THE CREATIVE FIELDBOOK / SNS MEDIA TECH

Campaign studies

1778 source-led reads, 12 per page. These numbered pages work without JavaScript. Search every study and lesson →

1021
Fashion / social-issue communication / 2011DEEPER STUDY · 5 MIN READ

UNHATE

United Colors of Benetton

Examine how a provocative symbol can attract attention while undermining the values it intends to express.

A brand sought attention for a message of dialogue and tolerance. Write down both what the audience is supposed to conclude and what the creative literally does to its subjects. Review the two independently. A worthy aim does not automatically justify the means used to attract attention. Ask whether the people represented have agency and whether the work could be understood as a claim about their behaviour, relationships or beliefs that is not true.

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 →Representation ethics
1022
Department-store retail / 2013DEEPER STUDY · 5 MIN READ

No Noise

Selfridges

Create a memorable retail experience by removing familiar stimuli rather than adding another layer of spectacle.

A department store could offer a contrasting experience within a highly stimulating shopping environment. Audit the experience for repeated messages, competing signs and avoidable interruptions before deciding what to subtract. Keep wayfinding, prices, safety information and accessible assistance clear. Minimalism is useful when it reduces work for the customer. It becomes a problem when the visual cleanliness is achieved by hiding details people need to make an informed decision or navigate independently.

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 →Subtraction
1023
Developer communications platform / Date not verifiedDEEPER STUDY · 5 MIN READ

Ask Your Developer

Twilio

Use a short public message to start the right conversation inside a buying organisation.

Developer familiarity did not automatically mean executive awareness or support. Identify the person who encounters the message, the colleague they would consult and the decision both need to make. Check whether that relationship exists in the target organisation. A referral-style call to action fails if it names a role with no relevant expertise or authority. Use customer interviews to understand the real conversation rather than relying on an idealised organisation chart.

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 →Internal advocacy
1024
Customer-service software / 2016DEEPER STUDY · 5 MIN READ

Relationships Are Complicated

Zendesk

Use an unusual relationship metaphor to humanise software, then test whether the metaphor explains enough.

A customer-service platform wanted broader recognition beyond a technical feature list. After describing the fictional situation, complete the sentence explaining which real customer-service problem it represents. Make that connection understandable without insider knowledge. If several unrelated products could claim the same scene, add a specific operational consequence. The metaphor should open the explanation, not replace it or require viewers to solve a puzzle before they can understand the category.

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 →Humanisation
1025
Enterprise data software / 2019DEEPER STUDY · 5 MIN READ

Data to Everything

Splunk

Use a flexible visual vocabulary to explain a broad platform without making every use case look identical.

A technical platform needed a broader, more human explanation of its relevance. Start with a task the intended audience recognises and explain what information is used, what decision changes and what the software contributes. Only then introduce wider possibilities. A viewer who understands one bounded example has a basis for evaluating the platform. A viewer shown only a succession of ambitious outcomes may leave impressed but unable to ask a useful product question.

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 →Bounded breadth
1026
Enterprise technology / 2015DEEPER STUDY · 5 MIN READ

Accelerating Next

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Use a new-company launch to clarify the customer relationship, not merely announce a new logo.

A corporate separation required a distinct identity and an understandable enterprise proposition. List the questions existing customers are likely to ask about products, support, contracts and contacts. Route each to the appropriate qualified owner and publish accurate answers in the relevant channels. Do not assume a brand film will resolve operational uncertainty. The campaign should make the new organisation easier to understand while the practical transition information explains what people need to do, if anything.

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 →Transition clarity
1027
Networking technology / 2006DEEPER STUDY · 5 MIN READ

Welcome to the Human Network

Cisco

Explain infrastructure through the human connections it enables, while retaining a clear link to the provider’s role.

Networking infrastructure needed meaning beyond equipment and technical terminology. Choose one human task, such as a remote team sharing a design, and identify the point at which networking matters. Show enough context for non-specialists to understand the need without turning the scene into a technical lecture. Then make the provider’s role explicit. A familiar activity is a useful entry point only if it leads to a more accurate understanding of the infrastructure.

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 →Human relevance
1028
Enterprise AI / cognitive computing / 2015DEEPER STUDY · 5 MIN READ

Outthink

IBM

Organise an emerging technology proposition around specific business questions rather than a list of abstract capabilities.

An unfamiliar technology category needed examples that business audiences could evaluate. Frame the story around a bounded task that can be evaluated, not a sweeping promise to transform an industry. Explain what the system receives and what it produces. If the answer depends on judgement or uncertain evidence, say so. This gives the audience a basis for assessing relevance and prevents the creative platform from turning an exploratory demonstration into an implied operational guarantee.

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 →Bounded capability
1029
Technology services / 2018DEEPER STUDY · 6 MIN READ

Navigate Your Next

Infosys

A navigation promise becomes useful when audiences can inspect a specific decision and identify the evidence needed for a next step.

Explain a complex services offer through a forward-looking platform. A broad future-facing promise needs a narrow entry point. Start with one recognisable decision the audience must make and show what information changes that decision. A demonstration should reveal inputs, limits and the resulting action rather than a stream of impressive screens. For a consulting team, the most useful next step might be a diagnostic conversation with a clearly defined scope, not a commitment to a large programme. Ask viewers to explain what they would do after the demonstration. If they can repeat the slogan but cannot describe that action, the creative has not yet translated positioning into practical understanding.

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 →Service explanation
1030
Technology services / employer communication / 2021DEEPER STUDY · 6 MIN READ

Building on Belief

Tata Consultancy Services

A shared musical object gives a corporate platform an optional expressive form, whose credibility depends on consent and everyday practice.

Express a shared-purpose positioning to internal and external audiences. A song, short film or shared ritual has a different participation contract from a memo. People may enjoy it, ignore it or reinterpret it. Decide whether the aim is to explain a strategy, create a shared occasion or invite creative contribution; these are not interchangeable goals. Give people an easy way to receive the practical information without engaging with the expressive format. For distributed teams, provide captions and language access rather than assuming a single cultural reference travels everywhere. The creative should offer an additional route into the message, not turn participation into an informal test of belonging or loyalty.

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 →Voluntary participation
1031
Technology services / 2022DEEPER STUDY · 6 MIN READ

Ambitions Realized

Wipro

A concrete opening question creates an obligation to provide a relevant answer, with consistent visual assets connecting the journey.

Give an ambition-led services promise a recognisable expression. A productive question gives the audience something specific to consider. It should expose a constraint, an overlooked option or a meaningful trade-off, rather than merely ask whether the future could be better. Draft the answer before approving the headline. If the team cannot explain what evidence or service follows, the question may be too broad. For a technical service, identify who is being addressed and what they can reasonably decide. A compelling question for a senior sponsor may be unhelpful to an implementation specialist. Route those audiences to different levels of detail without changing the underlying truth of the promise.

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 →Question-led creative
1032
Technology services / corporate identity / 2022DEEPER STUDY · 6 MIN READ

Supercharging Progress

HCLTech

A coordinated identity can connect customer and employee journeys without confusing their different promises or evidence needs.

Clarify the corporate identity and related audience propositions. A company can speak consistently without saying exactly the same thing to every audience. Map the questions customers, candidates and staff bring to the brand, then decide which answers belong under the common platform and which need separate evidence. A customer may need a service scope while a candidate needs a realistic account of a role. Do not let the emotional similarity of two messages obscure those different information needs. A simple architecture should explain how the promises relate, who owns each one and where the audience can find supporting detail. This prevents a coherent-looking campaign from becoming an ambiguous collection of slogans.

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 →Audience architecture
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