Contagious Is Big on Results. Our Editorial Team Follows up Every

Contagious is big on results.

Our editorial team follows up every campaign we cover by asking the agency and brand for the data that shows the work worked. This allows us to tell the whole story of each campaign, from the client’s original business objectives, through the creative execution, to the results.

For this report we raided our archives to compile some of the most interesting, famous and revealing cases we’ve published over the years.

For all the confusion and conflict about which metrics matter, we believe there’s still a lot to learn from analysing how campaigns perform against the measures by which agencies and marketers are judged.

So, whether you’re looking to prove the efficacy of an idea, gain some inspiration or just satisfy professional curiosity, we hope this report helps. C ontents /

03 Burger King / Whopper Detour 04 Nike / Dream Crazy 05 SKII / Marriage Market Takeover 06 Åland / Åland Index 07 Coca-Cola / Share a Coke 08 Pedigree / Child Replacement Programme

2 Did it Sell? / Burger King

Whopper Detour How a fast-food chain boosted app downloads with simple 1.5m technology, a strong PR strategy and a whole lot of cheek New app downloads

ore than anything else, Burger campaign got a lot of traction. According to King loves trolling McDonald’s. Machado it racked up 3.3 billion impressions, 500k M And, in December 2018, it got equivalent to $37m in earned media, and One-cent Whoppers its rival good and proper. more than half a million one-cent Whoppers redeemed To boost downloads of its mobile app, were purchased, even without any spend on Burger King sold its Whopper hamburgers TV, radio or social media influencers. for $0.01, but only to customers within ‘The investment was really minimal because 700% a 600-foot radius of a McDonald’s. To we knew the idea would take off by itself,’ Increase in access the deal, people had to download says Machado. FCB made a promotional film, number of the Burger King app and visit a McDonald’s. which the brand promoted digitally, as well products sold When they were close enough they could as a few print ads and some out-of-home through Burger order a one-cent Whopper through the app, ads (carted around on a trailer and displayed King app which would then direct them to the nearest outside various McDonald’s locations). Burger King for collection. To redeem the offer people had to The Whopper Detour campaign, created download the app, input their credit card with FCB New York, lasted just nine days details and essentially rehearse driving to their 200% but took a year to pull off. For it to work, nearest Burger King (albeit via McDonald’s) Increase in sales Burger King had to geofence all 7,000 of its to pick up their order – making a full-price through app after US restaurants, as well as every McDonald’s repeat performance at a later date easier. the promotion (there are more than 40,000 of them). ‘It was The offer was for a Whopper only and ended, compared a lot of work,’ says Fernando Machado, the hungry travellers had to pay for any extras to before campaign brand’s CMO, ‘but it paid off big time.’ themselves. The upshot: the campaign It’s a great PR story – the headlines pretty generated the highest weekly traffic increase much write themselves. ‘Get a Whopper for to Burger King restaurants since 2015 and 27:1% a penny at McDonald’s’ is a sure-fire way the heavily discounted Whoppers didn’t cut ROI from the to turn some heads. So, unsurprisingly, the into profit margins. campaign

3 Did it Sell? / Nike 31% sales increase from 2 to 4 September $83.47 Nike share price 10 days after the campaign launch, an all-time high $43m earned media within the first Dream Crazy 24 hours How a leading sports brand risked losing customers by 2.7m supporting a divisive athlete, prompting a 31% sales boost mentions of Nike around the time of the campaign ike made one of the boldest supporters saw him as a champion marketing moves of all time of social justice, and the athlete inspired N in September 2018, signing others to follow his lead. American footballer Colin Kaepernick to The Nike campaign began on 3 1,300% a campaign celebrating 30 years of the September, with Kaepernick tweeting a increase in brand’s Just Do It slogan. black-and-white image of his face with the mentions of Nike Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers strapline: ‘Believe in something. Even if it on Twitter between quarterback, was ostracised by the NFL means sacrificing everything.’ The post 2 and 3 September for protesting racial injustice and police immediately became international news. brutality in America by kneeling during the As the stats attest, the campaign instantly national anthem. moved the needle for Nike, but it’s also worth 170 k Kaepernick’s detractors (US President remembering that this was an emotional new Nike Instagram Donald Trump among them) said kneeling brand activation that will work hardest for followers post was offensive and disrespectful, but his Nike as part of a long-term strategy. campaign launch

4 Did it Sell? / SK-II 45m Marriage Market Increase in sales during six-week Takeover campaign period When beauty brand SK-II overhauled a demeaning 10 0% Increase in brand ‘marriage market’ in China last year to make a statement awareness in China about the pressures single women face as they get older, after the campaign the emotional message inspired a 50% sales uplift 7. 2 m n China, unmarried women over 25 to create emotional content by tapping into Social actions are called ‘Sheng nu’ (leftover women) real tension in the lives of our audience is generated by the I and pressured by family and society strong,’ says agency planner My Troedsson, campaign, the vast to find a husband. Sometimes, parents so the brand continued with a similar tone. majority (6.2million) even advertise their Sheng nu to single A subsequent film, The Expiry Date, were in China men at so-called marriage markets – expanded the scope further to include that’s where luxury cosmetics brand SK-II women in Japan and South Korea, as well decided to take a stand. as China, and is based around the idea that The brand and Forsman & Bodenfors many women feel their 30th birthday marks 50% Gothenburg created a film about turning the moment they become worthless. SK-II China’s a Shanghai marriage market into a While the Marriage Market Takeover was year-on-year sales celebration of the women in their own right, covered by press in 54 countries, SK-II felt growth in China in replacing signs to attract potential suitors the real impact in China. The number of new the first six months with affirmations about indepence, and SK-II customers in the country has tripled capturing their parents’ response. since the campaign launched and brand In the six months following the campaign awareness has doubled. ‘A strong emotional 200k launch, the company’s sales increased by message has the ability to break through, Positive comments 50% year-on-year, and SK-II regained the engage, strengthen the brand and create where women number one spot in luxury skincare globally, sales,’ says Troedsson. By adding Japan explicitly expressed with China driving its growth. and South Korea into its Change Destiny how the campaign The Marriage Market Takeover was part campaign, SK-II is hoping to further boost improved their of the brand’s bigger Change Destiny its sales, awareness and customer base perception of campaign. ‘It became clear that our strategy across Asia. the brand

5 Did it Sell? / Åland Åland Index How a financial institution significantly increased its customer base by championing environmental responsibility

n 2016 the Bank of Åland found itself offset their carbon footprint, for example, in a challenging climate. Consumer making lifestyle changes or donating the I trust in financial institutions was at an estimated carbon footprint amount to all-time low. People in Finland and Sweden a local or global environmental initiative. 186% didn’t like or care about banks, but they were Those who don’t bank with Åland can check Increase in concerned about the environment. According their environmental impact online. brand awareness to the WWF in Sweden, 65% said they would While the primary target audience for change their bank for a greener competitor. the project was originally high-net-worth In a bid to position itself as ecologically individuals in Finland and Sweden, the bank 1,14 9 responsible, the Bank of Åland and RBK has made the tool available for everyone, New Baltic Sea Communications Stockholm created The including other banks. Already, businesses Project Accounts Åland Index: a tool that calculates customers’ from 10 countries have contacted Bank of created carbon footprints based on their purchases. Åland to get involved. What’s more, the brand Supporting the environment is especially has received unprecedented interest from appropriate for the brand, given that the companies wanting to adopt the Åland Index. bank was founded more than 100 years ago ‘As the bank does not issue corporate €32m on an island in the centre of the Baltic Sea, cards, the attention caught us by surprise,’ Increase in now one of the world’s most threatened said Mathias Wikström, CEO of RBK deposits in the marine ecosystems. Communications. ‘But due to the huge accounts linked to As we covered in Contagious 49, the interest, a corporate card with the Åland the Åland Index Åland Index is part of the bank’s wider Index function is now under development.’ ($35m) Baltic Sea Project, in which the company The project has been so successful that replaced its plastic credit cards with MasterCard – which helped gather the biodegradable ones. These cards track data for the index – has made it a best 205% customers’ transactions, show the weight practice case study for banks in Europe, Increase in social in carbon emissions resulting from every while the Stockholm School of Economics media followers purchase and then convert this into euros. has turned it into a mandatory case study as a result of the People are also presented with ways to on social innovation. Baltic Sea Project

6 Did it Sell? / Coca-Cola

19 % Year-on-year growth in the 20oz package category Share a Coke 6m How a simple act of personalisation turned into Virtual bottles a monster success for Coca-Cola around the world created

n 2011 Coca-Cola, working with for the next 50 names it would print on 11% Ogilvy Sydney, launched Share a Coke its cans in phase two of the campaigns. Overall volume I in Australia, swapping the logo on its In shopping centres around the country and revenue cans with 150 of the most popular names people could have their names printed increase in the country. on cans on the spot, and they queued for The soft-drink giant had conducted hours for the opportunity. research and discovered that, in one month, Following the success of the campaign 7m 50% of teenagers and young adults in in Australia, the idea was implemented Visits to Australia hadn’t tasted its flagship product. across the world (in more than 70 countries) shareacoke.com Share a Coke was the brand’s and Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, rolled out response. It reinforced the social aspects the campaign in the US in 2014, this time of drinking Coke and used the lure of with packs featuring 1,000 of the most personalisation to increase product popular American names. 1.16 b n consumption (among all demographics Coca-Cola in the US also created Paid and earned but, in particular, young customers in an online platform, which allowed people media impressions their 20s) and get people talking about to create custom virtual bottles. the brand again. We asked Coke to give up the numbers The campaign began with TV ads for the US iteration of one of the most 700k featuring Coke drinkers, and the brand successful campaigns in the brand’s long posts accross all invited people on social media to vote and venerable history. social platforms

7 Did it Sell? / Pedigree

16% Increase in sales during six-week Child campaign period Replacement 4.5:1 Campaign ROI Programme 15m How a pet food brand boosted sales Impressions with a playful appeal to empty nesters generated

n order to grow the dog food category, site suggested matches available for adoption 10.7% Pedigree often encourages dog at local shelters. Increase in the I adoption. In March 2017, the brand Those that adopted a dog could even baseline weekly revamped this strategy with a tongue-in- trade in their child’s old possessions, sales average cheek approach: The Child Replacement which Pedigree then used to create doggie Programme. The campaign helped match accessories (such as beds and jackets) for parents with a pooch substitute for any child the new owners. that had left home. ‘We were running out of ways to grow in a 825% Created by Colenso BBDO, Auckland, market with one of the highest rates of dog Rise in dog The Child Replacement Programme targeted ownership in the world,’ says Ahmad Salim, adoption enquries parents on TV, digital, radio, print and at the group business director at Colenso BBDO. through site departure terminal of Auckland’s International ‘It turned out there was a growing audience Airport. The messages directed people to a with low rates of pet ownership: parents microsite where the perfect puppy could be suffering from empty nest syndrome. These N o .1 found to fill the gap left by a child. Parents people had the time and the money to care for Spot for dry gave information about the child who had left a dog but many didn’t consider adoption. The dog food (for home – such as activity levels, appetite and perfect problem for Pedigree to solve and so the first time sociability – and, based on these factors, the the perfect solution became obvious.’ in New Zealand)

8 Contagious is a unique Contagious Magazine global repository of Over the last decade our award-winning quarterly print publication has been the innovative communications definitive record of innovative brand thinking. In an industry struggling to separate techniques and original the signal from the noise, Contagious magazine is a curated, measured review of the most important developments driving marketing, business, design and creativity. brand ideas. It has arguably become the most important Each publication includes interviews with global CMOs, deep-dive case studies on the most successful brands, profiles of the world’s most disruptive startups magazine in today’s and features on the campaigns, trends and developments that are crucial to our communications landscape ever evolving industry. Mark Tutsell, Executive Chairman, Leo Burnett Worldwide

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