Digital marketing industry case study library

You can do this online through our online submission form or by email. If you'd like to submit examples of your work then email them into CaseStudies@DigitalTrainingAcademy.com and after an initial review we'll be in touch if we feel they can be used to support learning goals.

There is also an online submission tool, here: http://www.digitaltrainingacademy.com/submit. By sending us a case study you agree we can use it in training, conference speeches, book chapters and reports and other media. You need to be confident you have the necessary rights and permissions from partners or clients to be able to do this. Case studies cannot be restricted to one particular course so we can only accept material which can be used in any aspect of our training. However, if youd like us to withdraw a case study at any point, then we can do this within two weeks.

Smartphone users in Australia were given a rude awakening on 13th January 2015, when a technical glitch meant the customers of mobile network Optus were woken up an hour earlier by their alarm apps. This case study looks at how the brand reacted to the social media backlash with offers of free coffee and food.

.@Optus says sorry for #optuswrongtime with free coffee in #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/5GeLGdOBaf

— Patrick Williams (@iampatwilliams) January 14, 2015

Continue reading "How to handle a marketing fail: Mobile bug wakes up Australians an hour early" »

With mobile games proving big business, what exactly does it take to make it to some of the best game lists of the year? Ustwo, the developer behind indie smash hit Monument Valley, has provided a rare insight into the production costs, pricing strategies and sales breakdowns that helped the award winning puzzler become one of 2014’s success stories.

Continue reading "App case study: How Monument Valley game generated $4.5m profits with a team of just 8 " »

In January 2015, Weetabix launched a £5.5m multi-channel push featuring 'Weetabuddies' characters to encourage more families and kids to the breakfast cereal brand. This case study looks at how the food brand created a fun interactive campaign that got parents onside while encouraging kids to play with their food (in a good way).

Continue reading "FMCG case study: Weetabix targets ‘mummy bloggers’ in ‘Weetabuddies’ campaign" »

Taco Bell’s alternative and savvy social media marketing has gained a strong following by a younger audience and its ramped-up deal with US College Football Playoffs and ESPN offers a unique opportunity to connect with its target market. So, why is Taco Bell’s Twitter account such a hit and what does this new deal with College Football playoffs mean for the Mexican fast-food chain?

Continue reading "Snapchat case study: How Taco Bell became your ‘cool best friend’ brand " »

In May 2014, retailer H&M launched Poland's first marketing stunt on Snapchat, hiding exclusive party tickets in its clothing stores and sending cryptic clues via the self-destructing photo app. This case study looks at how the campaign reached 3.8 million unique users via this digital spin on the old ‘treasure hunt’ game.

Continue reading "Snapchat case study: H&M runs mobile treasure hunt for party invites" »

Back in 2012, car seat firm Britax saw its target audience were rapidly moving online. In response, the brand worked with Shopatron to produce a holistic digital strategy that embraced click and collect, mobile commerce and inventory optimisation. This case study looks at how the UK brand made smart use of technology to get a sales increase of over 150% each month when compared to the same month in the prior year.

Continue reading "Ecommerce case study: Britax boosts car seat sales with digital optimisation strategy" »

The UK’s most enjoyed and best-loved Christmas TV advertising of 2014 is John Lewis’s Monty the Penguin, but is it the most effective in terms of ROI? This case study uncovers why Lidl’s Surprises ad proved to be the most persuasive, with respondents saying it made them more likely to buy the brand.

Continue reading "Video case study: Why the Lidl Christmas ad is more likely to make us buy than the John Lewis penguin" »

YouTube has revealed the most popular videos of 2014, marking the occasion with a video assembling some of its most popular Vloggers. The video features a mash-up of the most popular YouTube videos of 2014 — including the Ice Bucket Challenge and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’. Many of those moments also feature in YouTube’s ‘top trending videos’ which it released, along with its chart of the most popular videos globally and in the UK, to run alongside its review of the year. The 'Mutant Giant Spider Dog' — a dog dressed as a spider that ran around terrifying inhabitants of a Polish town — also features in the video, and came first in YouTube's list.

Continue reading "Viral case study review of 2014: YouTube's reveals biggest videos of 2014" »

ISBA, the Voice of British Advertisers surveyed its members from more than 400 brands to find out their favourite ever past Christmas ads, with Coke’s ‘Holiday’s Are Coming’ leading the way. Coke’s Festive Ad-campaign took an upswing since 1995 when the drinks giant started rolling out a batch of Special Christmas Delivery trucks lit up with thousands of lights and the words, “Holidays are coming.” The Truck Ad-campaign has been so successful that the arrival of these trucks is considered to be indicative of the on-set of the festive season by many in North America today.

Continue reading "The ads of Christmas past: Coke’s ‘Holidays are coming’ tops list" »

From an avalanche of ice buckets to World Cup fever, 2014 was another big year for video viral marketing case studies. As mobile sharing went mainstream, it was charities that achieved some of the year’s biggest success stories with the ‘No Make Up Selfie’ and the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ hinting at the future power of social media as a communication tool. To round off the year, we’ve assembled our 25 favourite virals from around the world for your viewing pleasure…

Continue reading "Viral video marketing case studies: the 25 best virals of 2014" »

In December 2014, Honda faked a hack of its own Twitter account, handing the @Honda handle to Skeletor of ‘He-Man’ fame, even taking potshots at other brands, including Toyota and Burger King, with a number of humorous tweets.The stunt marks a growing trend for guerrilla marketing practices. In 2014, a simple commercial featuring retro action figures is unlikely to stand out from the crowd- hence why social media stunts are a better way to reach a younger demographic.The fact that the campaign also coincided with 'Cyber Monday' also helped boost visibility on a popular online shopping day.

Twittersphere: It is I, Skeletor! Now that I have control of Honda’s account, no one is safe! Muaha! #Skeletakeover pic.twitter.com/7DCH2aw9lh

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

Continue reading "Honda Twitter account 'hacked' by Skeletor in social media stunt" »

Asos’ latest marketing campaign for its autumn/winter collection generated nearly half a million views in a week. When viewing the video, users can click on a colour strip at the bottom of the video, causing the film to switch seamlessly to that colour theme. The film was created by Virtue Worldwide, Vice Media’s in-house creative agency. The ad has been shot five times using five different colour schemes, and lets viewers to click to change the colours and clothes in the video as it plays. The shoppable video has been viewed more than 700,000 times in just over a month.

Continue reading "Video marketing case study: Asos lets viewers change colours of YouTube video" »

Back in 2011, O2 made the bold move to expand beyond the consumer with an initiative to get small businesses on its side- winning a raft of new customers ahead of rivals Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile in the process. This case study looks at how the UK mobile network operator identified a growing demand and re-positioned its brand to get tens of thousands of businesses using their network.

Continue reading "Mobile app marketing case study: O2 Priority Moments gets small businesses on side" »

For the launch of the new Mercedes A-class, Mercedes wanted to appeal to a younger generation of drivers in the UK. This case study looks at how the car maker moved away from a traditionally heavy focus on TV and outdoor advertising to include social and mobile channels in its marketing mix. The #YOUDRIVE campaign combined social media and TV advertising by creating an exciting story told over three TV adverts where social media was used to decide the outcome of the story.

Continue reading "Social TV case study: Mercedes tells interactive Twitter story to boost brochure requests by 140%" »

To promote its latest Galaxy camera, this global campaign from Samsung targeted the millennial community who regularly upload photos to social media. The electronics giant created a social media marketing campaign –dubbed ‘Life’s a Photo Take It’ - using young influencers to demonstrate the key differences between the quality of images from a normal smartphone and the Samsung Galaxy camera- getting results that blew away expectations.

Continue reading "Social media case study: Samsung Tumblr photo competition grows purchase intent 115%." »

In November 2014,Google took control of the largest digital screen in North America promote Android with an innovative app that projected user creations into the skies above Times Sqaure, New York. The company has rented the outdoor display, created by Clear Channel, until January 2015, at an estimated cost of $2.5m (£1.59m) per four-week period. Google will use the billboard to showcase a number of its leading products, including the newly-released Nexus handsets and tablets, Android Wear, Chrome and Google Maps. The company is also planning to give over some of its allotted time and media space to six different non-profit organisations, as well as the Google-related cause project Made with Code.

Continue reading "Mobile case study: User controlled Android app takes over Times Square" »

To celebrate Mothers Day 2014, retailer Cardstore created a viral video with a twist. This case study looks at how the US card retailer filmed fake webcam job interviews for the ‘world’s toughest job’ to become a viral hit and get 22 million YouTube views.

Continue reading "Video case study: How Cardstore got 22m views with a surprise ending" »

With nearly 600 retail stores and a strong online presence, Muji deployed InteractEdge from Infosys to generate higher sales through personalised product recommendations for over two million registered customers. This case study looks at how the Japanese firm strengthened customer loyalty and boosted revenues.

Continue reading "Ecommerce case study: How Japan's Muji used big data to personlise the shopping experience" »

Just what is it like to be a woman walking the streets of New York City alone? This controversial video from non-profit organisation Hollaback! filmed the real-life reactions of men as a woman walks around the city. This case study looks at how the video put street harassment in the spotlight, getting a huge 37 million views in just three weeks.

Continue reading "Video case study: How ‘10 hours walking in NYC’ became the most talked-about viral of the year" »

To promote its Shreddies cereal brand, Nestle UK launched a PlayCaptcha+ campaign to raise awareness and increase viewership of two short videos in the 'Great British Nana Holiday' series.Campaign results reported that 80% of users viewed 5 seconds or more of the video ads and the format worked well on mobile, with 61% of interactions occurring on tablet platforms.

Continue reading "Gaming case study: Shreddies' Nana interactive video campaign gets high engagement" »

Lacoste has launched its first campaign on Snapchat, as the sportswear brand looks to boost its digital reach to young fans. Lacoste has teamed up with BETC Digital to run the #SpotTheCroc competition on Snapchat, asking followers to find its iconic crocodile hidden in a series of five short videos. The competition runs for two months with a 10 second video to be shared every two weeks.

The videos for the campaign will illustrate various sports such as tennis, golf, skateboarding, slackline and rollerblading, in line with Lacoste’s brand signature: Life is a Beautiful Sport.

Continue reading "Lacoste runs Snapchat competition #SpotTheCroc " »

Waitrose called on the nation, and its own staff, to lend their voices to its Christmas advert this year in a new initiative called 'Donate Your Voice'. In October, the supermarket ran an online campaign, created by BBH London, urging members of the public to form a virtual choir and sing the soundtrack for its Christmas advert.

Continue reading "Waitrose crowdsources digital choir for Christmas campaign" »

Ahead of Halloween 2014, BBH Asia Pacific Singapore and Chupa Chups launched a choose-your-own-adventure style Instagram game, as the confectionery first looks to appeal to its young audience during the biggest time of year for sharing candy.

Continue reading "Mobile marketing case study: Chupa Chips turns to Instagram for Halloween adventure " »

The annual John Lewis Christmas ad has become as much a part of a UK Christmas as Mince Pies, Santa Claus and woolly jumpers. This year, the retailer opted to preview its £1m ad on digital channels YouTube and Twitter first, ahead of its TV debut over the weekend.

Here it is, our 2014 Christmas advert. Say hello to #MontyThePenguin https://t.co/RPDaH2YYPk

— John Lewis (@johnlewisretail) November 6, 2014

Continue reading "Video case study: John Lewis puts digital first for Christmas ad" »

In November 2014, retailer got a leap in its digital coverage thanks to an unsuspecting teen heartthrob. Or was it all a viral marketing ploy in the first place? This case study looks at what should other brands (and their staff do) when they’re thrown into the spotlight?

pls rt bc everyone needs alex from target on their tl pic.twitter.com/31udOj9Fxd

— ash (@chntxl) November 2, 2014

Continue reading "Ecommerce marketing case study: Target shop assistant Alex becomes internet meme " »