| Title | WATER MARK |
| Brand | DIAGEO AUSTRALIA |
| Product / Service | BUNDABERG RUM |
| Category | B04. Public Service, Charity & Fund Raising |
| Entrant | LEO BURNETT SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA |
| Entrant Company: | LEO BURNETT SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA |
| DM/Advertising Agency: | LEO BURNETT SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Andy DiLallo | Leo Burnett Sydney | Executive Creative Director |
| Tim Green | Leo Burnett Sydney | Art Director |
| Rupert Taylor | Leo Burnett Sydney | Copywriter |
| Tim Green | Leo Burnett Sydney | Creative Director |
| Warwick Heathwood | Leo Burnett Sydney | Planner |
| John Henry-Pajak | Leo Burnett Sydney | Designer |
| Peter Bosilkovski | Leo Burnett Sydney | Head of Client Service |
| Jodi McLeod | Leo Burnett Sydney | Account Director |
| Sam McGown | Leo Burnett Sydney | Snr Business Manager |
On January 26, 2011, the Australian State of Queensland was hit by devastating floods. Over 75% of the State was destroyed, more then 30 lives lost, and Brisbane, a city of more than 1 million people, was left broken and underwater. Queenslanders are known for their strong fighting spirit. The floods left this spirit all but broken. Our objective was to help rebuild the homes destroyed all over Queensland and lift up that spirit once again. Our strategy was to commemorate the resilient and defiant spirit of Queensland. The target audience was drawn from new and existing customers.
First we went to 16 of the worst hit towns and placed plaques at the watermarks on the walls of the pubs. Watermark launched with 16 festivals held in the 16 worst hit areas. These were held simultaneously, at midday on April 16. Watermark was then advertised through traditional and direct response digital channels, and the nation took up the cause, spreading the spirit through social networks. Watermark went on sale at the distillery, online and in bottle stores nationwide. Watermark is relevant to Bundaberg because Bundaberg is an iconic Queensland brand and Watermark embodies the fighting spirit of Queensland.
Our human objective was to lift the spirit of Queensland in the wake of the floods. The Bundaberg distillery is located in North Queensland; it was underwater and in disrepair. Our solution was to create a product that became a symbol of defiance and resilience. Just two days after the distillery was drained our first act was to create Watermark – a rum crafted to commemorate the towns fighting back from disaster.
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.