Like any art form, it takes practice to finesse the craft of case studies. However here are 4 pointers that can help you along the way.

1) Dramatise the Problem:

You need to set up the tension that your campaign will help overcome. It needs to feel significant too, not just “business A wanted more sales”. If it’s not immediately obvious dig deep and look at the category, the macro-environment (Bird Flu, the GFC), cultural trends (50 Shades of Grey) or consumer insights.

2) Find the angle

Find the most compelling part of the story and dial it up. Identify what you did differently that sets the campaign apart, or as BBH say what was your “zag” to everyone else’s “zig”.

3) Avoid telling everything

It’s natural to want to tell every little detail of your campaign – don’t do it! Be selective in the facts you include otherwise the potency of the story is watered down. While Humpty Dumpty may have been wearing corduroy pants when he fell off the wall, it doesn’t really matter.

4) Shaped it like an hourglass

Case studies should be shaped like an hourglass – start wide, narrow in the middle and widen at the bottom. Begin by painting a picture of the wider macro environment to make it sound bigger than just a single organisation’s problem. The middle should focus on the specific solution that was developed for the client. Lastly, showcase how the solution not only helped the organisation reach their goals but give a context of how this was significant in a wider context i.e. against competitors, against global standards etc…