case study on advertisement

• Browse All Articles
• Newsletter Sign-Up

Advertising →

• 20 Jun 2023
• Cold Call Podcast

Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover: Lessons in Strategic Change

In late October 2022, Elon Musk officially took Twitter private and became the company’s majority shareholder, finally ending a months-long acquisition saga. He appointed himself CEO and brought in his own team to clean house. Musk needed to take decisive steps to succeed against the major opposition to his leadership from both inside and outside the company. Twitter employees circulated an open letter protesting expected layoffs, advertising agencies advised their clients to pause spending on Twitter, and EU officials considered a broader Twitter ban. What short-term actions should Musk take to stabilize the situation, and how should he approach long-term strategy to turn around Twitter? Harvard Business School assistant professor Andy Wu and co-author Goran Calic, associate professor at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business, discuss Twitter as a microcosm for the future of media and information in their case, “Twitter Turnaround and Elon Musk.”

• 06 Jan 2021
• Working Paper Summaries

Aggregate Advertising Expenditure in the US Economy: What's Up? Is It Real?

We analyze total United States advertising spending from 1960 to 2018. In nominal terms, the elasticity of annual advertising outlays with respect to gross domestic product appears to have increased substantially beginning in the late 1990s, roughly coinciding with the dramatic growth of internet-based advertising.

• 15 Sep 2020

Time and the Value of Data

This paper studies the impact of time-dependency and data perishability on a dataset's effectiveness in creating value for a business, and shows the value of data in the search engine and advertisement businesses perishes quickly.

• 19 May 2020
• Research & Ideas

Why Privacy Protection Notices Turn Off Shoppers

It seems counterintuitive, but website privacy protection notices appear to discourage shoppers from buying, according to Leslie John. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 02 Mar 2020
• What Do You Think?

Are Candor, Humility, and Trust Making a Comeback?

SUMMING UP: Have core leadership values been declining in recent years? If so, how do we get them back? James Heskett's readers provide answers. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 06 Aug 2019

Super Bowl Ads Sell Products, but Do They Sell Brands?

Super Bowl advertising is increasingly about using storytelling to sell corporate brands rather than products. Shelle Santana discusses why stories win (or fumble) on game day. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 27 Jul 2019

Does Facebook's Business Model Threaten Our Elections?

America's 2016 presidential election was the target of voter manipulation via social media, particularly on Facebook. George Riedel thinks history is about to repeat itself. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 10 Oct 2018

The Legacy of Boaty McBoatface: Beware of Customers Who Vote

Companies that encourage consumers to vote online should be forewarned—they may expect more than you promise, according to research by Michael Norton, Leslie John, and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 27 Sep 2018

Large-Scale Demand Estimation with Search Data

Online retailers face the challenge of leveraging the rich data they collect on their websites to uncover insights about consumer behavior. This study proposes a practical and tractable model of economic behavior that can reveal helpful patterns of cross-product substitution. The model can be used to simulate optimal prices.

• 18 Jun 2018

Warning: Scary Warning Labels Work!

If you want to convince consumers to stay away from unhealthy diet choices, don't be subtle about possible consequences, says Leslie John. These graphically graphic warning labels seem to do the trick. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 18 Sep 2017

'Likes' Lead to Nothing—and Other Hard-Learned Lessons of Social Media Marketing

A decade-and-a-half after the dawn of social media marketing, brands are still learning what works and what doesn't with consumers. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 26 Jul 2017

The Revolution in Advertising: From Don Draper to Big Data

The Mad Men of advertising are being replaced by data scientists and analysts. In this podcast, marketing professor John Deighton and advertising legend Sir Martin Sorrell discuss the positives and negatives of digital marketing. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 13 Mar 2017

Hiding Products From Customers May Ultimately Boost Sales

Is it smart for retailers to display their wares to customers a few at a time or all at once? The answer depends largely on the product category, according to research by Kris Johnson Ferreira and Joel Goh. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 06 Mar 2017

Why Comparing Apples to Apples Online Leads To More Fruitful Sales

The items displayed next to a product in online marketing displays may determine whether customers buy that product, according to a new study by Uma R. Karmarkar. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 13 Feb 2017

Paid Search Ads Pay Off for Lesser-Known Restaurants

Researchers Michael Luca and Weijia Dai wanted to know if paid search ads pay off for small businesses such as restaurants. The answer: Yes, but not for long. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 08 Dec 2016

How Wayfair Built a Furniture Brand from Scratch

What was once a collection of 240 home furnishing sites is now a single, successful brand, Wayfair.com. How that brand developed over time and the challenges and opportunities presented by search engine marketing are discussed by Thales Teixeira. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 04 May 2016

What Does Boaty McBoatface Tell Us About Brand Control on the Internet?

SUMMING UP. Boaty McBoatface may have been shot down as the social-media sourced name of a research vessel, but James Heskett's readers are up to their hip-boots in opinions on the matter. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 02 May 2016

Why People Don’t Vote--and How a Good Ground Game Helps

Recent research by Vincent Pons shows that campaigners knocking on the doors of potential voters not only improves overall turnout but helps individual candidates win more of those votes. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 21 Mar 2016

Can Customer Reviews Be 'Managed?'

Consumers increasingly rely on peer reviews on TripAdvisor and other sites to make purchase decisions, so it makes sense that companies have a stake in wanting to shape those opinions. But can they? Thales Teixeira says a good product trumps all. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 28 Oct 2015

A Dedication to Creation: India's Ad Man Ranjan Kapur

How do you build a brand amid the uncertainties and opportunities of a developing market? Harvard Business School Professor Sunil Gupta shares lessons learned from Ranjan Kapur, an iconic figure in the Indian advertising industry. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• Compilation Reels

Case Studies

• Socially Responsible Ads

Check out the advertising industry’s most compelling case studies, from print and digital to experiential and radio, that showcase the best cause-related ads and innovative marketing campaigns.

• Experiential

BMW causes a buzz at electric charging stations

Art that gets under the skin

A virtual police station to protect women

Redirecting fashion to warm the homeless

A theft executed to the letter

Even ketchup at a shoot-out has to be Heinz

Leading fans to a concert by their ears

These guys have got skin in the game

The mystery of the vanishing actors

Mapping mistakes for a good cause

• Next Page »

Media Ideas Newsletter

Agency News Feed

DIRT IS GOOD’S PERSIL PLAYS THE VILLAIN IN NEW SHORT FILM STARRING ARSENAL’S BUKAYO SAKA

TBWA\RAAD names Catherine Bannister as new Chief Strategy Officer

'Tampon for men' brand now goes fully gender neutral

Hovis® returns to TV and appoints new agency roster

Molson Coors appoints Ogilvy UK

Production News Feed

Harriett Maire Directs Dogs and Traffic for ABC Radio

IDLES reimagines Iconic Coldplay Video using AI

Rodeo Production welcomes new Executive Producer Travis Richel in Toronto

Case Studies

Covid-19 case study, additional campaign case studies.

Love Has No Labels

• Copy Link URL Copied!

Lung Cancer Screening

Know Your Girls

Reducing Food Waste

Partnerships case studies.

What Adoption Taught Me

Hungry to Help

Special Delivery

End Family Fire

Request access.

Assets will be supplied as 3rd party DoubleClick tags, and are for serving within the United States only. Ad Council does not provide direct access to web banner or video files. Please allow 4-5 business days for tags to be built.

Download Assets

Create collection, share asset(s).

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!

Related articles.

How to Generate Leads on LinkedIn in 2024, According to LinkedIn's VP of Marketing

How to Get and Give LinkedIn Endorsements

The Beginner's Guide to LinkedIn Marketing & Networking

What is the LinkedIn Pixel — and How Does it Work?

How to Craft the Perfect LinkedIn Profile in 2023: 21 Easy Steps

Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Retargeting

How to Master LinkedIn Content Marketing

The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn Groups

How To Use Hashtags on LinkedIn [Step-by-Step Guide]

What is LinkedIn Live? [+How to Leverage It in Your Marketing Strategy]

An actionable guide on building LinkedIn ad campaigns that convert.

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

Marketing case study 101 (plus tips, examples, and templates)

Summary/Overview

If you’re familiar with content lines like, “See how our fancy new app saved Sarah 10 hours a week doing payroll,” you’ve encountered a marketing case study. That’s because case studies are one of the most powerful marketing tools, showcasing real-world applications and customer success stories that help build trust with potential customers.

More than 42% of marketers use case studies in their marketing strategy. Let’s face it — we love testimonials and reviews. People love hearing customer stories and experiences firsthand. In fact, 88% of consumers view reviews before making a purchase decision. Case studies work similarly by providing prospective customers with real-life stories demonstrating the brand’s success.

Case studies provide a more in-depth view of how your product solves an existing problem — something potential buyers can relate to and learn from.

In this article, we take a closer look at what marketing case studies are, why they’re important, and how you can use them to improve your content marketing efforts. You’ll also learn the key elements of a successful case study and how to turn a good case study into a great case study.

What is a marketing case study?

A case study is a narrative that documents a real-world situation or example. A marketing case study is a detailed examination and analysis of a specific strategy, initiative, or marketing campaign that a business has implemented. It’s intended to serve as an all-inclusive narrative that documents a real-world business situation and its outcome.

Marketing case studies are tools businesses use to showcase the effectiveness of a particular tool, technique, or service by using a real-world example. Companies often use case studies as sales collateral on websites, email marketing, social media , and other marketing materials. They provide readers with a firsthand look into how your product or service has helped someone else and demonstrate the value of your offering while building trust with potential customers.

Some common key components of a marketing case study include:

• Context: A case study begins by describing the business’s situation or problem. This often includes challenges, opportunities, or objectives.
• Strategy: An outline of the tactics or strategy utilized to address the business’s situation. This includes details such as the target audience, messaging, channels used, and other unique aspects of the approach.
• Implementation: Provide information about how the strategy was implemented, including timeline, resources, and budget.
• Results: This is arguably the most crucial part of a marketing case study. Present the results through data, metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to demonstrate the impact of the strategy. The results section should highlight both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Challenges and Solutions: A great case study not only focuses on the successes but addresses any obstacles faced during the campaign. Make sure to address any challenges and how they were overcome or mitigated.
• Customer Feedback: Including testimonials or quotes from satisfied clients is a great way to add credibility and authenticity to a case study. Choose customer feedback that reinforces the positive outcomes of the strategy taken.
• Visuals: Compelling case studies include visuals such as graphs, charts, images, videos, and infographics to make the information presented more engaging and easier to understand.
• Analysis: An optional way to conclude a case study includes discussing key takeaways, insights, and lessons learned from a campaign.

Case studies can help you connect your product to the customer’s needs by providing a real world examples of success and encouraging conversions.

Benefits of marketing case studies

Some of the key benefits of using case studies in your marketing efforts include the following:

• Building trust and credibility. You build trust and credibility with potential clients or customers by demonstrating real world success stories. In-depth looks at how your products or services have helped other businesses or people achieve success can increase customer loyalty and encourage repeat business.
• Learn best practices. Learn from strategies employed in successful case studies and apply similar approaches to future campaigns.
• Enhancing sales and conversions. By highlighting the real world results your products or services have delivered, case studies can be a powerful tool for boosting sales. They can help demonstrate the value of your offering and persuade your target audience to make a purchase.
• Explain how your business generates results. Case studies are a compelling way to share key takeaways with your target audience and showcase your brand.
• Use them as content marketing material. Use case studies as content for marketing purposes on websites, social media, and beyond.

Case studies can help your business stand out and achieve success. By highlighting the real world results you’ve delivered, you can use case studies to boost sales, build customer loyalty, and compellingly showcase your business.

Tips on how to write an effective marketing case study

Are you ready to write a compelling case study? Get started with these tips.

Develop a clear and compelling headline

You have about 10 seconds to communicate your value proposition to keep customer attention. Whether you’re designing a new landing page or making a long-term plan for your brand’s content marketing strategy , the headline is the most crucial part.

A compelling title should capture readers’ attention and make them want to read more. To craft a compelling headline:

• Understand your audience: Before crafting a headline, ensure you know your target audience — what are their pain points, interests, and needs?
• Highlight the most significant result: Focus on the most impactful result achieved in the case study. What was the primary outcome of the strategy implemented?
• Keep it brief: Keep your headline concise and to the point. Try to keep your headline under 12 words.
• Use action words: Incorporate action verbs such as “achieved,” “transformed,” or “boosted” to convey a sense of accomplishment.
• Include data: Numbers make your headline more credible. For example, if the case study achieved a 75% increase in sales, include that in the headline.
• Emphasize benefits: Focus on the positive changes or advantages the implemented strategy brought to the client or business. Use these as selling points in your headline.
• Make it unique and memorable: Avoid generic phrases to make your headline stand out from the competition.
• Use keywords wisely: Incorporate relevant keywords that align with the case study and your target audience’s search interest to improve search engine visibility through search engine optimization (SEO).
• Consider subheadings: If you cannot fit all the necessary information in a headline, consider adding a subheading to provide additional context or details.

Here are some examples of clear and convincing case study headlines:

• “Achieving a 150% ROI: How [XYZ] Strategy Transformed a Startup”
• “How Optimized SEO Tactics Skyrocketed Sales by 80%”
• “Mastering Social Media: How [ABC] Brand Increased Engagement by 50%”
• “The Power of Personalization: How Tailored Content Quadrupled Conversions”

Write relatable content

Almost 90% of Gen Z and millennial shoppers prefer influencers who they consider relatable. Relatability is part of building trust and connection with your target audience.

When writing your case study, make content that resonates with readers and speaks to their pain points. The best marketing doesn’t just increase conversion rates — it also serves your customers’ needs. To write content that really resonates with your target audience, make sure to:

• Understand your audience: To successfully write relatable content, you first need to understand your target audience — their interests, pain points, and challenges. The more you know about your target audience, the better you can tailor your content to their needs.
• Identify pain points: As mentioned above, identify challenges your target audience may face. Make sure to highlight how the product or service in the case study can effectively address these pain points.
• Tell a story: Create a narrative that follows a standard story arc. Start with a relatable struggle that the customer or business faced and describe its associated emotions.
• Use real customer feedback: Incorporate quotes or testimonials from actual customers or clients. Including authentic voices makes the content more relatable to readers because they can see real people expressing their experiences.
• Use relatable language: Write in a tone to which your audience can relate. Only include overly technical terms if your target audience solely consists of experts who would understand them.
• Use social proof: Mention any recognitions, awards, or industry acknowledgments that may have been received by the customer or business in the case study.
• Encourage engagement: Urge readers to share their own challenges or experiences related to the subject matter of the case study. This is a great way to foster a sense of community.

Outline your strategies with corresponding statistics

Whether you’re showing off the results your marketing team achieved with a new strategy or explaining how your product has helped customers, data and research make it easier to back up claims.

Include relevant statistics in your case study to provide evidence of the effectiveness of your strategies, such as:

• Quantitative data: Use numerical data to quantify results.
• Qualitative data: Use qualitative data, such as customer testimonials, to back up numerical results.
• Comparisons: Compare the post-campaign results with the pre-campaign benchmarks to provide context for the data.
• Case study metrics: Include specific metrics relevant to your industry or campaign if applicable. For example, in e-commerce, common metrics could include customer acquisition cost, average order value, or cart abandonment rate.

By incorporating relatable outcomes — such as cost savings from new automation or customer responsiveness from your new social media marketing campaign — you can provide concrete evidence of how your product or service has helped others in similar situations.

Use multiple formats of representation

People love visuals . It doesn’t matter if it’s an infographic for digital marketing or a graph chart in print materials — we love to see our data and results represented in visuals that are easy to understand. Additionally, including multiple representation formats is a great way to increase accessibility and enhance clarity.

When making a case study, consider including various forms of representation, such as:

• Infographics: Use infographics to condense critical information into a visually appealing, easy-to-understand graphic. Infographics are highly sharable and can be used across marketing channels.
• Charts: Use charts (bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, etc.) to illustrate statistical information such as data trends or comparisons. Make sure to include clear labels and titles for each chart.
• Images: Include relevant photos to enhance the storytelling aspect of your case study. Consider including “before and after” pictures if relevant to your case study.
• Videos: Short videos summarizing a case study’s main points are great for sharing across social media or embedding into your case study.
• Tables: Use tables to help organize data and make it easier for readers to digest.
• Data visualizations: Include data visualizations such as flowcharts or heatmaps to illustrate user journeys or specific processes.
• Screenshots: If your case study involves digital products, include screenshots to provide a visual walkthrough of how the product or service works.
• Diagrams: Use diagrams, such as a flowchart, to explain complex processes, decision trees, or workflows to simplify complicated information.
• Timelines: If your case study involves a timeline of specific events, present it using a timeline graphic.

Use a consistent design style and color scheme to maintain cohesion when incorporating multiple formats. Remember that each format you use should serve a specific purpose in engaging the reader and conveying information.

Get your case study in front of your intended audience

What good is a compelling case study and a killer call to action (CTA) if no one sees it? Once you’ve completed your case study, share it across the appropriate channels and networks your target audience frequents and incorporate it into your content strategy to increase visibility and reach. To get your case study noticed:

• Take advantage of your website. Create a dedicated section or landing page on your website for your case study. If your website has a blog section, consider including it here. Optimize the page for search engines (SEO) by including relevant keywords and optimizing the meta description and headers. Make sure to feature your case study on your homepage and relevant product or service pages.
• Launch email marketing campaigns. Send out the case study to your email subscriber list. Be specific and target groups that would most likely be interested in the case study.
• Launch social media campaigns. Share your case study on your social media platforms. Use eye-catching graphics and engaging captions to draw in potential readers. Consider creating teaser videos or graphics to generate interest.
• Utilize paid promotions. Use targeted social media and search engine ads to reach specific demographics or interests. Consider retargeting ads to re-engage visitors who have previously interacted with your website.
• Issue a press release. If your case study results in a significant industry impact, consider issuing a press release to share the exciting news with relevant media outlets or publications.
• Utilize influencer outreach. Collaborate with influencers who can share your case study with their followers to increase credibility and expand your reach.
• Host webinars and presentations. Discuss the case study findings and insights through webinars or presentations. Promote these events through your various marketing channels and make sure to encourage participation.
• Utilize networking events and conferences. Present your case study at industry-related conferences, trade shows, or networking events. Consider distributing printed or digital copies of the case study to attendees.
• Utilize online communities. Share the case study in relevant online forums and discussion groups where your target audience congregates.
• Practice search engine optimization (SEO). Optimize the SEO elements of your case study to improve organic search ranking and visibility.

Remember, the key to successfully promoting your case study is to tailor your approach to your specific target audience and their preferences. Consistently promoting your case study across multiple channels increases your chances of it reaching your intended audience.

Marketing case study examples

Let’s look at some successful marketing case studies for inspiration.

“How Handled Scaled from Zero to 121 Locations with HubSpot”

Right away, they lead with compelling metrics — the numbers don’t lie. They use two different formats: a well-made video accompanied by well-written text.

The study also addresses customer pain points, like meeting a higher demand during the pandemic.

“How AppSumo grew organic traffic 843% and revenue from organic traffic 340%”

This case study from Omniscient Digital leads with motivating stats, a glowing review sharing a real user experience, and a video review from the AppSumo Head of Content.

The case study information is broken down into clearly marked sections, explaining the benefits to their target audience (startups) and providing plenty of visuals, charts, and metrics to back it up.

“How One Ecommerce Business Solved the Omnichannel Challenge with Bitly Campaigns”

Download this Bitly case study from their site to see the details of how this company made an impact.

Not only is it well designed, but it also tackles customer challenges right away. The most compelling types of case studies serve their audience by showing how the product or service solves their problems.

Bitly nails it by listing obstacles and jumping right into how the brand can help.

Marketing case study template

Use this basic template to better understand the typical structure of a business case study and use it as a starting place to create your own:

Case Study Title

Date: [Date]

Client or Company Profile:

• Client/Company Name: [Client/Company Name]
• Industry: [Industry]
• Location: [Location]
• Client/Company Background: [Brief client or company background information.]

Introduction:

• Briefly introduce the client or company and any necessary context for the campaign or initiative.
• Problem statement: Describe the specific challenge or problem faced by the client or company before implementing the campaign or initiative.
• Strategy: Explain the strategy that was implemented to address the challenge. Include details such as target audience, objectives, goals, and tactics.
• Implementation: Provide a timeline of the strategy’s implementation, including key milestones and other notable considerations taken during execution.
• Outcomes: Present the qualitative and quantitative results achieved through the implemented strategy. Include relevant metrics, statistics, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Comparative data: Compare the post-campaign results to pre-campaign benchmarks or industry standards.

Analysis and Insights:

• Key insights: Summarize insights and lessons learned from the campaign and discuss the campaign's impact on the client or company’s goals.
• Challenges faced: Address any obstacles encountered during the campaign and how they were mitigated or overcome.

Conclusion:

• Conclusion: Summarize the campaign’s overall impact on the client or company. Highlight the value that was delivered by the implemented strategy and the success it achieved.
• Next Steps: Discuss potential follow-up actions, recommendations, or future strategies.

Testimonials:

• Include quotes or testimonials from the clients or customers who benefitted from the campaign.
• Incorporate relevant visuals to illustrate key points, findings, and results.

The above template is a great way to get started gathering your ideas and findings for a marketing case study. Feel free to add additional sections or customize the template to match your requirements.

Craft a compelling marketing case study for your business

Are you ready to make your marketing case study shine? With Adobe Express, you can make high-quality infographics and presentations that take your case studies to the next level.

Choose from our library of designed templates, or make it yourself with powerful tools and a library of ready-to-use graphic elements.

Get started with Adobe Express today to make compelling marketing case studies that engage your audience and drive conversions.

Try Adobe Express today

Ready to create standout content?

Start for free

Explore Related Posts

https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/brand-strategy

https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/marketing-plan

https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/types-of-marketing

• All Solutions
• Audience measurement
• Media planning
• Marketing optimization
• Content metadata
• Nielsen One
• All Insights
• Case Studies
• Perspectives
• Data Center
• The Gauge TM – U.S.
• Top 10 – U.S.
• Top Trends – Denmark
• Top Trends – Germany
• Women’s World Cup
• Men’s World Cup
• News Center

Client Login

Insights > Digital & technology

Case study: quantifying the impact of tiktok advertising, 1 minute read | february 2022.

Brands in Southeast Asia (SEA) knocked it out of the park on TikTok in 2021. With more than 240 million users in the region creating over 800 million videos and generating over one trillion views, the platform saw marketers lean into the opportunity to boost brand awareness and engagement.

In this case study, we look at how TikTok for Business’ suite of full-funnel, immersive ad solutions delivers a positive return on advertising spend (ROAS) of up to US$2.6. Using Nielsen’s Marketing Mix Modeling solution, TikTok uncovered data-driven insights on how brands can maximize ROAS. Here is what Jorge Ruiz, TikTok’s Head of Measurement had to say:

Additional ROAS by running > 1 ad format

Additional ROAS by running sustained campaigns

ROAS by running 2-3 HTC campaigns

Related tags:

Related insights

Continue browsing similar insights.

Black audiences are looking for relevant representation in advertising and content

Dimensions of diversity are numerous, spanning well beyond skin tone and narrative location.

Need to Know: What’s the difference between OTT, CTV and streaming?

We break down the differences between OTT, CTV and streaming, how advertising works on each, and why they’re more…

Reaching voters with radio 

In a crowded market for political ads, radio offers an advantage.

Find the right solution for your business

In an ever-changing world, we’re here to help you stay ahead of what’s to come with the tools to measure, connect with, and engage your audiences.

How can we help?

• Deutschland
• Asia, Australia & New Zealand
• Europe, Middle East & Africa
• United States & Canada
• Latinoamérica

Case studies: How brands are innovating on YouTube

See how brands are innovating—and driving impact—with their video marketing strategies on YouTube. From targeting techniques, to contextual creative, to six-second video ads, learn how brands are building campaigns that deliver results with these case studies and interviews.

Share this page

How to build a full-funnel influencer marketing campaign, keeping it real: how brands are tapping into the cultural zeitgeist, how one brand tackled an enduring marketing challenge: measuring a campaign’s bottom-line impact, why data-inspired creativity is the future of effective marketing, digitally native brands are disrupting video advertising. here are 3 things they’re not afraid to do, stop guessing and start testing: 3 marketing experiments you can apply to your next campaign, organic reach is elusive. it doesn’t have to be, 4 ways brands are following viewers’ passions — and getting results, how one brand ‘sold out’ of a new product by buying into the power of influencers, how one brand literally turned data into dollars, how video helped one travel marketer convert undecided customers, how to personalize your creative at scale, 4 ways to get mid-funnel impact out of your brand campaign, how to create a product story that unfolds over time — and drives results, looking to shift brand perception take a personalized approach with 3 simple steps, if you’re running a video brand campaign, why not gather leads too, your true audience may be bigger than you realize — and video could help you find out, 3 lessons from the u.s. navy’s first made-for-digital video recruitment campaign, how the cdc built an awareness campaign that spurred action, how overstock.com created a multipurpose video campaign, how one travel marketer turned the typical use cases for video and search upside down, inside google marketing: how pixel tested a full-funnel youtube campaign, 4 principles for creating video ads that drive conversions, why your online video strategy should be more than uploading your tv spot, how an insight from search data sparked a beauty brand’s multicultural video campaign, how turner sports brought the world’s largest live pregame show to millions of fans on youtube.

Gucci, Digital Advertising & Strategy Case Study

With modern times come modern ways of doing things. The world of advertising is unlike the billboards and all-encompassing TV ads. Now, advertising is defined by its personalized touch in reaching segmented audiences that can resonate with a brand more than anyone else. And Gucci is no exception to that approach.  ‍

G & Co. is a world leading fashion & luxury marketing & advertising agency enabling luxury and fashion brands to enhance customer experiences, drive digital transformation, and build a competitive edge

Gucci parent company Kering Group—the owner of Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Brioni, Stella McCartney, and other fashion houses—has seen enviable growth in the last few years, reporting in 2017 its first three quarter revenues up over 26% on a reported basis compared to 2016. But Gucci has been the forefront and the crown jewel of the Kering group. With Gucci’s earnings composing Kering’s 39% of corporate revenues and posting a 44.5% growth in 2017, it’s safe to say the Italian luxury fashion brand is enjoying a period of prosperity.

What’s contributing to that growth? 

According to Kering chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault, half of Gucci’s sales come from millennials, a generation consisting of 35-year olds and younger. That has been a challenging demographic to reach for luxury brands. What this shows from Gucci is that the attractiveness of the brand’s couture resonates with younger demographics than for the proverbial older generation. 

And while the couture does explain why the brand seems to bode well with a younger consumer, it would be imprudent not to look at Gucci’s advertising strategy. In seeking and attracting the millennial consumer’s attention and dollars, we can accredit Gucci’s success to its well-executed advertising and marketing strategies , which had gone concurrently with a digital rollout. In recent years, Gucci has integrated both a strong digital approach with its in-store dominance for an omnichannel strategy that will be definitive for luxury brands’ success in the coming years. 

Gucci’s omnichannel strategy is a signal that it is going all-in for the demographic that’s visibly championed the luxury brand. Because 98% of today’s luxury consumers can be found online, it will be more important than ever before to tie the success of a luxury brand like Gucci to its eCommerce strategy, social media approach, marketing strategy , and mobile functionalities with its offline capabilities. The result of that means one holistic user experience that is both unique and compelling to modern consumers no matter where they choose to interact with a brand. Sure enough, Gucci’s digital strategy has become holistic in reach and followed in a surge of new luxury converts in addition to longtime patrons.  

It would be criminal to count only Gucci’s digital strategy as the sole reason for its success in recent years. Of course, while helpful, Gucci’s digital approach is only a fraction of the brand’s prosperous growth in revenue and label recognition. Indeed, at the forefront of Gucci’s advertising and marketing strategy is the team that’s directly responsible for the luxury brand’s success: Marco Bizzarri and Alessandro Michele, the CEO and creative director of Gucci, respectively. 

The pair has spearheaded the brand’s various fortifying strengths over the last few years; Bizzarri in business and Michele in the creative center. Since late 2014, when Bizzarri’s helm as the Gucci chief executive began, the question over who would fill the creative director position loomed over him and the brand’s future. 

Bizzarri would ultimately go with the 12-year Gucci veteran in Alessandro Michele, who had been with the company since working under Tom Ford and had been an associate designer to the now-former creative director, Frida Giannini. Bizzarri made the decision after determining he needed someone that could deliver on his vision of creating a culture of “respect and joy, fostering creativity,” adding, “intuition and instinct are more important than rationality.” For the luxury space, where emotion and experiences eclipse rationality, there could not have been a better choice to lead the new direction than Alessandro Michele. 

The two set their roles and responsibilities, Bizzarri taking care of the business side, and Michele to lead the brand’s creative development. Bizzarri does not discuss sales or budgets with Michele, which gives him the creative freedom to express the brand how he believes is best. As to why Bizzarri had done this, the Gucci CEO stated, “You cannot put limits or constraints on creativity.” From there on, the two began a period of covetable growth, and creativity was now the central focus of the Gucci brand.   ‍

Leading Gu cci into th e digital age ‍

The first thing both Bizzarri and Michele agreed on was to take Gucci to a new stage in the brand’s history. No longer would Gucci be beholden to its past success and continue on the same track. One thing was of high importance: innovating the way forward.

The biggest challenge in having been presented with this new opportunity as the new CEO of a luxury brand and a new creative director’s appointment was to stand still, says Bizzarri. But that was not the answer. “We have to empower talents, we cannot always tell people what to do, and there’s no limits to growth if you are exposed to innovation.” 

First to happen as part of this new, innovative approach to Gucci’s marketing strategy was the shift of the face of the brand. The iconic celebrities of Gucci’s past, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy, would now be succeeded by the modern-day style icons that would resonate with the increasingly younger luxury demographic: Harry Styles, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Salma Hayek. 

And though the Bizzarri-Michele team phased out Gucci’s storied successes in search for new ones better framed for today’s generation of luxury consumers, the resurrection of the GG logo preceded its prominent placing on its new handbags and accessories, with it also restoring the Dionysus buckle for part of its new shoes and bag lines. As a result, six out of seven of Gucci’s best-selling and high-margin accessories have been created by Michele . 

The GG logo comeback doesn’t stop there. With free rein, Michele asked graffiti artist GucciGhost to collaborate with the brand for its fall collection. It’s difficult to imagine any other luxury brand would give this much creative freedom as part of its way forward, much less allowing its logo to be redressed. “But such is the way with Gucci, and it demonstrates the embrace of the changing times and need to appeal to today’s luxury consumer,” says Manuel Gonzalez, head of the luxury digital agency G & Co. “As an advertising agency, we commend Gucci’s willingness to adapt and allow consumers to enjoy the brand as they do. It’s user-generated content and collaborations with some of the biggest icons of today’s world that can excite younger consumers.”

Of course, the digitally savvy Kering group knows Gucci’s advertising strategy goes further by investing in its digital innovation and infrastructure. As an early adopter of eCommerce, the Italian luxury brand knows far too well that the millennial demographic that has surged their market share is always online—again, with 98% of affluent consumers stating they use the internet on a daily basis. This segment of the market desires an authentic experience in a digital medium and, as a result, expects a sincere relation with brands online, especially with luxury brands; if consumers are spending considerable amounts of money on luxury wares, the experience should be just as luxurious. 

It’s precisely that rationale that has seen Gucci invest heavily in its online strategy and infrastructure. Gucci had redesigned their eCommerce site for the first time in 13 years to signal their intention to meet new consumer expectations. New additions to the site included a find in-store option feature, an excellent product information, gift wrapping features, an expanded customer service through phone and e-mail, and a generous shipping and return policy that has since been recently augmented to consider the pandemic-induced disruptions. 

Of course, these leaps in Gucci’s digital transformation are helped in part because of their early adoption of the online world. And while the rest of the luxury world has lost valuable time catching up with the shifting trends in a more digitally-centric world, Gucci has been able to rally loyal customers and uphold its lustrous image through its proactive implementation of its digital strategy while retaining the quintessential aura of exclusivity luxury brands have. 

At the same time, Gucci has benefited enormously from the hip hop culture that has promoted the luxury brand for years. From Kanye West dubbing the new phrase to turn “What’s good?” to “What’s Gucci?” to the 2017 rap hit Gucci Gang visibly flaunting the brand, it’s clear the Kering subsidiary is an admirable luxury house. 

Not surprisingly, this dominance over hip hop culture has also spurred Gucci’s popularity with younger consumers even more than before. In the first half of 2018, Gucci broke record sales, most of which came from consumers under 35. “What this means for Gucci is that its combination of an excellent online experience, admirable consumer affinity, and embrace for innovation has led to the kind of growth that surely translates to success in the years ahead,” says Juan Manuel Gonzalez, founder of UI/UX and luxury marketing agency G & Co.  ‍

Omnicha nnel Strat egy Development ‍

As big as an emphasis as Gucci has put on their online strategy, there’s certainly no denying the luxury brand is reshaping its image for the new age. As of 2017, Gucci had remodeled over a quarter of its boutiques to integrate the in-store shopping experience with its cutting edge digital platform. 

On the more corporate side, Gucci added a 37,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Italy named the Gucci ArtLab to meet the growing demand and produce leather goods in a more sustainable manner—all while staying true to its promise of banning the use of fur in its products. As part of Michele’s long-term creative vision, the Gucci ArtLab serves to house innovative and artistic expression to nurture the brand’s embrace of bold ideas, much like the ones that have elevated Gucci to where it is today. 

It’s impressive, to say the least, the kind of success the Bizzarri-Michele team has demonstrated. Gucci’s hands-off management approach and understanding that the creative side is never to be capped, along with the digital transformation that’s captured the attention of the growing millennial segment in luxury , has led to the sort of admirable expansion of the Gucci brand name that seems to only herald greater growth ahead. We’re excited to see what more there is to come from Gucci’s advertising strategy.  ‍

Exploring the story of Gucci’s rise to the top, the teamwork of Bizzarri and Michele, adventurous creative projects, and smart use of digital technology appear as key elements. As Gucci cleverly fits into current cultural trends and smoothly becomes a part of the digital world, it shares a story filled with useful tips and insights for luxury brands trying to find their way at the crossroads of tradition, innovation, and the digital world.

Their detailed plan, where creativity and planned digital growth join forces, shows a fascinating way forward for brands, carefully balancing respected tradition and lively modern ways. While respecting its rich history, Gucci boldly steps into the digital future, lighting the way for others to bravely follow. From their energetic move to digital to embracing and blending modern cultural changes, their strategies are a beautiful mix of bravery and elegance.

At G & Co., we see not only the bold moves and victories in Gucci's adventures but also notice the detailed plans and special decisions that have launched their successful journey. Building stories for luxury brands, where the excitement of creativity and the accuracy of using data and strategies are super important, needs a strong understanding and skill - an area where we firmly place our expertise.

For those fascinated by luxury and fashion marketing, G & Co. acts as a strong partner. We create unique marketing and advertising plans , carefully lining them up with the dream-like essence of your picky target markets. By combining a past marked by data-driven results with a flexible approach to local and international landscapes, we bring to the table a vital mix of creative energy and strategic wisdom , necessary for winning in this always-changing industry.

Working with G & Co. goes beyond normal agency relationships; it's like teaming up with an expert in the tricky details of the industry, one who is totally committed to delivering real, countable results in a world where the dazzling and data-driven live together.

We invite you to start a journey where your brand’s history and future are turned into a story that connects, captures attention, and converts.

Submit an inquiry to G & Co. on our contact page or click on the blue "Click to Contact Us" button on the bottom right corner of your screen for your convenience. We look forward to hearing from you.

How muc h does Gucci spend o n digital marketing and advertising ? ‍

The most recent annual figures for Gucci’s advertising spend is roughly $567 million, an estimated 11% of Gucci’s revenue.  ‍

What did Gucci do f or a digi tal transformation? ‍

Gucci’s digital transformation is unique in that it was one of the first brands to embrace eCommerce in the early 2000s. Thanks to Kering’s early conviction that the online medium would ultimately become necessary, and the bold leadership at Gucci, the luxury brand has gone further to encompass features such as a “find in-store” feature, descriptive product information, gift wrapping features, and customer service through phone and email—all components of a strong online strategy that is certain to give Gucci the edge over its competition.  ‍

What is Gu cci’s digital strategy? ‍

Gucci’s digital strategy recognizes who their target audience is, knowing where they spend their time and meeting them where they are to engage them. 

Given that Gucci’s social media exposure includes inviting artists like GucciGhost to recreate their patterns as part of their advertising strategy, we can only assume that the luxury brand’s efforts to reach out to their younger audience are certainly working. 

Kering, the parent company to Gucci, has shifted its communication budget to 40% digital, up from 20% just four years ago. This can only mean that Gucci sees greater returns for investing in its digital marketing strategy . As a luxury marketing agency, we commend this approach and are confident it will mean even more growth in Gucci’s long-term vision.   ‍

What is Gucci’s cu stomer ex perience (CX)? ‍

No matter the medium, Gucci has taken an approach of “brand first, channel second” for its customer experience. That philosophy is essentially what has propelled the brand to invest in its omnichannel strategy to more fully engage shoppers either in-person or online. The consistency with which Gucci has tried and excellently carried out is part of the reason why it has stood out for consumers and only accelerated the brand’s digital presence. ‍

Who is Gucci’s tar get market/custo mer? ‍

Half of Gucci’s sales are attributed to consumers 35 years old and younger, meaning their target market is the millennial and Generation Z consumers who are typically more online savvy than most other consumers. Gucci’s target customers are those who value self-expression and want a brand that values creativity and innovation.  ‍

Wh at is luxury bra nd digital marketing , how is it different? ‍

Because of the brand positioning, a luxury brand’s digital strategy will have to look different than any other brand’s in terms of how it engages with customers, showcases its products, and communicates its value. 

Instead of the push promotion strategy, luxury brands need to pull consumer interest through relevant and engaging content. How a luxury brand chooses to pull that interest is for them to choose. 

Have a question about luxury digital marketing? Shoot us an email at [email protected] . ‍

Why is U I/UX impo rtant for luxury brand eCommerce stores?‍ ‍

A good user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) is essential for any eCommerce store in that it helps browsers easily navigate a website for the sole purpose of making their customer journey easier to finish. Most importantly, an eCommerce store is a window into a brand’s image; the first impression a browser makes when coming across a shop can easily determine whether or not they will continue browsing and ultimately purchase something.‍ ‍

Why is eCommerce important f or any luxury business?‍ ‍

In the rapidly changing world we live in, it’s important now more than ever for brands to adapt to evolving consumer needs. And that includes meeting them where they are. ‍As an advertising agency and eCommerce shop, we know the value in a consumer-centric strategy to help luxury brands excel for the future.  ‍

How is eCommerce different for luxury and non luxury brands?‍ ‍

It’s not enough for luxury brands to have a branded site just to check the box off on eCommerce. Consumers today want an experience that matches the quality of a luxury product they purchase. That’s why luxury brands place a great emphasis on tailoring their approach to play on consumer sentiment and meet the mark of exclusivity.

More Resources

• 2024 Elections and Brands: Business of Fashion x G & Co.
• [VIDEO] The State of Digital Experience in Retail 2024
• The New Consumer Landscape and Work-From-Home Impact | The Retail & Consumer Index
• Retail Trends and Predictions for the U.S. Holiday Season | The Retail & Consumer Index
• Top Retail Market Research Agencies to Work With - March 2024
• eCommerce UX: Essential Design Strategies and Principles
• What is Competitive Intelligence and How Retailers Can Leverage It for a Competitive Advantage
• A Guide to Incorporating Competitive Intelligence in Your eCommerce Strategy
• How to Develop a Competitive Retail Customer Experience Strategy
• What is Retail Analytics + a List of Top 9 Analytics Software Solutions
• How To Perform a Retail Competitor Analysis (With Benefits)
• Top Digital Transformation Agencies & Consulting Firms to Work With - March 2024
• Top Best Retail Consulting Firms to Work With - March 2024
• Top Product Design Agencies to Work With - March 2024
• Top Fashion & Luxury Creative & Media Agencies to Work With - March 2024
• Top Fashion & Luxury Marketing & Advertising Agencies to Work With - March 2024
• Retail Industry Analysis: State of Retail, Outlook, Market Growth
• Top Mobile App Agencies to Work With - March 2024
• Top Shopify Plus Agencies to Work With - March 2024
• Top Digital Product Agencies to Work With - March 2024
• Warby Parker—an Advertising and Marketing Strategy Case Study
• UI/UX Design Deliverables from an eCommerce Agency
• User Experience - UX Resource 2023
• Top 10 Best Performing Brands in 2021 - G & Co. Innovation Index®
• Top Global Retail, Fashion, and Luxury Industry Index 2023: The State of Brands' Digital Performance & Strategy
• LVMH, Digital Advertising & Strategy Case Study
• Guide to Luxury Marketing Strategy: A Luxury Marketing Agency’s Take on What Brands Should Know
• Retail and Apparel Benchmark Index 2022: The State of Consumer Brands' Customer Experience
• Luxury eCommerce: Reshaping through Digital in 2023
• Hermès, an eCommerce Case Study
• Guide to Luxury Digital Strategy: A Luxury Digital Agency’s Take on What High-End Brands Should Know
• Louis Vuitton, an eCommerce Case Study
• Luxury Brands in 2023: Digital Marketing and Customer Experience (CX)
• Guide to Luxury Digital Agencies: What to Look for in a Digital Partner
• Louis Vuitton, a Digital Advertising & Strategy Case Study
• Kering, a Luxury Digital Advertising & Strategy Case Study
• Guide to DTC Marketing Strategy: A DTC Marketing Agency’s Take on What Brands Need to Know
• Gucci, an eCommerce Case Study
• Guide to DTC Digital Agencies: What to Look for in a Digital Partner
• Activewear & Athleisure Industry Index 2021: The State of Activewear Brands' Digital Performance & Strategy
• G & Co. IQ Mapping - Benchmarking Brand & Customer Experiences through Data & Strategy
• Five Industries Poised to Win the 2021 Holiday Shopping Season & Beyond
• DTC Digital Marketing: from a DTC Digital Agency
• Fashion and Apparel, and Luxury Brands in 2021: eCommerce and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Strategy and Insight
• Fashion & Apparel Industry Index 2021: The State of Fashion Brands' Digital Performance & Strategy
• What is DTC Marketing?: A Beginner's Guide to Direct-to-Consumer (DTC)
• Fashion & Apparel Brands in 2021: Direct to Consumer (DTC) and User Experience (UX) - Industry Insights & Strategy
• Customer Experience in 2021: What to Learn from the Best Performing Brands in the Fashion, Retail, and Apparel Industry
• Fashion, Apparel, & Luxury: Key Themes for the Industry in 2021 - Digital Insight and Strategy
• Chanel, an eCommerce Case Study
• Customer Experience - CX Survey 2021

• Digital Commerce

Case Finder

Search for advertising effectiveness case studies

• Alcoholic drinks industry (general)
• Beer & cider
• Luxury alcoholic drinks
• Pre-mixed drinks
• Spirits & liquors
• Automakers & marques
• Automotive industry (general)
• Compact, small family cars
• Eco, hybrid, electric cars
• Luxury automotive
• Mid-size, large family cars
• Motorcycles, bikes
• MPVs, minivans
• Supermini, subcompact cars
• Tyres, fuel, accessories, services
• Vans, Trucks, RVs
• Business & industrial (general)
• Business services
• Employment, recruitment, staff
• Industrial & manufacturing
• Property & construction
• Clothing, apparel
• Luxury clothing & accessories
• Personal accessories
• Credit cards & loans
• Digital payments
• Financial services (general)
• Bread, cake, biscuits
• Breakfast cereals
• Confectionery
• Convenience, readymade
• Dairy products, fats, oils
• Food industry (general)
• Fruit & vegetables
• Functional foods, supplements
• Luxury food
• Meat, poultry, fish
• Sauces, seasonings, condiments
• Savoury snacks, potato chips
• Cleaners & detergents
• Furnishings & fittings
• Home improvement
• Household & domestic (general)
• Laundry products
• Toilet paper, kitchen towel
• Leisure & entertainment (general)
• Lotteries, casinos, gambling
• Museums, attractions, libraries
• Music & theatre
• Online dating sites
• Toys, games
• Directories
• Films & movies
• Magazines, periodicals, books
• Media & publishing (general)
• Radio stations, services
• TV channels, services, programmes
• Websites, online services, apps
• Charities & voluntary organisations
• Educational, universities
• Government, social policy
• Military & emergency services
• Public health
• Contraceptives, family planning
• DTC, prescription products
• Healthcare services, providers
• Non-prescription, OTC products
• Pharma & healthcare (general)
• Promotions to the medical profession
• Automotive accessories retail
• Clothing & fashion retail
• Convenience retail
• Department stores
• Electrical retail
• Entertainment retail
• Furniture & furnishings retail
• Home improvement retail
• Luxury retail
• Online retail
• Pharmacies & drugstores
• Restaurants & takeaways
• Retail industry (general)
• Reward cards
• Shopping centres, malls
• Supermarkets & grocery stores
• Travel retail
• Bottled waters
• Carbonated soft drinks
• Concentrates & cordials
• Energy drinks
• Fruit & vegetable juices
• Iced drinks
• Milk & dairy drinks
• Non-alcoholic drinks
• Soft drinks industry (general)
• Audiovisual products
• Cameras, photography
• Gaming hardware & software
• Home appliances
• Information technology
• Mobile devices
• PCs, computing
• Technology & electronics (general)
• Energy & water suppliers
• Postal & courier services
• Telecoms & utilities (general)
• Telephone & internet services
• Bath toiletries, soaps
• Cosmetics, beauty aids
• Deodorants, anti-perspirants
• Feminine hygiene
• Fragrances, perfumes
• Luxury toiletries & cosmetics
• Oral health
• Shaving products
• Skin care, sun protection
• Toiletries & cosmetics (general)
• Destinations and locations
• Luxury travel
• Rail, coach, boat & car rental
• Transport & tourism (general)
• Travel agents, tour operators
• Australia & New Zealand
• Greater China
• Latin America
• Middle East & North Africa
• North America
• Not Region Specific

Find cases matching:

• Build brand equity
• Build international brand
• Maintain price premium
• Refresh brand identity
• extension/variant
• Brand loyalty
• Relaunch, reposition
• Reverse decline
• Crisis communications
• Rebuild trust
• Reputation management
• Engage employees
• Engage financial, stakeholder management
• Build, revitalise category
• Gain new customers
• Increase market share
• Increase value/volume
• Christmas & seasonal activity
• Support event/sponsorship
• Support promotions & in-store activity
• Social, political & not-for-profit
• In-store traffic
• Web traffic
• Word of mouth

Traditional Media

Digital Media

* Only includes cases since 2009.

Other Channels

• Artificial intelligence (AI) as creative approach
• Brand activism
• Brand characters
• Branded utility, product
• Challenger brand
• Consumer generated content, participation
• Corporate responsibility
• Informative, educational
• Partnerships
• Personalisation
• Shock, fear
• Storytelling
• Sustainability

Note: Creative Approach data is available for cases since 2011.

• Retailers & trade
• Senior & C-suite
• Adults (26-55)
• Children (0-12)
• Millennials
• Older adults (55+)
• Parents & families
• Black consumers (US)
• Hispanic/Latinx consumers (US)
• Multicultural
• People with disabilities
• 1 - 3 million
• 10 - 20 million
• 3 - 5 million
• 5 - 10 million
• 500k - 1 million
• Over 20 million

Note: Budget data is in US dollars, denotes media spend and applies to cases since 2006 (when provided).

• 3 - 6 months
• 6-12 months
• Over 3 years
• Up to 3 months

Note: Campaign Duration data is available for cases since 2006 (when provided).

Hard metrics

• Attitude change (non-profit)
• Behavioural change
• Customer loyalty
• Efficiency gain
• Market penetration/customer gain
• Market share

Soft metrics

• Brand health/equity measures
• Brand-specific measures
• Consumer participation
• Search performance
• Social media, buzz

Note: Reported Metrics data is available for cases since 2011.

Matching cases:

Welcome back to WARC!

We’ve made some exciting changes since your last visit, bringing you:

• Latest category insights straight to your homepage
• A new Evidence series on key marketing questions
• Category campaign data from recent case studies

Please scan the QR code

• Programmatic SEO
• Content Marketing
• Paid Advertising
• Performance Creative
• Case Studies
• Press & Media
• Write for Single Grain
• General Inquiries
• Leveling Up Podcast
• Marketing School Podcast
• Executive Mastermind

Win More Clients

Case Studies: How Successful Advertising Agencies Win Clients

Updated January 2024.

Is your ad agency struggling to get leads? Advertising agency case studies are an excellent way to demonstrate your best work to prospective clients to generate more consultation requests.

Case studies not only demonstrate your expertise as an agency, but also provide potential clients with helpful details about what they can expect from working with your company.

In this article, I will explore what an advertising agency case study is, why it’s important and how you can create one that effectively communicates your agency’s value and expertise.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

What is an advertising agency case study, 1) single grain’s nextiva case study, 2) halo waypoint’s gears of war  gaming case study, 3) single grain’s twenty20 case study, 4) infidigit’s myntra seo case study, 5) inflow’s facebook advertising paid ads case study, benefits of advertising agency case studies, what to include in creative agency case studies, how to prepare your creative agency case study, last word on the advertising agency case study.

Single Grain enables us to increase our impact without increasing our headcount

A marketing agency case study  is a detailed analysis of an advertising campaign that an agency has developed and executed for a client. It typically includes information on the client’s business, goals and challenges, as well as the agency’s creative approach.

The case study may also discuss the challenges that the agency faced during the campaign and how they overcame them. They can provide valuable insights into the agency’s process and approach, as well as demonstrate the agency’s ability to deliver results for clients.

Advertising case studies are instrumental in your marketing kit, on your websites and for the sales team when they meet prospective clients.

5 Best Examples of an Advertising Agency Case Study That Rocked It

There are many great ad agency case study examples that showcase the effectiveness of different marketing campaigns, such as PPC ad strategies or content marketing strategies. Here are the best ad agency case study examples:

Nextiva provides robust IT solutions for businesses of all sizes. And though they were attracting leads, they wanted to optimize their ads for greater ROI — decreasing ad spend  while generating more qualified leads. They came to us at Single Grain for help with their social advertising.

Here are the strategies that Single Grain  implemented:

• Worked with Nextiva to determine what lead would provide optimal down-funnel performance
• Identified the most cost-efficient audience segments
• Created messaging and design specifically to appeal to the target audience
• Used their “best of test” methodology for optimizing Google Ads

With the help of our marketing agency, Nextiva was able to reduce their cost per lead by 41.37% year over year on Google Ads.

For CEO  Eric Siu , the pursuit of innovation is relentless. We’re continually exploring new frontiers in lead gen and other marketing strategies to ensure that what works wonders for us also delivers exceptional results for our clients.

Here he discusses how newsletters are awesome if you want to have an ‘owned’ audience and they’re great for driving paid ads to:

Sure, newsletters can be great if you are looking to sell ads. Plenty of examples with Morning Brew, The Hustle, etc. Sure they sold for ~$75M and ~$20M respectively but… Most people aren’t going to have the volume that they have in terms of subscribers. Here’s a different… — ericosiu (@ericosiu) November 26, 2023

Key takeaways:

• The portfolio presented the results in big fonts to make it easier for potential customers to read the achievements. Plus, the significant growth numbers were highlighted in bold for an easier understanding.

• Single Grain kept a minimalistic logo and a bolded headline that focused on the results.

Just want someone to do all the hard work for you? Single Grain’s advertising experts  can help.👇

Microsoft Game Studios hired Amp Agency  to develop and execute a digital marketing strategy for the launch of Halo 5: Guardians.

Amp Agency had a goal to prevent gaming enthusiasts from defecting to other competitors and engage them in playing Halo and Gears of War longer. Here are the strategies that Amp Agency used in the case study:

• Dedicated Website:  Amp created a new website specifically for Halo 5: Guardians , which was a hub for all of the game’s marketing materials. The website featured trailers, screenshots, other promotional content and links to pre-order the game.
• Social Media Campaigns: Amp Agency next ran several campaigns to build excitement around the game’s release. These campaigns included Twitter sweepstakes, where fans could win prizes by tweeting about the game; and a Facebook poll, where fans could vote on their favorite Halo character.
• Influencer Marketing:  Amp partnered with popular YouTubers and Twitch streamers to promote Halo 5: Guardians  to their audiences. The influencers  created gameplay videos and other content showcasing the game’s features and encouraged their followers to pre-order it.

The game sold over five million copies in its first three months, generating over $400 million in revenue. The social media campaigns created by Amp Agency were particularly successful, with the Twitter sweepstakes generating over 100,000 entries and the Facebook poll receiving over one million votes.

• The customer story insights featured the main product in the background to help readers understand the client’s product in great detail.

• The case study included stunning images, screenshots and graphics throughout the content for easier understanding of how the campaign was implemented.

Twenty20 disrupted the crowded stock visual media space with a major twist on a tried-and-true mode. They hired Single Grain to focus on the pillars that truly differentiate them from their competitors. Single Grain designed a powerful marketing process, including a robust content marketing strategy.

With the help of Single Grain, Twenty20 received more traffic volume  with the same consistency in revenue per session. They also witnessed an exponential growth in free trial volume with a significant reduction in their advertising cost.

• They added a video in the case study featuring Micah Cohen of Twenty20, who shared his opinions on the great work done by the Single Grain’s team.

• They also shared numbers and stats that emphasized the importance of the digital marketing service that Single Grain offered.

• The case study also featured a prominent CTA button for increasing the conversion rates.

The Infidigit SEO case study  for the Indian e-commerce store Myntra is another great example of an SEO campaign case study. By conducting comprehensive SEO audits and implementing SEO strategies at scale, Infidigit helped Myntra achieve a 187% increase in organic revenue and a 150% increase in organic visits.

• The case study website features a hero image with a smiling face, which is known to increase conversion rates.

• They effectively added internal links to other case studies from the right sidebar to lower the bounce rate of the page and to drive people to more pages on the site for maximum conversions.

• They added exact screenshots of the target keyword and the SERPs, which displayed the keyword ranking at the top of the organic search.

• They used bright orange-red as the CTA button color in a bid to attract more clicks.

Dive Deeper: We Refreshed 15 Posts on 3 SaaS Blogs – And Increased Organic Traffic on All

B2C brand Seltzer Goods approached Inflow  to market their service. Inflow used Facebook  as an advertising investment channel to promote their service. With intelligent ad targeting, the brand was able to acquire a 9.68x return on ad spend and a 785% increase in monthly revenue. Moreover, they achieved a $4.87 cost per customer acquisition, which was exceptional.

• They published the case study as a blog post, which helped to attract social shares.

• The post is comprehensive and explains the entire strategy and technology that they used to attract potential prospects and scale the brand’s growth. They leveraged data at every point to make it easier for the readers to understand how their campaign worked.
• They added actual ad creative screenshots to tell readers exactly how they used the branding and logo to engage the customers.

Inspired by these case studies but just don’t have the time to create a killer ad campaign? Single Grain’s advertising experts can help!👇

Case studies are vital in building your brand trust, as customers nowadays want to know about the first-hand experience of your services before hiring you. Here are the top benefits of ad agency case studies.

Assists the Sales Team

Case studies on the website are a significant help for the sales team as they can offer your business services to clients without great effort. There’s nothing like seeing the results of an ad campaign on paper, a document that prospects can read over and over again. Once the customer is satisfied with the case studies, it becomes easier for the sales team to close the deal, significantly enhancing your business productivity.

Showcases Proven Results and ROI

In the world of marketing and advertising, clients are inherently results-oriented, and they want to see tangible evidence that their investment is paying off. Case studies provide precisely that: They are data-driven examples showing improved ROI .

By presenting real-world examples of successful campaigns — complete with quantifiable data on increased leads, conversions or revenue — you’re no longer simply telling clients what you can do … you’re showing them. When a client can see the concrete impact of your work, they can more easily envision the benefits for their own business.

Builds Trust and Credibility With Potential Clients

In today’s ultra-competitive market, few things make a bigger impact on your ability to land new clients than trust. Remember, it isn’t just money you’re asking clients to hand over — it’s the very reputation of their company itself.

A few well-crafted case studies can go a long way in instilling potential clients with the confidence that their reputation is in safe hands. Meanwhile, being able to show genuine results with genuine clients also helps clients trust that you’re legitimate.

Enhances Brand Reputation and Authority

Sticking with the subject of reputation for a moment, the best case studies can play a crucial role in bolstering your own credibility and establishing authority in your field.

In a marketplace saturated with choices, a strong brand reputation is an invaluable asset. Not only is it useful for influencing a would-be client, but it can also make other companies in your industry sit up and take note, opening new doors for collaboration, rewards and peer recognition.

Provides Insights Into the Agency’s Problem-Solving Abilities

Those campaigns that may throw you a curveball or put up unforeseen obstacles can provide just as much good material for a compelling case study as those where everything runs smoothly. At least they do as long as your agency rises to the occasion.

Highlighting your ability to navigate challenges and still deliver effective solutions, a case study can serve to showcase your creativity, strategic thinking and ability to adapt. Ultimately, this can further reinforce that all-important sense of client trust, resulting in more leads and happy, long-term clients .

Acts as a Valuable Tool for Internal Training and Onboarding

Beyond their external benefits, your advertising agency case study examples provide a real-world, documented playbook that can be used to train new hires and continually educate existing team members.

Ultimately, this helps new employees to quickly grasp your agency’s approach and methodologies, while also ensuring that long-tenured members of your team stay on top of current best practices, successful strategies and how your company capitalizes on evolving trends .

Attracts Potential Talent by Showcasing the Agency’s Impactful Work

Going public with your case studies spreads the word about your agency’s creativity, effectiveness and innovation, helping you to catch the attention of top marketing and advertising talent.

Advertising professionals are drawn to agencies that can demonstrate not only a proven track record, but also a creative vision that aligns with their own. So, when you showcase that through a case study, you’re ultimately taking steps toward assembling an elite force of creative and skilled individuals who are motivated by the prospect of contributing to impactful projects.

Facilitates a Better Understanding of Market Trends and Client Needs

Case studies serve as more than just success stories; they also provide a valuable window into emerging market trends and the evolving needs of clients.

By examining the data and results showcased in case studies, you can identify patterns, emerging trends and shifts in consumer behavior, all of which help your team take a proactive approach to staying ahead of the game in an ever-changing market.

Serves as a Reference Point for Future Campaigns and Strategies

Case studies provide a documented record of what worked and what didn’t in previous campaigns, serving as a valuable resource for advertising strategists and creatives alike. Using an advertising case study as a learning tool can help you identify which strategies and techniques to deploy in future and which mistakes to avoid at all costs.

Dive Deeper: * 9 Examples of Storytelling Marketing to Inspire Your Next Campaign * The Complete Guide to Brand Building (Must-Read for Digital Marketers) * How to Conduct Smart Competitor Research for Better Customer Acquisition

Here are the key elements to include in your case studies to persuade your potential customers to choose your brand over others.

• Title: Begin with a strong yet concise and results-orientated title that outlines what you did and who you did it for. The goal here is to captivate your audience and compel them to dive into your case study. So, think about who you’re trying to attract with this work and what would appeal to them.
• Client Overview: Provide a brief introduction to the client, including their industry, size and any relevant background information. This is crucial as it helps potential clients see themselves in your past clients, making it easier for them to relate to the story being told and recognize your company as the right fit for their specific needs and challenges.
• Challenge: Next, explain the specific problem that your client faced. This sets the stage for the reader to not only understand the onset of the case study, but also further helps a potential client to empathize with the issues they’re currently up against in their own business.
• Objectives: Here, you need to be talking about the client’s desired results. Why did they hire your services? What goals and outcomes did they want to achieve? What were their expectations and how did you plan to meet them?
• Strategy:  Once tasked with your objective, your next task is to devise a strategy to achieve it. You can use this next part of your case study to describe precisely what that was, detailing the creative and tactical steps you planned to take to overcome obstacles and achieve results.
• Execution: The execution portion of your case study should provide a step-by-step account of how your agency executed the campaign. Be sure to include details about any challenging circumstances you encountered and how you overcame them, along with the reasoning behind your methodology.
• Results:  Results are what matter most to clients, so it’s important to get this step right. Present the quantifiable results of your campaign using accurate, verifiable figures to detail how the campaign performed against your KPIs.
• Testimonials: By now, you’ve talked a lot about your company and what you did, but readers are yet to hear from your clients. Address this by including feedback from the client on their experience of working with you. An authentic testimonial can provide a huge boon to your agency’s credibility and could well be the factor that seals the deal with a potential new client.
• Lessons Learned: As you begin to wrap things up, take some time to reflect on the challenges faced during the campaign and the lessons that you and your team learned, noting how it improved the way you provide your company’s services and made you a better agency that is well equipped to meet the needs of new clients.
• Visuals: As with any kind of content marketing, visuals such as images, infographics, charts and videos help to break up the content and make it easier to digest, while also reinforcing the important messages running throughout your case study.
• Internal Links: As you work your way through your case study, pay attention to opportunities to link to other work on your website. Not only does internal linking help boost your website traffic, it also gives you an ideal way to provide further evidence of your experience and expertise.
• Call to Action: If the whole point of your case study is to serve as a compelling lead magnet, it makes sense that you’ll need to end it with an equally compelling CTA that encourages readers to follow up by getting in touch with you for a free consultation.

More Posts About Case Studies: * 4 Facebook Ads E-commerce Case Studies that Increased ROAS * 7 Amazon Advertising Case Studies that Showcase Top Strategies * Best Programmatic Advertising Case Studies for Exceptional ROAS

Creative agency case studies are instrumental in enhancing sales and maximizing conversion rates. They efficiently provide readers with real-life examples of how your agency helps clients achieve their business goals.

Here are the steps to create an exceptional case study for your business.

• Identify a Successful Campaign or Project: The first step in creating a compelling case study is to identify a successful project where your agency could showcase its expertise. The project should showcase your agency’s creativity, problem-solving abilities and results achieved for the client (the more impressive, the better).
• Obtain Client Permission to Feature Their Case: Some campaigns immediately stand out as being ideal for a case study, but you’ll need to achieve the client’s consent before you can begin bragging about the amazing work you did for them. Make your request clear and concise, explaining the benefits of featuring their company in your case study while also addressing any concerns they may have with regard to confidentiality and branding.
• Define the Main Challenge or Problem Faced by the Client: A good case study should read like a story , and for any story to be truly gripping, its protagonists (in this instance, your agency and the company you worked for) need a challenge to overcome. So, use this opportunity to detail what that challenge was and why your client chose you to overcome it.
• Outline the Objectives Set for the Campaign: Here, consider the goals and metrics your clients wanted you to focus on. What outcomes were they looking for? What specific requirements did they provide you with that made this campaign particularly interesting or unique?
• Describe the Strategy Developed to Address the Challenge:  At this stage, saying “So, we devised a strategy to achieve that objective” isn’t going to cut it. Be specific in describing the strategy you devised, the reasoning behind key decisions and creative ideas, and why you believed this to be the best approach for the brands you work with.
• Detail the Execution of the Campaign or Project: Providing as much value as you can about the actions you took to execute a campaign gives readers an insight into the way you work, helping them to understand if your agency is a good fit for them while also demonstrating your ability to overcome challenges.
• Gather and Analyze Results and Outcomes: Collect as much data as possible about the project, including the client’s brief, your agency’s strategy and approach, the creative process and the results. Speak to both your client and employees involved in the project to gather their insights and feedback.
• Collect Testimonials or Feedback From the Client: Strong testimonials serve as solid, first-hand validation of your agency’s ability and a reflection on what it’s like to work with you from the client’s perspective, both of which make a big difference when it comes to converting case study readers into qualified leads.
• Highlight Your Unique Selling Points:  In your case study, you should highlight your agency’s unique selling points and what sets you apart from competitors. Focus on the specific strengths demonstrated in the project, such as your creativity, strategic thinking or ability to deliver results.
• Incorporate Relevant Visuals and Graphics: Eye-catching visuals not only make your case study more attractive and easier to read, but they can also illustrate key points and help you put your campaign results front and center.
• Write and Structure the Case Study Content: A well-structured case study should include the following sections: introduction, problem statement, strategy and approach, creative process, results achieved and conclusion. Use a clear and concise writing style, and make sure to include visuals such as images, graphics or videos to support your story.
• Review and Edit for Clarity and Accuracy: By now, you’ve invested a lot of time and energy in creating your case study, so the last thing you want is for all that hard work to be wasted due to a few overlooked mistakes that threaten to tarnish your reputation. Reviewing and editing the case study for clarity and accuracy ensures that the content is concise, error-free and easy for readers to comprehend.
• Publish and Promote the Case Study on Relevant Platforms : Once your ad agency case study is live on your website, your next task is to identify the most effective channels to get it in front of your target audience. Whether that’s social media, your email list or a blog post, the more you can do to maximize the reach of your case study, the more potential clients you can reach and the more likely you are to get the leads, website traffic or brand recognition you were hoping for.

Learn how to write a case study with this detailed guide: How to Write a Case Study that Converts Prospective Buyers into Customers

To produce a successful creative agency case study, it’s important to focus on the key elements that will make it engaging and informative. This includes providing a clear overview of the client and the challenges they faced, outlining your thought-process tactics and presenting your results in a compelling way. Most importantly, don’t just present dry facts and numbers; tell the client’s story .

If you’re ready to level up your business with ads that convert with the best ROAS, Single Grain’s advertising experts  can help.👇

Advertising agency case study faqs.

Here are the steps involved in writing a case study for a marketing agency:

• Choose a client and a project.
• Collect information about the project.
• Create a structure for the case study.
• Write the case study, emphasizing your company’s strengths and expertise.
• Include quotes from the client to highlight their satisfaction.
• Edit and proofread the case study thoroughly.
• Publish and promote the case study to illustrate the company’s expertise.
• Tailor the case study to your target audience, using visuals and language that resonate with them.

An exceptional case study that refers customers and generates more leads includes:

• A brief introduction
• Strategies used in the case study

To choose the right advertising agency for your business, consider the agency’s experience, expertise, track record and client portfolio. Look for an advertising company with experience in your field that can demonstrate its ability to deliver results.

Working with an advertising agency can offer several benefits, including access to expertise and resources that may need to be available in house, the ability to develop and execute effective marketing campaigns, and the potential to save time and money by outsourcing marketing functions.

Case studies can come in various forms across different fields, each providing an in-depth analysis of a specific instance, event, individual, group, or organization. Here are some examples:

• A study of how a small company successfully entered a competitive market using innovative marketing strategies.
• An analysis of a major corporation’s turnaround from financial struggles to profitability, highlighting the management and operational changes made.
• Detailed documentation of a patient’s rare medical condition, treatment plan, and outcomes to contribute to medical knowledge.
• An examination of a public health intervention in a community that led to significant changes in health behaviors.
• A study of an individual’s unique behavioral or mental health condition, providing insights into psychological theories or disorders.
• An analysis of social dynamics within a specific community following a major event or change.
• A case study on the implementation and impact of a new teaching method or educational technology in a classroom or school.
• An investigation into the long-term effects of early childhood education programs in different socio-economic groups.

Get Your Free 2024 Growth Guide with Our Newsletter, Leveling Up

Subscribe to Leveling Up and receive a free 2024 Growth Guide in your inbox. These emails are brimming with marketing strategies that are working right now and must-have resources. Join our community of 15,000+ subscribers, including professionals from Amazon, Google, and Samsung.

IN Advertising 13 Benefits of Native Advertising to Amp Your Campaign BY Stephanie Jensen From better engagement to more conversions, these benefits of native advertising demonstrate why you should add it to your marketing strategy Read Article

IN Advertising 13 Reasons Why Facebook Clothing Ads Are a Must-Have for Fashion Brands BY Sam Pak From easy retargeting and wide reach to cost-effective ROAS, here's why Facebook clothing ads are essential for your fashion brand. Read Article

IN Advertising Boost Your ROAS: 8 Best Advertising Agencies for Exceptional Results BY Joydeep Bhattacharya Partner with the best advertising agency that provides customized solutions with cutting-edge techniques to skyrocket your brand's success. Read Article

I hope you are getting a lot of value out of this blog post.

Do you want to grow faster? Schedule a Free Consultation call with a Single Grain Expert now!

Get Free Instant Access

8 Effective Online Marketing Tactics

That Have Generated 1,545%+ ROI for our Customers (and You Can Easily Use)

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe.

Fill out the form below to unlock strategic client acquisition support.

“We can count on them to bring new ideas to the table consistently”

Jacqueline Foster , Demand Generation Marketing, Lever.co

Get The Latest Customer Acquisition Strategies

Get the latest customer acquisition strategies from the best companies

Which would you like to learn more about? (Check all that apply)

Are you looking for slow growth or fast growth?

“Single Grain enables us to increase our impact without increasing our headcount”

Kim Cooper , Director of Marketing, Amazon Alexa

Do you have the infrastructure to take on 2x, 5x, 10x scale?

“They act like an extension of our team, proactively fixing issues as they arise”

Samantha Goldman , Sr. Director of Marketing, CastLightHealth

How much are you spending on marketing per month right now?

“Their expertise has helped Nextiva grow its brand and overall business”

Yaniv Masjedi , CMO, Nextiva

How to write a case study — examples, templates, and tools

It’s a marketer’s job to communicate the effectiveness of a product or service to potential and current customers to convince them to buy and keep business moving. One of the best methods for doing this is to share success stories that are relatable to prospects and customers based on their pain points, experiences, and overall needs.

That’s where case studies come in. Case studies are an essential part of a content marketing plan. These in-depth stories of customer experiences are some of the most effective at demonstrating the value of a product or service. Yet many marketers don’t use them, whether because of their regimented formats or the process of customer involvement and approval.

A case study is a powerful tool for showcasing your hard work and the success your customer achieved. But writing a great case study can be difficult if you’ve never done it before or if it’s been a while. This guide will show you how to write an effective case study and provide real-world examples and templates that will keep readers engaged and support your business.

In this article, you’ll learn:

What is a case study?

How to write a case study, case study templates, case study examples, case study tools.

A case study is the detailed story of a customer’s experience with a product or service that demonstrates their success and often includes measurable outcomes. Case studies are used in a range of fields and for various reasons, from business to academic research. They’re especially impactful in marketing as brands work to convince and convert consumers with relatable, real-world stories of actual customer experiences.

The best case studies tell the story of a customer’s success, including the steps they took, the results they achieved, and the support they received from a brand along the way. To write a great case study, you need to:

• Celebrate the customer and make them — not a product or service — the star of the story.
• Craft the story with specific audiences or target segments in mind so that the story of one customer will be viewed as relatable and actionable for another customer.
• Write copy that is easy to read and engaging so that readers will gain the insights and messages intended.
• Follow a standardized format that includes all of the essentials a potential customer would find interesting and useful.
• Support all of the claims for success made in the story with data in the forms of hard numbers and customer statements.

Case studies are a type of review but more in depth, aiming to show — rather than just tell — the positive experiences that customers have with a brand. Notably, 89% of consumers read reviews before deciding to buy, and 79% view case study content as part of their purchasing process. When it comes to B2B sales, 52% of buyers rank case studies as an important part of their evaluation process.

Telling a brand story through the experience of a tried-and-true customer matters. The story is relatable to potential new customers as they imagine themselves in the shoes of the company or individual featured in the case study. Showcasing previous customers can help new ones see themselves engaging with your brand in the ways that are most meaningful to them.

Besides sharing the perspective of another customer, case studies stand out from other content marketing forms because they are based on evidence. Whether pulling from client testimonials or data-driven results, case studies tend to have more impact on new business because the story contains information that is both objective (data) and subjective (customer experience) — and the brand doesn’t sound too self-promotional.

Case studies are unique in that there’s a fairly standardized format for telling a customer’s story. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for creativity. It’s all about making sure that teams are clear on the goals for the case study — along with strategies for supporting content and channels — and understanding how the story fits within the framework of the company’s overall marketing goals.

Here are the basic steps to writing a good case study.

1. Identify your goal

Start by defining exactly who your case study will be designed to help. Case studies are about specific instances where a company works with a customer to achieve a goal. Identify which customers are likely to have these goals, as well as other needs the story should cover to appeal to them.

The answer is often found in one of the buyer personas that have been constructed as part of your larger marketing strategy. This can include anything from new leads generated by the marketing team to long-term customers that are being pressed for cross-sell opportunities. In all of these cases, demonstrating value through a relatable customer success story can be part of the solution to conversion.

2. Choose your client or subject

Who you highlight matters. Case studies tie brands together that might otherwise not cross paths. A writer will want to ensure that the highlighted customer aligns with their own company’s brand identity and offerings. Look for a customer with positive name recognition who has had great success with a product or service and is willing to be an advocate.

The client should also match up with the identified target audience. Whichever company or individual is selected should be a reflection of other potential customers who can see themselves in similar circumstances, having the same problems and possible solutions.

Some of the most compelling case studies feature customers who:

• Switch from one product or service to another while naming competitors that missed the mark.
• Experience measurable results that are relatable to others in a specific industry.
• Represent well-known brands and recognizable names that are likely to compel action.
• Advocate for a product or service as a champion and are well-versed in its advantages.

Whoever or whatever customer is selected, marketers must ensure they have the permission of the company involved before getting started. Some brands have strict review and approval procedures for any official marketing or promotional materials that include their name. Acquiring those approvals in advance will prevent any miscommunication or wasted effort if there is an issue with their legal or compliance teams.

3. Conduct research and compile data

Substantiating the claims made in a case study — either by the marketing team or customers themselves — adds validity to the story. To do this, include data and feedback from the client that defines what success looks like. This can be anything from demonstrating return on investment (ROI) to a specific metric the customer was striving to improve. Case studies should prove how an outcome was achieved and show tangible results that indicate to the customer that your solution is the right one.

This step could also include customer interviews. Make sure that the people being interviewed are key stakeholders in the purchase decision or deployment and use of the product or service that is being highlighted. Content writers should work off a set list of questions prepared in advance. It can be helpful to share these with the interviewees beforehand so they have time to consider and craft their responses. One of the best interview tactics to keep in mind is to ask questions where yes and no are not natural answers. This way, your subject will provide more open-ended responses that produce more meaningful content.

4. Choose the right format

There are a number of different ways to format a case study. Depending on what you hope to achieve, one style will be better than another. However, there are some common elements to include, such as:

• An engaging headline
• A subject and customer introduction
• The unique challenge or challenges the customer faced
• The solution the customer used to solve the problem
• The results achieved
• Data and statistics to back up claims of success
• A strong call to action (CTA) to engage with the vendor

It’s also important to note that while case studies are traditionally written as stories, they don’t have to be in a written format. Some companies choose to get more creative with their case studies and produce multimedia content, depending on their audience and objectives. Case study formats can include traditional print stories, interactive web or social content, data-heavy infographics, professionally shot videos, podcasts, and more.

5. Write your case study

We’ll go into more detail later about how exactly to write a case study, including templates and examples. Generally speaking, though, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing your case study.

• Be clear and concise. Readers want to get to the point of the story quickly and easily, and they’ll be looking to see themselves reflected in the story right from the start.
• Provide a big picture. Always make sure to explain who the client is, their goals, and how they achieved success in a short introduction to engage the reader.
• Construct a clear narrative. Stick to the story from the perspective of the customer and what they needed to solve instead of just listing product features or benefits.
• Leverage graphics. Incorporating infographics, charts, and sidebars can be a more engaging and eye-catching way to share key statistics and data in readable ways.
• Offer the right amount of detail. Most case studies are one or two pages with clear sections that a reader can skim to find the information most important to them.
• Include data to support claims. Show real results — both facts and figures and customer quotes — to demonstrate credibility and prove the solution works.

6. Promote your story

Marketers have a number of options for distribution of a freshly minted case study. Many brands choose to publish case studies on their website and post them on social media. This can help support SEO and organic content strategies while also boosting company credibility and trust as visitors see that other businesses have used the product or service.

Marketers are always looking for quality content they can use for lead generation. Consider offering a case study as gated content behind a form on a landing page or as an offer in an email message. One great way to do this is to summarize the content and tease the full story available for download after the user takes an action.

Sales teams can also leverage case studies, so be sure they are aware that the assets exist once they’re published. Especially when it comes to larger B2B sales, companies often ask for examples of similar customer challenges that have been solved.

Now that you’ve learned a bit about case studies and what they should include, you may be wondering how to start creating great customer story content. Here are a couple of templates you can use to structure your case study.

Template 1 — Challenge-solution-result format

• Start with an engaging title. This should be fewer than 70 characters long for SEO best practices. One of the best ways to approach the title is to include the customer’s name and a hint at the challenge they overcame in the end.
• Create an introduction. Lead with an explanation as to who the customer is, the need they had, and the opportunity they found with a specific product or solution. Writers can also suggest the success the customer experienced with the solution they chose.
• Present the challenge. This should be several paragraphs long and explain the problem the customer faced and the issues they were trying to solve. Details should tie into the company’s products and services naturally. This section needs to be the most relatable to the reader so they can picture themselves in a similar situation.
• Share the solution. Explain which product or service offered was the ideal fit for the customer and why. Feel free to delve into their experience setting up, purchasing, and onboarding the solution.
• Explain the results. Demonstrate the impact of the solution they chose by backing up their positive experience with data. Fill in with customer quotes and tangible, measurable results that show the effect of their choice.
• Ask for action. Include a CTA at the end of the case study that invites readers to reach out for more information, try a demo, or learn more — to nurture them further in the marketing pipeline. What you ask of the reader should tie directly into the goals that were established for the case study in the first place.

Template 2 — Data-driven format

• Start with an engaging title. Be sure to include a statistic or data point in the first 70 characters. Again, it’s best to include the customer’s name as part of the title.
• Create an overview. Share the customer’s background and a short version of the challenge they faced. Present the reason a particular product or service was chosen, and feel free to include quotes from the customer about their selection process.
• Present data point 1. Isolate the first metric that the customer used to define success and explain how the product or solution helped to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Present data point 2. Isolate the second metric that the customer used to define success and explain what the product or solution did to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Present data point 3. Isolate the final metric that the customer used to define success and explain what the product or solution did to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Summarize the results. Reiterate the fact that the customer was able to achieve success thanks to a specific product or service. Include quotes and statements that reflect customer satisfaction and suggest they plan to continue using the solution.
• Ask for action. Include a CTA at the end of the case study that asks readers to reach out for more information, try a demo, or learn more — to further nurture them in the marketing pipeline. Again, remember that this is where marketers can look to convert their content into action with the customer.

While templates are helpful, seeing a case study in action can also be a great way to learn. Here are some examples of how Adobe customers have experienced success.

Juniper Networks

One example is the Adobe and Juniper Networks case study , which puts the reader in the customer’s shoes. The beginning of the story quickly orients the reader so that they know exactly who the article is about and what they were trying to achieve. Solutions are outlined in a way that shows Adobe Experience Manager is the best choice and a natural fit for the customer. Along the way, quotes from the client are incorporated to help add validity to the statements. The results in the case study are conveyed with clear evidence of scale and volume using tangible data.

The story of Lenovo’s journey with Adobe is one that spans years of planning, implementation, and rollout. The Lenovo case study does a great job of consolidating all of this into a relatable journey that other enterprise organizations can see themselves taking, despite the project size. This case study also features descriptive headers and compelling visual elements that engage the reader and strengthen the content.

Tata Consulting

When it comes to using data to show customer results, this case study does an excellent job of conveying details and numbers in an easy-to-digest manner. Bullet points at the start break up the content while also helping the reader understand exactly what the case study will be about. Tata Consulting used Adobe to deliver elevated, engaging content experiences for a large telecommunications client of its own — an objective that’s relatable for a lot of companies.

Case studies are a vital tool for any marketing team as they enable you to demonstrate the value of your company’s products and services to others. They help marketers do their job and add credibility to a brand trying to promote its solutions by using the experiences and stories of real customers.

When you’re ready to get started with a case study:

• Think about a few goals you’d like to accomplish with your content.
• Make a list of successful clients that would be strong candidates for a case study.
• Reach out to the client to get their approval and conduct an interview.
• Gather the data to present an engaging and effective customer story.

Adobe can help

There are several Adobe products that can help you craft compelling case studies. Adobe Experience Platform helps you collect data and deliver great customer experiences across every channel. Once you’ve created your case studies, Experience Platform will help you deliver the right information to the right customer at the right time for maximum impact.

To learn more, watch the Adobe Experience Platform story .

Keep in mind that the best case studies are backed by data. That’s where Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform and Adobe Analytics come into play. With Real-Time CDP, you can gather the data you need to build a great case study and target specific customers to deliver the content to the right audience at the perfect moment.

Watch the Real-Time CDP overview video to learn more.

Finally, Adobe Analytics turns real-time data into real-time insights. It helps your business collect and synthesize data from multiple platforms to make more informed decisions and create the best case study possible.

Request a demo to learn more about Adobe Analytics.

https://business.adobe.com/blog/perspectives/b2b-ecommerce-10-case-studies-inspire-you

https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/business-case

https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/what-is-real-time-analytics

The Brand Hopper

All Brand Stories At One Place

Case Study: Dove’s “Real Beauty” Brand Campaign

Case Study: Dove’s “Real Beauty” Brand Campaign 6 min read

In the world of skincare, Unilever’s Dove has not only solidified its position with products promising moisture and softness but has also reshaped the beauty industry through its groundbreaking “Real Beauty” campaign, launched in 2004 . This article delves into the multifaceted facets of Dove’s campaign, exploring its inception, objectives, social impact, marketing mix analysis, key elements, pros and cons, and the profound long-term implications it has had on the brand and the beauty industry as a whole.

A Revolutionary Approach to Beauty Standards

Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign embarked on a revolutionary journey by challenging and redefining the prevailing beauty standards. Departing from the conventional models seen in beauty ads, Dove opted for authenticity, featuring real women of diverse body types, ages, and ethnicities. This bold move aimed not only to celebrate the natural beauty of women but also to inspire a global conversation on self-image and societal perceptions of beauty.

The Objectives: Beyond Skin Deep

The campaign’s objectives were multifaceted. Firstly, Dove sought to broaden the narrow beauty standards dictated by media and society, offering a more inclusive definition of beauty. Secondly, it aimed to stimulate a global conversation, urging people to reconsider their perceptions of beauty. Lastly, Dove sought to boost women’s self-esteem by featuring diverse women, fostering a positive self-image.

Impacting Society: Beyond Beauty Products

The social impact goals were evident from the outset – Dove aimed to change the narrative around beauty, inspiring women worldwide to embrace their unique beauty. Furthermore, the campaign sought to influence other brands and the advertising industry to adopt a more inclusive and realistic portrayal of women.

Analyzing the Marketing Mix

Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign serves as a stellar example of a well-executed marketing mix, strategically incorporating the four Ps – Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.

• Product : Beyond skincare, Dove sold an idea – a new definition of beauty that was inclusive and diverse.
• Price : The brand maintained its value-based pricing strategy, reinforcing the message that real beauty is not a luxury but a right accessible to every woman.
• Place : Widely available globally, Dove’s products reached a broad audience. The digital presence further expanded its global reach, making it a conversation transcending borders.
• Promotion : The campaign leveraged unconventional strategies, featuring real women across various mediums, from TV commercials to digital platforms.

Key Elements of Authenticity

The campaign’s authenticity lay in its use of diverse models and the introduction of the “inner goddess” concept. By showcasing real women of different ages, sizes, and ethnicities, Dove aimed to boost self-esteem and change the narrative around beauty.

Navigating Pros and Cons

While the campaign successfully shifted beauty ideals towards inclusivity, it faced criticism for inconsistencies, particularly concerning Unilever’s ownership of brands with contradictory messages. Instances of racial insensitivity in certain ads also sparked public outcry. Despite these challenges, the campaign significantly impacted the beauty industry and resonated positively with consumers.

Results and Outcome of the Campaign

Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign was not only a triumph in challenging traditional beauty standards but also an exceptional success in terms of its financial impact and long-lasting resonance. The results can be analyzed based on the information provided:

Free Media Exposure:

The campaign generated remarkable buzz, resulting in free media exposure worth 30 times Dove’s initial spend . This indicates the campaign’s extraordinary reach and effectiveness in capturing public attention.

Website Engagement:

The campaign’s website drew a substantial 1.5 million visitors . This high level of engagement suggests that people were actively seeking more information about the campaign, indicating a strong public interest and involvement.

Viral Videos:

Dove strategically released a series of viral videos that resonated with viewers. These videos aimed to showcase the self-critical nature of women regarding their appearance while highlighting their true beauty. The viral nature of these videos amplified the campaign’s impact and facilitated widespread conversation.

Inclusive Advertising:

Dove’s decision to feature women of all shapes and sizes in their underwear, with the tagline “ Tested on real curves ,” was a pivotal move . It challenged the conventional use of runway models in beauty advertisements and celebrated the diversity of everyday women. This approach resonated positively with the target audience, fostering a sense of representation and inclusivity.

Financial Impact:

The most tangible result of the campaign’s success was reflected in Dove’s finances. The company experienced a remarkable 10% increase in revenues within a single year. This substantial growth indicates not only a positive response from consumers but also the campaign’s effectiveness in driving sales.

Long-Term Sustainability:

The campaign’s enduring success is noteworthy, considering it is still running nearly 20 years later. This longevity underscores its sustained impact on Dove’s brand image and continued relevance in addressing societal perceptions of beauty.

Inspiring a Movement

The revolutionary impact of Dove’s campaign transcends the beauty industry. It has inspired other brands across various sectors, from lingerie with Aerie’s #AerieREAL campaign to cosmetics with CoverGirl’s #IAmWhatIMakeUp initiative. Even sports apparel, as seen in Nike’s ‘Better For It’ campaign, has embraced inclusivity, inspired by Dove’s groundbreaking initiative.

Conclusion: A Lasting Legacy

Dove’s Real Beauty campaign has left a lasting legacy in the marketing world, not only for its strategic approach but also for the profound impact it had on societal perceptions of beauty. The campaign’s success can be attributed to several key factors that set it apart from traditional marketing strategies.

Emotional Connection:

Dove’s ability to tap into people’s emotions played a pivotal role in the campaign’s success. By addressing a sensitive and prevalent issue – women’s self-image – Dove created a deep emotional connection with its audience. The campaign resonated with the insecurities many women face, fostering a sense of empathy and understanding.

Empowerment Over Exploitation:

Unlike some marketing campaigns that leverage fear, shame, or the desire to conform to societal standards, Dove chose a path of empowerment. The brand celebrated women for who they were at that moment, rejecting unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by the media. This approach not only differentiated Dove from its competitors but also contributed to building a positive brand image.

Everyday Product Focus:

The decision to center the campaign around everyday products, such as soap and body wash, showcased Dove’s commitment to promoting realistic beauty standards in everyday life. This strategic choice allowed consumers to actively participate in promoting a new paradigm while purchasing products they regularly use. This broad appeal significantly contributed to the widespread success of the campaign.

Affordability and Accessibility:

Dove’s commitment to offering affordable and accessible products further amplified the impact of the Real Beauty campaign. By keeping prices reasonable and ensuring widespread availability in stores like Target, Walmart, and convenience stores, Dove made it easy for a diverse range of consumers to support the cause. This inclusivity ensured that the success of the campaign wasn’t limited to a specific demographic with higher purchasing power.

In conclusion, Dove’s Real Beauty campaign stands as a testament to the power of authenticity, empathy, and social responsibility in marketing. By addressing a societal issue with sensitivity and promoting positive change, Dove not only garnered customer loyalty but also contributed to a broader conversation about inclusivity and self-acceptance. The campaign’s impact transcended the realm of marketing, leaving a lasting legacy and setting a benchmark for brands aspiring to make a meaningful difference in society through their advertising efforts.

Also Read: Dissected: Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” Campaign

To read more content like this, subscribe to our newsletter

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related Posts

A Case Study on “Fitbit: Find Your Reason” Marketing Campaign

A Case Study on “P&G: Thank You, Mom” Brand Campaign

Case Study – Burger King: Subservient Chicken Brand Campaign

Terms and Conditions

• Do Not Sell My Personal Info

•  ⋅ 
• Content Marketing

35 Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know

Stay informed with the latest content marketing statistics. Discover how optimized content can elevate your digital marketing efforts.

Content continues to sit atop the list of priorities in most marketing strategies, and there is plenty of evidence to support the reasoning.

Simply put, content marketing is crucial to any digital marketing strategy, whether running a small local business or a large multinational corporation.

After all, content in its many and evolving forms is indisputably the very lifeblood upon which the web and social media are based.

Modern SEO has effectively become optimized content marketing for all intents and purposes.

This is when Google demands and rewards businesses that create content demonstrating experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) for their customers – content that answers all of the questions consumers may have about their services, products, or business in general.

Content marketing involves creating and sharing helpful, relevant, entertaining, and consistent content in various text, image, video, and audio-based formats to the plethora of traditional and online channels available to modern marketers.

The primary focus should be on attracting and retaining a clearly defined audience, with the ultimate goal of driving profitable customer action.

Different types of content can and should be created for each stage of a customer’s journey .

Some content, like blogs or how-to videos, are informative or educational. Meanwhile, other content, like promotional campaign landing pages , gets to the point of enticing prospective customers to buy.

But with so much content being produced and shared every day, it’s important to stay updated on the latest trends and best practices in content marketing to keep pace and understand what strategies may be most effective.

Never has this been more true than in 2024, when we’re in the midst of a content revolution led by generative AI , which some feel represents both an opportunity and a threat to marketers.

To help you keep up, here are 35 content marketing statistics I think you should know:

Content Marketing Usage

How many businesses are leveraging content marketing, and how are they planning to find success?

• According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 73% of B2B marketers, and 70% of B2C marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy.
• 97% of marketers surveyed by Semrush achieved success with their content marketing in 2023.
• A B2B Content Marketing Study conducted by CMI found that 40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy; 33% have a strategy, but it’s not documented, and 27% have no strategy.
• Half of the surveyed marketers by CMI said they outsource at least one content marketing activity.

Content Marketing Strategy

What strategies are content marketers using or finding to be most effective?

• 83% of marketers believe it’s more effective to create higher quality content less often. (Source: Hubspot)
• In a 2022 Statista Research Study of marketers worldwide, 62% of respondents emphasized the importance of being “always on” for their customers, while 23% viewed content-led communications as the most effective method for personalized targeting efforts.
• With the increased focus on AI-generated search engine results, 31% of B2B marketers say they are sharpening their focus on user intent/answering questions, 27% are creating more thought leadership content, and 22% are creating more conversational content. (Source: CMI)

Types Of Content

Content marketing was synonymous with posting blogs, but the web and content have evolved into audio, video, interactive, and meta formats.

Here are a few stats on how the various types of content are trending and performing.

• Short-form video content, like TikTok and Instagram Reel, is the No. 1 content marketing format, offering the highest return on investment (ROI).
• 43% of marketers reported that original graphics (like infographics and illustrations) were the most effective type of visual content. (Source: Venngage)
• 72% of B2C marketers expected their organization to invest in video marketing in 2022. (Source: Content Marketing Institute – CMI)
• The State of Content Marketing: 2023 Global Report by Semrush reveals that articles containing at least one video tend to attract 70% more organic traffic than those without.
• Interactive content generates 52.6% more engagement compared to static content. On average, buyers spend 8.5 minutes viewing static content items and 13 minutes on interactive content items. (Source: Mediafly)

Content Creation

Creating helpful, unique, engaging content can be one of a marketer’s greatest challenges. However, innovative marketers are looking at generative AI as a tool to help ideate, create, edit, and analyze content quicker and more cost-effectively.

Here are some stats around content creation and just how quickly AI is changing the game.

• Generative AI reached over 100 million users just two months after ChatGPT’s launch. (Source: Search Engine Journal)
• A recent Ahrefs poll found that almost 80% of respondents had already adopted AI tools in their content marketing strategies.
• Marketers who are using AI said it helps most with brainstorming new topics ( 51%) , researching headlines and keywords (45%), and writing drafts (45%). (Source: CMI)
• Further, marketers polled by Hubspot said they save 2.5 hours per day using AI for content.

Content Distribution

It is not simply enough to create and publish content.

For a content strategy to be successful, it must include distributing content via the channels frequented by a business’s target audience.

• Facebook is still the dominant social channel for content distribution, but video-centric channels like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are growing the fastest .  (Source: Hubspot)
• B2B marketers reported to CMI that LinkedIn was the most common and top-performing organic social media distribution channel at 84% by a healthy margin. All other channels came in under 30%.
• 80% of B2B marketers who use paid distribution use paid social media advertising. (Source: CMI)

Content Consumption

Once content reaches an audience, it’s important to understand how an audience consumes the content or takes action as a result.

• A 2023 Content Preferences Study by Demand Gen reveals that 62% of B2B buyers prefer practical content like case studies to inform their purchasing decisions, citing “a need for valid sources.”
• The same study also found that buyers tend to rely heavily on content when researching potential business solutions, with 46% reporting that they increased the amount of content they consumed during this time.
• In a recent post, blogger Ryan Robinson reports the average reader spends 37 seconds reading a blog.
• DemandGen’s survey participants also said they rely most on demos ( 62% ) and user reviews (55%) to gain valuable insights into how a solution will meet their needs.

Content Marketing Performance

One of the primary reasons content marketing has taken off is its ability to be measured, optimized, and tied to a return on investment.

• B2C marketers reported to CMI that the top three goals content marketing helps them to achieve are creating brand awareness, building trust, and educating their target audience.
• 87% of B2B marketers surveyed use content marketing successfully to generate leads.
• 56% of marketers who leverage blogging say it’s an effective tactic, and 10% say it generates the greatest return on investment (ROI).
• 94% of marketers said personalization boosts sales.

Content Marketing Budgets

Budget changes and the willingness to invest in specific marketing strategies are good indicators of how popular and effective these strategies are at a macro level.

The following stats certainly seem to indicate marketers have bought into the value of content.

• 61% of B2C marketers said their 2022 content marketing budget would exceed their 2021 budget.
• 22% of B2B marketers said they spent 50% or more of their total marketing budget on content marketing. Furthermore, 43% saw their content marketing budgets grow from 2020 to 2021, and 66% expected them to grow again in 2022.

Content Challenges

All forms of marketing come with challenges related to time, resources, expertise, and competition.

Recognizing and addressing these challenges head-on with well-thought-out strategies is the best way to overcome them and realize success.

• Top 3 content challenges included “attracting quality leads with content” ( 45% ), “creating more content faster” (38%), and “generating content ideas” (35%). (Source: Semrush’s The State of Content Marketing: 2023 Global Report)
• 44% of marketers polled for CMI’s 2022 B2B report highlighted the challenge of creating the right content for multi-level roles as their top concern. This replaced internal communication as the top challenge from the previous year.
• Changes to SEO/search algorithms ( 64% ), changes to social media algorithms (53%), and data management/analytics (48%) are also among the top concerns for B2C marketers.
• 47% of people are seeking downtime from internet-enabled devices due to digital fatigue.
• While generative AI has noted benefits, it also presents challenges for some marketers who fear it may replace them. In Hubspot’s study, 23% said they felt we should avoid using generative AI.
• Another challenge with AI is how quickly it has come onto the scene without giving organizations time to provide training or to create policies and procedures for its appropriate and legal use. According to CMI, when asked if their organizations have guidelines for using generative AI tools, 31% of marketers said yes, 61% said no, and 8% were unsure.

Time To Get Started

As you can clearly see and perhaps have already realized, content marketing can be a highly effective and cost-efficient way to generate leads, build brand awareness, and drive sales. Content, in its many formats, powers virtually all online interactions.

Generative AI is effectively helping to solve some of the time and resource challenges by acting as a turbo-powered marketing assistant, while also raising a few procedural concerns.

However, the demand for content remains strong.

Those willing to put in the work of building a documented content strategy and executing it – by producing, optimizing, distributing, and monitoring high-value, relevant, customer-centric content, with the help of AI or not – can reap significant business rewards.

More resources:

• 6 Ways To Humanize Your Content In The AI Era
• Interactive Content: 10 Types To Engage Your Audience
• B2B Lead Generation: Create Content That Converts

Featured Image: Deemak Daksina/Shutterstock 

Jeff has been helping organizations manage, measure and optimize their Web presences for over 20 years. He has deep knowledge ...

Subscribe To Our Newsletter.

Conquer your day with daily search marketing news.

Next-gen B2B sales: How three game changers grabbed the opportunity

Driven by digitalized operating models, B2B sales have seen sweeping changes over the recent period amid rising customer demand for more seamless and transparent services. 1 “ The multiplier effect: How B2B winners grow ,” McKinsey, April 13, 2023. However, many industrial companies are failing to keep pace with their more commercially focused peers and, as a result, are becoming less competitive in terms of performance and customer services.

The most successful B2B players employ five key tactics to sharpen their sales capabilities: omnichannel sales teams; advanced sales technology and automation; data analytics and hyperpersonalization; tailored strategies on third-party marketplaces; and e-commerce excellence across the full marketing and sales funnel. 2 “ The multiplier effect: How B2B winners grow ,” McKinsey, April 13, 2023.

Companies using all of these tactics are twice as likely to see more than 10 percent market share growth than companies focusing on just one. 3 “ The multiplier effect: How B2B winners grow ,” McKinsey, April 13, 2023. However, implementation is not as simple, requiring a strategic vision, a full commitment, and the right capabilities to drive change throughout the organization. Various leading European industrial companies—part of McKinsey’s Industrial Gamechangers on Go-to-Market disruption in Europe—have achieved success by implementing the first three of these five sales tactics.

Omnichannel sales teams

The clearest rationale for accelerating the transition to omnichannel go-to-market is that industry players demand it. In 2017, only about 20 percent of industrial companies said they preferred digital interactions and purchases. 4 Global B2B Pulse Survey, McKinsey, April 30, 2023. Currently, that proportion is around 67 percent. In 2016, B2B companies had an average of five distinct channels; by 2021, that figure had risen to ten (Exhibit 1).

Excelling in omnichannel means enabling customers to move easily between channels without losing context or needing to repeat information. Companies that achieve these service levels report increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, faster growth rates, lower costs, and easier tracking and analysis of customer data. Across most of these metrics, the contrast with analogue approaches is striking. For example, B2B companies that successfully embed omnichannel show EBIT growth of 13.5 percent, compared to the 1.8 percent achieved by less digitally enabled peers. Next to purely digital channels, inside sales and hybrid sales are the most important channels to deliver an omnichannel experience.

Differentiating inside versus hybrid sales

Best-in-class B2B sellers have achieved up to 20 percent revenue gains by redefining go-to-market through inside and hybrid sales. The inside sales model cannot be defined as customer service, nor is it a call center or a sales support role—rather, it is a customer facing, quota bearing, remote sales function. It relies on qualified account managers and leverages data analytics and digital solutions to optimize sales strategy and outreach through a range of channels (Exhibit 2).

The adoption of inside sales is often an advantageous move, especially in terms of productivity. In fact, inside sales reps can typically cover four times the prospects at 50 percent of the cost of a traditional field rep, allowing the team to serve many customers without sacrificing quality of service. 5 McKinsey analysis. Top performing B2B companies are 50 percent more likely to leverage inside sales.

Up to 80 percent of a company’s accounts—often smaller and medium-sized customers, accounting for about half of revenues—can be covered by inside sales teams. 6 Industry expert interviews; McKinsey analysis. The remaining 20 percent often require in-person interactions, triggering the need for hybrid sales. This pertains to highly attractive leads as well.

Hybrid sales is an innovative model combining inside sales with traditional in-person interactions. Some 85 percent of companies expect hybrid sales will be the most common job role within three years. 7 Global B2B Pulse Survey, McKinsey, December 2022. Hybrid is often optimal for bigger accounts, as it is flexible in utilizing a combination of channels, serving customers where they prefer to buy. It is scalable, thanks to the use of remote and online sales, and it is effective because of the multiplier effect of numerous potential interactions. Of companies that grew more than 10 percent in 2022, 57 percent had adopted a hybrid sales model. 8 Global B2B Pulse, April 2023.

How an industrial automation solution player implemented game-changing inside sales

In 2019, amid soaring digital demand, a global leader in industrial digital and automation solutions saw an opportunity to deliver a cutting-edge approach to sales engagement.

As a starting point, the company took time to clearly define the focus and role of the inside sales team, based on product range, customer needs, and touchpoints. For simple products, where limited customer interaction was required, inside sales was the preferred go-to-market model. For more complex products that still did not require many physical touchpoints, the company paired inside sales teams with technical sales people, and the inside sales group supported fields reps. Where product complexity was high and customers preferred many touch points, the inside sales team adopted an orchestration role, bringing technical functions and field sales together (Exhibit 3).

The company laid the foundations in four key areas. First, it took time to sketch out the model, as well as to set targets and ensure the team was on board. As in any change program, there was some early resistance. The antidote was to hire external talent to help shape the program and highlight the benefits. To foster buy-in, the company also spent time creating visualizations. Once the team was up and running, early signs of success created a snowball effect, fostering enthusiasm among both inside sales teams and field reps.

Second, the company adopted a mantra: inside sales should not—and could not—be cost saving from day one. Instead, a significant part of the budget was allocated to build a tech stack and implement the tools to manage client relationships. One of the company’s leaders said, “As inside sales is all about using tech to obtain better outcomes, this was a vital step.”

The third foundational element was talent. The company realized that inside sales is not easy and is not for everyone—so finding the right people was imperative. As a result, it put in place a career development plan and recognized that many inside sales reps would see the job as a stepping stone in their careers. Demonstrating this understanding provided a great source of motivation for employees.

Finally, finding the right mix of incentives was key. The company chose a system based on compensation and KPI leading and lagging indicators. Individual incentives were a function of whether individuals were more involved with closing deals or supporting others, so a mix of KPIs was employed. The result was a more motivated salesforce and productive cooperation across the organization.

Advanced sales technology and automation

Automation is a key area of advanced sales technology, as it is critical to optimizing non-value adding activities that currently account for about two-thirds of sales teams’ time. More than 30 percent of sales tasks and processes are estimated to be partially automatable, from sales planning through lead management, quotation, order management, and post-sales activities. Indeed, automation leaders not only boost revenues and reduce cost to serve—both by as much as 20 percent—but also foster customer and employee satisfaction. (Exhibit 4). Not surprisingly, nine out of ten industrial companies have embarked on go-to-market automation journeys. Still, only a third say the effort has achieved the anticipated impact. 9 McKinsey analysis.

Leading companies have shown that effective automation focuses on four areas:

• Lead management: Advanced analytics helps teams prioritize leads, while AI-powered chatbots contact prospective customers via text or email and schedule follow-up calls at promising times—for example, at the beginning or end of the working day.
• Contract drafting: AI tools automate responses to request for proposal (RFP) inquiries, based on a predefined content set.
• Invoice generation: Companies use robotic process automation to process and generate invoices, as well as update databases.
• Sales commission planning: Machine learning algorithms provide structural support, for example, to optimize sales commission forecasting, leading up to a 50 percent decline in time spent on compensation planning.

How GEA seized the automation opportunity

GEA is one of the world’s most advanced suppliers of processing machinery for food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. To provide customers with tailored quotes and services, the company launched a dedicated configure, price, quote (CPQ) system. The aim of the system was to enable automated quote creation that would free up frontline sales teams to operate independently from their back office colleagues. This, in turn, would boost customer interaction and take customer care to the next level.

The work began with a bottom-up review of the company’s configuration protocols, ensuring there was sufficient standardization for the new system to operate effectively. GEA also needed to ensure price consistency—especially important during the recent supply chain volatility. For quotations, the right template with the correct conditions and legal terms needed to be created, a change that eventually allowed the company to cut its quotation times by about 50 percent, as well as boost cross-selling activities.

The company combined the tools with a guided selling approach, in which sales teams focused on the customers’ goals. The teams then leveraged the tools to find the most appropriate product and pricing, leading to a quote that could be enhanced with add-ons, such as service agreements or digital offerings. Once the quote was sent and agreed upon, the data automatically would be transferred from customer relationship management to enterprise resource planning to create the order. In this way, duplication was completely eliminated. The company found that the sales teams welcomed the new approach, as it reduced the time to quote (Exhibit 5).

Data analytics and hyperpersonalization

Data are vital enablers of any go-to-market transformation, informing KPIs and decision making across operations and the customer journey. Key application areas include:

• lead acquisition, including identification and prioritization
• share of wallet development, including upselling and cross-selling, assortment optimization, and microsegmentation
• pricing optimization, including market driven and tailored pricing, deal scoring, and contract optimization
• churn prediction and prevention
• sales effectiveness, so that sales rep time allocations (both in-person and virtual) are optimized, while training time is reduced

How Hilti uses machine data to drive sales

Hilti is a globally leading provider of power tools, services, and software to the construction industry. The company wanted to understand its customers better and forge closer relationships with them. Its Nuron battery platform, which harvests usage data from tools to transform the customer experience and create customer-specific insights, provided the solution.

One in three of Hilti’s frontline staff is in daily contact with the company’s customers, offering advice and support to ensure the best and most efficient use of equipment. The company broke new ground with its intelligent battery charging platform. As tool batteries are recharged, they transfer data to the platform and then to the Hilti cloud, where the data are analyzed to produce actionable insights on usage, pricing, add-ons, consumables, and maintenance. The system will be able to analyze at least 58 million data points every day.

Armed with this type of data, Hilti provides customers with advanced services, offering unique insights so that companies can optimize their tool parks, ensuring that the best tools are available and redundant tools are returned. In the meantime, sales teams use the same information to create deep insights—for example, suggesting that companies rent rather than buy tools, change the composition of tool parks, or upgrade.

To achieve its analytics-based approach, Hilti went on a multiyear journey, moving from unstructured analysis to a fully digitized approach. Still, one of the biggest learnings from its experience was that analytics tools are most effective when backed by human interactions on job sites. The last mile, comprising customer behavior, cannot be second guessed (Exhibit 6).

In the background, the company worked hard to put the right foundations in place. That meant cleaning its data (for example, at the start there were 370 different ways of measuring “run time”) and ensuring that measures were standardized. It developed the ability to understand which use cases were most important to customers, realizing that it was better to focus on a few impactful ones and thus create a convincing offering that was simple to use and effective.

A key element of the rollout was to ensure that employees received sufficient training— which often meant weeks of engagement, rather than just a few hours. The work paid off, with account managers now routinely supported by insights that enrich their interactions with customers. Again, optimization was key, ensuring the information they had at their fingertips was truly useful.

Levers for a successful transformation

The three company examples highlighted here illustrate how embracing omnichannel, sales technology, and data analytics create market leading B2B sales operations. However, the success of any initiative will be contingent on managing change. Our experience in working with leading industrial companies shows that the most successful digital sales and analytics transformations are built on three elements:

• Strategy: As a first step, companies develop strategies starting from deep customer insights. With these, they can better understand their customers’ problems and identify what customers truly value. Advanced analytics can support the process, informing insights around factors such as propensity to buy and churn. These can enrich the company’s understanding of how it wants its go-to-market model to evolve.
• Tailored solutions: Customers appreciate offerings tailored to their needs. 10 “ The multiplier effect: How B2B winners grow ,” McKinsey, April 13, 2023. This starts with offerings and services, extends to pricing structures and schemes, and ways of serving and servicing. For example, dynamic pricing engines that model willingness to pay (by segment, type of deal, and route to market) may better meet the exact customer demand, while serving a customer completely remotely might better suit their interaction needs, and not contacting them too frequently might prevent churn more than frequent outreaches. Analytics on data gained across all channels serves to uncover these needs and become hyperpersonalized.
• Single source of truth: Best-in-class data and analytics capabilities leverage a variety of internal and external data types and sources (transaction data, customer data, product data, and external data) and technical approaches. To ensure a consistent output, companies can establish a central data repository as a “single source of truth.” This can facilitate easy access to multiple users and systems, thereby boosting efficiency and collaboration. A central repository also supports easier backup, as well as data management and maintenance. The chances of data errors are reduced and security is tightened.

Many companies think they need perfect data to get started. However, to make productive progress, a use case based approach is needed. That means selecting the most promising use cases and then scaling data across those cases through speedy testing.

And with talent, leading companies start with small but highly skilled analytics teams, rather than amassing talent too early—this can allow them to create an agile culture of continual improvement and cost efficiency.

As shown by the three companies discussed in this article, most successful B2B players employ various strategies to sharpen their sales capabilities, including omnichannel sales teams; advanced sales technology and automation; and data analytics and hyperpersonalization. A strategic vision, a full commitment, and the right capabilities can help B2B companies deploy these strategies successfully.

Paolo Cencioni is a consultant in McKinsey’s Brussels office, where Jacopo Gibertini is also a consultant; David Sprengel is a partner in the Munich office; and Martina Yanni is an associate partner in the Frankfurt office.

The authors wish to thank Christopher Beisecker, Kate Piwonski, Alexander Schult, Lucas Willcke, and the B2B Pulse team for their contributions to this article.

Explore a career with us

Related articles.

The multiplier effect: How B2B winners grow

Simon Willison’s Weblog

Claude and chatgpt for ad-hoc sidequests.

22nd March 2024

Here is a short, illustrative example of one of the ways in which I use Claude and ChatGPT on a daily basis.

I recently learned that the Adirondack Park is the single largest park in the contiguous United States, taking up a fifth of the state of New York.

Naturally, my first thought was that it would be neat to have a GeoJSON file representing the boundary of the park.

A quick search landed me on the Adirondack Park Agency GIS data page , which offered me a shapefile of the “Outer boundary of the New York State Adirondack Park as described in Section 9-0101 of the New York Environmental Conservation Law”. Sounds good!

I knew there were tools for converting shapefiles to GeoJSON, but I couldn’t remember what they were. Since I had a terminal window open already, I typed the following:

Here I am using my LLM tool (and llm-claude-3 plugin) to run a prompt through the new Claude 3 Opus , my current favorite language model.

It replied with a couple of options, but the first was this:

So I ran that against the shapefile, and then pasted the resulting GeoJSON into geojson.io to check if it worked... and nothing displayed. Then I looked at the GeoJSON and spotted this:

"coordinates": [ [ -8358911.527799999341369, 5379193.197800002992153 ] ...

That didn’t look right. Those co-ordinates aren’t the correct scale for latitude and longitude values.

So I sent a follow-up prompt to the model (the -c option means “continue previous conversation”):

It suggested this new command:

This time it worked ! The shapefile has now been converted to GeoJSON.

Time elapsed so far: 2.5 minutes (I can tell from my LLM logs ).

I pasted it into Datasette (with datasette-paste and datasette-leaflet-geojson ) to take a look at it more closely, and got this:

That’s not a single polygon! That’s 106 line segments... and they are fascinating. Look at those descriptions:

thence westerly along the northern line of lots 204 and 203 to the midpoint of the northern line of lot 203

This is utterly delightful. The shapefile description did say “as described in Section 9-0101 of the New York Environmental Conservation Law”, so I guess this is how you write geographically boundaries into law!

But it’s not what I wanted. I want a single polygon of the whole park, not 106 separate lines.

I decided to switch models. ChatGPT has access to Code Interpreter, and I happen to know that Code Interpreter is quite effective at processing GeoJSON.

I opened a new ChatGPT (with GPT-4) browser tab, uploaded my GeoJSON file and prompted it:

This GeoJSON file is full of line segments. Use them to create me a single shape that is a Polygon

OK, so it wrote some Python code and ran it. But did it work?

I happen to know that Code Interpreter can save files to disk and provide links to download them, so I told it to do that:

Save it to a GeoJSON file for me to download

I pasted that into geojson.io , and it was clearly wrong:

So I told it to try again. I didn’t think very hard about this prompt, I basically went with a version of “do better”:

that doesn’t look right to me, check that it has all of the lines in it

It gave me a new file, optimistically named complete_polygon.geojson . Here’s what that one looked like:

This is getting a lot closer! Note how the right hand boundary of the park looks correct, but the rest of the image is scrambled.

I had a hunch about the fix. I pasted in a screenshot of where we were so far and added my hunch about the solution:

That almost works but you need to sort the line segments first, it looked like this:

Honestly, pasting in the screenshot probably wasn’t necessary here, but it amused me.

... and ChatGPT churned away again ...

sorted_polygon.geojson is spot on! Here’s what it looks like:

Total time spent in ChatGPT: 3 minutes and 35 seconds. Plus 2.5 minutes with Claude 3 earlier, so an overall total of just over 6 minutes.

Here’s the full Claude transcript and the full transcript from ChatGPT .

This isn’t notable

The most notable thing about this example is how completely not notable it is.

I get results like this from these tools several times a day. I’m not at all surprised that this worked, in fact, I would’ve been mildly surprised if it had not.

Could I have done this without LLM assistance? Yes, but not nearly as quickly. And this was not a task on my critical path for the day—it was a sidequest at best and honestly more of a distraction.

So, without LLM tools, I would likely have given this one up at the first hurdle.

A year ago I wrote about how AI-enhanced development makes me more ambitious with my projects . They are now so firmly baked into my daily work that they influence not just side projects but tiny sidequests like this one as well.

This certainly wasn’t simple

Something else I like about this example is that it illustrates quite how much depth there is to getting great results out of these systems.

In those few minutes I used two different interfaces to call two different models. I sent multiple follow-up prompts. I triggered Code Interpreter, took advantage of GPT-4 Vision and mixed in external tools like geojson.io and Datasette as well.

I leaned a lot on my existing knowledge and experience:

• I knew that tools existed for commandline processing of shapefiles and GeoJSON
• I instinctively knew that Claude 3 Opus was likely to correctly answer my initial prompt
• I knew the capabilities of Code Interpreter, including that it has libraries that can process geometries, what to say to get it to kick into action and how to get it to give me files to download
• My limited GIS knowledge was strong enough to spot a likely coordinate system problem, and I guessed the fix for the jumbled lines
• My prompting intuition is developed to the point that I didn’t have to think very hard about what to say to get the best results

If you have the right combination of domain knowledge and hard-won experience driving LLMs, you can fly with these things.

Isn’t this a bit trivial?

Yes it is, and that’s the point. This was a five minute sidequest. Writing about it here took ten times longer than the exercise itself.

I take on LLM-assisted sidequests like this one dozens of times a week. Many of them are substantially larger and more useful. They are having a very material impact on my work: I can get more done and solve much more interesting problems, because I’m not wasting valuable cycles figuring out ogr2ogr invocations or mucking around with polygon libraries.

Not to mention that I find working this way fun ! It feels like science fiction every time I do it. Our AI-assisted future is here right now and I’m still finding it weird, fascinating and deeply entertaining.

LLMs are useful

There are many legitimate criticisms of LLMs. The copyright issues involved in their training, their enormous power consumption and the risks of people trusting them when they shouldn’t (considering both accuracy and bias) are three that I think about a lot.

The one criticism I wont accept is that they aren’t useful .

One of the greatest misconceptions concerning LLMs is the idea that they are easy to use. They really aren’t: getting great results out of them requires a great deal of experience and hard-fought intuition, combined with deep domain knowledge of the problem you are applying them to.

I use these things every day. They help me take on much more interesting and ambitious problems than I could otherwise. I would miss them terribly if they were no longer available to me.

More recent articles

• Running OCR against PDFs and images directly in your browser - 30th March 2024
• llm cmd undo last git commit - a new plugin for LLM - 26th March 2024
• Building and testing C extensions for SQLite with ChatGPT Code Interpreter - 23rd March 2024
• Weeknotes: the aftermath of NICAR - 16th March 2024
• The GPT-4 barrier has finally been broken - 8th March 2024
• Prompt injection and jailbreaking are not the same thing - 5th March 2024
• Interesting ideas in Observable Framework - 3rd March 2024
• Weeknotes: Getting ready for NICAR - 27th February 2024
• The killer app of Gemini Pro 1.5 is video - 21st February 2024

This is Claude and ChatGPT for ad-hoc sidequests by Simon Willison, posted on 22nd March 2024 .

Part of series Using ChatGPT

• How I make annotated presentations - Aug. 6, 2023, 5:15 p.m.
• Now add a walrus: Prompt engineering in DALL‑E 3 - Oct. 26, 2023, 9:11 p.m.
• Exploring GPTs: ChatGPT in a trench coat? - Nov. 15, 2023, 3:39 p.m.
• Claude and ChatGPT for ad-hoc sidequests - March 22, 2024, 7:44 p.m.
• Building and testing C extensions for SQLite with ChatGPT Code Interpreter - March 23, 2024, 5:50 p.m.

Next: Building and testing C extensions for SQLite with ChatGPT Code Interpreter

Previous: Weeknotes: the aftermath of NICAR

• Source code

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts

Become an FT subscriber

Limited time offer save up to 40% on standard digital.

• Global news & analysis
• Expert opinion
• Special features
• FirstFT newsletter
• Videos & Podcasts
• Android & iOS app
• FT Edit app
• 10 gift articles per month

Explore more offers.

Standard digital.

• FT Digital Edition

Premium Digital

Print + premium digital.

Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Cancel anytime during your trial.

• 10 additional gift articles per month
• Global news & analysis
• Exclusive FT analysis
• Videos & Podcasts
• FT App on Android & iOS
• Everything in Standard Digital
• Premium newsletters
• Weekday Print Edition

Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

• Everything in Print
• Everything in Premium Digital

The new FT Digital Edition: today’s FT, cover to cover on any device. This subscription does not include access to ft.com or the FT App.

Terms & Conditions apply

Explore our full range of subscriptions.

Why the ft.

See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.

International Edition

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• My Account Login
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts
• Open access
• Published: 02 April 2024

Maternal hybrid immunity and risk of infant COVID-19 hospitalizations: national case-control study in Israel

• Joshua Guedalia   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3458-7896 1   na1 ,
• Michal Lipschuetz   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7370-0417 2 , 3 , 4   na1 ,
• Adva Cahen-Peretz 2 ,
• Sarah M. Cohen   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6359-3729 2 ,
• Yishai Sompolinsky 2 ,
• Galit Shefer 5 ,
• Eli Melul 5 ,
• Zivanit Ergaz-Shaltiel 6 ,
• Debra Goldman-Wohl 2 ,
• Simcha Yagel 2 ,
• Ronit Calderon-Margalit 1   na2 &
• Ofer Beharier   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5317-4512 2 , 4   na2  

Nature Communications volume  15 , Article number:  2846 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

• Epidemiology
• Viral infection

Hybrid immunity, acquired through vaccination followed or preceded by a COVID-19 infection, elicits robust antibody augmentation. We hypothesize that maternal hybrid immunity will provide greater infant protection than other forms of COVID-19 immunity in the first 6 months of life. We conducted a case-control study in Israel, enrolling 661 infants up to 6 months of age, hospitalized with COVID-19 (cases) and 59,460 age-matched non-hospitalized infants (controls) between August 24, 2021, and March 15, 2022. Infants were grouped by maternal immunity status at delivery: Naïve (never vaccinated or tested positive, reference group), Hybrid-immunity (vaccinated and tested positive), Natural-immunity (tested positive before or during the study period), Full-vaccination (two-shot regimen plus 1 booster), and Partial-vaccination (less than full three shot regimen). Applying Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the hazard ratios, which was then converted to percent vaccine effectiveness, and using the Naïve group as the reference, maternal hybrid-immunity provided the highest protection (84% [95% CI 75-90]), followed by full-vaccination (66% [95% CI 56-74]), natural-immunity (56% [95% CI 39-68]), and partial-vaccination (29% [95% CI 15-41]). Maternal hybrid-immunity was associated with a reduced risk of infant hospitalization for Covid-19, as compared to natural-immunity, regardless of exposure timing or sequence. These findings emphasize the benefits of vaccinating previously infected individuals during pregnancy to reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations in early infancy.

Introduction

Infants are at increased risk for serious COVID-19 disease with hospitalization for acute respiratory failure as compared with older children 1 , 2 , 3 . In the US, hospitalization rates among infants aged <6 months were approximately five times higher during the peak week of Omicron predominance compared to the Delta predominance period 3 . While messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines (BNT162b2-Pfizer and mRNA-1273 Moderna) were authorized for children as young as 6 months 3 , 4 , prevention of infection and illness for younger infants remains an issue of significant concern.

Maternal anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies play a critical role in maternal antiviral immunity 5 . Moreover, maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies cross the placental barrier, providing the first line of defense for neonatal humoral immunity. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of maternal immunization in preventing pertussis and influenza infections in infants 6 , 7 , 8 . Moreover, a 2023 study demonstrated the use of RSVperF vaccine during pregnancy to limit infant illnesses 9 . We and others have previously described the significant role of a third maternal mRNA vaccine dose during pregnancy in reducing the risk for mother 10 and infant hospitalizations due to COVID-19 11 . These findings fit with previous reports by Halasa et al. that showed an association between maternal vaccination with the second dose of mRNA vaccine and reduced risks of COVID-19-related hospitalizations, and critical disease among infants younger than six months 12 . These data support the notion that anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-mediated immunity has a significant clinical impact for both mother and offspring. Nevertheless, the role of vaccination following SARS-CoV-2 infection remains to be elucidated.

The dynamics of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels following infection during pregnancy were described by us and others 5 , 13 . Similar to what was described in the general population, we found waning of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in those infected with SARS-CoV-2 either before or during pregnancy 13 . We further showed that hybrid immunity, i.e., immunity conferred by the combination of infection and vaccination, elicits higher levels of neutralizing antibodies in both maternal and umbilical cord blood, detected at delivery, when compared with recovered unimmunized pregnant women 13 . These results are consistent with data obtained in non-pregnant populations, showing that hybrid immunity reinforced protection against reinfection 14 , 15 .

The clinical significance of maternal hybrid immunity in COVID-19 protection, both in mothers and their offspring, is unclear. Moreover, how hybrid immunity compares with natural immunity (i.e., immunity acquired by previous infection alone), remains an open fundamental question. Addressing these knowledge gaps is imperative, particularly considering the suboptimal vaccination response observed in previously infected pregnant women.

We therefore aimed to estimate the effectiveness of maternal hybrid immunity during pregnancy against COVID-19-related hospital admissions for infants in their first six months of life. To do so, we compared subgroups of infants categorized by maternal immunity-conferring events and analyzed real-world national-level data obtained in Israel during the periods of Delta and Omicron variant circulation.

Participants

Characteristics of infant cases and controls are shown in Table  1, in addition to participants characteristics by maternal immunity group. Study participants included 661 infants that were admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 up to age of 180 days (case infants, age distribution of the cases, Supplementary Fig.  1 ), and 59,460 that were not hospitalized (control infants), (see Fig.  1 - study flow chart and Supplementary fig.  2 ). Cases and controls were similar in most characteristics; however, primiparity was more common among the cases than controls (33.9% vs. 28.3%, respectively) and grandmultiparity was less common (11.6% vs. 15.3%, respectively). Mothers of cases had more tests for SARS-COV-2 than controls ≥5 documented tests: 46.0% vs. 36.9%, respectively). Cases and controls were grouped by mother’s immunity status at the time of delivery: Naïve (reference group), Natural immunity, Hybrid immunity, Partial vaccination, or Full vaccination (3 doses).

The flow chart shows the case-control comparison groups investigated during the study period. Created with BioRender.com.

Maternal characteristics were analyzed according to immunity status sub-groups. Mothers with hybrid immunity were older compared to mothers in the natural immunity and naïve groups, with 71.6% of them aged >27 years, as opposed to 64.1% and 60.5% in the latter groups, respectively. Additionally, they underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing more frequently, with 48.0% of them having undergone ≥5 tests, as compared to 40.5% and 20.3% in the natural immunity and naïve groups, respectively (Table  1 ).

A total of 20 of the 661 case infants (3.0%) were born to mothers with hybrid immunity, 46 (7.0%) to mothers with natural immunity, 95 (14.4%) to mothers with full vaccination, 272 (41.1%) partial vaccination, and 228 (34.5%) to naïve mothers. In comparison, the control group comprised 59,460 infants distributed as follows: 5832 (9.8%) hybrid immunity, 5430 (9.2%) natural immunity, 12,212 (20.5%) full vaccination, 21,287 (35.8%) partial vaccination, and 14,699 (24.7%) born to naïve mothers. Maternal post-partum vaccination could impact the risk of COVID-19 infection among infants 16 , 17 ; we therefore analyzed the frequency of post-partum vaccination among all subgroups and found similar rates (ranging from 7 to 10%). The distribution of the study population by maternal immunity status for case and control infants, over the study period, is illustrated in Supplementary fig.  3 .

Clinical severity of COVID-19 hospitalization among cases

As shown in Table  1, of the 661 infants hospitalized due to COVID-19, 33 (5.0%) were admitted to the pediatric critical care units (PICU), with no significant difference in PICU admission rates among maternal immunization groups (ANOVA, p  = 0.852). The overall median length of stay of COVID-19 hospitalization for all cases was 2 days (IQR 1–3)). There were no significant differences in mean length of stay between infants of mothers in the hybrid immunity group and all other groups (ANOVA, 2.30 ± 1.3 days, p  = 1.000). However, infants born to mothers in the full vaccination group experienced a shorter median length of stay of 2 (IQR 1–2) days (Kruskal–Wallis, p  = 0.008) than those born to mothers in the naïve group, with a mean of 2.43 ( ± 1.8) (ANOVA, p  = 0.009, Bonferroni post-hoc correction). No deaths were recorded among the infants hospitalized for COVID-19.

Maternal mediated immunity estimated effectiveness

Using Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the hazard ratios (HR), we compared the effectiveness of maternal hybrid, natural, and vaccine-induced (full and partial) immunity, with naïve mothers as reference group, against COVID-19-associated hospitalization of infants below six months of age. Our results demonstrated that maternal hybrid immunity conferred the greatest protection at 84% (95% CI: 75–90), followed by full vaccination at 66% (95% CI: 56–74), natural immunity at 56% (95% CI: 39–68), and partial vaccination at 29% (95% CI: 15–41; Fig.  2 ). Hybrid immunity effectiveness differed (84% vs. 66%, 56%, and 29%) significantly from all other groups ( p  < 0.005, p  < 0.001, and p  < 0.001, respectively). In a sensitivity analysis including infants who were considered non-eligible as cases (i.e., tested positive for COVID-19, but hospitalized for reasons unrelated to COVID-19), similar overall trends were observed (Supplementary Table  2 ).

Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for COVID-19 hospitalizations in the various groups of maternal immunity status, compared to the maternal naïve group. Models were adjusted for maternal age, gestational age at delivery, parity, and neonatal sex; multifetal gestation, birthweight, and number of maternal documented SARS-CoV-2 tests during pregnancy. Maternal Immunization effectiveness was calculated as (1−adjusted hazard ratio) × 100. Similar analysis was performed when stratified by COVID-19 variants. The delta-predominant period was defined as 24 August 2021 to 1 December 2021. The omicron-predominant period was defined as 15 December 2021 to 15 March 2022. Case infants, n  = 661; Control infants, n  = 59,460. Boxes and error bars represent the median and 95% CI. Dotted line shows no effect point. Subgroups are indicated by color: Hybrid, red; Natural immunity, green; Full vaccination (3–4 doses), orange; Partial vaccination: 1–2 doses, navy blue.

We performed separate analyses of infant hospitalizations during the Delta and Omicron variant surges. During the Delta variant surge 173 infants were admitted, whereas 486 infants were admitted during the Omicron surge, a 2.8-fold increase. These cases were matched with 15,570 and 43,710 controls, respectively. An additional two cases that were admitted during the washout period between the two waves were included in the overall study group, but not in variant-specific analyses. We were unable to estimate the effectiveness of hybrid and full vaccination immunity against Delta-associated hospitalization, as no infants born to mothers with these immunity statuses were hospitalized during that timeframe. This finding highlights the considerable protective impact of hybrid and full vaccination during the Delta surge. Our analysis indicated that natural immunity effectiveness reached 75% (95% CI: 45–88%) and partial vaccination effectiveness was 49% (95% CI: 29–63%) during the Delta period. During the Omicron surge, maternal hybrid, natural, and full vaccination immunity exhibited effectiveness rates of 81% (95% CI: 70–88%), 48% (95% CI: 25–64%), and 64% (95% CI: 52–73%), respectively, as compared to the naïve reference group, while partial vaccination did not confer significant protection during this period (Fig.  2 ).

Hybrid and natural immunity effectiveness

Our findings show that maternal hybrid immunity improves infant protection when compared to natural. To further elucidate the potential advantages of hybrid-mediated immunity over natural immunity, we sought to assess the impact of maternal infection timing on infant protection (i.e., first infection was before or during pregnancy; Fig.  3 , whole study group, and Supplementary fig.  4A, B for Delta and Omicron periods). The effectiveness trend of hybrid immunity was higher than natural immunity for all measured time points.

Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Hybrid and Natural groups of maternal immunity status, compared to the maternal naïve group, stratified by maternal infection timing. Infection before pregnancy is defined as the last infection that occurred before conception of pregnancy. Infection before 20 weeks refers to the last documented infection that occurred during the first 20 weeks of gestation, while infection after 20 weeks refers to the last documented infection that occurred during the last 20 weeks of gestation. Models were adjusted for maternal age, gestational age at delivery, parity, and neonatal sex; multifetal gestation, birthweight, and number of maternal documented SARS-CoV-2 tests during pregnancy. Maternal Immunization effectiveness was calculated as (1−adjusted hazard ratio) × 100. Case infants, n  = 661; Control infants, n  = 59,460. Boxes and error bars represent the median and 95% CI. Dotted line shows no effect point. Subgroups are indicated by color: Hybrid, red; Natural immunity, green. (Delta and Omicron waves were analyzed separately; results are shown in Supplementary fig.  4A, B ).

Our analysis revealed that the protective effects of hybrid immunity remained comparable for different sequences of hybrid exposure, as shown in Supplementary fig.  5 , infection before vaccination (80%, 95% CI: 65–89%) or infection after vaccination (88%, 95% CI: 75–95%). Analysis of hybrid effectiveness based on timing of the last immune stimulation (vaccination or infection), revealed modest differences in protection. Those born to mothers whose last stimulation occurred in the first 20 weeks of gestation had a slightly lower protection rate of 78% (95% CI 51–90%), while those who received their last stimulation after 20 weeks of gestation had a protection rate of 86% (95% CI 74–92%). These rates resemble those found among the small subgroup of infants ( n  = 342, 2 hospitalized) that were born to mothers whose last stimulation took place before pregnancy 74% (95% CI [−6]–94%) and those whose last stimulation took place during pregnancy ( n  = 5510, 18 hospitalized) 84% (95% CI 74–90%, respectively) (Supplementary fig.  5 ).

For infants born to mothers with a prior SARS-CoV2 infection, we noted that immune-mediated protection correlated with the number of administered booster doses. Specifically, natural immunity (achieved without vaccination) was found to be effective at a rate of 56% (95% CI 39–68%); hybrid immunity, which ensues following a single vaccine dose, was estimated to be 78% (95% CI 62–87%); and hybrid immunity bolstered by two or more vaccine doses exhibited effectiveness rate of 92% (95% CI 79–97%; Fig.  4 ).

Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for COVID-19 hospitalizations according to the number of maternal vaccinations; no vaccination (Natural immunity group); one vaccination (Hybrid group with one vaccination) and ≥2 vaccinations (Hybrid group with two or more vaccination), compared to the maternal naïve group. Models were adjusted for maternal age, gestational age at delivery, parity, and neonatal sex; multifetal gestation, birthweight, and number of maternal documented SARS-CoV-2 tests during pregnancy. Maternal Immunization effectiveness was calculated as (1−adjusted hazard ratio) × 100. Case infants, n  = 661; Control infants, n  = 59,460. Boxes and error bars represent the median and 95% CI. Dotted line shows no effect point.

In this study, we found that maternal hybrid immunity provides heightened protection against infant COVID-19 hospitalization during the first six months of life, as compared to natural immunity. Our analyses show that hybrid immunity effectiveness reached 84% (95% CI, 75–90%) throughout the study period, whereas natural immunity effectiveness was 56% (95% CI, 39–68%). These results emphasize the significance of immunizing women who have recovered from COVID-19 infection during pregnancy to confer robust protection against early infant COVID-19 illness. Infant hospitalizations for COVID-19 were in general brief in all maternal immunity subgroups, and admission to the pediatric ICU was rare. We studied the effect of maternal hybrid immunity on infant COVID-19 hospitalizations, rather than infant SARS-CoV2 infections. Recorded infection rates may be biased by varying testing frequencies among different population groups, particularly among unvaccinated individuals. In Israel, while not consistently implemented across all healthcare facilities, routine SARS-CoV-2 testing of infants presenting with upper respiratory infection symptoms was widely established as a standard procedure in most hospitals during the study period. Given the unbiased approach to testing, and the fact that COVID-19 hospitalization better reflects significant disease burden, we analyzed the data accordingly.

This study concentrated on the indirect benefits of maternal hybrid immunity for unvaccinated newborns. Our findings augment the growing body of evidence underscoring the considerable protective effects of maternal vaccination during pregnancy on early infant COVID-19 disease. Prior research has primarily focused on vaccinating pregnant women who have not been previously exposed to the virus. A Norwegian study published in 2022 linked maternal vaccination with a reduced risk of infant infection during the first four months of life 18 , while a U.S. study associated pregnancy vaccination with a decreased risk of infant hospitalizations and critical disease up to six months of age 12 . Our 2023 study, summarizing data from Israel, demonstrated the significant impact of maternal third booster dose in limiting infant COVID-19 hospitalization 11 . However, clinical data on the durability and benefits of maternal hybrid immunization remain limited. Information on this type of protection stems from studies investigating maternal and newborn protective antibody levels, which indicate high levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulins in maternal blood, cord blood, and milk after vaccinating recovered pregnant women, compared to recovered non-vaccinated pregnant women 13 , 19 , 20 . Our study further expands current knowledge with substantial clinical data, illustrating how maternal hybrid immunity translates to early infant protection. Importantly, we demonstrate that hybrid immunization offers greater protection than all other maternal immunization status groups.

Despite significant differences in infant hospitalization rates based on maternal immunity, we observed similar hospitalization durations across all groups, regardless of maternal immunization status. We postulate that the uniformity in stay length may be due to a shared clinical presentation, primarily fever in infants, which necessitates brief hospital stays. However, it is important to note that we lack data regarding the prevalence of fever.

Two studies from 2021 demonstrated that administering the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine during the late second or early third trimester of pregnancy results in increased antibody levels in umbilical cord blood 21 , 22 , and a reduced risk of infant COVID-19 morbidity, compared to earlier gestation vaccination 4 , 12 . Our previous research supports these findings, revealing that vaccination during the third trimester leads to elevated anti-COVID-19 antibodies in cord blood compared to the first trimester 13 . Our findings align with this observation, indicating that when immune stimulation occurs after 20 weeks of gestation, the level of protection appears to be higher compared to stimulation during the first 20 weeks. However, the difference in protection was somewhat reduced compared to previous reports on vaccination alone 4 , 12 . It is worth noting that the number of infants born to mothers who were last stimulated before pregnancy was limited in our data, which restricts our ability to accurately predict the true protective effect for infants in that particular group.

Intriguingly, protection resulting from immune stimulation before pregnancy was more robust than that conferred during the first 20 weeks of gestation. This suggests that the durability of immunity acquired through early pregnancy immunization may differ from that obtained pre-pregnancy. Further investigations should focus on these disparities, striving to better understand their origins.

Hybrid-mediated immunity resulted in robust infant protection regardless of the sequence of stimulations (i.e., vaccination before infection or vice-versa). Additionally, our findings suggest that the effectiveness of hybrid-mediated immunity acquired from one vaccine dose is lower than that obtained after two or more doses. Overall these new data provide novel insights into daily clinical questions relevant for patients and families, obstetricians, and healthcare policy. As COVID-19 spread continues, we predict that future guidelines will adopt recommendations for routine SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination before pregnancy, or during the third trimester 23 , aiming to reduce early infant morbidity, similar to recommendations for pertussis and influenza prevention 24 , 25 , 26 .

In our analysis, we focus on two key waves of SARS-CoV-2 variants: Delta and Omicron. While Omicron variants have become more prevalent, examining the Delta wave is crucial to understanding the evolving dynamics of the pandemic. This comparison highlights differences between the waves which can be crucial for understanding the importance of updating vaccines to match the currently circulating strains and boosting immunity to overcome waning. However, hybrid immunization enhances protection for both waves.

Our national data reveals a 2.8-fold increase in hospitalization rates among infants aged less than six months during the peak week of Omicron predominance compared to the period of Delta predominance. These results are consistent with CDC reports, which documented a five-fold increase in hospitalization rates when comparing these periods 3 . The observed differences could be due to higher infant infection rates, decreased protection from vaccines and natural immunity, or increased virulence of variants in infants. Our study did not examine the causes underlying these differences: further research is needed to understand these key factors.

Our study has several strengths. We used population-based databases covering the entire Israeli population with high data completeness. In Israel, a substantial proportion of the convalescent pregnant population received the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, providing a large cohort for analysis. The mandatory reporting of information to the Israeli national registries, as described in the Methods section, limited the potential for selection bias and provided detailed data on clinical and sociodemographic factors. However, data did not include disease symptoms, constraining any evaluation of severity.

Our investigation presents certain limitations. As a real-world observational study, participants opted for vaccination at different times, making it difficult to account for potential disparities in asymptomatic (and unrecorded) infections, household exposures, health-seeking, behaviors, or risk aversion among individuals.

While we made efforts to adjust for multiple potential confounding factors, the absence of data on critical variables such as breastfeeding practices, enrollment in daycare centers, and other family or behavioral variables could have influenced the observed outcomes. Additionally, during the study period, changes in testing eligibility occurred, and data on home rapid antigen test results were unavailable. These limitations underscore the complexities of real-world observational research, emphasizing the need for future investigations that incorporate a more comprehensive dataset and account for these variables.

Maternal vaccination during pregnancy offers infant protection through two primary mechanisms: (a) the transfer of protective antibodies via the placenta and breast milk, and (b) a reduction in the infant’s exposure to infectious agents due to a better-protected mother (resulting in decreased vector susceptibility and infectiousness) 27 , 28 , 29 . While it is crucial to comprehensively understand the relative contribution of each protective factor, the necessary data for such determination was not available in this study, highlighting the need for further investigation in future research.

In summary, this real-world assessment revealed that maternal hybrid immunization was associated with a reduced risk of infant hospitalization due to COVID-19 compared to natural immunity via infection alone. Our results show that effectiveness of hybrid immunity remains robust regardless of the timing of stimulation during pregnancy. Our findings supply crucial evidence to reinforce current recommendations advocating for COVID-19 vaccination of previously infected individuals during pregnancy to mitigate substantial illness in early infancy.

Study design, setting, and populations

We conducted a nationwide population-based case-control study in Israel, a country with roughly 9.5 million inhabitants and 190,000 births every year. In Israel, SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations began on 20 December 2020 (1st dose), with the second dose first available from 10 January 2021. At the start of the vaccination drive, groups considered high risk (the elderly, chronic disease patients and health care workers). By this time, pregnant women were considered high risk and were recommended to present for vaccination. The third (“booster”) dose rollout began on 30 July 2021. Vaccination of recovered individuals became available to the general population on 24 August 2021. On 15 March 2022, the public policy regarding testing and COVID-19 restrictions was changed. The cases comprised infants who were six months of age or younger during the study period, i.e., who were born between 27 February 2021 and 15 March 2022 and hospitalized due to COVID-19 during the study period. Cases were age matched to non-hospitalized infants (See Flow Chart, Supplementary data- Fig.  1 ). We excluded infants who were born before 23 weeks of gestation, had a birthweight of <500 grams, missing birthweight, or were hospitalized due to COVID-19 prior to 24 August 2021.

Case infants were defined as those with documented hospitalization due to COVID-19. We collected data on admission and discharge dates and outcomes for all hospitalizations associated with ICD-9 code 07984 (COVID-19 infection) in infants aged 0–180 days. A pediatric expert (Z.E.S.), blinded to preliminary data collection, examined the medical records of infants diagnosed with COVID-19 during their hospital stay, determining whether the primary reason for hospitalization was indeed COVID-19-related. Data on infants who were considered non-eligible as cases (tested positive for COVID-19, but hospitalized for reasons unrelated to COVID-19) are summarized in Supplementary Table  1 .

For every case infant, approximately 90 infants were individually matched, based on birthdate (±3 days). Control infants were randomly selected from the birthdate-appropriate population of infants who were not hospitalized for COVID-19 (656 cases had full matching of 90 controls, while 5 cases had 84 matching controls). This approach accounts for both age and timing of exposure to COVID-19 which affect infant morbidity and hospitalization risk. A calendarial distribution of the study cases and controls matching is illustrated in Supplementary fig.  2 .

Immunity status

To evaluate the effectiveness of maternal immunity-conferring events against COVID-19 hospitalization, infants were categorized into five groups based on their mothers’ immunity status at the time of delivery: Naïve (i.e., no documentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination, Reference Group), natural immunity (i.e., documented positive SARS-CoV-2 test without vaccination), hybrid immunity (i.e., the combination of natural immunity and vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccine), partial vaccination (i.e., vaccination with one or two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and no infection), and full vaccination (i.e., vaccination with three or four doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and no infection). The mRNA vaccines were BNT162b2-Pfizer and mRNA-1273 Moderna. During the study period, the original monoclonal mRNA vaccine was used; bivalent vaccines were not yet available. Included in the analyses are 5 women who received non-mRNA vaccination.

Data source and organization

Data were retrieved from TIMNA, a national research infrastructure for big data established by the Israel Ministry of Health (MOH) to facilitate large-scale health research. The MOH maintains a COVID-19 registry, which compiles information on all laboratory-based SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests, vaccinations, and confirmed cases. Our study analyzed integrated participant-level data provided by the MOH from three main sources: the National Birth Registry, the COVID-19 Registry, and the National Inpatient Registry, which encompasses all diagnoses of hospitalized patients in Israel.

Statistical analysis

Descriptive statistics of the study population (cases vs. controls) were presented as proportions or means, as appropriate. Differences between groups were calculated using χ 2 , and ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni analysis as appropriate; length-of-stay was analyzed with Kruskal–Wallis test. In this matched case-control study, data analyses employed stratified Cox regressions, where each case and its controls accounted for one stratum, yielding weighted HR which is an estimate for the odds ratios in conditional logistic regressions. Models were adjusted for maternal age, gestational age at delivery, parity, and neonatal sex; multifetal gestation, birthweight categories (<2500, 2500–3999, ≥4000) and number of maternal documented SARS-CoV-2 tests categories during pregnancy (0–1, 2–4, ≥5). We further analyzed these associations by dominant-variant period, having separate models for the Delta (24 August 2021–1 December 2021) and Omicron (15 December 2021–15 March 2022) periods, and excluding the washout period between the variants (2 December 2021–14 December 2021). Maternal mediated immunity effectiveness was estimated as a percentage, defined as (1−HR) × 100; 95% CI were calculated similarly, for the entire study period and for the Delta and Omicron periods separately.

We conducted additional analyses stratified by timing of immunity conferring events (i.e., infection or vaccination before or during pregnancy). Among infants of the hybrid group, we also evaluated the association between the sequence of immunity-conferring events (infection before or after vaccination), timing of last stimulation (i.e., vaccination or infection) for three different time groups: before pregnancy, during pregnancy up to 20 weeks of gestation, and during pregnancy ≥20 weeks of gestation). For infants born to mothers with previous infections we estimated the association between the number of vaccine doses (i.e., none vs. one vs. two or more) and infant COVID-19 hospitalizations. We compared the effectiveness of each maternal immunity subgroup to the Naïve (reference) group by Cox proportional hazard modeling. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of each type of maternal immunity compared to the others, i.e. Hybrid vs. Natural immunity, the HRs of the maternal immunity groups were compared using p-values derived from z-scores according to the following equation (Equation 1):

Where (0) represents the regression coefficient and its standard error for the hybrid immunity, and (x) represents these parameters in any other immunity group used for the comparison.

Python version 3.7.3 and lifelines 0.24.14 were used for Cox models. IBM-SPSS for Windows, version 29 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA), was used for descriptive and univariate analyses. A two-sided p -value ≤ 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance in all analyses. A p -value ≤ 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance in all analyses. The study protocol was approved by the Hadassah Medical Organization’s Institutional Review Board (Helsinki Committee approval #0593-21, 5 September 2021). The committee granted exemption from informed consent, based on preserving the participants’ anonymity.

Reporting summary

Further information on research design is available in the  Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the authors but due to national and organizational data privacy regulations, individual-level data such as those used for this study cannot be shared openly. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license from the Israel Ministry of Health for the current study, and so are not publicly available. Data are, however, available from the ministry upon request and with permission from the Israel Ministry of Health https://govextra.gov.il/ministry-of-health/big-data-research/home/ .

Code availability

The modeling in this paper used Python version 3.7.3 and lifelines 0.24.1, which are freely available.

Cui, X. et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). J. Med. Virol. 93 , 1057–1069 (2021).

Article   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Hobbs, C. V. et al. Frequency, characteristics and complications of COVID-19 in hospitalized infants. Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 41 , e81–e86 (2022).

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Marks, K. J. et al. Hospitalization of infants and children aged 0–4 years with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19—COVID-NET, 14 states, March 2020–February 2022. Morbid. Mortal. Wkly Rep. 71 , 429 (2022).

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Jorgensen, S. C. J. et al. Maternal mRNA covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy and delta or omicron infection or hospital admission in infants: test negative design study. BMJ 380 , e074035 (2023).

Villar, J. et al. Pregnancy outcomes and vaccine effectiveness during the period of omicron as the variant of concern, INTERCOVID-2022: a multinational, observational study. Lancet 401 , 447–457 (2023).

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Switzer, C., D’Heilly, C. & Macina, D. Immunological and clinical benefits of maternal immunization against pertussis: a systematic review. Infect. Dis. Ther. 8 , 499–541 (2019).

Schlaudecker, E. P. et al. IgA and neutralizing antibodies to influenza a virus in human milk: a randomized trial of antenatal influenza immunization. PLoS ONE 8 , e70867 (2013).

Article   ADS   CAS   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Blencowe, H., Lawn, J., Vandelaer, J., Roper, M. & Cousens, S. Tetanus toxoid immunization to reduce mortality from neonatal tetanus. Int. J. Epidemiol. 39 , i102–i109 (2010).

Kampmann, B. et al. Bivalent prefusion F vaccine in pregnancy to prevent RSV illness in infants. N. Engl. J. Med. 388 , 1451–1464 (2023).

Guedalia, J. et al. Effectiveness of a third BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy: a national observational study in Israel. Nat. Commun. 13 , 6961 (2022).

Lipschuetz, M. et al. Maternal third dose of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine and risk of infant COVID-19 hospitalization. Nat. Med . 29 , 1155–1163 (2023).

Halasa, N. B. et al. Maternal vaccination and risk of hospitalization for Covid-19 among infants. N. Engl. J. Med. 387 , 109–119 (2022).

Nevo, L. et al. Boosting maternal and neonatal humoral immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection using a single messenger RNA vaccine dose. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 227 , 486.e1–486.e10 (2022).

Bobrovitz, N. et al. Protective effectiveness of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against the omicron variant and severe disease: a systematic review and meta-regression. Lancet Infect. Dis. 23 , 556–567 (2023).

Article   CAS   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Powell, A. A. et al. Protection against symptomatic infection with delta (B.1.617.2) and omicron (B.1.1.529) BA.1 and BA.2 SARS-CoV-2 variants after previous infection and vaccination in adolescents in England, August, 2021-March, 2022: a national, observational, test-negative, case-control study. Lancet Infect. Dis. 23 , 435–444 (2023).

Szczygioł, P. et al. Antibodies in the breastmilk of COVID-19 recovered women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 22 , 635 (2022).

Juncker, H. G. et al. Comparing the human milk antibody response after vaccination with four COVID-19 vaccines: a prospective, longitudinal cohort study in the Netherlands. EClinicalMedicine 47 , 101393 (2022).

Carlsen, E. O. et al. Association of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy with incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in infants. JAMA Intern. Med. 226 , 177–186 (2022).

Google Scholar  

Kugelman, N. et al. Third trimester messenger RNA COVID-19 booster vaccination upsurge maternal and neonatal SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G antibody levels at birth. Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. 274 , 148–154 (2022).

Longueira, Y. et al. SARS-CoV-2-Specific IgG and IgA response in maternal blood and breastmilk of vaccinated naive and convalescent lactating participants. Front. Immunol. 13 , 909995 (2022).

Mithal, L. B., Otero, S., Shanes, E. D., Goldstein, J. A. & Miller, E. S. Cord blood antibodies following maternal coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination during pregnancy. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 225 , 192–194 (2021).

Beharier, O. et al. Efficient maternal to neonatal transfer of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. J. Clin. Invest. 131 , e150319 (2021).

Rottenstreich, A. et al. Kinetics of maternally derived anti–severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in infants in relation to the timing of antenatal vaccination. Clin. Infect. Dis. 76 , e274–e279 (2022).

Cuningham, W. et al. Optimal timing of influenza vaccine during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Influenza Other Respir. Viruses 13 , 438–452 (2019).

Skoff, T. H. et al. Impact of the US maternal tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccination program on preventing pertussis in infants <2 months of age: a case-control evaluation. Clin. Infect. Dis. 65 , 1977–1983 (2017).

Nunes, M. C. & Madhi, S. A. Influenza vaccination during pregnancy for prevention of influenza confirmed illness in the infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum. Vaccin. Immunother. 14 , 758–766 (2018).

Prunas, O. et al. Vaccination with BNT162b2 reduces transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to household contacts in Israel. Science 375 , 1151–1154 (2022).

Article   ADS   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

VanderWeele, T. J. & Tchetgen Tchetgen, E. J. Bounding the infectiousness effect in vaccine trials. Epidemiology 22 , 686–693 (2011).

Richterman A., Meyerowitz E. A., Cevik M. Indirect protection by reducing transmission: ending the pandemic with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination. Open Forum Infect. Dis. 9 , ofab259 (2022).

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by The Magda and Richard Hoffman Center for Human Placental Research (M.L.; S.M.C.; D.W.; and O.B.) and the “Ofek” Program of the Hadassah Medical Center (O.B.). The Jerusalem Center for Personalized Computational Medicine provided post-doctoral support (J.G.).

Author information

These authors contributed equally: Joshua Guedalia, Michal Lipschuetz.

These authors jointly supervised this work: Ronit Calderon-Margalit, Ofer Beharier.

Authors and Affiliations

Braun School of Public Health, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Joshua Guedalia & Ronit Calderon-Margalit

Obstetrics & Gynecology Division, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Michal Lipschuetz, Adva Cahen-Peretz, Sarah M. Cohen, Yishai Sompolinsky, Debra Goldman-Wohl, Simcha Yagel & Ofer Beharier

Henrietta Szold Hadassah Hebrew University School of Nursing in the Faculty of Medicine Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Michal Lipschuetz

The Jerusalem Center for Personalized Computational Medicine Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Michal Lipschuetz & Ofer Beharier

TIMNA-Israel Ministry of Health’s Big Data Platform, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel

Galit Shefer & Eli Melul

Neonatology Department Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Zivanit Ergaz-Shaltiel

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

J.G., M.L., Y.S., E.M., A.C.P. and O.B. saw the original data, collected it and analyzed it. J.G., M.L., O.B., R.C.M., G.S. and S.Y. conceived and designed the study. Z.E.S. reviewed the neonatal data and outcomes. J.G., M.L., O.B., R.C.M., S.M.C., Y.S., D.G.-W., A.C.P. and S.Y. wrote the manuscript. All authors critically reviewed the manuscript and decided to proceed with publication. R.C.M., S.Y. and O.B. supervised the study process. O.B. vouches for the data and analysis. E.M. and G.S. combined, anonymized, and QC of the MOH data.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Michal Lipschuetz or Ofer Beharier .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information.

Nature Communications thanks Thiago Cerqueira-Silva and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. A peer review file is available.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information, peer review file, reporting summary, rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Guedalia, J., Lipschuetz, M., Cahen-Peretz, A. et al. Maternal hybrid immunity and risk of infant COVID-19 hospitalizations: national case-control study in Israel. Nat Commun 15 , 2846 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46694-x

Download citation

Received : 21 July 2023

Accepted : 05 March 2024

Published : 02 April 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46694-x

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines . If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.