TURNING AUCKLAND INTO AN EXPERIENTIAL AD

TitleTURNING AUCKLAND INTO AN EXPERIENTIAL AD
BrandUNITEC
Product / ServiceEDUCATION
CategoryA05. Best Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale
EntrantOPEN COMMUNICATIONS Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Media Agency OPEN COMMUNICATIONS Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Entrant Company OPEN COMMUNICATIONS Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Media Agency 2 OPEN COMMUNICATIONS Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Credits

Name Company Position
Nigel Sutton Special Group Producer
Antony Wilson Special Group Copy Writer
Iain Macmillan Special Group Art Director
Michael Redwood Special Group Managing Partner
Rob Jack Special Group Creative Director
Tony Bradbourne Special Group Creative Director
Kylie Turner Open Communications Communications Assistant
Jacquie Pierson Open Communications Director
Te Roi Dodson Open Communications Communications Manager
Matt O'sullivan Open Communications Managing Director

Results and Effectiveness

See confidential info

Creative Execution

After launching with the TV ad “We make the people who make it”, we embraced the power of ambient to create a more tactile experience. We identified iconic buildings around Auckland and found the young Unitec guys that helped make them. We transformed the buildings into branded landmarks by surrounding them with outdoor media. We used GPS technology and the inner city bus system to turn the bus ride into a guided tour of the Unitec landmarks – and the entire city into an experiential ad. As the buses travelled through the city, our landmarks triggered in-situ creative, telling the story of the graduate that worked on that project. Using Google Maps we created the ‘Made It Map’, which enabled people to tag buildings and share the story of their own involvement. By viewing the map our audience were able to see the full impact Unitec had made on Auckland.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Unitec is an Auckland (New Zealand) tertiary institution with a proud history of creating lifelong careers. But, it was seen as a “last resort” – somewhere you go if you can't get into University. We were asked to change this and increase enrolments by 5%. We focused on Unitec's trade faculty and targeted young ambitious guys who hadn't yet enrolled in a university. We discovered that they were not passive learners. Instead they preferred learning through active experiences. This was less recognised in academic terms, leading them to lack confidence when it came to education. Our strategy was to talk to them in a hands on, real way to build confidence in themselves and in Unitec. Our idea was to put the graduates and the projects in the same place; showcasing the awesome potential of what Unitec graduates were capable of.