Warc Trends The_Innovation_Casebook_(sample_version)

© Copyright Warc 2013. All rights reserved. Published: August 2013
WARC TRENDS
THE INNOVATION
CASEBOOK
>> Explore the world’s freshest communications ideas
SAMPLE VERSION

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Warc Trends >> The Innovation Casebook
© Copyright Warc 2013. All rights reserved.
This is a
sample
version
of Warc’s
Innovation
Casebook
The full report
is available
to subscribers
of warc.com,
who can
download it
here
If you’re not
a subscriber,
request a free
trial
Four ideas to take from this report
1
2
3
4
INNOVATION IS EFFECTIVE
The case studies in this report show that innovative communications can
deliver significant business results for companies in a diverse range of
categories. It could be argued that, like creativity, innovation works be-
cause it drives word-of-mouth.
INNOVATION DOES NOT HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE
Innovation is not the preserve of big-spending advertisers. This report
contains many examples of brands delivering innovative communications
on low budgets. Indeed, in some cases having a low budget has forced a
brand to find an unconventional approach.
INNOVATION DOES NOT HAVE TO BE HIGH-TECH
Technological change is creating new opportunities for brands to com-
municate with consumers. But this report contains plenty of examples of
brands that have found innovative solutions that are not tech-based – for
example, through smart use of packaging, or by rethinking a brand’s
service offering.
INNOVATION REQUIRES A BALANCED APPROACH
Innovation is not a replacement for tried-and-tested methods or media.
Many brands continue to invest in ‘traditional’ marketing communica-
tions, while allocating a portion of their budget to testing new ideas. And
when they find an idea with promise, they tend to promote it using multi-
media campaigns.

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This is a
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of Warc’s
Innovation
Casebook
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is available
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who can
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Executive summary
T
he Innovation Casebook
showcases and analyses some
of the smartest communica-
tions ideas in the world. Its starting
point is the Warc Prize for Innova-
tion, a global case study competition
that awards a cash prize to the best
examples of innovative marketing
communications. This report fea-
tures some of the best case studies
from the competition, and looks at
recurring themes and ideas that run
through entries to the competition. It
puts the cases in context by drawing
in the latest thinking and examples
around innovation from the warc.com
resource.
Innovation is, of course, difficult
to define. In this report we look
at campaigns that have taken an
unconventional approach to solving
a problem – whether that involves a
new approach to media, or a total
rethink of a brand’s service.
The report begins by asking why
innovation is important in a com-
munications context. It then looks at
different types of innovation, group-
ing cases and examples by theme.
The overall message is that a rapidly
changing media and technology
landscape is throwing up many
opportunities for brands to think dif-
important driver of effectiveness. In
this sense, innovation becomes a
broader form of creativity. It can also
make a small budget go a long way.
This is demonstrated particularly
well by the much-feted ‘Dumb Ways
to Die’ campaign from Metro Trains
Melbourne; this generated huge
word-of-mouth on a small budget.
The ‘buzz’ side of innovation is im-
portant. Data collated by Warc from
Prize cases shows that innovative
campaigns are making heavy use of
buzz-driving channels such as
ferently. Innovation does not have to
be expensive and it does not have to
involve cutting-edge technology. But
effective innovation tends to have a
natural ‘fit’ with a brand’s position-
ing, and is linked to a broader busi-
ness strategy.
Innovation works
The Prize shows that innovative
communications can be highly ef-
fective. It can be argued (Chapter 1)
that, like creativity, innovation drives
‘buzz’ and ‘brand fame’, which is an
Metro Trains
Melbourne made
the most of its
small budget to
generate word-
of-mouth

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Casebook
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77%of cases in the
2013 Prize used
social media,
more than the
62% which
used television
tion within media channels – both
new ways to use media, and new
combinations of media. This is a
fertile area, given the rapid change
in the media industry, and a case
study from Twix shows how new op-
portunities are emerging – the brand
created an ad platform on the pause
button of an online video player.
A parallel trend is for brands to
think outside a ‘paid media’ frame-
work (Chapter 3). Several case stud-
ies highlight how important ‘owned’
assets are becoming, and in particu-
lar packaging. And an example from
the Colombian Ministry of Defence
shows that necessity can breed inno-
vation: in the absence of any media
channels that could reach guerrillas
in the jungle, the authorities used
trees and rivers to deliver messages.
The impact of technology
Many of the innovations in this report
rely on brands and their agencies
recognising the potential of new
technology development to make
their communications more inter-
esting. Chapter 4 looks at different
examples of brands finding market-
ing applications for new tech. Many
brands are finding ways to combine
the features of a smartphone to
Executive summary (contd.)
social media and PR. Indeed, more
campaigns in the 2013 Prize used
social media than used television.
But relatively few cases state buzz
as a specific objective; instead, it
could be argued that these cases are
using ‘word-of-mouth’ as a means to
deliver broader business results.
The importance of innovative think-
ing has been recognised by brands
such as General Mills and Coca-
Cola, which have set aside a portion
of their marketing budgets to invest
in untested ideas. PepsiCo and Kraft
are looking for similar results from
tech ‘incubation’ projects.
What is clear from these examples,
however, is that these brands do not
see innovation as a replacement
for tried-and-tested methods. Their
experiments form a small but signifi-
cant part of their overall communica-
tions plan that allows them to absorb
failures easily and scale successes.
New ways to reach consumers
The report looks at innovation by
theme. Chapter 2 looks at innova-
Coca-Cola uses a 70/20/10 investment principle to encourage innovation

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product development. Some brands
are acting as curators of others’ crea-
tivity; others are seeking to involve
consumers in stunts or shared experi-
ences. The latter can be used for
quite focused promotions: IKEA used
a ‘Human Coupons’ stunt to drive
footfall to a store opening.
Think global
The report demonstrates how com-
mon the desire for innovation is: it
contains examples of new think-
ing from a diverse set of markets.
Chapter 8 concludes by looking
at some of the themes
coming out of emerg-
ing markets. There
is great scope to
innovate in areas
such as co-creation
and service provision,
as a case study from
Indian ketchup brand
Kissanpur shows. But
there may also be
much to learn from
a tech perspective:
a Chinese case from
Dettol shows a power-
ful understanding of
word-of-mouth, both
online and offline.
Executive summary (contd.)
good effect – a McDonald’s example
from China used GPS and motion
sensors to create in-store ‘athletics’.
Other brands are responding to tech-
driven trends such as the ‘quantified
self’ and the ‘internet of things’.
Rethinking communications
However, innovation does not have
to rely on tech. Sometimes a back-to-
basics approach can pay dividends.
Chapter 5 looks at examples of
brands rethinking the service they
provide to customers, and putting
new forms of utility at the heart of
their communications. Powerful
examples come from Art Series
Hotels, whose ‘Overstay Check-
out’ idea won the 2013 Prize, and
Australian train company V/Line,
which turned a communications
insight into a service proposition.
Communications built around
content also feature prominently
in the 2013 Prize. Indeed, innova-
tion cases are twice as likely to
use branded content as the aver-
age effectiveness case added to
Warc in the first half of the year.
But a commitment to content is no
small task. Chapter 6 includes a
case study from Oreo, which de-
veloped a piece of content a day
for 100 days. But the brand gained
greater results from the content
campaign that it had from the more
expensive traditional campaign that
had run previously.
Chapter 7 looks at another
interesting theme within the cases
– the power of participation-driven
strategies. The report argues that
co-creation has diversified in recent
years beyond crowdsourced ads or
Anheuser-Busch
created a mobile
app to help users
locate the near-
est bar selling
Stella Artois

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This is a
sample
version
of Warc’s
Innovation
Casebook
The full report
is available
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of warc.com,
who can
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here
If you’re not
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request a free
trial
Viewpoint Making innovation happen
Innovation is not for every client. A
marketing director of a prominent
consumer goods company (in a
consistently growing category) once
told me: “If you’re going to come in
here and recommend we do things
differently – well we’re not interest-
ed.” At the time they were profitable
and successful, and happy to steer
a steady ship. But this seems to be
the exception – most clients are after
competitive advantage over their
rivals, and see innovation as a key
competency to develop.
However, chasing innovative solu-
tions is not without its risks. Creating
a culture that chases and embraces
new is not without its headaches.
Systems and processes often need
to be ignored for true revolutionary
thinking. When we try to innovate
within a structure that has done the
same thing for some time, the results
can be left wanting. It sometimes
pays to embrace the people who are
doing things differently, not playing
by the rules. Encourage their idiosyn-
cratic behaviours and something
special may result.
That means not relying on the
creatives. They have a job to, as do
the planners and account managers.
Instead, share briefs and foster a cul-
ture of genuinely allowing innovation
to come from anywhere, especially
the cracks in between the various
departments.
Innovation is not something that
comes from every brief, and nor
should it. And sometimes even when
a client wants an innovative solution,
the brief can’t always be delivered on
– maybe the brief was too hard, there
wasn’t enough time, or too much of
a leap was required. However, we
find that innovation is intoxicating.
The most innovative clients tend to
innovate more and more. The less
innovative learn to maintain the sta-
tus quo – until forced to look for an
innovative/breakthrough solution to
a business problem that has grown
progressively worse through inertia.
As a final word, I’m guessing that
innovation is highly correlated with
both fun and profitability, but I’ll
leave that to someone much smarter
than me to prove.
Read the full article
Adam Ferrier is Founder/Global Head
of Behavioural Science, Naked Com-
munications, and winner of the 2013
Warc Prize for Innovation
Most clients
are after
competitive
advantage
over their ri-
vals, and see
innovation
as a core
competency
to develop
Adam Ferrier
Naked
Communications

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This is a
sample
version
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Innovation
Casebook
The full report
is available
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of warc.com,
who can
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here
If you’re not
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trial
Chapter 4
McDonald’s, ‘Coin Hunters’, Denmark
McDonald’s, ‘Real-time Olympics’,
China
Chapter 5
Art Series Hotels, ‘The Overstay
Checkout’, Australia
V/Line, ‘Guilt Trips’, Australia
Chapter 6
Oreo, ‘Daily Twist’, USA
The Peres Centre for Peace, ‘Blood
Relations’, multiple markets
Chapter 1
Metro Trains Melbourne, ‘Dumb
Ways To Die’, Australia
Chapter 2
Twix, ‘Pause’, Australia
ecostore, ‘Little Treasures’, New
Zealand
Chapter 3
Programme Humanitarian Attention
to the Demobilised, ‘Rivers of Light’,
Colombia
Rom, ‘American Rom’, Romania
Brands featured in this report
FEATURED CASE STUDIES
Chapter 7
IKEA, ‘Human Coupons’,
Canada
Promote Iceland, ‘Inspired by
Iceland’, Global
Chapter 8
Kissan Tomato Ketchup,
‘Kissanpur’, India
Dettol, ‘Message Interrupts, Utility
Delights’, China
All case studies are from the Warc Prize
for Innovation 2012 and 2013.
Art Series Hotels
(top-left); Kissan
Tomato Ketchup
and IKEA
(bottom-left);
Oreo (centre);
V/Line (right)

This is a
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Casebook
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SAMPLE CHAPTER
THINKING BEYOND
MEDIA
>> How brands are building strategies around ‘owned’ assets

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Casebook
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Don’t
immediately
focus all
creativity on
the commu-
nication and
activation to
sell an item.
First focus on
the item itself
Extract from
‘Heineken: STR
Bottle – Light Up
The Night’ case
study
At a glance Non-media opportunities
KEY INSIGHTS
1 Many of the best innovation case studies do not start with a media
framework in mind. There is a growing appreciation of the power of
some of the brand’s ‘owned’ assets, and in particular the potential
to build communications ideas around packaging innovation.
2 Coca-Cola in particular has adopted innovations in packaging
and used them at the heart of communications, both in its I Lohas
water brand in Japan, and its global ‘Share a Coke’ initiative. These
ideas are not replacements for paid media, but use advertising to
promote the innovation and give it context.
3 Relatively simple (and tech-lite) ideas can lead to powerful
results, as long as they feed into a broader brand ‘story’. Monteith’s
Crushed Cider in New Zealand managed to create a successful
campaign by leaving twigs in its boxes. A very different example
comes from Colombia, where the government decorated trees with
Christmas lights to persuade guerrillas to lay down their arms.

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Warc Trends The Innovation Casebook
This is a
sample
version
of Warc’s
Innovation
Casebook
The full report
is available
to subscribers
of warc.com,
who can
download it
here
If you’re not
a subscriber,
request a free
trial
‘Owned’ assets take the lead
It is striking how many innovative
campaigns involve thinking outside
any media framework.
Several cases in the Warc Prize for
Innovation find new ways to talk to
people beyond ‘paid media’.
In particular, many brands have
realised the power of their own as-
sets, such as packaging, as a com-
munications tool, and have looked
for ways to innovate in that space.
A great example is Coca-Cola’s
‘crushable’ bottles, which it has used
to give some of its water brands an
environmentally friendly positioning.
It pioneered this approach with its I
Lohas brand in Japan. Ciel, the Mexi-
can bottled water owned by Coca-
Cola, used the same technology to
roll out bottles featuring 33% less
plastic, and which must be twisted
and collapsed before recycling.
Coca-Cola’s packaging innova-
tions can also
be seen in the ‘Share a Coke’ case
study. First launched in Australia,
this initiative involved bottles printed
with people’s names on it, and built
into a broader social media-driven
campaign. The idea has since been
rolled out in other major markets.
Elsewhere, beer brands have
been highly active in this space.
To maximise the returns from its
sponsorship of the Winnipeg Jets
hockey team, Budweiser made a
special-edition ‘fan brew’. Heineken
has made an aluminium bottle using
ultra-violet technology to reveal a
different design under black lights,
while Steinlager took the opposite
route, reintroducing packaging from
1987 to tap nostalgia related to New
Zealand’s rugby team winning the
World Cup.
Pack innovation does not always
have to be technology-driven.
Monteith’s Crushed Cider
started a conversation
about its fresh ingredients
by putting twigs in 12-pack
boxes, and following this
up with a fake “apology”
for doing so.
IKEA, the furniture
chain, broadened the
definition of media still fur-
ther on ‘Moving
Day’ in Montre-
al – when many
people traditionally move
home – by distributing
branded cardboard box-
es embossed with helpful
tips, as well as discount
vouchers, across the city.
This generated 3.8 million
on-street impressions and
helped boost in-store sales
by 25%.
Similar thinking came from-
Volkswagen in India. The au-
tomaker, opted for a deceptively
simple approach, encouraging
shoppers to take a test-drive by
attaching Post-it notes containing
booking details to anything from
cinema screens to buses.
Many of these examples still use
media activity to promote the in-
novation. But it is clear that there
are plenty of opportunities for
brands to use their own assets
as a key communications tool.
Monteith’s (left) drew atten-
tion to its fresh ingredients
with an ‘apology’; Coca-
Cola created eco-friendly
water bottles (right)

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Case study Colombian MoD
Campaign
Rivers of Light
Advertiser
Programme of
Humanitarian
Attention to the
Demobilised /
Colombian Min-
istry of Defence
Agency
Lowe-SSP3
Market
Colombia
Source
Warc Prize for
Innovation, 2013
Colombians sent messages and gifts
via the rivers to FARC guerrillas
The need to reach rebels with
no access to mainstream media
forced the government to deliver an
emotional message in an unconven-
tional way.
CHALLENGE
For more than six decades, FARC – a
Marxist guerrilla group – has com-
mitted regular acts of violence in
Colombia. The organisation controls
around 30% of national territory and
has approximately 8,000 members,
most of whom reside in the jungle,
well beyond the reach of conven-
tional media.
Original thinking is therefore cen-
tral to any efforts to persuade these
insurgents to re-join society. An initial
effort, ‘Operation Christmas’, played
on the understanding that Christmas
was the time most rebels considered
leaving FARC, and sent soldiers
into the jungle to decorate trees in
a traditional festive style. It led 331
guerrillas to abandon their cause.
The impact of this initiative, how-
ever, saw FARC retreat deeper into
the jungle, ban radios and announce
even harsher punishments for desert-
ers. That made the following year’s
campaign even tougher.
SOLUTION
As rivers are the main means of
transport and communication for
FARC, it was decided to use this
route to reach its members. In the
first instance, the Colombian military
requested the friends and family of
revolutionaries to send in personal
messages and gifts, with 6,823 ulti-
mately received.
The notes and presents were then
individually wrapped in waterproof
baubles containing LED lights, and
dropped in strategic points of the
river system by the army and navy.
Accompanying the personalised
content contained in each ball was a
note reading, “Don’t let this Christ-
mas slip away. Colombia and your
family are waiting. Demobilise. At
Christmas, everything is possible.” A
30-second TV spot was also devel-
oped to publicise this effort.
RESULTS
In all, 192 guerrillas – who had
served an average of 14 years with
FARC – demobilised because of this
campaign. A fifth of this group were
under 18 years old, a 62% jump year
on year.
Many weapons were given up
by these former combatants, and
important information was provided
to the Colombian government. The
overall net benefit to the economy
was estimated at $3.8 million.
Read the full case study

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Case study Rom
Campaign
American Rom
Advertiser
Kandia Dulce
Agency
BV McCann
Erickson
Market
Romania
Source
Warc Prize for
Innovation, 2012
Rom chocolate bar replaced its national identity with an American design to provoke Romanian patriotism
A tongue-in-cheek pack redesign
was at the heart of multimedia cam-
paign to revive a flagging brand.
CHALLENGE
Rom, a chocolate bar launched in
Romania in 1964, was a national in-
stitution, to the extent that it featured
the national flag on its packaging
and posted awareness levels of 95%.
It was widely associated with the
childhood of Romanians.
However, a modest 14.5% of shop-
pers described the brand as their
favourite, and its patriotic positioning
was of limited appeal to younger Ro-
manians, around 80% of which had
considered leaving their homeland in
search of new opportunities.
As such, this former market leader
had seen its share plummet, while
foreign competitors such as Snickers
with Twitter, blogs and a consumer
helpline serving as back-up.
After seven days, it was revealed
that the takeover was a prank.
Shoppers who had interacted with
the campaign were thanked directly.
Some even appeared on TV shows to
talk about their feelings.
RESULTS
The campaign reached 15 million
people, or two-thirds of the Roma-
nian population, and Rom registered
189,706 page views and 75,000 visi-
tors on its corporate website in the
first six days alone.
The proportion of Romanians who
agreed Rom was their favourite
brand rose to 25.9%; 36.5% of the
target audience described Rom as a
‘brand for me’, up from 16.2%.
were growing rapidly. The challenge
was to regain share.
SOLUTION
Having assessed online discus-
sions among 20 to 35-year-olds,
Rom discovered their patriotism was
reactive, emerging in force only when
Romania was compared with foreign
countries, especially larger ones.
Rather than appealing to pride in
their country directly, Rom decided
to replace the Romanian flag on its
packaging with the American flag,
and to runs ads stating it had been
taken over by a US corporation.
During the campaign’s ‘teaser’
stage, the redesigned packaging –
complete with English text mocking
Romanian values – was rolled out.
Next, an online forum and Facebook
page became arenas for debate,

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Executive
Summary
Chapter 1
Why innovation
matters
Chapter 2
Making new
connections
Chapter 3
Thinking beyond
media
Chapter 4
Tech-driven
innovation
Chapter 5
Service innovation
Chapter 6
Innovating through
content
Chapter 7
Participation-
driven innovation
Chapter 8
Learning from
emerging markets
Source: comScore,
via Warc News
7%Growth in time
spent online in
the Asia-Pacific
region over the
past year, faster
than Europe
(5%) and North
America (1%)
Brands look for ‘reverse innovation’
Brands are increasingly seeing
emerging markets as cradles of
innovative thinking.
Brands have traditionally taken
successful products, tactics and
campaigns from mature markets and
localised them in emerging nations.
But the flow of ideas is starting to
move more forcefully in the opposite
direction, a trend dubbed ‘reverse in-
novation’ or ‘trickle-up innovation’.
Markets such as India or China
place very different demands on
marketers than more established ter-
ritories, and global brands often find
they have to rethink their products to
meet local tastes, local pricepoints,
and local social, economic or retail
structures.
The idea of ‘reverse innovation’
isn’t wholly new. It is, however,
growing in scale. When L’Oréal, the
beauty group, set up marketing and
RD hubs in China and India, its aim
was to deliver local lines that could,
in certain cases, “be rolled out in the
rest of the world using the principle
of reverse innovation,” according
to Jean-Paul Agon, the firm’s chief
executive. Total Solutions 5, originat-
ing from Brazil, is just one example
of this to date.
Another area is the use of social
media. The importance of social
media in China, where it has
become a key platform for
entertainment, discussion
and discovery, is driving
innovation in that market.
Brands should look at
Sina Weibo, a micro-
blog that started
as a Twitter clone
then evolved
rapidly to meet
local needs. The
latest up-and-
coming Chi-
nese platform
is WeChat, a
voice- and text-
message service
which is already
growing fast out-
side China.
While some ide-
as are specific to
the markets they
come from, there
are undoubtedly
lessons from
these territories
that marketers
elsewhere can
draw.
Similar developments can be seen
in communications. In Mexico, Gato-
rade, PepsiCo’s sports drink, focused
messaging on sports nutrition
and the fact people tend
to train in groups. This ap-
proach was later rolled out
in Brazil and used to opti-
mise Gatorade’s strategy
in other regions.
Mobile marketing
is one area where
reverse innovation
can be felt. Babs
Rangaiah, Unile-
ver’s vice-presi-
dent, global media
innovation and
ventures, has sug-
gested the FMCG
group will allocate
most of its mobile
adspend to emerging
markets, where these
gadgets often con-
stitute the primary
means of accessing
the internet.
Gatorade changed
its messaging to
focus on sports
nutrition
www.warc.com
Executive
Summary
Chapter 1
Why innovation
matters
Chapter 2
Making new
connections
Chapter 3
Thinking beyond
media
Chapter 4
Tech-driven
innovation
Chapter 5
Service innovation
Chapter 6
Innovating through
content
Chapter 7
Participation-
driven innovation
Chapter 8
Learning from
emerging markets
KEY FACTS
Buzz can drive broad objectives
OBJECTIVES VS. MEDIA USAGE
Source: Warc Prize for Innovation, 2013
Warc tracks case studies by
both the stated campaign
objectives and the media
channels they use. It is, there-
fore, possible to analyse what
clients are trying to achieve
and the methods they are using
to achieve it.
Overall, just 24% of cases from
the Warc Prize for Innovation
2013 stated that driving ‘buzz’
or word-of-mouth was an objec-
tive of their campaign.
However, many more cam-
paigns from the Prize are em-
ploying buzz-driving channels:
77% use social media; 51% use
PR; and 36% use ‘viral’ content.
It could be argued, therefore,
that many innovative market-
ers view ‘buzz’ as a means of
driving bigger business results,
rather than an end in itself.
Top five objectives of Warc Prize case studies
Percentage of Warc Prize case studies that use buzz-focused channels
77% 51% 36%
Social media Public relations
Word of mouth/
viral
Build brand
equity
Increase
awareness
Increase sales/
volume
Increase market
share
Generate buzz/
WOM
56%
48%
26%
48%
24%
www.warc.com
Executive
Summary
Chapter 1
Why innovation
matters
Chapter 2
Making new
connections
Chapter 3
Thinking beyond
media
Chapter 4
Tech-driven
innovation
Chapter 5
Service innovation
Chapter 6
Innovating through
content
Chapter 7
Participation-
driven innovation
Chapter 8
Learning from
emerging markets
Case study Metro Trains Melbourne
Campaign
Dumb Ways to
Die
Advertiser
Metro Trains
Melbourne
Agency
McCann
Australia
Market
Australia
Source
Warc Prize for
Innovation, 2013
Metro’s campaign featured characters dying in “dumb” yet entertaining ways
This much-awarded railway safety
campaign shows the power of in-
novative thinking to drive word-of-
mouth, and to make a small budget
go a long way.
CHALLENGE
Most accidents that occur in and
around Melbourne’s rail network
are avoidable – for example, many
take place when people are crossing
tracks. Young adults are particularly
likely to come to harm in this way.
But Metro Trains Melbourne faced
a challenge in reaching the city’s
900,000 or so 15-29 year olds, not
least because they were already
bombarded with equivalent mes-
sages covering everything from their
driving habits to stopping smoking.
Alongside this hurdle, a budget
of just A$300,000 greatly limited the
paid media options available.
SOLUTION
The ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ campaign
drew on the insight that most acci-
dents involving youth were caused by
idiotic or impatient behaviour.
As these same consumers were
nearly all digital natives, creating
material they would choose to watch
and share became the goal. This
bers of Tumblr and Reddit.
RESULTS
Within two months, ‘Dumb Ways
to Die’ secured 40 million views on
YouTube and three million shares. It
also entered the iTunes charts in 28
countries, and received A$60 million
of earned media coverage.
A third of people in Melbourne
recalled details about the campaign,
rising to 46% for 18-29 year olds.
Another 42% of the people aware
of this message felt more positively
about Metro, and 39% consciously
thought about how they behaved
around trains.
content took the form of a music
video depicting 21 cartoon charac-
ters dying in ‘dumb’ ways, from set-
ting their hair on fire to falling off a
train platform. When viewers finished
watching, they were asked to commit
to being safe around trains.
YouTube and Tumblr were the
lead media, while Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest and Instagram were used to
stimulate viral behaviour. The iTunes
and SoundCloud music services
acted as a third tenet of the commu-
nications strategy.
To fuel conversation further, an
official karaoke version of the ‘Dumb
Ways to Die’ song was released, as
were animated GIFs aimed at mem-
This report features eight chapters that
examine innovation in communication. Each
chapter includes case studies drawn from
the Warc Prize for Innovation, and puts the
thinking behind the campaigns in context.
Highlights include:
A focus on why innovative thinking can
drive effective marketing;
Case studies from advertisers including
McDonald’s, Oreo and IKEA;
Analysis by theme, including tech-driven in-
novation, and the rise of branded services;
Insight into the use of media channels, and
the growth of social and content strategies.
The full report is available to download by
subscribers of www.warc.com.
Not a subscriber? Take a free trial.
About Warc’s Innovation Casebook

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