brand awareness case study advertising

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What Is Brand Awareness? A glossary definition | plus 4 marketing examples with results

This article was published in the MarketingSherpa email newsletter .

Brand awareness measures how many of your ideal customers are acquainted with your company and its marketplace identifiers, such as your company name, product names, logo, positioning, etc., and how deeply they are acquainted with it.

Brands can build customer brand awareness with branding campaigns and promotional marketing tactics. Here is an example from a 2004 MarketingSherpa case study : “Five years ago, AFLAC – though a Fortune 500 company – had little name recognition beyond its shareholders. The name itself seemed difficult for people to remember. Today, thanks to a comic advertising campaign featuring a quacking duck, AFLAC is a household word, with a consumer awareness level of anywhere from 85% to 92%.”

Now let’s look at four much more recent case studies.

Quick Case Study #1: Digital advertising experiment increases CTR 252% for digital marketing consultancy

Flint McGlaughlin, shared a digital advertising experiment in Call to Action Strategy: This marketer changed three words to improve conversion by 300% .

“Target the essence of the prospect’s purchase intent,” McGlaughlin taught in the session and used this experiment as an example. You can learn more about that lesson and this experiment by watching the session, but here is a quick look at the experiment.

The MECLABS Institute team (parent organization of MarketingSherpa) worked with SEM Dynamics to test the ads. “When we initially submitted the ads for optimizations, we were entering into a rebranding period for our company. However, we had yet to test how our new logo would affect user engagement,” said Matthew Post, Co-founder, SEM Dynamics .

The control (original) ad had the SEM Dynamics logo, a line of copy that read “Tailored Marketing Programs That Get Results,” and a button with the call to action to “SET UP A FREE CONSULTATION.”

Creative Sample #1: Control ad for digital marketing consultant

The treatment replaced the original logo with the new logo, which included the tagline “Search Engine Marketing.”

Creative Sample #2: Ad treatment #1 for digital marketing consultant

The tagline helped the treatment ad do a better job of targeting the essence of the prospect’s purchase intent, thus Treatment #1 generated a 24% higher clickthrough rate (CTR). “After seeing the results, we were happy that the new logo provided greater clarity for our brand,” Post said.

The team then ran a test to determine if adding credibility would help improve results. They created a treatment that added the MECLABS seal and the words “MECLABS APPROVED” and tested it against the original control.

Creative Sample #3: Ad treatment #2 for digital marketing consultant

Treatment #2 generated a 71% higher CTR than the original control.

The team then created a third treatment, this time adding a visual to show that the digital marketing consultant is a BBB (Better Business Bureau) accredited business with an A+ rating, along with the new, higher-performing logo. They tested this treatment against the original control.

Creative Sample #4: Ad treatment #3 for digital marketing consultant

Treatment #3 generated a 252% higher CTR than the original control.

“After Flint took the extra step and increased the credibility in the ads, the depth in which credibility affects our industry became clear to us,” Post said. “We are using the takeaways of increasing clarity and credibility throughout the design process as we continue to transition toward our new brand.”

Quick Case Study #2: Local painter pivots advertising strategy, decreases CPL by 55%

Issac Hashimi launched his business, Paint All Stars, in February of this year. His team launched a digital marketing campaign to raise awareness of Paint All-Stars with high-intent homeowners who were looking to paint their houses. As a new business, Paint All Stars felt it was best to develop a high-volume strategy to increase profits as soon as possible. Specifically, they were targeting a minimum job size of $3,000 to ensure the team was focusing on highly profitable work.

“I wanted to start this business because I didn’t want a job that was going to control my future,” says Hashimi, Founder, Paint All Stars . “But I knew I needed help running my business and wanted help building an effective marketing strategy.”

A huge piece of closing the most profitable jobs is targeting the right areas. To start the campaign, the team did an income analysis of Jacksonville, Florida – Paint All Star’s hometown. Through this analysis, they were able to identify the top opportunity neighborhoods to go after. In addition to acquiring highly geo-targeted leads through home service aggregators like HomeAdvisor and Porch, they also launched Facebook and Instagram ads.

“Most new business owners rely heavily on organic marketing to get up and running,” says John Jacob, CEO and Founder, Hoist (Paint All Stars’ business building platform). “Despite relying so heavily on paid marketing, Issac [of] Paint All Stars has been operating his business quite profitably, which is rare for a new business owner. With under $23,500 in marketing spend, 13 percent of his revenue is allocated to marketing. This is in line with a healthy and mature painting business.”

Marketing Solution #1

One of the initial assumptions the team had about generating leads is that they would primarily rely upon aspirational marketing. In their marketing visuals, they showed big dream houses with beautiful lawns and gardens. Why? The goal was to inspire homeowners to attain a more beautiful and prominent living space. The thought was that, with this inspiration in place, homeowners would be more excited about the opportunity to purchase a sparkling coat of paint for their current house.

Here’s an example of this type of creative…

Creative Sample #5: Facebook ad for local painter

What they discovered, however, was that this often fell flat. Their cost-per-lead (CPL) on this ad, for example, was $89.43. It is possible to turn a profit with this CPL, but it’s difficult. Often, you’re going to be just breaking even.

Marketing Solution #2

Because of this, the team pivoted its strategy. Instead, they started utilizing content showing painters at work. Here’s an example…

Creative Sample #6: Facebook ad for local painter with new strategy

They complemented this ad by displaying the key traits of the Paint All Stars team as text on the image. The team wanted the ideal customer to come to the conclusion that in addition to competitive pricing, Paint All Stars is incredibly reliable and flexible.

CPL fell by 55%, down to $40.52, which is more profitable for the local painter.

Hashimi launched his business in February of this year. Although the typical painting business only does around $50,000 to $60,000 in revenue during its first six months, Hashimi has been able to do over $180,000. Most notably, he did $48,000 in revenue in July 2022 alone.

What the brand learned from this test to better serve the end customer

This test helped the team cement just how vital customer trust and connection are in the painting industry. Choosing a home painter isn’t like choosing a $50 product on Amazon that people know they can return. It’s a big investment (often $3,000 to $6,000) and relatively intimate because you’re letting people into your home for an extended period of time.

Rather than creating a grandiose vision of a huge, fancy house and convincing people to paint their home, the team discovered that it’s much better to find who’s already thinking about painting their home and connecting with them on a more personal level about why they can trust your company to make their dreams a reality.

Quick Case Study #3: OREO x McDonald’s influencer marketing campaign generates 298,000 engagements on Instagram for limited-time product

OREO and McDonald’s are doing pretty good on the brand awareness front. OK, that’s a pretty big understatement. These are some of the biggest brands in the world. So perhaps they don’t need to focus as much on brand awareness as a digital marketing consultancy or local painter?

Not the case. In addition to their overall brands, they have a slew of individual products that hunger for brand awareness as well. For example, OREO and McDonald’s wanted to promote the limited-time OREO Shamrock McFlurry – a combo of vanilla soft serve with McDonald’s Shamrock Shake flavor and OREO cookie pieces sold at McDonald’s restaurants.

Influencer marketing was a key part of the promotion strategy. “When relaunching our OREO Shamrock McFlurry, we wanted to create as much buzz around the product as possible to drive hungry consumers into McDonald’s locations nationwide,” said Justine Chapin, Marketing Services Manager, Mondelēz Foodservice (the foodservice arm of Mondelēz International, parent company of OREO). “We proposed the idea of having notable lifestyle and foodie influencers share how they ‘rock out’ the moment they taste the fresh OREO Shamrock McFlurry.

“To bring this campaign to life, our team recruited three top-tier lifestyle and foodie influencers to share an Instagram video or Reels of their ‘fresh spring moment’ trying the OREO Shamrock McFlurry,” said Tiffany Borland, Director of Brand Partnerships, HireInfluence (Mondelēz’s influencer marketing agency). “These influencers aligned with a targeted age demographic of 18 - 34 years old, and demonstrated proficiency in high-quality content, relatability and authenticity in relaying the brands’ message in a way that resonated with the target demographics.”

The three influencers selected were Zahra, Courtney, and Richard.

Zahra (zahr4 on Instagram) had 481,000 followers at the time of the campaign and shared one post, four stories, and one ad. Courtney (colormecourtney on Instagram) had 754,000 followers and shared one post, five stories, and two ads. Richard (hangryblogger on Instagram) had 167,000 followers and shared one post, four stories, and three ads.

The content creators promoted the #OREOShamROCKout campaign and showed audiences how refreshing and enjoyable the new OREO x McDonald’s offering was. The versatility of influencers allowed for the OREO Shamrock McFlurry to be seen by a variety of key audiences as it creatively built excitement and urgency for customers to get the OREO Shamrock McFlurry during its limited window of availability.

Creative Sample #7: Screen grab of Instagram video from Courtney

“While encouraging consumers to try our product, we were able to empower them to have as much fun as possible when consuming the minty OREO McFlurry,” Chapin said.

The campaign generated 1.7 million impressions, 1.3 million video viewers reached, 298,000 engagements, and 294,000 video views.

The sentiment surrounding the campaign showed an overwhelming amount of positivity (35% of language used) and joy-filled emotions (24%) as well as notable amounts of words associated with trust (12%) and anticipation (9%). The sentiment analytics results demonstrate an audience sentiment most associated with the following words: “love,” “cute,” “omg,” “mint,” “sparkles”, “yum”, and “green.”

Creative Sample #8: Reaction from Courtney’s followers on Instagram

“We believe the results were so fruitful because the campaign not only tied into McDonald’s campaign to focus on color play, but it also showcased how the McFlurry excited consumers. We wanted the campaign to depict the experience one can have when indulging in this limited-time menu item, through sharing authentic first-hand experiences,” Chapin said.

The team discovered that connecting with the ideal customer via social channels should include a mixture of in-feed posts with Instagram Stories – to maximize exposure, direct traffic, and increase the longevity of the content.

While Instagram Stories are best used to build context and direct traffic (via the link feature), Instagram feed posts performed marginally better than Instagram Stories by producing the highest average engagement figures with Instagram Reels. The feed posts also produced higher quality content that lives on the influencer’s feed for a longer period, getting continued exposure well after the campaign has ended.

In addition, the campaign performance demonstrated that the Bakery & Sweets, as well as the Family & Children vertical, are highly effective categories to target.

Quick Case Study #4: New position and strategy drive brand awareness, enabling laboratory insights company to 3x growth rate

The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on laboratory testing and results, creating a perfect opportunity for Avalon Healthcare Solutions to redefine the company’s brand and product offering.

The team went through a process that resulted in identifying where Avalon offers a breakthrough solution that is unrivaled in the industry, instead of competing in an existing market.

Avalon reintroduced its brand as the “World’s First Lab Insights Company.” The company changed its brand promise from helping health insurance companies save money on what they pay for lab testing. The new position focused on harnessing lab testing to pioneer a new era of value-driven healthcare by unlocking the potential of lab data to proactively drive appropriate care and enhance clinical outcomes for the healthcare ecosystem.

That’s a higher value to potential customers and the team hoped it would lead to a higher order of financial success.

This category, lab insights, positions Avalon as the first—and only—company to use lab test values collected across various healthcare encounters to create a more holistic picture of a population and individual’s health, resulting in the healthcare Triple Aim—better patient outcomes, at a lower cost, while improving the patient experience.

To communicate this new value, the team went through a complete rebrand with the creation of a new logo, brand colors, guidelines, tone, and positioning/messaging, necessitating a redesigned website.

Creative Sample #9: Previous website for laboratory insights company

Creative Sample #10: Redesigned website for laboratory insights company

The new website featured a “Resources” section that allowed the company to establish itself as a thought leader, offering content in the form of webinar recordings, white papers, and case studies.

The new brand positioning necessitated a new content marketing strategy to fill those resources. The team had to create content for Avalon’s target audience (the C-suite of health plans) that offered them a new way to solve a known problem.

“In this case, health plans’ known problem was the need to accelerate value-based care. Avalon offered them a new way to solve this by helping them understand they needed to think differently about lab testing. Previously, health plans did not place much attention [on] lab testing because they didn’t believe it was a large driver of healthcare costs,” said Holley Malia Miller, President & CEO, Grey Matter Marketing (Avalon’s PR and marketing agency).

Creative Sample #11: Previous webinar for laboratory insights company

Creative Sample #12: New webinar for laboratory insights company based on content strategy to support the re-branding

“Because this content was educational in nature – focused on a new way to solve an urgent known problem, we saw a 33% increase in LinkedIn followers and an average post engagement rate of 8.69%,” Miller said.

Website pageviews increased by 430% year-over-year, and website sessions increased by 363% year-over-year. The retooled webinar series saw registrations triple in just six months.

The new category approach also helped drive a 49% growth in talent acquisition.

All these results were built on an improvement to the product offering itself – the insight mining process that led to the rebranding helped to uncover a product development pathway that would generate a 2x to 3x increase in value to its clients compared to its existing product offering.  

"The investment in category design should have happened sooner for Avalon. Having a clear understanding of who we are and why we need to exist is fundamental. Lab Insights is much bigger and better than where we were in the laboratory benefit management category. We now have something to speak to the prospect's CMO about. We now have some sizzle to drive new growth and revenue. This new category is the reason that Avalon has seen three times the growth rate in the past two years,” said Bill Kerr, CEO, Avalon Healthcare Solutions .

Related resources

Using new social media to create brand awareness

Social Media Marketing: 7 steps for using contests and sweepstakes to promote your brand

Content Marketing: Encouraging sales and upsells at the point of purchase

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9 Creative Ways to Improve Your Brand Awareness

The most valuable brands are usually the most recognizable. Learn how to increase your brand awareness on social media and beyond.

9 ways to improve brand awareness

Brand awareness: It’s one of those concepts you know you need to understand, but perhaps you find it somewhat… hard to pin down? You’re not alone.

On the surface, it’s simple. Brand awareness = people being aware of your brand . But how do you measure that? And what’s the exact brand awareness definition that makes sense for your business?

We explain everything you need to know about how to create an effective brand awareness strategy below.

Bonus: Get a free social media strategy template to quickly and easily plan your strategy, track results, and share with your boss, teammates, and clients.

What is brand awareness?

Brand awareness is a measure of how well people recognize your brand, including how “aware” they are that your brand exists at all. Rather than a simple individual metric, brand awareness is a concept that touches on many different KPIs, from traffic to social share of voice.

We’ll get into the details of how to measure brand awareness later in this post, but for now think of it as one indicator of brand health.

If you want to learn more about how social listening can help you monitor and improve brand awareness, we’ve got a video that just might help:

Why does brand awareness matter?

Strong brand awareness and brand recognition means your brand is top of mind when people think about the category of products or services you sell. They recognize your logo or tagline, making it easier to communicate effectively through social content, especially in images or short-form video.

Brand awareness is a required first step before building brand loyalty. After all, customers can’t love your brand until they know and recognize it.

Think about it as the difference between Coke and store-brand generic cola. No one’s wearing a T-shirt showing their love of generic cola. Sure, people buy it – usually because it’s the cheapest option. But no one is evangelizing for the generic brand.

The most valuable brands are usually the most recognizable. Nike is the most valuable apparel brand. Apple wins the consumer technology category. And, yes, Coca-Cola is tops in food and beverages.

You don’t need to reach the level of these behemoths to benefit from brand awareness, but there’s a lot you can model in the way these companies have built their brands.

How to increase brand awareness: 9 tactics

1. build a recognizable brand.

Brand building is an important first step for brand awareness. That means you need to have a clear idea of what your brand is and what it represents. What does your brand look like? Sound like? Stand for?

Some key components to a recognizable brand include:

Brand voice

What kind of tone do you use ? Are you formal or casual? Cheeky or serious? Playful or businessy?

You don’t need to use exactly the same tone in every format. Your brand voice on social media might be more light-hearted and fun than the voice you use in, say, print ads. Your voice might even shift a little from Facebook to TikTok.

But the way you speak to customers and about your product should ultimately be recognizable across channels. Choose some consistent key words and phrases and follow your style guide .

Brand aesthetic

Consistency is key to brand building and brand awareness. That’s true for your look as well as your words.

What are your brand colors? Fonts? What is your overall look on visual platforms like Instagram and TikTok?

For example, look at these Instagram posts from Old Navy and Banana Republic. Both brands are owned by the same company, but each targets a different demographic, with a social aesthetic to match.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Old Navy (@oldnavy)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Banana Republic (@bananarepublic)

Brand values

We’ve talked about defining what you look and sound like. But brand values define who you are as a brand. Having a clear set of brand values is the most important component of building a recognizable brand.

Don’t get hung up on your ideas of what values have to be. This isn’t all about doing charity work or making corporate donations (although those can certainly be aspects of how you live your brand values). This is more about defining what you stand for as a brand and how you embody that in your interactions with everyone from customers to employees.

Make sure your brand values align with those of your target audience. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer , 58% of consumers buy or advocate for brands based on their beliefs and values, while 60% of employees use beliefs and values to choose their employer.

This is not about lip service. What you do is at least as important as what you say.

Source: 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: the New Cascade of Influence

Logo and tagline

You could argue these are part of your brand voice and aesthetic, but they’re important enough they deserve to be called out on their own. These are the instantly recognizable representations of your brand.

If you read “Just Do It” or see the iconic swoosh, you don’t need anyone to tell you you’re looking at a Nike product or ad. Red Bull gives you what? (Say it with me now: Wings .) Put some thought into these aspects of your brand, as they’ll become the currency of your brand.

Source: Nike on Facebook

2. Tell a brand story

This correlates to some of the elements we’ve already talked about, but it goes a little further than your brand values and voice. Your brand story is the narrative of your brand and how it got to be that way.

For an entrepreneur, the brand story might be that they spotted a problem in their day job and invented a solution to fix the problem.

For a larger business, your brand story might be a conglomeration of your mission statement and your history.

Every brand has a story. But the critical component for brand awareness is to tell that story. Use narrative to showcase your brand story through, for example, customer experiences, or by marking key milestones in your growth.

For example, Harley-Davidson produces The Enthusiast magazine , which showcases rider stories as well as riding tips and information about new models and gear. Rider stories also feature on their social channels:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Harley-Davidson (@harleydavidson)

3. Create value beyond your product

A key way to build long-term brand awareness is to create value beyond your product. Think about ways you can inform, educate, or entertain.

Do you or your team have specialized expertise? Don’t keep it to yourselves! Share your knowledge through a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, or newsletter.

This shouldn’t be about making sales directly. Instead, this is a relationship-building and brand awareness practice that creates more opportunities for audiences to get to know your brand.

For example, Patagonia creates films that align with their brand values and story. Their products appear in the films, but there is no hard sell. The value is in the films themselves. The webpage where the films live says, “We are a collective of storytellers who make films on behalf of our home planet.”

4. Create shareable content

This overlaps a little bit with the last couple of points, but here we’re focused specifically on creating content that’s easy to share. While it’s not always possible to predict what will go viral, you can certainly take steps to make your content more discoverable and shareable.

First, you should follow social media optimization best practices like posting consistently and at the right time .

But also create content that your followers will want to share. This aligns with the idea of providing value in your content rather than always trying to make a sale. Try adding a call to action that suggests sharing your resources or tagging a friend.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Thuja | Swissfoodstagram 🇨🇭 (@thuja_leo)

Also make your content easy to share with social sharing buttons on your website and blog, which can help provide social proof.

5. Contribute to your community

Not all brand-building happens online. You can establish brand awareness by contributing to your community in concrete ways like sponsoring events, offering corporate donations, or facilitating employees’ participation in charity work.

This can be as big as the sponsorship of a major event, like Vancouver’s annual fireworks competition, known as the Honda Celebration of Light.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Honda Celebration of Light (@celeboflight)

Or it could be as simple as contributing an item to a silent auction for a local fundraiser.

6. Offer a freebie

Everyone loves a freebie. Offering something for free is a good way to get skeptical potential customers to try your product. It can also create buzz about your brand online.

Whether it’s a free sample, a free trial or a “freemium” business model, a free taste of what you offer helps get people in the door and spreads awareness of your brand.

What’s the difference between a free trial and freemium?

In a free trial, you offer all or a version of your regular product or service for free for a limited time – usually 7, 14, or 30 days.

With a freemium business model, you offer a basic version of your product for free indefinitely with the option to upgrade to a paid plan for more advanced features.

For example, Hootsuite offers a limited free plan and a 30-day free trial on the professional plan.

Source: Hootsuite Professional

7. Run social media contests

The point above is all about creating brand awareness by making it easy for people to try your product or service. This point also involves free stuff, but here it’s about using a giveaway to draw attention to your brand on social media.

The “tag-a-friend” entry model of social contests is a particularly good way to get new eyeballs to your social accounts and in turn raise awareness of your brand. If you collaborate with another brand or content creator , you’ll increase your potential new audience size even more.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by BlendJet® – Official (@blendjet)

8. Work with the social algorithms

Instagram may have backed off its recommended content algorithm changes for now, but it nonetheless looks like recommended content is here to stay on Meta platforms. Mark Zuckerberg emphasized this in the latest earnings call:

“Right now, about 15% of content in a person’s Facebook feed and a little more than that of their Instagram feed is recommended by our AI from people, groups, or accounts that you don’t follow. We expect these numbers to more than double by the end of next year.”

And, of course, recommended content on the FYP is the driving force on TikTok.

Recommended content increases the opportunities for discovery on social platforms, as your content is seen by users who don’t yet follow you. That extra exposure is a good way to increase brand awareness.

But as Instagram learned when it leaned too hard into recommended content, people only like what they like. Basically, having your content show up in users’ feeds is only part of the equation. To generate real brand awareness, you have to create content they actually want to see.

We’ve got full blog posts on how to work with each of the social platforms’ algorithms, if you want to dive into this social media marketing strategy:

• Instagram algorithm (TL;DR: Reels. Reels. And more Reels.)
• Facebook algorithm
• Tiktok algorithm
• Twitter algorithm

To make sure the content you create is actually valuable to your potential audience, you’ve also got to understand who that audience is. For more details, check out our post on how to find your target market .

9. Run awareness ads

The social networks all know that brand awareness is a key business goal for many brands using their tools, which is why they offer ads that specifically focus on awareness.

Which targeting option is best for achieving brand awareness? The specific label may vary by platform, but it will always be called something like Awareness, Brand Awareness, or Reach.

Source: Meta Ads Manager

Here’s how Meta describes the brand awareness objective for ads on their platforms:

“The brand awareness objective is for advertisers who want to show ads to people who are more likely to recall them.

The brand awareness objective gives you the estimated ad recall lift (people) metric, which shows how many people we estimate would remember your ad if we asked them within two days.”

LinkedIn puts it a little more simply: “Tell more people about your products, services, or organization by selecting the Brand Awareness objective for your ad campaigns.”

Meanwhile, TikTok calls its branded hashtag challenge ad format the “master of mass awareness” and one of the “biggest and best ad formats for widespread and unmissable awareness.”

In short, brand awareness ads are a straightforward way to ensure your social advertising budget goes toward building awareness for your brand.

Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.

How to measure brand awareness

As we said right up at the top, brand awareness is not a single metric. But there are a number of stats you can use to measure it. Here are some of the most important brand awareness metrics and how to track them.

Note that while each of the social platforms offers its own analytics tools, those give you a siloed picture of your results one account at a time. For an overall view of your brand awareness success, it’s important to look at all the platforms together.

An analytics dashboard like Hootsuite Analytics makes measuring brand awareness metrics much easier by tracking data from all your social accounts in one place with the ability to create custom graphical reports that help you see changes in brand awareness over time.

Reach indicates the number of people who see your social content. When more people see your content, more people are likely to start to recognize what differentiates you as a brand. (This is why it’s so important to have a consistent brand voice and aesthetic.

When tracking your reach as a measure of brand awareness, pay special attention to the number of followers and non-followers.

Non-followers who see your content are potentially being exposed to your brand for the first time, generating new awareness.They’re seeing your content because it was recommended to them, either by one of their social contacts or by a social algorithm.

Impressions

As noted above, reach measures the number of people who saw your content (or, more specifically, the number of accounts that saw your content). By contrast, impressions measures the number of times people saw your content.

If your number of impressions is significantly higher than your reach, people are looking at your content multiple times. This can be a great signal of brand awareness. After all, the more times someone looks at a single piece of content, the more likely they are to remember the brand behind it.

Audience growth rate

Audience growth rate measures how quickly your audience is growing. This provides great signals of brand awareness, as followers are certainly more likely to know about and recognize your brand than are people who don’t yet follow you.

To calculate audience growth rate, take your number of new followers over a certain period and divide it by your total existing followers. Then, multiple by 100 to get your audience growth rate as a percentage.

Social share of voice

Social share of voice is a good way to measure awareness of your brand compared to your competitors. It indicates how much of the social conversation in your industry is dedicated to your brand.

To calculate social share of voice:

• Tally all the mentions of your brand across social networks – both tagged and untagged. (A social listening tool like Hootsuite is extremely helpful here.)
• Do the same for your key competitors.
• Add both sets of mentions together to get a total number of mentions for your industry.
• Divide your mentions by the total.
• Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

Direct traffic

Direct traffic is an indication of how many people land on your website by typing in your website address directly. (As opposed to finding you through a search engine, social channel, and so on.)

If someone knows your URL, they’re pretty clearly aware of your brand.

Using a web analytics tool like Google Analytics , you can see how people find your website online. Look for the direct traffic information to see how many people are typing your URL directly into their browsers.

3 examples of brand awareness campaigns on social media

1. the balvenie.

The Balvenie Whisky brand awareness campaign featured a YouTube web series in partnership with Questlove. The series featured meaningful interviews with celebrity creatives and thinkers, while raising awareness for the brand.

The marketing campaign brought in 5.1 thousand new YouTube subscribers and raised key brand awareness attributes above the relevant benchmarks.

2. Naked Juice

Naked Juice used Facebook and Instagram video and photo collection format ads with the reach objective for its brand awareness campaign. The ads, which appeared in both feed and Stories, used strong imagery and large text overlay to raise brand awareness with or without sound.

Source: Facebook

The campaign saw a 3.7 point lift in brand awareness.

3. Savage X Fenty

Savage X Fenty used brand awareness ad objectives to reach new audiences on Facebook and Instagram. The awareness ads focused specifically on creating a strong sense of brand, with sales or offers as a secondary focus.

Targeting all women in France, Savage X Fenty created half the ads themselves, and partnered with a group of Instagram influencers to create the rest.

Source: Instagram

These brand awareness ads resulted in a 6.9 point increase in ad recall.

Measure brand awareness and reach your target audience with Hootsuite. Plan, publish, and analyze your results in the same, easy-to-use dashboard. Try it free today .

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Christina Newberry is an award-winning writer and editor whose greatest passions include food, travel, urban gardening, and the Oxford comma—not necessarily in that order.

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Brand Marketing Case Studies Continued

Digital provides today's brand advertisers and content creators with opportunities to tell compelling stories that engage audiences in new, exciting ways. This collection features brands and content creators that used video, display and social to drive innovation and connect with their consumers. They also drove impact—building awareness, influencing consideration, driving sales and ultimately growing loyalty. Learn about best practices, creative executions and how brands achieved success through digital.

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Youtube and broadway: a cinderella story, real beauty shines through: dove wins titanium grand prix, 163 million views on youtube, brand usa boosts travel intent 22% with 'discover america' campaign, us marine corps reaches their audience through youtube, obama for america persuades voters on youtube, universal technical institute uses youtube's trueview ads to drive student enrollment, lg germany's eye-catching awareness campaign with google, brand usa creates a unique digital experience with google catalogs in lightbox, extra space storage goes local at scale with google, spotco uses google engagement ads to promote broadway musical "once", oxfam finds success with google engagement ads, how travel oklahoma is bucking tradition to win visitors.

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6 Amazing Brand Awareness Campaign Examples & Ideas

Brand awareness is the reason industry giants like Coca-Cola and Heineken still run million-dollar adverts on traditional media. They’re not doing adverts on TV, radio, and in newspapers to drive sales. They’re doing it to keep their target customers aware of their brands—which eventually drives sales in the end.

It’s why the first thing that comes to mind when you crave a cold soft drink is Coke or Pepsi (or any of the other companies that take brand awareness campaigns seriously ).

Once your brand awareness begins to diminish, consumers will begin to forget your brand—period. But it’s not just the GE’s and Coca-Cola’s of the world that need brand awareness, it’s all businesses large and small alike.

The good news is that this doesn’t mean you also have to start spending millions on traditional adverts like Coca-Cola. There are several other ways you can launch brand awareness campaigns that don’t require million dollar commercials.

Without further ado, here are some brand awareness campaign examples to learn from:

Brand awareness campaign examples and strategies.

To build your own brand awareness strategy, look those which brands have been successful and to mirror strategies they’ve used:

1. Branded and unbranded (industry-related) hashtags.

It’s a no brainer—hashtags can drive exposure for your brand on social media, but there are two ways to use them.

You’re either using branded hashtags —the ones directly launched by your brand (like Coke’s #ShareACoke, Red Bull’s #PutACanOnIt, Volkswagen’s #Vwvan), or you’re using industry-related hashtags —the unbranded ones popular in your space (like #fitness, #food, #marketingtips, #digitalmarketing, #vegetarian, etc).

Both types of hashtags are great for brand awareness. And both can get lots of eyeballs on your brand. But they do have some differences:

Branded hashtags: the more popular your hashtag gets, the more people become aware of your brand. It’s often hard to make a new branded hashtag popular, but if you manage to pull it off, your brand owns it forever and enjoys all the benefits.

Besides Coke, a great example of a branded hashtag that’s become really popular and has driven awareness for its brand is Hyatt’s #WorldOfHyatt . The hotel brand uses the hashtag to encourage its customers to share pictures of their personal experiences with Hyatt hotels or resorts.

The brand gets all the awareness juice since the organization launched their own unique hashtag.

Industry-related (unbranded) hashtags: These are easier to use. They don’t require you to make them popular; they’re popular already, but the benefits from them are not as great as the glory a successful branded hashtag can bring.

Conversation driven by your brand isn’t the only thing taking place there, but still, you’ll be associating yourself with popular brands in your industry, and that will help a lot.

A more direct way of working with others in your industry is forming complementary partnerships.

2. Complementary partnerships

There are companies who have already built a base of customers that are perfect for you. Another effective way to build brand awareness is to leverage partnerships with those brands.

Complementary partnerships, in particular, work great. Simply put, they are collaborations with businesses that sell products that complement your products.

For example, tourism services complement airline services, because tourists who want to travel will need to board an aircraft (unless it’s a cruise or road trip, of course). Therefore, services having to do with airlines do well to work with tourism businesses. You help them and they help you. You use each other’s target audience to raise awareness of your brand.

In their experience on partnerships, Gallup Vice Chairman Gale Muller and NYTimes bestselling author Rodd Wagner says this about complementary partnerships:

“The best happens when you and someone who has strengths that complement yours join forces and focus on a single goal. Your strengths cancel out your partner’s weaknesses, and vice versa. You accomplish together what could not be done separately.”

A good complementary partnership example to emulate here is Pottery Barn’s partnership with Sherwin-Williams.

Pottery Barn sells home furniture while Sherwin-Williams sells paint. Customers buying home furniture are likely also interested in buying paint—a complementary partnership.

Consumers can choose to match Pottery Barn furniture colors with paint colors directly from the Sherwin-Williams site. Clever, huh?

The interesting thing about finding complementary partners is that they have almost no reason to reject your offer no matter how big they are—because you’ll be creating a win-win situation for both you and them; they’ll be selling and you will be, too.

3. Guest blogging

Gone are the days when you wrote guest posts on popular sites and waited around hoping your brand became popular. Today, you need to actively devise means that will drive significant exposure to your brand via your guest posts.

Here are a few tips to boost brand awareness via guest posting:

Run sponsored posts: they’re basically the guest posts you pay publications to write to reach new audiences. It’s easier to get published when you sponsor posts than when you write for free.

Only write for popular sites that will allow include a brand mention: for example, here’s a guest post that the CEO of Porch Matt Ehrlichman wrote for Entrepreneur —a publication with millions of monthly readers—where he mentioned his company and what it does right in the middle of the post:

If a site you intend to write for doesn’t allow you to include a mention of your brand, you may want to go look for another publication that will allow you to do so. Otherwise, you’ll be doing guest posts without impacting your brand awareness.

Only write for sites that allow you to have visible author bios: Not all sites will allow you to have author bios at the beginning or end of your post, with a link to your site; if you’re looking to increase your brand awareness via guest posts, then you need to write for sites that do.

While some people prefer reading, others are avid listeners, so let’s look at podcasting.

4. Partner with podcasters and/or start your own podcast.

67 million Americans listen to audio podcasts monthly. The popularity of podcasts continues to gain momentum (both audio and video).

Just like complementary partners, there are podcasters who have already built the audience you want to cater to; get in touch and partner with them, or start your own.

It’s important to note that podcasting isn’t a 100% full-proof medium to build brand awareness. People don’t listen to podcasts to hear a sales pitch, they do so to be entertained or learn new things that are important to them.

Nevertheless, you’ll want to tell them about your brand and product in those podcasts—which is okay if done correctly. If you provide value, you can insert your brand alongside content!

Just keep in mind, everyone is listening (or watching) to glean entertaining and educating information from you. You want to make interesting and educating content your priority; informing them about your brand and product should come in second place. Follow the tried and true 80/20 rule—roughly 80% of your podcast content should be non-brand related, helpful info and up to 20% can be brand related message.

A brilliant example of a business using podcasts that provide people with fascinating content while building brand awareness is Ebay .

Open any of these podcasts. Each one will teach you something that will help you run your business as well as inform you how Ebay can be a part of that.

Ebay starts each episode by introducing their brand, but then after the intro, relays  a business strategy that they or someone else is using effectively so you can be successful too. You learn from someone else’s personal growth and their encounters with difficulties.

Ebay balances creating brand awareness with interesting and educating content. But it’s obvious that the latter is the priority—non-sales, educative information takes up about 85% of each episode.

But of course, not all your target audiences fancy listening much, so you want to add videos to the mix as well.

5. Add videos to your brand awareness strategy.

Video consumption is getting bigger by the day; one study from Cisco says marketing videos will represent a whopping 80% of all Internet traffic by 2019. So it makes sense consider videos as a via brand awareness tactic.

And here at Taboola, we help you reach more of your target audiences by placing your branded videos on their favorite publications . AM:PM, for example, got really impressing results using our video distribution service last summer—the completion rate for their branded videos was impressive.

The company runs always-open stores in over 40 locations in Israel, and they wanted to increase their brand awareness—through videos.

AM:PM decided to try native video advertising with Taboola as part of their promotion mix. Long story short, here’s what their agency’s CEO, Eran Lupo, had to say about their results :

“With Taboola, we were able to not only achieve the brand awareness and campaign performance AM:PM desired,” said Eran Lupo, CEO of AM:PM’s agency, 49ers IL – Network. “we also blew our campaign goals out of the water.”

Next, native advertising.

6. Native advertising.

Native advertising ads don’t look like typical ads. Instead, they take the form of the content on the sites they’re distributed by. By blending in with their surroundings, they get better results than typical online ads like display, and sometimes, social media.

Many of our customers have used built up brand awareness with native advertising campaigns—here’s how they did it.

38 Case Studies From Brands That Have Succeeded With Taboola

How brands use native advertising to build brand awareness..

We can help you distribute your branded content across popular publications  on the open web—publications that your target customers likely already read.

Some examples are Kueez, Avocados from Mexico and TUI Group.

Kueez Scales up to 100 million quality page views per month.

Kueez is an online gaming platform that already attracted millions of visitors per month, but were looking for a high quality international audience to expand their brand. Through native advertising with the Taboola platform, they were able to reach 5 to 10 million new users in a month:

“We’ve seen between 5 and 10 million new users a month with Taboola, and an amazing increase in engagement—an average of 10 pages visited per user, while with other channels we see an average of six,” says Ori Mendi, CEO of PRPL and co-founder of Kueez.

Using this native advertising strategy, Kueez has been able to build their brand awareness and acquire more users—similar to the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association (MHAIA) and the Mexican Avocado Producers and Packers (MAPP).

Building the Avocados from Mexico brand with a 14% increase in leads

Most people don’t know there’s a difference between a typical avocado and a Mexican avocado. Well, like Macintosh and Braeburn apples, they’re two different types of avocados, and if Mexican avocado dealers are ever going to sell and build their brands effectively, they will have to spell out the differences for everyone.

Avocados from Mexico (AFM) started with Super Bowl ads, where they spent $5 million dollars on a 30-second video. It paid off quite well—it was obvious people started to see the difference between Mexican avocados and other types of avocados.

Besides the Super Bowl ads, these avocado farmers also partnered with Ro2Media, an agency that uses Taboola’s native advertising solution for several AFM marketing campaigns. This led to them creating more awareness for the AFM brand and even getting a 14% increase in lead generation.

TUI group also increased ROI using our native advertising platform.

TUI group drove visits and booking with native advertising

TUI runs the largest tourism business in the world today. They have pretty skeptical customers, and that’s only normal as aspiring tourists have to carefully consider their tourism options before moving an inch from their residents.

In a bid to help their customers’ decision process and increase bookings, TUI group launched Passenger 6A (P6A) —a publication where their target customers can get all the tourism inspiration and information they need.

The goal of P6A is simple: drive awareness and bookings for TUI.

To increase their success with this editorial brand in a recent Visit Britain campaign, TUI group turned to a native advertising platform to increase their success. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the competitive pricing they desired there.

Then they tried Taboola as a second option were blown away with the results. They got 249,820 visits to articles on P6A and TUI India (their site targeted at Indian audiences). Approximately 4,329 of those users decided to visit pages that included TUI packages. This resulted in 96 bookings through TUI India and 600 overnights,

We hope you take away from ideas from these powerful brand awareness campaigns . Strategies like hashtags, strategic complementary partnerships, targeted guest blogging, informative podcasting, and native advertising are your friends.

Employ these brand awareness campaign ideas—you’ll see an uptick in the attention you’re getting.

Create Your Content Campaign Today!

The Definitive Guide to Brand Awareness Studies

• Brand Experience , Survey Tips

The goal of most brand awareness studies is to answer this one question:

What percentage of my target market is aware of my brand?

Other brand health studies are crucial to forming a complete marketing strategy, but measuring your brand’s market Recognition and Recall is the best first step.

Why is this metric so important? Easy. It is integral to the topmost section of the customer purchase funnel and dictates how large that section is:

You can only get out of the funnel as much as you put in, so it’s important to know how your brand awareness stacks up with the competition.

Two Types of Brand Awareness: Recognition vs. Recall

Brand awareness measures the extent to which consumers are familiar with your brand and product. As consumers we’re aware of brands in different ways — with some brands we’re reminded of our familiarity with them upon hearing it’s name, or seeing it’s logo in store aisles. Other brands enjoy “top of mind” status, which puts them immediately at the forefront when it comes time to make a purchase.

Brand Recognition (Aided Research)

These studies measure the ability for customers to recognize your brand from a list of brands shown. Brand recognition levels are crucial in scenarios where customers are presented with a selection of products from various brands, such as at the supermarket. Unless the customer has a “top of mind” selection, they will automatically recognize the brands where a level of familiarity already exists.

For example, you may purchase motor oil so infrequently that you’d be hard-pressed to recite the name of one brand off the top of your head. However, one quick scan of the selection at the local auto parts store and you just might find yourself leaning towards the familiar looking one in the bright yellow container. 

Brand recognition levels are especially important for newer companies and brands who do not yet have a solidified presence in the market.

Brand Recall (Unaided Research)

These studies measure the ability of customers to summon the name of your brand without having it appear in a list first. This means that an open-ended question must be used. Brand recall question types provide a higher “hurdle” than aided research. This means you will gather higher quality data from this method. A higher correlation is typically found between consumer preference and the results of an unaided study versus a lower correlation than with an aided one.

Where possible, data collection through unaided question types is much more preferable compared to aided questionnaires.

Four Additional Types of Brand Awareness & Health Studies

Brand awareness measures the percentage of your target market that is aware of your brand, but intelligence that you collect for changes in your marketing strategy cannot be fed by this alone. Your brand has an image, but are your brand’s attributes that you work so hard to market being reflected in the sentiments of those already aware of your brand? Let’s take a look at various brand health studies that in conjunction can be used to form your marketing strategy:

• Brand Image Study: Gather internal and external feedback to see how closely your customer’s perception matches the Brand Identity that you’re trying to cultivate.
• Brand Trust Study: In an era of data breaches, keeping tabs on your levels of brand trust is key. If your brand doesn’t appear trustworthy, you will have difficulty retaining customers.
• Brand Loyalty Study: Loyal customers can become evangelists, but you need to consistently track loyalty levels to determine how often this transformation is happening.
• Customer Profile Study: Changes in your core customer base may signal the need for a pivot, either in the product or your marketing messages (or both).

Two Ways to Conduct Your Brand Awareness Study: Online and Telephone Surveys

The example questions above are commonly found in online surveys. Increasingly, this has become a popular choice for studies of all kinds, brand studies included. Many people have web-oriented jobs and coupled with smartphones users have access to the internet for hours and hours per day. Respondents rarely plan their day to include survey-taking, but when the convenience level is so high they’re happy to share their opinion.

Advantages of Online Surveys for your Brand Awareness Study

• They offer the ultimate in convenience: participants can respond almost any time.
• Lower costs compared to telephone and in-person field studies.
• Fast field times to gather your representative sample.

Disadvantages of Online Surveys for your Brand Awareness Study

• Anonymity is more common: many online panel services do not allow for personally identifiable information to be collected.
• No live person to clarify questions.
• Technology requirements (access to a fast, web-connected laptop /smartphone) can make certain segments of the population almost impossible to reach.

Advantages of Telephone Surveys for your Brand Awareness Study

• Great ability to target a specific number of respondents within a narrow demographic or geo location.
• In certain studies it can allow for more in-depth probing of the respondent.
• Respondents can more readily decide to share their personal information.

Disadvantages of Telephone Surveys for your Brand Awareness Study

• Typically much more costly than online surveys.
• Fields times to capture your entire sample audience can be considerably longer.

Online Surveys: Best Practices for Brand Awareness Studies

Online surveys provide are an affordable option to provide high quality data for your brand health study. Unbiased results can be captured with quick field times, but only if you protect yourself from some common pitfalls and follow some best practices. Online survey creation platforms abound online, such as Alchemer, SurveyMonkey, and Qualtrics, to name a few. Whether you are using an online panel provider (recommended) or you have purchased an email list (not recommended), these best practices apply all the same.

Reach Your Target Audience, Use Disqualifying Questions

Even if the online panel company you’ve chosen to run your car brand study through claims that it can target those who are in the market to purchase a car with the next 12 months, given the margin of error that exists within panel companies you’ll still want to asked a question early in the survey confirming that this is the case. Online survey software typically provides “logic” features that automatically perform the disqualifications.

Use Audience Quotas

Basic demographics, such as age, gender, location and ethnicity should be asked as questions in your survey. If you plan to segment your some or all of these demographics it’s highly recommended that quotas are created for each of these. The only way to ensure that your quotas are accurate are to qualify the respondent through these questions on demographics. Online panel provides offer census data with regards to age, gender, location and ethnicity, which you can use to create your quotas. 

Use Unaided Question Types

As discussed previously, unaided questions provide data of a higher purity, since respondents must make top of mind recollections. Aided questions creates the opportunity for a margin of guesswork from your respondents.

Protect Yourself Against Bad Data

Most high quality online survey creation platforms feature tools that automatically quarantine low quality responses. Here are the main culprits that these data cleaning tools typically target:

• Speeders: Those whose survey completion times come in much lower than the average of all respondents of your survey.
• Straight-liners/Patterned Responses: Applies to check box questions — those who select all options within a single column, or follow a particular pattern (i.e. a zigzag pattern is known as “christmas treeing”):
• Gibberish and One-word Open Text Responses: Necessary for unaided questions is for respondents to share information in their own words. Entries that do not form words (gibberish) or consist of only ONE word can “cleaned” out of your data-set.
• Utilize Trap/Red Herring Questions: to protect against bots, as well as those who are answering your survey without actually reading your questions, can be weeded-out uses questions that have obvious answers:

Most online panel providers will provide replacement completes for these types of problematic answers, but it’s best to arrange for this ahead of time with the panel company before your study launches.

Run Your Brand Awareness Study Before a New Marketing Campaign

The results of brand awareness studies can serve as fantastic benchmarks. Placed as bookends around a major marketing effort, these studies can provide fantastic indicators on the performance of your initiative. At a minimum brand awareness surveys should be run once a year, but other opportunities arise as you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your product. SWOT analysis is perfect for this. SWOT is a structured planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing business ventures.

• Strengths: What are the attributes of your brand that it an advantage over others?
• Weaknesses: What attributes put it at a disadvantage relative to others
• Opportunities: what does the organizations stand to gain from this venture
• Threats: what could cause trouble for the organization as a result of this venture.

With SWOT many of the opportunities and threats are defined based on the strengths and weaknesses of your brand. But what if your strengths and weaknesses haven’t been affirmed by an external audience? A brand awareness study is a perfect tool to ensure that your perceived strengths and perceived weaknesses are reflected by the opinions in the market.

As Brand Awareness Increases, so Does Brand Preference

As increased awareness is unarguably a good for your brand, it stands to reason that there is a direct correlation here with brand preference. In fact, there have been multiple studies performed that document this correlation. A study conducted by Cahners Research involved 23,341 businesses and found the following results. With almost a direct ratio, brand preference rose along with brand awareness:

Image courtesy of www.5metacom.com

Want to Learn More About Brand Awareness Surveys?

Check out this blog entry: Why Brand Awareness Surveys Are Critical For An Effective Marketing Plan

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Insights > Media

When it Comes to Brand Building, Awareness is Critical

3 minute read | June 2021

Marketers have always been pressured to deliver measurable returns on their efforts, but the demand for growth has sharpened as the world looks toward a post-pandemic future. And to deliver, marketers should focus on balanced strategies that re-elevate upper-funnel, brand-building efforts that work in tandem with conversion-focused efforts.

There is no short-selling the importance of sales-driven marketing, but long-term business vitality requires more than short-term activations. Holistic marketing requires balance, and that’s something that an array of multinational companies realized after relying too heavily on sales-driven activations—even before the pandemic hit. Brands like Gap Inc., Adidas and Tripadvisor all made public statements in late 2019 about their need to do more to create and maintain long-term brand equity.

Compared with the alluring, immediate results of conversion-oriented marketing, brand building is slower to generate tangible returns. The returns, however, are meaningful—and measurable. In terms of actual sales, Nielsen’s experience base shows that on average, a 1-point gain in brand metrics such as awareness and consideration drives a 1% increase in sales. While it might be easy to dismiss a single percent as immaterial, a 1% return on sales of $1 billion equates to $10 million, which is far from immaterial.

Upper-funnel marketing efforts also generate an array of ancillary benefits that can drive the efficiency of sales activations. For example, Nielsen recently measured how effective a financial services company’s marketing efforts were at driving sales across approximately 20 markets. At the onset, brand awareness and consideration for the brand varied across the different markets. At the end of the study, Nielsen found that the correlation between the upper funnel brand metrics and marketing efficiency was exceptionally strong (0.73). Accordingly, brands may find it worthwhile to build equity not only for the direct benefits to sales, but also for the indirect benefit coming from improving the efficiency of activation efforts.

In addition to the established benefits of brand building, long-term marketing efforts are growing increasingly important as traditional sources of brand equity are eroding. It’s easy to forget, for example, that visibility on a store shelf or on a physical sign provides a notable amount of brand equity. Brand owners may take these for granted, but that becomes a risky proposition when we consider that fewer people are shopping in physical stores and traveling past them. So when it comes down to it, staying top-of-mind with consumers could be the difference maker when a sale is at stake. In fact, Nielsen data shows that marketing accounts for 10%-35% of a brand’s equity.

The impact of equity loss is reflected in the differences in brand retention and the trial rates across traditional and digital channels. For example, in the U.S. consumer packaged goods (CPG) market, consumers say that 4.3% of their brick-and-mortar purchases involve a brand they had not purchased before, according to Nielsen Commspoint . For online purchases, the metric jumps to 12.1%. The increased rate of new brand purchase is entirely at the expense of brands that consumers use regularly.

This increased pressure on non-marketing sources of equity elevates the importance of marketing in preserving a brand’s health.

There is never a good time to stop advertising , but the need to drive awareness has never been more important for brands. Conversion-oriented marketing is appealing because it drives sales in this quarter, and the immediate gratification carries weight. But long-term business success requires more than repeat business among existing customers. And that’s why marketers should focus their efforts to ensure they insert a balanced share of voice in both their upper- and lower-funnel messaging.

For additional insights, download our recent Nielsen Brand Resonance white paper .

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9 LinkedIn Ad Case Studies That Marketers Can Learn From

Updated: July 01, 2020

Published: June 29, 2020

When you think about social media marketing, what's the first platform that comes to mind? For many marketers, it's probably Facebook or Instagram. But if I were to pick one, I'd go with LinkedIn.

Why? Well, first, LinkedIn is an amazing platform to use for brand awareness. Their Business Solutions offer a variety of ad types, like photo or video. Ads are visible to the platform's 630 million users , and the unique optimization tools, like audience targeting, ensure Ads reach qualified leads.

Second, LinkedIn's Business Solutions are expansive . There's a lot of opportunity for ad customization and budgeting — which is helpful if you’re not quite sure which ad is right for your strategy.

That's where my third reason for loving LinkedIn comes in: case studies.

Case studies often explain the thinking, process, and analysis behind how a team or business uses a product or solution. Marketing case studies usually focus on specific verticals, industries, or solutions.

Want to learn more about LinkedIn Ads ? Their case studies are a good place to start. Let’s walk through a few.

LinkedIn Ads Case Studies

These case studies will dive into every ad type LinkedIn has to offer and what those corresponding campaigns look like. LinkedIn offers four ad types: Dynamic, Sponsored, Text, and Message.

Dynamic Ads change based on the interests of LinkedIn members. They come in four formats and offer the most opportunity for personalization. Use this ad type, if you want to create highly stylized Ads for your campaign.

While Dynamic Ads can be shown in a variety of places on LinkedIn, Sponsored Ads are shown only in the main feed. They're similar to other channels in which ads blend into a user's main screen.

Text and Message Ads live on users’ main screens too — just in less obvious places. A Text Ad shows up in a member's right column, where other promoted content lives, while Message Ads are sent directly to inboxes.

Let’s look at a few companies that are at all levels of LinkedIn advertising expertise as well as companies with a variety of budgets.

Are you ready to see them in action?

LinkedIn Dynamic Ads Case Studies

Dynamic Ads use data about LinkedIn member interests to show them personalized Ads. The content of the ad, like copy or photos, changes based on that data. LinkedIn members can configure what's collected by LinkedIn to personalize the Dynamic Ad experience from the main feed.

LinkedIn's Dynamic Ads come in four formats:

It's likely that you've come across one of these ads on LinkedIn before. With so many versions, it's almost impossible not to see a job ad to your right, or a spotlight ad in the middle of the homepage.

If you've always wondered if those ads were successful, here are a few examples.

1. NerdWallet's Follower Ads

Finding top technology talent isn't an easy task — with so many qualified applicants, and even more competition, Companies like NerdWallet , which gives customers personalized financial advice, need help finding prospects.

In 2019, NerdWallet used LinkedIn Pages as a recruiting tool. LinkedIn's emphasis on professional content makes Pages the perfect place for them to promote its company culture.

Follower Ads about the company's self-proclaimed "nerdy" company culture would bring interested LinkedIn members to their Careers Page, where jobs are posted.

Image Source

“We're building recognition of our company and talent brand among industry peers. Through LinkedIn, we've even been able to reach VP-level members. That's not easy to do anywhere else," says Vivian Chen of NerdWallet's Brand Marketing team.

Results: NerdWallet's most popular posts usually center around company culture. One of NerdWallet's communication managers notes that employee-centric posts provide a genuine depiction of working there. Visible representatives can recruit those who can see themselves joining a team like NerdWallet's.

Takeaways: LinkedIn allows marketers to use the platform differently from other social media channels. If none of your other social pages allow for work-related content. Consider using Company Pages to spotlight company culture, and Promote them using Follower Ads just like NerdWallet did. These Dynamic Ads will change based on audience interest, so your transparent, company-related content will reach potential talent and followers.

2. ESCP Europe's Spotlight Ads

The World's First Business School, ESCP Europe , wanted to generate applicants for their Masters Degree in European Business in addition to building a global leads pipeline. They used Spotlight Ads, like the one below, to engage prospective students:

Spotlight Ads offer valuable content with which to target audiences. This ad, giving scholarship information, is perfect for gaining leads from a landing page. ESCP used LinkedIn Spotlight Ads because they’re a great platform for reaching higher education students.

"Precise profile targeting has led to quality results, which have converted in record time," says Rachel Maguer , the Director of Marketing and business Development at ESCP Europe. The company wanted to see a conversation rate of one completed application per 100 leads, in addition to generating at least 250 high-quality leads for their degree program.

Results: So, did ESCP make the grade? As a result of this campaign, ESCP Europe saw over two million impressions from potential students. Additionally, the ads led to a conversion rate of almost 14% — almost twice as much as the intended goal.

In total, ESCP generated 40 more leads over goal and found three countries that topped their qualified leads, solidifying the plan for a global lead pipeline.

Takeaways: Staying customer-focused with ads helped ESCP Europe secure almost 300 applicants. Ads showed images of current students enjoying the beautiful campus. Spotlight Ads accrued the leads, and ESCP Europe nurtured them through to conversion with follow-up calls and interview next steps.

Use Spotlight Ads to identify quality leads in global markets, and nurture them by providing valuable content to audiences in a Dynamic Ad format.

3. Snagajob's Job Ads

Snagajob , formerly known as Snag, is a source for finding hourly work. Because the platform is for job discovery, it's not hard to guess that when opportunities open, Snagajob's team wants people to know. To help, the company turned to LinkedIn for lead generation and ads to capture the attention of their target audience.

The company's ideal customers — business owners and managers — are on LinkedIn. The Job and Video Ads showcased Snagajob's deep understanding of customer behavior: that decision makers often don't have enough time. As a result, ads are short, explain the service's value, and are visually stunning:

Results: Snagajob's marketers had a hunch that Job and Video Ads would be successful for compelling busy professionals, and they were correct. Their campaign saw an 84% rise in converted leads. They earned more applicants and gained quality leads, all while lowering their cost of ad spend.

Takeaways: When targeted Ads are used in a calculated way, like Snagajob's, they're not a waste in ad spend. Additionally, Job Ads let people outside of a member's network know that companies in their industry are hiring.

4. Noodle's Content Ads

Noodle.ai provides artificial intelligence services to businesses, helping them become more efficient. To build brand awareness, Noodle.ai's marketers decided to use Content Ads to connect with their target audience of C-level executives.

In 2018, Noodle used LinkedIn's ad tools to solidify a lead pipeline. Content Ads, which promote downloadable content that automatically generate leads, were an excellent method to reach supply chain executives.

The Content Ad above promotes an ebook about supply chain management. Noodle.ai's team found that their target audience responds to content that helps executives understand their expertise.

Results: Noodle.ai saw three times better ROI than other marketing methods. In addition, CTR soared to up to three times higher on Noodle.ai's paid content and obtained 40% of qualified leads from the channel overall.

Takeaways: LinkedIn has now become a prime tool for identifying Noodle.ai's leads. By using Content Ads, Noodle.ai's marketing strategy is now a refined, reliable process for team cohesion.

Use Content Ads as a scalable marketing choice — as Noodle.ai grows, their marketing efforts with LinkedIn can grow as well. Remember, Content Ads are only available by contacting a LinkedIn representative .

LinkedIn Sponsored Ads Case Studies

Sponsored Ads appear in the news feed of LinkedIn members. They blend into feeds, but are notated by a supporting headline. Sponsored content includes single image ads, video ads, and carousel ads. Let's look at examples of each.

5. Kate Spade New York's Single Image Ads

Before 2019, designer brand Kate Spade New York (KSNY) never had ad campaigns on LinkedIn.

It wasn't until the company's team identified customers for their smartwatch on the platform that LinkedIn was considered for advertising. Krista Neuhas , senior director of global digital marketing for KSNY, says, "It’s important to us that the message we are sharing with consumers fits on the platform we are using."

Initially, the goal of the campaign was to drive traffic. The team decided to run a single image ad that featured actress Busy Philipps wearing the watch. The supporting copy tells the busy working woman that the new watch does everything they need:

The single image ad was used to spread brand awareness and showcase the new launch. It was part of a strategy that aimed to reach the right type of professional with the right messaging, and a simple image did the trick. Let's see how the ad campaign went for KSNY.

Results: The Busy Philipps ad made impressions with 143,000 audience members. It also earned a 2.44% engagement rate and 1.78% CTR. Total engagement numbers reached 5,000. Kate Spade New York hit a home run with their smartwatch ad — In fact, out of four platforms used for the campaign, LinkedIn members produced the highest CTR.

Takeaways: B2C content has a place on LinkedIn . Most audiences are part of the professional landscape in some way, so engaging them on LinkedIn can be useful. Start with a single brand awareness ad, like KSNY, to gauge engagement.

Ultimately though, remember that if framing marketing in the right context, like the smartwatch and its copy, the right customers can be reached.

6. Corporate Visions' Carousel Ads

If you've seen Carousel Ads on other platforms, they're similar on LinkedIn. These Ads allow for multiple images to appear in the same post. Carousel Ads are great for lead generation because target customers see multiple iterations of offerings which helps to pique their interest.

B2B training company Corporate Visions had a large audience on LinkedIn. Their ideal customer is a decision-maker in customer service, sales, or marketing. Even so, the leads they were earning weren’t qualified, and they quickly identified they had a content problem.

To make content their audience would enjoy, Corporate Visions' marketing team used LinkedIn's targeting tools to research their target market's demographics. They identified previous ads that performed well and produced the most high-quality leads: carousels.

With this information, the team moved forward with a carousel campaign. Carousel Ads from Corporate Visions give quick, actionable tips to their audience about the B2B industry, like this one below.

This campaign was optimized with LinkedIn's Conversion Tracker . This function tracks audience behavior and allows small changes to be made. Advertisers on LinkedIn can target members based on job title, seniority, and company size, so Corporate Visions was able to get very specific with who was seeing their ad.

Results: Corporate Visions saw a doubled increase in ROI after optimizing their Ads and reaching the right customers. The company has also seen a 116% increase in qualified leads year-over-year, making the new carousel strategy a success.

Takeaways: Companies could be leveraging LinkedIn Ads but not optimizing them or tracking conversions. When Corporate Visions learned about customer behavior on LinkedIn, they were able to identify how to earn the most leads with the platform. Look at campaign performance and study the reactions of your audience — is there a way to better reach them?

7. Automation Anywhere's Video Ads

Automation Anywhere builds software bots that do repetitive tasks so humans can spend time in other places. When the time came to advertise the biggest launch in the history of their company, Automation Anywhere sought to use LinkedIn's live broadcasting feature to announce their product.

The goal for the campaign was to build the most awareness possible. Automation Anywhere's Company Page had over 100,000 followers and an active community, so they posted a teaser to test video ROI. Two minutes later, the video had over 300 comments . Their marketers knew they'd made a great choice.

Automation Anywhere's official LinkedIn Live broadcast included repurposed content, drawing clips from previous videos to attract leads. But how did the broadcast perform?

Results: When the broadcast went live, the response was almost immediate. Within a few minutes, they had 400 comments from interested viewers. At the end of the broadcast, there were one thousand.

Though the product launch announcement ran across multiple platforms, 78% of viewers came from LinkedIn Live.

The team at Automation Anywhere engaged with their community and had meaningful conversations about the product. Having a team of product marketers talk to followers was big for building customer relationships and providing valuable messaging.

Takeaways: Consider hosting a broadcast similar to Automation Anywhere’s. Maybe there's no launch coming up, but consider producing a live Q&A or webinar. Automation Anywhere's team was blown away by the response from their community with a video; Maybe yours will be just as active.

LinkedIn Text and Message Ads

LinkedIn Text Ads show up in the right module of the main feed and give members a bolded CTA as a headline and a supporting sentence. They're easy to create, pick a target audience, and track leads.

Message Ads are a bit different — they're sent to a LinkedIn member's inbox. This gives advertisers the ability to communicate directly with leads, without a character limit. There are also tools to beef up a message's impact, like adding a form into the message.

Instead of a busy email inbox, LinkedIn Messages are less cluttered, leaving messages more room to be seen. And with the Conversion Tracker, keep track of who's engaging with and converting from your Ads.

8. Design Pickle's Text Ads

Let's see how graphic design company, Design Pickle , earned over $1 million in revenue with Text Ads. The company is a subscription service, but instead of food or makeup, customers are set up with professional graphic designers.

As part of a small business that aimed to increase plan subscriptions, Design Pickle's marketers had to keep their strategy cost-effective. The team decided to use Message Ads to retarget website visitors.

LinkedIn's tools identified a target audience closely matching the company's persona, so the marketers were able to personalize ads for a specific, ideal market.

The emphasis on targeting proved to be effective. Message Ads addressed company stakeholders making buying decisions. Copy like, "Save $37,000 On Design" is eye-catching and grabs a user's attention.

So, did the low-key ads bring high-yield results for Design Pickle?

Results: This campaign led to 463 new signups, 64 of them for premium subscription plans, leading to an estimated $1.8 million in revenue . As for cost effectiveness, LinkedIn provided the lowest average cost per signup by 19% when looking at the campaign across platforms.

Takeaways: Sometimes, it doesn't take a big, flashy ad to make an impact. Design Pickle is a graphic design company and earned over a million dollars with two-sentence ads. When audience targeting and retargeting happens on LinkedIn, companies can reach a large audience and re-engage leads.

9. VistaVu Solutions' Message Ads

VistaVu Solutions is a B2B company that was struggling with brand awareness. We've seen how LinkedIn's unique audience targeting tools impacts visibility for companies, so let's see if that rings true for this company.

In addition to boosting brand awareness, VistaVu's marketers aimed to generate leads and increase brand credibility with compelling Ads. VistaVu's team chose LinkedIn because their niche audience — oilfield industry leaders — was active on the platform.

To make their brand stand out from the competition, VistaVu's marketing managers decided to use Message Ads to amplify their unique company and its value. To make sure the team was targeting the right audience within the oilfield industry, LinkedIn's tools filtered audiences to make that happen.

The message itself was an ebook offer, and included a CTA with a download link. Because there's no character limit, the body text was able to properly introduce the company, its area of expertise, and the ebook.

Results: As a result of the messages campaign, VistaVu earned a 23.8% conversion rate , and cut ad spend by 75%. Using LinkedIn as opposed to other platforms earned the company five times more generated leads and led to twice as many conversions.

Takeaways: LinkedIn as an advertising platform doesn't limit efforts to just main feeds. Building brand awareness by using Message Ads allows for ample text to introduce a company to prospects.

Case studies can be extremely helpful for a real-life example of strategies you've never tried. You can visualize how a campaign looks and the tools to help you get there.

Be sure to pick a case study that's recent and comes with both qualitative and quantitative data. When it comes to ads, numbers and percentages are important, but so are strategy details. Recent studies will give you the most accurate numbers and processes for advertising.

If I want a relevant case study about social media, I start with the website itself. Every social media platform I've used has a section for case studies. For those that don't, I look at other articles, like this one about Facebook case studies .

Now that you know how to pick out a case study, and what a LinkedIn Ad strategy can look like, maybe for your next LinkedIn campaign, you can conduct your own case study. Try it, and see what you learn.

Don't forget to share this post!

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Marketing Research

40 case studies in branding.

[Apple: Innovation and Design as Brand Identity]

[Nike: Building a Global Brand Through Storytelling and Innovation]

[Tesla: Revolutionizing the Automotive Industry Through Innovation and Sustainability]

[Amazon: Transforming Retail and Beyond]

[Zoom: Connecting the World Through Video Communications]

[Beyond Meat: A Plant-Based Revolution]

[TikTok: A Dance with Global Success]

[Coca-Cola: Quenching the World’s Thirst for Over a Century]

[Netflix: Redefining the Future of Entertainment]

[Airbnb: Disrupting the Hospitality Industry]

[Starbucks: Brewing Success Through Innovation and Responsibility]

[The Walt Disney Company: A Kingdom of Creativity and Innovation]

[McDonald’s: Serving Success with a Side of Innovation]

[Dove (Unilever): Crafting Beauty and Confidence]

[IKEA: A Symphony of Design, Affordability, and Sustainability]

[LEGO: Building Blocks of Innovation and Success]

[Slack: Revolutionizing Workplace Communication]

[Patagonia: A Case Study in Sustainable Business Practices]

[Spotify: Transitioning from music sales to subscription streaming]

[Warby Parker: Disrupting the traditional eyewear market with an online-first approach]

[Allbirds: A Case Study in Sustainable Footwear Innovation]

40.1 Apple : Innovation and Design as Brand Identity

• Introduction:

Apple Inc., known for its revolutionary technology and design, has built its brand on innovation and a unique user experience. What began as a garage startup in 1976 has become one of the world’s most valuable companies. Let’s explore how Apple achieved this success.

• Background:

Founding and Early Years: Founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple started as a computer manufacturer. The launch of the Apple I computer in 1976 marked the company’s debut, and the subsequent Apple II became a significant success.

Rise to Prominence: With the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984, Apple emphasized graphical user interface, leading the way in user-friendly computing. The iPod, iPhone, iPad, and MacBook line have since become iconic products.

• Product Development: Regularly updating products to include the latest technology.
• Software Ecosystem: Creating a seamless software environment that ties different Apple products together.
• Aesthetic Appeal: Sleek and modern design across all products.
• User Experience: Emphasizing intuitive interfaces.
• Apple Ecosystem: The interoperability of products encourages customers to stay within the Apple brand.
• Customer Service: Apple’s customer support, including the Genius Bar in Apple Stores, provides personalized service.
• Store Design: Apple Stores are known for their minimalist design and layout.
• In-Store Experience: Offering hands-on experience with products and one-on-one customer service.
• High Pricing Strategy: Apple’s premium pricing limits accessibility for many consumers.
• Dependence on Key Products: A significant reliance on the iPhone, which generates a large portion of revenue.
• Manufacturing Practices: Criticisms regarding working conditions in factories.
• Environmental Concerns: Issues related to recycling and waste management.
• Cultural Impact and Legacy:

Apple’s marketing has not only sold products but also shaped culture.

Think Different Campaign: This campaign emphasized Apple’s image as a company for creative and unconventional thinkers.

Influence on Music Industry: With the iPod and iTunes, Apple changed how people buy and listen to music.

Smartphone Revolution: The iPhone transformed mobile communication.

• Conclusion:

Apple’s brand is more than just a logo; it’s a symbol of innovation, quality, and a unique customer experience. By consistently focusing on design and innovation, Apple has maintained a strong brand identity that resonates with consumers globally. Its success offers essential insights into how a focus on innovation, design, and customer experience can build a powerful and enduring brand. The company’s challenges and criticisms also provide a nuanced understanding of the complexities of operating at the forefront of technology.

• Further Exploration:

Apple’s Advertising: Analyzing various Apple advertising campaigns over the years.

Competitor Analysis: Understanding how Apple’s branding strategies compare with competitors like Samsung, Google, and Microsoft.

Future Outlook: Speculating on Apple’s future in an ever-changing technology landscape.

This extended case study provides a comprehensive view of Apple’s branding, suitable for students who want to delve deeply into branding’s multifaceted nature. It includes various aspects of branding, marketing, challenges, and impact, allowing for a rich understanding of how a brand can shape not only a company’s success but also influence broader culture and industry trends.

40.2 Nike: Building a Global Brand Through Storytelling and Innovation

Nike, Inc. is a household name synonymous with athleticism, performance, and innovation. Through its creative marketing strategies and commitment to design, Nike has become a leader in the sports apparel industry. This case study will explore Nike’s rise to prominence and the branding strategies that have kept it at the forefront of the sports industry.

• Founding and Early Years: Founded as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, the company changed its name to Nike, Inc. in 1971. The famous swoosh logo and the “Just Do It” slogan became integral parts of the brand’s identity.
• Growth and Expansion: With an initial focus on running shoes, Nike expanded into various sports, including basketball, soccer, and golf, becoming a multi-sport brand.
• Historical Partnerships: Nike’s collaboration with athletes like Michael Jordan led to the creation of the Air Jordan line.
• Global Ambassadors: Associating with top athletes like Serena Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo, and LeBron James.
• Emotional Connection: Creating ads that resonate emotionally with consumers, such as the “Find Your Greatness” campaign.
• Social Commentary: Engaging in cultural conversations, like the Colin Kaepernick campaign.
• Technological Advancements: Such as Nike Air cushioning technology and Flyknit fabric.
• Customization: Allowing consumers to personalize products through the NIKEiD platform.
• Nike Run Clubs: Building a community around the brand through running clubs and apps.
• Sustainability Initiatives: Such as the “Move to Zero” campaign focusing on reducing environmental impact.
• Market Competition: Competition from brands like Adidas and Under Armour.
• Pricing Strategies: Balancing premium pricing with accessibility for a broader audience.
• Labor Practices: Historical criticisms regarding factory working conditions.
• Sustainability Challenges: Managing environmental impacts across the supply chain.

Nike’s influence goes beyond sports apparel.

Influence on Streetwear: Collaborations with designers like Virgil Abloh have made Nike relevant in fashion circles.

Promotion of Women’s Sports: Marketing campaigns focusing on female athletes.

Global Reach: Establishing a presence in various global markets and sports.

Nike’s brand success lies in its ability to intertwine sports, culture, and personal aspiration. Its collaborations with athletes, investment in storytelling, and commitment to innovation have made it a leader in the sports apparel industry. The challenges and criticisms it has faced provide insight into the complexities of maintaining a global brand. Understanding Nike’s branding strategies offers an exciting exploration into how a brand can connect with consumers on multiple levels and across diverse markets.

Analyzing Advertising Campaigns: Students may explore various campaigns to understand how Nike connects with different demographics.

Competitor Analysis: Comparing Nike’s strategies with competitors to understand market dynamics.

Future of Sports Branding: Speculating on the future of branding in the sports industry and how Nike may continue to innovate.

This comprehensive case study provides a deep understanding of Nike’s branding strategies and allows students to appreciate the multifaceted nature of branding in the modern market. The connections between sports, culture, innovation, and marketing weave together to create a compelling story that offers valuable insights for anyone interested in branding, marketing, or the sports industry.

40.3 Tesla: Revolutionizing the Automotive Industry Through Innovation and Sustainability

Tesla, Inc. is not just a car manufacturer; it’s a technology company with a mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Founded by a group of engineers, including Elon Musk, who became the public face of the company, Tesla has become a symbol of innovation and environmental responsibility. This case study explores how Tesla achieved this status.

• Founding and Early Years: Founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, and later joined by Elon Musk, JB Straubel, and Ian Wright, Tesla started with a vision to create electric cars that didn’t compromise on performance.
• Road to Success: The launch of the Tesla Roadster in 2008 proved that electric cars could be both stylish and powerful. Subsequent models, including the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y, diversified the product line.
• Autopilot: Developing self-driving technology.
• Battery Technology: Pioneering advancements in battery efficiency and lifespan.
• Clean Energy Products: Including solar panels and the Powerwall for energy storage.
• Sustainable Manufacturing: Efforts to minimize environmental impact in production.
• Online Sales: Bypassing traditional dealerships, selling directly to consumers online.
• Customer Experience: Creating unique showrooms and offering test drives.
• Elon Musk’s Twitter Presence: Utilizing social media to promote and defend the brand.
• Product Launches: Hosting grand events to unveil new products.
• Production Challenges: Meeting demand and managing quality control.
• Market Competition: Growing competition from traditional automakers entering the EV market.
• Labor Practices: Controversies related to factory conditions.
• Autopilot Safety Concerns: Debates over the safety of Tesla’s self-driving technology.

Changing Automotive Industry: Pushing the entire automotive industry towards electric vehicles.

Energy Conversation: Shaping dialogues about renewable energy and climate change.

Stock Market Phenomenon: Tesla’s unique position in the stock market as a technology/automotive company.

Tesla’s brand represents a fusion of technology, sustainability, and luxury. Through innovative products, a focus on environmental responsibility, and disruptive sales models, Tesla has not only built a successful brand but has also changed the landscape of the automotive industry. Analyzing Tesla’s strategies, challenges, and impacts provides valuable insights into how a brand can be a catalyst for industry-wide change.

Comparative Analysis: Understanding how Tesla’s branding strategies differ from traditional automotive brands.

Future of Mobility: Speculating on the future of electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and Tesla’s role in shaping that future.

Global Expansion: Exploring Tesla’s efforts to expand into various global markets, such as China and Europe.

40.4 Amazon: Transforming Retail and Beyond

Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, started as an online bookstore and quickly expanded into a vast e-commerce platform that sells virtually everything. Beyond retail, Amazon has also entered cloud computing, entertainment, and even healthcare. This case study will explore Amazon’s diverse business activities and how they’ve contributed to its colossal success.

• Early Years: Started in a garage, focusing on books, before expanding into other categories.
• Global Expansion: Rapid growth into international markets and diversified product offerings.
• Customer Experience: One-click ordering, personalized recommendations, and fast shipping.
• Amazon Prime: Subscription model offering free shipping, video streaming, and more.
• Amazon Marketplace: Allowing third-party sellers to reach Amazon’s vast customer base.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS): A leading provider of cloud computing services.
• Voice Technology: Introduction of Alexa and Echo smart speakers.
• Amazon Studios: Producing and distributing original content.
• Twitch Acquisition: Engaging the gaming community.
• Whole Foods Acquisition: Entering the brick-and-mortar retail space.
• Amazon Pharmacy: Expanding into the healthcare sector.
• Market Power: Criticisms related to monopolistic practices.
• Tax Practices: Scrutiny over tax strategies and contributions.
• Working Conditions: Concerns over conditions in warehouses and treatment of employees.
• Environmental Impact: Criticisms related to packaging and carbon footprint.
• Changing Retail Landscape: Influencing consumer expectations and competitors’ strategies.
• Innovation Leader: Setting standards in technology, logistics, and customer service.

Amazon’s success story is a testament to innovation, diversification, and relentless focus on customer experience. By continuously expanding into new areas, Amazon has not only transformed retail but also various other industries. Examining Amazon’s strategies, challenges, and cultural impact provides a deep understanding of modern business dynamics and the role of branding in shaping industry landscapes.

Competitive Analysis: Understanding Amazon’s position among global tech giants.

Future Projections: Exploring potential new markets and technologies for Amazon.

Regulatory Landscape: Analyzing potential legal and regulatory challenges.

This extensive case study offers students a multifaceted exploration of one of the world’s most impactful brands. From e-commerce to entertainment, Amazon’s influence is felt across multiple sectors. Understanding its success and challenges provides insights into innovation, strategy, ethics, and the complex dynamics of modern business environments.

40.5 Zoom: Connecting the World Through Video Communications

Zoom Video Communications, known simply as Zoom, played a pivotal role in connecting people during a time of global upheaval. Founded by Eric Yuan in 2011, Zoom quickly rose to prominence as a leading platform for video conferencing, webinars, and collaboration. This case study explores Zoom’s exponential growth, the strategies that propelled it, and the challenges it faced along the way.

• Founding Vision: Eric Yuan, a former Cisco executive, founded Zoom with a mission to make video communication frictionless and reliable.
• Early Growth: Despite entering a competitive market, Zoom differentiated itself through ease of use and robust performance.
• Ease of Use: Simple interface, quick setup, and no user account required for joining meetings.
• Quality and Reliability: Consistent video and audio quality across various devices and internet connections.
• Business and Enterprise Solutions: Offering scalable solutions for organizations of all sizes.
• Education Sector: Customized features for virtual classrooms and administrative meetings.
• Healthcare Integration: Compliance with healthcare regulations for telemedicine use.
• Localization: Tailoring offerings to different regions and languages.
• Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with hardware vendors and integrators for seamless user experience.
• Free Access for Schools: Providing free access to educational institutions during lockdowns.
• Scaling Infrastructure: Rapidly expanding server capacity to handle surging demand.
• Security Enhancements: Addressing early security concerns with significant updates and transparency.
• “Zoombombing” Incidents: Unwanted intrusions into meetings raised questions about security.
• Data Privacy Concerns: Scrutiny over encryption and data handling practices.
• Competing Platforms: Navigating competition from established players like Microsoft and new entrants like Google.
• Sustaining Growth: Challenges in maintaining growth rates as restrictions lift and in-person meetings resume.
• Changing Work Culture: Enabling remote work, hybrid models, and global collaboration.
• Social Connections: Facilitating social interactions, virtual family gatherings, and online events.
• Redefining Communication: Setting new standards for video communication and online engagement.

Zoom’s journey is a compelling study in understanding customer needs, agile adaptation, and effective scaling. From a startup competing against tech giants to becoming a household name, Zoom’s story offers valuable lessons in innovation, strategic planning, crisis management, and ethical considerations. Analyzing Zoom’s branding, growth strategies, challenges, and cultural impact provides rich insights into the dynamics of technology-driven market disruption and the responsibilities that come with rapid success.

Competitive Landscape Analysis: Understanding Zoom’s position in a fast-evolving market.

Ethical and Regulatory Considerations: Analyzing Zoom’s response to security and privacy concerns.

Long-term Strategy and Sustainability: Evaluating Zoom’s plans to sustain growth and diversify offerings.

40.6 Beyond Meat: A Plant-Based Revolution

Beyond Meat has become a synonym for the plant-based food movement, leading the way in creating meat alternatives that cater to a growing global demand for sustainable and ethical eating. This case study explores the company’s journey, its innovative products, market strategies, and the broader impact on the food industry.

• Founding Vision: Established by Ethan Brown in 2009, Beyond Meat aimed to address environmental, health, and ethical concerns related to animal agriculture.
• Product Innovation: The development of plant-based meat substitutes that mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of traditional meat.
• Not Just for Vegetarians: Positioning products to appeal to meat-eaters looking to reduce meat consumption.
• Retail and Food Service Partnerships: Collaborations with supermarkets, fast-food chains, and restaurants.
• Celebrity Endorsements: Engaging well-known advocates of plant-based diets, such as Bill Gates and Leonardo DiCaprio.
• Sustainability Messaging: Emphasizing the environmental and health benefits of plant-based foods.
• Adaptation to Local Tastes: Developing products tailored to various global markets and cuisines.
• Regulatory Compliance: Navigating complex food regulations in different countries.
• Rising Competitors: Facing competition from both traditional food companies and new entrants in the plant-based sector.
• Product Differentiation: Striving to stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
• Taste and Texture Expectations: Meeting consumer expectations for flavors and textures similar to traditional meat.
• Price Barriers: Addressing price competitiveness with animal-based products.
• Transparency in Ingredients: Providing clear information about ingredients and processing methods.
• Life Cycle Analysis: Assessing the full environmental impact of products, from production to consumption.
• Changing Consumer Habits: Influencing a shift in dietary preferences towards plant-based options.
• Industry Collaboration: Collaborations with traditional meat producers and food service providers.
• Impact on Animal Agriculture: Contributing to debates about the sustainability and ethics of conventional meat production.

Beyond Meat’s story represents a transformative moment in the food industry, reflecting a broader cultural shift towards sustainability and conscious consumption. By analyzing Beyond Meat’s product innovation, market strategies, challenges, and cultural impact, students can gain insights into how a company can both lead and adapt to changing consumer values and industry dynamics. This case encourages critical thinking about innovation, branding, competition, ethics, and the interplay between business and societal needs.

Comparative Analysis with Competitors: Examining strategies and approaches of other players in the plant-based food market.

Consumer Behavior Study: Investigating consumer attitudes towards plant-based alternatives.

Sustainability Assessment: Conducting a comprehensive analysis of the sustainability aspects of plant-based foods.

40.7 TikTok: A Dance with Global Success

TikTok, a social media app developed by Chinese tech company ByteDance, has quickly become a sensation, particularly among younger users. This case study examines TikTok’s rapid growth, innovative content delivery, competition, and the complex regulatory landscape it navigates.

• Launch and Growth: TikTok was launched in 2016 and merged with Musical.ly in 2018 to expand its reach in the U.S. market.
• Algorithm Magic: TikTok’s unique algorithm offers personalized content, leading to higher engagement and user retention.
• Short Video Format: Users create engaging 15-second videos with a wide array of editing tools.
• Personalized Feed: The “For You Page” algorithm provides a customized content feed, enhancing user experience.
• Hashtag Challenges: Promoting user-generated content through viral challenges.
• Collaborations and Duets: Enabling collaboration between users to foster community.
• Music and Dance Focus: Strong emphasis on music and dance-related content.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborating with youth influencers to drive adoption.
• Local Content Adaptation: Encouraging content that resonates with local cultures and trends.
• Strategic Advertising: Utilizing in-app advertising and partnerships with brands.
• Data Security Issues: Ongoing debates over data privacy and national security.
• Regulatory Scrutiny: Challenges related to compliance with international regulations.
• Competing for Attention: A battle with platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.
• Intellectual Property Concerns: Issues related to copyright and content ownership.
• Democratizing Content Creation: Empowering individuals to become content creators.
• Cultural Influence: Fostering global cultural exchange and trends.

TikTok’s story is a fascinating example of how a social media platform can become a global phenomenon through innovative technology, strategic targeting, community engagement, and adaptability to local cultures. This case allows students to explore various aspects of social media business, including algorithms, user engagement, competition, regulation, and cultural impact.

Algorithm Analysis: Delve into how TikTok’s algorithm works and compare it with other platforms.

Regulatory Compliance Study: Investigate TikTok’s compliance with different countries’ regulatory frameworks.

Cultural Impact Research: Explore how TikTok influences and reflects cultural trends across the globe.

40.8 Coca-Cola: Quenching the World’s Thirst for Over a Century

Coca-Cola, founded in 1886, has grown to become one of the world’s leading beverage companies. This case study explores Coca-Cola’s brand legacy, marketing innovations, product diversity, sustainability initiatives, and the challenges and opportunities in an ever-changing global beverage market.

• Founding and Early Years: From a pharmacy concoction to a global brand.
• Iconic Advertising Campaigns: A look at some of Coca-Cola’s most memorable marketing efforts.
• Logo and Packaging: The evolution of Coca-Cola’s iconic logo and bottle design.
• Sponsorships and Partnerships: Coca-Cola’s association with sports events, entertainment, and charities.
• Local Market Adaptation: Customizing products and campaigns to fit regional tastes and cultures.
• Digital Engagement: Leveraging social media and technology for customer engagement.
• Beverage Portfolio: Introduction to Coca-Cola’s diverse product line, including soft drinks, water, and juices.
• Health-Conscious Offerings: Response to changing consumer preferences towards healthier options.
• Water Stewardship: Initiatives to reduce water usage and support community water projects.
• Recycling and Packaging: Commitment to reducing plastic waste through recycling and innovative packaging.
• Market Competition: An overview of competitors like PepsiCo and changing consumer tastes.
• Health and Regulatory Scrutiny: Challenges related to sugar content and obesity concerns.
• Emerging Markets: Strategies and challenges in entering and thriving in new markets.
• Economic Sensitivities: How global economic fluctuations affect sales and operations.

Coca-Cola’s story offers an inspiring journey into the world of branding, marketing, innovation, and corporate responsibility. The brand’s ability to adapt, innovate, and remain socially responsible provides valuable insights for anyone interested in business, marketing, and sustainability.

Marketing Analysis: Investigate how Coca-Cola has maintained its brand appeal over time.

Sustainability Evaluation: Examine Coca-Cola’s efforts in promoting environmental stewardship.

Global Business Study: Analyze Coca-Cola’s strategies in adapting to different cultures and markets.

This student version of the Coca-Cola case study serves as an engaging educational resource for courses related to business, marketing, branding, sustainability, and global commerce. Through exploration, discussion, and critical analysis, students can uncover the multifaceted dynamics that have shaped Coca-Cola’s success and its continued relevance in today’s competitive and evolving marketplace. It invites learners to reflect on the power of branding, the importance of innovation, the challenges of global expansion, and the growing significance of corporate social responsibility in modern business.

40.9 Netflix: Redefining the Future of Entertainment

Netflix, founded in 1997, has transformed from a DVD rental service to a global streaming giant. With over 200 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix has redefined the way people consume entertainment. This case study explores Netflix’s growth, innovation, content strategy, and the challenges it faces in a competitive market.

• Founding and Early Growth: From a mail-order DVD service to streaming pioneer.
• Subscription Model: Introduction of the subscription model that revolutionized content consumption.
• Streaming Technology: Development of cutting-edge streaming technology to deliver content seamlessly.
• Personalized Recommendations: Utilization of algorithms to tailor content suggestions to individual viewers.
• Original Content Creation: Investment in exclusive shows and movies to differentiate from competitors.
• Content Licensing: Acquiring rights to popular shows and movies to broaden the content library.
• Localization Strategy: Adapting content to suit diverse cultural tastes and regulatory requirements.
• Emerging Markets Growth: Expanding into developing regions with unique pricing and content strategies.
• Streaming Wars: Competition with other streaming platforms like Amazon Prime, Disney+, and HBO Max.
• Regulatory and Legal Hurdles: Navigating complex international laws and content regulations.
• Content Piracy Concerns: Efforts to combat unauthorized sharing and illegal streaming of content.

Netflix’s story is a testament to innovation, adaptability, and the power of a customer-centric approach. The lessons drawn from Netflix’s success and ongoing challenges provide valuable insights for those interested in technology, media, marketing, and global business strategy.

Technology Analysis: Investigate how Netflix’s technological advancements have shaped its success.

Content Strategy Evaluation: Examine how Netflix’s original content creation has redefined the entertainment industry.

Global Business Study: Analyze Netflix’s strategies for entering and thriving in diverse global markets.

40.10 Airbnb: Disrupting the Hospitality Industry

Airbnb, established in 2008, has emerged as a disruptive force in the global hospitality industry. This platform connects hosts and travelers, providing unique accommodations and experiences. This case study examines Airbnb’s innovation, growth, and the challenges it faces, providing comprehensive insights for students interested in entrepreneurship, technology, law, and global business.

• Founding Story: How an idea to rent air mattresses turned into a revolutionary business concept.
• Peer-to-Peer Model: Airbnb’s model of connecting hosts with travelers and its impact on traditional lodging.
• Platform Design: Exploration of the user-friendly design, including search functionality, booking process, and communication between hosts and guests.
• Trust and Community Building: Methods of establishing trust through reviews, verification processes, host education, community guidelines, and conflict resolution.
• Revenue Model: Understanding Airbnb’s commission-based revenue model, pricing strategies, and value proposition for hosts and guests.
• Global Growth Strategy: Airbnb’s rapid expansion into various cities and countries, including marketing strategies, partnerships, and local engagement.
• Experiences and Diversification: Introduction of Airbnb Experiences, business travel accommodations, and other extensions of the platform.
• Challenges in Scaling: Examination of the obstacles faced during rapid growth, including maintaining quality, customer support, and local adaptation.
• Local Regulations and Compliance: Encounters with legal issues, zoning laws, city ordinances, and ongoing battles with regulators and the traditional hotel industry.
• Impact on Housing Markets: Exploration of criticisms and studies on Airbnb’s effect on local housing prices, availability, gentrification, and neighborhood dynamics.
• Safety and Liability Concerns: Analysis of safety measures, insurance policies, host responsibilities, and incidents that have raised concerns.
• Sustainable Travel Initiatives: Airbnb’s efforts to promote eco-friendly travel practices, partnerships with local communities, and support for responsible hosting.
• Community Outreach and Disaster Response: Airbnb’s involvement in community development and providing emergency accommodations during natural disasters or crises.
• Brand Identity and Positioning: Examination of Airbnb’s brand evolution, advertising campaigns, social media presence, and efforts to differentiate itself from competitors.
• Customer Segmentation and Personalization: Strategies for targeting different customer segments and personalizing the user experience through algorithms and data analysis.

Airbnb’s transformation of the hospitality industry offers an in-depth look into technology-driven disruption, entrepreneurial innovation, community engagement, legal complexities, and social impact. The multifaceted nature of Airbnb’s journey provides a rich context for exploring diverse business concepts.

• Further Exploration and Assignments:

Platform Analysis Project: Students analyze Airbnb’s platform functionality, user experience, and technological innovations.

Regulatory Environment Study: Research and debates on the legal and ethical aspects of Airbnb’s operations in different regions.

Global Strategy Simulation: Group exercise to plan Airbnb’s entry into a new market, considering cultural, legal, and market dynamics.

Social Impact Assessment: Critical evaluation of Airbnb’s social responsibility efforts, community impact, and sustainability initiatives.

40.11 Starbucks: Brewing Success Through Innovation and Responsibility

Starbucks, founded in 1971 in Seattle, Washington, has become a global coffee icon, known for its premium quality coffee, unique store ambiance, and commitment to social responsibility. This case study examines Starbucks’ journey from a single store to an international chain, focusing on its strategic decisions, marketing practices, innovations, and challenges.

• Founding and Early Years: How Starbucks transformed from a single store selling quality coffee beans into a global coffeehouse chain.
• Mission and Vision: An examination of Starbucks’ commitment to inspiring and nurturing the human spirit, one cup at a time.
• Retail Innovation: An exploration of Starbucks’ unique store designs, customer experience, and the introduction of the “third place” concept.
• Product Diversification: Starbucks’ expansion into various products, including specialty beverages, food, packaged products, and even non-coffee items.
• Global Expansion: Strategies and challenges in entering new markets across different continents.
• Brand Building and Positioning: How Starbucks built a strong brand that emphasizes quality, community, and ethical sourcing.
• Loyalty Programs: The impact and success of Starbucks’ rewards program in enhancing customer loyalty and retention.
• Digital Engagement: Utilizing mobile apps, social media, and digital marketing to engage customers.
• Ethical Sourcing: Commitment to sourcing ethically produced coffee through fair trade practices and farmer support.
• Environmental Initiatives: Efforts in reducing waste, conserving energy, and promoting reusable products.
• Community Engagement: Investing in local communities through education, volunteerism, and support for local causes.
• Market Saturation: The challenge of maintaining growth amid increasing competition and market saturation.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Navigating cultural differences in global markets and occasional backlashes.
• Economic Factors: Responding to economic downturns and changes in consumer spending habits.
• Mobile Ordering: Implementing mobile ordering and payment systems to enhance convenience.
• Data Analytics: Leveraging data to personalize marketing and enhance customer experiences.
• Partnerships with Technology Companies: Collaborations to expand reach and offer new products.

Starbucks’ story offers valuable insights into brand building, global expansion, innovation, social responsibility, and resilience in the face of challenges. Its journey from a single store to a global chain showcases the importance of strategic decision-making, adaptability, and commitment to core values.

Supply Chain Analysis: Investigate Starbucks’ complex supply chain and its approach to ensuring quality and ethical practices.

Competitive Landscape Study: Analyze Starbucks’ competitive positioning and the dynamics of the coffeehouse industry.

Crisis Management Review: Examine Starbucks’ response to various challenges and crises over the years.

40.12 The Walt Disney Company: A Kingdom of Creativity and Innovation

The Walt Disney Company, founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, has grown from a small animation studio to a global entertainment conglomerate. This case study delves into Disney’s storied history, business diversification, technological leadership, and strategies that have made it a symbol of creativity and imagination.

• Founding and Early Success: The birth of Mickey Mouse, the creation of the first synchronized sound and full-color cartoons, and the groundbreaking “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
• Expanding the Magic Kingdom: Disney’s foray into theme parks, beginning with Disneyland in 1955 and followed by a global expansion.
• Diversification: Exploration of Disney’s diversification into various entertainment sectors, including movies, television, theme parks, merchandise, and media networks.
• Content Creation and Distribution: Examination of Disney’s strategies in producing and distributing content through various channels, including streaming services like Disney+.
• Global Expansion: Analysis of Disney’s strategies to enter and thrive in international markets, including China and Europe.
• Brand Building: How Disney built a universally loved brand based on storytelling, characters, and immersive experiences.
• Synergy: Understanding how Disney leverages its characters and stories across multiple business segments.
• Digital Engagement: Exploration of Disney’s digital marketing efforts, social media presence, and engagement with younger audiences.
• Revolutionizing Animation: Disney’s pioneering role in animation technology, including the introduction of CGI.
• Immersive Experiences: The integration of technology in theme parks for personalized and interactive experiences.
• Strategic Acquisitions: Insight into Disney’s acquisitions, including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox.
• Collaborations and Partnerships: Exploration of Disney’s collaborations with other companies to enhance its product offerings and reach.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Disney’s efforts in environmental conservation, community support, and ethical sourcing.
• Content and Cultural Sensitivity: Balancing storytelling with cultural respect and inclusiveness.
• Market Saturation and Competition: Navigating an increasingly competitive media and entertainment landscape.
• Regulatory and Legal Challenges: Adhering to varying regulations across global markets.
• Pandemic Response: Adaptation and response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on various business segments.

The Walt Disney Company’s journey offers a captivating exploration of creativity, innovation, strategic thinking, and adaptability. From pioneering animation to building global theme parks, launching streaming services, and acquiring leading entertainment brands, Disney’s story is a rich lesson in entrepreneurship, marketing, technology, and global business strategies.

Leadership Analysis: Investigate Disney’s leadership strategies and the role of key leaders in shaping the company.

Competitive Landscape Study: Analyze Disney’s competitive positioning and the dynamics of the entertainment industry.

Crisis Management Review: Examine Disney’s response to various challenges, including economic downturns and unexpected crises.

40.13 McDonald’s: Serving Success with a Side of Innovation

McDonald’s is more than just a fast-food chain; it’s a global phenomenon that has shaped the way people eat around the world. Founded in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald, the company has since evolved into a multi-billion-dollar giant with thousands of locations worldwide. This case study examines the key ingredients behind McDonald’s success.

• Founding and Early Growth: A look at McDonald’s beginnings, from a single drive-in to the creation of the Speedee Service System, a precursor to the modern fast-food restaurant.
• Global Expansion: How McDonald’s turned the Golden Arches into an international symbol, adapting to various cultures and tastes.
• Franchising: Exploration of McDonald’s franchising model and how it fueled the company’s rapid growth.
• Menu Innovation: How McDonald’s constantly innovates its menu to meet consumer demands and local preferences.
• Supply Chain Management: Examination of McDonald’s logistical prowess in sourcing and distributing ingredients across the globe.
• Sustainability Efforts: An insight into McDonald’s initiatives to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainable practices.
• Iconic Branding: Understanding how the Golden Arches and characters like Ronald McDonald became global icons.
• Advertising and Promotions: A review of memorable ad campaigns and marketing strategies that resonate with various demographics.
• Customer Experience: How McDonald’s focuses on customer satisfaction through services like McDelivery and the recent digital transformation.
• Digital Ordering and Mobile Apps: Exploration of McDonald’s embrace of technology to enhance customer convenience.
• Smart Restaurants: How technology is changing the in-store experience, from kiosks to AI-powered drive-thrus.
• Health Concerns: Analysis of criticisms regarding the nutritional content of McDonald’s food and the company’s response.
• Labor Practices: Discussion of challenges related to employee wages, benefits, and working conditions.
• Competitive Landscape: Examination of the fast-food market competition and how McDonald’s maintains its edge.
• Adaptation to Changing Consumer Preferences: The shift towards healthier options and how McDonald’s is responding.
• Investments in Technology: Future technological innovations that may shape the McDonald’s experience.
• Sustainability Goals: Long-term objectives in minimizing environmental impact and promoting social responsibility.

McDonald’s journey offers a multifaceted case study in entrepreneurship, innovation, marketing, global expansion, and adaptability. From flipping burgers in a single location to flipping the script on fast food worldwide, the company continues to evolve, facing new challenges and seizing opportunities.

40.14 Dove (Unilever): Crafting Beauty and Confidence

Dove, a personal care brand owned by Unilever, has become synonymous with beauty and self-esteem through its innovative products and socially conscious campaigns. This case study invites you to explore Dove’s journey and its commitment to promoting a more inclusive and positive depiction of beauty.

• Dove’s Inception: A look at the brand’s origins in 1957 with the launch of the Dove Beauty Bar.
• Product Portfolio: Overview of Dove’s wide range of personal care products, including body wash, hair care, and skincare.
• The “Real Beauty” Campaign: Examination of Dove’s groundbreaking campaign that challenged conventional beauty standards.
• Customer Engagement: Insights into Dove’s interaction with customers through social media, events, and community outreach.
• Global Expansion: Strategies behind Dove’s growth into various international markets and adaptation to different cultures.
• Research and Development: A look at how Dove constantly innovates its product line through scientific research and consumer insights.
• Sustainability Initiatives: Understanding Dove’s efforts in reducing environmental impact and promoting ethical sourcing.
• Promoting Self-Esteem: Analysis of Dove’s initiatives to enhance self-esteem, particularly among young women, through education and advertising.
• Partnerships and Collaborations: How Dove collaborates with NGOs, influencers, and other stakeholders to amplify social messages.
• Market Competition: Assessment of the competitive landscape and how Dove differentiates itself.
• Advertising Backlash: Discussion of certain advertising missteps and how the brand managed the fallout.
• Trend Adaptation: Exploration of how Dove aligns with emerging beauty and wellness trends.
• Technology Integration: How Dove leverages technology, including AI and data analytics, for product development and personalized experiences.
• Sustainability Goals: Examination of Dove’s long-term commitment to environmental sustainability and ethical practices.

Dove’s journey presents an engaging case study that goes beyond products and marketing to encompass social values, consumer connection, innovation, and global reach. The brand’s commitment to challenging beauty norms and promoting self-esteem has set it apart in a crowded market.

40.15 IKEA: A Symphony of Design, Affordability, and Sustainability

• Founding and Mission: Founded in Sweden in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s mission is to “create a better everyday life for many people.” It emphasizes affordability, design, and functionality.
• Overview of Offerings: IKEA offers a wide range of home furnishings, including furniture, kitchen appliances, decor, and accessories.
• Global Presence: With over 400 stores in 50 countries, IKEA has become a global leader in the home furnishing industry.
• Product Design and Development: IKEA’s products are known for minimalist design, functionality, and ease of assembly. Collaboration with designers worldwide keeps its offerings fresh and innovative.
• Supply Chain and Manufacturing: A well-integrated supply chain with close relationships to over 1,000 suppliers allows IKEA to maintain low costs while ensuring quality and sustainability.
• Retail Experience: The IKEA in-store experience is distinctive with showrooms, self-service warehouses, and in-store restaurants offering Swedish cuisine.
• Pricing Strategy: IKEA’s cost-conscious approach means designing products from the price tag up, ensuring affordability without compromising on quality.
• Digitalization and E-commerce: With a strong online presence, IKEA provides customers with online shopping options, planning tools, and virtual product previews.
• Advertising Campaigns: IKEA uses creative and often humorous advertising to appeal to a broad customer base, focusing on life improvement and solutions.
• Online Engagement: Digital catalogs, apps, and social media keep IKEA’s audience engaged and provide valuable customer insights.
• In-store Promotions: Seasonal displays and in-store events promote new products and encourage customer interaction.
• Brand Identity and Values: IKEA’s brand emphasizes sustainability, inclusiveness, and accessibility.
• Environmental Practices: Commitment to sustainable sourcing, waste reduction, and energy efficiency are core to IKEA’s operations.
• Renewable Energy Projects: IKEA invests in wind and solar energy, aiming to produce as much renewable energy as it consumes in its operations by 2030.
• Social Responsibility: The IKEA Foundation supports initiatives related to children’s education, refugee support, and climate change.
• Sustainable Product Lines: IKEA offers products that promote sustainable living, from energy-efficient appliances to recycled materials.
• Cultural Adaptation: IKEA adapts its product lines and marketing to reflect local tastes, customs, and living conditions.
• Market Entry Strategies: IKEA studies each market carefully, adapting its store format and product selection to local needs.
• Challenges in Different Markets: Navigating regulations, cultural differences, and local competition has posed challenges in some markets.
• Competition and Market Pressures: IKEA faces competition from both traditional furniture stores and online platforms.
• Cultural Missteps: Some global marketing campaigns have been criticized for insensitivity to local cultures.
• Quality Concerns: IKEA’s emphasis on low cost has sometimes led to perceived quality issues.
• Emerging Markets: Expansion into new markets like India and South America presents opportunities and challenges.
• Technological Innovations: IKEA is exploring augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and smart home technologies.
• Sustainability Goals: Commitment to further sustainability through its entire value chain.
• Collaborations and Partnerships: IKEA’s collaboration with designers, tech companies, and even other retailers fuels innovation.

IKEA’s unique blend of design, affordability, sustainability, and global reach has made it a standout brand in the home furnishing industry. The company’s multifaceted approach offers a rich study of modern retail, branding, international business, and corporate responsibility. The complexities and successes of IKEA’s model provide invaluable insights and inspiration for students across various disciplines.

40.16 LEGO: Building Blocks of Innovation and Success

• Founding and History: LEGO was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen in Billund, Denmark. The LEGO brick, as we know it today, was launched in 1958.
• Product Portfolio: Beyond the iconic bricks, LEGO’s products include themed sets, video games, movies, and educational tools.
• Mission and Values: LEGO’s mission is to “Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow” through creative play and learning.
• Innovation in Design: LEGO constantly innovates its product line, incorporating new themes and licensed partnerships (e.g., Star Wars, Marvel).
• Quality and Precision: The manufacturing process emphasizes precision and quality, ensuring compatibility across generations of LEGO bricks.
• Digital Expansion: LEGO has embraced digital gaming and augmented reality experiences, extending the brand into the digital realm.
• Brand Building: LEGO’s brand revolves around creativity, imagination, learning, and fun.
• Advertising and Promotion: Utilizing various channels, LEGO engages customers through inventive advertising campaigns and social media.
• Community Engagement: LEGO Ideas invites fans to submit and vote on new product ideas. The LEGO community is actively engaged in product development, events, and online forums.
• Retail Experience: LEGO stores offer hands-on experiences with play areas, workshops, and exclusive products.
• Online Shopping: The online store provides an extensive product selection, customization options, and exclusive membership benefits.
• Global Distribution: LEGO products are available in more than 140 countries through various retail channels.
• LEGO Education: Through LEGO Education, the company offers learning solutions that encourage hands-on, playful learning in schools.
• Charitable Activities: The LEGO Foundation supports children’s development and learning through various global initiatives.
• Environmental Sustainability: LEGO is committed to reducing its environmental impact, including the goal to produce all products and packaging with sustainable materials by 2030.
• Market Pressures: Facing competition from both traditional toys and digital games, LEGO has had to continuously innovate and adapt.
• Intellectual Property Issues: LEGO has faced legal challenges around patents and copyrights, particularly concerning the design of its bricks.
• Economic Fluctuations: Economic downturns and shifts in consumer behavior have influenced LEGO’s sales and growth strategies.
• Adaptation to Local Markets: LEGO tailors its marketing and product strategies to different cultures and consumer preferences.
• Challenges in Emerging Markets: Entering new markets such as China has presented both opportunities and challenges, including issues related to counterfeiting.
• Technological Innovation: LEGO continues to explore new technologies, such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence.
• Collaborations and Licensing: Partnerships with entertainment franchises and designers fuel creativity and market reach.
• Focus on Adult Fans: LEGO has been expanding its appeal to adult fans through complex sets and themes that cater to various interests.

LEGO’s journey from a small carpentry shop to a global brand is a study in innovation, adaptability, community engagement, and brand stewardship. Its commitment to quality, creativity, and social responsibility offers a multifaceted case study with insights into product development, marketing, sustainability, global business strategy, and more. The story of LEGO inspires aspiring entrepreneurs, marketers, designers, and leaders to think creatively and act with purpose and integrity.

40.17 Slack: Revolutionizing Workplace Communication

• Founding and Background: Launched in 2013 by Stewart Butterfield, Eric Costello, Cal Henderson, and Serguei Mourachov, Slack has quickly become one of the leading tools for team communication.
• Business Model: Slack offers a freemium model where basic features are free, with paid plans for more functionality.
• Key Features: Slack provides channels, direct messaging, file sharing, integrations with other tools, and more to enhance team communication.
• Innovation and Updates: Continual updates and feature enhancements have kept Slack at the forefront of workplace communication tools.
• User-Centric Design: Slack’s interface is designed for ease of use and collaboration, reducing email overload.
• Target Audience: Primarily targeting businesses, both small and large, Slack has also found usage in communities and other groups.
• Growth Strategies: Referral programs, partnerships, and effective content marketing have contributed to Slack’s rapid adoption.
• Customer Engagement: Slack has utilized community engagement, feedback, and customer support to foster loyalty and improve its product.
• Competitors: Major competitors include Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and others offering communication and collaboration tools.
• Differentiation: Slack’s integrations, customization, and user experience have been key differentiators.
• Security Concerns: As with many digital platforms, security and privacy have been challenges, and Slack has implemented measures to ensure data protection.
• Freemium to Premium: The free version attracts users, while additional features and support drive customers to paid plans.
• Enterprise Solutions: Slack’s Enterprise Grid offers solutions tailored to large organizations, including advanced security and administrative features.
• Localization and Cultural Adaptation: Slack has localized its product for various markets and cultures to drive global adoption.
• Challenges in Emerging Markets: Issues such as local compliance, competition, and connectivity can present challenges in various regions.
• Pandemic Response: The shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in Slack usage, adapting to new work patterns.
• Long-term Trends: Remote and hybrid work trends may shape Slack’s future development and market positioning.
• Strategic Acquisitions: Acquiring companies like Rimeto added capabilities to Slack’s portfolio.
• Partnerships: Collaborations with companies like Google, Salesforce, and others have extended Slack’s functionality.
• Salesforce Acquisition: The pending acquisition by Salesforce as of the cut-off knowledge date may significantly shape Slack’s future direction.
• Continued Innovation: Slack continues to explore new features, integrations, and market opportunities.

Slack’s story offers insights into the fast-paced world of technology startups, product development, global expansion, and market competition. Its response to changing work patterns and its strategic acquisitions and partnerships make it a rich subject for study. The lessons from Slack’s journey are relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs, product managers, marketers, and others interested in technology, innovation, and the future of work.

40.18 Patagonia: A Case Study in Sustainable Business Practices

• Background: Patagonia, founded in 1973 by Yvon Chouinard, is an outdoor clothing and gear retailer known for its commitment to environmental sustainability.
• Mission: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
• Innovation: Patagonia has been a leader in developing sustainable fabrics and materials.
• Quality & Durability: Emphasizing long-lasting products to reduce consumerism.
• Recycling & Repairing: Offering repair services and encouraging recycling of products through programs like “Worn Wear.”
• Transparency: Publicly sharing supply chain information and environmental impacts.
• Activism Marketing: Taking strong stances on environmental and social issues.
• Community Engagement: Collaborating with NGOs and community organizations.
• Supply Chain: Focusing on ethical production, fair labor practices, and organic materials.
• Environmental Activism: Regularly donating to environmental causes and supporting conservation efforts.
• B Corp Certification: Patagonia is a certified B Corporation, aligning profit with purpose.
• Profit vs. Purpose: Balancing strong financial growth with a commitment to environmental and social responsibility.
• Investing in Sustainability: Reinvesting profits in sustainable initiatives and environmental causes.
• Market Competition: Navigating a competitive market while maintaining ethical standards.
• Scale and Growth: Balancing growth and scalability with sustainability commitments.
• Greenwashing Accusations: Managing perceptions and criticisms related to authenticity and impact.
• International Expansion: Adapting sustainable practices across diverse markets and cultures.
• Global Partnerships: Collaborating with global organizations to expand environmental initiatives.
• Employee Engagement: Fostering a workplace culture that aligns with company values.
• Leadership and Governance: Maintaining leadership that embodies the brand’s ethos.
• Influencing Other Brands: Patagonia’s practices have influenced other companies to consider sustainability.
• Industry Collaboration: Working with competitors on common goals such as responsible sourcing.
• Adaptation to Climate Change: Developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
• New Market Opportunities: Exploring new product lines and markets while adhering to core values.

Patagonia serves as a compelling example of a company that has successfully integrated sustainability, ethical considerations, and environmental activism into every aspect of its business. From innovative product development to bold marketing strategies and influential industry leadership, Patagonia’s case study offers valuable insights for those interested in business ethics, environmental stewardship, social entrepreneurship, and innovative brand management. The brand’s ongoing challenges and successes provide rich material for analysis and reflection on the future of sustainable business practices.

40.19 Spotify: Transitioning from music sales to subscription streaming

• Background: Spotify, founded in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, transformed the way people access and enjoy music.
• Mission: “To unlock the potential of human creativity—by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it.”
• Streaming Model: Spotify’s on-demand streaming model allows users to access millions of songs and podcasts.
• Algorithm & Personalization: The use of algorithms to create personalized playlists and recommendations.
• Freemium Model: Free, ad-supported tier alongside premium subscriptions.
• Revenue Streams: Subscriptions, advertising, and partnerships.
• User Engagement: Innovative playlists like “Discover Weekly” engage users.
• Collaborations: Partnerships with artists, labels, and other brands.
• International Reach: Spotify has expanded to numerous countries, adapting to various markets and regulations.
• Localized Content: Offering content that resonates with local cultures and tastes.
• Market Competitors: Facing competitors like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music.
• Royalty Disputes: Navigating complex relationships with labels, artists, and rights holders.
• Environmental Footprint: Efforts to reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainable practices.
• Supporting Artists: Initiatives to support emerging artists and creatives.
• New Features: Continual innovation in features and user experience.
• Podcasts and Original Content: Investing in podcasts and original content to diversify offerings.
• Technology Investments: Exploring technologies like AI to enhance user experience.
• Changing Consumer Behavior: Transforming the way people consume and interact with music.
• Influence on the Music Industry: Affecting record labels, artists, and music distribution.

Spotify’s rise as a leading music streaming platform offers a multifaceted case study encompassing technology innovation, marketing strategies, global expansion, and industry impact. From navigating complex licensing agreements to crafting personalized user experiences, Spotify’s journey provides valuable insights into digital transformation, competitive strategy, customer engagement, and the future of entertainment. It serves as a valuable example for understanding modern business dynamics in the digital age, including the ongoing challenges and opportunities of operating in a rapidly evolving industry.

40.20 Warby Parker: Disrupting the traditional eyewear market with an online-first approach

• Background: Founded in 2010, Warby Parker aimed to offer designer eyewear at a fraction of the price through a direct-to-consumer model.
• Mission: “To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.”
• Design: In-house design leading to unique and affordable eyewear.
• Home Try-On: A free program allowing customers to try on glasses at home before purchasing.
• Direct-to-Consumer: Selling directly to customers through e-commerce and physical stores, cutting out intermediaries.
• Social Responsibility: “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” program donates glasses to those in need.
• Digital Marketing: Effective use of social media and content marketing.
• Community Engagement: Building brand loyalty through community events and collaborations.
• Physical Stores: Combining e-commerce with brick-and-mortar stores for an omnichannel experience.
• International Growth: Expanding to Canada and other markets, adapting to local regulations and preferences.
• Traditional Competitors: Competition with traditional eyewear brands and retailers.
• Copycat Brands: Managing competition from similar direct-to-consumer eyewear startups.
• Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing: Commitment to using sustainable materials.
• Carbon Neutrality: Efforts to reduce and offset carbon emissions.
• Virtual Try-On: Use of augmented reality for virtual try-ons via mobile app.
• Telehealth Services: Offering eye exams and prescriptions through telehealth technology.
• Disrupting Traditional Retail: Changing the way people shop for glasses.
• Promoting Social Responsibility: Encouraging other brands to adopt socially responsible practices.

Warby Parker’s innovative approach to eyewear retail has not only disrupted traditional industry practices but also set new standards in customer experience, social responsibility, and sustainability. Through its unique business model, commitment to social causes, and use of technology, Warby Parker has carved out a unique position in the market. The case study of Warby Parker offers valuable insights into how innovative thinking, customer-centric approaches, and ethical business practices can create a strong brand identity and successful business in today’s competitive retail landscape. It’s an exemplary story for understanding modern entrepreneurship, retail strategies, marketing, and social entrepreneurship.

40.21 Allbirds: A Case Study in Sustainable Footwear Innovation

• Background: Allbirds, founded in 2016 by Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger, aimed to create comfortable and sustainable footwear.
• Mission: “To tread lighter on the planet while making better things people love to wear.”
• Sustainable Materials: Allbirds uses renewable materials like merino wool and eucalyptus fiber.
• Comfort and Design: Combining sustainable materials with comfortable and aesthetically appealing design.
• Direct-to-Consumer: Selling directly to customers to reduce costs and improve accessibility.
• Ethical Sourcing: Ensuring the ethical treatment of animals and workers in the supply chain.
• Storytelling: Emphasizing the brand’s commitment to sustainability and innovative materials.
• Word-of-Mouth: Leveraging satisfied customers as brand advocates.
• International Presence: Expanding into international markets while staying true to the brand’s values.
• Localized Initiatives: Tailoring products and marketing to suit local preferences.
• Market Competitors: Competing with established footwear brands and other sustainable startups.
• Scale and Sustainability: Balancing growth with maintaining eco-friendly practices.
• Carbon Footprint: Measuring and reducing the brand’s carbon footprint.
• Circular Economy: Exploring ways to make footwear more recyclable and sustainable.
• Transparency: Sharing information about the supply chain and material sources.
• Community Engagement: Partnering with organizations for social and environmental causes.
• Research and Development: Continuing to innovate with new materials and product lines.
• Market Expansion: Exploring new markets and consumer segments.
• Changing Consumer Behavior: Influencing the way consumers think about sustainable products.
• Inspiring Competitors: Encouraging other brands to prioritize sustainability.

Allbirds’ unique approach to footwear production, blending innovation, comfort, and sustainability, has positioned it as a leader in the sustainable fashion movement. The Allbirds case study provides a valuable window into the world of sustainable business, marketing, and product innovation. By exploring Allbirds’ strategies and challenges, students can gain insights into how a commitment to ethical practices, environmental consciousness, and customer satisfaction can drive success in today’s competitive market. The case offers lessons for those interested in entrepreneurship, sustainable business practices, and ethical consumerism.

15 Marketing Case Study Examples With Standout Success Stories

Some marketing campaigns leave a lasting impression. We’ve gathered insights from CEOs and marketing leaders to share one standout marketing case study that resonates with them.

Tomas Laurinavicius

Table of Contents

Dove’s real beauty campaign impact, oatly’s bold brand strategy, rockervox’s tax credit success, local bookstore’s community engagement, coca-cola’s personalized brand experience, dropbox’s viral referral program, authentic influencer marketing for cpg brand, airbnb’s “we accept” social impact, amul’s topical and humorous campaigns, axe’s “find your magic” brand refresh, squatty potty’s humorous viral video, old spice’s viral humor campaign, red bull stratos’s high-flying publicity, maple dental’s seo success story, dollar shave club’s viral launch video.

Some marketing campaigns leave a lasting impression.

We’ve gathered insights from CEOs and marketing leaders to share one standout marketing case study that resonates with them.

From Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign’s impact to Dollar Shave Club’s viral launch video, explore fifteen memorable marketing triumphs that these experts can’t forget.

• AXE’s ‘Find Your Magic’ Brand Refresh

One marketing case study that has always stayed with me is the Dove Real Beauty Campaign. It really struck a chord when it launched in 2004, challenging the beauty standards and celebrating women’s diversity. What made it stand out was the “Real Beauty Sketches” video, where women described themselves to a sketch artist. Seeing the stark contrast between their self-perceptions and how others saw them was incredibly eye-opening and touching.

What I found so compelling about this campaign was its message of self-acceptance and empowerment. Dove didn’t just try to sell products; they took a stand for something much bigger, and it resonated deeply with people. Using video storytelling was a genius move as it made the message more impactful and shareable. I believe Dove showed how brands can make a real difference by addressing important social issues in an authentic and meaningful way.

Nicole Dunn , CEO, PR and Marketing Expert, Dunn Pellier Media

As a content and brand marketer, Oatly’s brand strategy always inspires me. They are a textbook example of comprehensive brand-building.

Their visual style is instantly recognizable—bold, disruptive, and often filled with humor, making oat milk a statement and something you’d be proud to display on your shelves or socials.

Their tone of voice is witty, sometimes cheeky. They’ve even printed negative feedback on their packaging, which really just shows how they court controversy to spark conversations and enhance their brand’s visibility.

And there’s a strong story behind Oatly, too. They promote sustainability and aren’t shy about their environmental impact, which has simply helped them grow an enthusiastic community of environmental advocates. Clever in endless ways, such that tons of oat milk brands have followed suit.

Wisia Neo , Content Marketing Manager, ViB

One standout marketing case study that sticks with me is the implementation of our RockerVox Restaurant Bundle, aimed at optimizing cash flow through targeted use of employer-based tax credits. The power of this case study lies in its immediate financial impact on the client, a local restaurant chain that was struggling to keep its doors open in the wake of the pandemic.

By integrating the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and other relevant tax schemes into their payroll setup, we enabled the restaurant to reclaim a significant amount in tax credits. The real game-changer was not just the financial relief but also how it was achieved. We combined this with StaffedUp’s Applicant Tracking System, which improved their hiring processes and decreased employee turnover. This holistic approach led to a sustainable improvement in their operations and cash flow.

What made this case study so great was its tangible results. The restaurant saw a cash flow improvement of over 100%. This wasn’t just a number on a report—it meant being able to invest back into the business, enhance their services, and ultimately, keep their community fed and employed. This approach of integrating technology with financial strategy can be adapted by other businesses striving for similar resilience and growth, especially in times of economic difficulty.

Philip Wentworth, Jr , Co-Founder and CEO, Rockerbox

Certainly, one particularly impactful marketing strategy I led at FireRock Marketing involved a small local bookstore that was facing steep competition from online retailers. Our challenge was to increase foot traffic and reinforce the store’s brand presence in a highly digitalized market.

We initiated a campaign called “Local Pages, Local Stages,” where we leveraged digital marketing alongside community engagement. The bookstore held monthly events featuring local authors and artists, which we promoted heavily through targeted social media ads, email marketing, and local influencer partnerships. This multifaceted approach tapped into the community’s growing interest in supporting local ventures, enhancing visibility significantly.

The outcomes were remarkable. Over the campaign’s six-month duration, in-store sales increased by 40%, and the bookstore saw a 65% rise in attendance at events, which also boosted ancillary revenue from merchandise and cafe sales. Additionally, social media engagement metrics increased by over 150%, reflecting greater brand awareness.

This case study sticks with me because it exemplifies the power of combining digital strategies with community-based marketing to create a sustainable growth model. It shows how businesses can use holistic, integrated approaches to effectively adapt to new consumer behaviors and competitive landscapes.

Ryan Esco , Chief Marketing Officer, FireRock Marketing

A memorable marketing case study is the “Share a Coke” campaign by Coca-Cola. Initially launched in Australia in 2011, this campaign personalized the Coke experience by replacing the iconic Coca-Cola logo on bottles with common first names.

The idea was to encourage people to find bottles with their names or those of their friends and family, creating a more personal connection to the brand. The campaign was an enormous hit and was quickly rolled out worldwide, incorporating more names and even terms of endearment in different languages.

The brilliance of this campaign lay in its use of personalization, which tapped directly into the social media trend of sharing personal moments. People enthusiastically shared their personalized Coke bottles on various social media platforms, significantly amplifying the campaign’s reach beyond traditional advertising media.

This strategy boosted sales and reinforced Coca-Cola’s position as a fun and innovative brand. The “Share a Coke” campaign is a powerful example of how traditional products can be revitalized through creative marketing strategies that engage consumers personally.

Sahil Kakkar , CEO and Founder, RankWatch

For me, a standout marketing case study that really sticks with me is Dropbox’s referral program strategy back in their early days. By offering free storage space for every successful referral, they incentivized existing users to spread the word organically, resulting in exponential growth at virtually no acquisition cost.

What made this case study so brilliant was how elegantly it aligned product experience with viral sharing. Users had a vested interest in sharing Dropbox since it directly expanded their own cloud storage. This created a self-perpetuating cycle where better product engagement fueled more referrals, which then improved engagement further.

It was an ingenious lever that capitalized on the inherent sharing dynamics of their service to ignite explosive growth. The simplicity and potency of this growth hack is what truly resonates as a paragon of effective guerrilla marketing.

Ben Walker , Founder and CEO, Ditto Transcripts

One marketing case study that has always stuck with me was a campaign I led for a major CPG brand a few years back. The goal was to increase awareness and trial of their new line of organic snacks among millennial moms in a crowded market.

We developed an influencer seeding strategy focused on relatable mom micro-influencers on Instagram. Instead of just sending products, we worked with the influencers to develop authentic content that told real stories about the role of snacking and nutrition in busy family life. The photos and videos felt genuine, not overly polished or promotional.

Engagement was through the roof—the content resonated so strongly with the target audience. By the end of the 3-month campaign, we increased awareness by 45% and trial by over 20%. The CPG brand was thrilled, and the case study became an example we still reference today of the power of influencer marketing done right. Authenticity wins.

Gert Kulla , CEO, RedBat.Agency

One marketing case study that stuck with me was the Airbnb “We Accept” campaign, launched in 2017, focusing on social impact. This response to the global refugee crisis aimed to promote inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance within communities worldwide.

What made this case study remarkable was its ability to leverage the Airbnb platform to facilitate connections between hosts and displaced persons, providing them with temporary housing and support.

Airbnb demonstrated its commitment to using its platform for social good and making a tangible difference in the lives of those in need. This aligned with its mission to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere.

At the end of the day, Airbnb’s “We Accept” campaign was a compelling case study showing brands how to address social issues, promote inclusivity, and drive positive change in communities worldwide.

Peter Bryla , Community Manager, ResumeLab

One standout marketing case study that sticks with me is the “Amul” marketing campaigns by Amul, the iconic Indian dairy cooperative, make for excellent and impactful case studies as well. Here’s why Amul’s marketing stands out:

The Amul Girl – The mascot of a mischievous, friendly butter girl has become one of India’s most recognizable brand icons since her inception in 1966. Her presence on topical ads commenting on the latest news and pop culture trends has made Amul’s billboards a long-standing source of joy and relevance.

Topicality – Amul’s billboards and newspaper ads are renowned for their topicality and ability to humorously comment on major events, celebrity happenings, and political developments within hours. This real-time marketing has kept the brand part of daily conversations for decades.

Humor – The not-so-secret sauce is the brilliant use of puns, wordplay, and satirical humor that Amul consistently delivers through the eyes of the Amul Girl. The healthy, inoffensive jokes have earned a cult following.

Longevity – Very few brands can boast an equally iconic and successful campaign running for over 50 years, still keeping audiences engaged across multiple generations. The long-running property itself has become a case study in sustaining relevance.

Local Connect – While achieving pan-India recognition, the puns often play on regional language nuances, striking a chord with Amul’s Gujarati roots and building a personal connection with local consumers.

The impact of Amul’s long-running topical billboard campaign is unmatched—it has not only strengthened brand recognition and loyalty but has also made the cooperative a beloved part of India’s popular culture and daily life. Creativity, agility, and contextual marketing at its best!

Yash Gangwal , Founder, Urban Monkey

Axe (Lynx in the UK) had created a problematic brand image from past marketing efforts. Their focus on ‘attraction is connected to conquest’ hadn’t dissuaded men from buying their deodorants, but had a toxic effect on perceptions of women. Research conducted on brand equity showed that brand equity was declining, with this perception of the brand aging poorly and desperately needing a refresh to continue allowing the brand to be relevant for the future.

That led to a superb partnership with creative agency 72andSunny Amsterdam. Unilever was able to tap into an entirely new philosophy for its brand:

Empower men to be the most attractive man they could be – themselves.

With that idea in mind, 2016 saw the launch of the AXE ‘Find Your Magic’ commercial, a stunning celebration of the diversity of modern masculinity. The campaign also saw the release of a new range of premium grooming products and a supporting influencer marketing campaign featuring brand ambassadors, including John Legend.

While not all parts of the creative were successful, the campaign drove more than 39 million views and 4 billion media impressions in the first quarter after the launch. But most critically, AXE saw a 30+% increase in positive perception of their brand.

This campaign will stand the test of time because it combines several important and brave initiatives:

• A forward-thinking mentality that the brand image you have today may not be suited for a future world
• A broader understanding of what your customer base looks like – women also play a big role in men’s choice of deodorant
• A big and bold attempt to change the way your brand is perceived – and succeeding with flying colors.

Yannis Dimitroulas , SEO and Digital Marketing Specialist, Front & Centre

One standout marketing case study that sticks with me is the campaign for Squatty Potty. The brand created a humorous video featuring a unicorn pooping rainbow ice cream to demonstrate the benefits of using their product. This unconventional approach garnered widespread attention and went viral, generating millions of views and shares on social media platforms.

The success of this campaign can be attributed to its creative storytelling, humor, and shock value, which made it memorable and engaging for viewers. By thinking outside the box and taking a risk with their messaging, Squatty Potty was able to create a unique and effective marketing strategy that resonated with consumers.

This case study serves as a reminder that creativity and originality can set a brand apart in a crowded marketplace, ultimately leading to increased brand awareness and customer engagement.

Carly Hill , Operations Manager, Virtual Holiday Party

The Old Spice ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ campaign remains etched in my memory. Its brilliance lies in its humor and creativity. By featuring a charismatic spokesperson and employing absurd scenarios, it captured viewers’ attention and went viral.

The campaign seamlessly integrated across platforms, from TV to social media, maximizing its reach. Its cleverness and entertainment value made it unforgettable, setting a benchmark for engaging marketing strategies. The case study showcases the importance of storytelling and humor in capturing audience interest and driving brand awareness.

Dan Ponomarenko , CEO, Webvizio

A marketing case study that has made a lasting impression on me is the Red Bull Stratos Jump. This campaign was for Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking jump from the edge of space, sponsored by Red Bull. The goal of this campaign was to create buzz and generate brand awareness through this extreme event.

The reason why this case study stands out to me is because of its successful execution in capturing the attention and interest of not just extreme sports enthusiasts, but also the general public.

The live broadcast of Baumgartner’s jump on various channels and social media platforms garnered over 52 million views, making it one of the most-watched live events ever. Red Bull’s strategic use of real-time marketing, storytelling, and high-quality visuals made this campaign a huge success, resulting in a significant increase in sales and brand recognition for the company.

This case study serves as a great example of how a well-planned and executed marketing campaign can effectively reach and engage with a wide audience.

Brian Hemmerle , Founder and CEO, Kentucky Sell Now

One standout marketing case study that resonates with me is the SEO transformation for Maple Dental. This campaign dramatically improved their local online visibility, leading to a substantial increase in new patient appointments. The integration of Google Maps SEO proved to be a game-changer, emphasizing the power of local search optimization in attracting nearby clients.

What made this case study exceptional was the measurable impact on the clinic’s business. For instance, the campaign led to a 230% increase in phone calls and a 223% increase in website visits. Such clear, quantifiable results showcased a direct contribution to business growth. These metrics are vital for demonstrating the return on investment in digital marketing efforts.

Additionally, the use of a targeted approach to enhance Google Maps visibility was particularly compelling. By optimizing their presence on Google Maps, Maple Dental saw a 250% increase in monthly maps impressions, which directly correlated with increased patient inquiries and visits.

Ihor Lavrenenko , CEO, Dental SEO Expert

One case study that always comes to mind is Dollar Shave Club’s launch video in 2012. It was called “Our Blades Are F*cking Great,” and let’s just say it got people talking! This video was hilarious and totally different from those fancy shaving commercials we were used to seeing. It spoke directly to guys, poked fun at expensive razor prices, and offered a way to get awesome blades for much less.

Additionally, it told everyone to check out their website. It was short, catchy, and made a huge impact. This is a perfect example of how a creative and funny video can grab attention, make people remember your brand, and get them to become customers.

Perry Zheng , Founder and CEO, Pallas

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• B2B social media case studies
• Social Media Management
• Social Media Marketing

B2B Social Media Marketing Case Studies to Inspire You

Written by Anna Sonnenberg

Published Apr. 18 2022

Table of Contents

Managing social media for business-to-business (B2B) companies or agency clients often seems more challenging than marketing directly to consumers. From choosing the most effective channels to deciding on the right tone of voice to creating compelling content, B2B social media marketing requires a unique approach.

So how can you successfully market a B2B company using channels like Facebook , LinkedIn, and Twitter? Check out three B2B social media case studies to inspire your strategy—no matter what stage of the sales funnel you need to target.

What Is B2B Social Media Marketing?

Strictly speaking, social media marketing for B2B companies isn’t too different from promoting business-to-consumer (B2C) organizations. Both types of companies use a variety of social channels to publish content, engage customers, and aim to get conversions. And both B2B and B2C companies tend to leverage a mix of paid and organic social media.

Even so, as you’ll see in the B2B case studies, social media marketing strategies require a few important adjustments for targeting a B2B buyer.

Let’s look at a few of the key differences.

Social channels

There’s no definitive list of social channels that B2B organizations can or can’t use. Choosing the right channels for your company is generally a case-by-case situation that requires audience and market research.

But some social channels naturally work better for B2B businesses because of their user base and native tools. For years, LinkedIn and Facebook have stood out as the most popular B2B marketing channels . However, many businesses also use Twitter to connect with customers and YouTube for long-form video.

Target customers

When marketing their products and services, B2C companies generally speak directly to individual customers . These target customers can make their own decisions for themselves or their families.

In contrast, B2B companies target other businesses. To get buy-in from companies or departments, marketers typically have to target decision makers with various levels of authority.

Tone of voice

Don’t assume that B2B marketing has to sound stiff or formal. After all, B2B marketing material often targets chief executive officers (CEOs) and other powerful decision makers.

But there’s no rule that B2B content has to sound stuffy—or that it can’t include emojis. Instead, B2B content should use a brand voice that fits your company’s image and values. And keep in mind that conversational content is almost always the best way to connect with the human decision makers you’re targeting.

Content tools

As a social media manager, you can access the same set of tools whether you’re working with a B2B or a B2C company. However, some tools are much more valuable for B2B marketers because of the sales cycles and decision-making processes involved.

Some of these B2B content tools include the following:

• Lead magnets that encourage prospects to provide their contact details in exchange for a high-value asset. For example, you may offer case studies or white papers.
• Webinars and product demos that require prospects to register to access exclusive knowledge or a closer look at your product.
• Native lead forms that allow prospects to request more information about your products and services without leaving the social media platform.

Use Cases for B2B Social Media Marketing

Now you’ve got an idea of how B2B content often looks and sounds. But what are the most effective ways to use it? Before we delve into social media B2B case studies, let’s look at how to align this content with your sales funnel.

Boost awareness

Is your business new to the market or seeking to expand its customer base? In either case, increasing awareness is essential for growth.

With awareness-focused social content, you can introduce your business to new products. You can also put your products and services on potential customers’ radar. Over time, you can highlight features and benefits to make prospects aware of the value your business offers.

Take a look at the ClickUp Facebook ad above, which is great for brand awareness. The eye-catching creative uses a succinct tagline to tell prospects exactly what the app does. The subheading lists three key aspects of the productivity app, so people instantly understand how it works.

The caption uses a CTA that encourages prospects to use the app to boost productivity. And it seals the deal with a pretty impressive takeaway: The app can help you “save one day a week.”

Establish trust

Most B2B companies aren’t selling frivolous items. Instead, the products and services that these companies offer can make a measurable impact on their customers—helping them work more efficiently, produce better results, reach higher goals, and grow their own businesses.

That’s why establishing trust should be a key part of any B2B company’s marketing strategy. You can use channels like Facebook and LinkedIn to share social proof, publish thought leadership, and communicate your company values.

The Outreach Facebook ad above seamlessly handles credibility. The creative boldly confirms the company’s status as an industry leader. The caption quotes a well-known third-party source to communicate the company’s position in the industry, effectively building on preexisting trust.

The ad points to a third-party report prospects can download learn more about Outreach. By offering this report in exchange for prospects’ contact details, the company can begin collecting and qualifying leads.

Generate leads

Once prospects trust your business and understand what it offers, they may be ready to take the next step. When you turn prospects into qualified leads, you can start nurturing your relationship with more targeted content.

Social channels offer countless opportunities for organic lead generation . After all, you can easily post links to lead magnets and webinars on your social profiles. But these channels are particularly effective at paid lead generation. For example, channels like LinkedIn and Facebook offer high-performing native lead ads.

Above, the Facebook ad by IT Glue offers a helpful checklist to prospects seeking to automate IT processes. This simple lead magnet is great for helping prospects solve a problem while learning more about the company.

Below, the Miva, Inc. LinkedIn ad takes a similar approach. In exchange for prospects’ contact information, it offers a downloadable five-step assessment designed to guide people through problem-solving.

Convert prospects

In many cases, you can use social media content to give prospects that final nudge from qualified lead to happy customer. Depending on the nature of your product or service, linking to a free trial, a paid subscription, an e-commerce page, or a sales page could drive conversions.

When you want prospects to convert, you need to think about creative ways to incentivize them. Free add-ons, limited-time offers, and limited-quantity discounts can all prompt qualified leads to take that final step.

Above, the Cardata LinkedIn ad captures prospects’ attention with a promise to streamline vehicle reimbursement calculations. The copy and creative both feature social proof that inspires trust, and the CTA prompts prospects to give the app a try.

Below, the Shopify Facebook ad catches prospects’ eyes with a promise to help scale their businesses. The caption lists several features e-commerce business owners are likely to need, and the creative prompts them to get started with a free trial.

Support customers

Once you convert customers, you can use social media to help them maximize the value from their purchase. It’s a good idea to think beyond customer support and brainstorm ways to help customers use your product or service more effectively.

For example, you can share advanced tips to help customers get more out of your product or service—and pique the interest of prospects at the same time. You might also discuss your loyalty program or spotlight longtime clients. These tactics allow you to give clients the accolades they deserve while also turning them into advocates for your business.

Above, the LinkedIn ad by Elementor targets people who are already familiar with the company’s website builder. By introducing a new product, the company can upsell to existing customers and deepen the relationship.

Three B2B Social Media Case Studies to Inspire You

Wondering how real-life B2B companies have applied these tactics on social media? Take a look at three B2B social media marketing case studies to get ideas for your business’s own strategy.

1. Turface Athletics and Profile Golf

Turface Athletics and Profile Golf, two brands under the Profile Products umbrella, worked with Elevation Marketing to address social media engagement for their B2B profiles. Take a look at what they achieved.

Both brands are well-established in their respective niches. Turface Athletics provides field maintenance products for athletic fields, and Profile Golf specializes in golf course maintenance solutions.

Despite their strong positions in their respective markets, both brands were experiencing low engagement across social media channels. Although the brands published social media content consistently, they did so from a single company profile on a limited range of channels.

As a result, the B2B company struggled to increase awareness or drive consideration among new potential customers. That meant they weren’t leveraging social media marketing effectively or using available tools to reach business goals successfully.

First, the agency conducted market research to get up to speed on industry trends and competitor strategies. The agency also performed a social media audit to review past performance and assess best practices for positioning the brands going forward.

After the preliminary research and audit phase, the agency determined that the brands would benefit most from a full-scale social media strategy across major channels. The agency proposed to plan engaging content designed to attract the brands’ target audiences.

In addition, the agency proposed to create distinct brand presences for Turface Athletics and Profile Golf on Twitter and Facebook. Doing so would allow the two brands to differentiate themselves, reach more relevant audiences, and (periodically) share or distribute each other’s content to increase reach and engagement.

The agency also designed an influencer marketing program to improve the brands’ Instagram presence. Ideally, partnering with influencers would give the brands access to more lifestyle photography while improving brand loyalty.

Over a six-month period, both brands saw impressive growth across all social media channels. The Turface Athletics Facebook page saw a 268% increase in engagement and a 44% increase in impressions, which suggests that the content truly resonated with the target audience. The strategy also drove 74% more web visits, a significant increase to the brand’s web  traffic.

During the same period, content for the new Facebook page and Twitter profile for Profile Golf generated nearly 35,000 impressions. It also drives a 253% increase in web visitors.

Ultimately, building out new B2B social profiles and attracting followers can be resource intensive. But this case study shows that creating content that truly resonates can build brands and reach marketing goals effectively.

Semrush, a software as a service (SaaS) company specializing in search engine optimization (SEO) tools, worked with Walker Sands to improve its Twitter presence.

As a long-established brand in the SEO space, Semrush already had a presence on Twitter. However, the SaaS company had struggled to differentiate itself from its many competitors. As a result, brand recognition, product awareness, and conversions weren’t as high as they could be.

By partnering with Walker Sands, Semrush aimed to improve engagement and increase brand loyalty. The SaaS company also wanted to set itself apart from competitors.

First, the agency used a combination of social listening and competitive research to pinpoint industry trends and understand how similar brands were using Twitter. Using this research, the agency recommended that Semrush adjust its brand guidelines for this social channel, essentially creating a separate, humor-focused persona for its Twitter profile.

To fine-tune this new brand voice, the agency developed Twitter content based on product and industry topics and recurring themes. The agency balanced content that promoted Semrush products with tweets that appealed to the brand’s audience of experienced digital marketers.

In addition, the agency used social listening tools to monitor and chime in on trending topics. This tactic allowed Semrush to join viral conversations and discuss relevant news in a timely fashion—further increasing the brand’s reach.

Semrush began to realize results quickly. In the first month, the social media marketing plan generated over 250,000 impressions and nearly 18,000 engagements. The engagement rate exceeded 7%, demonstrating how well the content resonated with the target audience.

Although Semrush is in a crowded space with numerous well-established competitors, the brand was able to distinguish itself on Twitter. As a result, Semrush improved brand sentiment and gained share of voice.

3. Collective Data

Collective Data, a fleet management SaaS company, worked with Sculpt to streamline its lead generation process and improve its lead conversion rate.

The SaaS company aimed to expand its presence in a specific market and secure more qualified leads across the nation. However, the marketing team’s activities didn’t necessarily align with the sales team’s ambitious goals.

First, Sculpt worked with Collective Data to outline buyer personas for the newly expanded market. The agency also mapped out the customer journey to identify key points to target or remarket to the new audience. To establish goals, the agency set cost-per-lead and cost-per-demo targets for the company’s campaigns.

To reach the company’s target audience of law enforcement professionals, the agency worked with Collective Data to build LinkedIn ad campaigns. The company focused on LinkedIn’s native lead forms, which allow prospects to provide contact information without leaving the platform.

To get more value from their efforts, the agency launched paid search and display remarketing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns using Google Ads. The SaaS company also invested in conversational marketing tools to engage potential customers on other channels and guide them through the sales funnel.

As a result of these combined efforts, Collective Data achieved an 8-12% lead conversion rate from online advertising. Compared to the SaaS company’s previous lead acquisition methods, these efforts decreased the average cost-per-lead by 70%. In addition to helping the B2B company expand into a new market, this outcome contributed to a significant cost savings.

Aligning marketing and sales isn’t always a smooth process. By clarifying customer personas and journey maps from the beginning and setting up complementary cross-channel campaigns, the agency successfully partnered with Collective Data to improve leads and conversions.

Wrapping Up What We’ve Learned About B2B Social Media Marketing

From boosting brand awareness to generating leads, these B2B social media case studies illustrate how businesses can reach target audiences and get results using the right channels. Use these case studies and use cases to guide your team in developing an effective social media strategy for your B2B company or agency clients.

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Case Study: How Pilgrim created brand awareness by launching an extensive influencer marketing campaign

To highlight the brand's first-ever tvc, pilgrim collaborated with influencers from the comedy genre. the campaign saw two phases and garnered 6.2 mn+ views. here's a case study on how the brand did it..

This Case Study explores in detail how Pilgrim -- a homegrown D2C Beauty and Personal Care brand, launched its first TVC with their haircare ambassador Yami Gautam and incorporated an extensive influencer marketing campaign to reach the correct audience. 

Category Introduction 

India's beauty business is growing rapidly and becoming a major industry. The beauty and wellness industry in India is fuelled by increasing disposable incomes and rising awareness about beauty products among the youth. According to a report by KPMG, the Indian beauty and wellness industry is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.6 percent and is estimated to reach $20 billion by the end of 2025. The industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19-20 over the next five years, with the increasing demand for beauty products and services.

The market for organic beauty products in India is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2025 while the Indian haircare market is estimated to reach $4 billion by 2023.

Brand Introduction 

Founded in 2019, Pilgrim is a homegrown D2C Beauty and Personal Care brand. Pempowers Indian consumers to discover the world’s best beauty secrets to address specific hair and skin concerns. The brand is devoted to “clean beauty”, and is PETA-certified Vegan and Cruelty-Free. Pilgrim has raised around INR 13 Crores in a Series-A funding round led by Fireside Ventures, Rukam Capital, and Angel Investors including founding teams.

Pilgrim launched their first ever TVC with their haircare ambassador Yami Gautam on 5th April 2023. As the main premise of the film, Yami is shown kidnapped by the Koreans who want to know how she discovered their Hair Growth Secrets to which Yami wittily replies, “Pilgrim ne dhoond nikale”. This is the main hook line of the campaign. As part of the campaign, the brand collaborated with creators to give their own funny spin to ‘‘Pilgrim ne dhoond nikale”.

The objective of this campaign was to highlight Pilgrim's discovery of Korean hair care secrets and promote their hair growth serum. To create awareness around the same, they collaborated with entertainment & beauty influencers who created funny and relatable content integrating Pilgrim’s discovery of Korean hair care secrets.

To highlight Pilgrim's discovery of Korean hair care secrets and promote their hair growth serum by leveraging entertainment creators who created funny and relatable content while incorporating the fact that Pilgrim has discovered Korean hair secrets and created brand awareness.

Creative Idea 

The aim of this campaign was to highlight Pilgrim's discovery of Korean hair care secrets and promote their hair growth serum. Therefore, to create awareness, Chtrbox collaborated with entertainment & beauty influencers who created funny and relatable content integrating Pilgrim’s discovery of Korean hair care secrets. It will position Pilgrim as a brand that not only cares about external appearance but also values inner well-being and personal growth. This innovative approach will resonate with the target audience and create a lasting impact in the beauty industry.

To set Pilgrim apart in a saturated market where beauty/skincare brands often collaborate with influencers on a large scale, we creatively tackled the issue by exploring an unconventional genre, namely, entertainment. By handpicking influencers whose fan base overlaps with our target audience, we strategically ensured maximum exposure and resonance for the brand.

Phase 1: This campaign was executed from 7th April 2023 to 13th April 2023. Pilgrim kickstarted the campaign with the first phase leveraging entertainment creators to build on their storytelling skills & drive awareness about the serum. The remarkable results were evident, contributing to a significant 90% surge in sales & 3x jump in ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) by influencers specifically. 

Phase 2: This campaign was executed from 26th June 2023 to 30th June 2023. Buoyed by this success, the brand proceeded with phase 2 of the campaign, which received a positive response from the audience. Retaining the humorous tone that had proven successful, the second phase further solidified our position in the market.

Quantitative

The overall marketing campaign for Pilgrim garnered a reach of 62,31,731 across Instagram for both phases. And total views of  76,06,974 creating an engagement of 85,23,977.

Qualitative 

Phase 1: In comparison to the final framework closed, the campaign has overachieved the estimated views by over 43.46% (initially estimated views - 2.6M; achieved views - 3.8M) and reached a whopping 100.05% (initial estimated reach - 1.6M; achieved reach - 3.2M) while simultaneously reducing the CPV by 29.54%!    

A total of 6 influencers, with an audience of 2.4 million, posted 6 Reels, which helped them achieve:

Phase 2: In comparison to the final framework closed, the campaign has overachieved the estimated views by over 122.7% (initial estimated views - 1.69M; achieved views - 3.7M) and reached a whopping 197.55% (initial estimated reach - 1.01M; achieved reach - 3.03M) while simultaneously reducing the CPV by 54.55%! 

A total of 5 influencers, with an audience of 1.6 million, posted 5 Reels, which helped us achieve:

"The "Pilgrim Ne Dhoond Nikaale" campaign was our attempt to talk about the Pilgrim story as well as our hero product Korean Hair Growth Serum in a clutter-breaking manner. With an impactful creative featuring Yami Gautam and an interesting set of comic/entertainment creators, we were able to create not only mass awareness with a whopping 7.5m views with comic creators alone but also bring about a 3x jump in Hair Growth Serum sales," said   Shikha Chawla , Senior Brand Manager, Pilgrim.

"Our partnership with Pilgrim resulted in a remarkable outcome that exceeded all initial expectations. Through a careful selection of creators and a narrative that perfectly balanced relevance while retaining originality, we seamlessly integrated the campaign messaging via distinctive storytelling. This not only sparked extensive brand chatter but also translated into tangible outcomes, elevating the brand presence and resonance while achieving a sizable growth of 3x in product sales for their Hair Growth Serums," said Mrunali Dedhia , Vice President at Chtrbox.

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• Corpus ID: 169049235

Social media and brand awareness : a case study in the fast moving consumer goods sector

• M. Johansson
• Published 2010

Figures from this paper

12 Citations

Social media: an emerging conundrum, suceeding social media : designing a future for queensland industries online trade shows /, brand and social web, brand awareness: the influence of social media during the covid-19 pandemic.

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The Way Brands Work: Consumers' understanding of the creation and usage of brands

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The Power of Hotel Branding: Key Strategies and Success Stories at Minor Hotels

NH Hotels Aug 20, 2024

Hotel branding plays a main role in how the hospitality industry develops. It is said to have an impact on guests’ perceptions and decisions. It is clearly more than just a logo, a name or some combination of colours. Brand strategy’s based on a comprehensive strategy to try to transmit the hotel’s whole identity and values, as well as the kind of experiences that it offers. It is a crucial aspect when it comes to differentiate your properties in a very competitive market as the hotel sector.

The brand identity not only involves the visual elements like the hotel’s logo. Each hotel tells a story, has its own narrative and history, and this is also told through its service, ambiance and guest experience. A strong brand delivers a clear message about what guests can expect, fostering familiarity and building trust.

Key Components and Strategies to develop a strong brand identity

Each hotel should be special, different and memorable for our guests; in order to achieve a strong and successful hotel branding, it is essential that you:

• Know your guests: It is crucial to understand what type of customer you would like to attract, as well as knowing how they communicate to reach them properly. To catch your guests’ attention and make their stays memorable, you will need to know what attracts them, why they would choose one brand compared to another and how to satisfy these needs.
• Understand your own brand (or brands): Be specific on how you would describe your hotel brand and how you would like for it to stand out to your target audience. Your brand’s identity must be a combination of its visual, experiential, emotional and communication features.
• Make your branding “international”: You need to pay attention on whether your logo, slogan and brand features are able to be taken abroad. Not every culture is the same, has the same values or preferences.
• Monitor and make adjustments on your brand strategy if needed . Another key to the success of a hotel brand strategy is keeping up with the everchanging market trends and continuously monitor and adjust your brand strategy to remain competitive in the sector.

Ideas on how to improve your hotel brand

As we have seen, developing a strong brand identity for your hotel is a critical component of success in the hospitality industry. Building your own hotel’s audience and making your brand recognizable can help you widen your hotel’s reach and increases its growth potential. On this article we are going to go through some tips and ideas to create a good hotel brand strategy:

• Determine a Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Think about what the features, benefits or services your hotel can provide that will make it stand out from its competitors. What is that one thing that makes your guests to keep on returning to your hotel? That is your USP.
• Develop your hotels’ brand guidelines: It is important that your brand’s logo, colors, fonts and style are followed brand-wide so that you achieve a coherent and consistent image for your guests and potential customers.
• Tell brand stories: The best advertising campaigns take us on an emotional journey. Share narratives that connect your brand identity to what you think your guests care about the most when it comes to booking a holiday, a work trip or a workation. This will create an image and a story that resonates with your potential customer base.

Emerging trends

We have talked about how new ideas and strategies can bring your business up to date. Many hotels are opting to make a more digital use of their services and trust the latest technologies on the market to do so. Here are some ideas on late trends you can start applying on your hotel branding strategy:

• Personalized guest experience: It has been made clear that guests are the center of any strategy when it comes to branding. Considering that the new consumer demands differentiation and added value in hotels when making decisions, personalizing their experience by being a pet friendly or sustainable hotel would be a great way to raise the image of your hotel and build customer loyalty. By offering unique differential experiences and creating memorable experiences, you will undoubtedly encourage recommendations.
• Take a sustainable approach. Green practices are becoming increasingly important to guests. According to a survey made by a major travel marketplace worldwide in 2022, 79% of travelers on a worldwide level say that they would like to start travelling on a more sustainable way. Taking a sustainable approach, like reducing energy waste on your hotel, can improve your brand’s reputation, because it shows a commitment to environmental responsibility.
• Enhance your facilities and embrace technology: Making use of modern facilities and amenities are key for distinguishing your hotel form competitors. Make sure that your offerings align with what guests expect from you and the brand image want to portray.

Case Studies and Hotel Branding Initiatives at Minor Hotel

Achieving remarkable hotel branding requires of a deep understanding of your brand’s values and the use of innovative strategies to keep it up to date. In this section we will be highlighting some branding initiatives form our hotels’ portfolio. Showcasing how their different identities and creative campaigns have boosted our hotels. We’ll explore the permanent branding strategies that define our newest hotels, like nhow Frankfurt and Avani Alonso Martínez. And we will see some impactful temporal branding efforts for brands like Tivoli’s 90th anniversary and NH Collection’s 10th anniversary.

nhow Frankfurt

nhow Hotels & Resorts has redefined traditional hospitality by transforming its spaces into dynamic canvases for cultural immersion and creative expression. Each location where there is a nhow hotel blends innovation and art to picture the essence of its destination. nhow Frankfurt perfectly exemplifies this with its “art of money”, theme fitting perfectly into the financial hotspot of Frankfurt. The way concept of money and capitalism as a system are transforming our society is cleverly integrated into the hotel’s design and aesthetic, creating a vibrant and thought-provoking environment. The hotel’s branding strategy includes:

• Artistic Design: Collaborations with visionary architects and artists ensure each space is a masterpiece of avant-garde design. Hotels of nhow Hotels & Resorts are an excellent example of this point: the stairs in the lobby of nhow Frankfurt that mimic coins stacked one on top of the other, or the wall behind the counter that mimics gold bullion make it clear that money has been the inspiration for this artistic design.
• Cultural Integration: The hotel’s interiors are adorned with art pieces that blend urban and pop art to create a stimulating atmosphere around money.
• Distinctive Experiences: nhow Frankfurt offers unique surroundings such as the NFT SKYBAR & RESTAURANT, which combines modern digital art with high-end culinary experiences.

These elements not only create a memorable experience for guests but also reinforce nhow’s brand identity as a disruptor in the hospitality industry.

Avani Alonso Martinez Madrid

Avani Alonso Martínez in Madrid perfectly encapsulates the brand’s philosophy of balance between contemporary design and traditional charm. The hotel embodies the vibrant spirit of the Spanish capital through modern USP and the cultural heritage of the city of Madrid. Some key branding strategies on this hotel include:

• Cultural Homage: The hotel’s design pays tribute to Madrid’s local culture, featuring elements such as cat sculptures and shapes, houndstooth plaid bed clothes inspired by traditional “chulapos,” and cat-patterned wallpaper.
• Local Identity: Decorative details throughout the hotel, including Manila shawl paintings and map lamp shades, invite guests to immerse themselves in the Madrid’s history and traditions.

These branding efforts create a unique and authentic experience for guests, positioning Avani Alonso Martínez as a premier destination that celebrates the essence of Madrid.

Temporal or special occasion branding for Minor hotels:

Anniversaries are an excellent occasion to make different and innovative branding and e special activations, which will help you to improve your hotel brand, by telling stories, highlighting unique selling points and creating a strong brand identity.

Tivoli 90 th anniversary

During 2023, Tivoli Hotels & Resorts celebrated its 90th anniversary with a branding campaign that honored its rich heritage and aimed to inspire. This campaign consisted of a two-year journey that combined nostalgia with modern sophistication, with several actions, that included:

• A rebranding initiative: Tivoli Hotels & Resorts updated its brand identity to embrace its 90 th anniversary, by combining traditional elements that went along with its story, with a twist in branded elements.
• Tivoli Timeless Tour: A special trip program that offered a 10-day stay across several Tivoli properties in Portugal, the beginning of its history. This trip promoted some of the main brand concepts, like the “Slow Living”, allowing our guests to savour each moment and destination. The Timeless Tour also included a Travel Creator Road Trip, showcasing Tivoli’s properties, leveraging the creators’ influence to reach broader audiences and create authentic, shareable experiences around the brand and hotels.

These initiatives not only served to celebrate Tivoli’s history but also reinforced its position as a timeless and elegant brand in the hospitality industry.

NH Collection 10 th anniversary

In the year 2024, NH Collection Hotels & Resorts reaches its 10 th anniversary, with an ambitious campaign that’s created to enhance the brand’s global awareness and to celebrate a decade of extraordinary moments of hospitality. Here are some of the key components of this campaign:

• A creative storytelling around celebrating meaningful moments, centered on delivering extraordinary experiences, combined with an enhanced guest experience and new brand concepts to ensure a lasting impact beyond the anniversary year.
• Brand’s humanization, through the Feelings Creators and Collectors. A campaign that highlights the real people behind the experiences in NH Collection Hotels & Resorts. By including both staff and guests, depth and relatability are added to the brand’s message.

This strategy not only commemorates NH Collection’s milestones over the past decade but also sets the stage for future growth and innovation.

The Decisive Impact of Branding in the Hospitality Industry

To sum up, effective hotel branding is essential to stand out in a highly competitive market, creating memorable experiences and building lasting relationships with guests. But bare in mind that successful branding it is not simply about visual elements, but about building an identity that reflects the values and unique experiences that the hotel offers. Strategies such as knowing your customers, adapting the brand to emerging trends and taking advantage of important moments are key to successful branding and not only will attract new guests, but also will foster loyalty among existing ones.

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How to Use Influencer Marketing for Event Success

In today’s digital landscape, influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy for promoting events. By partnering with individuals who have a significant online presence, event organizers can reach new audiences, drive ticket sales, and create a buzz that lasts long after the event ends. This article will guide you through the essential steps for leveraging influencer marketing effectively, ensuring your event is a resounding success.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing involves collaborating with individuals who have a dedicated following on social media, blogs, or other online platforms. These influencers, who are trusted by their audience, can amplify your event’s message, making it more relatable and credible.

Influencers come in various types:

• Macro-influencers: These are individuals with a large following, typically over 100,000 followers. They have broad reach but may lack niche specificity.
• Micro-influencers: With a following ranging from 1,000 to 100,000, micro-influencers often have highly engaged audiences and specialize in specific niches.
• Nano-influencers: These influencers have a smaller following (under 1,000) but tend to have a close-knit community of followers who trust their recommendations.

Understanding the type of influencer that fits your event’s goals is crucial. A music festival might benefit from macro-influencers for widespread exposure, while a niche workshop might see better results with micro or nano-influencers who are deeply embedded in relevant communities.

How To Use Influencer Marketing For Events

Identifying the right influencers.

Choosing the right influencers is a strategic process. It’s not just about who has the most followers, but who has the right followers. Here’s how to identify the best fit.

• Audience Match: Consider the demographics, interests, and behaviors of the influencer’s audience. Use tools like audience insights on social media platforms or influencer marketing platforms that provide detailed analytics to ensure alignment.
• Engagement Rate: This metric shows how actively the influencer’s audience interacts with their content (likes, comments, shares). High engagement rates suggest a loyal and interested audience, which is more likely to take action based on the influencer’s recommendations.
• Relevance: Analyze the content they typically post. Does it align with your event’s theme? For instance, a fitness influencer would be ideal for promoting a health and wellness expo, but less suitable for an art exhibition.

Additionally, it’s important to consider the influencer’s previous collaborations. Have they promoted events before? What were the outcomes? Researching past campaigns can give you a better idea of what to expect.

Establishing Clear Goals

Before you dive into influencer partnerships, you need to establish clear, measurable goals. Your objectives will dictate the type of influencers you work with, the content they create, and how you measure success.

• Ticket Sales: If your primary goal is to sell tickets, set specific targets. For example, aim to sell 500 tickets through influencer promotions by a certain date.
• Brand Awareness: If your event is new or expanding into a new market, your goal might be to increase brand awareness. Metrics could include the number of social media impressions, brand mentions, or new followers.
• Audience Engagement: For ongoing events or series, keeping your audience engaged between events is crucial. Here, the goal might be to increase the number of event-related interactions on social media, such as likes, comments, and shares.

Having well-defined goals helps you stay focused and allows for more effective measurement and analysis after the campaign.

Crafting the Perfect Pitch

The success of your influencer marketing campaign often hinges on how you approach potential influencers. A generic, impersonal pitch is likely to be ignored. Here’s how to craft a compelling pitch:

• Personalization: Address the influencer by name and mention specific details about their content that you appreciate. This shows that you’re familiar with their work and are genuinely interested in a partnership.
• Value Proposition: Clearly explain what the influencer will gain from the collaboration. This could be monetary compensation, exclusive access to the event, increased exposure through your channels, or a combination of these.
• Event Alignment: Describe how the influencer’s content aligns with your event. Be specific about how their involvement can enhance the event experience for attendees.
• Flexibility: While it’s important to provide guidelines, also allows room for the influencer’s creative input. They know their audience best and can offer insights into what will resonate most.

Follow up after a week if you don’t hear back, but be respectful of their time and workload. A well-thought-out pitch increases the likelihood of securing high-quality influencer partnerships.

Collaborating on Content Creation

Once you’ve secured partnerships with influencers, it’s time to collaborate on content creation. The content they produce will be the heart of your campaign, so it’s important to get it right.

• Content Guidelines: Provide a clear brief that outlines your expectations, key messages, and any mandatory elements (e.g., event hashtags, and ticketing links). However, avoid being overly prescriptive; influencers need creative freedom to maintain authenticity.
• Announcements: An influencer could post an initial announcement to inform their followers about the upcoming event, sparking interest and anticipation.
• Teasers and Previews: These could include short video clips, images, or stories giving followers a sneak peek into what to expect at the event.
• Behind-the-scenes: Content showing behind-the-scenes preparations can create excitement and provide a personal touch that resonates with followers.
• Q&A Sessions: Influencers can engage their audience by hosting live Q&A sessions about the event, answering questions, and sharing their enthusiasm.
• Giveaways: Hosting a ticket giveaway can create buzz and encourage followers to engage more with the event’s promotion.
• Live Coverage: During the event, influencers can share real-time updates, photos, and videos to enhance the experience for both attendees and those following along online.

Collaborating closely with influencers ensures that the content remains consistent with your event’s branding while also engaging the audience effectively.

Leveraging Different Platforms

Each social media platform offers unique opportunities for influencer marketing. Understanding where your target audience spends their time is key to maximizing impact.

• Instagram: With over a billion users, Instagram is a go-to platform for visual content. Utilize Instagram Stories, Reels, and IGTV for dynamic content that’s easy to consume. The platform is especially effective for lifestyle, fashion, and entertainment events.
• YouTube: If your event has a lot of visual or educational content, YouTube is an ideal platform. Influencers can create event trailers, vlogs, and behind-the-scenes videos that offer a deeper look at what attendees can expect.
• TikTok: TikTok is particularly effective for reaching younger audiences. Short, creative videos can go viral quickly, making it an excellent platform for events targeting Gen Z and millennials.
• Twitter: Ideal for real-time updates and engagement, Twitter allows influencers to share quick thoughts, event details, and live updates during the event itself.
• Blogs: Long-form content on blogs can be beneficial for explaining complex events or providing in-depth reviews. Bloggers can drive traffic to your event page by sharing detailed posts about what attendees can expect.
• Facebook: Although often considered a platform for older demographics, Facebook still offers robust targeting options and group functionalities, making it suitable for events with broader or niche audiences.

Each platform serves a different purpose, and the right mix depends on your event’s target audience and goals.

You Might Also Like: How To Use Social Media To Promote Your Event

Tracking and Measuring Success

To ensure your influencer marketing campaign is effective, it’s crucial to track and measure its success using relevant metrics:

• Ticket Sales: This is the most direct indicator of success. Use unique promo codes or trackable links provided to influencers to monitor how many tickets are sold through their channels.
• Social Media Metrics: Analyze engagement metrics like likes, shares, comments, and mentions. High engagement suggests that the content resonated with the audience.
• Website Traffic: Tools like Google Analytics can show whether there’s an increase in traffic to your event’s website from the influencer’s posts.
• Follower Growth: Monitor whether your event’s social media accounts experience a growth in followers during the campaign. This indicates increased interest and awareness.
• Brand Mentions and Sentiment: Use social listening tools to track how often and in what context your event is mentioned on social media. This can give you insight into the overall perception of your event.

Regularly reviewing these metrics allows you to adjust your strategy in real time and make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaign’s performance.

Building Long-Term Relationships

Influencer marketing should be viewed as a long-term strategy. Building and maintaining relationships with influencers can lead to ongoing collaborations that benefit both parties.

• Post-Event Engagement: After the event, continue to engage with the influencers by thanking them publicly, sharing their content on your channels, and providing them with a post-event report that highlights the success of the campaign.
• Feedback and Future Collaboration: Ask for their feedback on the partnership and express your interest in future collaborations. This not only strengthens the relationship but also provides valuable insights for improving future campaigns.
• Loyalty Programs: Consider developing a loyalty program for influencers who regularly work with your brand, offering them exclusive benefits or early access to future events.

Long-term relationships with influencers can lead to more authentic and effective promotions, as influencers who genuinely enjoy your events are more likely to advocate for them.

Case Studies and Success Stories

To understand the true potential of influencer marketing, it’s useful to look at case studies from events of different scales:

• Coachella: This globally recognized music festival has masterfully used influencer marketing to maintain its elite status. By inviting influencers to attend and document their experiences, Coachella generates massive online buzz that reaches millions worldwide. The festival’s hashtag consistently trends and the event sells out quickly.
• Smaller Niche Events: Local food festivals or niche workshops have also seen success through influencer marketing. For instance, a local organic food festival partnered with health and wellness influencers, resulting in increased attendance and heightened awareness within the community. Even with a smaller budget, the targeted approach allowed the event to reach the right audience effectively.

These examples demonstrate that influencer marketing is scalable and can be tailored to fit the needs of any event, whether it’s a massive festival or a niche gathering.

How Platinumlist Can Help With Influencer Marketing For Your Events

When it comes to implementing influencer marketing for your event, Platinumlist is your ideal partner. With a robust platform designed to streamline event management and ticket sales, Platinumlist also offers tools that integrate seamlessly with your influencer campaigns.

• Access to the Largest Affiliate Database: Platinumlist boasts the largest ticketing affiliate database in the region, consisting of a diverse group of influencers ready to promote your event. These affiliates are carefully selected to ensure they align with your target audience, maximizing the reach and impact of your marketing efforts.
• Diverse Audience Reach: Through Platinumlist’s affiliate program, your event is promoted to a wide array of audiences. This program connects you with influencers who have followers from various demographics and interests, ensuring your event reaches more people than traditional marketing methods might allow.
• Seamless Integration: Platinumlist’s platform is designed to work in harmony with your influencer marketing strategies. By providing unique tracking links, promo codes, and real-time analytics, Platinumlist enables you to monitor the effectiveness of your campaigns with ease.

Our extensive affiliate network, combined with our state-of-the-art tools, ensures your event is promoted effectively, reaching the right audience at the right time.

Influencer marketing has the potential to transform how you promote your events. By understanding your audience, selecting the right influencers, and crafting compelling campaigns, you can significantly increase your event’s visibility, drive ticket sales, and create a memorable experience for attendees.

Start planning your next influencer marketing campaign today with the support of Platinumlist, and watch your event reach new heights!

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Non-Digital Marketing Factors That Hurt Digital Marketing ROI

Learn how non-digital marketing factors can negatively affect your ROI. Understand the challenges beyond digital marketing that can impact your success.

Digital marketing is hard.

The number of channels, networks, platforms, websites, technical factors, content needs, and the constant changes by search engines make it a very dynamic and ever-changing layer of overall marketing plans and strategies.

I have a lot of stories about brands who tried things and quit, convinced that it didn’t work for their company.

There are also stories of brands who were convinced it would eventually work and poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into it, hoping it would eventually pay off.

The number of variables and factors to success within digital marketing, ranging from having the right people to the right environment, is high enough.

Maybe your biggest challenges aren’t your personal, team, or department’s obstacles. Maybe they are outside of digital marketing.

No matter your situation – whether you’re eager to invest in digital marketing strategies and channels or are already investing and not getting the expected return – your problem might not be in the channels themselves or the disciplines of SEO and PPC .

You might have jumped to a phase of the digital marketing process without getting through some important prerequisites related to target audience definition , product/service development, brand strategy, and sales operations.

Without the right infrastructure or foundation in place, you might need to pause efforts or at least take a step back and evaluate your gaps to ensure that your digital marketing and search strategy is aligned with your company’s core essence and ongoing customer relationships.

I’ll unpack five hidden, or sometimes just hard to navigate, non-digital marketing aspects that can impact your digital marketing ROI.

1. Stakeholders Who Don’t Define The Target Audience

It goes without saying that at a base level, to do digital marketing – and especially SEO and PPC – you have to have an identified target audience.

In some cases, I have been handed a wealth of persona data, research data about prospects and customers, customer interviews, and intelligence to craft my search marketing strategy and plan.

Sometimes, I have been given just some information through my own discovery questions and have had to do a lot of my own research within keyword research tools , search intent research, and SERP features analysis .

Whatever the organization’s starting point and sophistication, if you ask some basic questions about the target audience to stakeholders responsible for product/service development, sales, finance, customer service, or even field technicians and get inconsistent or incomplete answers, then you have a yellow flag at best and possibly a red flag.

Even if you can target some people who were mentioned by some stakeholders and get them to convert, down the line, you may have issues with them getting all the way to a customer.

If you’re a search marketer or digital marketer focused on a specific channel, it typically isn’t your job to make corporate decisions on who to target or why.

However big or small your organization is, you will experience some of the same issues if you don’t have well-defined, consistent definitions of who your target audience is.

• Read More : What Is A Target Audience And How Do You Find It

2. Clients Who Think They Have No Competitors

I’ve been down some interesting roads with clients who have brand-new products. It is always exciting to hear about a new idea, service, or product that someone invented.

I have been involved in or cheered on many product and service launches, some of which have created brand-new markets or disrupted entire industries.

Those are groundbreaking moments – and in some cases, the product or service was described as having no competitors.

That can be an issue if you can’t at least figure out who might be the right target or what competitors are selling something (even if different or inferior) when it comes to translating to audiences and targeting.

I can’t count the number of times a client has told me they have no competitors. I take them at their word and know that they are right about the product or service.

However, when it comes to other brands already in their industry or adjacent spaces, there’s always someone showing up for a Google search or eating up display inventory somewhere.

Or, if you’re the only one, then you need to go back to the target audience item that I noted previously, as you haven’t found a real audience but have one that is hypothetical and doesn’t know about the problem you’re solving.

Getting your product or service dialed in, defined, and consistently understood by your full organization is critical.

If you’re marketing to the wrong audiences , focusing on the wrong features or benefits, or using the wrong set of competitors as your reference points, your digital marketing results might drive some activity but suffer from not achieving the desired ROI.

• Read More : Optimizing Keywords For Service Providers & Converting Blog Content

3. A Lack Of Brand Strategy To Guide You

Knowing your audience and your product/service is important when it comes to your targeting, competitor research , and being on the same page to maximize who you can reach and convert.

However, in the absence of a brand strategy and guidance, you might find that you sound just like everyone else in the space or you have an audience of none.

Brand strategy is important – not just the visual identity or voice and tone, but knowing what is truly distinctive about the product, distilled down into messaging that will resonate with the target audience.

In my experience, that is a great blend of common language and knowledge so we can target our audience, but also unique storytelling , messaging, and aspects that set our products/services apart.

Whether you’re starting with a robust brand strategy with information handed to you or have to work through it on the fly, it is important; otherwise, you risk being inconsistent, off-brand, or lost in the crowd while spending a lot of ad dollars and labor to ultimately just blend in.

• Read More : 10 Essential Elements to Create & Sustain Brand Identity

4. Not Knowing How The Product Is Being Sold

I won’t use this space to discuss all the exhaustive sales versus marketing battles or misalignments that happen. I’m going to assume you have a great relationship with sales.

Or, at the least, that any differences can be reconciled through some workshopping and hard work to get on the same page  – all topics for a different article, book, or training.

What you do need to know is how the team is selling your product or service. (For fully ecommerce, DTC, or zero touch sales process firms, then you can skip to the next section and double the impact of it.)

That might mean getting deep into how they use CRM, demos, sales scripts, what language they use, and all things related to their sales process.

Knowing all that, then digging deep into what a good lead is, a bad lead, qualification criteria, and how organized they are will help you tremendously.

Maybe there’s a sophisticated sales operation, maybe not.

In either case, knowing how products/services are sold, what language is used, what the process is, and how a digital marketing conversion becomes an actual customer can be really valuable for upstream targeting and messaging in your campaigns.

• Read More : Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): How To Get Started

5. Not Having Insight Into Customer Service

A definite hidden issue in digital marketing ROI that isn’t typically in the marketing team’s responsibilities is customer service.

That includes everything from communication during the time products or services are being delivered, to every touchpoint someone might have with your brand.

Customer lifetime value is big to most companies I’ve worked with. It is much cheaper to have someone come back and continue to buy versus the cost of marketing to acquire a new customer.

Beyond that, the value in customer affinity due to referrals, word of mouth, and reviews they leave is important – even for businesses that have a high frequency of customers who only need them once in their lives.

Knowing what makes for a “good” customer , the type that has lifetime value, gives positive reviews, and who you can use for helpful information to target more people just like them, the easier it will make your job.

When customer service teams don’t have a lot of information, aren’t equipped, or are getting a lot of complaints, you can dig into the function itself, the product/service, the brand, or even the target audience who is buying and gain some valuable insights to help optimize not just your marketing, but broader business aspects that are outside of digital marketing yet impact your ROI.

• Read More: How To Track Customers & Revenue From SEO In Your CRM

Non-Digital Factors Can Help You Find An A-Ha Moment

Whether you’re someone in a digital marketing role accountable to ROI or oversee it at any level, knowing the full picture of what can impact success is important.

So long ago that I don’t want to mention the year, I was able to do a lot in SEO by myself and not have as many variables.

I’m not here to say the old days were better, though. I’m a big fan of getting things right, being distinctive as a brand, and being the right option for our target customers.

When we are the best for them, they find us, and they have an amazing experience, it is an authentic connection and we can celebrate the successes that come with it.

If you’re struggling with any missing info, not getting the conversions you expect, or aren’t making it through to meaningful ROI , before giving up or giving in, go back to the non-digital marketing factors and see if there’s an “ah ha” or something you can dig deeper into.

More resources: 

• 15 Digital Marketing ROI Metrics You Need To Know
• SEO Is More Than A Checklist
• SEO Strategy: A Full Year Blueprint (+Template)

Featured Image: alphaspirit.it/Shutterstock

Corey is the owner and President/CEO of Voltage. He has spent nearly 20 years working in strategic and leadership roles ...