Brief Explanation

How does a kids’ film without any global hype or awareness, succeed against DreamWorks’ Penguins of Madagascar & Disney’s Big Hero 6 with half the marketing budget? Especially when Paper Planes is a film about a paper plane competition. The objectives: Pre-launch awareness of 20% (1 in 5 Australians) Box Office of $5 million Our Insight: The paper plane is a timeless and simple icon - one parents and grandparents would remember. Our idea: Hero the plane above the cast and the story. Turn paper plane making into the trend of the summer for Australian families.

Results and Effectiveness

37% prompted awareness* before release (more than 1 in 3 Aussies!) – more than double every other Australian film released by Roadshow in 2014. Opened as #1 film in Australia - ahead of Penguins of Madagascar & Big Hero 6. Doubled Box Office target Now top 5 most successful Australian family films of all-time. Started a trend that continues today, with schools inviting our Paper Pilots to visit and adding paper plane making to the curriculum. Planes are still flying during sporting matches across Australia - oops! *Nielsen Tracking data

Creative Execution

Paper plane-themed content was integrated into nationally televised cricket matches. Interstitials showed cricket heroes competing in paper plane competitions; directing viewers to vote. This culminated in a major televised match pre release, with families invited onto the ground to throw planes in front of hundreds-of-thousands of fans. ‘Paper Pilots’ – one from Red Bull’s Paper Plane World Championships - were recruited as ambassadors. They appeared on kids TV programmes, & recorded digital content. Communications encouraged families to bring paper planes to the cinema. Paper plane kits were handed out in cinema foyers, shopping centres and swimming pools. Content made for Nickelodeon showcased children making planes and reviewing the film.s Search campaign focused on holiday activity keywords, sending families to an interactive paper-plane making website.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Children expect an experience that lives beyond the screen. The classic activity of creating paper planes provided a real-world opportunity…but would need strong amplification. Summer holidays are a key time for family togetherness. Parents seek activities families can participate in together. Grandparents are also important at this time of year, spending time with kids when parents are back at work. Kids are easily influenced when it comes to what’s cool. If they see their heroes doing something, it immediately earns credibility. We would need a solid influencer strategy. Behavioural science dictates active participation in an idea is far more powerful in influencing behavior than passive communications. We'd need to involve families as much as possible.