Why is this work relevant for Direct?

In earthquake-prone New Zealand, not enough people were taking action to make their homes quake safe. But we knew that when people experience an earthquake, that’s when they are most motivated to do something. So, using an API attached to GeoNet earthquake data, we used real earthquakes to trigger a geo-targeted campaign to jolted them into action. As soon as the shaking stopped, the direct campaign started, driving them to a site to learn how to make their home safer. Relevancy and timing saw click-throughs jump by 1233% compared to previous campaigns, with people spending nearly two minutes on site.

Background

New Zealand is on the Pacific ‘ring of fire’ and experiences many damaging earthquakes. But not enough people were taking action to make their homes quake safe. EQC - the Earthquake Commission - wanted to get more people to act and learn about best ways to make their home safer by driving them to the EQC website. Research showed that when people experience an earthquake, that’s when they are most motivated to do something. However, they soon forget to make it a priority.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Use the power of real earthquakes to trigger real action. We knew that when people experience an earthquake, that’s when they are most motivated to do something. So we wanted to reach them in real time. Using an API attached to GeoNet earthquake data, we used real earthquakes to trigger a geo-targeted campaign to reach the exact locations where shaking was being felt. The higher the intensity of the quake, the more media elements would be triggered. As soon as the shaking stopped, the campaign started, driving them to a site to learn how to make their home safer for next time.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We knew that when people experience an earthquake, that’s when they are most motivated to do something. So we wanted to reach them in real time. Using an API attached to GeoNet earthquake data, we used real earthquakes to trigger a geo-targeted campaign to reach the exact locations where shaking was being felt. The higher the intensity of the quake, the more media elements would be triggered. As soon as the shaking stopped, the direct campaign started, driving people to a site to learn how to make their home safer.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

As earthquakes of significant intensity hit regions of New Zealand, and shaking was felt, it was picked up by an API attached to GeoNet earthquake data, and the media campaign was triggered to the exact locations where shaking was being felt. The higher the intensity of the quake, the more media elements would be triggered, from video on demand to social content and digital banners, all driving people to a site to learn the best ways to make their home safer. Insights showed that in an earthquake people promised themselves they would act, but procrastinated. This insight drove the creative, driving people to act, and not wait until next time.

List the results (30% of vote)

Real earthquakes triggered real action. Average click throughs jumped by 383% compared to previous campaigns, with click throughs from high impact sites like MetService showing 1233% increases. People also spent more on site exploring ways to make their home safer. Traffic from sites like Neighbourly showed an average time of nearly two minutes on site, looking at tips and information about earthquake safety.