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28 Case Study Examples Every Marketer Should See

Published: March 08, 2023

Putting together a compelling case study is one of the most powerful strategies for showcasing your product and attracting future customers. But it's not easy to create case studies that your audience can’t wait to read.

In this post, we’ll go over the definition of a case study and the best examples to inspire you.

What is a case study?

A case study is a detailed story of something your company did. It includes a beginning — often discussing a conflict, an explanation of what happened next, and a resolution that explains how the company solved or improved on something.

A case study proves how your product has helped other companies by demonstrating real-life results. Not only that, but marketing case studies with solutions typically contain quotes from the customer. This means that they’re not just ads where you praise your own product. Rather, other companies are praising your company — and there’s no stronger marketing material than a verbal recommendation or testimonial. A great case study is also filled with research and stats to back up points made about a project's results.

There are myriad ways to use case studies in your marketing strategy . From featuring them on your website to including them in a sales presentation, a case study is a strong, persuasive tool that shows customers why they should work with you — straight from another customer. Writing one from scratch is hard, though, which is why we’ve created a collection of case study templates for you to get started.

Fill out the form below to access the free case study templates.

Free Case Study Templates

Showcase your company's success using these three free case study templates.

• Data-Driven Case Study Template
• Product-Specific Case Study Template
• General Case Study Template

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

There’s no better way to generate more leads than by writing case studies . But without case study examples to draw inspiration from, it can be difficult to write impactful studies that convince visitors to submit a form.

Marketing Case Study Examples

To help you create an attractive and high-converting case study, we've put together a list of some of our favorites. This list includes famous case studies in marketing, technology, and business.

These studies can show you how to frame your company offers in a way that is both meaningful and useful to your audience. So, take a look, and let these examples inspire your next brilliant case study design.

These marketing case studies with solutions show the value proposition of each product. They also show how each company benefited in both the short and long term using quantitative data. In other words, you don’t get just nice statements, like "This company helped us a lot." You see actual change within the firm through numbers and figures.

You can put your learnings into action with HubSpot's Free Case Study Templates . Available as custom designs and text-based documents, you can upload these templates to your CMS or send them to prospects as you see fit.

1. " How Handled Scaled from Zero to 121 Locations with the Help of HubSpot ," by HubSpot

What's interesting about this case study is the way it leads with the customer. That reflects a major HubSpot cornerstone, which is to always solve for the customer first. The copy leads with a brief description of why the CEO of Handled founded the company and why he thought Handled could benefit from adopting a CRM. The case study also opens up with one key data point about Handled’s success using HubSpot, namely that it grew to 121 locations.

Notice that this case study uses mixed media. Yes, there is a short video, but it's elaborated upon in the other text on the page. So while your case studies can use one or the other, don't be afraid to combine written copy with visuals to emphasize the project's success.

Key Learnings from the HubSpot Case Study Example

• Give the case study a personal touch by focusing on the CEO rather than the company itself.
• Use multimedia to engage website visitors as they read the case study.

2. " The Whole Package ," by IDEO

Here's a design company that knows how to lead with simplicity in its case studies. As soon as the visitor arrives at the page, they’re greeted with a big, bold photo and the title of the case study — which just so happens to summarize how IDEO helped its client. It summarizes the case study in three snippets: The challenge, the impact, and the outcome.

Immediately, IDEO communicates its impact — the company partnered with H&M to remove plastic from its packaging — but it doesn't stop there. As the user scrolls down, the challenge, impact, and progress are elaborated upon with comprehensive (but not overwhelming) copy that outlines what that process looked like, replete with quotes and intriguing visuals.

Key Learnings from the IDEO Case Study Example

• Split up the takeaways of your case studies into bite-sized sections.
• Always use visuals and images to enrich the case study experience, especially if it’s a comprehensive case study.

3. " Rozum Robotics intensifies its PR game with Awario ," by Awario

In this case study, Awario greets the user with a summary straight away — so if you’re feeling up to reading the entire case study, you can scan the snapshot and understand how the company serves its customers. The case study then includes jump links to several sections, such as "Company Profile," "Rozum Robotics' Pains," "Challenge," "Solution," and "Results and Improvements."

The sparse copy and prominent headings show that you don’t need a lot of elaborate information to show the value of your products and services. Like the other case study examples on this list, it includes visuals and quotes to demonstrate the effectiveness of the company’s efforts. The case study ends with a bulleted list that shows the results.

Key Learnings from the Awario Robotics Case Study Example

• Create a table of contents to make your case study easier to navigate.
• Include a bulleted list of the results you achieved for your client.

4. " Chevrolet DTU ," by Carol H. Williams

If you’ve worked with a company that’s well-known, use only the name in the title — like Carol H. Williams, one of the nation’s top advertising agencies, does here. The "DTU," stands for "Discover the Unexpected." It generates interest because you want to find out what the initials mean.

They keep your interest in this case study by using a mixture of headings, images, and videos to describe the challenges, objectives, and solutions of the project. The case study closes with a summary of the key achievements that Chevrolet’s DTU Journalism Fellows reached during the project.

Key Learnings from the Carol H. Williams Case Study Example

• If you’ve worked with a big brand before, consider only using the name in the title — just enough to pique interest.
• Use a mixture of headings and subheadings to guide users through the case study.

5. " How Fractl Earned Links from 931 Unique Domains for Porch.com in a Single Year ," by Fractl

Fractl uses both text and graphic design in their Porch.com case study to immerse the viewer in a more interesting user experience. For instance, as you scroll, you'll see the results are illustrated in an infographic-design form as well as the text itself.

Further down the page, they use icons like a heart and a circle to illustrate their pitch angles, and graphs to showcase their results. Rather than writing which publications have mentioned Porch.com during Fractl’s campaign, they incorporated the media outlets’ icons for further visual diversity.

Key Learnings from the Fractl Case Study Example

• Let pictures speak for you by incorporating graphs, logos, and icons all throughout the case study.
• Start the case study by right away stating the key results, like Fractl does, instead of putting the results all the way at the bottom.

6. " The Met ," by Fantasy

What's the best way to showcase the responsiveness and user interface of a website? Probably by diving right into it with a series of simple showcases— which is exactly what Fantasy does on their case study page for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They keep the page simple and clean, inviting you to review their redesign of the Met’s website feature-by-feature.

Each section is simple, showing a single piece of the new website's interface so that users aren’t overwhelmed with information and can focus on what matters most.

If you're more interested in text, you can read the objective for each feature. Fantasy understands that, as a potential customer, this is all you need to know. Scrolling further, you're greeted with a simple "Contact Us" CTA.

Key Learnings from the Fantasy Case Study Example

• You don’t have to write a ton of text to create a great case study. Focus on the solution you delivered itself.
• Include a CTA at the bottom inviting visitors to contact you.

7. " Rovio: How Rovio Grew Into a Gaming Superpower ," by App Annie

If your client had a lot of positive things to say about you, take a note from App Annie’s Rovio case study and open up with a quote from your client. The case study also closes with a quote, so that the case study doesn’t seem like a promotion written by your marketing team but a story that’s taken straight from your client’s mouth. It includes a photo of a Rovio employee, too.

Another thing this example does well? It immediately includes a link to the product that Rovio used (namely, App Annie Intelligence) at the top of the case study. The case study closes with a call-to-action button prompting users to book a demo.

Key Learnings from the App Annie Case Study Example

• Feature quotes from your client at the beginning and end of the case study.
• Include a mention of the product right at the beginning and prompt users to learn more about the product.

8. " Embracing first-party data: 3 success stories from HubSpot ," by Think with Google

Google takes a different approach to text-focused case studies by choosing three different companies to highlight.

The case study is clean and easily scannable. It has sections for each company, with quotes and headers that clarify the way these three distinct stories connect. The simple format also uses colors and text that align with the Google brand.

Another differentiator is the focus on data. This case study is less than a thousand words, but it's packed with useful data points. Data-driven insights quickly and clearly show how the value of leveraging first-party data while prioritizing consumer privacy.

Key Learnings from the Think with Google Case Study Example

• A case study doesn’t need to be long or complex to be powerful.
• Clear data points are a quick and effective way to prove value.

9. " In-Depth Performance Marketing Case Study ," by Switch

Switch is an international marketing agency based in Malta that knocks it out of the park with this case study. Its biggest challenge is effectively communicating what it did for its client without ever revealing the client’s name. It also effectively keeps non-marketers in the loop by including a glossary of terms on page 4.

The PDF case study reads like a compelling research article, including titles like "In-Depth Performance Marketing Case Study," "Scenario," and "Approach," so that readers get a high-level overview of what the client needed and why they approached Switch. It also includes a different page for each strategy. For instance, if you’d only be interested in hiring Switch for optimizing your Facebook ads, you can skip to page 10 to see how they did it.

The PDF is fourteen pages long but features big fonts and plenty of white space, so viewers can easily skim it in only a few minutes.

Key Learnings from the Switch Case Study Example

• If you want to go into specialized information, include a glossary of terms so that non-specialists can easily understand.
• Close with a CTA page in your case study PDF and include contact information for prospective clients.

10. " Gila River ," by OH Partners

Let pictures speak for you, like OH Partners did in this case study. While you’ll quickly come across a heading and some text when you land on this case study page, you’ll get the bulk of the case study through examples of actual work OH Partners did for its client. You will see OH Partners’ work in a billboard, magazine, and video. This communicates to website visitors that if they work with OH Partners, their business will be visible everywhere.

And like the other case studies here, it closes with a summary of what the firm achieved for its client in an eye-catching way.

Key Learnings from the OH Partners Case Study Example

• Let the visuals speak by including examples of the actual work you did for your client — which is especially useful for branding and marketing agencies.
• Always close out with your achievements and how they impacted your client.

11. " Facing a Hater ," by Digitas

Digitas' case study page for Sprite’s #ILOVEYOUHATER campaign keeps it brief while communicating the key facts of Digitas’ work for the popular soda brand. The page opens with an impactful image of a hundred people facing a single man. It turns out, that man is the biggest "bully" in Argentina, and the people facing him are those whom he’s bullied before.

Scrolling down, it's obvious that Digitas kept Sprite at the forefront of their strategy, but more than that, they used real people as their focal point. They leveraged the Twitter API to pull data from Tweets that people had actually tweeted to find the identity of the biggest "hater" in the country. That turned out to be @AguanteElCofler, a Twitter user who has since been suspended.

Key Learnings from the Digitas Case Study Example

• If a video was part of your work for your client, be sure to include the most impactful screenshot as the heading.
• Don’t be afraid to provide details on how you helped your client achieve their goals, including the tools you leveraged.

12. " Better Experiences for All ," by HermanMiller

HermanMiller sells sleek, utilitarian furniture with no frills and extreme functionality, and that ethos extends to its case study page for a hospital in Dubai.

What first attracted me to this case study was the beautiful video at the top and the clean user experience. User experience matters a lot in a case study. It determines whether users will keep reading or leave. Another notable aspect of this case study is that the video includes closed-captioning for greater accessibility, and users have the option of expanding the CC and searching through the text.

HermanMiller’s case study also offers an impressive amount of information packed in just a few short paragraphs for those wanting to understand the nuances of their strategy. It closes out with a quote from their client and, most importantly, the list of furniture products that the hospital purchased from the brand.

Key Learnings from the HermanMiller Case Study Example

• Close out with a list of products that users can buy after reading the case study.
• Include accessibility features such as closed captioning and night mode to make your case study more user-friendly.

13. " Capital One on AWS ," by Amazon

Do you work continuously with your clients? Consider structuring your case study page like Amazon did in this stellar case study example. Instead of just featuring one article about Capital One and how it benefited from using AWS, Amazon features a series of articles that you can then access if you’re interested in reading more. It goes all the way back to 2016, all with different stories that feature Capital One’s achievements using AWS.

This may look unattainable for a small firm, but you don’t have to go to extreme measures and do it for every single one of your clients. You could choose the one you most wish to focus on and establish a contact both on your side and your client’s for coming up with the content. Check in every year and write a new piece. These don’t have to be long, either — five hundred to eight hundred words will do.

Key Learnings from the Amazon AWS Case Study Example

• Write a new article each year featuring one of your clients, then include links to those articles in one big case study page.
• Consider including external articles as well that emphasize your client’s success in their industry.

14. " HackReactor teaches the world to code #withAsana ," by Asana

While Asana's case study design looks text-heavy, there's a good reason. It reads like a creative story, told entirely from the customer's perspective.

For instance, Asana knows you won't trust its word alone on why this product is useful. So, they let Tony Phillips, HackReactor CEO, tell you instead: "We take in a lot of information. Our brains are awful at storage but very good at thinking; you really start to want some third party to store your information so you can do something with it."

Asana features frequent quotes from Phillips to break up the wall of text and humanize the case study. It reads like an in-depth interview and captivates the reader through creative storytelling. Even more, Asana includes in-depth detail about how HackReactor uses Asana. This includes how they build templates and workflows:

"There's a huge differentiator between Asana and other tools, and that’s the very easy API access. Even if Asana isn’t the perfect fit for a workflow, someone like me— a relatively mediocre software engineer—can add functionality via the API to build a custom solution that helps a team get more done."

Key Learnings from the Asana Example

• Include quotes from your client throughout the case study.
• Provide extensive detail on how your client worked with you or used your product.

15. " Rips Sewed, Brand Love Reaped ," by Amp Agency

Amp Agency's Patagonia marketing strategy aimed to appeal to a new audience through guerrilla marketing efforts and a coast-to-coast road trip. Their case study page effectively conveys a voyager theme, complete with real photos of Patagonia customers from across the U.S., and a map of the expedition. I liked Amp Agency's storytelling approach best. It captures viewers' attention from start to finish simply because it's an intriguing and unique approach to marketing.

Key Learnings from the Amp Agency Example

• Open up with a summary that communicates who your client is and why they reached out to you.
• Like in the other case study examples, you’ll want to close out with a quantitative list of your achievements.

16. " NetApp ," by Evisort

Evisort opens up its NetApp case study with an at-a-glance overview of the client. It’s imperative to always focus on the client in your case study — not on your amazing product and equally amazing team. By opening up with a snapshot of the client’s company, Evisort places the focus on the client.

This case study example checks all the boxes for a great case study that’s informative, thorough, and compelling. It includes quotes from the client and details about the challenges NetApp faced during the COVID pandemic. It closes out with a quote from the client and with a link to download the case study in PDF format, which is incredibly important if you want your case study to be accessible in a wider variety of formats.

Key Learnings from the Evisort Example

• Place the focus immediately on your client by including a snapshot of their company.
• Mention challenging eras, such as a pandemic or recession, to show how your company can help your client succeed even during difficult times.

17. " Copernicus Land Monitoring – CLC+ Core ," by Cloudflight

Including highly specialized information in your case study is an effective way to show prospects that you’re not just trying to get their business. You’re deep within their industry, too, and willing to learn everything you need to learn to create a solution that works specifically for them.

Cloudflight does a splendid job at that in its Copernicus Land Monitoring case study. While the information may be difficult to read at first glance, it will capture the interest of prospects who are in the environmental industry. It thus shows Cloudflight’s value as a partner much more effectively than a general case study would.

The page is comprehensive and ends with a compelling call-to-action — "Looking for a solution that automates, and enhances your Big Data system? Are you struggling with large datasets and accessibility? We would be happy to advise and support you!" The clean, whitespace-heavy page is an effective example of using a case study to capture future leads.

Key Learnings from the Cloudflight Case Study Example

• Don’t be afraid to get technical in your explanation of what you did for your client.
• Include a snapshot of the sales representative prospects should contact, especially if you have different sales reps for different industries, like Cloudflight does.

18. " Valvoline Increases Coupon Send Rate by 76% with Textel’s MMS Picture Texting ," by Textel

If you’re targeting large enterprises with a long purchasing cycle, you’ll want to include a wealth of information in an easily transferable format. That’s what Textel does here in its PDF case study for Valvoline. It greets the user with an eye-catching headline that shows the value of using Textel. Valvoline saw a significant return on investment from using the platform.

Another smart decision in this case study is highlighting the client’s quote by putting it in green font and doing the same thing for the client’s results because it helps the reader quickly connect the two pieces of information. If you’re in a hurry, you can also take a look at the "At a Glance" column to get the key facts of the case study, starting with information about Valvoline.

Key Learnings from the Textel Case Study Example

• Include your client’s ROI right in the title of the case study.
• Add an "At a Glance" column to your case study PDF to make it easy to get insights without needing to read all the text.

19. " Hunt Club and Happeo — a tech-enabled love story ," by Happeo

In this blog-post-like case study, Happeo opens with a quote from the client, then dives into a compelling heading: "Technology at the forefront of Hunt Club's strategy." Say you’re investigating Happeo as a solution and consider your firm to be technology-driven. This approach would spark your curiosity about why the client chose to work with Happeo. It also effectively communicates the software’s value proposition without sounding like it’s coming from an in-house marketing team.

Every paragraph is a quote written from the customer’s perspective. Later down the page, the case study also dives into "the features that changed the game for Hunt Club," giving Happeo a chance to highlight some of the platform’s most salient features.

Key Learnings from the Happeo Case Study Example

• Consider writing the entirety of the case study from the perspective of the customer.
• Include a list of the features that convinced your client to go with you.

20. " Red Sox Season Campaign ," by CTP Boston

What's great about CTP's case study page for their Red Sox Season Campaign is their combination of video, images, and text. A video automatically begins playing when you visit the page, and as you scroll, you'll see more embedded videos of Red Sox players, a compilation of print ads, and social media images you can click to enlarge.

At the bottom, it says "Find out how we can do something similar for your brand." The page is clean, cohesive, and aesthetically pleasing. It invites viewers to appreciate the well-roundedness of CTP's campaign for Boston's beloved baseball team.

Key Learnings from the CTP Case Study Example

• Include a video in the heading of the case study.
• Close with a call-to-action that makes leads want to turn into prospects.

21. " Acoustic ," by Genuine

Sometimes, simple is key. Genuine's case study for Acoustic is straightforward and minimal, with just a few short paragraphs, including "Reimagining the B2B website experience," "Speaking to marketers 1:1," and "Inventing Together." After the core of the case study, we then see a quote from Acoustic’s CMO and the results Genuine achieved for the company.

The simplicity of the page allows the reader to focus on both the visual aspects and the copy. The page displays Genuine's brand personality while offering the viewer all the necessary information they need.

• You don’t need to write a lot to create a great case study. Keep it simple.
• Always include quantifiable data to illustrate the results you achieved for your client.

22. " Using Apptio Targetprocess Automated Rules in Wargaming ," by Apptio

Apptio’s case study for Wargaming summarizes three key pieces of information right at the beginning: The goals, the obstacles, and the results.

Readers then have the opportunity to continue reading — or they can walk away right then with the information they need. This case study also excels in keeping the human interest factor by formatting the information like an interview.

The piece is well-organized and uses compelling headers to keep the reader engaged. Despite its length, Apptio's case study is appealing enough to keep the viewer's attention. Every Apptio case study ends with a "recommendation for other companies" section, where the client can give advice for other companies that are looking for a similar solution but aren’t sure how to get started.

Key Learnings from the Apptio Case Study Example

• Put your client in an advisory role by giving them the opportunity to give recommendations to other companies that are reading the case study.
• Include the takeaways from the case study right at the beginning so prospects quickly get what they need.

23. " Airbnb + Zendesk: building a powerful solution together ," by Zendesk

Zendesk's Airbnb case study reads like a blog post, and focuses equally on Zendesk and Airbnb, highlighting a true partnership between the companies. To captivate readers, it begins like this: "Halfway around the globe is a place to stay with your name on it. At least for a weekend."

The piece focuses on telling a good story and provides photographs of beautiful Airbnb locations. In a case study meant to highlight Zendesk's helpfulness, nothing could be more authentic than their decision to focus on Airbnb's service in such great detail.

Key Learnings from the Zendesk Case Study Example

• Include images of your client’s offerings — not necessarily of the service or product you provided. Notice how Zendesk doesn’t include screenshots of its product.
• Include a call-to-action right at the beginning of the case study. Zendesk gives you two options: to find a solution or start a trial.

24. " Biobot Customer Success Story: Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida ," by Biobot

Like some of the other top examples in this list, Biobot opens its case study with a quote from its client, which captures the value proposition of working with Biobot. It mentions the COVID pandemic and goes into detail about the challenges the client faced during this time.

This case study is structured more like a news article than a traditional case study. This format can work in more formal industries where decision-makers need to see in-depth information about the case. Be sure to test different methods and measure engagement .

Key Learnings from the Biobot Case Study Example

• Mention environmental, public health, or economic emergencies and how you helped your client get past such difficult times.
• Feel free to write the case study like a normal blog post, but be sure to test different methods to find the one that best works for you.

25. " Discovering Cost Savings With Efficient Decision Making ," by Gartner

You don't always need a ton of text or a video to convey your message — sometimes, you just need a few paragraphs and bullet points. Gartner does a fantastic job of quickly providing the fundamental statistics a potential customer would need to know, without boggling down their readers with dense paragraphs. The case study closes with a shaded box that summarizes the impact that Gartner had on its client. It includes a quote and a call-to-action to "Learn More."

Key Learnings from the Gartner Case Study Example

• Feel free to keep the case study short.
• Include a call-to-action at the bottom that takes the reader to a page that most relates to them.

26. " Bringing an Operator to the Game ," by Redapt

This case study example by Redapt is another great demonstration of the power of summarizing your case study’s takeaways right at the start of the study. Redapt includes three easy-to-scan columns: "The problem," "the solution," and "the outcome." But its most notable feature is a section titled "Moment of clarity," which shows why this particular project was difficult or challenging.

The section is shaded in green, making it impossible to miss. Redapt does the same thing for each case study. In the same way, you should highlight the "turning point" for both you and your client when you were working toward a solution.

Key Learnings from the Redapt Case Study Example

• Highlight the turning point for both you and your client during the solution-seeking process.
• Use the same structure (including the same headings) for your case studies to make them easy to scan and read.

27. " Virtual Call Center Sees 300% Boost In Contact Rate ," by Convoso

Convoso’s PDF case study for Digital Market Media immediately mentions the results that the client achieved and takes advantage of white space. On the second page, the case study presents more influential results. It’s colorful and engaging and closes with a spread that prompts readers to request a demo.

Key Learnings from the Convoso Case Study Example

• List the results of your work right at the beginning of the case study.
• Use color to differentiate your case study from others. Convoso’s example is one of the most colorful ones on this list.

28. " Ensuring quality of service during a pandemic ," by Ericsson

Ericsson’s case study page for Orange Spain is an excellent example of using diverse written and visual media — such as videos, graphs, and quotes — to showcase the success a client experienced. Throughout the case study, Ericsson provides links to product and service pages users might find relevant as they’re reading the study.

For instance, under the heading "Preloaded with the power of automation," Ericsson mentions its Ericsson Operations Engine product, then links to that product page. It closes the case study with a link to another product page.

Key Learnings from the Ericsson Case Study Example

• Link to product pages throughout the case study so that readers can learn more about the solution you offer.
• Use multimedia to engage users as they read the case study.

Start creating your case study.

Now that you've got a great list of examples of case studies, think about a topic you'd like to write about that highlights your company or work you did with a customer.

A customer’s success story is the most persuasive marketing material you could ever create. With a strong portfolio of case studies, you can ensure prospects know why they should give you their business.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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7 Favorite Business Case Studies to Teach—and Why

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• Case Teaching
• Course Materials

FEATURED CASE STUDIES

The Army Crew Team . Emily Michelle David of CEIBS

ATH Technologies . Devin Shanthikumar of Paul Merage School of Business

Fabritek 1992 . Rob Austin of Ivey Business School

Lincoln Electric Co . Karin Schnarr of Wilfrid Laurier University

Pal’s Sudden Service—Scaling an Organizational Model to Drive Growth . Gary Pisano of Harvard Business School

The United States Air Force: ‘Chaos’ in the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron . Francesca Gino of Harvard Business School

Warren E. Buffett, 2015 . Robert F. Bruner of Darden School of Business

To dig into what makes a compelling case study, we asked seven experienced educators who teach with—and many who write—business case studies: “What is your favorite case to teach and why?”

The resulting list of case study favorites ranges in topics from operations management and organizational structure to rebel leaders and whodunnit dramas.

1. The Army Crew Team

Emily Michelle David, Assistant Professor of Management, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)

“I love teaching  The Army Crew Team  case because it beautifully demonstrates how a team can be so much less than the sum of its parts.

I deliver the case to executives in a nearby state-of-the-art rowing facility that features rowing machines, professional coaches, and shiny red eight-person shells.

After going through the case, they hear testimonies from former members of Chinese national crew teams before carrying their own boat to the river for a test race.

The rich learning environment helps to vividly underscore one of the case’s core messages: competition can be a double-edged sword if not properly managed.

Executives in Emily Michelle David’s organizational behavior class participate in rowing activities at a nearby facility as part of her case delivery.

Despite working for an elite headhunting firm, the executives in my most recent class were surprised to realize how much they’ve allowed their own team-building responsibilities to lapse. In the MBA pre-course, this case often leads to a rich discussion about common traps that newcomers fall into (for example, trying to do too much, too soon), which helps to poise them to both stand out in the MBA as well as prepare them for the lateral team building they will soon engage in.

Finally, I love that the post-script always gets a good laugh and serves as an early lesson that organizational behavior courses will seldom give you foolproof solutions for specific problems but will, instead, arm you with the ability to think through issues more critically.”

2. ATH Technologies

Devin Shanthikumar, Associate Professor of Accounting, Paul Merage School of Business

“As a professor at UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, and before that at Harvard Business School, I have probably taught over 100 cases. I would like to say that my favorite case is my own,   Compass Box Whisky Company . But as fun as that case is, one case beats it:  ATH Technologies  by Robert Simons and Jennifer Packard.

ATH presents a young entrepreneurial company that is bought by a much larger company. As part of the merger, ATH gets an ‘earn-out’ deal—common among high-tech industries. The company, and the class, must decide what to do to achieve the stretch earn-out goals.

ATH captures a scenario we all want to be in at some point in our careers—being part of a young, exciting, growing organization. And a scenario we all will likely face—having stretch goals that seem almost unreachable.

It forces us, as a class, to really struggle with what to do at each stage.

After we read and discuss the A case, we find out what happens next, and discuss the B case, then the C, then D, and even E. At every stage, we can:

see how our decisions play out,

figure out how to build on our successes, and

address our failures.

The case is exciting, the class discussion is dynamic and energetic, and in the end, we all go home with a memorable ‘ah-ha!’ moment.

I have taught many great cases over my career, but none are quite as fun, memorable, and effective as ATH .”

3. Fabritek 1992

Rob Austin, Professor of Information Systems, Ivey Business School

“This might seem like an odd choice, but my favorite case to teach is an old operations case called  Fabritek 1992 .

The latest version of Fabritek 1992 is dated 2009, but it is my understanding that this is a rewrite of a case that is older (probably much older). There is a Fabritek 1969 in the HBP catalog—same basic case, older dates, and numbers. That 1969 version lists no authors, so I suspect the case goes even further back; the 1969 version is, I’m guessing, a rewrite of an even older version.

There are many things I appreciate about the case. Here are a few:

It operates as a learning opportunity at many levels. At first it looks like a not-very-glamorous production job scheduling case. By the end of the case discussion, though, we’re into (operations) strategy and more. It starts out technical, then explodes into much broader relevance. As I tell participants when I’m teaching HBP's Teaching with Cases seminars —where I often use Fabritek as an example—when people first encounter this case, they almost always underestimate it.

It has great characters—especially Arthur Moreno, who looks like a troublemaker, but who, discussion reveals, might just be the smartest guy in the factory. Alums of the Harvard MBA program have told me that they remember Arthur Moreno many years later.

Almost every word in the case is important. It’s only four and a half pages of text and three pages of exhibits. This economy of words and sparsity of style have always seemed like poetry to me. I should note that this super concise, every-word-matters approach is not the ideal we usually aspire to when we write cases. Often, we include extra or superfluous information because part of our teaching objective is to provide practice in separating what matters from what doesn’t in a case. Fabritek takes a different approach, though, which fits it well.

It has a dramatic structure. It unfolds like a detective story, a sort of whodunnit. Something is wrong. There is a quality problem, and we’re not sure who or what is responsible. One person, Arthur Moreno, looks very guilty (probably too obviously guilty), but as we dig into the situation, there are many more possibilities. We spend in-class time analyzing the data (there’s a bit of math, so it covers that base, too) to determine which hypotheses are best supported by the data. And, realistically, the data doesn’t support any of the hypotheses perfectly, just some of them more than others. Also, there’s a plot twist at the end (I won’t reveal it, but here’s a hint: Arthur Moreno isn’t nearly the biggest problem in the final analysis). I have had students tell me the surprising realization at the end of the discussion gives them ‘goosebumps.’

Finally, through the unexpected plot twist, it imparts what I call a ‘wisdom lesson’ to young managers: not to be too sure of themselves and to regard the experiences of others, especially experts out on the factory floor, with great seriousness.”

4. Lincoln Electric Co.

Karin Schnarr, Assistant Professor of Policy, Wilfrid Laurier University

“As a strategy professor, my favorite case to teach is the classic 1975 Harvard case  Lincoln Electric Co.  by Norman Berg.

I use it to demonstrate to students the theory linkage between strategy and organizational structure, management processes, and leadership behavior.

This case may be an odd choice for a favorite. It occurs decades before my students were born. It is pages longer than we are told students are now willing to read. It is about manufacturing arc welding equipment in Cleveland, Ohio—a hard sell for a Canadian business classroom.

Yet, I have never come across a case that so perfectly illustrates what I want students to learn about how a company can be designed from an organizational perspective to successfully implement its strategy.

And in a time where so much focus continues to be on how to maximize shareholder value, it is refreshing to be able to discuss a publicly-traded company that is successfully pursuing a strategy that provides a fair value to shareholders while distributing value to employees through a large bonus pool, as well as value to customers by continually lowering prices.

However, to make the case resonate with today’s students, I work to make it relevant to the contemporary business environment. I link the case to multimedia clips about Lincoln Electric’s current manufacturing practices, processes, and leadership practices. My students can then see that a model that has been in place for generations is still viable and highly successful, even in our very different competitive situation.”

5. Pal’s Sudden Service—Scaling an Organizational Model to Drive Growth

Gary Pisano, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“My favorite case to teach these days is  Pal’s Sudden Service—Scaling an Organizational Model to Drive Growth .

I love teaching this case for three reasons:

1. It demonstrates how a company in a super-tough, highly competitive business can do very well by focusing on creating unique operating capabilities. In theory, Pal’s should have no chance against behemoths like McDonalds or Wendy’s—but it thrives because it has built a unique operating system. It’s a great example of a strategic approach to operations in action.

2. The case shows how a strategic approach to human resource and talent development at all levels really matters. This company competes in an industry not known for engaging its front-line workers. The case shows how engaging these workers can really pay off.

3. Finally, Pal’s is really unusual in its approach to growth. Most companies set growth goals (usually arbitrary ones) and then try to figure out how to ‘backfill’ the human resource and talent management gaps. They trust you can always find someone to do the job. Pal’s tackles the growth problem completely the other way around. They rigorously select and train their future managers. Only when they have a manager ready to take on their own store do they open a new one. They pace their growth off their capacity to develop talent. I find this really fascinating and so do the students I teach this case to.”

6. The United States Air Force: ‘Chaos’ in the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron

Francesca Gino, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“My favorite case to teach is  The United States Air Force: ‘Chaos’ in the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron .

The case surprises students because it is about a leader, known in the unit by the nickname Chaos , who inspired his squadron to be innovative and to change in a culture that is all about not rocking the boat, and where there is a deep sense that rules should simply be followed.

For years, I studied ‘rebels,’ people who do not accept the status quo; rather, they approach work with curiosity and produce positive change in their organizations. Chaos is a rebel leader who got the level of cultural change right. Many of the leaders I’ve met over the years complain about the ‘corporate culture,’ or at least point to clear weaknesses of it; but then they throw their hands up in the air and forget about changing what they can.

Chaos is different—he didn’t go after the ‘Air Force’ culture. That would be like boiling the ocean.

Instead, he focused on his unit of control and command: The 99th squadron. He focused on enabling that group to do what it needed to do within the confines of the bigger Air Force culture. In the process, he inspired everyone on his team to be the best they can be at work.

The case leaves the classroom buzzing and inspired to take action.”

7. Warren E. Buffett, 2015

Robert F. Bruner, Professor of Business Administration, Darden School of Business

“I love teaching   Warren E. Buffett, 2015  because it energizes, exercises, and surprises students.

Buffett looms large in the business firmament and therefore attracts anyone who is eager to learn his secrets for successful investing. This generates the kind of energy that helps to break the ice among students and instructors early in a course and to lay the groundwork for good case discussion practices.

Studying Buffett’s approach to investing helps to introduce and exercise important themes that will resonate throughout a course. The case challenges students to define for themselves what it means to create value. The case discussion can easily be tailored for novices or for more advanced students.

Either way, this is not hero worship: The case affords a critical examination of the financial performance of Buffett’s firm, Berkshire Hathaway, and reveals both triumphs and stumbles. Most importantly, students can critique the purported benefits of Buffett’s conglomeration strategy and the sustainability of his investment record as the size of the firm grows very large.

By the end of the class session, students seem surprised with what they have discovered. They buzz over the paradoxes in Buffett’s philosophy and performance record. And they come away with sober respect for Buffett’s acumen and for the challenges of creating value for investors.

Surely, such sobriety is a meta-message for any mastery of finance.”

More Educator Favorites

Emily Michelle David is an assistant professor of management at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). Her current research focuses on discovering how to make workplaces more welcoming for people of all backgrounds and personality profiles to maximize performance and avoid employee burnout. David’s work has been published in a number of scholarly journals, and she has worked as an in-house researcher at both NASA and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Devin Shanthikumar  is an associate professor and the accounting area coordinator at UCI Paul Merage School of Business. She teaches undergraduate, MBA, and executive-level courses in managerial accounting. Shanthikumar previously served on the faculty at Harvard Business School, where she taught both financial accounting and managerial accounting for MBAs, and wrote cases that are used in accounting courses across the country.

Robert D. Austin is a professor of information systems at Ivey Business School and an affiliated faculty member at Harvard Medical School. He has published widely, authoring nine books, more than 50 cases and notes, three Harvard online products, and two popular massive open online courses (MOOCs) running on the Coursera platform.

Karin Schnarr is an assistant professor of policy and the director of the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada where she teaches strategic management at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels. Schnarr has published several award-winning and best-selling cases and regularly presents at international conferences on case writing and scholarship.

Gary P. Pisano is the Harry E. Figgie, Jr. Professor of Business Administration and senior associate dean of faculty development at Harvard Business School, where he has been on the faculty since 1988. Pisano is an expert in the fields of technology and operations strategy, the management of innovation, and competitive strategy. His research and consulting experience span a range of industries including aerospace, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, health care, nutrition, computers, software, telecommunications, and semiconductors.

Francesca Gino studies how people can have more productive, creative, and fulfilling lives. She is a professor at Harvard Business School and the author, most recently, of  Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life . Gino regularly gives keynote speeches, delivers corporate training programs, and serves in advisory roles for firms and not-for-profit organizations across the globe.

Robert F. Bruner is a university professor at the University of Virginia, distinguished professor of business administration, and dean emeritus of the Darden School of Business. He has also held visiting appointments at Harvard and Columbia universities in the United States, at INSEAD in France, and at IESE in Spain. He is the author, co-author, or editor of more than 20 books on finance, management, and teaching. Currently, he teaches and writes in finance and management.

Related Articles

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Blog Graphic Design

15+ Professional Case Study Examples [Design Tips + Templates]

By Alice Corner , Jan 12, 2023

Have you ever bought something — within the last 10 years or so — without reading its reviews or without a recommendation or prior experience of using it?

If the answer is no — or at least, rarely — you get my point.

Positive reviews matter for selling to regular customers, and for B2B or SaaS businesses, detailed case studies are important too.

Wondering how to craft a compelling case study ? No worries—I’ve got you covered with 15 marketing case study templates , helpful tips, and examples to ensure your case study converts effectively.

Click to jump ahead:

• What is a Case Study?

Business Case Study Examples

Simple case study examples.

• Marketing Case Study Examples

Sales Case Study Examples

• Case Study FAQs

What is a case study?

A case study is an in-depth, detailed analysis of a specific real-world situation. For example, a case study can be about an individual, group, event, organization, or phenomenon. The purpose of a case study is to understand its complexities and gain insights into a particular instance or situation.

In the context of a business, however, case studies take customer success stories and explore how they use your product to help them achieve their business goals.

As well as being valuable marketing tools , case studies are a good way to evaluate your product as it allows you to objectively examine how others are using it.

It’s also a good way to interview your customers about why they work with you.

Related: What is a Case Study? [+6 Types of Case Studies]

Marketing Case Study Template

A marketing case study showcases how your product or services helped potential clients achieve their business goals. You can also create case studies of internal, successful marketing projects. A marketing case study typically includes:

• Company background and history
• The challenge
• How you helped
• Specific actions taken
• Visuals or Data
• Client testimonials

Here’s an example of a marketing case study template:

Whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, business case studies can be a powerful resource to help with your sales, marketing, and even internal departmental awareness.

Business and business management case studies should encompass strategic insights alongside anecdotal and qualitative findings, like in the business case study examples below.

Conduct a B2B case study by researching the company holistically

When it comes to writing a case study, make sure you approach the company holistically and analyze everything from their social media to their sales.

Think about every avenue your product or service has been of use to your case study company, and ask them about the impact this has had on their wider company goals.

In business case study examples like the one above, we can see that the company has been thought about holistically simply by the use of icons.

By combining social media icons with icons that show in-person communication we know that this is a well-researched and thorough case study.

This case study report example could also be used within an annual or end-of-year report.

Highlight the key takeaway from your marketing case study

To create a compelling case study, identify the key takeaways from your research. Use catchy language to sum up this information in a sentence, and present this sentence at the top of your page.

This is “at a glance” information and it allows people to gain a top-level understanding of the content immediately. 

You can use a large, bold, contrasting font to help this information stand out from the page and provide interest.

Learn  how to choose fonts  effectively with our Venngage guide and once you’ve done that.

Upload your fonts and  brand colors  to Venngage using the  My Brand Kit  tool and see them automatically applied to your designs.

The heading is the ideal place to put the most impactful information, as this is the first thing that people will read.

In this example, the stat of “Increase[d] lead quality by 90%” is used as the header. It makes customers want to read more to find out how exactly lead quality was increased by such a massive amount.

If you’re conducting an in-person interview, you could highlight a direct quote or insight provided by your interview subject.

Pick out a catchy sentence or phrase, or the key piece of information your interview subject provided and use that as a way to draw a potential customer in.

Use charts to visualize data in your business case studies

Charts are an excellent way to visualize data and to bring statistics and information to life. Charts make information easier to understand and to illustrate trends or patterns.

Making charts is even easier with Venngage.

In this consulting case study example, we can see that a chart has been used to demonstrate the difference in lead value within the Lead Elves case study.

Adding a chart here helps break up the information and add visual value to the case study. 

Using charts in your case study can also be useful if you’re creating a project management case study.

You could use a Gantt chart or a project timeline to show how you have managed the project successfully.

Use direct quotes to build trust in your marketing case study

To add an extra layer of authenticity you can include a direct quote from your customer within your case study.

According to research from Nielsen , 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer and 70% trust recommendations even if they’re from somebody they don’t know.

So if you have a customer or client who can’t stop singing your praises, make sure you get a direct quote from them and include it in your case study.

You can either lift part of the conversation or interview, or you can specifically request a quote. Make sure to ask for permission before using the quote.

This design uses a bright contrasting speech bubble to show that it includes a direct quote, and helps the quote stand out from the rest of the text.

This will help draw the customer’s attention directly to the quote, in turn influencing them to use your product or service.

Less is often more, and this is especially true when it comes to creating designs. Whilst you want to create a professional-looking, well-written and design case study – there’s no need to overcomplicate things.

These simple case study examples show that smart clean designs and informative content can be an effective way to showcase your successes.

Use colors and fonts to create a professional-looking case study

Business case studies shouldn’t be boring. In fact, they should be beautifully and professionally designed.

This means the normal rules of design apply. Use fonts, colors, and icons to create an interesting and visually appealing case study.

In this case study example, we can see how multiple fonts have been used to help differentiate between the headers and content, as well as complementary colors and eye-catching icons.

Marketing case study examples

Marketing case studies are incredibly useful for showing your marketing successes. Every successful marketing campaign relies on influencing a consumer’s behavior, and a great case study can be a great way to spotlight your biggest wins.

In the marketing case study examples below, a variety of designs and techniques to create impactful and effective case studies.

Show off impressive results with a bold marketing case study

Case studies are meant to show off your successes, so make sure you feature your positive results prominently. Using bold and bright colors as well as contrasting shapes, large bold fonts, and simple icons is a great way to highlight your wins.

In well-written case study examples like the one below, the big wins are highlighted on the second page with a bright orange color and are highlighted in circles.

Making the important data stand out is especially important when attracting a prospective customer with marketing case studies.

Use a simple but clear layout in your case study

Using a simple layout in your case study can be incredibly effective, like in the example of a case study below.

Keeping a clean white background, and using slim lines to help separate the sections is an easy way to format your case study.

Making the information clear helps draw attention to the important results, and it helps improve the  accessibility of the design .

Business case study examples like this would sit nicely within a larger report, with a consistent layout throughout.

Use visuals and icons to create an engaging and branded business case study

Nobody wants to read pages and pages of text — and that’s why Venngage wants to help you communicate your ideas visually.

Using icons, graphics, photos, or patterns helps create a much more engaging design. 

With this Blue Cap case study icons, colors, and impactful pattern designs have been used to create an engaging design that catches your eye.

Use a monochromatic color palette to create a professional and clean case study

Let your research shine by using a monochromatic and minimalistic color palette.

By sticking to one color, and leaving lots of blank space you can ensure your design doesn’t distract a potential customer from your case study content.

In this case study on Polygon Media, the design is simple and professional, and the layout allows the prospective customer to follow the flow of information.

The gradient effect on the left-hand column helps break up the white background and adds an interesting visual effect.

Did you know you can generate an accessible color palette with Venngage? Try our free accessible color palette generator today and create a case study that delivers and looks pleasant to the eye:

Add long term goals in your case study

When creating a case study it’s a great idea to look at both the short term and the long term goals of the company to gain the best understanding possible of the insights they provide.

Short-term goals will be what the company or person hopes to achieve in the next few months, and long-term goals are what the company hopes to achieve in the next few years.

Check out this modern pattern design example of a case study below:

In this case study example, the short and long-term goals are clearly distinguished by light blue boxes and placed side by side so that they are easy to compare.

Use a strong introductory paragraph to outline the overall strategy and goals before outlining the specific short-term and long-term goals to help with clarity.

This strategy can also be handy when creating a consulting case study.

Use data to make concrete points about your sales and successes

When conducting any sort of research stats, facts, and figures are like gold dust (aka, really valuable).

Being able to quantify your findings is important to help understand the information fully. Saying sales increased 10% is much more effective than saying sales increased.

While sales dashboards generally tend it make it all about the numbers and charts, in sales case study examples, like this one, the key data and findings can be presented with icons. This contributes to the potential customer’s better understanding of the report.

They can clearly comprehend the information and it shows that the case study has been well researched.

Use emotive, persuasive, or action based language in your marketing case study

Create a compelling case study by using emotive, persuasive and action-based language when customizing your case study template.

In this well-written case study example, we can see that phrases such as “Results that Speak Volumes” and “Drive Sales” have been used.

Using persuasive language like you would in a blog post. It helps inspire potential customers to take action now.

Keep your potential customers in mind when creating a customer case study for marketing

82% of marketers use case studies in their marketing  because it’s such an effective tool to help quickly gain customers’ trust and to showcase the potential of your product.

Why are case studies such an important tool in content marketing?

By writing a case study you’re telling potential customers that they can trust you because you’re showing them that other people do.

Not only that, but if you have a SaaS product, business case studies are a great way to show how other people are effectively using your product in their company.

In this case study, Network is demonstrating how their product has been used by Vortex Co. with great success; instantly showing other potential customers that their tool works and is worth using.

Related: 10+ Case Study Infographic Templates That Convert

Case studies are particularly effective as a sales technique.

A sales case study is like an extended customer testimonial, not only sharing opinions of your product – but showcasing the results you helped your customer achieve.

Make impactful statistics pop in your sales case study

Writing a case study doesn’t mean using text as the only medium for sharing results.

You should use icons to highlight areas of your research that are particularly interesting or relevant, like in this example of a case study:

Icons are a great way to help summarize information quickly and can act as visual cues to help draw the customer’s attention to certain areas of the page.

In some of the business case study examples above, icons are used to represent the impressive areas of growth and are presented in a way that grabs your attention.

Use high contrast shapes and colors to draw attention to key information in your sales case study

Help the key information stand out within your case study by using high contrast shapes and colors.

Use a complementary or contrasting color, or use a shape such as a rectangle or a circle for maximum impact.

This design has used dark blue rectangles to help separate the information and make it easier to read.

Coupled with icons and strong statistics, this information stands out on the page and is easily digestible and retainable for a potential customer.

Case Study Examples Summary

Once you have created your case study, it’s best practice to update your examples on a regular basis to include up-to-date statistics, data, and information.

You should update your business case study examples often if you are sharing them on your website .

It’s also important that your case study sits within your brand guidelines – find out how Venngage’s My Brand Kit tool can help you create consistently branded case study templates.

Case studies are important marketing tools – but they shouldn’t be the only tool in your toolbox. Content marketing is also a valuable way to earn consumer trust.

Case Study FAQ

Why should you write a case study.

Case studies are an effective marketing technique to engage potential customers and help build trust.

By producing case studies featuring your current clients or customers, you are showcasing how your tool or product can be used. You’re also showing that other people endorse your product.

In addition to being a good way to gather positive testimonials from existing customers , business case studies are good educational resources and can be shared amongst your company or team, and used as a reference for future projects.

How should you write a case study?

To create a great case study, you should think strategically. The first step, before starting your case study research, is to think about what you aim to learn or what you aim to prove.

You might be aiming to learn how a company makes sales or develops a new product. If this is the case, base your questions around this.

You can learn more about writing a case study  from our extensive guide.

Related: How to Present a Case Study like a Pro (With Examples)

Some good questions you could ask would be:

• Why do you use our tool or service?
• How often do you use our tool or service?
• What does the process of using our product look like to you?
• If our product didn’t exist, what would you be doing instead?
• What is the number one benefit you’ve found from using our tool?

You might also enjoy:

• 12 Essential Consulting Templates For Marketing, Planning and Branding
• Best Marketing Strategies for Consultants and Freelancers in 2019 [Study + Infographic]

Business growth

Marketing tips

16 case study examples (+ 3 templates to make your own)

I like to think of case studies as a business's version of a resume. It highlights what the business can do, lends credibility to its offer, and contains only the positive bullet points that paint it in the best light possible.

Imagine if the guy running your favorite taco truck followed you home so that he could "really dig into how that burrito changed your life." I see the value in the practice. People naturally prefer a tried-and-true burrito just as they prefer tried-and-true products or services.

To help you showcase your success and flesh out your burrito questionnaire, I've put together some case study examples and key takeaways.

What is a case study?

A case study is an in-depth analysis of how your business, product, or service has helped past clients. It can be a document, a webpage, or a slide deck that showcases measurable, real-life results.

For example, if you're a SaaS company, you can analyze your customers' results after a few months of using your product to measure its effectiveness. You can then turn this analysis into a case study that further proves to potential customers what your product can do and how it can help them overcome their challenges.

It changes the narrative from "I promise that we can do X and Y for you" to "Here's what we've done for businesses like yours, and we can do it for you, too."

16 case study examples 

While most case studies follow the same structure, quite a few try to break the mold and create something unique. Some businesses lean heavily on design and presentation, while others pursue a detailed, stat-oriented approach. Some businesses try to mix both.

There's no set formula to follow, but I've found that the best case studies utilize impactful design to engage readers and leverage statistics and case details to drive the point home. A case study typically highlights the companies, the challenges, the solution, and the results. The examples below will help inspire you to do it, too.

1. .css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class]{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentColor;cursor:pointer;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class]{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentColor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='ocean']{color:#3d4592;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='ocean']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='ocean']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='white']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='white']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='white']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='primary']{color:#3d4592;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='primary']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='primary']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='secondary']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='secondary']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-color='secondary']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-1l9i3yq-Link[class][class][class][class][class][data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} Volcanica Coffee and AdRoll

People love a good farm-to-table coffee story, and boy am I one of them. But I've shared this case study with you for more reasons than my love of coffee. I enjoyed this study because it was written as though it was a letter.

In this case study, the founder of Volcanica Coffee talks about the journey from founding the company to personally struggling with learning and applying digital marketing to finding and enlisting AdRoll's services.

It felt more authentic, less about AdRoll showcasing their worth and more like a testimonial from a grateful and appreciative client. After the story, the case study wraps up with successes, milestones, and achievements. Note that quite a few percentages are prominently displayed at the top, providing supporting evidence that backs up an inspiring story.

Takeaway: Highlight your goals and measurable results to draw the reader in and provide concise, easily digestible information.

2. Taylor Guitars and Airtable

This Airtable case study on Taylor Guitars comes as close as one can to an optimal structure. It features a video that represents the artistic nature of the client, highlighting key achievements and dissecting each element of Airtable's influence.

It also supplements each section with a testimonial or quote from the client, using their insights as a catalyst for the case study's narrative. For example, the case study quotes the social media manager and project manager's insights regarding team-wide communication and access before explaining in greater detail.

Takeaway: Highlight pain points your business solves for its client, and explore that influence in greater detail.

3. EndeavourX and Figma

My favorite part of Figma's case study is highlighting why EndeavourX chose its solution. You'll notice an entire section on what Figma does for teams and then specifically for EndeavourX.

It also places a heavy emphasis on numbers and stats. The study, as brief as it is, still manages to pack in a lot of compelling statistics about what's possible with Figma.

Takeaway: Showcase the "how" and "why" of your product's differentiators and how they benefit your customers.

4. ActiveCampaign and Zapier

Zapier's case study leans heavily on design, using graphics to present statistics and goals in a manner that not only remains consistent with the branding but also actively pushes it forward, drawing users' eyes to the information most important to them. 

The graphics, emphasis on branding elements, and cause/effect style tell the story without requiring long, drawn-out copy that risks boring readers. Instead, the cause and effect are concisely portrayed alongside the client company's information for a brief and easily scannable case study.

Takeaway: Lean on design to call attention to the most important elements of your case study, and make sure it stays consistent with your branding.

5. Ironclad and OpenAI

In true OpenAI fashion, this case study is a block of text. There's a distinct lack of imagery, but the study features a narrated video walking readers through the product.

The lack of imagery and color may not be the most inviting, but utilizing video format is commendable. It helps thoroughly communicate how OpenAI supported Ironclad in a way that allows the user to sit back, relax, listen, and be impressed. 

Takeaway: Get creative with the media you implement in your case study. Videos can be a very powerful addition when a case study requires more detailed storytelling.

6. Shopify and GitHub

GitHub's case study on Shopify is a light read. It addresses client pain points and discusses the different aspects its product considers and improves for clients. It touches on workflow issues, internal systems, automation, and security. It does a great job of representing what one company can do with GitHub.

To drive the point home, the case study features colorful quote callouts from the Shopify team, sharing their insights and perspectives on the partnership, the key issues, and how they were addressed.

Takeaway: Leverage quotes to boost the authoritativeness and trustworthiness of your case study. 

7 . Audible and Contentful

Contentful's case study on Audible features almost every element a case study should. It includes not one but two videos and clearly outlines the challenge, solution, and outcome before diving deeper into what Contentful did for Audible. The language is simple, and the writing is heavy with quotes and personal insights.

This case study is a uniquely original experience. The fact that the companies in question are perhaps two of the most creative brands out there may be the reason. I expected nothing short of a detailed analysis, a compelling story, and video content. 

Takeaway: Inject some brand voice into the case study, and create assets that tell the story for you.

8 . Zoom and Asana

Asana's case study on Zoom is longer than the average piece and features detailed data on Zoom's growth since 2020. Instead of relying on imagery and graphics, it features several quotes and testimonials. 

It's designed to be direct, informative, and promotional. At some point, the case study reads more like a feature list. There were a few sections that felt a tad too promotional for my liking, but to each their own burrito.

Takeaway: Maintain a balance between promotional and informative. You want to showcase the high-level goals your product helped achieve without losing the reader.

9 . Hickies and Mailchimp

I've always been a fan of Mailchimp's comic-like branding, and this case study does an excellent job of sticking to their tradition of making information easy to understand, casual, and inviting.

It features a short video that briefly covers Hickies as a company and Mailchimp's efforts to serve its needs for customer relationships and education processes. Overall, this case study is a concise overview of the partnership that manages to convey success data and tell a story at the same time. What sets it apart is that it does so in a uniquely colorful and brand-consistent manner.

Takeaway: Be concise to provide as much value in as little text as possible.

10. NVIDIA and Workday

The gaming industry is notoriously difficult to recruit for, as it requires a very specific set of skills and experience. This case study focuses on how Workday was able to help fill that recruitment gap for NVIDIA, one of the biggest names in the gaming world.

Though it doesn't feature videos or graphics, this case study stood out to me in how it structures information like "key products used" to give readers insight into which tools helped achieve these results.

Takeaway: If your company offers multiple products or services, outline exactly which ones were involved in your case study, so readers can assess each tool.

11. KFC and Contentful

I'm personally not a big KFC fan, but that's only because I refuse to eat out of a bucket. My aversion to the bucket format aside, Contentful follows its consistent case study format in this one, outlining challenges, solutions, and outcomes before diving into the nitty-gritty details of the project.

Say what you will about KFC, but their primary product (chicken) does present a unique opportunity for wordplay like "Continuing to march to the beat of a digital-first drum(stick)" or "Delivering deep-fried goodness to every channel."

Takeaway: Inject humor into your case study if there's room for it and if it fits your brand. 

12. Intuit and Twilio

Twilio does an excellent job of delivering achievements at the very beginning of the case study and going into detail in this two-minute read. While there aren't many graphics, the way quotes from the Intuit team are implemented adds a certain flair to the study and breaks up the sections nicely.

It's simple, concise, and manages to fit a lot of information in easily digestible sections.

Takeaway: Make sure each section is long enough to inform but brief enough to avoid boring readers. Break down information for each section, and don't go into so much detail that you lose the reader halfway through.

13. Spotify and Salesforce

Salesforce created a video that accurately summarizes the key points of the case study. Beyond that, the page itself is very light on content, and sections are as short as one paragraph.

I especially like how information is broken down into "What you need to know," "Why it matters," and "What the difference looks like." I'm not ashamed of being spoon-fed information. When it's structured so well and so simply, it makes for an entertaining read.

Takeaway: Invest in videos that capture and promote your partnership with your case study subject. Video content plays a promotional role that extends beyond the case study in social media and marketing initiatives .

14. Benchling and Airtable

Benchling is an impressive entity in its own right. Biotech R&D and health care nuances go right over my head. But the research and digging I've been doing in the name of these burritos (case studies) revealed that these products are immensely complex. 

And that's precisely why this case study deserves a read—it succeeds at explaining a complex project that readers outside the industry wouldn't know much about.

Takeaway: Simplify complex information, and walk readers through the company's operations and how your business helped streamline them.

15. Chipotle and Hubble

The concision of this case study is refreshing. It features two sections—the challenge and the solution—all in 316 words. This goes to show that your case study doesn't necessarily need to be a four-figure investment with video shoots and studio time. 

Sometimes, the message is simple and short enough to convey in a handful of paragraphs.

Takeaway: Consider what you should include instead of what you can include. Assess the time, resources, and effort you're able and willing to invest in a case study, and choose which elements you want to include from there.

16. Hudl and Zapier

I may be biased, but I'm a big fan of seeing metrics and achievements represented in branded graphics. It can be a jarring experience to navigate a website, then visit a case study page and feel as though you've gone to a completely different website.

The Zapier format provides nuggets of high-level insights, milestones, and achievements, as well as the challenge, solution, and results. My favorite part of this case study is how it's supplemented with a blog post detailing how Hudl uses Zapier automation to build a seamless user experience.

The case study is essentially the summary, and the blog article is the detailed analysis that provides context beyond X achievement or Y goal.

Takeaway: Keep your case study concise and informative. Create other resources to provide context under your blog, media or press, and product pages.

3 case study templates

Now that you've had your fill of case studies (if that's possible), I've got just what you need: an infinite number of case studies, which you can create yourself with these case study templates.

Case study template 1

If you've got a quick hit of stats you want to show off, try this template. The opening section gives space for a short summary and three visually appealing stats you can highlight, followed by a headline and body where you can break the case study down more thoroughly. This one's pretty simple, with only sections for solutions and results, but you can easily continue the formatting to add more sections as needed.

Case study template 2

For a case study template with a little more detail, use this one. Opening with a striking cover page for a quick overview, this one goes on to include context, stakeholders, challenges, multiple quote callouts, and quick-hit stats. 

Case study template 3

Whether you want a little structural variation or just like a nice dark green, this template has similar components to the last template but is designed to help tell a story. Move from the client overview through a description of your company before getting to the details of how you fixed said company's problems.

Tips for writing a case study

Examples are all well and good, but you don't learn how to make a burrito just by watching tutorials on YouTube without knowing what any of the ingredients are. You could , but it probably wouldn't be all that good.

Writing a good case study comes down to a mix of creativity, branding, and the capacity to invest in the project. With those details in mind, here are some case study tips to follow:

Have an objective: Define your objective by identifying the challenge, solution, and results. Assess your work with the client and focus on the most prominent wins. You're speaking to multiple businesses and industries through the case study, so make sure you know what you want to say to them.

Focus on persuasive data: Growth percentages and measurable results are your best friends. Extract your most compelling data and highlight it in your case study.

Use eye-grabbing graphics: Branded design goes a long way in accurately representing your brand and retaining readers as they review the study. Leverage unique and eye-catching graphics to keep readers engaged. 

Simplify data presentation: Some industries are more complex than others, and sometimes, data can be difficult to understand at a glance. Make sure you present your data in the simplest way possible. Make it concise, informative, and easy to understand.

Use automation to drive results for your case study

A case study example is a source of inspiration you can leverage to determine how to best position your brand's work. Find your unique angle, and refine it over time to help your business stand out. Ask anyone: the best burrito in town doesn't just appear at the number one spot. They find their angle (usually the house sauce) and leverage it to stand out.

In fact, with the right technology, it can be refined to work better . Explore how Zapier's automation features can help drive results for your case study by making your case study a part of a developed workflow that creates a user journey through your website, your case studies, and into the pipeline.

Case study FAQ

Got your case study template? Great—it's time to gather the team for an awkward semi-vague data collection task. While you do that, here are some case study quick answers for you to skim through while you contemplate what to call your team meeting.

What is an example of a case study?

An example of a case study is when a software company analyzes its results from a client project and creates a webpage, presentation, or document that focuses on high-level results, challenges, and solutions in an attempt to showcase effectiveness and promote the software.

How do you write a case study?

To write a good case study, you should have an objective, identify persuasive and compelling data, leverage graphics, and simplify data. Case studies typically include an analysis of the challenge, solution, and results of the partnership.

What is the format of a case study?

While case studies don't have a set format, they're often portrayed as reports or essays that inform readers about the partnership and its results. 

Related reading:

How Hudl uses automation to create a seamless user experience

How to make your case studies high-stakes—and why it matters

How experts write case studies that convert, not bore

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Hachem Ramki

Hachem is a writer and digital marketer from Montreal. After graduating with a degree in English, Hachem spent seven years traveling around the world before moving to Canada. When he's not writing, he enjoys Basketball, Dungeons and Dragons, and playing music for friends and family.

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The Secret Behind Successful Corporate Transformations

• Paul A. Argenti,
• Jenifer Berman,
• Ryan Calsbeek,
• Andrew Whitehouse

New research finds that just 22% percent succeed — and how you treat your employees can make all the difference.

There have been surprisingly few studies that set out to quantify what makes for a successful corporate transformation. Using a meta-analysis that crunched data on financial performance as well as corporate reputation, the authors examined 128 global companies that had undergone transformation between 2016 and 2020 and found that: 1) Transformation is even harder than expected (only 22% of companies in their sample were successful), and 2) Successful companies shared a common focus on initiatives that prioritized employees, including DE&I programs and support for women managers’ careers, in addition to competitive pay and access to health care.

Successful enterprise transformation has long been considered the holy grail of the corporate world — continually sought after, but difficult to grasp. More than 25 years ago, John Kotter highlighted the challenge when he made his now-famous assertion that 70% of corporate transformation efforts are doomed to fail.

• PA Paul A. Argenti is Professor of Corporate Communication at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business in Hanover, New Hampshire. He is the author of Corporate Communication , 7th edition (McGraw Hill, 2016) and Corporate Responsibility (Sage, 2015).
• JB Jenifer Berman is the former chief marketing officer of Insider Inc. and recently joined Goldman Sachs as the global head of content.
• RC Ryan Calsbeek is an Associate Professor of Biology at Dartmouth College.
• AW Andrew Whitehouse is the founder and managing partner of communications consulting firm Copperfield Advisory.

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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

Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2017

We generated a list of the 40 most popular Yale School of Management case studies in 2017 by combining data from our publishers, Google analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption. In compiling the list, we gave additional weight to usage outside Yale

We generated a list of the 40 most popular Yale School of Management case studies in 2017 by combining data from our publishers, Google analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption. In compiling the list, we gave additional weight to usage outside Yale.

Case topics represented on the list vary widely, but a number are drawn from the case team’s focus on healthcare, asset management, and sustainability. The cases also draw on Yale’s continued emphasis on corporate governance, ethics, and the role of business in state and society. Of note, nearly half of the most popular cases feature a woman as either the main protagonist or, in the case of raw cases where multiple characters take the place of a single protagonist, a major leader within the focal organization. While nearly a fourth of the cases were written in the past year, some of the most popular, including Cadbury and Design at Mayo, date from the early years of our program over a decade ago. Nearly two-thirds of the most popular cases were “raw” cases - Yale’s novel, web-based template which allows for a combination of text, documents, spreadsheets, and videos in a single case website.

Read on to learn more about the top 10 most popular cases followed by a complete list of the top 40 cases of 2017.  A selection of the top 40 cases are available for purchase through our online store . 

#1 - Coffee 2016

Faculty Supervision: Todd Cort

Coffee 2016 asks students to consider the coffee supply chain and generate ideas for what can be done to equalize returns across various stakeholders. The case draws a parallel between coffee and wine. Both beverages encourage connoisseurship, but only wine growers reap a premium for their efforts to ensure quality.  The case describes the history of coffee production across the world, the rise of the “third wave” of coffee consumption in the developed world, the efforts of the Illy Company to help coffee growers, and the differences between “fair” trade and direct trade. Faculty have found the case provides a wide canvas to discuss supply chain issues, examine marketing practices, and encourage creative solutions to business problems. 

#2 - AXA: Creating New Corporate Responsibility Metrics

Faculty Supervision: Todd Cort and David Bach

The case describes AXA’s corporate responsibility (CR) function. The company, a global leader in insurance and asset management, had distinguished itself in CR since formally establishing a CR unit in 2008. As the case opens, AXA’s CR unit is being moved from the marketing function to the strategy group occasioning a thorough review as to how CR should fit into AXA’s operations and strategy. Students are asked to identify CR issues of particular concern to the company, examine how addressing these issues would add value to the company, and then create metrics that would capture a business unit’s success or failure in addressing the concerns.

#3 - IBM Corporate Service Corps

Faculty Supervision: David Bach in cooperation with University of Ghana Business School and EGADE

The case considers IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC), a program that had become the largest pro bono consulting program in the world. The case describes the program’s triple-benefit: leadership training to the brightest young IBMers, brand recognition for IBM in emerging markets, and community improvement in the areas served by IBM’s host organizations. As the program entered its second decade in 2016, students are asked to consider how the program can be improved. The case allows faculty to lead a discussion about training, marketing in emerging economies, and various ways of providing social benefit. The case highlights the synergies as well as trade-offs between pursuing these triple benefits.

#4 - Cadbury: An Ethical Company Struggles to Insure the Integrity of Its Supply Chain

Faculty Supervision: Ira Millstein

The case describes revelations that the production of cocoa in the Côte d’Ivoire involved child slave labor. These stories hit Cadbury especially hard. Cadbury's culture had been deeply rooted in the religious traditions of the company's founders, and the organization had paid close attention to the welfare of its workers and its sourcing practices. The US Congress was considering legislation that would allow chocolate grown on certified plantations to be labeled “slave labor free,” painting the rest of the industry in a bad light. Chocolate producers had asked for time to rectify the situation, but the extension they negotiated was running out. Students are asked whether Cadbury should join with the industry to lobby for more time?  What else could Cadbury do to ensure its supply chain was ethically managed?

#5 - 360 State Real Options

Faculty Supervision: Matthew Spiegel

In 2010 developer Bruce Becker (SOM ‘85) completed 360 State Street, a major new construction project in downtown New Haven. Just west of the apartment building, a 6,000-square-foot pocket of land from the original parcel remained undeveloped. Becker had a number of alternatives to consider in regards to the site. He also had no obligation to build. He could bide his time. But Becker worried about losing out on rents should he wait too long. Students are asked under what set of circumstances and at what time would it be most advantageous to proceed?

#6 - Design at Mayo

Faculty Supervision: Rodrigo Canales and William Drentell

The case describes how the Mayo Clinic, one of the most prominent hospitals in the world, engaged designers and built a research institute, the Center for Innovation (CFI), to study the processes of healthcare provision. The case documents the many incremental innovations the designers were able to implement and the way designers learned to interact with physicians and vice-versa.

In 2010 there were questions about how the CFI would achieve its stated aspiration of “transformational change” in the healthcare field. Students are asked what would a major change in health care delivery look like? How should the CFI's impact be measured? Were the center's structure and processes appropriate for transformational change? Faculty have found this a great case to discuss institutional obstacles to innovation, the importance of culture in organizational change efforts, and the differences in types of innovation.

This case is freely available to the public.

#7 - Ant Financial

Faculty Supervision: K. Sudhir in cooperation with Renmin University of China School of Business

In 2015, Ant Financial’s MYbank (an offshoot of Jack Ma’s Alibaba company) was looking to extend services to rural areas in China by providing small loans to farmers. Microloans have always been costly for financial institutions to offer to the unbanked (though important in development) but MYbank believed that fintech innovations such as using the internet to communicate with loan applicants and judge their credit worthiness would make the program sustainable. Students are asked whether MYbank could operate the program at scale? Would its big data and technical analysis provide an accurate measure of credit risk for loans to small customers? Could MYbank rely on its new credit-scoring system to reduce operating costs to make the program sustainable?

#8 - Business Leadership in South Africa’s 1994 Reforms

Faculty Supervision: Ian Shapiro

This case examines the role of business in South Africa's historic transition away from apartheid to popular sovereignty. The case provides a previously untold oral history of this key moment in world history, presenting extensive video interviews with business leaders who spearheaded behind-the-scenes negotiations between the African National Congress and the government. Faculty teaching the case have used the material to push students to consider business’s role in a divided society and ask: What factors led business leaders to act to push the country's future away from isolation toward a "high road" of participating in an increasingly globalized economy? What techniques and narratives did they use to keep the two sides talking and resolve the political impasse? And, if business leadership played an important role in the events in South Africa, could they take a similar role elsewhere?

#9 - Shake Shack IPO

Faculty Supervision: Jake Thomas and Geert Rouwenhorst

From an art project in a New York City park, Shake Shack developed a devoted fan base that greeted new Shake Shack locations with cheers and long lines. When Shake Shack went public on January 30, 2015, investors displayed a similar enthusiasm. Opening day investors bid up the $21 per share offering price by 118% to reach $45.90 at closing bell. By the end of May, investors were paying $92.86 per share. Students are asked if this price represented a realistic valuation of the enterprise and if not, what was Shake Shack truly worth? The case provides extensive information on Shake Shack’s marketing, competitors, operations and financials, allowing instructors to weave a wide variety of factors into a valuation of the company.

#10 - Searching for a Search Fund Structure

Faculty Supervision: AJ Wasserstein

This case considers how young entrepreneurs structure search funds to find businesses to take over. The case describes an MBA student who meets with a number of successful search fund entrepreneurs who have taken alternative routes to raising funds. The case considers the issues of partnering, soliciting funds vs. self-funding a search, and joining an incubator. The case provides a platform from which to discuss the pros and cons of various search fund structures.

40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2017

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12 Case Studies of Companies that Revised How They Compensate Employees

S HRM has partnered with ChiefExecutive.net to bring you relevant articles on key HR topics and strategies.

Higher compensation is part of the ransom for dealing with the pandemic for most American companies and industries. So salaries, wages, benefits and perks will cost them more—perhaps a lot more—in the year ahead.

The way CEOs and CHROs can make sure the Great Raise works to their companies' advantage is to be proactive, creative and equitable about it. Yet they also must weigh strategically the demands of the moment with their long-term compensation strategy.

"This is a time for real balance when it comes to how you deal with retention and attraction," said Paul Knopp, chair and CEO of KPMG US. "We all have to make sure we meet the market when it comes to base compensation, but the market has changed in a way that you also have to look at those benefits that are most attractive to employees for their careers."

While median full-time earnings of $1,001 per week in the third quarter of 2021 were nearly 9% higher than two years earlier, according to the Labor Department, expectations for 2022 remain frothy given the tight market for talent, the free-agent ethos encouraged by remote work, the geographic reshuffling of workers and decades-high inflation. U.S. wages will increase by 3.9 percent in 2022, according to the Conference Board, the highest rate since 2008.

The compensation surge is occurring at the high end, at a low end that's getting higher and everywhere in between. Goldman Sachs, for example, is offering paid leave for pregnancy loss and expanding the amount of time employees can take for bereavement leave while also boosting its retirement-fund matching contributions for U.S. employees to 6% of total compensation, or 8% for those making $125,000 a year or less.

Meanwhile, at Tyson Foods' chicken-processing plant in New Holland, Pa., the company has started offering a three-day workweek, plus pay for a fourth day that retains employees' status as full-time workers. Just for good measure, Tyson has created a $3,000 sign-on bonus for new hires.

"We're in a bidding war for talent that will go on for a long time," said Alan Beaulieu, president of ITR Economics.

For CEOs and CHROs, several new factors demand their attention along with the overall spike in compensation. They include:

• The end of retention. The "idea of a long-term commitment to one employer has been dead for a while, but it's really dead now," said Dave Roberson, CEO of the RoseRyan financial consulting firm. "You must have a stream of people. Assume you're going to be replacing people. So how do you keep the people you have, if you can, but also bring the next group in?"
• High-balling. A deal to recruit someone may not really be a deal these days. "You've made an offer and you think you've got a hire, and then they're asking for $5,000 or $10,000 more," said David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc, an HR consulting firm. "Now you have to ask yourself what makes more sense strategically: say no and hold the line and lose the candidate and restart the process, not knowing how that will work out? Blow up your compensation structure? Or as a Band-Aid, give that person a sign-on bonus in hopes that the package will get them in the door?"
• Need for equalization. Recruiting with higher compensation also requires boosting pay and benefits for retention. "You need to be mindful of what you're paying others in the organization and understand the detrimental impact it will have when you bring someone in alongside a tenured employee," Lewis said. "Operate on the idea that everyone's salary is basically posted on the pantry door in your office."
• A focus on mental health. The pandemic, anti-contagion measures and the takeover of remote work has left many Americans isolated, confused, lonely—or at least disjointed. And they expect their employers to help them cope and adjust.

"Mental health is a real thing, regardless of how [a previous generation of leaders] feel and what we did," said Jeffrey Immelt, former CEO of General Electric. "Particularly post-Covid, it's something worth your time to try to understand."

Many Fortune 500 companies already offered mental-health benefits, but by now "mental health is just a place setter: You've got to have it in place to be competitive in the market today, across the board," said Richard Chaifetz, founder and CEO of ComPsych, a large provider of employee-assistance programs. "Companies understand the importance of keeping their people functioning at the highest level."

Codility, for example, has begun supplying all employees with 27 days of paid time off per year plus four mental-health days, which don't have to be approved. "We're offering these days in addition to personal-time-off days to recognize and bring to light the importance of mental health," said Natalia Panowicz, CEO of the platform that evaluates the skills of software engineers, with its U.S. hub in San Francisco.

CHRO360.com asked a dozen CEOs, CHROs and other top executives about their compensation strategies and practices for 2022. Here are some of their ideas:

Let Them Name Their Salary

Chris kovalik, ceo, rushdown revolt, a video-game maker in new york city.

We started as 12 part-timers, mostly people who were giving me their moonlight hours. That's not a lot different from now, except now we have 75 people. The magic of what we do is that we don't recruit anybody. We're just a magnet. We let people come to us.

When it comes to compensation, some say they wanted to volunteer, that they weren't expecting compensation. But we never, ever allow people to volunteer their time for us. So we say our company minimum wage is $15 an hour, and if you insist, we can pay you that per hour.

But generally people come to us with an expectation of compensation because they see that we're making money. When compensation came up, we'd say, "I don't know what your skill set is. I've never hired you before. How much do you think you're worth, and how much do you need?"

If every hour we're compensating them for the amount of money they want and need, if someone is part-time and only giving me 10 hours a week, I'd argue that they're giving me their best 10 hours. Because they're getting paid what they want and doing things that they want to be attached to and be part of.

There's no pattern to the compensation requests. If their number is too low, we'll say, "Are you sure? Are you just giving me a low-ball number I'll say yes to?" If it's high, I don't talk them down, but I ask them to justify it, and if the justification isn't adequate, what I say is, "How long do you think you'll need to prove that justification? Two to three weeks? Then let's pay you two-third to three-quarters of what you asked, and if you prove it, we'll go up to whatever you said."

Tailor Package for Youth Appeal

Ronald hall jr., ceo, bridgewater interiors, an auto-seat maker in detroit.

We enjoyed very low turnover pre-Covid, but during the last two years we have had to replace probably one-third of our workforce at our largest facility, about the same number from termination as voluntary. So we've had to work harder than ever to recruit.

Our most-tenured employees, who are the most highly trained, have had to pick up the slack, working record amounts of overtime and less-predictable production schedules.

In our upcoming negotiations with the United Auto Workers, we're trying to emphasize short-term bonuses rather than wage increases that get baked into our costs. But we have continued health insurance through the pandemic as well as our tuition-reimbursement program, and many employees have thanked me for that.

What I am hearing from new employees is that they're not as interested in benefits but rather in higher cash wages. We've long touted benefits like our generous 401(k) matching and better medical coverage versus our peers, but we're finding that doesn't resonate as readily now as it did a decade ago. So I've asked my team: Should we be looking at some kind of hybrid model of offering higher wages to people who want those and move those dollars from the benefits side to the wages side?

We've also looked at providing childcare in a partnering arrangement where there could be a center developed near our facilities, and we would arrange for some sort of company subsidy or guarantee some level of attendance. The challenge with that is the auto industry runs around the clock, and you'd need a daycare provider who'd be committed to opening around the clock and provide legal, regulated, benchmark-standard levels of care to all those children in the off hours.

Equalize as You Acquire

Diane dooley, chro, world insurance, a business and personal insurer in tinton falls, n.j..

We onboarded about 800 employees in 2021 through acquisitions of small agencies and organic growth, but there had been no compensation modeling. Now we're building out our compensation philosophy with commission plans, incentives and bonuses, centralizing components and ensuring we have the right framework.

When we do an acquisition, we might retain their compensation model for a year or two years then slowly migrate, but make sure employees aren't taking a cut in pay. We are also capitalizing commissions into base compensation—identifying what commissions would have been and what they will be, and recognizing roles that are moving away from a commission base.

Some agencies we acquire are smaller and may be below-market for total compensation. Now we're addressing those concerns. They need to be more front and center. We must do everything to retain our employee population. If they're woefully underpaid, or not at market, we risk losing people, and we don't want to do that.

Educating the owners of some of the agencies [we acquire] is a piece of this. As we partner with them, we are evaluating them and asking, "Did you give people an increase this year?" We're not telling them what to do but providing guidance about what to do.

We're also modifying and increasing our benefits, such as giving employees pet insurance. And making counteroffers is a critical piece today, usually for high-end employees. They work better than they used to because not a lot of people really want to make a move in this environment.

Innovate for the New World

Jason medley, chief people officer, codility, a provider of skill-evaluation software in london.

We really have to step back and be innovative and force ourselves to change. The companies that are going to win are going to be more progressive early and not fighting what's happening.

One thing we've done is change our outdated compensation models that give higher pay to employees living in tech hubs like San Francisco and New York and lower compensation for areas inside the coasts. Now, we've created a United States-wide salary band, so no matter where you live, the compensation is based on the role, not the location. You can go live and work wherever you want to.

We decided to approach compensation through a very human lens. People have seasonality in life, and maybe they are caregivers at different moments and want to live in different places. We want to be as flexible as possible, and this country band gives us that flexibility.

We are starting to see the same thing in Europe, where we have our headquarters in London and offices in Berlin and Warsaw, and employees all over, especially in Poland. People are wanting to live in the countryside of Spain but demanding a London salary. So we are transitioning to one European Union band and saying, "Here is your rate—live where you want to."

We are also seeing that with global warming, it's harder to get work done for people on the west coast of the U.S. and in Europe, because they didn't build homes with air conditioning. If you're sitting in a house at 90 degrees with no air conditioning, there's no way your performance is the same as someone with AC. Supplementing air conditioning isn't something we thought about before, but now we're very much having to look at those things.

Stay Ahead of Expectations

Traci tapani, ceo, wyoming machine, a sheet-metal fabricator in stacy, minn..

Our wages have gone up by about 20% for the typical worker. When I found people I could hire, I knew they were being brought in at an hourly rate that was too high for what I was paying my incumbent workers.

My strategy has been to be proactive about that and not wait for [existing] employees to say something about it or give them a reason to look for another job. We're proactively making wage adjustments to make sure our incumbent workers are in line.

Employees will leave for more money, so they're very appreciative of it. But in my shop, I also know that people like working here, and I know they don't want to leave. I don't want to give them a reason. If they can get an increase in pay that's substantial, I know that I can cut them off at the pass. Retaining my workforce is my No. 1 strategy. They're already here, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep them.

For that reason, we've also been more generous as time has gone on with paid time off, offering it sooner than we once would have, especially for new workers. We recognize that it's healthy for people to be away from work and also, in the pandemic, people need to be away from work. Knowing they have some paid time off makes it easier for them.

Leverage Benefits for DE&I

Mark newman, ceo, chemours, a chemical manufacturer in wilmington, del..

In general our company hasn't seen the Great Resignation. And in fact, we continue to believe our focus on being a great place to work is serving us well, along with appropriate benchmarking on compensation issues.

Chemours  is  a great place to work. We survey our employees every year, to improve our working environment from a compensation and benefits perspective. Also, from the [diversity, equity and inclusion] perspective, we're trying to make sure we tap into the full breadth of talent in our industry.

That means, for instance, we are helping people more with college loans. We are offering same-sex [marriage] benefits. We are providing more family leave for people who have kids. There is clearly an aspect of our benefits package that is evolving to be consistent with our strategy of making Chemours a great place to work.

Overall, we view compensation as something where we want to be either in the median or upper quartile. It's something we're very focused on from both a wage as well as benefit level. From Covid, there's been no fundamental change as it relates to us wanting to be in the median to top quartile.

We've had to make some local adjustments where the labor market is more super-charged. For example, we see a lot of that in the Gulf Coast region, especially with oil prices coming back, and petrochemicals and refining. But it's very much a regional factor. So if industries are moving to a certain region, like the South, you have to make sure you stay current with local benchmarks.

Offer Skin in the Game

Cesar herrera, ceo, yuvo health, a healthcare administrator in new york city.

We're a year-old company that provides tech-enabled administrative solutions for community health centers across the U.S. that are specifically focused on providing primary-care services for low-income individuals. We have a team of about 10 people right now, and we have a number of open roles and positions where we're likely going to be tripling the size of our team in 2022.

Google can compensate well above the market rate. We don't have that since we're an early-stage organization. What we do have as levers aren't up-front financial compensation but equity, support in your role and a relatively flat organization where you can have significant autonomy.

A lot of individuals are going to be driven by the mission; that's the case with the entire founding team. We've made sacrifices to create this organization. So you can come in at a meaningful position with a lot of decision-making.

But one of the biggest carrots we can give is, if you accept the lower pay and the risk that comes with an early-stage organization, you can have meaningful equity in the company. We have an options pool which is not to exceed 10% ownership of the organization, and as we grow and scale, we increase that options pool. For senior-level leaders, we do expect to be able to distribute up to 10% of the company to them.

Pay Extra for Continuity

Corey stowell, vice president of human resources, webasto americas, a maker of automotive sunroofs in auburn hills, mich..

We had to recruit for several hundred new openings at a brand-new facility right at the beginning of the pandemic. So we instituted an attendance bonus. For those who worked all their hours in a week, we paid an additional $3 an hour. We really had to keep it short-term, so we paid it weekly. If you wanted to pay it every month, you couldn't do it, because people needed that instant gratification.

Otherwise they could get it on unemployment. With our pay rate, they could earn more to stay at home and collect unemployment, a significant amount more than they could earn than working for us. So we also had to increase our wages, and we increased them by more than 20% in some classifications [in the summer of 2020].

We've filled all of our positions, but it's still a challenging market. We've had to increase all our wages, with the lowest for a position being $17 an hour, on up to $30 an hour.

We also have offered stay bonuses of $500 a month for three consecutive months, up to $1,500. And for hourly employees we've instituted a different attendance policy, where they can earn two hours of paid personal time for so many hours that they work consecutively with no attendance issues.

The key is the schedule—we can prepare and get someone to cover. That's easier to do than just managing whoever's going to come in today. In this environment, that really has changed with our workforce, and it's tough to rely on our current workforce.

Give Them the Keys

Elliott rodgers, chief people officer, project44, a freight-tracking software provider in chicago.

We have equipped and subsidized a van that we call Romeo, which employees can use to combine work with personal uses like family road trips. We cover the cost of the rental. It's a luxury van that comes equipped with a bed, a toilet and shower, Wi-Fi, device charging and a desktop workspace. And it's pet friendly.

We started it as a pilot project and reservations were full within 10 minutes of when we posted it internally. Then we extended it into 2022. By the end of 2021, more than 20 unique team members completed or nearly completed reservations. They've ventured out to places spanning Mount Rushmore and the Badlands; Rocky Mountain National Park; Salem, Mass.; and Pennsylvania. A pretty broad number of places.

It's something we're really proud of. It allows our team members the opportunity to work in a lot of different places while still being connected to us. And they've appreciated the opportunities to stay connected, but also be connected in other ways with nature and other places in the world. They can maintain their perspective while also continuing to contribute to their role in a productive way.

When you place a team member at the center of what they'd want in an experience like that, the value of it answers itself. It creates a comfort level where it provides the necessities for you to be able to continue to work, and you can work from anywhere. It's the best of both worlds. It's one thing to find that on your own but another to have that accessible to you via work, but done in a way that caters to you.

Help Them Come, Go—and Stay

Aamir paul, country president - u.s., schneider electric, a maker of electrical distribution and control products in andover, mass..

With our knowledge workforce, it's been about intentional flexibility. So, for instance, we launched a "returnship" program for women who'd left the workforce but might want to come back even at reduced hours. That means 20, 30, up to 40 hours a week, and we're finding some incredibly talented people who haven't been in the workforce.

This program is available to men as well. If there's a field engineer who's been in the electrical industry for 35 years and he's now retiring, but he's five years from getting his medical benefits, we say: Don't retire. Go on the program. Work 20 hours a week. Work from home. We'll reduce your pay proportionally, but we will couple you with three university hires, and they will call you on Microsoft Teams and show you what's happening on the job site, and you're going to walk them through it. Work just three days a week. We'll cover your benefits.

We've also expanded the parental leave policy, which already was one of the best in the industrial sector. And we created a way for people to buy more time off without having to leave their positions. They apply for more unpaid time off and we allow them to retain their position and seniority and allow them to work through whatever life event it is.

We landed on six weeks for the maximum. In the most intense industries—such as a fighter pilot or a surgeon—they've found that six weeks of being out of the rotation allows them to re-set. So that's what we did. Before, the limit was two weeks.

Give Sway to Local Management

Tom salmon, ceo, berry global, a maker of plastic packaging in evansville, ind..

We've got to be competitive in all the geographies we serve. We have 295 sites around the world and manage our employees in those sites geographically. Every geography will be a different labor environment. There are different criteria that employees are looking for. It's not just about wages but taking everything into consideration.

We let local management handle things with their insight about wages and competition. They're hearing directly from employees about what they like and don't like, what they want more of and less of. It's a site-by-site discussion.

For example, at some sites, it may be important for employees to be able to access the internet at lunch; at other sites, they may not value that as much. Some want a more advanced locker facility, with different shower facilities. That includes the southwestern United States, where the temperatures are warmer; but in New England, some might not want that.

In any event, if you treat these things locally, you're going to be able to affect that local population and address the need of that geography. If you blanket something across our entire plant population, you may provide something that's not desired or needed.

We depend on our local management to respond to the different demands in terms of compensation and benefits at their sites. The better the front-line leadership is, and the more satisfied their team is, the higher our retention rate and productivity and safety performance. So these leaders participate in profit-sharing plans for those respective sites, because they have a great influence on the success of a given facility.

Focus Benefits on Flexibility

Paul knopp, chair and ceo, kpmg us, a financial consulting firm in new york.

We announced a new package of enhancements to our benefits and compensation, tied to mental, physical, social and financial well-being. These increases are the biggest in the history of the company. You have to make sure your base compensation meets the market, but you also must have attractive benefits.

For example, we cut healthcare premiums by 10% for 2022 with no change in benefit levels, and we introduced healthcare advocacy services. We are replacing our current 401(k) match and pension programs with a single, automatic company-funded contribution within the plan that's equal to 6% to 8% of eligible pay.

As part of this, we're focusing on the crucial element of ensuring that employees know you're watching out for them. They also are looking for flexibility—you don't want to under-index on how important that is. So we also are providing up to three weeks additional caregiver leave, separate and apart from PTO. And all parents will receive 12 weeks of paid parental leave, in addition to disability leave for employees who give birth, allowing some up to 22 weeks of paid leave. We also have expanded our holiday calendar to now include Juneteenth.

Dale Buss is a long-time contributor to Chief Executive, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and other business publications. He lives in Michigan.

This article is adapted from www.ChiefExecutive.net with permission from Chief Executive. C 2022. All rights reserved.

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• Perceptions of recognition dropped 11% 
• Value of the ESOP dropped 11% 

With the feedback received from engagement surveys, Briggs continued to evaluate benefits, compensation, and team structure across the board. They also worked to understand why techs were not feeling recognized for their contributions.   

Leaders uncovered multiple areas to review. There was frustration around pay gaps between tenured and incoming employees. Work assignments weren’t always aligned with technicians’ strengths and skill level. And there weren’t clear guidelines on increased compensation for new skills and training assistance.     

As a result, Briggs implemented profit sharing in 2022, in addition to ESOP. They created a career path for technicians, providing clarity on what they needed to do to grow, develop, and advance in their career. And finally, they provided more internal classroom training, rather than solely relying on senior technicians.   

The changes the Briggs leadership team made led to impressive results on their next engagement survey:   

• Perceptions of recognition increased 17 points 
• “Senior leaders value people as their most important resource” increased 16 points 
• Perceptions of trust and fairness increased 14 points 
• Perceptions of fair pay increased 14 points  

“Our industry is very competitive. It’s tough to hire skilled technicians,” says Perez, HR Manager at Briggs. “But we’re now hearing that Briggs is becoming the employer of choice in our industry. Our techs are talking and we’re seeing a ton of referrals now.”  

When it comes to acting on survey results, Perez has this advice:   

“Don’t try to boil the ocean,” she says. “You’re going to get a ton of feedback and a lot of things you want to act on–but you can’t do it all at once. You need to focus on what matters most. On what you can give your full attention to.”  

Twin Cities Manufacturing Company Uses Targeted Analysis to Tackle Employee Turnover  

As one of the largest privately held companies in the Midwest, this Twin Cities manufacturer has experienced exponential growth over the last several decades.   

Coinciding with that growth, the company has evolved its employee listening strategy to capture and understand the employee experience. They partner with Quantum Workplace to implement engagement, pulse, and lifecycle surveys .   

• Engagement. The growing manufacturer deploys an employee engagement survey to uncover areas in which the company can move the needle. Leaders pay close attention to what is happening within specific business units and regions.   
• Pulse. The company uses pulse surveys to hear from employees at locations where acquisitions have happened. The goal is to make sure that new employee onboarding is effective, and employees have what they need to succeed.   
• Lifecycle. The company uses exit surveys to get a more holistic view of turnover.  

With data from these surveys, the company can understand macro and micro turnover trends. They can also see how turnover affects different employee demographics and pinpoint reasons for turnover within specific groups. Exit survey analytics have helped the company uncover areas of misalignment and opportunity, including:   

• Creating more clarity on manager/employee workload expectations to help prevent unwanted turnover early in the employee journey 
• Better understanding compensation expectations in a competitive market 

Survey analytics have also helped shed light on why critical roles and skill sets have left the company, and to uncover trends in areas of the business experiencing higher turnover.   

“The labor market is really tight right now, and we get a lot of great intel from the surveys to help us improve the employee experience and understand why people might be leaving,” said the company’s Organization Effectiveness Leader. “In an industry where turnover is pretty high right now, it’s important for us to have this intel in order to stay competitive.”  

Read more about this Twin Cities Manufacturing Company’s success here >>>  

Meritrust Credit Union Use s Surveys to Understand Employee Retention Drivers  

HR leaders at Meritrust Credit Union were focused on retention and turnover in 2022. They wanted to take a deeper dive into the reasons employees leave–and why they stay. Partnering with the People Insights Team at Quantum Workplace, they were able to uncover key information that shed light on just how critical company culture is to their retention strategy.   

When asked to rate “it would take a lot to get me to leave this organization,” Meritrust followed up with a logic-based response based on how employees answered the question.   

• If they responded favorably, they were asked “what makes you stay at this organization?”  
• If they responded unfavorably, they were asked “what would make you leave this organization.”  

Meritrust asked every employee a variation of the question and then turned the responses into a custom survey demographic. What did they find? The primary reasons people stay at Meritrust were:   

• Workplace culture (90%) 
• Career advancement opportunities (89%) 
• Relationship with their manager (84%) 

This proved that culture and career growth are imperative for retention and engagement–something leaders at Meritrust had been trying to improve all along.  

Mutual of Omaha Leverages Pulse Surveys to Un cover Insights and Retain Talent  

A Fortune 500 insurance company, Mutual of Omaha was founded on a simple but powerful principle: to help people in their time of need and protect those they love the most.   

In recent years, the insurance and financial services industries have become increasingly competitive for talent. Mutual of Omaha was having a hard time recruiting for technology roles—and was seeing high turnover within the first two years of employee tenure.   

The company knew that having the right insights would help them understand and troubleshoot turnover effectively—so they turned to Quantum Workplace’s employee engagement platform .     

Mutual of Omaha utilized a broad range of employee surveys to capture feedback at various stages of the employee journey. In addition to leveraging an annual engagement survey, Mutual of Omaha also launches regular pulse surveys to capture critical feedback on important topics.   

• In 2021, they launched a pulse to understand employee perceptions and preferences related to post-pandemic work arrangements. 
• In 2022, they launched a “War for Talent” pulse to get a feel for how equipped the company was (or wasn’t) to attract, engage, and retain top talent.

A strategic employee listening strategy has empowered Mutual of Omaha to gain clarity around what is driving people to stay, what is driving them to leave, and what leaders can do to improve retention and engagement. The company has seen measurable improvements:  

• 94% favorability ratings from new hires after 30 days of employment  
• 93% of associates making progress on a learning and growth plan (a key magnet in the company’s retention strategy)  
• 86% employee retention rate  

Read more about Mutual of Omaha’s success here >>> 

Sammons Financial Group Increases Frequency of Employee Listening to Drive Change  

Sammons Financial Group (SFG) is heavily focused on establishing a “workforce of the future” and best-in-class workplace culture. The company feels both are necessary to retain top talent in a competitive market. To support its retention and talent management efforts, SFG uses employee listening tools from Quantum Workplace.   

Initially, SFG’s survey implementations were infrequent, happening only every 2-3 years. Years later, they had a big question:   

“What are we actually doing to understand employee voice?”   

The company realized employee voices needed to be captured more frequently to achieve a more accurate, timely view. After shortening their engagement survey cadence to 18 months, SFG’s employee engagement efforts started gaining momentum. The company saw an increase in engagement and a stronger organizational commitment to action. The progress led to leadership buying into an annual survey.     

With a regular cadence of employee listening, SFG gains a true year-over-year understanding of employee voices—and can design annual commitments around this timing to better align with opportunities uncovered in the survey data.   

Prior to moving to an annual survey cadence, one of the challenges SFG faced was understanding how to best utilize their data. Now, SFG can equip organizational leaders with the data they need, on a more frequent basis, and understand where to act. They have the potential to activate real, meaningful change when it comes to engagement and retention.  

Read more about Sammons Financial Group’s success here >>>  

Quantum Workplace Can Help You See, Sense, and Stop Costly Turnover  

With the right intel, insights, and a roadmap for change, you can build a culture that draws in and retains your best talent. Quantum Workplace offers employee retention solutions to help keep your top talent engaged and on the path to success—making them more likely to stay.  

Learn How to Keep Your Best Talent by approaching retention with intention in this eBook.

Published December 9, 2022 | Written By Kristin Ryba

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• What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

Published on May 8, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 20, 2023.

A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.

A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods , but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing , comparing, evaluating and understanding different aspects of a research problem .

Table of contents

When to do a case study, step 1: select a case, step 2: build a theoretical framework, step 3: collect your data, step 4: describe and analyze the case, other interesting articles.

A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. It allows you to explore the key characteristics, meanings, and implications of the case.

Case studies are often a good choice in a thesis or dissertation . They keep your project focused and manageable when you don’t have the time or resources to do large-scale research.

You might use just one complex case study where you explore a single subject in depth, or conduct multiple case studies to compare and illuminate different aspects of your research problem.

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Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions , you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on. A good case study should have the potential to:

• Provide new or unexpected insights into the subject
• Challenge or complicate existing assumptions and theories
• Propose practical courses of action to resolve a problem
• Open up new directions for future research

TipIf your research is more practical in nature and aims to simultaneously investigate an issue as you solve it, consider conducting action research instead.

Unlike quantitative or experimental research , a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.

Example of an outlying case studyIn the 1960s the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania was discovered to have extremely low rates of heart disease compared to the US average. It became an important case study for understanding previously neglected causes of heart disease.

However, you can also choose a more common or representative case to exemplify a particular category, experience or phenomenon.

Example of a representative case studyIn the 1920s, two sociologists used Muncie, Indiana as a case study of a typical American city that supposedly exemplified the changing culture of the US at the time.

While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories, they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:

• Exemplify a theory by showing how it explains the case under investigation
• Expand on a theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas that need to be incorporated
• Challenge a theory by exploring an outlier case that doesn’t fit with established assumptions

To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding, you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and develop a theoretical framework . This means identifying key concepts and theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.

There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on your subject. Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews , observations , and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g., newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data.

Example of a mixed methods case studyFor a case study of a wind farm development in a rural area, you could collect quantitative data on employment rates and business revenue, collect qualitative data on local people’s perceptions and experiences, and analyze local and national media coverage of the development.

The aim is to gain as thorough an understanding as possible of the case and its context.

In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.

How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing. Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis , with separate sections or chapters for the methods , results and discussion .

Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from various angles and analyze its meanings and implications (for example, by using textual analysis or discourse analysis ).

In all cases, though, make sure to give contextual details about the case, connect it back to the literature and theory, and discuss how it fits into wider patterns or debates.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Normal distribution
• Degrees of freedom
• Null hypothesis
• Discourse analysis
• Control groups
• Mixed methods research
• Non-probability sampling
• Quantitative research
• Ecological validity

Research bias

• Rosenthal effect
• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Selection bias
• Negativity bias
• Status quo bias

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The CEO guide to customer experience

What do my customers want? The savviest executives are asking this question more frequently than ever, and rightly so. Leading companies understand that they are in the customer-experience business, and they understand that how an organization delivers for customers is beginning to be as important as what it delivers.

This CEO guide taps the expertise of McKinsey and other experts to explore the fundamentals of customer interaction, as well as the steps necessary to redesign the business in a more customer-centric fashion and to organize it for optimal business outcomes. For a quick look at how to improve the customer experience, see the summary infographic.

Armed with advanced analytics, customer-experience leaders gain rapid insights to build customer loyalty, make employees happier, achieve revenue gains of 5 to 10 percent, and reduce costs by 15 to 25 percent within two or three years. But it takes patience and guts to train an organization to see the world through the customer’s eyes and to redesign functions to create value in a customer-centric way. The management task begins with considering the customer—not the organization—at the center of the exercise.

Customer experience

More insight into creating competitive advantage by putting customers first and managing their journeys.

Observe: Understand the interaction through the customer’s eyes

Technology has handed customers unprecedented power to dictate the rules in purchasing goods and services. Three-quarters of them, research finds, expect “now” service within five minutes of making contact online. A similar share want a simple experience, use comparison apps when they shop, and put as much trust in online reviews as in personal recommendations. Increasingly, customers expect from all players the same kind of immediacy, personalization, and convenience that they receive from leading practitioners such as Google and Amazon.

Central to connecting better with customers is putting in place several building blocks of a comprehensive improvement in customer experience.

Identify and understand the customer’s journey.

It means paying attention to the complete, end-to-end experience customers have with a company from their perspective. Too many companies focus on individual interaction touchpoints devoted to billing, onboarding, service calls, and the like. In contrast, a customer journey spans a progression of touchpoints and has a clearly defined beginning and end.

The advantage of focusing on journeys is twofold.

First, even if employees execute well on individual touchpoint interactions, the overall experience can still disappoint (Exhibit 1). More important, McKinsey research finds that customer journeys are significantly more strongly correlated with business outcomes than are touchpoints. A recent McKinsey survey, 1 1. McKinsey US cross-industry customer-experience survey, June–October 2015 data. for example, indicates customer satisfaction with health insurance is 73 percent more likely when journeys work well than when only touchpoints do. Similarly, customers of hotels that get the journey right may be 61 percent more willing to recommend than customers of hotels that merely focus on touchpoints.

Quantify what matters to your customers.

Customers hold companies to high standards for product quality, service performance, and price. How can companies determine which of these factors are the most critical to the customer segments they serve? Which generate the highest economic value? In most companies, there are a handful of critical customer journeys. Understanding them, customer segment by customer segment, helps a business to maintain focus, have a positive impact on customer satisfaction, and begin the process of redesigning functions around customer needs. Analytical tools and big data sources from operations and finance can help organizations parse the factors driving what customers say satisfies them and also the actual customer behavior that creates economic value. Sometimes initial assumptions are overturned. In one airport case study, customer satisfaction had more to do with the behavior of security personnel than with time spent in line (Exhibit 2). For a full view of the airport’s insightful customer-satisfaction exercise, see “ Developing a customer-experience vision .”

Define a clear customer-experience aspiration and common purpose.

In large, distributed organizations, a distinctive customer experience depends on a collective sense of conviction and purpose to serve the customer’s true needs. This purpose must be made clear to every employee through a simple, crisp statement of intent: a shared vision and aspiration that’s authentic and consistent with a company’s brand-value proposition. The most recognizable example of such a shared vision might be the Common Purpose 2 2. The Common Purpose is the intellectual property of The Walt Disney Company. See Talking Points , “Be our guest. . .again,” blog post by Jeff James, December 22, 2011, on disneyinstitute.com/blog. of the Walt Disney Company: “We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere.” The statement of purpose should then be translated into a set of simple principles or standards to guide behavior all the way down to the front line.

Customer journeys are the framework that allows a company to organize itself and mobilize employees to deliver value to customers consistently, in line with its purpose. The journey construct can help align employees around customer needs, despite functional boundaries. As McKinsey’s Ron Ritter elaborated in a recent video, rallying around customers can bring the organization together.

Shape: Redesign the business from the customer back

Customer-experience leaders start with a differentiating purpose and focus on improving the most important customer journey first—whether it be opening a bank account, returning a pair of shoes, installing cable television, or even updating address and account information. Then they improve the steps that make up that journey. To manage expectations, they design supporting processes with customer psychology in mind. They transform their digital profile to remove pain points in interactions, and to set in motion the culture of continuous innovation needed to make more fundamental organizational transformations.

Apply behavioral psychology to interactions.

Deftly shaping customer perceptions can generate significant additional value. One tool leading customer-experience players deploy is behavioral psychology, used as a layer of the design process. Leading researchers have identified the major factors in customer-journey experiences that drive customer perceptions and satisfaction levels. 3 3. Richard Chase and Sriram Dasu, The Customer Service Solution: Managing Emotions, Trust, and Control to Win Your Customer’s Business , Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. For example, savvy companies can design the sequence of interactions with customers to end on a positive note. They can merge different stages of interactions to diminish their perceived duration and engender a feeling of progress. And they can provide simple options that give customers a feeling of control and choice. One pilot study at a consumer-services firm found that improvements in customer-satisfaction scores accrued from “soft” behavioral-psychology initiatives as well as from “hard” improvements in operations (Exhibit 3).

Reinvent customer journeys using digital technologies.

Customers accustomed to the personalization and ease of dealing with digital natives such as Google and Amazon now expect the same kind of service from established players. Research shows that 25 percent of customers will defect after just one bad experience.

Customer-experience leaders can become even better by digitizing the processes behind the most important customer journeys. In these quick efforts, multidisciplinary teams jointly design, test, and iterate high-impact processes and journeys in the field, continually refining and rereleasing them after input from customers. Such methods help high-performing incumbents to release and scale major, customer-vetted process improvements in less than 20 weeks. Agile digital companies significantly outperform their competitors, according to some studies. 4 4. See The 2015 Customer Experience ROI Study , Watermark Consulting, watermarkconsult.net. To achieve those results, established businesses must embrace new ways of working.

Perform: Align the organization to deliver against tangible outcomes

As the customer experience becomes a bigger focus of corporate strategy, more and more executives will face the decision to commit their organizations to a broad customer-experience transformation. The immediate challenge will be how to structure the organization and rollout, as well as figuring out where and how to get started. Applying sophisticated measurement to what your customers are saying, empowering frontline employees to deliver against your customer vision, and a customer-centric governance structure form the foundation. Securing early economic wins will deliver value and momentum for continuous innovation.

Use customer journeys to empower the front line.

Every leading customer-experience company has motivated employees who embody the customer and brand promise in their interactions with consumers, and are empowered to do the right thing. Executives at customer-centered companies engage these employees at every level of the organization, working directly with them in retail settings, taking calls, and getting out into the field. In the early years, for example, Amazon famously staged “all hands on deck” sessions during the year-end holidays, a tradition that lives on in the employee-onboarding experience. 5 5. Brad Stone, The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon , New York, NY: Little, Brown, 2013. Some organizations create boards or panels of customers to provide a formal feedback mechanism .

Establish metrics that capture customer feedback.

The key to satisfying customers is not just to measure what happens but also to use the data to drive action throughout the organization. The type of metric used is less important than the way it is applied . The ideal customer-experience measurement system puts journeys at the center and connects them to other critical elements such as business outcomes and operational improvements. Leading practitioners start at the top, with a metric to measure the customer experience, and then cascade downward into key customer journeys and performance indicators, taking advantage of employee feedback to identify improvement opportunities (Exhibit 4).

Put cross-functional governance in place.

Even for companies that collaborate smoothly, shifting to a customer-centric model that cuts across functions is not an easy task. To move from knowledge to action, companies need proper governance and leadership . Best-in-class organizations have governance structures that include a sponsor—a chief customer officer—and an executive champion for each of their primary cross-functional customer journeys. They also have full-time teams carrying out their day-to-day work in the existing organization. To succeed, the transformation must take place within normal operations. To foster understanding and conviction, leaders at all levels must role-model the behavior they expect from these teams, constantly communicating the changes needed. Formal reinforcement mechanisms and skill-building activities at multiple levels of the organization support the transformation, as well. In a recent video, McKinsey’s Ewan Duncan describes how rewiring a company in this way is typically a two- to four-year journey.

Log early wins to demonstrate value creation.

Too many customer-experience transformations stall because leaders can’t show how these efforts create value. Executives, citing the benefits of improved customer relations, launch bold initiatives to delight customers that end up having clear costs and unclear near-term results. The better way is to build an explicit link to value creation by defining the outcomes that really matter, analyzing historical performance of satisfied and dissatisfied customers, and focusing on customer satisfaction issues with the highest payouts. This requires discipline and patience, but the result will be early wins that will build confidence within the organization and momentum to innovate further.

Delighting customers by mastering the concept and execution of an exceptionally good customer experience is a challenge. But it is an essential requirement for leading in an environment where customers wield growing power.

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From touchpoints to journeys: Seeing the world as customers do

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Technology in Business. 5 Successful Cases When Companies Succeeded in Digital

• Domino’s Pizza

What About Small Businesses?

Let the journey start.

We have compiled a list of bright stories and case studies on how technology in business helped improve KPIs and achieve better returns. Enjoy!

Domino’s Pizza

Context: Domino’s Pizza is one of the biggest pizza restaurant chains in the world. This is an international business operating in more than 83 countries . The business started its journey pretty successfully. In 2007, the stock price of Domino’s Pizza was $32.25. This was a good rise compared to $14.70 in 2004. But in 2008, things started to change. Domino’s experienced a steady decline. In October of the same year, their stock price was only $5.95. The team started to look for ways to revamp the business and grow again.

Challenge: Drop in demand and decrease in popularity. Domino’s Pizza had to transform their service delivery and bring more value to customers.

Solution: Domino’s team understood that making tasteful pizzas is not enough in the competitive environment. Technology and business had to be brought together to produce extra value. This value would help the company stand out and immediately attract client attention. The team knew that if you offer customers a better service at the same price, they will choose you over the competitors. This was the point when Domino’s turned into a tech-savvy company. Business technology was one of the tools that helped the business fight crisis. They started to integrate business technology to improve agility .

The company’s concept of Domino’s Anyware enables clients to order their favorite pizza via dozen of channels. This makes it very convenient for people to make an order regardless of where they are. Namely, you can order via Smart TV, Facebook Messenger, Alexa, and even Twitter! Twitter is probably the most impressive and unusual place to make orders. But it works. And here is how:

Domino’s Pizza makes this possible with the help of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Smart chatbots integrated into different digital channels process big volumes of data. They are also capable of automating order fulfillment. All you need to make use of Domino’s Anyware is to have your Pizza account registered. All the information, including the one about your favorite orders, will be automatically extracted from the account. Chatbots enable users to place and track their orders, speed up order processing, and improve the service based on client feedback.

When the pandemic attacked humanity, Domino’s also found a way to adjust. They offered the so-called Carside Delivery  option. It is the delivery method that enables clients to choose a side of the car where their order will be delivered. If, for instance, a customer sits in the front seat, the delivery person will put the order in the back seat.

Value: How does technology help business? Let’s see. With technology, Domino’s has become a company delivering multi-experience client service. Customers truly enjoy the convenience that Domino’s offers. The opportunity to order pizza nearly anywhere makes the business a part of a customer’s daily routine. Clients see the presence of the business in many channels. This sets a robust connection with the audience. Figures point to great results, too. This year, Domino’s increased their stock price to $396.96 .

Context: Michelin is the second largest tire manufacturer in the world. The company has a long history. It was founded more than 130 years ago. Since then, Michelin carries their best practices and values through time. Yet, the tech advancements of modern times don’t allow such a big business to stand aside. The company’s goal is to grow and self-improve together with their clients. As vehicles get smarter and more advanced, the businesses that serve car owners’ needs should keep pace with them as well.

Challenge: Stay competitive in the age of smart manufacturing and production.

Solution: Michelin decided to build an effective digital growth strategy with three focus areas. First, streamline and speed up business operations. Second, offer a personalized experience to their B2B clients and end users. Third, use technology to build new business strategies and models.

The company has an R&D department that constantly looks for ways to bring innovation to their business. Researchers extensively test AI capacities to streamline manufacturing and improve client experience. AI-powered data circulation across different areas of business enables the Micheline team to accelerate decisions and build a performant collective business intelligence all departments can rely on. What’s more, the company uses collaborative robots that automate routine jobs, save time, and alleviate the workload.

Value: With top-notch technology, Michelin reaches better ROI, gets more safety and comfort, and improves performance. AI-powered data storage, visualization, and the creation of new models allow the team to spend fewer physical resources on testing. They can test a new service delivery model with the software, create digital twins, and anticipate cost-prohibitive issues. This, in turn, reduces the risks and leads to more precise decision-making.

Context: As a leading retail giant, Walmart has a deep sense of market changes and the importance of technology for business. The need to transform the way clients interact with the brand became evident to Walmart’s team. Moreover, the company had enough capabilities to invest in digital transformation and upgrade back-office operations.

Challenge: Bring innovation, fight competition, and digitize the shopping experience.

Solution: The challenge of the use of technology in business had two sides. On the one hand, Walmart wanted to renovate the services they deliver to a customer. On the other hand, the team needed to revamp the way they run management, administration, and other in-house processes. In 2018, Walmart invested more than $11 billion in tech renovation. As a part of their business growth strategy, they decided to partner with leading tech companies. These were Google ( voice-enabled commerce ) and Microsoft (cloud computing).

Because of the changing consumer demands, Walmart also decided to strengthen their social media presence. Omnichannel retailing was a strategy for reaching a millennial audience and fully satisfying their needs. As for the back-office innovations, these included the modernization of the supply chain and inventory management. This enabled the company to lower the costs and service prices by optimizing and balancing them in various digital channels. AI-powered data analytics integrated into their supply chain solutions give the company access to data about a customer. Understanding client needs helps them to adjust their marketing effort and make data-driven decisions .

Walmart invested in Data Café , the data storing and management hub that processes data collected from more than 20 000 Walmart stores and more than 200 internal sources. In Data Café, Walmart data experts visualize, manipulate, and interpret data for faster decision-making and better ROI. The company also integrated artificial intelligence technologies for business as well as blockchain. This improved the traceability of products down the supply chain.

This is how the company’s digital transformation looked from the tech side:

Value: Walmart digitized their supply chain management, CRM , marketing and sales, and other aspects. This enabled the company to reach efficiency and reduce expenses. Faster inventory processing reduces time to market and enables the team to diversify client experiences. Walmart becomes a highly technological company with most of the processes running digitally.

Context: Nike is one of the leading apparel manufacturers that always put innovation and client comfort in the first place. This is rooted in the very mission of the company and the digital transformation strategy they follow. When the pandemic started, the company fully realized the need to go digital and work on online audience engagement. The team saw the gaps that had to be covered to build a robust ecommerce strategy.

Challenge: Update the ecommerce strategy so that online retail becomes a robust revenue channel.

Solution: In 2017, Nike decided to move away from wholesale and build a strategy for directly connecting with their clients. Direct access to the target audience has become a priority for Nike’s team. The decision to exit wholesale was tricky as 80% of Nike’s profit came exactly from it. Other businesses probably wouldn’t take such a risk. But Nike did. The company’s desire to differentiate itself pushed them to build and improve their digital channels.

To increase the significance of Nike’s digital channels for a user, the brand needed to build an ecosystem. Like Apple’s example, Nike used the capacity of business technology to build applications that extend the company’s services. These are Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club apps that can be downloaded to mobile devices:

Users of these apps get access to various training programs. They become members of Nike’s community. Clients now think of the company not as a retailer but as a brand cultivating a healthy lifestyle and making perfect clothes and footwear for doing sports.

Value: Ecommerce sales of Nike were estimated at 43% today . Though, the company expects them to reach 50% by the end of the year. Understanding client needs that go beyond primitive shopping habits lies at the core of Nike’s recent success. The company managed to integrate business technology into building a direct and personalized connection with their audience.

Context: From the very beginning, Tesla knew how to use technology in business to stand out. Tesla was not among the typical industry representatives. The positioning of the brand included transformational and innovative ideas. The bunch of benefits the company offers to the audience impresses. Tesla cars are highly innovative, eco-friendly, future-proof, and easy to maintain. How does Tesla manage to achieve such a great result? With effective technology, of course.

Challenge: Use top-notch technologies to redefine the way people see cars and their functions.

Solution: Tesla is the only car manufacturer in the world that introduces software updates over the air. To get safety, performance, or convenience updates, a client doesn’t need to put effort. The manufacturer automatically improves the vehicle’s characteristics and capacities. All you need to do is to download a software update using Wi-Fi and launch the installation.

What’s more, a person doesn’t have to visit a showroom to purchase a car. The company uses online channels to enable online car purchases across the globe. As in the case of the pizza ordered from Domino’s, you can fill in the form and order a Tesla car. Such a simple approach to sales simplifies the way one has to go through to decide if they need a new vehicle.

Sure, the opportunity to visit a showroom and run a test drive is available. This automotive company also plans to integrate AR technology into the manufacturing process. AR is expected to ensure quick data access for manufacturers across the factory. The workers will easily get the images they need in front of their eyes to ensure an uninterrupted and smooth production chain process.

Tesla regularly introduces new interesting features to their infotainment software system. There are popular apps integrated into the system. These include streaming platforms and video portals like YouTube, Netflix, or Hulu. What’s the most exciting is that you can turn the arcade mode on and use your steering wheel buttons for game navigation. Sure, this function is unavailable when driving. But as soon as you park the car, you can enjoy the multi-dimensional experiences that the smart vehicle gives you.

Value: For Tesla clients, the company has turned from a car manufacturer only to a brand with a consistent mission and significant impact on the market. Tesla Motors managed to set an uninterrupted connection with their audience. By offering unique opportunities for clients, they got rid of the need to have a mediator between them and their customers. Tesla directly influences the audience. This reduces the time needed to present a product to the market.

Besides, the company transformed people’s view of the function of cars. In addition to primitive values like transportation ability, a car has become a place where you enjoy a high comfort level and entertainment opportunities.

Hearing success stories of well-known brands is truly inspiring. But what if you are a small-size company that plans to grow and digitize? We would say that it’s even better. When you are on the market for a long time, it’s harder for you to revamp your processes in the company. It’s hard to teach people to work differently and to teach clients to perceive your business and your values differently. This is why growing businesses can digitize their operations with fewer risks and losses.

The use of technology in businesses is a win-to-win solution. You can perform many types of work and roles with technology. If you want to conduct a full-scale digital transformation, contact our team and we will do it together. If you are wondering what to start with, we’ll give you a few ideas of useful software tools that can upgrade and modernize your work.

• Project management software. If you have several teams that deal with different processes, a project management tool can be a useful addition to the communication software you use. It helps managers to track everyone’s activity daily, assign new roles and tasks to remote workers, set goals and plans, track progress, prevent delays, schedule video conferencing, etc.
• CRM system. A custom relationship management system enables marketers and sales departments to manage their customer information and relationships with clients digitally. With such software programs, you’ll know when it’s the right time to get in touch with your clients not to lose them.
• HR management system. Such a system is used for managing work schedules, time offs, sick leaves, announcing important dates, etc. You’ll keep track of how your company grows, how many teams you have and what team composition is, and much more. Combining HR systems with management information systems can give you clues on how to improve your organization’s key metrics.
• E-signature tools. A perfect choice if your employees work remotely. Such tools enable your team to sign documents and agreements online. All you need is to create an electronic signature in such a tool and provide your email address to sign and receive documents.
• Accounting and automated reporting software. Managing incomes, taxes, invoices, and automated generation of reports is possible with accounting systems. You’ll reduce the workload of your accountants, prevent fraud, and eliminate mistakes in calculations.
• Password management tool. More and more people choose this type of software. There’s no need to worry about the security of all your accounts. A password management system allows you to store all your passwords safely in one place and ensures the safety of remote work.
• Data backup software. A secure data backup tool allows you to protect your data in case of a system vulnerability or crack.

In this article, we explained how technology helps business growth. No matter how big your business is, there are plenty of ways new tech can help you grow. For big enterprises, investing money in full-scale IT renovation can be a way to become more efficient and performant. For small business owners that plan to grow, digitizing their business function will also mean process optimization and more opportunities to scale up.

Forbytes is a software product engineering company with cross-industry experience in the business world. We can help you customize the software to fully meet your needs or build a solution from scratch. Our products are user-oriented and capable to prepare your business for tomorrow.

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10 CRM Case Studies From the World’s Biggest Brands 2024

• Category : Case Studies , CRM , Marketing
• Last updated on August 2, 2023
• By Viktor. A
• No Comments

It is no news that customers are constantly demanding deeper and more meaningful relationships with their chosen brands. That’s why organizations are currently leveraging CRM software to serve their customers better.

Today, we’ve put together useful CRM case studies from some of the world’s biggest brands. This article highlights CRM case studies uses and vital lessons you can replicate in your business.

Before we proceed, let’s look at the meaning of customer relationship management (CRM)

There are two main definitions of a CRM:

• It refers to a business’s principles and strategies to engage better and retain its customers.
• It refers to a software system that helps businesses to manage client relationships, leads, contacts and campaigns. Also, it allows companies to automate their processes and increases productivity.

Examples of CRM Software for lead generation, contact management, and automation are:

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Customize your workflows to track all aspects of the sales cycle, from lead gen to post-sale support.

Best CRM Case Studies

If you’ve ever looked at brands like Apple, McDonald’s, Amazon or even Zara and are wondering how they’re run such conglomerates and still efficient in customer service. Keep reading then; you’re about to find out.

Scott Cook said, Instead of focusing on the competition, focus on the customer. Most of these brands have no superpower. They’ve only learned to focus on only one thing – the customer.

When you’re obsessed with delighting your customers, you will devise creative ways of satisfying them. Let’s go right in.

1. Coca-Cola CRM

The Coca-Cola Company is one of the world’s oldest and most influential brands. With a presence in over 200 countries, Coca-cola started as a carbonated soft drink business. But today, they are a conglomerate with over 200 product lines servicing billions of customers globally.

Logically speaking, for them to exist across several decades and remain relevant and competitive says a lot about their customer service. That said, let’s examine their customer relationship management (CRM).

Coca-Cola CRM Case Study:

Coca-cola’s mission is “ to refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness through our brands and actions, and to create value and make a difference .”

Inspiring optimism and happiness are at the core of Coca-Cola’s CRM strategy. This is evident in their  marketing campaigns , billboards, brochures, commercials, store locations, and products.

We have billions of transactions a day on Salesforce. And everything is connected collaborative, and mobile.

– Ulrik Nehammer, Coca-Cola Germany, CEO.

Coca-Cola uses several enterprise CRM platforms to manage its clients’ relationships and stores globally. They use Salesforce and SAP primarily for contact management. System Applications and Products (SAP) is a strategic enterprise management platform. It’s quite robust and feature-rich.

While they use SAP globally, they use Salesforce on some of their country divisions to manage their business flow, connectivity, and contact management.

Read our complete Coca-Cola case study here.

2. Zara CRM

When you hear the word “Zara”, what comes to mind is clothing, luxury, and lifestyle. Established in 1975, Zara is a Spanish multi-national retail clothing chain.

They specialize in clothing accessories, beauty, shoes, and other lifestyle products. Zara’s phenomenal success in fashion and beauty is a testament to its solid CRM strategy. They effortlessly delight their customers in a way that leaves them returning for more.

Zara CRM Case Study:

Zara’s mission is to “ give customers what they want, and get it to them faster than anyone else .” Deducting from their mission statement, you can see a wordplay that puts royalty and kingship on their customers.

Zara’s CRM case study aims at elevating their customer’s needs above the company objectives. Zara leverages transparency, incentives and perks, support, personalization, swift check-out, and social media to achieve this.

The success of your business is based in principle on the idea of offering the latest fashions at low prices, in turn creating a formula for cutting costs: an integrated company in which it is manufactured, distributed and sold.

– Amancio Ortega – Founder, Zara Fashion Chain

Zara CRM starts with their website, which has a simple UI and is highly personalized to suit the user’s needs. Then, they’re massively present on social media and contribute to social issues affecting their clientele.

Lastly, Zara’s CRM is not complete without transparency and incentives. They’re transparent in all their dealings and usually deploy incentive programs to delight customers.

3. Unilever CRM

Unilever is a British multi-billion dollar conglomerate that deals primarily in consumer goods and consumables. They are arguably the largest producers of soap globally.

Brands like Unilever that have stood the test of time in quality, customer service, transparency, and consistency are worth emulating. With over 400 brands in about 190 countries, Unilever’s CRM strategy is paying off.

Unilever CRM Case Study:

Unilever’s mission statement is “ to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life .”

Unilever’s CRM strategy focuses on elevating people’s well-being and helping them enjoy life to its fullest. This singular aim is the driving force behind their great customer experience initiatives, marketing campaigns, products, and positioning.

It’s about digitizing all the aspects of Unilever’s business to leverage the world of data and increase our digital capability in everything we do.

– Alan Jope, CEO at Unilever.

Another main Unilever’s CRM strategy is centred around Value-Based Procurement. They are keen on supporting their suppliers with upfront value. And they achieve this by empowering their suppliers and distributors with the tools to better relate with them.

They use Salesforce to support their business community and build solid relationships with their partners.

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, known as BMW, is Germany’s leading automobile brand. They’re a luxury car brand and the  fourteenth largest producer of motor vehicles . BMW cars are known for their standard, uniqueness, and luxury. Let’s examine BMW’s CRM strategy.

BMW CRM Case Study:

BMW’s mission is to “ become the world’s leading provider of premium products and services for individual mobility.”  You’ll agree that BMW has become the world’s leading provider of premium automobile products. But the big question is, how did they get there?

BMW CRM case study is not too distant from the others. Firstly, the focus is on treating customers fairly, which is clearly stated in their  Supplier Programme . Their suppliers and end-users are at the core of their CRM strategy, which has kept them going.

I promise our customers will never have to compromise between driving pleasure and sustainable mobility.

– Oliver Zipse, CEO BMW AG.

Secondly, BMW CRM is focused on producing premium cars to attract new customers and retain the existing ones. And fortunately, it works for them. I’ve seen a couple of folks switch car brands to BMW because their cars are more reliable and have the highest quality

5. Tesco CRM

Tesco PLC is one of the world’s leading grocery and general merchandise retailers. With operations in over 11 countries, Tesco is a hyper-growth company swiftly expanding across territories.

Although it started as a grocery store, it is now morphed into several industries such as banking, technology accessories, and a few others. Not just that, they’ve been named among the top customer-friendly organizations.

Tesco CRM Case Study:

Tesco’s mission statement is  “What we make matters better, together. This statement encapsulates Tesco’s aim to serve customers across cultures and backgrounds.

Tesco is among the first multi-national brand to adopt CRM software. In 2009, Tesco announced that they were adopting the RightNow CRM (now acquired by Oracle).

The key to Tesco’s success is the customer-focused culture that has permeated the company.

– Jeremy Garlick, Partner, Insight Traction.

Tesco’s CRM was primarily used in their call centres to support their electronics division. Aside from that, they used it to amplify their omnichannel communication strategy by managing customer data and interactions across phone, chat and email.

Adopting a CRM helped Tesco be present at all times for their customer when needed across channels. Most importantly, they were able to win the hearts of their customers.

6. Uber CRM

With a presence in 72 countries, Uber redefines how we move and eat. Uber is an American mobility provider allowing people to move conveniently from one location to another. One of the things that makes Uber special is that they’re a mobility startup with no cars. That means they’re servicing two main customer bases: drivers and passengers.

As of the time of writing, Uber has a 72% market share for ride-sharing in the United States, with about 122 million monthly active users

Uber CRM Case Study:

Uber’s mission is “ Transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone .” In other words, they aim to make transportation accessible at any time.

The big question is, what CRM does Uber use? Uber uses LiveRamp as their CRM anonymizer. Essentially, they LiveRamp CRM to segment users into specific life-cycle stages. It allows them to craft personalized and targeted campaigns that resonate with the customers.

There is a high cost to a bad reputation… it really matters what people think of us, especially in a global business like ours, where actions in one part of the world can have serious consequences in another.”  

– Dan Khosroshahi.

Furthermore, Uber uses CRM to gain deeper insights into how customers use their apps, the frequency, and overall interaction, and even sample their IDs. With these insights, Uber can better serve and delight its customers. More on Uber’s case study here.

7. McDonald’s CRM

As the name implies, McDonald’s is a fast-food conglomerate. They’re currently the leading food service organization operating over 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. McDonald’s expansion strategy is bent on franchises and joint ventures. They also have some sister brands in the fast-fast industry doing incredibly well.

Mcdonald’s CRM Case Study:

McDonald’s mission statement is  to be our customers’ favourite place and way to eat and drink.  Their mission statements depict McDonald’s passion for differentiation, uniqueness, and class.

McDonald’s CRM case study is hinged on their passion for differentiation, which is evident in the architectural designs of their restaurants, food recipe and taste, service delivery, and mode of operation.

Our sustained performance gives us confidence that our strategy is working, as more customers are experiencing a better McDonald’s daily.

– Steve Easterbrook, CEO, McDonald’s.

McDonald’s uses PowerCenter CRM, which is powered by Astute Solutions. This CRM helps McDonald’s efficiently manage their huge volume of customer contacts, analyze data, and manage their store location.

The benefits of CRM software to a business are enormous, and McDonald’s is not left out. They’re equally using it to enhance their marketing efforts and close more deals.

8. British Airways CRM

British Airways is a UK-based carrier and one of the biggest airline groups in the world. They’ve built a reputable brand over the years, which has also given birth to several sister brands.

BA Group is the founding member of the Oneworld alliance. They have over 45,000 employees in 100 countries and assist about 40 million passengers annually. So how are they able to still maintain awesome customer service?

British Airways CRM Case Study:

British Airways’ mission statement is “ To ensure our customers fly confidently that together, we are acting responsibly to take care of the world we live in “. British Airways’ CRM case study is centred around “making their passengers feel confident.”

As we prepare for a safe return to travel, we remain focused on offering our customers the most convenient and affordable testing options to support and facilitate a seamless travel experience.

– Sean Doyle, CEO, British Airways

British Airways uses TCRM BA as its enterprise management solution. The company adopted it in 2002, and since then, they’ve been using it to do the following:

• Campaign management
• Management of loyalty programs
• Leisure database
• External requirements
• Cost savings

Best of all, they use this platform to efficiently manage and schedule all their marketing campaigns internally and externally. They also use for customer service across channels.

9. Amazon CRM

Amazon is an American conglomerate focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. They’re among the top 5 most valuable companies worldwide and one of America’s biggest employers.

Amazon, which started as an online book store, is currently dominating up to 7 industries. Not just that, they’re a customer-centric company famously known for their outstanding customer service.

Amazon CRM Case Study:

Amazon’s mission statement is “ to offer our customers the lowest possible prices, the best available selection, and the utmost convenience .” Amazon’s focus on the customer is truly remarkable.

Primarily, Amazon’s CRM case study follows these four guiding principles:

• Customer obsession rather than competitor focus
• Passion for invention
• Commitment to operational excellence
• Long-term thinking

We see our customers as guests at a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.

– Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon

In fact, they aim to become Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work. That drive to become the best led them to create innovative products like I-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Amazon Echo, and Fire TV, to mention a few.

So, what CRM does Amazon use? Amazon developed its CRM in-house, which they use to manage its customer data across divisions, countries, languages, and products.

10. Apple CRM

Famously known for their slogan, think differently. Apple is a technology company specializing in consumer electronics, software and online services. Apple is the world’s most valuable company and the first to hit a trillion in market capitalization.

Apple CRM Case Study:

Apple’s mission is “ to bring the best user experience to its customers through innovative hardware, software, and services .” Like Amazon, Apple is a customer-centric company that is truly obsessed with its customers.

Apple is also obsessed with its product quality. Their products are highly standardized and unique. And it’s the reason why they enjoy a high level of brand loyalty. Apple’s customers are one of the most loyal sets of customers globally.

Apple CRM case study is centred around four cardinal points: Apple customer-centric outlets, understanding customer needs, Apple ID, & irresistible branding that works. I explained them in detail  here .

Also, like Amazon, Apple uses an in-house CRM to manage its customer data, marketing campaigns, and customer relationships. Apple loves owning their processes, so most of its operations are usually in-house.

Wrapping Up!

These case studies show us the efficacy and formidability of a CRM software. When out to efficient use, it can be a very powerful tool. And it doesn’t matter the size of your business, whether big or small. All you need to do is to pick a CRM that aligns with your business goals and run with it.

Looking for a CRM to start with? Here are our recommendations:  Zendesk ,  Pipedrive ,  Hubspot ,  Zoho  and  Freshsales . Click on any one of them to claim your free trial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Customer relationship management use cases are real-life examples and applications of CRM software and strategies. Like the 10 use cases from big brands listed in this article.

There are tons of use cases for CRM systems, but here are three profound ones: CRM systems can serve as a contact management system, a pipeline system for attracting and converting them paying customers, and a workflow automation station.

Essentially, the main components of CRM are contact and database management, workflow automation, omnichannel marketing capability, and integration options.

Viktor. A is a writer and researcher with experience writing about various topics, including CRM software, SaaS, finance, and technology. When he's not writing, he's swimming and travelling

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Analysing Zomato’s marketing strategy: a case study of digital success or marketing fail?

By catering specifically to vegetarian customers, the company aimed to capture a niche market and differentiate itself from competitors.

By Bhaskar Majumdar

Zomato recently made waves with its introduction of ‘Pure Veg Mode’ and the subsequent controversy surrounding its colour-coded delivery service. This case presents a compelling study of whether the company’s actions represent digital success or a marketing failure.

The introduction of ‘Pure Veg Mode’ was a bold move by Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal. By catering specifically to vegetarian customers, the company aimed to capture a niche market and differentiate itself from competitors. However, the decision to use distinctive green attire and delivery boxes for vegetarian orders stirred up a storm of criticism. It’s critical to understand and consider your customers’ choices. However, a step like this is rather extreme. 

At first glance, the colour-coded strategy seemed like a savvy marketing tactic. It garnered significant media attention, sparked online debates, and even broke the charts on Google Trends. This suggests a successful execution of digital marketing techniques to create buzz and generate conversation around the brand. However, the backlash that followed painted a different picture. Critics argued that the segregation of delivery riders based on the type of cuisine they deliver was unnecessary and potentially discriminatory. The decision to backtrack and revert to the standard, red-coloured attire for all riders indicates a misstep in Zomato’s marketing strategy. Personally, am not in favour of overt engagement with a particular food preference.

From a marketing perspective, Zomato’s move can be seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it succeeded in generating buzz and increasing brand visibility, demonstrating the power of digital marketing in today’s landscape. On the other hand, the negative backlash tarnished the brand’s image and raised questions about the company’s understanding of consumer preferences and sensitivities.

An idea can sound great in the conference room, but when you get it out there, not so much.

Sometimes what you thought was a great idea can go wrong in so many ways. Whether it’s how it’s executed or how it’s perceived, the result can be a complicated mess that can hurt your brand. Today, marketers are exploring new channels and new media. Competition is intense and as you chase after that viral video or trending tweet, marketing fails to happen. Even the biggest, most recognisable brands make them. And these blunders can be incredibly costly. 

The timing of the announcement, just before elections, further fueled speculation about the company’s intentions. Some viewed it as a deliberate attempt to capitalise on political discourse surrounding vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism. In today’s digital era, where social media holds considerable sway in moulding public perception, brands must be cognizant of the narratives they propagate and the responses they provoke from their audience. Transparency and openness to feedback stand as fundamental tenets of successful communication strategies. Conversely, I appreciate Deepinder Goyal’s comprehensive elucidation of the rationale behind retracting the decision. This episode also underscores the significance of thorough research preceding business decisions. Whether this was a calculated move, or an oversight remains open to interpretation.

Despite the controversy, Zomato’s case offers valuable lessons for marketers. It highlights the importance of understanding the nuances of consumer behaviour and preferences. While bold initiatives can drive attention and engagement, they also carry inherent risks. Brands must carefully weigh the potential benefits against the potential backlash before implementing such strategies. 

Moreover, Zomato’s experience underscores the growing influence of social media in shaping public discourse and perceptions of brands. In today’s digital age, companies must be prepared to navigate the complex landscape of online conversations and respond effectively to feedback from consumers and stakeholders.

Another perspective suggests that Zomato may have accomplished its intended goals – garnering attention and necessary publicity. Although there isn’t empirical evidence to validate success or failure, nor clear logic to support it, the shared economy concept, encompassing companies like Uber, Ola, Zomato, Oyo, and AirBnB, is relatively recent. Within this framework, Zomato and its counterparts are even newer. By engaging in discussions and debates on social media, we inadvertently contribute to the attention and publicity that Zomato sought, indicating a well-considered strategy on their part.

Zomato’s foray into ‘Pure Veg Mode’ serves as a compelling case study of digital marketing success and failure. The interesting thing though is that the markets have liked it. Zomato is outperforming the indices by a margin. While the company succeeded in generating buzz and sparking conversations, the backlash it faced highlights the pitfalls of overlooking consumer sensitivities. Ultimately, brands must tread carefully in their pursuit of attention and engagement in the digital realm.

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How Innovative Is China in the Chemicals Industry?

China is leading in chemical production, especially basic chemicals. And while it is currently lagging behind on innovation—especially in more complex fine chemicals—all signs suggest it will catch up with the global leaders within the next decade or two.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key takeaways.

Key Takeaways 1

Introduction . 2

Background and Methodology 2

China’s Chemicals Industry 3

Assessing Chinese Chemicals Industry Innovation . 5

Innovation Data . 7

Company Case Studies 10

Wanhua Chemical Group . 10

Rongsheng Petrochemical Co., Ltd. 12

China’s Chemical Industry Strategy 14

What Should the United States Do? 14

Endnotes 16

Introduction

The global chemicals industry had sales of $4.7 trillion in 2022. [1] While encompassing a wide array of products, the industry can be classified by four segments: basic chemicals, agricultural chemicals, specialty chemicals, and consumer products (e.g., soaps). This report focuses on basic and specialty chemicals. The latter are generally harder to make and see more product innovation.

China leads the world in terms of chemicals industry sales, accounting for over 40 percent of the global market, with much of this in basic chemicals. The United States is still strong in chemicals, especially with companies such as Dow Chemical and Dupont. Chinese companies, however, are making intense efforts to not only gain competitive advantage in fine chemicals (and consumer chemicals), but also invest more in research and development (R&D) and become more innovative, with the government providing significant support.

And as with so many technologies, China has significant cost advantages in chemicals. But can Chinese chemical firms innovate and reach the quality levels of the world leaders? This report assesses this question.

Background and Methodology

The common narrative is that China is a copier and the United States the innovator. That narrative often supports a lackadaisical attitude toward technology and industrial policy: After all, we lead in innovation, so there is little to worry about, with the exception of perhaps making sure we get more STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) immigration. First, this assumption is misguided because it is possible for innovators to lose leadership to copiers with lower cost structures, as we have seen in many U.S. industries, including consumer electronics, semiconductors, solar panels, telecom equipment, and machine tools. As Clayton Christenson has shown, followers often attack at the lower end of the market through copying and significant cost advantages and work their up toward higher value-added and more innovative segments, all the while weakening the leaders. Second, it’s not clear that China is merely a sluggish copier and always destined to be a follower.

To assess how innovative Chinese industries are, the Smith Richardson Foundation asked the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) conduct research on the question. As part of this research, we are examining specific sectors, including chemicals.

To be sure, it is difficult to assess the innovation capabilities of any country’s industries, and it is especially difficult for Chinese industries. In part, this is because, under President Xi, China discloses much less information to the world than it used to, especially about its industrial and technological capabilities. Notwithstanding this, ITIF relied on three methods to assess Chinese innovation in chemicals: First, we conducted in-depth case study evaluation of two Chinese chemical companies randomly selected from companies listed on the “EU R&D 2000” list. Second, we held a focus group roundtable with global experts on the Chinese chemicals industry, as well as reviewed the industry and academic literature on the issue. Finally, we assessed global data on chemical innovation, including scientific articles, patents, and innovation awards.

China’s Chemicals Industry

Globally, the chemicals sector has grown more slowly than world gross domestic product (GDP): 149 percent from 1995 to 2020 in nominal U.S. dollars, compared with 174 percent for global GDP. About 49 percent of the sector’s value added was concentrated in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in 2020, down dramatically from 82 percent in 1995.

According to OECD, China led the world in 2020 with 29.1 percent of chemicals industry value-added output—up from 3.8 percent in 1995. The next highest-ranking nations were the United States (18.3 percent in 2020, down from 23.2 percent in 1995), Japan (5.6 percent, down from 17 percent), and Germany (5 percent, down from 11.1 percent).

Figure 1: Global value-added output in chemicals by the top 10 producers and rest of world in 2020

Figure 2: Top 10 producers’ historical shares of global value-added output in chemicals

China saw the most growth in its global share of the industry from 1995 to 2020 (up 25.3 percentage points). However, some studies place China’s share of global market sales in 2023 at above 40 percent. One study states that China “accounts for about 55% of the global capacity for acetic acid, about 50% of the global carbon black capacity and about 45% of the global capacity for titanium dioxide. For many such commodity chemicals, China started out as a net importer, then built up domestic capacity and ended up being a major exporter.” [2]

One study examining global chemical sales estimates that China’s share in 2022 was 44 percent. [3] However, much of its production is in “chemicals which only require a limited level of technology and innovation.” [4]

Nonetheless, companies are investing significantly in China. In 2022, 46 percent of global chemical industry capital investment was located in China, with just 10 percent in the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) region. [5] Moreover, China had the highest share of capital investment intensity as a share of value added of any nation, 2.8 times more than the United States. [6]

China is not only the world’s largest producer of chemicals, but also the world’s market, something that is expected to increase as Chinese production of cars, batteries, and other chemical-intensive products continues to expand. [7] Like the robotics industry, world-leading demand can ultimately lead to world-leading supply.

However, China still runs a trade deficit in chemicals, suggesting that it is less innovative. In 2018, its chemical trade deficit accounted for 16 percent of the total foreign trade deficit, an increase of about twice that in 2015. [8] As one study from 2021 notes, “China’s chemical industry as a whole presents the characteristics of high import dependence and fierce international competition.” [9] It goes on to note that:

China still has the problem of low investment structure and redundant construction, lack of high added value, and have high technical content of chemicals and related products, at the same time full of overproduction of low value-added products market, make domestic demand by the high value-added chemicals mostly rely on foreign imports. [10]

But the Chinese government and industry understand that vulnerability and are seeking to change it, in large part with a push toward more innovative fine chemicals.

Assessing Chinese Chemicals Industry Innovation

For a long time, China was content to produce commodity chemicals with little focus on either process or product innovation. However, after Made in China 2025 , China has focused more on new chemicals for new applications, including in batteries, semiconductors, and solar panels, with strong government support. As professor Seamus Grimes wrote, China’s rapid growth in its chemical industry “has increased China’s ambition to become a world leader in the chemical industry through innovation and trade and through growing its market share internationally.” [11]

Foreign companies still dominate many key areas, but their intellectual property has been eroded over time. Multinationals continue to dominate key parts of the value chain, especially related to high tech and more specialty chemicals. However, the consensus among experts ITIF spoke with is that Chinese companies are beginning to erode the market share of large foreign companies. Part of this has stemmed from Western company complacency and assumptions that the Chinese companies cannot challenge them, and also because of strong Chinese government incentives and support for Chinese chemical companies. And relatively lax chemical industry production regulations provide China with a competitive advantage.

Moreover, unlike biotechnology or software, chemicals is a relatively mature industry with overall rates of innovation lower than that of more advanced, innovation-based industries. There are approximately 300,000 chemicals available but only around 2,000 or so new chemicals developed each year, a rate of around just 6 percent. [12] This means that as a slow-innovation industry, it should be easier for China to catch up to the leaders.

In basic chemicals, China is increasing its position as a net exporter. In very few commodity chemical products is China a net importer. For example, China has overcapacity for polypropylene. However, it runs a trade deficit in specialty chemicals. As a result, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is focused on boosting China’s capabilities in specialty chemicals, because this will determine global chemical industry leadership. In contrast, the EU-27 runs a trade deficit in basic inorganics and petrochemicals, but a trade surplus in specialty chemicals and consumer chemicals. [13]

One advantage for China is that the chemical sector is connected to specific sectors, such as automobiles, electronics, renewable energy, etc. Because Chinese production of many of these products is so large and growing so fast, local chemical companies have an advantage by being close to their customer. As Seamus Grimes notes, “a number of R&D managers acknowledged that more recently their innovation in China was being driven by innovative Chinese customers.” [14] In addition, because of China’s significant coal reserves and a willingness to keep burning coal, China is leading on coal-derived chemicals. China also leads in polysilicon, a relatively high-end chemical.

However, China is highly dependent on other countries for high-quality chemical products, high-end equipment in the chemicals industry, and leading technology. For example, MIIT stated in 2018 that 32 percent of 130 basic chemicals could not yet be produced in China at all, and more than half of all fine chemical products would still have to be imported. [15]

One way China has closed the gap with world leaders, especially in commodity chemicals, is by relying on foreign producers investing in China—a model it has used in multiple industries. For example, of the top 10 coatings companies in China, 4 are local and 6 foreign. Moreover, by one estimate, about one-third to half of the top executives at Chinese chemical companies have had significant experience at multinationals. This skill base clearly helps Chinese companies to catch up.

Experts also pointed to the fact that domestic companies usually have significant price advantages, in part because some are state-owned and don’t have to earn as high a profit as the foreign companies and because multinationals have higher global overhead costs. And many Chinese-owned chemical companies receive government subsidies.

Experts also argued that Western companies are more goal oriented and short term in their orientation. They have specific procedures and slower decision-making models. Chinese companies, in part because they are trying so hard to catch up and because of the encouragement of the state, are more aggressive. For example, if a European chemical company is doing well in China, it may eventually decide to increase capacity by 20 percent. In contrast, a corresponding Chinese company is likely to quickly agree to double its capacity in order to gain market share. Even when times are not good, many Chinese firms will increase capacity, just as they have done in other industries such as solar and steel. And as in steel and solar, this creates overcapacity. Once this happens, some foreign firms divest to private equity because they see it as a cash-draining business that no longer clears their financial hurdles. Indeed, China has killed or shrunk a number of overseas companies by a superior cost position and economies of scale. Chinese companies are not as deterred by short- to medium-term earnings setbacks.

For foreign companies that stay in the business, they are doing more R&D in China, which spills over to domestic Chinese companies. Originally, multinational chemical companies did not perform a lot of R&D in China. But now, with some of their most important customers located in China, more are expanding their R&D spending there. One reason is that, of the top 10 metropolitan areas in the world to locate chemicals industry R&D facilities ranked in terms of quality of the research, three were Chinese (Guangzhou #1, Shanghai #3, and Beijing #6). [16] Strikingly, no Chinese metropolitan areas made the top 10 in terms of cost of operating an R&D facility.

China is also investing significant amounts in chemical research capabilities in universities, which has already paid off in terms of the number of academic papers they have produced. In fact, China has overtaken the United States as the main source of academic papers in the field. However, experts argue that limits on the number of skilled domestic Chinese R&D leadership personnel holds back innovation.

There was a consensus among experts ITIF spoke with: that China will, over time, eventually come to dominate the global chemicals industry and, absent significant market closures by Western nations, there is little that can be done about it.

In many areas, such as lithium battery chemistry, initial advances were made in the United States. But U.S. companies didn’t follow up on them and instead Chinese firms have innovated in ways to manufacturer these batteries and materials at scale and lower cost. And, as in solar panels, China has shown effectiveness at process innovation.

China may be able to make significant strides for innovation, as the industry is facing a global inflection point as it goes through a “greening” process. The Chinese government is focused on helping firms develop chemicals that meet green requirements and are more environmentally friendly. This includes coating materials for transportation equipment, biodegradable materials, and materials in batteries.

Finally, China historically has been a copier of process technology. However, as one article states, “For the past two decades, China has invested heavily in R&D. The research was initially aimed at developing new products, but process development has more recently turned into a major focus.” [17] The article goes on to state that “foreign chemical companies start to see China as a source of manufacturing expertise.” [18]

A good summary of the Chinese position and trends is from Chinese chemical industry expert Kai Pflug, who wrote:

In the past, Chinese pressure on the Western chemical industry came from below—China captured more and more of the market segments with limited innovation and complexity. What is new about the current wave of Chinese domestic investments in chemicals is that these now target precisely the chemical segments that are the most innovative, which tend to also be the fastest growing ones. So far, Western chemical companies survived by out-innovating the Chinese—the latest developments show that this approach is far from certain to work in the future. In a worst-case scenario, this would only leave Western companies with smaller-volume chemicals, in which the scale-oriented Chinese players typically are less interested. [19]

Innovation Data

Various data and metrics on chemicals industry innovation tell the same story: China’s chemical industry is not at the leading edge, but is rapidly catching up.

Chemicals industry R&D performed in China (by domestic or foreign firms) went from 22 percent of the global total in 2012 to 34 percent in 2022. [20] Over the same period, Chinese R&D went from 8 percent greater than U.S. to 72 percent greater. However, its specialization in R&D is still less than the leaders. In terms of global shares, China’s share of research and innovation to industry sales was 0.77, up from 0.70 in 2022. In 2022, the EU’s R&D specialization ratio was 1.2, America’s was 1.79, and Japan’s 3.3.

And an increasing amount of R&D spending in China is by Chinese companies (in China or elsewhere). Using data from the EU 2,500 R&D spenders list, in 2013, the U.S. share of global chemicals industry R&D spending was 29.8 percent, while China’s was a miniscule 0.8 percent. [21] However, by 2022, Chinese chemical companies grew to 16.8 percent of global industry R&D, with the U.S. share falling to 18.6 percent. And China was ahead of Germany by 2.2 percentage points. However, at the current rate of Chinese firm growth and American decline in chemical firm R&D, it is expected that the 2023 data will show China ahead of the United States in total R&D, and by 2024 or 2025, to move ahead of global leader Japan.

Moreover, when controlling for the size of the two nations’ economies, by 2022, China was 27 percent more specialized in Chinese chemical firm R&D as a share of GDP than the United States was. In addition, China’s R&D is more diversified from a firm perspective, with just 28 percent of its chemicals industry R&D represented by the top four Chinese firms, in contrast to 61 percent in the United States.

Yet, this R&D has not translated into significant performance in innovation awards. Of the finalists in the ICIS 2023 chemical innovation awards, 50 percent of the winners were American companies, and just 8 percent went to Chinese companies (Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd (WC) won two awards). [22] In 2022 and 2021, China did not win in any category: 0/6 in 2022; 0/5 in 2021. [23]

However, this spending has had impacts on patents. The share of U.S. firm patents granted in chemistry in the U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) fell from 54 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in 2022. Over the same period, Chinese patents increased from almost nothing to 7 percent. (See figure 3.)

Figure 3: USPTO utility patents granted in chemistry, by selected region, country, or economy: 2000–2022 [24]

China’s progress in patent cooperation treaty applications (more countries than just the United States) was stronger, increasing from around 0 percent in 2000 to 17 percent in 2020, while the U.S. share fell from 44 percent to 27 percent. (See figure 4.)

Figure 4: Patent Coopearation Treaty applications in chemistry, by region, country, or economy [25]

When it comes to scholarly articles in chemistry, China’s performance is quite strong. In the most cited continuous flow chemical synthesis papers, China outperformed the United States by 60 percent. (See figure 5.)

Figure 5: Research papers on continuous flow chemical synthesis [26]

In coatings research, the Chinese advantage over the United States was even greater, at 83 percent. (See figure 6.)

Figure 6: Research papers on chemical coatings [27]

Company Case Studies

ITIF randomly selected two Chinese chemical companies on the EU 2,500 R&D list for in-depth case study analysis: WC and Rongsheng Petrochemical.

Wanhua Chemical Group

WC was established as the state-owned Yantai Synthetic Leather Factory in 1978. Initially, to support its synthetic leather production line, the company imported a 10,000-ton/year MDI (Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) production unit, designed in 1950 by a Japanese company. However, due to a lack of knowledge in how to operate the line’s hardware and software and core MDI production technology, this line remained mostly inoperative for nearly 15 years.

In 1988, WC developed its own MDI production technology, establishing a research department and collaborating with domestic universities. In 1993, the company launched its first self-developed MDI production line. By 1996, WC’s MDI production capacity reached 15,000 tons. The company underwent corporate and shareholding reforms in 1996 and 1998, respectively, and was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2001. In 2003, with an MDI capacity of 160,000 tons, the company expanded its product line to include thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and methylenebis (MDBA) production.

In 2006, WC expanded internationally, establishing branches and research centers in the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, and other countries. In 2011, it fully acquired Hungary’s BorsodChem , gaining patents and technical support and entering the field of fine chemicals and new materials. The company continued to expand its capital expenditure in 2014, venturing into C2, C3, and C4 petrochemical businesses, thereby diversifying its products and becoming a global platform chemical enterprise. In 2019, WC acquired 100 percent of the shares of Sweden’s International Chemicals from Cornell and Europa-Energy.

The same year, it established an R&D center in Yantai, integrating the research operations of several subsidiaries. Currently, the company has 3 integrated chemical industrial parks, 6 production bases, 3 R&D centers, and 10 sales organizations worldwide. As of November 2023, its annual MDI and TDI production capacities reached 3.1 million tons and 1.03 million tons, respectively, leading globally with a market share exceeding 30 percent.

WC, still a partially state-owned company, actively develops various high-value specialty chemicals, with a presence in aliphatic diisocyanates (ADI) polyurethane materials, engineering plastics, superabsorbent polymer (SAP) resins, semiconductors, and new energy materials. Its Functional Chemicals Division offers a range of products, including aliphatic isocyanates, special amines, flavors, and special chemicals. The New Materials Division’s main products include TPU elastomers, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), water treatment membrane materials, modified polypropylene (PP), and polyolefin elastomers (POE). These products are widely used in clothing and shoes, automotive, home appliances, photovoltaics, optical displays, consumer electronics, etc. The Surface Materials Division focuses on eco-friendly surface materials, SAP, and silicone adhesives. The High-Performance Polymers Division’s business includes polycarbonate, special nylon (PA12), biodegradable materials, other high-end polymers, and related chemicals. These products are widely used in automotive, 5G communications, health care, electronics, high-end optics, green packaging, polymer products, and professional technical services. Its battery technology business mainly includes ternary cathode materials, lithium-ion phosphate cathode materials, anode materials, electrolyte solvents, etc. Finally, its electronic materials business produces chemicals related to the semiconductor, electronic, and electrical fields. The company has also expanded its product line into high-end medical and optical fields.

In 2022, WC signed strategic cooperation agreements with Peking University, East China University of Science and Technology, and Beijing University of Chemical Technology. These partnerships leveraged both parties’ talents and technological platforms, fostering collaboration in new energy and functional materials.

Prior to 2005, WC frequently imported production lines from Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the United States. Wanhua’s primary goal was not to acquire technology but to rapidly increase production capacity. After 2006, WC firmly established its monopoly in the MDI market in China and entered the first tier in the global market. With the revenue from its MDI business, WC was able to maintain high capital expenditures over the following years, including the acquisition of overseas enterprises in upstream and downstream fields and the introduction of production lines. In 2011, the company made a significant acquisition of Hungary’s BorsodChem.

In 2014, WC completed the full acquisition of a domestic petrochemical enterprise and independently developed C2 and C3 petrochemical production processes, officially entering the petrochemical sector. WC is generally considered to have joined the world’s first tier of chemical enterprises by 2017.

In 2022, WC received government subsidies totaling 610 million renminbi (RMB), or $91.5 million. The company’s accounts still hold a balance of 1.68 billion RMB ($252 million) from government subsidies accumulated over previous years. [28]

WC has implemented a three-tiered R&D organizational structure comprising headquarters, regional centers, and production bases, creating an innovative R&D system that integrates basic research, process development, engineering development, and product application R&D.

The Technical Development Center at Wanhua’s Beijing Research Institute conducts basic research. The Technical Development Center and the Pilot Plant Center at the Yantai Research Institute are responsible for process development. Engineering research is carried out by the Process Development Center at the Research Institute in Hungary, in collaboration with the Chemical Design Institute at the Yantai Research Institute. The technical departments at the production bases conduct industrialization and device optimization research.

The Surface Materials Research Center and the High-Performance Materials Research Center at the Beijing Research Institute are engaged in product application R&D. Additionally, WC collaborates with universities and scientific research institutions in industry-education-research partnerships and has established Wanhua Magnetic Mountain University in the Cishan district of Yantai to directly supply the enterprise with professional talent.

WC employs over 4,000 research personnel, accounting for 16.4 percent of its workforce. Among these, more than 210 hold doctoral degrees and over 2,300 possess master’s degrees. Its main R&D institutions include the Wanhua Chemical Global R&D Center, Institute of High-Performance Materials, Polyurethane Application Research Institute, Chemical Design Institute, North American Technical Center, and the Goodrich Technology Center in Europe. Additionally, WC has established multiple high-level innovation platforms, including the National Polyurethane Engineering Technology Research Center, the National Engineering Laboratory for Polymer Surface Material Preparation Technology, the National Enterprise Technology Center, postdoctoral workstations, five nationally accredited analytical laboratories, and seven provincial and industry engineering (technology) centers and key laboratories. It is also diversifying, planning to invest 3.34 billion RMB ($461 million) in battery material projects. It also developed production capacity for beta ionone, a fragrance ingredient, and for polyamide 12 (PA, nylon), a high-end engineering plastic with a variety of industrial applications. [29]

While the company lists innovation prizes it has won in China, we could find no mention of foreign awards. [30] WC has filed 4,718 patents within China and 399 patents overseas. In 2022, R&D expenditures were 3.42 billion yuan ($472 million), a 55 percent increase year over year, with a cumulative five-year scientific research investment totaling 11.94 billion yuan ($1.65 billion). The company’s R&D-to-sales ratio has been maintained at around 2.5 percent since 2016. Following a substantial increase in operating income after 2021, the R&D expense ratio decreased to 2.17 percent in 2022. In comparison, global leader BASF (headquartered in Germany) had an R&D-to-sales ratio of 2.6 percent. However, because of the lower cost of R&D personnel in China, WC has a higher ratio of R&D personnel to total employees (16.5 percent vs. 8.9 percent). In 2011, Wanhua’s revenue was 13.7 billion yuan, about $2.05 billion, which was only 2.2 percent of BASF’s; by 2022, WC’s revenue had risen to 165.5 billion yuan, approximately $24.83 billion, reaching 24.2 percent of BASF’s.

Rongsheng Petrochemical Co., Ltd.

Established in 1989, Rongsheng Petrochemical Co. is the largest privately owned petrochemical corporation in China. It has established a comprehensive industry chain that spans refining and chemical integration to the production of downstream products such as purified terephthalic acid (PTA), monoethylene glycol (MEG), polyester (PET), and polyester filament (POY, FDY, DTY). In 2022, Rongsheng had revenue of 289.1 billion RMB ($43.4 billion), with a net profit attributable to the parent company of 33.4 billion RMB, or around $5.01 billion. [31]

In 2023, Saudi Aramco, through its subsidiary AOC, acquired a 10 percent stake in Rongsheng Petrochemical and agreed to engage in collaborations encompassing raw materials, technology, and chemicals. The Technology Sharing Framework Agreement facilitates the exchange of relevant information and technology (including but not limited to refining and petrochemical technologies) between Rongsheng and Saudi Aramco. This technology complementarity aims to jointly develop new technologies, processes, and equipment that meet market demands.

Rongsheng has extensively utilized foreign technology and products in the construction of its refining and chemical facilities. Notably, Honeywell UOP and Honeywell Process Solutions have provided a range of process technologies, engineering designs, equipment, and advanced automation control for its newly built 40 million tons/year integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Zhejiang Province. This collaboration includes the provision of technologies for two series of aromatics complexes, a residue fluid catalytic cracking (RFCC) complex, a propane dehydrogenation unit, and a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit. DuPont Clean Technologies has been responsible for designing the Sulfuric Acid Regeneration (SAR) unit.

Rongsheng received governmental subsidies of around 2.36 billion RMB ($330 million) in 2022. Moreover, Zhoushan Green Petrochemical Base Management Committee and Xiaoshan District Headquarters Economy Special Class contributed to Rongsheng’s fiscal incentives through granted financial rewards throughout 2022.

Rongsheng says it has established many world-class R&D platforms, including a high-tech R&D center, a workstation for academics and experts, an enterprise technology center, and a post-doctoral science and research workstation. Moreover, it engages in technology exchanges and discussions promoting industry-university research collaboration to benefit resource sharing between universities and the community.

Rongsheng’s main manufacturing subsidiaries are all national high-tech enterprises with strong R&D strength and rich process operation experience accumulated during long-term production management. For example, it has selected a new technical route for Zhongjin’s petrochemical project, using fuel oil (cheaper than naphtha) to produce certain aromatic products. Rongsheng says it has finalized the application of large-scale melt direct spinning polyester and spinning technology in the early projects for further development and improvement in the later projects. [32]

Rongsheng invested around 4.4 billion RMB ($600 million) in its R&D activities in 2022, which accounted for 1.5 percent of operating income, a relatively low level. Rongsheng’s R&D team consists of 2,731 employees, which accounts for 14 percent of its personnel. Among the R&D personnel, almost half (1,377) have bachelor’s degrees, 98 have master’s degrees, and just 5 possesses doctorates. [33]

Rongsheng has filed 30 patents with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). [34] As of 2023, Rongsheng had a total of 479 patents globally. According to Insights by GreyB, a market analysis company, from 2002 to 2023, 473 of Rongsheng’s patents were filed in China, while only 4 patents were filed in the United States, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. [35] This suggests the company is still a copier, not an innovator. [36]

China’s Chemical Industry Strategy

China has long and successfully sought to grow its chemical industry. That success has been mostly in basic, commodity chemicals. However, it is now seeking to achieve the same success in more innovation-based specialty chemicals.

One way it is attempting to do this is by encouraging industry consolidation. The Chinese government knows that without its firms having more scale it will be harder for them to marshal the necessary resources for the needed R&D and to be able to provide the breadth of product catalogs the global leaders have. One way to achieve this is to use stricter regulatory requirements to weed out the smaller and weaker firms. However, according to experts, while there is some consolidation, the pace is still slow.

In addition, the government is making a push to move chemical refineries inland to the heartland where land is cheaper and population densities less. For example, a number of chemical factories have moved from Jansui province to inner Mongolia and Xingang, where there are large supplies of coal. This is a reason for the coal-chemical push in coal regions.

The central government has targeted chemical innovation. The 2023 “Guiding Catalog for Industrial Structure Adjustment” advocates for the development of a number of new materials related to the chemical industry, including low-VOC (volatile organic compound) adhesives, water treatment agents, catalysts, electronic chemicals, silicone materials, and fluorine materials. [37]

Chinese governments provide significant direct and indirect subsidies to chemical firms. [38] In addition, Chinese governments are also upgrading chemical parks. Under this plan, 10 or so leading companies are to be “cultivated” as “national champions.” In addition, as noted, Chinese governments provide a range of financial incentives, including low-interest loans.

The government has also set a goal for the share of fine chemicals in total chemical production in China to be at least 50 percent. China also continues to use foreign investment as a means of technology transfer. As Grimes wrote:

As China become increasingly independent of importing various chemicals, it becomes increasingly selective about encouraging foreign investment only in those segments where it continues to require transfer of technology, and in which international companies can become trusted partners for China’s indigenous innovation. [39]

What Should the United States Do?

While the United States continues to lose global market share in chemicals, it retains significant strengths elsewhere, including in innovation. To ensure that we don’t lose that leadership, Congress should expand funding for chemistry and chemical engineering research through the National Science Foundation, particularly through the establishment of new Engineering Research Centers. [40] Congress should also significantly expand the R&D credit and restore first-year expensing of capital equipment investments. Finally, while environmental regulations are important in the chemical industry, legislators and regulators should ensure that regulations are designed and implemented in ways that limit compliance costs while still achieving legislative goals.

Acknowledgment

ITIF wishes to thank the Smith Richardson Foundation for supporting research on the question, “Can China Innovate?” Future reports in this series will cover artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, commercial space, nuclear power, and motor vehicles. (Search #ChinaInnovationSeries on itif.org.)

Any errors or omissions are the author’s responsibility alone.

About the Author

Dr. Robert D. Atkinson (@RobAtkinsonITIF) is the founder and president of ITIF. His books include Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths About Privacy, Jobs, AI and Today’s Innovation Economy (Palgrave McMillian, 2024), Big Is Beautiful: Debunking the Myth of Small Business (MIT, 2018), Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage (Yale, 2012), Supply-Side Follies: Why Conservative Economics Fails, Liberal Economics Falters, and Innovation Economics Is the Answer (Rowman Littlefield, 2007), and The Past and Future of America’s Economy: Long Waves of Innovation That Power Cycles of Growth (Edward Elgar, 2005). He holds a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute that has been recognized repeatedly as the world’s leading think tank for science and technology policy. Its mission is to formulate, evaluate, and promote policy solutions that accelerate innovation and boost productivity to spur growth, opportunity, and progress. For more information, visit itif.org /about .

[1] .      Statista Research Department, “Chemical industry worldwide - statistics & facts,” Statista, February 2024, https://www.statista.com/topics/6213/chemical-industry-worldwide/#topicOverview .

[2] .      Kai Pflung, “Rising Chinese Investments in New Chemical Segments” (Chemanager, August 2023), https://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news/rising-chinese-investments-new-chemical-segments .

[3] .      “Capital & R&I Spending” (CEFIC), https://cefic.org/a-pillar-of-the-european-economy/facts-and-figures-of-the-european-chemical-industry/capital-ri-spending/ .

[4] .      Ibid.

[5] .      Ibid.

[6] .      Ibid.

[7] .      Jean-Francois Tremblay, “‘Made in China’ now extends to chemical process technology,” Chemical & Engineering News (October 2017), https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i42/Made-Chinaextends-chemical-process-technology.html .

[8] .      Yufeng Yuan, Weifguang Pan, and Di Sha, “Analysis on Export Competitiveness of Chinese Chemical Products” (Open Journal of Social Sciences, Vol 9, No 12), https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=113736 .

[9] .      Ibid.

[10] .    Ibid .

[11] .    Seamus Grimes, “China’s Evolving Role in the Chemical Global Value Chain,” The Chinese Economy (May 2023), https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10971475.2023.2213631 .

[12] .    Ravi Naidu, et al., “Chemical pollution: A growing peril and potential catastrophic risk to humanity” (Environment International, Vol 156, November 2021), https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021002415 .

[13] .    “Capital & R&I Spending” (CEFIC) https://cefic.org/a-pillar-of-the-european-economy/facts-and-figures-of-the-european-chemical-industry/capital-ri-spending/ .

[14] .    Ibid

[15] .    Ibid.

[16] .    Alex Irwin-Hunt, “Asian megacities stand out as best locations for chemical labs” (FDI Intelligence, August 2022), https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/data-trends/asian-megacities-stand-out-as-best-locations-for-chemical-labs-81212 .

[17] .    Jean-Francois Tremblay, “‘Made in China’ now extends to chemical process technology,” Chemical & Engineering News (October 2017), https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i42/Made-Chinaextends-chemical-process-technology.html .

[18] .    Ibid.

[19] .    Pflung, “Rising Chinese Investments in New Chemical Segments.”

[20] .    “Capital & R&I Spending” (CEFIC), https://cefic.org/a-pillar-of-the-european-economy/facts-and-figures-of-the-european-chemical-industry/capital-ri-spending/ .

[21] .    Trelysa Long and Robert D. Atkinson, “Innovation Wars: How China Is Gaining on the United States in Corporate R&D” (ITIF, July 2023), https://itif.org/publications/2023/07/24/innovation-wars-how-china-is-gaining-on-the-united-states-in-corporate-rd/ .

[22] .    “ICIS Innovation Awards 2023,” Independent Commodity Intelligence Services, https://eu.eventscloud.com/ehome/innovationawards/200542435/ .

[23] .    “ICIS Innovation Awards 2022,” Independent Commodity Intelligence Services, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/icis_title-activity-6957303888794238976-aSH3/ ; “ICIS Innovation Awards 2021,” Independent Commodity Intelligence Services, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/carl-richardson-41305417_icisinnovationawards21-innovation-icis-activity-6866769103961636864-yRXp/ .

[24] .    National Science Board, Science & Engineering Indicators 2024: Invention, Knowledge Transfer, and Innovation , NSB-2024-1, Table SINV-5, “USPTO utility patents granted in chemistry, by selected region, country, or economy: 2000–22,” February 29, 2024, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20241/table/SINV-5 .

[25] .    National Science Board, Science & Engineering Indicators 2024: Invention, Knowledge Transfer, and Innovation , NSB-2024-1, Table SINV-12, “Patent Cooperation Treaty applications in chemistry, by region, country, or economy: 2000–22,” February 29, 2024, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20241/table/SINV-12 .

[26] .    “Continuous flow chemical synthesis research” (Australian Strategic Policy Institute: Critical Technolgy Tracker), https://techtracker.aspi.org.au/tech/continuous-flow-chemical-synthesis/?colours=true .

[27] .    “Who produces the most research within Coatings?” (Australian Strategic Policy Institute: Critical Technolgy Tracker), https://techtracker.aspi.org.au/tech/coatings/?colours=true .

[28] .    These government subsidies include various specific purposes and amounts:

[29] .    Pflung, “Rising Chinese Investments in New Chemical Segments.”

[30] .    Wanhua Chemical’s achievements in 2022 also include receiving the Shandong Province Science and Technology Progress Special Prize for the complete technology of hydrochloric acid catalytic oxidation for chlorine production and its industrial application. Additionally, Wanhua Chemical has won six national scientific and technological awards, including the National Science and Technology Progress First-Class Award and the National Technological Invention Second-Class Award. In terms of innovation rankings:

In 2012, it ranked third on China’s Top 100 Innovative Enterprises list.

In 2016, it was selected as one of the first batch of nine enterprises for the National Top 100 Innovative Enterprises Pilot Project.

In 2018, it topped the Shandong Province High-Tech Enterprise Innovation Capability ranking.

In 2020 and 2021, it led the Shandong Province Science and Technology Enterprise Leadership ranking for two consecutive years.

In 2023, it was awarded the 7th China Industrial Award, a testament to its continuous innovation and leadership in the industrial sector.

[31] .    Rongsheng Petrochemical, “2022 Annual Report”, April 2023, 21, https://www.szse.cn/disclosure/listed/bulletinDetail/index.html?bd67dd03-7704-4042-b150-c9b6f49e299d .

[32] .    Ibid., 19–20.

[33] .    Ibid., 33.

[34] .    Ibid.

[35] .    Insights by GreyB, “Rongsheng Petrochemical Patents—Key Insights and Stats,” 2023, https://insights.greyb.com/rongsheng-petrochemical-patents/ .

[36] .    Ibid.

[37] .    Pflung, “Rising Chinese Investments in New Chemical Segments.”

[38] .    Capital Trade Incorporated, “An Assesment of China’s Subsidies to Strategic and Heavyweight Industries” (submitted to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission), https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Research/AnAssessmentofChina’sSubsidiestoStrategicandHeavyweightIndustries.pdf .

[39] .    Grimes, “China’s Evolving Role in the Chemical Global Value Chain.”

[40] .    “Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Active Awards” (U.S. National Science Foundation), https://www.nsf.gov/awards/award_visualization.jsp?org=NSF&pims_id=13635&ProgEleCode=035Y%2C1995&from=fund#region=US-CO&instId=0013508000 .

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