GAYNZ

Bronze Spike
TitleGAYNZ
BrandANZ BANK AUSTRALIA
Product / ServiceFINANCIAL
CategoryA07. Live Brand Experience
EntrantREVOLVER/WILL O'ROURKE Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Idea Creation TBWA MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Media REVOLVER/WILL O'ROURKE Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Production REVOLVER/WILL O'ROURKE Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Paul Reardon Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Executive Creative Director
Tara Ford Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Creative Director
Daniel Pizzato Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Creative Director
Tim Woolford Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Creative
Scott Canning Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Creative
Janine Wertheim Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Senior Producer
The Glue Society's James Dive & Pete Baker Revolver/Will O'Rourke Artistic, Design & Project Directors
Michael Ritchie Revolver/Will O'Rourke Managing Director/Executive Producer
Josh Mullens Revolver/Will O'Rourke Executive Producer/Head of Projects
Jasmin Helliar Revolver/Will O'Rourke Producer
Phoebe Marks Revolver/Will O'Rourke Production Manager
Sam Hobbs N/A Production Designer
Sam Wilde N/A Art Director
Cameron Stanton N/A Construction Manager
Andrea Davies, Bill Undery, Mark Dixon, Rosalind McKelvey Bunting, Colin Richards, Jo Breneger, Jo Allsop N/A Scenic Painters
Robyn Schremmer N/A Graphic Designer
Ricci Meldrum Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Regional Group Head
Claire Tenzer Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Group Business Director
Emily Gray Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Account Manager
Jack Clemenger Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Account Executive
Paul Arena Whybin\TBWA, Melbourne Digital Planner

The Campaign

ANZ came out as GAYNZ - converting their entire identity into a representation of their commitment to the LGBTI community. They completely transformed an ANZ bank branch into a baroque-inspired GAYNZ bank branch, by undergoing a custom installation, fit for a queen. The branch became a physical demonstration of not only ANZ’s commitment, but a space in which a trip to the bank became a statement of an individual's support for the community.

Creative Execution

ANZ transformed an entire bank branch, inside and out, into a fully operational GAYNZ bank branch - a physical embodiment of their commitment and support. It would take teams of scenic artists, architects, carpenters and sculpturists three months to design and assemble the branch across three warehouses. Then while the bank shut for the weekend, it was installed. Style inspiration was taken from LGBTI icons like Liberace and Gianni Versace, who were famous for embracing Baroque art and architecture. This treatment was then applied to every element in the space. From marbled pillars, floors and walls, to 16 hand-painted murals dedicated to the community, trompe l'oeil scenery, frescos, sculptural homages to two famous penguins, flower archways, and drag queen carpets and clocks.

GAYNZ was big news, generating 816,000,000 media impressions. The GAYNZ branch was visited more than 7,000 times - seven times the foot traffic of a regular ANZ branch. The online response saw a further 80,000 people take the virtual tour via the 360 degree Facebook video. #GAYNZ became the most popular brand hashtag of the entire Mardi Gras and trended Australia-wide. Twice. Positive sentiment shifted from 18% when talking about ANZ, to 98% when talking about GAYNZ - a positive emotional connection with the public that was greater than ANZ could have ever imagined. Opening hours had to be extended to facilitate the demand, and the bank even opened on the weekend with staff from other branch locations volunteering to work at GAYNZ on their days off. Plus, sign ups for ANZ accounts at the GAYNZ branch more than doubled.

The work’s success relied on the public's direct response to a number of invitations ANZ made to participate in their 10th year of support for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. One of which was the invitation to visit the installation of a GAYNZ bank branch to physically experience ANZ’s commitment, and demonstrate their own personal support for the LGBTI community. And for those who couldn’t, to take a virtual tour of the bank via a 360-degree video created for Facebook. ANZ then asked people to show their support online with #GAYNZ.

ANZ is one of the world’s few double A rated financial organisations, operating in more than 30 markets. ANZ are also one of the longest serving partners of the Mardi Gras, celebrating their 10th anniversary of support in 2016. Located at 81 Oxford Street, the GAYNZ branch was at the centre of not just the Mardi Gras parade route, but the Sydney Gay and Lesbian community itself. Oxford Street has for almost 40 years been the spiritual home of Sydney's LGBTI community, and where the first parade took place. ANZ asked people through their media channels to show their support for this community by visiting the GAYNZ branch, and by sharing their support online with #GAYNZ.