The Brief

Optus is Australia’s second largest Telecoms provider. Most people think the number one player’s network covers a much higher proportion of the country’s population, when the difference is actually less than one percent. Our task was to change the conversation from the size of the Optus Network, to what it can do to improve people’s lives. The objective was to achieve this through a concept that would improve both consumer awareness and brand perception around the country. Opportunity - Australia has four times more fatal shark attacks than any other country. Yet our shark defence methods haven’t changed in over 60 years. • Shark nets - 40% of sharks are caught on the beach side of the nets. The trapping of endangered species is also a major issue. • Aerial patrols - A recent government led inquiry revealed they were “expensive and inefficient”. Only one in eight sharks at patrolled beaches are spotted. • Shark cull - In 2013 the Western Australia government sanctioned the culling of all large sharks after a string of fatal attacks on humans. Over 170 large sharks were killed. So we decided to look for a new solution, one that would protect our beach goers and our sharks.

Clever Buoy is a smart ocean buoy that detects sharks and sends real time alerts to lifeguards via the Optus Network. Our innovation team found an opportunity to mesh sonar detection with sonar mapping technology. Sharks are difficult to detect using sonar and no such detection technology exists anywhere in the world. We spoke to universities, science labs and marine biologists. All were at embryonic stages of development in the area. But no one had cracked it. We partnered with tech company Shark Mitigation Systems and Google as they had the best technical capabilities. And Optus funded an R&D project to develop our hypothesis. We developed a breakthrough detection method specifically calibrated to hunt for the shark’s size and unique swimming pattern. This is how the buoy determines sharks from other marine life. Once a shark has been detected, a real-time message is transferred via Optus’ Inmarsat satellite to the lifeguard towers. This data is also shared with scientists and researchers in Google+. Similar to facial recognition technology the software becomes more accurate with each confirmed detection, as it learns the tiny intricacies of a shark’s movement. Phase 2 involves recording the data of a vast library of shark signatures to systematically improve the detector’s accuracy. Beyond a traditional ad campaign, what we’ve created is an ongoing product, service and platform for our client - one that has not only answered a brief, but fundamentally transformed a business, prompting Optus to establish a new innovations division. Clever Buoy is now in its second phase of development. In the next 6 months, 30-day trials will begin around Manly and Bondi beaches in collaboration with local councils. By mid 2015 the first commercial buoy will be ready for sale.

Clever Buoy is designed to be a viable alternative to current shark defence methods in Australia and worldwide - one that is more efficient, economical and humane. After a period of testing the ultimate goal is to have commercially viable systems available from 2015. This is an objective Optus and our other stakeholders are committed to. Although currently calibrated to detect sharks, Clever Buoy is essentially a brain in the ocean. In the future the buoy could be taught to detect and track other types of marine life such as, turtles, whales, and dolphins from beach to beach. This would give us unparalleled data on marine populations, migration patterns, and a snapshot of the ocean like never before. Results: In the first month since launch: • Social media reach of over 19 million – with an 84% positive sentiment towards the Optus brand. • Featured in over 485 global news stories. • Earned PR value of over $3.6million. • Earned Advertising value over $700,000. • Optus earned a 92% share of voice in relation to #innovation and #technology compared to other Australian Telco’s on social media. Source - Radian6 media report 25th of May 24th of June