A fall in the number of ad campaigns leading with social has been matched by a steady increase in those leading with TV, according to the latest Warc 100 report.
While digital channels feature prominently – over the past three years social media has been the most-used lead channel – when they are compared to the proportion of campaigns leading with TV, the dominance of social media as a lead channel is decreasing.
Alongside a fall in the proportion leading with social has been a steady increase in those leading with TV: more campaigns now lead with TV than in any previous year, the analysis finds – including the two top campaigns (Share the Load from detergent brand Ariel and retailer John Lewis’s Christmas advertising).
“This may reflect the changing nature of social – for example, the clampdown on organic reach – the report conjectures, but it may equally reflect much recent research suggesting that marketers should use TV to ensure maximum reach,” the Warc authors conclude.
Neuroscience gets attention
The next two trends suggest that marketers are taking increasing notice of neuroscience.
One is the appearance of data-driven campaigns, such as those from Narellan Pools and The Economist, in the upper reaches of the Warc 100, using programmatic ad trading to deliver personalised digital messages at relevant moments.
From a neuroscience angle, the report notes, the brain forms memories and brand associations more strongly when messages are perceived to be personally relevant, so programmatic at its best can give marketers the opportunity to build valuable relationships at scale.
Similar thinking may inform the growing use of participation as a creative approach: campaigns with an event element, for example, can help drive a wide range of brand associations, with a strong emotional layer.
Brand and deliver
If a brand can reinforce and grow these associations, the benefits for brand recall and loyalty are positive.
Finally, the report observes the growing use of profit as an effectiveness measure, both when compared to last year’s Warc 100 and when compared to the ‘average’ case study on Warc.com.
About the Warc 100
Now in its fourth year, the Warc 100, a benchmark for commercial creativity and advertising effectiveness, is built on a rigorous methodology developed in consultation with Douglas West, Professor of Marketing at Kings College, London. WARC tracked more than 2000 winners in more than 82 different effectiveness and strategy competitions to compile the rankings. Founded in 1985, Warc is privately owned and has offices in the UK, US and Singapore.
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