Reports & Studies
Research findings and studies from marketing professionals across WPP. Marketing Effectiveness: Beyond the Short Term NEWMillward Brown | June 2008While the results of marketing investments are most readily measured in the short term, marketing’s beneficial effects often extend well beyond the initial weeks or months following a particular campaign or activity. Therefore, marketers who have a clear idea of how their activities will work in both the short and the long term are able to balance their immediate and longterm objectives in their brand management decisions.
Changing Nature of 'Face' NEWBates 141 | June 2008Bates 141 China in partnership with Sina.com, Nielsen Online & Hylink Advertising recently undertook a nationwide online survey to understand the age old value of 'face' in the new changing China. Even as China modernizes and embraces new values, 'face' is a value Chinese people still hold dear to their hearts - Nearly 80% of the respondents feel 'face' is worth pursuing.
The Yin - Yang of Technology Payoffs in Consumer LifeJWT India | May 2008Efficiency and indulgence, refuge and escape, conformism and showmanship, child-like delight and intellectual growth, the payoffs from technology in personal life are dichotomous says the latest Brand Chakras
TM study, by JWT India.
Three Generations, One Big Market: A New Segmentation of IndiaBates 141 | May 2008India is big and India is young. Its size and its demographics, together with the growth potential that India’s economy is showing, have made it a fashionable market. Marketers from across the world and within India are betting high on these two aspects of the country. But these are also the two most critical characteristics of India that every marketer must examine carefully and get a real understanding of in order to make it a success in this country. India is big but is India one whole piece of a homogeneous market?
Change Bite - 10 Changes for 2008 Bates 141 | March 2008A change report pinpoints irreversible shiftsthat are taking place in society at large -media, politics, the environment, entertainment, marketing and branding, consumer behavior and attitudes. We use changes as nuggets of inspiration for finding ChangePoints-radical new ways to engage with consumers. As such, this Change report should act as a stop sign that forces reappraisal of how you do things.
China's Prosumers Ogilvy & Mather | March 2008The Internet and digital media have largely transformed the ways in which Chinese people live, entertain, consume and do business. If millions of people in the Middle Kingdom are buying and selling new and used goods through the internet, choosing stocks and holiday destinations, or sharing video in the hope of stardom, what are the forces of influence that propel them along their path to purchase?
Mastering the Mobile Marketing Maze Millward Brown | March 2008Everyone's talking about mobile marketing as the next big thing. But despite the panoply of available options, the desired ROI is unlikely to be achieved without careful consideration and management. Success depends not just on knowing the range of mobile options, but on your ability to match these options to your brand's objectives.
Bands and Brands brandamp | February 2008brandamp's new book
Bands and Brands is a major new investigation into the world of music and marketing. If you're interested in the business of bringing brands and artists together to create something mutually beneficial, it may be exactly what you've been waiting for.
Marketing Effectiveness: It's More Than Just ROI Millward Brown | February 2008Linking marketing to financial performance is not now — nor has it ever really been — solely about return on investment (ROI).
What's The Word?Millward Brown | January 2008Spurred on by the realization that no advertising can match the impact of an unsolicited testimonial, marketers around the world are seeking ways to leverage the power of word of mouth.
Putting The Shopper Back Into MarketingMillward Brown | December 2007Budgets are flowing into shopper marketing as never before. But marketers hoping to maximize the return on their investment must address two key point-of-purchase challenges ...
Using Brands to Drive Business ResultsLandor | November 2007FORTUNE magazine, Landor Associates and Stern Stewart's BrandEconomics® recently published the third annual Top Ten Breakaway Brands list for 2007. Unlike other brand rankings, this study objectively measures return on sustained investment in brand in terms of both financial value and brand strength.
Green fields ahead for Advertising in China's countrysideBates Asia | November 2007Greater prosperity for those who live in the countryside has long been one of China’s major concerns. But incomes of rural residents still lag far behind those of city-dwellers and the gap has steadily widened in recent decades - and the implications for the advertising industry are immense.
Advertiser, Forget the PC, Pick Up the PhoneMillward Brown | November 2007It has been predicted that by 2008 more people around the world will access the Internet by using their mobile phones than by using computers. While this may already be the case in Japan, other countries such as the United States lag far behind. Will the mobile phone really come to dominate the PC, and if it does, what are the implications for advertising?
United in Diversity?Addison | November 2007To what extent does narrative reporting in European annual reports show evidence of convergence around a common set of standards?
Mother IndiaJWT India | October 2007The Indian Mother-and-Child is now a team with a shared vision, with mothers actively believing they can shape their children’s destiny for mutual benefit, says the latest JWT Brand Chakras
TM, by JWT India
Crisis Management and the Half-Second News Cycle GCI Group | October 2007Traditional crisis management approaches developed prior to the advent of digital media -- and the half-second news cycle that exists today -- must be adapted to manage crises effectively.
Green values: Consumers and BrandingTGI (through the KMR Group) | October 2007Forward-thinking consumers and businesses are waking up to scientific and economic arguments by starting to vote for lower carbon products and services with their wallets and purses.
Customer Equity ManagementMeritus | October 2007In the last two decades, managerial trends have tended to focus on either cost management or revenue growth. Customer equity management balances the two, creating market-based growth while carefully evaluating the profitability and ROI of marketing investment.
Out-Of-Home But Not Out-Of-PlaceMillward Brown | October 2007Marketers are returning to the great outdoors. Frustrated by the declining ability of television to deliver mass reach that is cost-effective, advertisers are putting renewed emphasis on reaching people when they're away from home.
What Makes an Iconic Brand?Millward Brown | September 2007Brands are an accepted part of our daily lives. But some brands seem to transcend their product or service categories to become part of the popular culture. What distinguishes these iconic brands from the rest of the pack, and what can marketers learn from them?
Blurring and PolarizationJWT | 2007The blur factor is becoming increasingly prevalent in society, but in keeping with that ancient Chinese principle of yin-yang, so too is an opposite trend toward polarization.
Succeeding with Celebrities MindShare India | 2007MindShare India has launched CelebZ, a powerful tool that allows marketers to zero in on the celebrities who have the strongest appeal within their specific target segment and the best fit with their brands.
Brands in the BalanceLandor | August 2007How do we create effective communications programs when peer-to-peer recommendations are the new form of "earned media"?
PR: What to Do When the Public Does Most of the RelatingOgilvy PR Worldwide | August 2007How do we create effective communications programs when peer-to-peer recommendations are the new form of "earned media"?
The Logic of Search: Has it Clicked Yet?Millward Brown | August 2007To many online marketers, search seems like the ultimate direct response medium. But is there more to search than just converting an active shopper into a purchaser?
University LifeJWT | July 2007This issue of
Work In Progress examines university life today, from how students are learning, spending their free time and planning their lives to how the university structure itself is evolving.
The Power and the GloryJWT India | July 2007A first-of-its-kind study of the global Indian through a uniquely Indian proprietary tool, Brand Chakras
TM, by JWT India
Brand Building Along the Media Long TailMillward Brown | July 2007As people use a wider range of media in their everyday lives, marketers likewise have new options to consider for communicating with them. But in a world keen on rushing us down a growing tail of communication channels, we need to revisit some key principles to ensure that we are wagging that tail and it is not wagging us.
The Store: Whole FoodsThe Store | July 2007Serious foodie? The Store's in-depth analysis of Whole Foods' attempt to conquer the UK high street is essential reading
The Inflection Point: Critical Pathways in Food RetailingThe Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council Europe | June 2007Successful retailers will need to become masters of managing the innovation pipeline - building capabilities and processes to identify potential Accelerators and Disruptors and to test the implications of these for their market and their own business.
Your Guide to Profits: Insights through Business Analytics Meritus | June 2007A balance is required so that the information can be used to the advantage of the business without overwhelming or distracting it.
What Price A Strong Brand?Millward Brown | June 2007As the world of brands becomes ever more cluttered and competitive, the marketer's task of building and maintaining strong brands becomes increasingly difficult.What proof do we have that strong brands really provide a financial benefit to brand owners and shareholders?
I Am Not Rich But I Deserve ItBates Asia | May 2007The changing nature of the luxury goods & services consumer in China.
Engaging Consumer's BrainsMillward Brown | May 2007The advances neuroscience has provided in our understanding of how the brain works could influence how marketers reconsider and refine their approaches to advertising and brandbuilding.
Consumers in the real ChinaOgilvy Discovery, Mindshare | May 2007Ogilvy Discovery & Mindshare Insights embark on an ambitious project to unravel consumers, understand their relationship with brands and the media, and study the retail environment in the low tier towns of China.
Finding The Way To A Successful Brand ExperienceEnterprise IG, May 2007Successful wayfinding strategies rely on clear, innovative signs and other wayfinding aids across all touch points to enhance the consumer’s overall experience. Successful brand experiences rely on clear goals from the outset - If our branding loses its direction, then so will the consumer.
All change: Marketing in addressable mediaGroupM, Apr 2007Welcome to the third iteration of the GroupM This Year Next Year series, this one dedicated to the interactive media. This publication and the data it contains are intended for all marketers and media companies wherever and whoever they are; sellers of branded goods and services, retailers and online merchants, direct and indirect sellers, makers of programmes and owners of the means of distribution.
To Pass Or To Pass It On: That Is The Viral QuestionMillward Brown, Apr 2007It’s hard to resist an offer to get something for nothing, even if our better judgment suggests "you get what you pay for." Could it be the irresistible appeal of a free lunch, combined with envy at the success achieved by a few notable viral marketing campaigns, that is behind advertisers’ current rush of interest in viral marketing? Or is viral really the next big innovation in online marketing?
Growth: Marketing IncubatorsPenn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Apr 2007Is your company looking for new kinds of growth opportunities? Today many marketing organizations are being asked to stimulate growth in their organizations - to become incubators of new products and services. In this paper, Tom Agan, Managing Director of PSB’s New York office, discusses three very different kinds of programs that corporations can use to initiate and develop new ideas and products.
The New AntisocialJWT, Mar 2007Across time and geographies, people have had to find a balance between their need for contact with others and their need for personal space, a balance between their individual interests and the interests of the wider community they live in.
Crisis Management: Is a New Prescription Needed?Millward Brown, Mar 2007Strong brands are built on experience and trust. Product issues that threaten consumer safety put these brand foundations in jeopardy. The way in which Johnson & Johnson responded to the Tylenol poisonings in 1982 is widely held, even today, as a model response to crisis. But is the playbook used by Johnson & Johnson more than a generation ago still adequate for brands facing crisis in the Internet age?
Silent Marketing: Micro Targeting Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Mar 2007Penn, Schoen and Berland (PSB) is a pioneer in developing micro-targeting and micro-messaging and has been applying these techniques with great success in the political arena. Now they are bringing it to the corporate world.
Branded Content: More Than Just Showing Up (pdf)
Millward Brown, Feb 2007As advertisers struggle to engage the attention of today's over-marketed consumers, they are looking with renewed interest at the placement of brands in various entertainment genres. With so many options available to them, how can marketers maximize the value of these appearances for their brands?
A "Greenprint" For Companies (pdf)
Enterprise IG, 2007As the "sustainable" agenda grows in strength, companies need to ensure they get the balance right between promoting a green stance and being true to what they say.
The Promise of Online Video (pdf)
Millward Brown, 2007The sellers of online video advertising are singing its praises and extolling its virtues, promising a more engaged audience for online video compared to a relatively passive one for TV. But have we actually reached the tipping point when budgets shift from TV to online? And how can marketers best utilize this emerging media?
Effective Package Design (pdf)
Landor, 2007Product packaging has the potential to be one of the most effective means to communicate directly with consumers and drive bottom-line growth. However, many brands lack a vital ingredient for success: a unique personality that creates an emotional connection with consumers.
10 Trends for 2007 (pdf)
JWT, 2006Change is happening fast, and it's getting faster all the time. The balance of economic power is shifting to the East as China and India find their stride. The December issue of JWT's
Work in Progress trendletter looks at these forces and more to identify 10 trends for 2007
Celebrity Power: Can Less Be More? (pdf)
Dede Fitch, 2006The use of celebrities in advertising, always a popular practice, has been on the rise in recent years, and the trend shows no sign of abating.
Mum weighs inRachel Geller, 2006Mums and kids rarely argue over products, suggesting the "pester power" so often associated with kids is over-stated, according to new research from The Geppetto Group
Sponsorship: Strategies for Maximising the Return on InvestmentArdi Kolah, 2006PRISM’s Ardi Kolah maps the fast changing environment of sports sponsorship, the key drivers for the growth and how brand owners must establish consumer trust and confidence to provide return on investment.Brand building in the BRICsGeoff Wicken, 2006With the 'BRIC' markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China under increasing focus, a new report from TGI examines the differences and similarities between these countries and suggests strategies for building brands in these markets.
Eye on AsiaChris Beaumont, 2006Comprehensive 12-country study by Millward Brown for Grey Global Group on how urban Asians feel about their lives and aspirations; what they believe makes a great brand; and what they want - and don't want - from advertising and marketing.
High Hopes, Low Income (pdf)
Bernardo Geoghegan with Alosio Pinto, Marcela Cadena and Monica Arellano, 2005Of almost 400 million people across Latin America, more than 50% live below the poverty line. Ogilvy & Mather sets out to understand the marketing opportunity they represent - a snapshot of their findings on Chile.
Spam: The Case for Relationship Marketing (pdf)
Simon Silvester, 2005In a world where consumers receive up to 3,000 commercial messages a day, how do you get existing and new customers to listen and engage? Wunderman puts the case for relationship marketing.
Building Brands from the Inside Out (pdf)
Alan Mitchell, 2005Paper arguing that intellectual connection and emotional commitment are the real keys to successful employee engagement. From Enterprise IG.
Executive Guide to the Blogosphere (pdf)
Christopher Graves, 2005Blogs, wikis and RSS: where they are from, what they are and what they mean for organisations and communications practitioners. Includes practical guidance on how to write blogs and what to expect of them.
Where Next for PVRs? (pdf)
David Fletcher, 2005Looks at PVR usage in UK households and identifies issues for advertisers and media owners. Suggests that the death of the 30-second spot is overblown, but that media strategies require re-thinking.
Service with a Snarl (pdf)
Simon Silvester, 2004Examines the struggle of many service brands to differentiate themselves, and concludes that the key factor is failing to deliver on their promise to consumers.