| Title | THE SHIP SONG PROJECT |
| Brand | SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE |
| Product / Service | SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE |
| Category | B01. Corporate Information |
| Entrant | THE MONKEYS Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
| Entrant Company: | THE MONKEYS Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
| Advertising Agency: | THE MONKEYS Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Drape | The Monkeys | Executive Creative Director |
| Noah Regan | The Monkeys | Creative Director |
| Noah Regan | The Monkeys | Copywriter |
| Noah Regan | The Monkeys | Art Director |
| Justin Drape | The Monkeys | Copywriter |
| Thea Carone | The Monkeys | Head Of Broadcast Production |
| Fabio Buresti | The Monkeys | Executive Planning Director |
| Dan Beaumont | The Monkeys | Group Content Director |
| Suzy Coman | The Monkeys | Content Director |
| Kate Behne | The Monkeys | Content Manager |
| Paul Goldman | Exit Films | Director |
| Caroline David | Exit Films | Producer |
| Elliott Wheeler | Turning Studios | Music Director/Arranger |
| David Gross | Definition Films | Editor |
| Victoria Doidge | Sydney Opera House | Director Of Marketing/Communications/Customer Services Soh |
| Stephen O’connor | Sydney Opera House | Head Of Marketing/Performing Arts Soh |
| Vanessa Duscio | Sydney Opera House | Head Of Pr Soh |
In the 24 hours after its launch, the film clip was shared online 1.7 million times and was picked up by every major television news program and featured in every major Australian newspaper. There was also extensive coverage across international press. The single reached 34 on the iTunes singles chart and trended on Twitter and YouTube for four days. Over $2 million in free PR, editorial and social media was earned at launch. The Ship Song Project helped SOH achieve a 40% increase in ticket (August 2010 vs. August 2011). Best of all, $0 was spent on traditional media.
The creative idea was to invite Sydneysiders inside the iconic building showing a totally different side to ‘The House’. Through the medium of a music video, people were able to access the most private parts of the building, thus discovering a space more intimate and accessible than just the clichéd sails that adorn the landmark. Set to a reworking of Nick Cave’s immortal ballad, ‘The Ship Song’, a video was created that featured performances by some of Australia and The World’s preeminent artists. It was launched online via a seeding program on social networking platforms in conjunction with a live media event at the venue. 3 x 30 second TVC's were created and played on national television. The song was released as a single and played on national radio and was available for download on iTunes. In addition to this posters were created and distributed around Sydney city.
Research discovered that while Australians all over shared a deep sense of pride in the SOH, most Sydneysiders didn’t consider it more than an iconic Australian venue that’s home to the classical arts and other ‘elitist’ events. It just wasn’t the destination they’d ever think of visiting as a regular part of their lives in Sydney. The crux of the strategy was to get people to think about the SOH as a cultural hub that ‘democratised creativity’ – not just an exclusive, all conquering bastion for global creativity, but an open and welcoming creative space that is accessible to everyone.