Plan International: Because I am a Girl Campaign

Challenge: To assist community development NGO ; Plan International Australia in launching its third annual report; Because I am a Girl: The State of the World’s Girls 2009 and raise the profile of Plan International in Australia with maximum media, corporate and consumer support.

Insight: Women make 81 percent of the charitable decisions in the home however women want an emotional connection with the charity they support.

Idea: To differentiate Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign from any other NGO campaign, Ogilvy PR’s consumer public relations agency, Pulse Communications, coined the term ‘the gender-rational poverty cycle’.  A two- phased call to action was designed to demonstrate how breaking this cycle in developing countries by investing in girls would ultimately benefit everyone – men, women, boys and girls.

Influence:

• Pulse secured 66 pieces of  coverage including SBS TV, National 9 News, ABC Radio National , The Australian, AFR and Nova 96.9 FM
• Key features appeared in long-lead lifestyle media: Notebook, Marie Claire and Vogue
• The campaign was commended in the 2010 PRIA State Awards, Community Relations category

Australia LG Optimus launch

LG-Electronics, a worldwide design leader in mobile technology officially launched its addition to the Smartphone market in a warehouse in Alexandria on 6^th July 2010. Ogilvy PR’s Australia’s consumer public relations agency Pulse Communications worked with LG Electronics’ Mobile Marketing team to execute the launch of its Android handset, and to raise awareness of it latest Smartphone offering amongst Australian media and retailers.

The warehouse was transformed into five different spaces to encapsulate various features that the Optimus offers. Pulse Communications worked with Rizer Events to execute the launch.

The five rooms consisted of a tattoo parlour, featuring a girl being tattooed, this highlighted the phone’s Google Goggles App that can recognise logos and images. It then provides a Google search result based on the findings.

A comedy lounge highlighted the phone’s social networking capabilities as comedians performed and the guests Tweeted feedback and topic requests. The music room saw renowned guitarist Peter Northcote perform as guests were able to look up song lyrics with the Optimus handsets.

The party was attended by consumer, technology and lifestyle journalists, LG partners and employees. Media attendee highlights included The Sun Herald and In Style, Appliance Retailer, Madison and Rolling Stone.

In addition guests also had the chance to rub shoulders with the stars as Pulse Communications secured the attendance of a number of high profile celebrities including sports star Lauren Eagle.

Results of the campaign to date include: 32 product related reviews and a highly coveted social pages piece in a key metro publication. An ongoing review amplification program planned for August/September.

Pulse Communications helps Ford celebrate two Australian motoring firsts

Left to right (front): Former Ford Australia President and CEO; Bill Dix, Senator Kim Carr, Victorian Premier John Brumby, Ford Australia President and CEO; Marin Burela, and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Federal Secretary Ian Jones

Left to right (rear): Former Ford Performance Racing driver Allan Moffat and Former Ford Australia President and CEO; Sir Brian Inglis

Ford in Australia celebrated two milestones which no other Australian vehicle manufacturer has achieved–85 years of production in Australia and 50 years of the iconic Ford Falcon.

Consumer public relations agency, Pulse was tasked with creating a campaign that celebrated the longevity of Ford and in particular, Falcon by reinforcing its significance in the hearts and minds of Australians who have embraced the car for over 50 years.

Consumer public relations agency, Pulse created two events and a tailored media strategy to generate coverage around Ford’s unique anniversaries.

Firstly, a staged media photo call was held at Ford’s Broadmeadow plant in Melbourne to celebrate the anniversary of the first Falcon rolling off the production line.

Seven Falcons including the first Falcon XK in 1960 and the latest 50th anniversary model were driven off the production line by past Ford Australia presidents, long serving employees and Ford Performance Racing drivers.

The event was witnessed by Victorian Premier, John Brumby and Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

All major metro TV news crews, VIC metro newspapers and radio stations attended and one-to-one interviews were held with Marin Burela, Ford Australia President and CEO.

The same evening, a gala dinner was held at the Ford Discovery Centre (Ford’s museum) in Geelong, Melbourne to celebrate Ford’s 85th anniversary of vehicle manufacturing in Australia.

Geelong is the birthplace of Ford Australia and the dinner aimed to recreate Ford’s early years by turning back the clocks to the 1920’s.

The venue was transformed into an art deco inspired evening and featured the first Ford Model T off the production line in 1925.

Nearly 200 people attended the dinner including key Geelong Football Club members to signify Ford’s 85 year partnership with the Club.

To support the events, consumer public relations agency Pulse developed a tailored media strategy to generate in-depth news and feature coverage on the history of Ford in Australia. Feature angles included profiling Ford’s long-standing employees, the economic contribution Ford has made to Australia and the history of Falcon.

Pulse created b-roll footage using archived Ford materials to visually showcase Ford’s history in Australia. In addition to being shown at the gala dinner, the footage was used as overlay by key metro TV news programs.

To date, Pulse has reached 63 million Australians via 240 pieces of positive coverage including key pieces on Channel 7 news, Sky News, a double page spread in the Herald Sun, The Australian and Australian Financial Review.

Avatar takes to the skies

Ogilvy PR’s consumer public relations agency Pulse Communications worked with Twentieth Century Fox in conjunction with Virgin Blue to help celebrate the launch of Avatar on Blu-ray and DVD and to ignite excitement around the country. Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time, became available nationally on Blu-ray and DVD on Thursday 29^th April.

The idea was to capture the hearts and minds of Avatar fans and to make them feel as if Avatar had spread across the country. With the parameters of only nine working days from the initial concept to execution, Pulse Communications was responsible for bringing the concept to life.

A large public relations stunt was created utilising an Avatar inspired Virgin Blue Boeing 737, 20 Nova competition winners and current and former NRL bulldogs players. The lucky competition winners and Bulldog players were expertly airbrushed into the Na’vi people, complete with wigs and ear pieces, and sent on the trip of a lifetime to be a part of the biggest DVD launch in the country.

The Virgin Plane flew from Brisbane to Sydney airport to be met by four models that had been completely transformed from head to toe into Na’Vi. The four Na’Vi models posing outside the Avatar inspired plane, and inside the cockpit resulted in a fantastic photo which generated huge media attention.

The resulting media coverage reached an audience of over 25 million and created a return on investment of 20:1. Highlights included The Daily Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald Online, mX Sydney, Gold Coast Bulletin confidential, Channel 10, Fox Sports News and Nova FM.

The success of the public relations campaign was only further reinforced as AVATAR shattered industry records delivering the biggest “day one” DVD and Blu-ray sales results of any film in Australia, announced today by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE).  In just one day, TCFHE sold 360,000 combined units of AVATAR (DVD and Blu-ray) – beating all “week one” release records.

Tongues and Tails wagging at Beneful Bark in the Park

Within the hectic pace of modern life, pet owners are challenged when it comes to spending quality time with their pet. This was the key insight to come from the BENEFUL Fetching Time Report, a research report that coincided with the third annual BENEFUL Bark in the Park event being hosted around the country. Ogilvy PR’s consumer public relations agency Pulse Communications worked with Purina Pet Care again in 2010 to conduct the research and promote the Bark in the Park events taking place in key states. BENEFUL Bark in the Park is a free day out for dog owners and their furry friends, and provides fun complimentary activities and an easy way to spend more quality time with your pet.

The findings of the BENEFUL Fetching Time Report only highlight that pet dogs are quickly becoming more than just an animal in the eyes of dog-loving Aussies. Perhaps quite surprisingly, findings show that double the amount of male respondents (11%), compared to female respondents (5%), say that they consider their dog as a good friend. In contrast, mums’ definitely the word for female Aussie dog owners, as almost double the number of women (5%), compared to men (3%) are adding to their brood with a child of the paw variety, saying they consider their dog as a child.

“As the research indicates, dogs are increasingly considered as more than just a pet. The BENEFUL Bark in the Park™ events provide the perfect bonding opportunity for dog owners and their dogs” comments Nicole Battistessa, Head of Marketing, Purina.

The 2010 campaign was launched in Melbourne on Saturday 20 February, followed successfully by Sydney on Saturday 13 March, and ended with the inaugural Brisbane event on Saturday 27 March. Over 14,000 dogs and their owners enjoyed their quality time together at the three events, partaking in complimentary activities such as dog washing and grooming at the Healthy Radiance tent, free BENEFUL samples, and free expert advice from dog behaviourist Jo Righetti. Most popular was the free caricature of dogs and their owners, which saw the line snaking through the crowd.

A combined PR effort from public relations agency Pulse Communications saw coverage reach over 25 million people, with highlights including the cover of the Daily Telegraph’s Best Weekend Lift out, Channel 9 and 7 news bulletins, and photo stories in metro magazine mX in both Sydney and Brisbane. A case study created extra interest in the findings of the Beneful Fetching Time Report and received coverage in The Courier Mail, in itself reaching over 400,000 Australians.

Public relations agency Pulse Communications found that 99% of messaging included a reference to the BENEFUL Bark in the Park event, and 96% of messaging included the BENEFUL brand reference. With an initial KPI of 55, Pulse secured 77 pieces of coverage, with further pieces still pending publication.

Pulse Helps Engineers Australia Make it so

The team at Pulse launched Engineers Australia’s $2.5 million public relations campaign aimed at addressing a skills shortage in the engineering industry on Tuesday 16^th February.

A core component of the new PR initiative is a world first competition that calls on everyday Australians to submit an idea online. The competition will culminate with one lucky person having their idea ‘made so’ by an engineering team.

Since its launch, the Make it so public relations campaign has featured in the Australian media more than 30 times across broadcast, print and digital media outlets.

Highlight pieces of coverage include interviews with CEO Peter Taylor on key talkback radio stations which have high listenership figures including Alan Jones on 2GB and 5AA. Articles have also appeared on ABC News, Australian Geographic, Yahoo!7, B&T, iTWire and Gizmodo websites and print coverage in The Australian, The Australian Financial Review and the Adelaide Advertiser.

Pulse also secured a national radio partnership with DMG’s Nova Network which involves the public relations campaign being featured weekly on the “Ryan, Monty and Wippa” drive time program.

The Make it so competition will run for 12 weeks, until 15^th May. Each week, a shortlist of the top 10 user-rated ideas will be compiled and one idea owner will be awarded an Eee PC, valued at $399.

Visit www.makeitso.org.au to submit, share and champion your ideas!

MC Hammer Inside Tour

Issue

Music icon and social media guru, MC Hammer was engaged to launch Twitter on the Xbox 360 online service, Xbox LIVE, and introduce the brand new “Lips: Number One Hits” game, which features the classic hit “U Can’t Touch This”.

Challenge

Ensure Xbox key messages in the coverage achieved were not overtaken by the “celebrity factor” of MC Hammer.

Insight

As the world’s 14th most influential person on Twitter, MC Hammer was credible and passionate brand ambassador, who could pull on nostalgic heart strings of media to secure incredible mainstream coverage, and then surprise them with his online savvy.

Creative Idea

An extensive media tour of Sydney and Melbourne was held, targeting every major television, radio and newspaper outlet. MC Hammer was clearly briefed to naturally communicate the key messages of the Xbox Twitter and Lips offerings,with Pulse attending each interview to ensure Xbox coverage.

Campaign

The activity took place over a 4 day period, with over 30 media outlets receiving one-on-one interviews with MC Hammer. Hammer was briefed on the key Xbox messages which he reiterated in all activity.

Outcome

Over 65 pieces of coverage have appeared to date on the MC Hammer media tour across high rating outlets like Rove, Sunrise, Channel 10 News, The Morning Show, Hamish and Andy show on 2DayFM, The Age, Daily Telegraph and Famous. Xbox key messages on Twitter and Lips featured in 100% of this coverage that Pulse placed.

Victoria Bitter Raise A Glass Appeal

Challenge

Building on a long, informal association between VB and the Armed Forces, VB wanted to raise more than a million dollars to support the vital welfare programs of the RSL and Legacy, to support and pay tribute to Australia’s serving and ex-serving men and women, fallen veterans and their families. VB contributed $1 from specially marked cases of stubbies and donated more than 1,500 kegs throughout April, encouraging Australians to raise a glass on ANZAC Day and pay tribute to a fallen mate.

With strong media attention on any perceived commercialisation of ANZAC Day, alongside the sensitive issue of veterans and alcoholism, Pulse worked to ensure that both community and media stakeholders understood the genuine intention of the Appeal, ensuring every communication was highly respectful to the RSL, Legacy and wider defence force communities.

Insight

Every Australian has an ANZAC story that is close to their hearts. A special someone they think of and pay tribute to every year. And there are few more quintessentially Australian rituals than sharing stories, over a beer, with a mate.

Creative Idea

Pulse created bespoke tribute beer glasses, etched with the words Today, I raise a glass to, space to hand write the name of the person being honoured on ANZAC Day and the Raise A Glass Appeal URL.  As part of a national launch event attended by the leaders of the ex-service community, including General Peter Cosgrove, and a national regional tour, Australians were invited to dedicate their own glasses as well as share their personal ANZAC stories on the Raise A Glass website.

Outcome

186 pieces of coverage appeared across TV, print, radio and online creating a reach giving over 40 million opportunities to see.

Xbox Sounds- Pussycat Dolls

Challenge

Broaden awareness of the Xbox360 console as a family friendly console, reaching out to an audience beyond gaming

Creative idea

Xbox develop the Xbox Sounds event series, where iconic music acts would perform at iconic Australian locations throughout the summer. The first in the series saw the Pussycat Dolls perform in front of the Sydney Opera House.

Campaign

Pulse was tasked with taking the story of Xbox Sounds to the mass media, broadening Xbox’s reach beyond the gaming and technology press.

Pre-event outreach targeted news , lifestyle and music media  to build buzz and hype for the event.

To maximise the post-event coverage Pulse targeted media from lifestyle, broadcast and major news outlets, offering access to the performers, spokespeople and other talent for news and feature stories.

Outcome

Local and international coverage of the event reaching an audience in excess of 60 million.
105 pieces of coverage were secured with 82% of these pieces  occurring in consumer lifestyle, news or broadcast media

http://pulsecom.com.au/

Launching the first Museum of Australian Democracy

Challenges: In May 2009, Australia’s much-loved building Old Parliament House (OPH) in Canberra was re-launched as the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD). Pulse was engaged to generate national awareness of OPH’s new role and create excitement about the opening of the first and only museum in Australia dedicated to telling the story of Australian democracy – past, present and future. The core challenge was to shift Australian perceptions of OPH as being stale and conservative, while also making democracy relevant to everyday Australians lives.

Insight: Australians recognise democracy but associate it with politics, rather than celebrating stories of real people using their voice to achieve extraordinary things.

Creative Idea: Bring democracy to life by creating a ‘What’s on your mind?’ campaign designed to engage Australians in the democratic process in a fun and entertaining way, and assist in shifting perceptions and building momentum in the lead up to the opening of MoAD.

Campaign: The public was asked to vote via a dedicated website for the social and cultural topic “most on their mind” and to nominate a high-profile Australians they would like to present it.

The campaign culminated in a national debate held at the new MoAD, which kicked off the museum’s opening weekend celebrations.

Outcome: Over 180 pieces of coverage generated nationally, with an audience reach of over 100 million. Coverage included several television pieces on the ABC, several pieces in The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, and a number of lifestyle and travel publications

« Previous Page