Title | PHUBBING |
Brand | MACQUARIE DICTIONARY |
Product / Service | DICTIONARY |
Category | A06. Use of Social in a Direct Campaign |
Entrant | McCANN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA |
Entrant Company | McCANN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA |
Advertising Agency | McCANN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA |
Production Company | AIRBAG PRODUCTIONS Melbourne, AUSTRALIA |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
John Mescall | Mccann Melbourne | Executive Creative Director |
Pat Baron | Mccann Melbourne | Creative Director |
John Mescall | Mccann Melbourne | Copywriter |
Natasha Wood | Mccann Melbourne | Copywriter |
Pat Baron | Mccann Melbourne | Art Director |
Matthew Stoddart | Mccann Melbourne | Art Director |
Dave Budd | Mccann Melbourne | Designer |
Nath Mallon | Mccann Melbourne | Senior Editor |
Adrian Mills | Mccann Melbourne | Group Account Manager |
Alec Hussain | Mccann Melbourne | Account Director |
Alex Haigh | Mccann Melbourne | Account Executive |
John Mescall | Mccann Melbourne | Strategy |
Adrian Mills | Mccann Melbourne | Strategy |
Pauline Mcmillan | Mccann Melbourne | Digital Producer |
Chelsea Nieper | Mccann Melbourne | Agency Producer |
In the age of Google, dictionaries are at risk of becoming obsolete. Ultimately, for Macquarie to remain relevant in the long-term, we needed to inspire people to want to engage with them, not because they needed a dictionary, but because they wanted one. Our key objective was to generate social discussion both online and offline around the launch of the 6th edition of the Macquarie Dictionary. Awareness of dictionaries is universal. Relevance was severely lacking. Our challenge was to get language lovers, people interested in words, and mainstream/specialist media talking about something they thought was a thing of the past.
The entire campaign was a microcosm of the way language is created, spread and ultimately chronicled. Phubbing became, not a fake ‘forced’ marketing word, but an genuine part of modern language. And as such, ‘Phubbing: A Word is Born’ was a living, breathing demonstration of the power, beauty and importance of words. Dictionaries appeal to people who love language, and this campaign was tailor-made to appeal directly to the these people.
We looked at recent entries to all major English-language dictionaries, a notable portion of which were tech-orientated. It was evident that to tap into contemporary culture, we needed to arm ourselves with not just a word, but also a movement. We created ‘Phubbing: ignoring the person in front of you in favour of your smartphone.’ We launched the word and sparked a social movement. And then with media and public discussion of Phubbing at its peak, we revealed through media and pr the origin of the word, to launch the 6th edition of the Macquarie Dictionary.
The campaign received global coverage and critically, 3.6 million Australians could link the word to its definition. Additionally, the campaign: • Was discussed in 180 countries via social media and covered by 750+ news outlets in 50 countries • Earned 435 million PR impressions • Attracted over 27,000 fans on Facebook • The campaign received unbelievable traction. Hundreds of news outlets such as the USA’s ABC network, Time magazine, the BBC, China Daily, Grazia, and every major Australian media outlet covered the campaign. The editor of the dictionary even spent 10 minutes on breakfast television.