The Campaign

We repurposed Melbourne’s media infrastructure to publish the University’s research in a new medium, one that we knew Melbourne’s public would want to engage with – a free exhibition. By creating exhibits in poster sites within the city's free tram zone we took research that is usually published in academic journals, and placed it directly in front of the people that might invest in it. These exhibits were accompanied by a mobile audio guide, online map, free cycling tour and a pop-up cafeteria offering research people could eat and drink, creating an event that enabled people to interact with research. Creating a citywide free exhibition meant that people were already open to our message and strengthened the University’s relationship with Melbourne’s public. This innovative use of media amplified the campaign beyond the city itself, and the exhibition was reported through national and international press.

Creative Execution

Running for one month, we transformed the media sites throughout Melbourne's CBD to host an innovative free outdoor exhibition. First, special builds turned outdoor advertising sites into interactive exhibits. Each story was selected to demonstrate the University’s research endeavor and place it in front of a relevant audience. For example, a story about breakthroughs in prenatal drugs was placed outside the city’s leading pharmaceutical office. A mobile site used GPS to direct our audience to nearby exhibits, and then streamed audio content, providing a guide to the work spoken by the researchers themselves. A transit takeover provided a free exhibition shuttle, designed to move people seamlessly through the citywide exhibition. An activation provided a pop up cafeteria with research people could eat and drink. Supporting outdoor, social and digital communications also raised awareness of the exhibition. A call-to-action on each exhibit drove people online to donate.

During the month long exhibition, Made Possible By Melbourne met every measurable objective in raising awareness of the University’s research projects. The campaign reached 44 million, globally, through PR. The exhibition was featured in 22 international media outlets. The content hub received over 1,036,453 hits within 2 weeks of launch. Estimated foot traffic through the exhibition was 3.2 million. In a tracking study 1 in 3 Melbournians said the campaign changed their opinions of the University, enhancing their understanding of the importance of research and its economic and societal impacts. Ultimately, this exhibition led to an 80% increase in commercial research enquiries, worth hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. Made Possible By Melbourne is now being used as a touring exhibition across Australia, and has become an ongoing publishing platform for the University’s research stories.

Usually University research is published in libraries or academic journals. To help the University of Melbourne raise awareness and funding of their world changing research, we used an innovative approach to media and created a new way for the University to publish their research. Made Possible By Melbourne reimagined the city’s existing advertising infrastructure transform the CBD into a free exhibition of the University’s world-changing research. Using an integrated mix of media channels, we took research out of the University and published it in a new medium that the people of Melbourne couldn’t miss.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

We selected research content that would be interesting and relevant to our target audience of affluent, university educated, 20-60 year olds including alumni, commercial research partners and employers. A mix of media around Melbourne’s city’s tram stops was chosen for its high dwell time for the city’s workers. This audience is an expensive group to buy against, we had to maximize our budget and get their attention by integrating traditional media in a non-traditional way. Targeted media buys made sure the exhibits were placed directly in front of high potential investment areas with relevant research stories. Transit takeovers reached commuters and an activation in the city square ensured the campaign was unmissable. This large-scale event was not only the first time a University had exhibited its research in this way. It was also a first for this type of media site-thereby gaining amplification through PR to reach a national audience.