| Title | GAME ON WITH THE AUSTRALIAN NAVY |
| Brand | AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT |
| Product / Service | DEFENCE FORCE RECRUITING |
| Category | A06. Best Use of Special Events And Stunt/Live Advertising |
| Entrant | UNIVERSAL MCCANN Surry Hills, AUSTRALIA |
| Entrant Company: | UNIVERSAL MCCANN Surry Hills, AUSTRALIA |
| Advertising Agency: | UNIVERSAL MCCANN Surry Hills, AUSTRALIA |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Katherine Fraser | UM | Communications Director |
| Julianne Ngu | UM | Trader |
| Claire Zappia | UM | Media Executive |
| Ensemble Australia | ||
| Reprise | ||
| Gpy/R |
• 35% of gamers who attended the event said they would consider a career in the Navy - an increase of 15%. • Awareness of the Navy increased by 21%. • 33% of participants really liked the Navy brand - an increase of 22%. • The content from the event was the 10th most viewed within the YouTube gaming category, with 123,388 views in total, and an outstanding peak rating of 4.27 out of 5. • Enquires for the roles outlined were strong throughout the campaign period, with 234 applications received, and a further 90 applications in the following month.
A promotional campaign with youth radio station NOVA drove traffic to the NOVA website where a Navy-themed online game gave players the chance to win a spot at the ‘Game On’ event. Cinema and digital media spread the message and encouraged entries. The top 200 players and their friends were invited to attend ‘Game On’ - pitting the best young gamers in the country against Navy officers. During the event gamers could talk to officers about life in the Navy, their roles and find out more about suitable jobs. Audio and visual projections transformed the venue into a Navy submarine. Knock-out rounds whittled the groups down until the final game against Navy officers in battle for the title. At 6am NOVA breakfast hosts announced the winner and recapped the night to their listeners. Exclusive content was captured and distributed via YouTube to reach gamers that couldn’t attend the event.
Our challenge was to improve awareness of the Australian Navy as a career option whilst increasing both interest and driving applications for technical Navy jobs (such as Cryptologic Systems Sailor). We started by narrowing the targeting – what if we could specifically target the group that we know had the ability, competitive nature and ambition to succeed in these technical Navy jobs? The hardcore gamers of Australia. The insight: We knew the skills and personal characteristics of hardcore gamers were exactly those needed for these technical jobs. The strategy: Exploit the gaming insight by thinking big, stirring their competitive spirit and allowing them to meet Navy staff firsthand. The idea: GAME ON WITH THE NAVY – one of the largest gaming tournaments Australia had ever seen.