Consumer Insight
Jury Chairman
Aziz Cami
Creative Director
Kantar
Jury Chairman
Eric Salama
Chairman & CEO
Kantar
“The increasing use of Data Visualisation as a powerful storytelling tool that conveys the complex with charming simplicity.”
One of the measures that demonstrate the progress we are making in delivering insights to our clients in a creative and inspiring way is that it gets harder and harder to judge this section within the WPPED Cream Awards.
2012 was no exception.
In amongst this year's strong showing several important themes emerged:
- Developing automated tools that ‘Industrialise Creativity' enabling us to produce large amounts of outstanding work all around the globe, quickly, cost effectively and to a consistently high standard.
- Using creativity to approach conventional scenarios from a different perspective and communicate to clients more of the ‘What Next' versus the ‘What Happened'.
- The increasing use of Data Visualisation as a powerful storytelling tool that conveys the complex with charming simplicity.
- Partnering with the best creative talent in the world in order to jointly develop truly world-class solutions.
- Interactive technology that enables clients to take their own, appropriate journey through our findings and, consequently, become much more engaged with our work.
- Collaboration so that we provide ever more rounded and joined up business solutions to our clients.
Many thanks to all of you who took the trouble to enter this year's awards - it's a real pleasure to be able to enjoy and learn from your talent.
Millward Brown Global
LinkExpress™
LinkExpress™
Testing ads faster at less cost
LinkExpress™ is a faster, automated and cheaper version of Millward Brown's advertising pre-testing tool Link. It gives precise feedback on whether an ad is strong enough to air - and all within 48 hours. Clients are hugely impressed with its speed and quality but it took a lot of hard work and collaboration with Lightspeed and Kantar Operations to get it right. Our clients are using it to make quick comparisons across a number of executions; to get a quick decision on whether to air; and to see how competitors ads stack up against their own. The speed and lower cost mean that existing clients who previously didn't have the time or the budget to test their ads, have now done so. We've also attracted clients who have not previously tested with us and we've seen significant repeat business from big clients including Gillette, Beiersdorf, and Kraft. As Rebecca Harris, Marketing Manager for Beiersdorf Northern Europe, says: "LinkExpress™ has gone down a storm! What a great innovation it is."
LinkExpress™ is a faster, automated and cheaper version of Millward Brown's advertising pre-testing tool Link. It gives precise feedback on whether an ad is strong enough to air - and all within 48 hours. Clients are hugely impressed with its speed and quality but it took a lot of hard work and collaboration with Lightspeed and Kantar Operations to get it right. Our clients are using it to make quick comparisons across a number of executions; to get a quick decision on whether to air; and to see how competitors ads stack up against their own. The speed and lower cost mean that existing clients who previously didn't have the time or the budget to test their ads, have now done so. We've also attracted clients who have not previously tested with us and we've seen significant repeat business from big clients including Gillette, Beiersdorf, and Kraft. As Rebecca Harris, Marketing Manager for Beiersdorf Northern Europe, says: "LinkExpress™ has gone down a storm! What a great innovation it is."
Added Value London
Philips
Philips
The future of hair care
Philips came to Added Value with one simple question: What is the future of hair care? Finding the answer was more complicated. AV knew that a conventional piece of research wouldn't be enough. So they ditched remote research, one-way mirrors and PowerPoint debriefs. To help Philips create innovative products for consumers in five to ten years' time, AV needed to see the future, to live it, breathe it, and touch it. So they created an immersive VIP experience for the Philips team, taking them to France, the UK, China, Russia, and India for a week at a time. AV took them to meet creative experts, cutting-edge hairstylists and consumers in some of the edgiest places in town, where trends emerge. Then they captured that rich information in an interactive tool that everyone in the team can access on their desktops. Philips is now working on the realisation of the ideas AV generated.
Philips came to Added Value with one simple question: What is the future of hair care? Finding the answer was more complicated. AV knew that a conventional piece of research wouldn't be enough. So they ditched remote research, one-way mirrors and PowerPoint debriefs. To help Philips create innovative products for consumers in five to ten years' time, AV needed to see the future, to live it, breathe it, and touch it. So they created an immersive VIP experience for the Philips team, taking them to France, the UK, China, Russia, and India for a week at a time. AV took them to meet creative experts, cutting-edge hairstylists and consumers in some of the edgiest places in town, where trends emerge. Then they captured that rich information in an interactive tool that everyone in the team can access on their desktops. Philips is now working on the realisation of the ideas AV generated.
Added Value London
Various
Various
Bringing insight and strategy to life
You might think that research is all about dull, dry number crunching and, if you've sat through endless PowerPoint presentations, you could be forgiven. AV wanted to create something to dramatise its research, insights and strategies: to bring them to life in a compelling, engaging, and immersive way, and to demonstrate how those insights could be used in the real world. AV calls it StoryTeller - because that is exactly what it does. StoryTeller is a digital interactive tool that allows clients to see and play with different stories for their brands as they explore insights. Three of AV's major clients are using it to generate new ideas and new thinking about their brands: at The Guardian it has spawned a commercial and creative strategy; at Philips it has sparked innovative ideas; and at Vodafone it is a springboard for international propositions. And perhaps most importantly, it's changing people's minds about research and how it can be used.
You might think that research is all about dull, dry number crunching and, if you've sat through endless PowerPoint presentations, you could be forgiven. AV wanted to create something to dramatise its research, insights and strategies: to bring them to life in a compelling, engaging, and immersive way, and to demonstrate how those insights could be used in the real world. AV calls it StoryTeller - because that is exactly what it does. StoryTeller is a digital interactive tool that allows clients to see and play with different stories for their brands as they explore insights. Three of AV's major clients are using it to generate new ideas and new thinking about their brands: at The Guardian it has spawned a commercial and creative strategy; at Philips it has sparked innovative ideas; and at Vodafone it is a springboard for international propositions. And perhaps most importantly, it's changing people's minds about research and how it can be used.
The Futures Company London
Subscription available to all clients
Subscription available to all clients
Helping TFC clients get more from its research
Global MONITOR has long provided The Futures Company's clients with real insight into consumer markets on a country-by-country basis. But the company felt that it could do better than simply providing country reports as PDF documents. So it worked with specialist designers to create its Country Dashboard. This interactive tool enables TFC to produce research more quickly and lets subscribers identify stories and country comparisons quickly and get more out of the data that TFC provides. Client feedback has been very positive: rather than buying a couple of stand-alone country reports they are now buying access to more information. The Country Dashboards have also helped change client perceptions of the value of TFC's research and insights subscription service. As a result, sales have increased and the quality of subscribers has also improved, with six out of AdAge's Top 10 Global Marketers among them.
Global MONITOR has long provided The Futures Company's clients with real insight into consumer markets on a country-by-country basis. But the company felt that it could do better than simply providing country reports as PDF documents. So it worked with specialist designers to create its Country Dashboard. This interactive tool enables TFC to produce research more quickly and lets subscribers identify stories and country comparisons quickly and get more out of the data that TFC provides. Client feedback has been very positive: rather than buying a couple of stand-alone country reports they are now buying access to more information. The Country Dashboards have also helped change client perceptions of the value of TFC's research and insights subscription service. As a result, sales have increased and the quality of subscribers has also improved, with six out of AdAge's Top 10 Global Marketers among them.
The Futures Company London
Diageo
Diageo
Bringing global and local trends to life
The Futures Company's client Diageo wanted a global consumer trends insight programme to help it to identify new opportunities. The brief to TFC was to make it engaging, relevant, and easy to use. It also had to work as a research resource, a presentation tool, and a way of identifying global and local implications for the business. PowerPoint and standard reports weren't going to cut it. So TFC developed a Flash-based micro site which included videos, quantitative and qualitative analysis, workshop tools, and templates. It also created a highly visual 'Trends Town' with different locations representing each of the different trends - a shopping centre for shopping trends and a recycling plant for sustainability. The end result? The client loved it for its ease of use and bringing global trends and local nuances to life. As Diageo's VP, Global Shopper Planning, Catherine Moff att says: "Trends Town inspired the business by providing practical, relevant content in an engaging and user-friendly way. It's contributing to real breakthroughs with customers around the world.
The Futures Company's client Diageo wanted a global consumer trends insight programme to help it to identify new opportunities. The brief to TFC was to make it engaging, relevant, and easy to use. It also had to work as a research resource, a presentation tool, and a way of identifying global and local implications for the business. PowerPoint and standard reports weren't going to cut it. So TFC developed a Flash-based micro site which included videos, quantitative and qualitative analysis, workshop tools, and templates. It also created a highly visual 'Trends Town' with different locations representing each of the different trends - a shopping centre for shopping trends and a recycling plant for sustainability. The end result? The client loved it for its ease of use and bringing global trends and local nuances to life. As Diageo's VP, Global Shopper Planning, Catherine Moff att says: "Trends Town inspired the business by providing practical, relevant content in an engaging and user-friendly way. It's contributing to real breakthroughs with customers around the world.
Millward Brown Fairfield
Unilever North America
Unilever North America
Giving clients rapid insight into how their ad campaigns are performing
In the US, Unilever was looking for a new way to measure the effectiveness of its advertising campaigns. In response, Millward Brown (using Kantar Media Intelligence's AdScope platform and input from Mindshare) developed Fast Feedback to provide a rapid assessment of how a campaign is performing creatively; how well the media is doing; and how it stands up against the competition - all within days of it breaking. In developing this new approach, Millward Brown dug deep into its knowledge of how advertising works, recognising the increasing demand for a speedy, cost-effective, integrated and validated solution to measuring advertising performance. Fast Feedback has completed over 25 studies and is now being rolled out to compete with an expanded product from Nielsen IAG. Numerous MB clients have already taken up Fast Feedback to assess their advertising against their competitors. It highlights potential weaknesses so that they can make fast creative edits or changes to media to realise the best possible ROI.
In the US, Unilever was looking for a new way to measure the effectiveness of its advertising campaigns. In response, Millward Brown (using Kantar Media Intelligence's AdScope platform and input from Mindshare) developed Fast Feedback to provide a rapid assessment of how a campaign is performing creatively; how well the media is doing; and how it stands up against the competition - all within days of it breaking. In developing this new approach, Millward Brown dug deep into its knowledge of how advertising works, recognising the increasing demand for a speedy, cost-effective, integrated and validated solution to measuring advertising performance. Fast Feedback has completed over 25 studies and is now being rolled out to compete with an expanded product from Nielsen IAG. Numerous MB clients have already taken up Fast Feedback to assess their advertising against their competitors. It highlights potential weaknesses so that they can make fast creative edits or changes to media to realise the best possible ROI.
TNS London
Nokia
Nokia
Getting to grips with 'casual computing'
Having largely missed out on the smartphone revolution and the rise of tablets and e-readers, Nokia asked TNS to develop a strategic direction for future product development. TNS had to get to the heart of 'casual computing' - the personal and intuitive way in which people interact with their tablets. The company carried out interviews in the UK, US, India, China, and Indonesia with consumers and technology experts and filmed people in public spaces to capture spontaneous use of these devices. And it developed a mobile app so that its clients could access a 'mini report' of research findings whether they were in the back of a cab in New York or grabbing lunch in Shanghai. TNS also created a Casual Computing Hub where respondents, clients, researchers, and experts could contribute to the debate and share ideas. Nokia is now making tablets a priority for the business and TNS is creating easy-to-use mobile apps for use with other clients.
Having largely missed out on the smartphone revolution and the rise of tablets and e-readers, Nokia asked TNS to develop a strategic direction for future product development. TNS had to get to the heart of 'casual computing' - the personal and intuitive way in which people interact with their tablets. The company carried out interviews in the UK, US, India, China, and Indonesia with consumers and technology experts and filmed people in public spaces to capture spontaneous use of these devices. And it developed a mobile app so that its clients could access a 'mini report' of research findings whether they were in the back of a cab in New York or grabbing lunch in Shanghai. TNS also created a Casual Computing Hub where respondents, clients, researchers, and experts could contribute to the debate and share ideas. Nokia is now making tablets a priority for the business and TNS is creating easy-to-use mobile apps for use with other clients.
Added Value Shanghai, WPP
The Chinese New Year in Next Growth Cities
The Chinese New Year in Next Growth Cities
Getting to the heart of Chinese New Year Chinese
New Year is the most important festival in Chinese culture. It's when the family get together so that they can share traditional rituals. But as China changes, those rituals are changing too. Increasing wealth and a shifting population means that people are adapting and reinventing traditions to reflect life in modern China. Understanding how this happens is the key to unlocking new opportunities for brands in China, particularly in Tier Two cities. But getting Chinese families to engage with market researchers during the precious 15-day holiday is tough. A team comprising Added Value, TGI, and Millward Brown managed to spend several days living with two Chinese families, sharing, discussing, and documenting the celebration. The study that came out of it - published as part of the BrandZ stable - was a rich combination of photojournalism, proprietary research, and consumer insight. It is available to all WPP companies to start a conversation with clients and demonstrate their real expertise in China.
New Year is the most important festival in Chinese culture. It's when the family get together so that they can share traditional rituals. But as China changes, those rituals are changing too. Increasing wealth and a shifting population means that people are adapting and reinventing traditions to reflect life in modern China. Understanding how this happens is the key to unlocking new opportunities for brands in China, particularly in Tier Two cities. But getting Chinese families to engage with market researchers during the precious 15-day holiday is tough. A team comprising Added Value, TGI, and Millward Brown managed to spend several days living with two Chinese families, sharing, discussing, and documenting the celebration. The study that came out of it - published as part of the BrandZ stable - was a rich combination of photojournalism, proprietary research, and consumer insight. It is available to all WPP companies to start a conversation with clients and demonstrate their real expertise in China.
Added Value Los Angeles
Cultural Traction
Cultural Traction
Identifying how brands become cultural icons
There are lots of ways of measuring the health and position of a brand in the market but until now no one has measured how well a brand is tapping into the culture. And so Added Value developed Cultural Traction to evaluate a brand's 'vibe' and the extent to which it is gaining or losing ground. AV can use the product to identify which brands are vibrant and which are not, and which brands need to refresh themselves or risk declining. Launched in May 2012, it has been taken up by a number of clients and has gained substantial media coverage for its research with 263 postings across broadcast, print, and online media outlets; $186,345 in ad equivalency value; and over nine million impressions. Cultural Traction has led to more conversations with existing clients and opened doors to all kinds of potential new clients. And as a result, AV is rolling it out globally.
There are lots of ways of measuring the health and position of a brand in the market but until now no one has measured how well a brand is tapping into the culture. And so Added Value developed Cultural Traction to evaluate a brand's 'vibe' and the extent to which it is gaining or losing ground. AV can use the product to identify which brands are vibrant and which are not, and which brands need to refresh themselves or risk declining. Launched in May 2012, it has been taken up by a number of clients and has gained substantial media coverage for its research with 263 postings across broadcast, print, and online media outlets; $186,345 in ad equivalency value; and over nine million impressions. Cultural Traction has led to more conversations with existing clients and opened doors to all kinds of potential new clients. And as a result, AV is rolling it out globally.
Added Value London
Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group
Creating a distinctive position for the brand
The Guardian newspaper had decided that its brand positioning, as it moved from print to digital, would revolve around the concept of being 'Open.' Added Value knew that 'Open' was too broad a concept. What did it mean? It lacked real direction for such an iconic brand. To persuade the Guardian that 'Open' was too vague and too imprecise AV used cultural insights to demonstrate that it meant too many different things. The Guardian soon recognised that what AV said was true. The paper and AV worked together on a strategy and positioning around 'Through Opening Minds'. The solution was presented to Alan Rusbridger, Editor-in-Chief, who fully backed the direction. It was subsequently used as a platform to develop the Guardian's above-the-line campaign 'Three Little Pigs', which aired earlier this year to much media attention.
The Guardian newspaper had decided that its brand positioning, as it moved from print to digital, would revolve around the concept of being 'Open.' Added Value knew that 'Open' was too broad a concept. What did it mean? It lacked real direction for such an iconic brand. To persuade the Guardian that 'Open' was too vague and too imprecise AV used cultural insights to demonstrate that it meant too many different things. The Guardian soon recognised that what AV said was true. The paper and AV worked together on a strategy and positioning around 'Through Opening Minds'. The solution was presented to Alan Rusbridger, Editor-in-Chief, who fully backed the direction. It was subsequently used as a platform to develop the Guardian's above-the-line campaign 'Three Little Pigs', which aired earlier this year to much media attention.
Dynamic Logic New York
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Working together to measure campaign effectiveness
The Limited, which owns the Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works brands, wanted to measure the effectiveness of its Christmas online campaigns at driving sales. A combination of skills and expertise from a number of Kantar companies were brought together to provide the answers. Using Dynamic Logic's AdRadar technology coupled with the Lightspeed Panel it was possible to tag and track campaign exposure and link that to the sales databases for both brands. Kantar Media Compete measured the reach and frequency of the campaign, while Millward Brown provided the overall synthesis of the different data sets. Together 'we' were able to provide the client with an overall picture of the campaign - to measure the ROI and identify where it was successful at driving sales and where it was not. The insights generated are being factored in to plan future campaigns and identify the best media to reach the client's target audience.
The Limited, which owns the Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works brands, wanted to measure the effectiveness of its Christmas online campaigns at driving sales. A combination of skills and expertise from a number of Kantar companies were brought together to provide the answers. Using Dynamic Logic's AdRadar technology coupled with the Lightspeed Panel it was possible to tag and track campaign exposure and link that to the sales databases for both brands. Kantar Media Compete measured the reach and frequency of the campaign, while Millward Brown provided the overall synthesis of the different data sets. Together 'we' were able to provide the client with an overall picture of the campaign - to measure the ROI and identify where it was successful at driving sales and where it was not. The insights generated are being factored in to plan future campaigns and identify the best media to reach the client's target audience.
The Futures Company London
Subscription available to all clients
Subscription available to all clients
Helping clients prepare for the future
While they can't literally predict the future, The Futures Company is all about helping clients to be better prepared for it. Macrodynamics is a web-based interactive tool kit which helps clients to identify, explore, and respond to major changes going on in the world beyond their businesses. It acts as a fresh pair of eyes: eliminating blind spots; revealing uncertainties; casting new light on opportunities and challenges; and identifying risks. TFC has made it available to more clients by introducing it as a subscription resource and developing an innovative micro site that is much more visual, engaging, and easy to use than a PowerPoint report. It has changed clients' perceptions of research and enabled TFC to reach a new audience - CMOs and strategy heads. Sales are increasing and the quality of subscribers has improved. It has also generated new consultancy briefs from clients who recognise that they need to focus on future planning.
While they can't literally predict the future, The Futures Company is all about helping clients to be better prepared for it. Macrodynamics is a web-based interactive tool kit which helps clients to identify, explore, and respond to major changes going on in the world beyond their businesses. It acts as a fresh pair of eyes: eliminating blind spots; revealing uncertainties; casting new light on opportunities and challenges; and identifying risks. TFC has made it available to more clients by introducing it as a subscription resource and developing an innovative micro site that is much more visual, engaging, and easy to use than a PowerPoint report. It has changed clients' perceptions of research and enabled TFC to reach a new audience - CMOs and strategy heads. Sales are increasing and the quality of subscribers has improved. It has also generated new consultancy briefs from clients who recognise that they need to focus on future planning.
Millward Brown Warwick
Castrol
Castrol
Grabbing client attention
In 2009 Millward Brown created a strategy for Castrol to help it pursue its goal of becoming an Olympic brand. It resulted in a strong relationship with outputs of over 60 local reports a year. But by 2011 MB's role with the company was dwindling. At Castrol's annual Global Marketing Network summit its usual half-day presentation slot was cut to an hour. On the verge of signing a new three-year, multi-million dollar contract, and with the arrival of a new Global CMO, Millward Brown knew it had to make a real impact and that an hour wasn't enough. So they created a multimedia campaign including an authentic TV news bulletin programme focusing on competitor performance and what Castrol's future strategy should look like. The campaign went viral, with the client demanding the video be made available to all of its marketing teams. And the result? Restored credibility for MB and the contract was signed, reinforcing its status as a trusted advisor to Castrol.
In 2009 Millward Brown created a strategy for Castrol to help it pursue its goal of becoming an Olympic brand. It resulted in a strong relationship with outputs of over 60 local reports a year. But by 2011 MB's role with the company was dwindling. At Castrol's annual Global Marketing Network summit its usual half-day presentation slot was cut to an hour. On the verge of signing a new three-year, multi-million dollar contract, and with the arrival of a new Global CMO, Millward Brown knew it had to make a real impact and that an hour wasn't enough. So they created a multimedia campaign including an authentic TV news bulletin programme focusing on competitor performance and what Castrol's future strategy should look like. The campaign went viral, with the client demanding the video be made available to all of its marketing teams. And the result? Restored credibility for MB and the contract was signed, reinforcing its status as a trusted advisor to Castrol.
Mindshare Delhi
Idea Cellular
Idea Cellular
Identifying the best sponsorship deals in India
TV sponsorship deals are big business in India where the 500 million-strong audience is hooked on cricket, movies, and reality shows. But there was no single way of measuring the effectiveness of sponsorship, often resulting in overpriced deals and doubtful ROI numbers. Mindshare set out to create a new industry currency to ensure its clients' money was well spent. It focused on reality shows, demonstrating that those with high ratings may not generate consumer conversations, while controversial shows with lower ratings generated a buzz that everyone heard about - and by extension about the sponsor. Mindshare's Property Power Tracker, incorporating face-to-face interviews from TNS, enables its clients to accurately measure what they are getting for the huge sums they are investing in sponsorship. Mindshare cites the tracker as being responsible for overhauling the sponsorship strategy of a major telecoms firm, cutting its sponsorships by half and getting a 1.25 times higher return for their investment.
TV sponsorship deals are big business in India where the 500 million-strong audience is hooked on cricket, movies, and reality shows. But there was no single way of measuring the effectiveness of sponsorship, often resulting in overpriced deals and doubtful ROI numbers. Mindshare set out to create a new industry currency to ensure its clients' money was well spent. It focused on reality shows, demonstrating that those with high ratings may not generate consumer conversations, while controversial shows with lower ratings generated a buzz that everyone heard about - and by extension about the sponsor. Mindshare's Property Power Tracker, incorporating face-to-face interviews from TNS, enables its clients to accurately measure what they are getting for the huge sums they are investing in sponsorship. Mindshare cites the tracker as being responsible for overhauling the sponsorship strategy of a major telecoms firm, cutting its sponsorships by half and getting a 1.25 times higher return for their investment.
TNS Geneva
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Analysing the relationship between brands
Procter & Gamble wanted to find a way of synchronising its communications around its mega, parent, and sub brands to create more impact, attract new consumers, and generate more revenue from existing ones. But how were they going to do it? TNS developed a revolutionary new modelling technique for Gillette that analyses the relationship between category, mega-brand, and sub-brand. It also helps to explain how parent brands influence sub-brands and how those sub-brands in turn contribute to their parent brand. With the help of this equity flow analysis, Gillette has sharpened its brand marketing messages and leveraged global consistencies where it can. Crucially, it has also identified the regions where the communication message needs some local amplification. As a result, Gillette has developed brand messages which have much greater impact and is seeing a significant improvement from its investment in marketing.
Procter & Gamble wanted to find a way of synchronising its communications around its mega, parent, and sub brands to create more impact, attract new consumers, and generate more revenue from existing ones. But how were they going to do it? TNS developed a revolutionary new modelling technique for Gillette that analyses the relationship between category, mega-brand, and sub-brand. It also helps to explain how parent brands influence sub-brands and how those sub-brands in turn contribute to their parent brand. With the help of this equity flow analysis, Gillette has sharpened its brand marketing messages and leveraged global consistencies where it can. Crucially, it has also identified the regions where the communication message needs some local amplification. As a result, Gillette has developed brand messages which have much greater impact and is seeing a significant improvement from its investment in marketing.