Results and Effectiveness

When Watermark went on sale people queued up for over 96 hours to buy it (this is longer than people queue for ipads). The first run of Watermark sold out within a week and a second run went into production. When this run sold out Watermark became a collectors item, with bottles reaching up to $250 on eBay. All proceeds of Watermark went towards rebuilding Queensland. Queensland is on the road the recovery, and Watermark is here for good, as a permanent embodiment of strength and resilience.

Creative Execution

Watermark is a permanent tribute to the towns that fought back from disaster. The Bundaberg distillery is in North Queensland. The floods left it underwater and in disrepair. Just two days after the distillery was drained, our first act was to create Watermark. We then went to 16 of the worst hit towns and placed watermarks on the walls of the pubs. We launched Watermark with 16 music festivals held in the 16 worst hit areas. As a symbol of unity and togetherness they all kicked off at midday on April 16. Some of Australia’s bands played, and Watermark sold, with all proceeds going to the flood relief. From here Watermark was advertised through print, outdoor and radio, and people all over the country spread the spirit on social networks. Watermark then went on sale online and at bottle stores around the country.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

On January 26, 2011, the Australian State of Queensland was hit by devastating floods. Over 75% of the State was destroyed and more than 30 lives were lost. Our insight was that Queenslanders have always been known for their fighting spirit, but the floods had left that spirit broken. So our human objective was to raise that spirit up once again. We also had a financial objective: raise $5 million for the flood relief. Our target audience was primarily Queenslanders, then the rest of Australia. Our solution was to create a product that became the media, and as a result create a more powerful connection with the brand. The product is Watermark: a rum crafted to commemorate the resilient spirit of the towns fighting back from disaster. Watermark was the media, which meant the bottle itself carried Bundaberg’s message of resilience and defiance, and became the symbol that people rallied behind.