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Case studies of sustained and successful development cooperation - Supporting Transformational Change Booklet

October 30, 2015.

UNDP has been engaged in development cooperation for more than 50 years. While the modalities of its projects and programmes have evolved, the ultimate purpose of its work has remained the same: to assist UN Member States to improve the living standards and life opportunities of their citizens (empow¬ered lives) by supporting the development of national capacity so that member states can manage their own development programmes (resilient nations). UNDP has not been the only development agency which has worked towards this objective, and indeed it has always worked as an integral part of the wider UN System in each country, as well as alongside many other multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental practitioners. Nonetheless, UNDP is one of those with the longest engagement, the broadest mandate, the most partner countries and the most extensive country representation.

The value of development cooperation is under renewed challenge and UNDP is embarking on a process of institutional renewal. The time is ripe, therefore, for UNDP to identify and document examples of successful and sustained development cooperation that have contributed to transformational change at the country or subregional level. These examples — presented here — help to identify generic lessons for successful development cooperation that can be applied in future programme design and implementation.

Document Type

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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 . .css-12hxxzz-Link{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-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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. .css-12hxxzz-Link{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-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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. .css-12hxxzz-Link{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-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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. .css-12hxxzz-Link{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-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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. .css-12hxxzz-Link{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-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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.

14. .css-12hxxzz-Link{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-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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. .css-12hxxzz-Link{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-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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. .css-12hxxzz-Link{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-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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 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.

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.

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:

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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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Methodology

• 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.

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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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15 Real-Life Case Study Examples & Best Practices

Written by: Oghale Olori

Case studies are more than just success stories.

They are powerful tools that demonstrate the practical value of your product or service. Case studies help attract attention to your products, build trust with potential customers and ultimately drive sales.

It’s no wonder that 73% of successful content marketers utilize case studies as part of their content strategy. Plus, buyers spend 54% of their time reviewing case studies before they make a buying decision.

To ensure you’re making the most of your case studies, we’ve put together 15 real-life case study examples to inspire you. These examples span a variety of industries and formats. We’ve also included best practices, design tips and templates to inspire you.

Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

What is a case study, 15 real-life case study examples, sales case study examples, saas case study examples, product case study examples, marketing case study examples, business case study examples, case study faqs.

• A case study is a compelling narrative that showcases how your product or service has positively impacted a real business or individual. 
• Case studies delve into your customer's challenges, how your solution addressed them and the quantifiable results they achieved.
• Your case study should have an attention-grabbing headline, great visuals and a relevant call to action. Other key elements include an introduction, problems and result section.
• Visme provides easy-to-use tools, professionally designed templates and features for creating attractive and engaging case studies.

A case study is a real-life scenario where your company helped a person or business solve their unique challenges. It provides a detailed analysis of the positive outcomes achieved as a result of implementing your solution.

Case studies are an effective way to showcase the value of your product or service to potential customers without overt selling. By sharing how your company transformed a business, you can attract customers seeking similar solutions and results.

Case studies are not only about your company's capabilities; they are primarily about the benefits customers and clients have experienced from using your product.

Every great case study is made up of key elements. They are;

• Attention-grabbing headline: Write a compelling headline that grabs attention and tells your reader what the case study is about. For example, "How a CRM System Helped a B2B Company Increase Revenue by 225%.
• Introduction/Executive Summary: Include a brief overview of your case study, including your customer’s problem, the solution they implemented and the results they achieved.
• Problem/Challenge: Case studies with solutions offer a powerful way to connect with potential customers. In this section, explain how your product or service specifically addressed your customer's challenges.
• Solution: Explain how your product or service specifically addressed your customer's challenges.
• Results/Achievements : Give a detailed account of the positive impact of your product. Quantify the benefits achieved using metrics such as increased sales, improved efficiency, reduced costs or enhanced customer satisfaction.
• Graphics/Visuals: Include professional designs, high-quality photos and videos to make your case study more engaging and visually appealing.
• Quotes/Testimonials: Incorporate written or video quotes from your clients to boost your credibility.
• Relevant CTA: Insert a call to action (CTA) that encourages the reader to take action. For example, visiting your website or contacting you for more information. Your CTA can be a link to a landing page, a contact form or your social media handle and should be related to the product or service you highlighted in your case study.

Now that you understand what a case study is, let’s look at real-life case study examples. Among these, you'll find some simple case study examples that break down complex ideas into easily understandable solutions.

In this section, we’ll explore SaaS, marketing, sales, product and business case study examples with solutions. Take note of how these companies structured their case studies and included the key elements.

We’ve also included professionally designed case study templates to inspire you.

1. Georgia Tech Athletics Increase Season Ticket Sales by 80%

Georgia Tech Athletics, with its 8,000 football season ticket holders, sought for a way to increase efficiency and customer engagement.

Their initial sales process involved making multiple outbound phone calls per day with no real targeting or guidelines. Georgia Tech believed that targeting communications will enable them to reach more people in real time.

Salesloft improved Georgia Tech’s sales process with an inbound structure. This enabled sales reps to connect with their customers on a more targeted level. The use of dynamic fields and filters when importing lists ensured prospects received the right information, while communication with existing fans became faster with automation.

As a result, Georgia Tech Athletics recorded an 80% increase in season ticket sales as relationships with season ticket holders significantly improved. Employee engagement increased as employees became more energized to connect and communicate with fans.

Why Does This Case Study Work?

In this case study example , Salesloft utilized the key elements of a good case study. Their introduction gave an overview of their customers' challenges and the results they enjoyed after using them. After which they categorized the case study into three main sections: challenge, solution and result.

Salesloft utilized a case study video to increase engagement and invoke human connection.

Incorporating videos in your case study has a lot of benefits. Wyzol’s 2023 state of video marketing report showed a direct correlation between videos and an 87% increase in sales.

The beautiful thing is that creating videos for your case study doesn’t have to be daunting.

With an easy-to-use platform like Visme, you can create top-notch testimonial videos that will connect with your audience. Within the Visme editor, you can access over 1 million stock photos , video templates, animated graphics and more. These tools and resources will significantly improve the design and engagement of your case study.

Simplify content creation and brand management for your team

• Collaborate on designs , mockups and wireframes with your non-design colleagues
• Lock down your branding to maintain brand consistency throughout your designs
• Why start from scratch? Save time with 1000s of professional branded templates

Sign up. It’s free.

2. WeightWatchers Completely Revamped their Enterprise Sales Process with HubSpot

WeightWatchers, a 60-year-old wellness company, sought a CRM solution that increased the efficiency of their sales process. With their previous system, Weightwatchers had limited automation. They would copy-paste message templates from word documents or recreate one email for a batch of customers.

This required a huge effort from sales reps, account managers and leadership, as they were unable to track leads or pull customized reports for planning and growth.

WeightWatchers transformed their B2B sales strategy by leveraging HubSpot's robust marketing and sales workflows. They utilized HubSpot’s deal pipeline and automation features to streamline lead qualification. And the customized dashboard gave leadership valuable insights.

As a result, WeightWatchers generated seven figures in annual contract value and boosted recurring revenue. Hubspot’s impact resulted in 100% adoption across all sales, marketing, client success and operations teams.

Hubspot structured its case study into separate sections, demonstrating the specific benefits of their products to various aspects of the customer's business. Additionally, they integrated direct customer quotes in each section to boost credibility, resulting in a more compelling case study.

Getting insight from your customer about their challenges is one thing. But writing about their process and achievements in a concise and relatable way is another. If you find yourself constantly experiencing writer’s block, Visme’s AI writer is perfect for you.

Visme created this AI text generator tool to take your ideas and transform them into a great draft. So whether you need help writing your first draft or editing your final case study, Visme is ready for you.

3. Immi’s Ram Fam Helps to Drive Over $200k in Sales

Immi embarked on a mission to recreate healthier ramen recipes that were nutritious and delicious. After 2 years of tireless trials, Immi finally found the perfect ramen recipe. However, they envisioned a community of passionate ramen enthusiasts to fuel their business growth.

This vision propelled them to partner with Shopify Collabs. Shopify Collabs successfully cultivated and managed Immi’s Ramen community of ambassadors and creators.

As a result of their partnership, Immi’s community grew to more than 400 dedicated members, generating over $200,000 in total affiliate sales.

The power of data-driven headlines cannot be overemphasized. Chili Piper strategically incorporates quantifiable results in their headlines. This instantly sparks curiosity and interest in readers.

While not every customer success story may boast headline-grabbing figures, quantifying achievements in percentages is still effective. For example, you can highlight a 50% revenue increase with the implementation of your product.

Take a look at the beautiful case study template below. Just like in the example above, the figures in the headline instantly grab attention and entice your reader to click through.

Having a case study document is a key factor in boosting engagement. This makes it easy to promote your case study in multiple ways. With Visme, you can easily publish, download and share your case study with your customers in a variety of formats, including PDF, PPTX, JPG and more!

4. How WOW! is Saving Nearly 79% in Time and Cost With Visme

This case study discusses how Visme helped WOW! save time and money by providing user-friendly tools to create interactive and quality training materials for their employees. Find out what your team can do with Visme. Request a Demo

WOW!'s learning and development team creates high-quality training materials for new and existing employees. Previous tools and platforms they used had plain templates, little to no interactivity features, and limited flexibility—that is, until they discovered Visme.

Now, the learning and development team at WOW! use Visme to create engaging infographics, training videos, slide decks and other training materials.

This has directly reduced the company's turnover rate, saving them money spent on recruiting and training new employees. It has also saved them a significant amount of time, which they can now allocate to other important tasks.

Visme's customer testimonials spark an emotional connection with the reader, leaving a profound impact. Upon reading this case study, prospective customers will be blown away by the remarkable efficiency achieved by Visme's clients after switching from PowerPoint.

Visme’s interactivity feature was a game changer for WOW! and one of the primary reasons they chose Visme.

“Previously we were using PowerPoint, which is fine, but the interactivity you can get with Visme is so much more robust that we’ve all steered away from PowerPoint.” - Kendra, L&D team, Wow!

Visme’s interactive feature allowed them to animate their infographics, include clickable links on their PowerPoint designs and even embed polls and quizzes their employees could interact with.

By embedding the slide decks, infographics and other training materials WOW! created with Visme, potential customers get a taste of what they can create with the tool. This is much more effective than describing the features of Visme because it allows potential customers to see the tool in action.

To top it all off, this case study utilized relevant data and figures. For example, one part of the case study said, “In Visme, where Kendra’s team has access to hundreds of templates, a brand kit, and millions of design assets at their disposal, their team can create presentations in 80% less time.”

Who wouldn't want that?

Including relevant figures and graphics in your case study is a sure way to convince your potential customers why you’re a great fit for their brand. The case study template below is a great example of integrating relevant figures and data.

This colorful template begins with a captivating headline. But that is not the best part; this template extensively showcases the results their customer had using relevant figures.

The arrangement of the results makes it fun and attractive. Instead of just putting figures in a plain table, you can find interesting shapes in your Visme editor to take your case study to the next level.

5. Lyte Reduces Customer Churn To Just 3% With Hubspot CRM

While Lyte was redefining the ticketing industry, it had no definite CRM system . Lyte utilized 12–15 different SaaS solutions across various departments, which led to a lack of alignment between teams, duplication of work and overlapping tasks.

Customer data was spread across these platforms, making it difficult to effectively track their customer journey. As a result, their churn rate increased along with customer dissatisfaction.

Through Fuelius , Lyte founded and implemented Hubspot CRM. Lyte's productivity skyrocketed after incorporating Hubspot's all-in-one CRM tool. With improved efficiency, better teamwork and stronger client relationships, sales figures soared.

The case study title page and executive summary act as compelling entry points for both existing and potential customers. This overview provides a clear understanding of the case study and also strategically incorporates key details like the client's industry, location and relevant background information.

Having a good summary of your case study can prompt your readers to engage further. You can achieve this with a simple but effective case study one-pager that highlights your customer’s problems, process and achievements, just like this case study did in the beginning.

Moreover, you can easily distribute your case study one-pager and use it as a lead magnet to draw prospective customers to your company.

Take a look at this case study one-pager template below.

This template includes key aspects of your case study, such as the introduction, key findings, conclusion and more, without overcrowding the page. The use of multiple shades of blue gives it a clean and dynamic layout.

Our favorite part of this template is where the age group is visualized.

With Visme’s data visualization tool , you can present your data in tables, graphs, progress bars, maps and so much more. All you need to do is choose your preferred data visualization widget, input or import your data and click enter!

6. How Workato Converts 75% of Their Qualified Leads

Workato wanted to improve their inbound leads and increase their conversion rate, which ranged from 40-55%.

At first, Workato searched for a simple scheduling tool. They soon discovered that they needed a tool that provided advanced routing capabilities based on zip code and other criteria. Luckily, they found and implemented Chili Piper.

As a result of implementing Chili Piper, Workato achieved a remarkable 75–80% conversion rate and improved show rates. This led to a substantial revenue boost, with a 10-15% increase in revenue attributed to Chili Piper's impact on lead conversion.

This case study example utilizes the power of video testimonials to drive the impact of their product.

Chili Piper incorporates screenshots and clips of their tool in use. This is a great strategy because it helps your viewers become familiar with how your product works, making onboarding new customers much easier.

In this case study example, we see the importance of efficient Workflow Management Systems (WMS). Without a WMS, you manually assign tasks to your team members and engage in multiple emails for regular updates on progress.

However, when crafting and designing your case study, you should prioritize having a good WMS.

Visme has an outstanding Workflow Management System feature that keeps you on top of all your projects and designs. This feature makes it much easier to assign roles, ensure accuracy across documents, and track progress and deadlines.

Visme’s WMS feature allows you to limit access to your entire document by assigning specific slides or pages to individual members of your team. At the end of the day, your team members are not overwhelmed or distracted by the whole document but can focus on their tasks.

7. Rush Order Helps Vogmask Scale-Up During a Pandemic

Vomask's reliance on third-party fulfillment companies became a challenge as demand for their masks grew. Seeking a reliable fulfillment partner, they found Rush Order and entrusted them with their entire inventory.

Vomask's partnership with Rush Order proved to be a lifesaver during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rush Order's agility, efficiency and commitment to customer satisfaction helped Vogmask navigate the unprecedented demand and maintain its reputation for quality and service.

Rush Order’s comprehensive support enabled Vogmask to scale up its order processing by a staggering 900% while maintaining a remarkable customer satisfaction rate of 92%.

Rush Order chose one event where their impact mattered the most to their customer and shared that story.

While pandemics don't happen every day, you can look through your customer’s journey and highlight a specific time or scenario where your product or service saved their business.

The story of Vogmask and Rush Order is compelling, but it simply is not enough. The case study format and design attract readers' attention and make them want to know more. Rush Order uses consistent colors throughout the case study, starting with the logo, bold square blocks, pictures, and even headers.

Take a look at this product case study template below.

Just like our example, this case study template utilizes bold colors and large squares to attract and maintain the reader’s attention. It provides enough room for you to write about your customers' backgrounds/introductions, challenges, goals and results.

The right combination of shapes and colors adds a level of professionalism to this case study template.

8. AMR Hair & Beauty leverages B2B functionality to boost sales by 200%

With limits on website customization, slow page loading and multiple website crashes during peak events, it wasn't long before AMR Hair & Beauty began looking for a new e-commerce solution.

Their existing platform lacked effective search and filtering options, a seamless checkout process and the data analytics capabilities needed for informed decision-making. This led to a significant number of abandoned carts.

Upon switching to Shopify Plus, AMR immediately saw improvements in page loading speed and average session duration. They added better search and filtering options for their wholesale customers and customized their checkout process.

Due to this, AMR witnessed a 200% increase in sales and a 77% rise in B2B average order value. AMR Hair & Beauty is now poised for further expansion and growth.

This case study example showcases the power of a concise and impactful narrative.

To make their case analysis more effective, Shopify focused on the most relevant aspects of the customer's journey. While there may have been other challenges the customer faced, they only included those that directly related to their solutions.

Take a look at this case study template below. It is perfect if you want to create a concise but effective case study. Without including unnecessary details, you can outline the challenges, solutions and results your customers experienced from using your product.

Don’t forget to include a strong CTA within your case study. By incorporating a link, sidebar pop-up or an exit pop-up into your case study, you can prompt your readers and prospective clients to connect with you.

9. How a Marketing Agency Uses Visme to Create Engaging Content With Infographics

SmartBox Dental , a marketing agency specializing in dental practices, sought ways to make dental advice more interesting and easier to read. However, they lacked the design skills to do so effectively.

Visme's wide range of templates and features made it easy for the team to create high-quality content quickly and efficiently. SmartBox Dental enjoyed creating infographics in as little as 10-15 minutes, compared to one hour before Visme was implemented.

By leveraging Visme, SmartBox Dental successfully transformed dental content into a more enjoyable and informative experience for their clients' patients. Therefore enhancing its reputation as a marketing partner that goes the extra mile to deliver value to its clients.

Visme creatively incorporates testimonials In this case study example.

By showcasing infographics and designs created by their clients, they leverage the power of social proof in a visually compelling way. This way, potential customers gain immediate insight into the creative possibilities Visme offers as a design tool.

This example effectively showcases a product's versatility and impact, and we can learn a lot about writing a case study from it. Instead of focusing on one tool or feature per customer, Visme took a more comprehensive approach.

Within each section of their case study, Visme explained how a particular tool or feature played a key role in solving the customer's challenges.

For example, this case study highlighted Visme’s collaboration tool . With Visme’s tool, the SmartBox Dental content team fostered teamwork, accountability and effective supervision.

Visme also achieved a versatile case study by including relevant quotes to showcase each tool or feature. Take a look at some examples;

Visme’s collaboration tool: “We really like the collaboration tool. Being able to see what a co-worker is working on and borrow their ideas or collaborate on a project to make sure we get the best end result really helps us out.”

Visme’s library of stock photos and animated characters: “I really love the images and the look those give to an infographic. I also really like the animated little guys and the animated pictures. That’s added a lot of fun to our designs.”

Visme’s interactivity feature: “You can add URLs and phone number links directly into the infographic so they can just click and call or go to another page on the website and I really like adding those hyperlinks in.”

You can ask your customers to talk about the different products or features that helped them achieve their business success and draw quotes from each one.

10. Jasper Grows Blog Organic Sessions 810% and Blog-Attributed User Signups 400X

Jasper, an AI writing tool, lacked a scalable content strategy to drive organic traffic and user growth. They needed help creating content that converted visitors into users. Especially when a looming domain migration threatened organic traffic.

To address these challenges, Jasper partnered with Omniscient Digital. Their goal was to turn their content into a growth channel and drive organic growth. Omniscient Digital developed a full content strategy for Jasper AI, which included a content audit, competitive analysis, and keyword discovery.

Through their collaboration, Jasper’s organic blog sessions increased by 810%, despite the domain migration. They also witnessed a 400X increase in blog-attributed signups. And more importantly, the content program contributed to over $4 million in annual recurring revenue.

The combination of storytelling and video testimonials within the case study example makes this a real winner. But there’s a twist to it. Omniscient segmented the video testimonials and placed them in different sections of the case study.

Video marketing , especially in case studies, works wonders. Research shows us that 42% of people prefer video testimonials because they show real customers with real success stories. So if you haven't thought of it before, incorporate video testimonials into your case study.

Take a look at this stunning video testimonial template. With its simple design, you can input the picture, name and quote of your customer within your case study in a fun and engaging way.

Try it yourself! Customize this template with your customer’s testimonial and add it to your case study!

11. How Meliá Became One of the Most Influential Hotel Chains on Social Media

Meliá Hotels needed help managing their growing social media customer service needs. Despite having over 500 social accounts, they lacked a unified response protocol and detailed reporting. This largely hindered efficiency and brand consistency.

Meliá partnered with Hootsuite to build an in-house social customer care team. Implementing Hootsuite's tools enabled Meliá to decrease response times from 24 hours to 12.4 hours while also leveraging smart automation.

In addition to that, Meliá resolved over 133,000 conversations, booking 330 inquiries per week through Hootsuite Inbox. They significantly improved brand consistency, response time and customer satisfaction.

The need for a good case study design cannot be over-emphasized.

As soon as anyone lands on this case study example, they are mesmerized by a beautiful case study design. This alone raises the interest of readers and keeps them engaged till the end.

If you’re currently saying to yourself, “ I can write great case studies, but I don’t have the time or skill to turn it into a beautiful document.” Say no more.

Visme’s amazing AI document generator can take your text and transform it into a stunning and professional document in minutes! Not only do you save time, but you also get inspired by the design.

With Visme’s document generator, you can create PDFs, case study presentations , infographics and more!

Take a look at this case study template below. Just like our case study example, it captures readers' attention with its beautiful design. Its dynamic blend of colors and fonts helps to segment each element of the case study beautifully.

12. Tea’s Me Cafe: Tamika Catchings is Brewing Glory

Tamika's journey began when she purchased Tea's Me Cafe in 2017, saving it from closure. She recognized the potential of the cafe as a community hub and hosted regular events centered on social issues and youth empowerment.

One of Tamika’s business goals was to automate her business. She sought to streamline business processes across various aspects of her business. One of the ways she achieves this goal is through Constant Contact.

Constant Contact became an integral part of Tamika's marketing strategy. They provided an automated and centralized platform for managing email newsletters, event registrations, social media scheduling and more.

This allowed Tamika and her team to collaborate efficiently and focus on engaging with their audience. They effectively utilized features like WooCommerce integration, text-to-join and the survey builder to grow their email list, segment their audience and gather valuable feedback.

The case study example utilizes the power of storytelling to form a connection with readers. Constant Contact takes a humble approach in this case study. They spotlight their customers' efforts as the reason for their achievements and growth, establishing trust and credibility.

This case study is also visually appealing, filled with high-quality photos of their customer. While this is a great way to foster originality, it can prove challenging if your customer sends you blurry or low-quality photos.

If you find yourself in that dilemma, you can use Visme’s AI image edit tool to touch up your photos. With Visme’s AI tool, you can remove unwanted backgrounds, erase unwanted objects, unblur low-quality pictures and upscale any photo without losing the quality.

Constant Contact offers its readers various formats to engage with their case study. Including an audio podcast and PDF.

In its PDF version, Constant Contact utilized its brand colors to create a stunning case study design.  With this, they increase brand awareness and, in turn, brand recognition with anyone who comes across their case study.

With Visme’s brand wizard tool , you can seamlessly incorporate your brand assets into any design or document you create. By inputting your URL, Visme’s AI integration will take note of your brand colors, brand fonts and more and create branded templates for you automatically.

You don't need to worry about spending hours customizing templates to fit your brand anymore. You can focus on writing amazing case studies that promote your company.

13. How Breakwater Kitchens Achieved a 7% Growth in Sales With Thryv

Breakwater Kitchens struggled with managing their business operations efficiently. They spent a lot of time on manual tasks, such as scheduling appointments and managing client communication. This made it difficult for them to grow their business and provide the best possible service to their customers.

David, the owner, discovered Thryv. With Thryv, Breakwater Kitchens was able to automate many of their manual tasks. Additionally, Thryv integrated social media management. This enabled Breakwater Kitchens to deliver a consistent brand message, captivate its audience and foster online growth.

As a result, Breakwater Kitchens achieved increased efficiency, reduced missed appointments and a 7% growth in sales.

This case study example uses a concise format and strong verbs, which make it easy for readers to absorb the information.

At the top of the case study, Thryv immediately builds trust by presenting their customer's complete profile, including their name, company details and website. This allows potential customers to verify the case study's legitimacy, making them more likely to believe in Thryv's services.

However, manually copying and pasting customer information across multiple pages of your case study can be time-consuming.

To save time and effort, you can utilize Visme's dynamic field feature . Dynamic fields automatically insert reusable information into your designs.  So you don’t have to type it out multiple times.

14. Zoom’s Creative Team Saves Over 4,000 Hours With Brandfolder

Zoom experienced rapid growth with the advent of remote work and the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such growth called for agility and resilience to scale through.

At the time, Zoom’s assets were disorganized which made retrieving brand information a burden. Zoom’s creative manager spent no less than 10 hours per week finding and retrieving brand assets for internal teams.

Zoom needed a more sustainable approach to organizing and retrieving brand information and came across Brandfolder. Brandfolder simplified and accelerated Zoom’s email localization and webpage development. It also enhanced the creation and storage of Zoom virtual backgrounds.

With Brandfolder, Zoom now saves 4,000+ hours every year. The company also centralized its assets in Brandfolder, which allowed 6,800+ employees and 20-30 vendors to quickly access them.

Brandfolder infused its case study with compelling data and backed it up with verifiable sources. This data-driven approach boosts credibility and increases the impact of their story.

Bradfolder's case study goes the extra mile by providing a downloadable PDF version, making it convenient for readers to access the information on their own time. Their dedication to crafting stunning visuals is evident in every aspect of the project.

From the vibrant colors to the seamless navigation, everything has been meticulously designed to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. And with clickable links that make exploring the content a breeze, the user experience is guaranteed to be nothing short of exceptional.

The thing is, your case study presentation won’t always sit on your website. There are instances where you may need to do a case study presentation for clients, partners or potential investors.

Visme has a rich library of templates you can tap into. But if you’re racing against the clock, Visme’s AI presentation maker is your best ally.

15. How Cents of Style Made $1.7M+ in Affiliate Sales with LeadDyno

Cents of Style had a successful affiliate and influencer marketing strategy. However, their existing affiliate marketing platform was not intuitive, customizable or transparent enough to meet the needs of their influencers.

Cents of Styles needed an easy-to-use affiliate marketing platform that gave them more freedom to customize their program and implement a multi-tier commission program.

After exploring their options, Cents of Style decided on LeadDyno.

LeadDyno provided more flexibility, allowing them to customize commission rates and implement their multi-tier commission structure, switching from monthly to weekly payouts.

Also, integrations with PayPal made payments smoother And features like newsletters and leaderboards added to the platform's success by keeping things transparent and engaging.

As a result, Cents of Style witnessed an impressive $1.7 million in revenue from affiliate sales with a substantial increase in web sales by 80%.

LeadDyno strategically placed a compelling CTA in the middle of their case study layout, maximizing its impact. At this point, readers are already invested in the customer's story and may be considering implementing similar strategies.

A well-placed CTA offers them a direct path to learn more and take action.

LeadDyno also utilized the power of quotes to strengthen their case study. They didn't just embed these quotes seamlessly into the text; instead, they emphasized each one with distinct blocks.

Are you looking for an easier and quicker solution to create a case study and other business documents? Try Visme's AI designer ! This powerful tool allows you to generate complete documents, such as case studies, reports, whitepapers and more, just by providing text prompts. Simply explain your requirements to the tool, and it will produce the document for you, complete with text, images, design assets and more.

Still have more questions about case studies? Let's look at some frequently asked questions.

How to Write a Case Study?

• Choose a compelling story: Not all case studies are created equal. Pick one that is relevant to your target audience and demonstrates the specific benefits of your product or service.
• Outline your case study: Create a case study outline and highlight how you will structure your case study to include the introduction, problem, solution and achievements of your customer.
• Choose a case study template: After you outline your case study, choose a case study template . Visme has stunning templates that can inspire your case study design.
• Craft a compelling headline: Include figures or percentages that draw attention to your case study.
• Work on the first draft: Your case study should be easy to read and understand. Use clear and concise language and avoid jargon.
• Include high-quality visual aids: Visuals can help to make your case study more engaging and easier to read. Consider adding high-quality photos, screenshots or videos.
• Include a relevant CTA: Tell prospective customers how to reach you for questions or sign-ups.

What Are the Stages of a Case Study?

The stages of a case study are;

• Planning & Preparation: Highlight your goals for writing the case study. Plan the case study format, length and audience you wish to target.
• Interview the Client: Reach out to the company you want to showcase and ask relevant questions about their journey and achievements.
• Revision & Editing: Review your case study and ask for feedback. Include relevant quotes and CTAs to your case study.
• Publication & Distribution: Publish and share your case study on your website, social media channels and email list!
• Marketing & Repurposing: Turn your case study into a podcast, PDF, case study presentation and more. Share these materials with your sales and marketing team.

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Case Study?

Advantages of a case study:

• Case studies showcase a specific solution and outcome for specific customer challenges.
• It attracts potential customers with similar challenges.
• It builds trust and credibility with potential customers.
• It provides an in-depth analysis of your company’s problem-solving process.

Disadvantages of a case study:

• Limited applicability. Case studies are tailored to specific cases and may not apply to other businesses.
• It relies heavily on customer cooperation and willingness to share information.
• It stands a risk of becoming outdated as industries and customer needs evolve.

What Are the Types of Case Studies?

There are 7 main types of case studies. They include;

• Illustrative case study.
• Instrumental case study.
• Intrinsic case study.
• Descriptive case study.
• Explanatory case study.
• Exploratory case study.
• Collective case study.

How Long Should a Case Study Be?

The ideal length of your case study is between 500 - 1500 words or 1-3 pages. Certain factors like your target audience, goal or the amount of detail you want to share may influence the length of your case study. This infographic has powerful tips for designing winning case studies

What Is the Difference Between a Case Study and an Example?

Case studies provide a detailed narrative of how your product or service was used to solve a problem. Examples are general illustrations and are not necessarily real-life scenarios.

Case studies are often used for marketing purposes, attracting potential customers and building trust. Examples, on the other hand, are primarily used to simplify or clarify complex concepts.

Where Can I Find Case Study Examples?

You can easily find many case study examples online and in industry publications. Many companies, including Visme, share case studies on their websites to showcase how their products or services have helped clients achieve success. You can also search online libraries and professional organizations for case studies related to your specific industry or field.

If you need professionally-designed, customizable case study templates to create your own, Visme's template library is one of the best places to look. These templates include all the essential sections of a case study and high-quality content to help you create case studies that position your business as an industry leader.

Get More Out Of Your Case Studies With Visme

Case studies are an essential tool for converting potential customers into paying customers. By following the tips in this article, you can create compelling case studies that will help you build trust, establish credibility and drive sales.

Visme can help you create stunning case studies and other relevant marketing materials. With our easy-to-use platform, interactive features and analytics tools , you can increase your content creation game in no time.

There is no limit to what you can achieve with Visme. Connect with Sales to discover how Visme can boost your business goals.

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What the Case Study Method Really Teaches

• Nitin Nohria

Seven meta-skills that stick even if the cases fade from memory.

It’s been 100 years since Harvard Business School began using the case study method. Beyond teaching specific subject matter, the case study method excels in instilling meta-skills in students. This article explains the importance of seven such skills: preparation, discernment, bias recognition, judgement, collaboration, curiosity, and self-confidence.

During my decade as dean of Harvard Business School, I spent hundreds of hours talking with our alumni. To enliven these conversations, I relied on a favorite question: “What was the most important thing you learned from your time in our MBA program?”

• Nitin Nohria is the George F. Baker Jr. and Distinguished Service University Professor. He served as the 10th dean of Harvard Business School, from 2010 to 2020.

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Blog Graphic Design 15+ Case Study Examples for Business, Marketing & Sales

15+ Case Study Examples for Business, Marketing & Sales

Written 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?

What to include in a professional case study, business case study examples, simple case study examples, marketing case study examples, sales case study examples.

• Case study FAQs

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]

A professional 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 professional 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 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 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 s

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?

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Case writing is a vital force behind research at HBS. Nearly 80 percent of cases used at business schools worldwide are developed by HBS faculty. HBS case studies have helped refine the skills and business judgment of tens of thousands of students, practitioners, and academics across the world. The School is continually expanding and refreshing course content as HBS faculty write new cases that span the globe, industries, disciplines, and organizational forms in the public, private for profit, and non-profit spaces. As its faculty continues to develop case studies, the School is shaping business learning and educating future leaders in a positive way for years to come.

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At HBS, academic research and case development are connected and mutually reinforcing. Cases provide the opportunity for faculty to assess and develop ideas, spark insights on nascent research questions early in a project, illustrate theory in practice, and get feedback in the classroom on those very concepts. In addition, case writing provides faculty a means to collaborate and to develop research ideas both across disciplines and across institutions.

Field case development is a dynamic and collaborative process in which faculty engage business or governmental leaders, sometimes working together with a colleague at HBS or at other academic institutions. The Case Studies for Harvard Business School brochure is a helpful resource to organizations interested in working with the School on a case. Case leads are identified based on a faculty’s teaching purpose and may arise as the result of a past relationship with an executive, a former student, or from a professor’s interest in exploring with a company’s management team a situation that would provide a meaningful learning experience. HBS works closely with host organizations to guarantee confidentiality.

Field cases typically take two months to complete - from obtaining a host organization’s approval to move forward on a case, to conducting onsite interviews, and drafting a case that paints a picture of the management issue and provides a mix of real-world uncertainty and information required for decision-making analysis.

Case support

A vast array of case-writing support is available to HBS faculty. Support is provided by case writers who work as individual research associates or are available on a project by project basis through our on-campus Case Research and Writing Group and eight regional research centers ( Asia-Pacific , California , Europe , India , Japan , Latin America , Harvard Center Shanghai , and Istanbul). Baker Library’s extensive business collection and specialist librarians comprise another invaluable research and case-writing resource.

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Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2021

Two cases about Hertz claimed top spots in 2021's Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies

Two cases on the uses of debt and equity at Hertz claimed top spots in the CRDT’s (Case Research and Development Team) 2021 top 40 review of cases.

Hertz (A) took the top spot. The case details the financial structure of the rental car company through the end of 2019. Hertz (B), which ranked third in CRDT’s list, describes the company’s struggles during the early part of the COVID pandemic and its eventual need to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

The success of the Hertz cases was unprecedented for the top 40 list. Usually, cases take a number of years to gain popularity, but the Hertz cases claimed top spots in their first year of release. Hertz (A) also became the first ‘cooked’ case to top the annual review, as all of the other winners had been web-based ‘raw’ cases.

Besides introducing students to the complicated financing required to maintain an enormous fleet of cars, the Hertz cases also expanded the diversity of case protagonists. Kathyrn Marinello was the CEO of Hertz during this period and the CFO, Jamere Jackson is black.

Sandwiched between the two Hertz cases, Coffee 2016, a perennial best seller, finished second. “Glory, Glory, Man United!” a case about an English football team’s IPO made a surprise move to number four.  Cases on search fund boards, the future of malls,  Norway’s Sovereign Wealth fund, Prodigy Finance, the Mayo Clinic, and Cadbury rounded out the top ten.

Other year-end data for 2021 showed:

• Online “raw” case usage remained steady as compared to 2020 with over 35K users from 170 countries and all 50 U.S. states interacting with 196 cases.
• Fifty four percent of raw case users came from outside the U.S..
• The Yale School of Management (SOM) case study directory pages received over 160K page views from 177 countries with approximately a third originating in India followed by the U.S. and the Philippines.
• Twenty-six of the cases in the list are raw cases.
• A third of the cases feature a woman protagonist.
• Orders for Yale SOM case studies increased by almost 50% compared to 2020.
• The top 40 cases were supervised by 19 different Yale SOM faculty members, several supervising multiple cases.

CRDT compiled the Top 40 list by combining data from its case store, Google Analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption.

All of this year’s Top 40 cases are available for purchase from the Yale Management Media store .

And the Top 40 cases studies of 2021 are:

1.   Hertz Global Holdings (A): Uses of Debt and Equity

2.   Coffee 2016

3.   Hertz Global Holdings (B): Uses of Debt and Equity 2020

4.   Glory, Glory Man United!

5.   Search Fund Company Boards: How CEOs Can Build Boards to Help Them Thrive

6.   The Future of Malls: Was Decline Inevitable?

7.   Strategy for Norway's Pension Fund Global

8.   Prodigy Finance

9.   Design at Mayo

10. Cadbury

11. City Hospital Emergency Room

13. Volkswagen

14. Marina Bay Sands

15. Shake Shack IPO

16. Mastercard

17. Netflix

18. Ant Financial

19. AXA: Creating the New CR Metrics

20. IBM Corporate Service Corps

21. Business Leadership in South Africa's 1994 Reforms

22. Alternative Meat Industry

23. Children's Premier

24. Khalil Tawil and Umi (A)

25. Palm Oil 2016

26. Teach For All: Designing a Global Network

27. What's Next? Search Fund Entrepreneurs Reflect on Life After Exit

28. Searching for a Search Fund Structure: A Student Takes a Tour of Various Options

30. Project Sammaan

31. Commonfund ESG

32. Polaroid

33. Connecticut Green Bank 2018: After the Raid

34. FieldFresh Foods

35. The Alibaba Group

36. 360 State Street: Real Options

37. Herman Miller

38. AgBiome

39. Nathan Cummings Foundation

40. Toyota 2010

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business Case for Learning and Development

Tl;dr: how to deliver an effective business case for learning.

• Research: Start by researching the main business challenges and strategic initiatives to identify where training can have the greatest impact.
• Form Alliances:  Form partnerships with key stakeholders, like department leaders, to formulate plans that tie back to tangible work in the organizations.
• Compile Options:  Gather all your material to formalize good, better, and best options that you'll present to senior leadership.
• Predict ROI:  With plans all but complete, estimate the potential ROI for your solutions. Weigh the costs against the risks and benefits.
• Present: Present your solutions to stakeholders, senior leadership, employees, and anyone else who stands to benefit from learning programs. Winning your case helps position the organization for growth.

Anyone who's dealt with budget cuts knows the frustration and stress of making do with less. Unfortunately, learning and development dollars seem to be one of the first cost-cutting areas when times are tough.

Tech executives who participated in Skillsoft's annual IT Skills and Salary survey say budget and resource constraints are the greatest challenge they face this year, followed by workload and talent retention. The first challenge, tight budgets, also impacts the latter two, creating a vicious cycle of divestment that hurts business and operations.

"When there isn't as much of an emphasis on learning and development, you certainly see a higher turnover rate and that attrition comes at a very high cost," said Bill Anderson, digital services training specialist at Corewell Health. "So, in essence, it has the opposite effect of what you're really trying to accomplish. That investment in learning and development will certainly pay back in lower attrition."

There are steps department heads can take to help prevent budget cuts because ultimately learning and development helps close gaps but also anticipates what skills the organization will need to remain competitive long term. For those leading these departments, the objective is to both educate and persuade executives that talent development can help more than hurt during lean times.

This win-win scenario unfolded at Corewell Health after a significant merge that  created Michigan's largest hospital system . Editor's note:  Corewell Health is a Skillsoft customer.

With the merge came a complex consolidation effort to cut costs, reduce duplicative efforts, and unify the two organizations. Virtually every aspect of the organization was under consideration, including technical training.

According to Anderson, the learning and development team managed to protect its training investments by building and presenting  an effective business case to leadership . It was a win for the learning team, but also a win for an organization focused on delivering modern, technology-powered experiences for employees and patients.

Here's how they did it:

Step 1: Research Strategic Priorities and Business Challenges

Building a compelling business case for learning starts with research. You want to have a thorough understanding of what the organization is going through and how that impacts goals. For this first step, ask questions and dig deep. You want to connect the top-level challenges to outcomes — good and bad.

For example:

Consider how  onboarding new technology without training could cause a ripple effect throughout the organization.

⬇️ The IT department onboards a new vendor. 

⬇️ Without training, employees don't know how to use it. 

⬇️ Adoption suffers, and some employees buy different solutions.

❌ IT doesn't see the ROI or meet its goal; organization takes on more risk.

In the scenario above, training could help in a big way. Telling the inverse of this story would show a clear need for learning programs that ultimately benefit different areas of the organization.

Where to Focus Your Research

By understanding the broader landscape and best practices, professionals can understand where training can have the greatest impact and tell why. Getting intel on what's listed below will help identify the organization's specific needs and demonstrate how targeted training can effectively address these areas. And remember, drill down.

Internal research:

• Current business challenges
• Current and future strategic initiatives
• New deployments
• Employee performance
• Retention rates
• Existing gaps in current skills
• Desired future skills or certifications

External research:

• Industry benchmarks
• Competitor training initiatives
• Published studies on the benefits of training

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Step 2: formulate a solution with stakeholders.

After gathering data and doing your research, it's time to visit with other department leaders who will likely benefit the most from training.

Department leaders across the business serve as both your stakeholders and your supporters when making the case to executive leadership. In essence, you must form a partnership with these leaders to ensure alignment between their department initiatives and the training that you will deliver. Doing so helps measure the readiness of the department against its intended goal and lends more tangibility to your case for learning.

You want to understand: 

• What their challenges and needs are
• Their expectations for training programs
• Impressions of third parties and vendors
• What skills or certifications they're focused on
• What vacancies they have on their teams

...And more. The more you know, the better.

Along the way, take notes and compile your evidence. Documenting your findings ensures all insights, data, and analyses are ready to share with others. When working with department leaders, thorough documentation can also demonstrate transparency and facilitate collaboration.

Step 2.1: Assemble a Team of Skill Champions

Through meticulous research, professionals can compile a data-driven, persuasive case that aligns organizational goals with training and demonstrates the value of L&D initiatives.

But what's it all for if adoption is low or employees don't see the value in it?

It's worth reiterating the importance of connecting with stakeholders early in this process and assembling a cohort of champions who not only see the value of training but also spread the word.

"We were fortunate enough to have a portion of our business that had already been using Skillsoft Percipio for learning and development," Anderson said. "So that word of mouth from those team members already using Skillsoft was very helpful when we went to extend training to our entire IT team."

Step 3: Form Your Argument with Good, Better, Best Options

By this step, you've done your internal and external research, met with department leaders, and you have a clear understanding of the organization's strategic priorities and key challenges.

Now, it's time to prescribe training as a solution in support of the organization. And it helps to offer options that illustrate the impact training investments can have at varying levels.

Providing several scenarios allows stakeholders to compare various approaches and their implications. This comparison should include both internal solutions, like leveraging in-house expertise and resources, and external options, such as partnering with specialized training providers.

What Does Good Look Like?

With a low investment, learning and development teams can support modest training programs that help meet compliance requirements and build select skills among a cohort of employees. 

The Pros and Cons: By keeping costs low, the upfront investment doesn't burden the organization while also meeting compliance and some skilling requirements. However, the solution may not scale easily, which makes it tough to forecast future needs, and the program may only benefit a limited number of employees and stakeholders.

What Does Better Look Like?

With more investment, learning and development teams can begin to scale learning programs more easily and offer more training to more employees.

The Pros and Cons:  While the cost is higher, training programs have a wider impact on the organization and stakeholders (employees, patients, customers, etc.). Programs scale more easily, and it becomes easier to see the short- and long-term impact of training at an organizational level, including cultural and behavioral changes.

What Does Best Look Like?

With a best-case-scenario investment in training, learning and development teams can deploy and support enterprise-level programs that are measured, optimized and scaled.

The Pros and Cons:  The upfront cost of this option is the highest, creating the most burden for the organization. However, the investment will pay the organization back in time through a range of dividends, including closed skill gaps, more productive employees, faster product development and time to market, and higher employee satisfaction.

By evaluating these options, stakeholders can make informed decisions that balance costs, benefits, and risks. Presenting a range of solutions also demonstrates to stakeholders the strategic approach to delivering effective training programs that solve business challenges.

Don't be Shy About the Benefits of Learning

Especially in tech, department leaders today struggle with talent recruitment and retention, developing stronger teams, innovation and change management, workload and more. And because of skill gaps, employees feel more stress, projects slow down, and business objectives falter.

All of these challenges can be solved — at some level — with investments in learning and development.

According to  Skillsoft's IT Skills and Salary Report , tech leaders say these are the top benefits of training:

• Improves team morale
• Shortens project durations
• Improves talent retention
• Makes it easier to attract talent
• Increases revenue
• Increases ability to innovate

Step 4: Estimate Your ROI of Training Investments

In L&D, demonstrating a return on investment is often difficult. Sometimes, the metrics aren't there. Or the effort is too cumbersome. But there are ways to simplify the process and still make your case.

The team at Corewell Health created a process that helped them assign a dollar value to training, which substantially strengthened their case for learning. The learning and development team looked at the resources being consumed and assigned dollar values to them.

For example, if learners accessed a book in Skillsoft Percipio, they cross-checked what it would cost for the individual to buy it outside of the subscription. They added up all the times a person accessed that book and totaled the cost. They took the same approach to other resources, including courses, labs and so on.

It looked like this:

Cost of books + Cost of courses + Cost of Labs + Cost of Certification Prep + = Cost of Training Resources

Cost of Training Resources x Number of Accesses = Gross Training Cost

From there, you'd identify the cost savings by comparing the "gross training cost" to, in this case, the cost of the training subscription. 

"Money talks," Anderson said. "What I found in our situation was our leadership really wanted to know how much money we were saving by taking classes with Skillsoft rather than taking them at other institutions. That really ended up being a great measurement to show how our team was adopting this tool."

When they tallied up the cost savings using this method, Corewell Health saved about $150,000. Anderson said a range of metrics can work in building your case, including  skill assessments , course or journey completions, badges earned, and gamification or leaderboards to show participation.

Other ways to show cost-savings include weighing the training investment against estimated recruiting costs or that of managed services, and the cost of team vacancies.

Read Next:  Measure Mastery: How Interactivity Showcases Earned Skills - Skillsoft

Step 4.1: Anticipate Opposition and Risks

From a business perspective, senior leaders want to keep costs low and benefits high. And when costs become too much, they have difficult decisions to make. During such times, leaders might see learning programs as less critical than other areas that can have short-term or immediate impact on the bottom line, ultimately diverting money away from these programs.

Corporate training programs often require an upfront investment in both time and resources, with benefits that may not be immediately visible. Additionally, skepticism fuels opposition. Some leaders may doubt the impact of training, questioning whether it translates into measurable business outcomes. This skepticism can be reinforced by past experiences with poorly executed training programs that failed to deliver.

Convincing senior leadership to overcome these reservations requires presenting a thorough argument that clearly demonstrates the success and ROI of well-implemented training programs and how the team helps anticipate future business needs. By preemptively acknowledging these concerns and providing compelling evidence to counter them, L&D leaders can build a stronger, more persuasive case for investing in learning.

Step 5: Present Your Case for Learning to... Everyone

Arguably the most important part of undertaking this effort is spreading the word throughout your organization because training can (and does) have a tremendous impact on developing new leaders, securing coveted skills, and fostering a  vibrant company culture . As you present your case, it's important to consider your audiences and what they care about.

"Understanding your audience and communicating value effectively can significantly enhance the impact of your business case," writes Cathy Hoy, CEO of CLO100.

Hoy recommends  presenting your case for learning  using a flow like this:

• Executive Summary  — Condense the presentation and list key takeaways.
• The Business Challenge — Call out what hurts the business today.
• The Benefits   — Answer what the organization gains by implementing the solution.
• The Risks — Get in front of the risks or concerns people may have and refute them.
• The Costs — Address what the investment costs the organization and why. Include the estimated ROI.
• The Timeline  — Communicate what people should expect and when.
• The Call-to-Action  — Articulate what you need from your stakeholders and ask for it directly.

As you embark on the campaign trail, tailor your messages to the respective audience. Pro tip:  Constantly ask yourself, "what's in it for them?"

Your Message to Executives — Communicate how training aligns with strategic business goals both now and in the future, highlighting the financial benefits and ROI over time. Their buy-in secures funding and protects your investments.

Your Message to Department Leaders — Show how training can lead to outcomes they care about, like improved team performance, while supporting the organization's overarching mission. Their buy-in ensures smoother implementation and ongoing support.

Your Message to All Employees — Educating the broader workforce about the value of ongoing learning fosters a culture of continuous improvement. When employees see how training will benefit them — career advancement, improving performance, etc. — they are more likely to participate. Their buy-in ensures the adoption of training programs, the closure of skill gaps, and more systemic outcomes, like higher morale, lower attrition, and more.

An Effective Business Case Protects Investments, Secures Budget

When done well, an effective business case for learning can protect hard-won learning programs and demonstrate to leadership the impact training can have on powerful outcomes, like customer and employee satisfaction, productivity, and more.

However, it takes time to build a thorough case — especially alone. Doing so with support from other areas of the business will strengthen the argument for learning while also decentralizing the planning and execution process. This will help while building a case, but also when the case has been won.

If you're building a case for your programs, consider reviewing Skillsoft's Total Economic Impact Studies, commissioned through Forrester Consulting. Each of these studies shows the potential return on investment a composite organization would realize by investing in Skillsoft training.

• Total Economic Impact of Skillsoft Technology and Developer Solutions
• Total Economic Impact of Skillsoft Compliance Solutions
• Total Economic Impact of Skillsoft Leadership and Business Solutions

Further, this year's  Lean Into Learning Report and  IT Skills and Salary Report dive deep into training data and industry trends to help inform L&D strategy. Use resources like these to bolster your argument in favor of training.

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Community Economic Development

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Wisconsin REV Has Launched!

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Wisconsin’s Rural Entrepreneurial Venture (REV) program launched on June 3 rd with its inaugural cohort diving into the first phase known as eReady. Each WI REV community’s leadership team started their journey with an orientation meeting that included their WI REV coach and eReady coach to learn about the eReady three-month process and to start reviewing the Ord, NE case study.  They then gathered virtually for their first plenary session, coming together as a cohort to discuss the economic benefits Ord has seen over the past 20+ years and to reflect on potential goals their own communities might realize through employing the WI REV framework.

Ord is a rural city in Valley County, NE that began using this type of framework in 2000 to develop their small community through entrepreneur-led economic development. Their growth and economic prosperity have been studied and documented by e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems leader, Don Macke, and his colleagues for more than 20 years as ORD continues to utilize the tools this framework provides.

Rural Entrepreneurial Venture (REV), based on the e2 model of entrepreneur-led development, is a proven entrepreneurial development program designed to advance small town economies through a targeted business approach. WI REV is now underway with its inaugural cohort including:

• City of Jefferson in Waukesha County
• Latino entrepreneurs in Green County
• City of Amery in Polk County
• City of Mineral Point in Iowa County
• City of Hillsboro in Vernon County

The typical WI REV community is rural with a population of at least 1,500 but no more than 10,000, which may include an individual city/town/village, a combination of neighboring communities or a school district. Local leadership in a WI REV community is willing to invest time with their local entrepreneurs and work to establish a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and a diverse, more resilient economy. If you are part of such a community and would like to discuss potential WI REV program participation, please contact Lisa Taylor at [email protected] .

Wisconsin REV is led by UW-Madison Division of Extension’s Community Economic Development Program in partnership with Community and Economic Development , Associates (CEDA), Compeer Financial, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), and Energizing Entrepreneurs “e2” framework.

This effort is being funded by :

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Sustainable Development Efficiency of Cultural Landscape Heritage in Urban Fringe Based on GIS-DEA-MI, a Case Study of Wuhan, China

Affiliations.

• 1 School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China.
• 2 Innovation Demonstration Base of Ecological Environment Geotechnical and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Wuhan 430068, China.
• 3 School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
• 4 Wuhan Planning and Design Institute, Wuhan 430014, China.
• PMID: 36293641
• PMCID: PMC9602819
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013061

Cultural landscape heritage refers to the rare and irreplaceable cultural landscapes recognized by UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee. It is recognized as a "common works of nature and human beings" of outstanding significance and universal value, and is a type of world heritage. Dueto construction, land isincreasingly limited in urban and rural areasin the process of urbanization, and cultural landscape heritage faces a huge threat, especially larger culturallandscapeheritagelocated at the edgesof cities. However, most of the existing studies have mainly focused on the material protection of heritage but have not paid enough attention to the non-material aspects of heritage sites, failing to reveal the inseparable nature of heritage and land. Therefore, this study takes sustainable development efficiency as its analysis tool, examines two pieces of cultural landscape heritage (the Panlongcheng site and the Tomb of the King of the Ming Dynasty) in the urban edge area of Wuhan, China as examples, innovates and establishes a multidimensional evaluation method based on the GIS-DEA-Ml model, and compares the dynamic changes of the spatial development efficiency and non-spatial development efficiency of the above two cultural landscape heritage cases. The results show that: both the spatial development efficiency and non-spatial development efficiency of Panlongcheng from 2010 to 2019 are significantly higher than that of the Tomb. This method makes up for the deficiency of traditional subjective qualitative analysis. It can be used to study the development efficiency of cultural landscape heritage more objectively and comprehensively, and promote the overall sustainable development of material and intangible cultural heritage. It can provide the basis for early decision-making and post-implementation evaluation for the preservation and utilization of cultural landscape heritage under the background of urban renewal.

Keywords: GIS-DEA-MI model; cultural landscape heritage; heritage preservation and utilization; sustainable development efficiency; urban fringe.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Knowledge mapping of the study…

Knowledge mapping of the study on the developmental efficiency of cultural landscape heritage.

Kernel density analysis of traffic…

Kernel density analysis of traffic facilities.

Kernel density analysis of communal…

Kernel density analysis of communal facilities.

Kernel density analysis of service…

Kernel density analysis of service facilities.

Analysis of road network.

Analysis of land use property.

Statistical graph of non-spatial development…

Statistical graph of non-spatial development efficiency.

Statistical graph of the degree…

Statistical graph of the degree of change in non-spatial development efficiency.

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Cao Y , Nguyen LH , Tica S, et al. Evaluation of Birth by Cesarean Delivery and Development of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(4):e2310316. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.10316

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Evaluation of Birth by Cesarean Delivery and Development of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

• 1 Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
• 2 Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
• 3 Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
• 4 Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston
• 5 Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston
• 6 Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
• 7 Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
• 8 Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
• 9 Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• 10 Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
• 11 Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
• 12 Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
• 13 Division of Women’s Health, Department of Obstetrics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
• 14 Department of Paediatrics, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden
• 15 Department of Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York

Question   Is birth by cesarean delivery associated with risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC)?

Findings   In this nationwide case-control study of 564 individuals with incident early-onset CRC and matched control individuals in Sweden, compared with birth by vaginal delivery, birth by cesarean delivery was not associated with early-onset CRC in the overall population. While no association was observed among males, a positive association was found among females.

Meaning   In this study, females born by cesarean delivery had greater odds of early-onset CRC, suggesting that early-life gut dysbiosis may contribute to early-onset CRC in females.

Importance   The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC), diagnosed younger than 50 years of age, has increased worldwide. Gut dysbiosis throughout the life course is hypothesized as a leading mechanism, yet epidemiologic data are limited.

Objective   To prospectively examine the association between birth by cesarean delivery and early-onset CRC among offspring.

Design, Setting, and Participants   In this population-based, nationwide case-control study in Sweden, adults diagnosed with CRC between 18 and 49 years of age from 1991 to 2017 were identified through the Epidemiology Strengthened by Histopathology Reports in Sweden (ESPRESSO) cohort. Up to 5 general population control individuals without CRC were matched with each case on age, sex, calendar year, and county of residence. Pathology-confirmed end points were linked with the Swedish Medical Birth Register and other national registers. Analyses were conducted from March 2022 through March 2023.

Exposure   Birth by cesarean delivery.

Main Outcomes and Measures   The primary outcome was development of early-onset CRC in the overall population and by sex.

Results   We identified 564 case patients with incident early-onset CRC (mean [SD] age, 32.9 [6.2] years; 284 [50.4%] male) and 2180 matched controls (mean [SD] age, 32.7 [6.3] years; 1104 [50.6%] male). Compared with vaginal delivery, birth by cesarean delivery was not associated with early-onset CRC in the overall population (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.28; 95% CI, 0.91-1.79) after multivariable adjustment for matching and maternal and pregnancy-related factors. A positive association was found for females (aOR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.01-2.60), but there was no association for males (aOR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.64-1.72).

Conclusions and Relevance   In this nationwide, population-based case-control study, birth by cesarean delivery was not associated with early-onset CRC compared with birth by vaginal delivery in the overall population in Sweden. However, females born by cesarean delivery had greater odds of early-onset CRC compared with individuals born through vaginal delivery. This finding suggests that early-life gut dysbiosis may contribute to early-onset CRC in females.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence has increased among individuals younger than 50 years of age in the US 1 - 3 and multiple European countries, including Sweden, 4 with more advanced clinicopathological and distinct molecular features compared with CRC in older individuals. 2 , 5 - 7 While contributors to the increase in early-onset CRC remain to be identified, obesity, 8 , 9 prolonged sitting, 10 diabetes, 11 and metabolic syndrome 12 were all found to be positively associated with early-onset CRC, 5 supporting in-depth investigations of early-life origins of metabolic dysregulation. The gut microbiome, mechanistically involved in CRC pathogenesis, 13 - 21 captures substantial variations (approximately 22%-36%) in the aforementioned metabolic traits 22 - 25 and is therefore hypothesized to be at the crossroads between exposome and early-onset CRC. 26 - 29

In addition, in the US, each successive birth cohort has had a higher incidence of early-onset CRC than the previous one. 1 While the underlying reasons are unknown, this trend supports the hypothesis that early life exposures and changes in exposures throughout the life course over successive birth cohorts may contribute to the rising incidence of early-onset CRC. 30 Intriguingly, in many developed countries with an increasing incidence of early-onset CRC, a parallel increase in cesarean delivery rates has also been documented. 31 For instance, in Sweden, the rate of cesarean delivery increased from 5% in 1973 to 12.3% in 1983 and stabilized at 17% in recent years. 32 , 33 In the US, the rate of cesarean delivery was 5% between 1950 and the 1970s but rose to 24% in 1986, reached a peak of 33% in 2009, and stabilized around 30% thereafter. 34 Given the increasing prevalence of birth via cesarean delivery, understanding its associations with future health outcomes has become a critical unmet need. Documented short-term risks associated with birth via cesarean delivery include altered immune development; an increased likelihood of allergy, atopy, and asthma; and reduced intestinal gut microbiome diversity. 35 Studies on the long-term effects of cesarean delivery in offspring are limited; however, emerging evidence suggests that cesarean delivery may be associated with a higher risk of immune-mediated chronic inflammatory diseases, 36 , 37 obesity throughout the life course, 38 - 41 and diabetes, 42 likely mediated through early-life gut dysbiosis 43 - 45 that persists throughout adulthood.

Thus far, to our knowledge, the association between birth by cesarean delivery and risk of early-onset CRC has not been examined in epidemiologic studies. To address this critical knowledge gap, we leveraged data collected from Swedish registries to test the hypothesis that birth via cesarean delivery is a factor associated with early-onset CRC.

We conducted a nationwide, population-based case-control study using the Epidemiology Strengthened by Histopathology Reports in Sweden (ESPRESSO) cohort. In brief, the ESPRESSO study is a comprehensive data-harmonizing effort involving all 28 pathology departments in Sweden and any gastrointestinal (GI) pathology reports generated for clinical care or research purposes between 1965 and 2017. 46 This consortium has enrolled more than 2.1 million unique individuals with detailed information on GI topography, morphologic appearance, and pathologist’s diagnostic impression. The unique Swedish personal identity number was used to link ESPRESSO data to several national registers containing validated, prospectively recorded data on demographics and disease diagnoses 47 and the Swedish Medical Birth Register (MBR), with data on mode of birth since 1973. The MBR covers around 98% of all births in Sweden and contains data from the first antenatal visit until delivery and discharge from the delivery hospital. Completeness of pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in the MBR is bolstered by cross-comparison with the Total Population Register to identify missing records and standardization of electronic health records across the country as well as by Sweden’s universally accessible obstetric care. 48 , 49 This study was approved by the Stockholm Ethics Review Board. Informed consent was waived, as the study was registry based. This study followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology ( STROBE ) reporting guideline for case-control studies.

We identified individuals in the ESPRESSO study with GI tract histopathologic findings compatible with a diagnosis of incident CRC between age 18 and 49 years from 1991 to 2017 (eTable 1 in Supplement 1 ). We then cross-referenced potential cases with their inpatient and outpatient records for International Classification of Diseases, Seventh Revision (ICD-7) , Eighth Revision (ICD-8) , and Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes consistent with CRC (eTable 1 in Supplement 1 ), thus requiring both compatible histopathologic findings and registry-level case confirmation. Information on the date of diagnosis and tumor location were retrieved. Incident cases of CRC were matched with up to 5 control individuals from the general population based on age at index (continuous), sex (categorical), calendar year (continuous), and county of residence 50 (categorical). 46 We excluded cases and controls with prior inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and hereditary cancers.

We identified mothers to cases and controls through the MBR and extracted information on the mode of birth. For covariates, a list of maternal and pregnancy-related factors was selected a priori, including maternal history of cesarean delivery, maternal age at delivery, maternal country of birth, whether the mother lived with a partner, maternal educational level, and parity. Birth characteristics were also extracted from the MBR, including gestational age (weeks), birth weight (grams), and birth length (centimeters). We leveraged both the MBR and the National Patient Register to retrieve information on diagnoses of maternal comorbidities, including diabetes (pregestational and gestational), hypertension, preeclampsia, and IBD.

We evaluated the association between birth by cesarean delivery and odds of early-onset CRC as the primary analysis. As secondary analyses, we investigated whether the findings in the primary analysis differed according to sex and anatomic site of the tumor.

Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% CIs. In addition to condition on matching factors (age, sex, calendar year, and county of residence), we adjusted for maternal and pregnancy-related factors as the main multivariable analyses: previous cesarean delivery (yes, no), maternal age (≤24, 25-29, 30-34, or ≥35 years), maternal country of birth (Nordic, non-Nordic), living with a partner (yes, no), maternal educational level (elementary, secondary, or college), and parity (1, 2, 3, or ≥4). Additionally, in a separate model, we adjusted for birth characteristics, including gestational age (<36, 37-39, 40-42, or ≥43 weeks), birth weight 51 (<2500, 2500 to <3000, 3000 to <3500, 3500 to <4000, or ≥4000 g), and birth length 52 (continuous), to assess whether the findings were mediated by these factors. Missingness was minimal (only for maternal educational level, gestational age, birth weight, and length, all less than 5%), and missing data were imputed using multiple imputation by chained equations methods with 5 iterations. 53

We conducted the following sensitivity analyses: (1) restricted to cases and controls aged 35 years or older to further minimize the impact of hereditary CRCs, (2) restricted to cases and controls without a maternal history of cesarean delivery to minimize potential confounding, and (3) restricted to cases and controls without maternal history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, and IBD up to the time of delivery to minimize confounding. E-values, which quantify the minimum effect required for an unmeasured confounder on both exposure and outcome to nullify the observed exposure-outcome associations, were calculated to evaluate the effects of unmeasured confounding. 54 , 55 All analyses were performed in SAS, version 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc). Data were analyzed from March 2022 through March 2023.

We identified 705 individuals aged 18 to 49 years with incident early-onset CRC in ESPRESSO from 1991 to 2017 and 3509 eligible controls after matching on age, sex, calendar year, and county of residence. After linking with birth records, a total of 564 cases (mean [SD] age, 32.9 [6.2] years; 280 [49.6%] female and 284 [50.4%] male; 154 [27.3%] with rectal cancer) and 2180 controls (mean [SD] age, 32.7 [6.3] years; 1076 [49.4%] female and 1104 [50.6%] male) remained in the final analyses ( Table 1 , Table 2 , and eFigure in Supplement 1 ), with similar characteristics as those among cases and controls not linked with birth records (eTable 2 in Supplement 1 ). All of the included 564 cases were matched with at least 1 control, with the majority (505 [89.5%]) matched with 3 to 5 controls. Compared with mothers of matched controls, mothers of the case patients had similar age at delivery and distribution of country of birth, proportion who lived with a partner, educational level, and parity but were more likely to have a history of cesarean delivery, diabetes, and IBD. No apparent differences were observed for gestational length, birth weight, and birth length. A higher percentage of early-onset CRC cases (55 of 564 [9.8%]) were born through cesarean delivery compared with controls (175 of 2180 [8.0%]).

Overall, individuals who were born through cesarean delivery did not have significantly higher odds of early-onset CRC (aOR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.91-1.79) ( Table 3 ) after multivariable adjustment of matching and maternal and pregnancy factors, including previous cesarean delivery, maternal age, country of birth, living with a partner, educational level, and parity. A positive association was found among females (aOR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.01-2.60), but there was no association among males (aOR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.64-1.72). An unmeasured confounder would need to be associated with both birth via cesarean delivery and early-onset CRC with an OR of at least 2.62 to nullify the association observed among females (eTable 3 in Supplement 1 ). We also observed similar associations after further adjusting for birth characteristics, including gestational age, birth weight, and birth length ( Table 3 ).

For females, the association was also similar after restricting to those aged 35 years or older at the index date (aOR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.02-4.48), those without maternal history of cesarean delivery (aOR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.00-2.66), or those without maternal history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, or IBD (aOR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.05-2.74) ( Table 4 ).

We further examined whether the positive association for females differed according to anatomic sites of CRC (colon vs rectal). For colon cancer, the aOR was 1.77 (95% CI, 1.05-3.01), while for rectal cancer, the aOR was 1.29 (95% CI, 0.42-4.02) (eTable 4 in Supplement 1 ).

In this population-based case-control study that included 564 patients with early-onset CRC, we found no association between birth by cesarean delivery and early-onset CRC compared with birth by vaginal delivery in the overall population. However, we identified an association between birth by cesarean delivery and higher odds of early-onset CRC among females, and this association was not mediated by birth characteristics. To our knowledge, this is among the first analyses leveraging prospectively collected data to examine the association between birth by cesarean delivery and risk of CRC, with a focus on early-onset CRC. Although preliminary, our findings lend initial support to the hypothesis that early-life gut dysbiosis may contribute to the rising incidence of early-onset CRC in females, calling for validation and mechanistic studies. If validated, modeling studies 56 are needed to elucidate the contribution of cesarean delivery to the rising incidence of early-onset CRC, especially among women.

The mechanisms linking birth by cesarean delivery to higher risk of early-onset CRC remain unexplored, although effects on the developing gut microbiome are a suspected mediator. 26 Among various perinatal factors affecting the transfer of the maternal microbiome, cesarean delivery exerts the strongest disruption, affecting both the diversity and the composition of early infancy microbiome, 57 with reported differences persisting through the first year of life. 43 , 45 , 58 , 59 For instance, gut bacterial colony load was significantly less at birth in infants born by cesarean delivery, with relatively reduced abundance of Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium species up to 6 months of life. 43 , 60 While preclinical studies have shown Bifidobacterium species to have anticancer properties in CRC through different mechanisms, 61 , 62 longitudinal studies with long-term follow-up and repeated microbiome profiling are needed to uncover the evolutionary dynamics of affected species and strains, 63 including interaction with host genetics. 64 Furthermore, early infancy is considered a critical period during which microbial differences significantly influence immune maturation. 43 , 65 - 67 In particular, the colon is the site of the greatest microbial colonization by cell count and biomass and possesses the largest immune exposure by density and surface area. 68 , 69 Accumulating evidence suggests that deficient or aberrant immune maturation may have an association with disease development later in life, 70 - 72 such as with the development of IBD—a condition that also has been associated with early-onset CRC. 73

Cesarean delivery has been associated with modest increased risk of obesity 38 - 42 , 74 and diabetes, 37 , 42 both of which are factors associated with early-onset CRC. 5 , 8 , 9 , 12 Recent evidence suggested that adolescents born by cesarean delivery had significantly lower levels of adiponectin and higher levels of insulin resistance compared with adolescents born by vaginal delivery, 75 further supporting the possibility that cesarean delivery may be associated with higher subsequent risk of early-onset CRC. More research is needed to elucidate the complex interplays between cesarean delivery, insulin resistance, and the microbiome-immune-cancer axis throughout the life course.

Notably, we observed an association between birth by cesarean delivery and early-onset CRC among females but not among males. Although the rise in early-onset CRC in Sweden was similar in women and men, 76 , 77 our findings suggest that risk factors and/or strengths of associations may differ by sex. Sex dimorphism has previously been observed in associations between cesarean delivery and chronic diseases. A prior study from Kaiser Permanente’s Northwest Region (US) reported an elevated risk of asthma among females (aOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.11-2.10) but not among males (aOR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.81-1.43) born via cesarean delivery. 78 While evidence in humans is thus far limited, preclinical work suggests that sex hormones influence interactions between microbial signaling, the enteric immune system, and mucosal barrier functioning. 79 However, whether this physiology influences the development of early-onset CRC represents an important area of future study. To date, there is also a paucity of data exploring multigenerational trends in the microbiome and influence on disease development, although some researchers have hypothesized this may play a role in mother-daughter dyads and disease trends as rates of cesarean delivery have increased. 80 , 81

Strengths of our study include the use of national registries with extended follow-up to prospectively examine the association between birth via cesarean delivery and the odds of early-onset CRC, such that the findings are not influenced by maternal recall bias. Further, accuracy of CRC diagnosis may have been increased by the requirement of congruency in histopathologic findings and diagnostic codes. We were also able to adjust for a list of maternal factors to account for potential confounding.

There are also several limitations to this study. First, even though we leveraged a nationwide population-based cohort, the rate of cesarean delivery was relatively low in Sweden between 1970 and the 1980s compared with many developed countries, limiting our sample size and power, especially for additional analyses by CRC anatomic sites and elective vs emergency cesarean delivery (information available since 1999). As the mother usually does not experience rupture of the amniotic membrane until surgery, a newborn delivered by elective cesarean delivery has limited microbial colonization from the birth canal compared with a newborn born via emergency cesarean delivery, which is usually performed after the onset of physical labor and the rupture of membranes. 82 A prior study suggested that elective cesarean delivery but not emergency cesarean delivery was associated with an increased risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 83 Future studies are needed to elucidate whether this pertains to CRC and/or early-onset CRC. In addition, we did not adjust for indications for cesarean delivery (eg, fetopelvic disproportion, breech presentation, or fetal distress 32 ) unless they were known to be associated with risk of CRC, such as IBD. Second, no information on antibiotic prophylaxis for cesarean delivery and intrapartum antibiotic use was available. Although concerns about early-life exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics and associated pervasive effects on the development of the gut microbiome and various disorders later in life are growing, 84 , 85 long-term data are limited. A recent randomized clinical trial 86 compared the microbiome composition of infants born via cesarean delivery with and without intrauterine antibiotic exposure and reported that cesarean delivery itself, but not antenatal antibiotic exposure, negatively affected microbiota development. Finally, residual confounding (eg, socioeconomic status of the family) could not be ruled out. Our findings were generally robust, supported by E-value analyses and sensitivity analyses including restricting to individuals without maternal history of a list of major comorbidities. We also attempted to conduct sibling analyses; however, only 6% of sibling pairs had different modes of delivery, and this study was underpowered to evaluate the association among siblings. Lack of information on maternal adiposity and weight gain during pregnancy 87 (body mass index data were only available since 1992) limited our capability to further assess their roles in the association identified. Validations in more racially and ethnically diverse populations, especially from other countries with rising incidence of early-onset CRC, are needed.

In this population-based case-control study, compared with birth by vaginal delivery, birth by cesarean delivery was not associated with early-onset CRC in the overall population in Sweden. Females born via cesarean delivery had greater odds of developing early-onset CRC compared with individuals born through vaginal delivery, but there was no association among males.

Accepted for Publication: March 13, 2023.

Published: April 27, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.10316

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License . © 2023 Cao Y et al. JAMA Network Open .

Corresponding Author: Jonas F. Ludvigsson, MD, PhD, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, PO Box 281, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden ( [email protected] ).

Author Contributions: Drs Cao and Ludvigsson had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Cao, Otegbeye, Ludvigsson.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Cao, Nguyen, Tica, Zong, Roelstraete, Chan, Warner, Stephansson, Ludvigsson.

Drafting of the manuscript: Cao, Nguyen, Tica, Zong.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Cao, Tica, Otegbeye, Zong, Roelstraete, Chan, Warner, Stephansson, Ludvigsson.

Statistical analysis: Cao, Otegbeye, Zong, Roelstraete.

Obtained funding: Cao, Ludvigsson.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Cao, Tica, Chan, Ludvigsson.

Supervision: Cao, Chan, Stephansson, Ludvigsson.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Cao reported receiving personal fees from Geneoscopy for consulting outside the submitted work. Dr Chan reported serving as an investigator on studies supported by Pfizer, Freenome, and Zoe Ltd; receiving personal fees from Pfizer Inc, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Bayer Pharma AG; and receiving grants from Pfizer Inc, Zoe Ltd, and Freenome outside the submitted work. Dr Ludvigsson reported coordinating a study, on behalf of the Swedish inflammatory bowel disease quality register, that received funding from Janssen; receiving financial support from MSD to develop a paper reviewing national health care registers in China; and discussing potential research collaboration with Takeda outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

Funding/Support: This work was supported by R37CA246175 (Dr Cao) and R35CA253185 (Dr Chan) from the US National Cancer Institute; K23DK125838 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (Dr Nguyen); a Research Fellowship Award and Career Development Award (Dr Nguyen) and a Senior Investigator Award (Dr Chan) from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation; the Research Scholars Award from the American Gastroenterological Association (Dr Nguyen); the Stuart and Suzanne Steele Research Scholars Award from Massachusetts General Hospital (Dr Chan); and the Swedish Cancer Foundation (Dr Ludvigsson). Dr Tica was supported by Washington University Pediatric Gastroenterology Research Training Program grant T32DK077653 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Dr Otegbeye was supported by Washington University School of Medicine Surgical Oncology Basic Science and Translational Research Training Program grant T32CA009621 from the National Cancer Institute.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Data Sharing Statement: See Supplement 2 .

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