BUY THE SKY

Short List
TitleBUY THE SKY
BrandROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE
Product / ServiceROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE
CategoryB02. Clinics, Hospitals, Retail & Facilities
EntrantHAVAS WORLDWIDE AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company HAVAS WORLDWIDE AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency HAVAS WORLDWIDE AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Media Agency STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Steve Coll Havas Worldwide Australia Executive Creative Director
Christopher Johnson Havas Worldwide Australia Creative Director
Christopher Johnson/Paris Giannakis/Dave Ladd Havas Worldwide Australia Creative Team
Jay Morgan Havas Worldwide Australia Digital Creative Director
Adam Shutler Havas Worldwide Australia Digital Design
Jeronimo De Leon/Shiv Suchdeva Havas Worldwide Australia Digital Production
Darren Cole/David Sark Havas Worldwide Australia Design
Dan Smith/Ben Fayol/Zoe Potter Havas Worldwide Australia Account Management Team
Phil Johnston/Anthony Dever Havas Worldwide Australia Planning
Monique Pardavi Havas Worldwide Australia Head Of Tv
Ros Payne Havas Worldwide Australia Senior Tv Producer
Chris Hulsman/Bridget Brice Havas Worldwide Australia Print Production
Red Agency PR Agency
Method Editing/Effects
Song Zu Sound Design
Blue Arc Digital Build

The Campaign

The RFDS relies on donations for half its income. Most of which comes from elderly donors located in rural areas. The business needed to build a new database of donors from the 85% of Australians who live in coastal cities. We needed an innovative way to connect city people with this outback service. Our audience knew the brand but they live with the world’s finest medical care minutes away, so their cause was largely irrelevant. We needed something unique that would connect the two. So rather than just asking for money we created and launched a product that cost nothing to produce and was limitless in supply, something all Australians could own in support of the RFDS - The Sky. Our strategy focused on promoting the idea of buying a patch of sky on an RFDS flight path and thus becoming part of the team in a very real and tangible way. Patches of sky were put on sale at Buythesky.com.au then sky owners received flight alerts as planes flew through their patch of sky.

The Brief

Whilst there is a huge amount of goodwill for the brand, conventional campaigns to persuade younger, city based Australians to engage had proven ineffective and unappealing to media. Without a new generation of supporters, this unique service would be grounded forever. We needed to make it more relevant and bring people closer to the service, so they could see the life-saving care they deliver every day and make people proud to support the RFDS.

Creative Execution

Routes were mapped and divided into precise km squares with the patches put on sale at buythesky.com.au. Sky owners then received flight alerts as planes flew through their patch of sky – via Email, SMS and social media further spreading the idea. In order to amplify media and social media appeal, a celebrity spokesperson, Matt Wright, National Geographic’s ‘Outback Wrangler’, was identified and secured for free. Matt aligned with the campaign messaging of the crucial health services provided to the remote Australian Outback where he lives and works.

So far the campaign is tracking well with: • Audience reach of 37 million+. • 100+ pieces of coverage, including Sunrise, Channel 10, The Australian, Daily Telegraph. • Secured a deal with Qantas to swap points for patches, as part of their frequent flyer program. • Cost per donation improved by 539%. • 60% of people opted in for further communication. • 89,000 site visits. • 22085 patches sold.

Our strategy focused on promoting the simple idea to allow you to buy a patch of sky on the RFDS flight paths and become part of the team in a very real and tangible way. As each flight passed through the patch a message was be sent to the donor letting them know about the difference they were making. In media we would highlight how the money raised would help secure the future of the service and lead to greater investment in infrastructure and staffing, so that more people can be helped across the 90% of Australia that the RFDS covers.