Background

Every year, during Australia’s ‘Storm Season’ (November to April), hundreds of thousands of homes are destroyed or damaged by extreme weather. And thanks to climate change, it’s only getting worse. In fact, entire communities in North Queensland are no longer insurable. So Suncorp, one of Australia's largest insurers, briefed us to create a campaign that would help make Australian’s more prepared for future storms. Create awareness about Suncorp products. And demonstrate Suncorp’s commitment to Australia’s resilience. It was to be a fully integrated campaign, including brand and product TV, OOH, print, socia, radio and digital utility. And the primary audience was the State of Queensland, with an ideal PR reach including the rest of Australia.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Australian homes are destroyed or damaged by extreme weather. And each year nothing changes. We just pick up the pieces, rebuild the same way, and hope it won’t happen again. And with the ever-increasing effects of climate change, the problem is only getting worse. To help solve this enormous problem, Suncorp partnered with the CSIRO (science organisation), James Cook University and Room 11 Architects to create ‘One House To Save Many’. The world’s first home designed, scientifically tested, and built to withstand cyclones, floods and bushfires. One House is the blueprint for the future of Australian housing. Enabling Australians to live in harmony with nature, and not in fear of it. The project launched with a national ad campaign and prime time documentary. The learnings from One House were then made available to the public and presented to government institutions and national building companies.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

To create ‘One House’, we brought leading experts in home resilience together for the first time. Combining their knowledge to create groundbreaking resilience features. Like mesh screens to protect against fire and debris. Water diverting retaining walls. And air pressure relief systems to prevent cyclone damage. It wasn’t enough to just design a house that could withstand the perils. It was important to make sure it was aesthetically appealing, affordable, and could maintain the Australian way of life. Inspired by the classic ‘Queenslander’ it shares many features like wrap-around balconies to create shade and air flow. We consider it a ‘Queenslander 2.0’. The project launched with a national ad campaign and prime time documentary. The learnings from One House were then made available to the public and presented to government institutions and national building companies.

List the results (20% of vote)

The campaign reached 99% of the target audience (through paid and earned), and was widely covered across every major Australian news network (20M+ impressions). Including prominent features on current affairs programs and morning shows. The documentary also aired multiple times on a major broadcast network (channel 9). In the first few weeks, Suncorp received inquiries from 13 leading industry and research stakeholders, 4 of Queensland’s largest city councils, and 2 national building companies interested in partnering with Suncorp to scale One House across the country. Led by Suncorp, the Insurance Council of Australia has now launched Project Resilience – that aims to embed resilience into the National Construction Code by 2025. And several weeks after launch, the Federal Government announced a $600 million resilience fund for new disaster preparation and mitigation programs. In addition, we’ve seen 110,000+ unique visitors to the website, with a 3.7 minute average dwell time.