. They did just that by introducing us to “water babies”.
Thank you to Havas Worldwide for sharing this story.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (pdf)
The multicultural richness of the available collections position the Met and LaPlaca Cohen to create a unique campaign that conveys a journey to a global museum.
Thank you to LaPlaca Cohen and Met Museum for generously sharing their story.
Cheerios
Cheerios is a beloved Lovemark for many. See a brief write-up about their recent Super Bowl spots, starring a little girl named Gracie.
Thank you to Saatchi & Saatchi and General Mills for sharing this story.
PNC Christmas Price Index (CPI) (pdf)
By turning a finance lesson into a fun game, PNC showed kids that learning about money doesn’t have to be painful. PNC Bank celebrates 30 years of the CPI, which educates young students about the economy and financial awareness in unique ways.
Thank you to Deutsch for sharing these materials.
Sprint: “Honors”
Sprint was vastly out-spent by its competitors and needed to make a splash. The pairing of James Earl Jones and Malcolm McDowell made the Honors campaign become one of the most talked-about ads in the category.
Thank you to Leo Burnett for sharing this video case history.
AT&T: “Brackets”
As a major sponsor of March Madness, AT&T expanded upon their wonderful “It’s Not Complicated” campaign and decided to ask six-year olds to fill out brackets to predict the winners.
Thank you to BBDO for sharing this video case history.
Lowe’s: “Vines”
Lowe’s is the second largest home improvement retailer in the world. As a part of the “Never Stop Improving” brand campaign, social media is used to help people discover new ways to improve their homes and their lives.
Thank you to BBDO for sharing this video case history.
Mars: Snickers
“You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” concept provided a big launch to a much-loved, award-winning global campaign with octogenarian Betty White playing football.
Thank you to BBDO for sharing this video case history.
PAM Cooking Spray
The Marketing Strategy was to prove that there is a difference in cooking sprays worth paying for. All campaign elements were executed in English and Spanish. (2013)
Thank you to d expósito & Partners for sharing their story.
UNCF
Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than $3.6 billion to help more than 400,000 African American students receive college degrees. The Better Futures campaign was developed to inspire individuals to donate to UNCF. (2013)
Thank you to Young & Rubicam and UNCF for sharing their story.
Old Spice (pdf) Landor quickly realized that many younger men apparently thought of the brand as a musky-smelling something for granddad–and not as a fleet of products they’d choose to groom with. They partnered with Wieden + Kennedy and created a memorable campaign that won numerous awards and introduced Isaiah Mustafa.
To view their award-winning commercials, visit Old Spice page on YouTube.
Thank you to Landor for sharing the story.
P&G at the London 2012 Olympics (pdf)
At the 2012 London Olympics, P&G built on the work that began at the 2010 Vancouver Games, launching a global campaign that came to life on every touchpoint. Landor’s challenge was to create a visual system for this massive campaign that would celebrate P&G’s Olympic sponsorship, the Games, and the athletes themselves.
Thank you to Landor for sharing the story.
Coca-Cola Project Showcase (pdf)
Coca-Cola wanted to connect with Asian-American moms and reignite their cultural relevance. IW Group, Inc. created a joint public relations effort between Coca-Cola and Target and launched a community relations outreach program.
Thank you to Coca-Cola, Target and IW Group, Inc. for sharing their story.
MilkPEP: “My After”
The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) teamed up with Deutsch to launch the Refuel with Chocolate Milk campaign which reframed the dialogue around chocolate milk and created a new usage occasion. (2013)
Thank you to Deutsch and MilkPEP for sharing their story.
Volkswagen Passat: “The Force”
Using a premium product feature (keyless remote start) and starring a pint-sized Darth Vader, VW developed a story in which the Passat helps enrich an everyday moment and brought it to life in a Volkswagen way – with large doses of humanity and creativity. (2013)
Thank you to Deutsch for sharing their story.
Bing/facebook (pdf)
In an effort to build brand awareness, Bing leveraged all aspects of the Facebook ecosystem, from integrating its product with the Facebook Platform, to launching a social advertising strategy with its Facebook Page at the center. (2012)
Thank you to facebook for sharing their story.
SAMSUNG MOBILE USA/facebook (pdf)
Facebook played an integral role in a new product launch by Samsung Mobile USA, resulting in a return on advertising spending of 13x. (2012)
Thank you to facebook for sharing their story.
TEEN DATING ABUSE – AD COUNCIL
For 67 years, the Ad Council has created public service campaigns that raise awareness, inspire action, and ultimately change lives. They also knew that success for this campaign depended on distributing the message via media that today’s teenagers actively use the most — websites, videos, text messages, and social networks.
Thank you to the Ad Council for sharing this campaign.
BUZZED DRIVING PREVENTION – AD COUNCIL
For 67 years, the Ad Council has created public service campaigns that raise awareness, inspire action, and ultimately change lives. In conjunction with law enforcement, as well as other national and local public service messages, the “Buzzed Driving” campaign has done a remarkable job in the arena of drunk driving prevention.
Thanks to the Ad Council for these materials.
NATIONAL ADVERTISING DIVISION (NAD)
Government regulation is usually costly and burdensome. NAD has earned the respect of consumers and regulators alike for providing an effective, successful self-regulatory mechanism. Advertisers’ willingness to support NAD and voluntarily adhere to its decisions helps to ensure an honest and open playing field in advertising. Read cases brought before the NAD.
Thank you to the NAD for their cooperation.
UNITED WAY AND MTV
United Way of America partnered with MTV to inspire college students to use their spring breaks to help rebuild Gulf Coast communities after three devastating hurricanes hit the region. View case history and tv footage from campaign. (2008)
Thank you to the United Way and MTV for sharing their story.
NFL/UNITED WAY PARTNERSHIP (pdf)
View the “Calling Americans Into Action To Volunteer” campaign and read about the success this enduring partnership has realized over its lifetime. Click on thumbnail images in pdf to view commercial examples. (2007)
Thank you to the United Way for sharing their story.
COMCAST: MULTICULTURAL ADVERTISING
View one of the most comprehensive campaigns ever done by an agency in the ethnic market, specifically for a Russian-speaking community. (2006)
Thank you to Ameredia and Comcast for their materials.
RADIO FINDS “LOST” AUDIENCE (pdf)
To create buzz for ABC Network and the premiere of its new series, Lost, they employed a unique strategy to create mystery. (2005)
Thanks to the Radio Advertising Bureau for their materials.
PEPSI PUMPS THE VIBE ON THE STREETS (pdf)
Radio allowed Pepsi and Mountain Dew to leverage the explosive energy of the city streets and the spirit of individuality captured by artists revered by urban youth.
Thanks to the Radio Advertising Bureau for their materials.
RADIO RULES WITH FEMALE TEENS (pdf)
Procter & Gamble wanted to drive traffic to an information site targeted to teen girls, BeingGirl.com. A tremendous buzz was created by radio ads, which caused the boost in traffic that P&G wanted.
Thanks to the Radio Advertising Bureau for their materials.
RALLYING A NATION: AMERICAN RED CROSS ADVERTISING DURING WORLD WAR I
During WW I, the American Red Cross faced an unprecedented national need for its service. When time was of the essence, they assembled an advertising campaign that proved to be extremely effective. (2005)
Thanks to the American Red Cross for their materials.
THE AMERICAN RED CROSS’ ADVERTISING RESPONSE TO HURRICANE SEASON 2004
2004 marked the busiest hurricane season and the largest response to a natural disaster in Red Cross history. Just one week before Hurricane Charley made landfall, the American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), was at an all-time low.
Thanks to the American Red Cross for their materials.
GOT MILK?
This report takes an in-depth look at how the California Milk Processor Board revived sagging milk consumption in California. Streamed commercials are embedded in the text of the case history. (2002)
Thanks to Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for the corresponding commercials.
BRAND ADVERTISING FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS
The Together We Prepare advertising campaign remains one of the most successful public service advertising campaigns in American Red Cross history. Read about the campaign and view the creative. (2004)
Thanks to the American Red Cross for their materials.
DETERMINING THE OPTIMAL LEVEL OF ONLINE IN THE MIX TO ACHIEVE MARKETING GOALS (pdf)
The IAB Cross Media Optimization Study (XMOS) focuses on answering the question “What is the optimal media mix to achieve marketing goals?” XMOS gives a sense of how the media landscape has changed and how marketers need to shift allocations to follow their consumers. (2003)
Thanks to the Association of National Advertisers for this case history.
MULTICULTURAL MARKETING SURVEY (pdf)
This ground-breaking survey examines not only how and what strategies and tactics ANA members use to conduct their multicultural advertising efforts but also their attitudes around that usage. A Multicultural Marketing Task Force convened to examine current and future approaches to multicultural marketing and pinpoint factors leading to success. (2002)
Thanks to the Association of National Advertisers for this case history.
Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.
