ASHBECLEE

Short List
TitleASHBECLEE
BrandPERTH RACING
Product / ServiceHORSE RACING
CategoryA01. Fiction: series or film
Entrant303LOWE Subiaco, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company 303LOWE Subiaco, AUSTRALIA
Contributing Company 303LOWE Subiaco, AUSTRALIA
Production Company SIAMESE Perth, AUSTRALIA
Production Company 2 SOUNDBYTE Perth, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Richard Berney 303lowe Creative Director
Derry Simpson 303Lowe Head of Planning/Managing Directot
Al Taylor 303Lowe Strategic Planner/Group Managing Director
Michael Matthews Freelance Writer/Director
Antony Webb Freelance Writer/Producer
Tommy Medalia Freelance Writer
Melissa Radman 303Lowe Head of Design
Luke Sweet 303Lowe Designer
Peter Liddell 303Lowe Head of Digital
Claeton Metaxas 303Lowe Digital Designer
Kelly Dobbin 303Lowe Agency Producer
Warwick Kingston 303Lowe Senior Channel Planner
Todd Baker 303Lowe Business Director
Charnre Terblance 303Lowe Business Manager

The Campaign

In only a few years we have all as a nation become more comfortable with consuming video online. Our internet, faster, and our streaming options are seemingly endless. The early years of this decade saw, in Australia and the US alike, the hours of online content watched by an average consumer jump by 60%. The internet has democratised the content landscape and specialised branded content departments are cropping up throughout the larger agencies. Having to earn your audience rather than buying it through a broadcast partner is a notion paving the way for better content, more shareable with more interaction with the consumers.

Results

Perth Racing had to turn its audience figures around; it needed to find a way to convince the people of Perth that Ascot Racecourse is an unmissable entertainment destination. Simultaneously, Perth Racing had heavily invested in improvements to the on-course facilities and experience for punters. But it wasn’t working. Young adults just wouldn’t come and see for themselves. They couldn’t afford another years decline in attendance and sales, and our window of opportunity was tight. Beginning our relationship in August 2014, our Summer Racing Season campaign had to launch in October. Our challenge was to get a younger crowd to engage with Perth’s Ascot Racecourse as the Saturday destination during the Summer Racing Season. The strategy we employed targeted women between 18-34 as the primary social organisers. We had to invite them to reimagine what a day at the races could be. Show it’s not just about racing – it’s a social utopia with something for everyone. But with a limited budget, a traditional campaign was not going to be effective. Instead we built an authentic ‘real world’ experience of a day at the races for young women in Perth. Rather than asking them to take our word for it, we created a web comedy series with three original and authentic female characters that would tell the story for us. Characters that reflected the diverse and individual nature of our audience. The campaign revolved around an ambitious seven-part web series with a unique Perth flavour. Ash, Bec and Lee became the face of our campaign and with a healthy dose of comedy and skepticism; they unveiled the new and improved races.

We analysed purchasing behaviour for ticketing to sporting and entertainment events and when it came to ‘group’ events, it was the girls that organised and purchased group. If we could get the girls to come along, the boys would follow. Women aged 18 – 34 became our primary target audience. They were seeking meaningful and real experiences to spend what precious social time they had. We built an authentic ‘real world’ experience of a day at the races for young women in Perth, creating a web comedy series with authentic female characters that would tell the brand story for us.

• The Ashbeclee Episodes received over 185,000 views via Facebook and Youtube • Over 282 days of Ashbeclee video content was consumed. • The Ashbeclee Facebook page got 4000 Likes in two months • We reached 92% of our target audience (250,000 of 272, 000 Perth women, 18-34) • Across a two month period, Perth Racing’s Facebook Likes increased by 30% to over 17, 000. • Attendance at the Perth Cup was up by 8% to over 16, 000 patrons. • Overall attendance at the Summer Meetings increased by 4%.

The campaign revolved around a uniquely local seven-part web series. Ash, Bec and Lee became the face of our campaign and with a healthy dose of comedy and skepticism unveiled the new and improved races. Each episode addressed a reason why the races are worth another look, juxtaposing Ascot with the poor entertainment options available in Perth. Episodes ran primarily on Facebook linking to the Perth Racing website, allowing viewers to instantly click-through to pre-book tickets. We used a 50:50 split of ‘branded content’ (Ashbeclee) and retail (event ticket sales) posts to ensure commercial effectiveness. After the third episode, we took the girls from the online space into the real world. "AshBecLee" literally took their fans to the races with raceday activations, including a ‘World Record Selfie’ attempt. The web series was also complemented with more traditional media including TV, outdoor, print, web and social media plus race day activations.