The Campaign

Two years ago the state of Queensland was engulfed by a catastrophic flood, covering an area the size of France. On January 26 this year, it was hit by another. This one punished a much smaller area, but it was even more ferocious. For the town of Bundaberg, it was the worst in history. The plight of Bundaberg led news bulletins around the country, but before long, the media, and a flood fatigued nation, moved on and the plight of the small town was forgotten. Our task was twofold: (1) Lure people back to Bundy to boost a decimated local economy; (2) Fight ‘flood fatigue’ in the broader population, ensuring the bravery of this proud community is never forgotten.

Success of the Campaign

The response was overwhelming. Over 6000 people made the pilgrimage to the town for the weekend of March 16, swelling the population by 8%. It was the biggest tourism event Bundaberg has ever seen. An estimated $2.5 million was pumped into the struggling local economy. The rum completely sold out, raising $300,00 for charity. Nearly $1 million in PR was generated, with 169 media pieces. The total reach exceeded 7 and a half million people.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

We embarked on an ambitious campaign to use our famous name to lure people back to Bundaberg. Effectively, we created Bundaberg’s biggest ever tourism event just 6 weeks after its biggest ever flood. The centrepiece of the campaign was a special relaunch of our rum. Called ‘Road to Recovery’, the bottles were emblazoned with the names of every one of Bundy’s flood-affected streets. All 171 of them. But these unique bottles would only be made available from the Bundaberg Distillery on the weekend of March 16, forcing rum enthusiasts to make the journey and give our town a shot in the arm. All proceeds from the rum would be donated to flood victims. Bundaberg’s previous biggest tourism campaign consisted of a localised billboard campaign. Promotion of the Road to Recovery event rolled out across the nation in TV, press, radio, digital, out of home, promotional activity, DM and PR. All of it conceived, produced and run in the space of 6 intense weeks between the flood and the big event.