The Campaign

We created the world’s first Riderless Bike – A fully autonomous children’s bicycle that followed the peloton of the Captain’s Ride. The bike streamed a live feed of the ride from the seat of the bike through a 360 camera; allowing children with Rare Diseases and the public to watch the ride unfold live. People could also sponsor the bike for a part of the ride, and were notified by email as the bike passed through their section.

Execution

The Riderless Bike launched with a teaser video two weeks before the ride, generating unprecedented awareness and enthusiasm across Australia. Leaving Goulburn, NSW on the 29th October, setting out on the 700km journey through NSW before arriving in Mt Kosciuszko on the 3rd November 2016. The Riderless Bike used an infrared tracking beacon to follow the last rider in the peloton, adjusting its speed and direction as the peloton moved along the road. Children and members of the public could experience the ride for themselves through a 360 camera that was relayed live to the website and to the Steve Waugh Foundation Facebook page. People were encouraged to sponsor the ride online, and they were notified as the bike passed through their area. It helped raise more than $1 million in donations, but most importantly, it helped make people aware of the thousands of children in Australia affected by Rare

The Riderless Bike travelled 700km on the Captain’s Ride on the 29th October to the 2rd November 2016, generating more than 552 articles in TV, Radio, Press and online publications. We reached more than 190 Million Australians, and witnessed a 150% increase on website traffic compared to the previous year. Donations rose by 237% on the previous year, raising more than $1 million for children with Rare Diseases.

The Situation

Our objective for the 2016 Captain’s Ride was to attract a new audience of Australian’s and encourage them to donate to the Steve Waugh Foundation. To achieve this, we launched the world’s first Riderless Bike, a fully autonomous children’s bicycle that represented children with Rare Diseases. Launching with a teaser video about the bike, every major news outlet in Australia, a number of technology/lifestyle blogs and high-profile influencers covered the 2016 Captain’s Ride. The bike attracted a new audience of non-ride followers that were now aware of, and donated to the foundation and subsequently helped raise $1million in donations.

The Strategy

Our aim was to lead with a huge PR awareness campaign, receiving a mass amount of earned media through some of Australia’s leading broadcast, print, online, local and trade publications, targeting all Australians (particularly NSW residents on the route of the ride) aged 18+. This promoted the Riderless Bike, but also raised the profile of the Steve Waugh Foundation and more importantly, the Captain’s Ride. We directed people to a campaign-landing page where they could learn about the Riderless Bike through an explanatory video and even sponsor the bike for part of the ride. We would then notify the user when the bike passed through their section. Every day we live streamed footage of the ride from the seat of the bike thanks to a 360 camera. We also raised awareness in each major town as people lined the streets to watch the Riderless Bike pass through the area.