THE CREATIVE FIELDBOOK / SNS MEDIA TECH

Campaign studies

297 source-led reads, 12 per page. These numbered pages work without JavaScript. Search every study and lesson →

145
Retail and food / 20247 MIN READ

The Co-Worker Game

IKEA UK and Ireland

Turn a distinctive employer promise into an experience people can try, with a clear route to real information.

IKEA’s stated goal was to attract a new generation of co-workers by showing that careers could move sideways across departments as well as upwards. The game belonged to Careers Done Different, so its core assignment was employer consideration, not simply virtual furniture sales or a generic metaverse presence. The game’s useful strategic question is whether a participant can experience a distinctive employment promise. Start with that behaviour and only then choose a technical format. A simple branching story may explain lateral career moves better than an expensive world if the world offers little meaningful choice beyond walking through branded scenery.

178,000+
brand-reported paid-role applicationsTwo-week application window in June 2024 · Applications for ten paid virtual roles; not hires into ordinary store roles or unique game playersIKEA launch release, 24 June 2024 · Source →
Read study, data & creative direction →Choose the behaviour before the platform
146
Retail and food / 20146 MIN READ

The Wonderful Everyday: Beds

IKEA

Make one ordinary product benefit extraordinary, then bring the story back to a clear everyday use.

The film’s documented proposition was the comfort of IKEA beds. Rather than explain mattress specifications, it translated the search for a satisfying night’s sleep into a visual journey. This brief studies Beds within The Wonderful Everyday family; broader platform sales or effectiveness claims are not assigned to this individual execution. Comfort is difficult to show because it is a sensation, not a visible specification. A visual journey can give the viewer something concrete to follow. Before developing spectacle, write the benefit in plain language and identify the action that expresses it. If the action could advertise almost anything, the metaphor still needs work.

Evidence note
No verified quantitative outcomeRead the documented execution and evidence limits in the study. No numeric result is claimed.
Read study, data & creative direction →Make abstraction physically understandable
147
Retail and food / 20167 MIN READ

Kevin the Carrot: original 2016 launch

Aldi

Build a recognisable category character that can carry fresh stories through a commercially important season.

IPA’s public case summary identifies a seasonal weakness: Aldi’s existing shoppers spent generously at Christmas but moved some of that spending elsewhere. The assignment was not simply to announce low prices. It was to keep Aldi relevant to a special occasion and demonstrate that its festive range belonged in the celebration. A mascot should provide a repeatable way to tell stories that naturally involve the product world. Begin with the category’s objects, rituals and tensions rather than choosing a random cute creature. Test whether people can connect the character to the retailer without a prompt; affection without correct attribution may build entertainment value for nobody in particular.

Evidence note
No verified quantitative outcomeRead the documented execution and evidence limits in the study. No numeric result is claimed.
Read study, data & creative direction →Make the character belong to the category
148
Retail & commerce / 20236 MIN READ

Christmas Jumper Rental

Lidl GB

Turn seasonal merchandise into a useful access model, supported by a partner who can fulfil it.

Lidl had already turned its supermarket identity into Christmas clothing. In 2023 it gave that merchandise a different participation model: people could temporarily wear the brand through a fashion-rental partner, making the seasonal collection a service story as well as a retail product. A seasonal item can become newsworthy through borrowing, repair, sharing or temporary use. Start with the customer’s real usage pattern: a garment wanted for one event may not need permanent ownership. The creative mechanism is the service change, so make availability, sizes, return process and total cost as clear as the promotional imagery.

Evidence note
No verified quantitative outcomeRead the documented execution and evidence limits in the study. No numeric result is claimed.
Read study, data & creative direction →Merchandise as a service
149
Food & beverage / 20217 MIN READ

Draw Ketchup → A.I. Ketchup

Heinz / Kraft Heinz

Reveal a distinctive brand association through a transparent creative prompt, while keeping the evidence claim narrower than the entertainment.

Heinz and Rethink wanted to renew the connection between the category word ketchup and the brand’s distinctive bottle. The original campaign asked people to draw the category without naming Heinz. Selected drawings became a demonstration of the association the brand wanted to reinforce. A category prompt can expose which shapes, colours or names people remember without showing them a logo first. Use the result diagnostically before using it publicly. A lesser-known brand might discover weak or inconsistent associations, which is valuable input for design and distribution rather than a failed campaign to conceal.

Evidence note
No verified quantitative outcomeRead the documented execution and evidence limits in the study. No numeric result is claimed.
Read study, data & creative direction →Category association made visible
150
Food & beverage / 20236 MIN READ

It Has to Be Heinz: Global Platform Launch

Heinz / Kraft Heinz

Create a repeatable story rule from a genuine customer relationship, then give markets room to express it credibly.

Heinz wanted a unified creative strategy across markets and products. The June 2023 announcement framed the organising idea around the unusual lengths fans would go to keep Heinz in their lives, linking ketchup and beans under one recognisable expression of attachment. A slogan alone does not tell a team what to make next. The useful rule here is to look for disproportionate attachment expressed through a recognisable behaviour. Write a creative test that future stories must pass, including how the product matters, so the platform can generate varied work without becoming a loose collection of fan anecdotes.

Evidence note
No verified quantitative outcomeRead the documented execution and evidence limits in the study. No numeric result is claimed.
Read study, data & creative direction →Repeatable customer-attachment platform
151
Food & beverage / 20196 MIN READ

Edchup

Heinz / Kraft Heinz

Turn a genuine collaborator relationship into a reciprocal product detail that people can understand without reading a celebrity biography.

Ed Sheeran’s existing Heinz tattoo gave the brand a concrete sign of personal attachment. The collaboration developed from that visible relationship and his direct approach to the company, rather than beginning solely with the generic proposition that a famous singer could reach a large audience. An existing product habit or public creative connection can make a partnership easier to understand. Ask what the collaborator would say about the product without a campaign brief. Do not treat a tattoo as a requirement or encourage fans to imitate it; the transferable point is credible fit, not the extremity of the proof.

Evidence note
No verified quantitative outcomeRead the documented execution and evidence limits in the study. No numeric result is claimed.
Read study, data & creative direction →Reciprocal fan collaboration
152
Food & beverage / 20246 MIN READ

Mayo Cat

Hellmann’s / Unilever

Attach a memorable entertainment device to one practical, supportable product action, then measure whether people actually use it.

Hellmann’s wanted to connect its food-waste purpose to a practical use for mayonnaise during the Super Bowl period. The creative problem was making a household leftovers message noticeable within a heavily advertised entertainment event without turning the spot into a lecture. A broad ambition becomes more usable when the audience knows one thing to do next. Identify a genuinely relevant use case before adding a cause line. For food brands, practical recipe information and safe storage guidance matter more than implying a condiment can rescue any leftover regardless of its condition.

Evidence note
No verified quantitative outcomeRead the documented execution and evidence limits in the study. No numeric result is claimed.
Read study, data & creative direction →Product-linked comic mnemonic
153
Food & beverage / 20117 MIN READ

Share a Coke: the Australian launch

Coca-Cola

An ordinary package became a personal invitation to think of someone else.

Coca-Cola’s brand retrospective describes a familiar product losing personal relevance with Australian young adults. The task was to make the brand feel closer rather than simply remind people it existed. This record concerns the original Australian campaign, not each subsequent national adaptation. A name matters because it connects a product to someone in the buyer’s life. Before adding customization, identify the social action it enables: appreciation, invitation, congratulations or remembrance. An arbitrary decorative option may create complexity without increasing relevance. Prototype the moment of giving or receiving, not just the appearance of the personalized pack.

250 million+
brand-reported named bottles and cans soldOriginal Australian summer campaign, 2011–2012 · Total named-pack unit sales, not unique buyers or incremental unitsCoca-Cola retrospective published 25 September 2014 · Source →
Read study, data & creative direction →Personal recognition
154
Food & beverage / 20136 MIN READ

Small World Machines

Coca-Cola

A live connection made the brand’s togetherness idea something people could briefly experience.

The campaign sought to give Coca-Cola’s togetherness message a concrete form across a politically divided border. Its organizers framed an everyday encounter as the creative unit. That intention should not be mistaken for evidence that a beverage promotion resolved political conflict. Togetherness is too broad to execute until it becomes a behavior. A reciprocal wave or shared task can make an abstract promise observable. For an adaptation, write the action before selecting hardware. Ask whether the same meaning survives with a simple facilitated conversation, because technological novelty is not itself the social purpose.

700+
entrant-reported cross-border connectionsSeven-day reporting snapshot around the three-day activation · Interaction count, not lasting relationships or unique individualsADFEST 2014 entry, results section · Source →
Read study, data & creative direction →Reciprocity
155
Beauty & personal care / 20257 MIN READ

Vaseline Verified

Vaseline / Unilever

The brand answered an existing creator conversation with visible testing rather than another generic claim.

Unilever says unofficial product tips were already circulating widely online. The strategic opportunity was to participate in that conversation while distinguishing supported uses from unsupported claims. This was a brand-owned response, not an independent medical certification programme. A useful listening programme identifies uncertainty and misuse, not only favorable mentions. Sort recurring questions by relevance, risk and whether the company can answer them honestly. The strongest content opportunity may be a bounded correction rather than a flattering testimonial. Do not turn every unusual customer use into a promotional recommendation.

3.3 million+
entrant-reported creator-response viewsThree weeks, as stated in the 2025 ONE Asia entry · Responses involving 17 creators; not unique reach, sales or behavior changeONE Asia 2025 Media entry · Source →
Read study, data & creative direction →Evidence-led communication
156
Travel & hospitality / 20226 MIN READ

A British Original: launch platform

British Airways

A standard travel question became a flexible system for hundreds of specific human reasons.

British Airways announced the platform on 24 October 2022. It shifted attention from aircraft to the personal reasons people travel and the people working for the airline. The creative problem was to express individuality without fragmenting the brand into unrelated messages. A common question can reveal how a category reduces a complex human need into administrative boxes. Identify a real convention your audience encounters, then ask what it leaves out. The opportunity is not to mock practical forms, but to add useful recognition. A strong alternative should feel true to the customer rather than merely demonstrate the writer’s ingenuity.

Evidence note
No verified quantitative outcomeRead the documented execution and evidence limits in the study. No numeric result is claimed.
Read study, data & creative direction →Individual motivations
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