Tattoo Creative leads ‘virtual agency’ for Royal Show campaign
The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia (RAS) is about to launch The Smoke Free Perth Royal Show campaign for 2009. It heralds the ‘soft launch’ of a new strategic direction for the event which will roll out over the next 5 years as the Show comes into line with new positioning.
The campaign is the product of a ‘virtual agency’ consortium. Brand consultancy Tattoo Creative have put together a team of leading professionals hand-picked for this campaign. Tattoo Creative provided the brand strategy and creative direction working while with independent professionals from the fields of account service, copywriting, television commercial creative direction, production, media, website design, sound and photography.
Watch the TVC here:
Working with a consortium has been a departure for RAS after a long history working with traditional advertising agencies.
“Everyone has commented on how easy it is to work with Tattoo and therest of the team. It’s been a really hassle-free year” said RASMarketing and Communications Manager, Maryanne Shaddick.
The approach to changing people’s perceptions of the Royal Show will be rolled out in stages over five years.
Director of Tattoo Creative, Cameron McDiven, said, “With only sixweeks of the year to communicate to the audience, we will need toaccept that perceptions will only alter by the second or third year.Year one’s task is to reconnect with the audience emotionally before westart to sell the show as something too radically different. The show’scontent and focus will have to alter over the next five years toaccommodate the new strategic direction. So it would be premature tolead with it too strongly in year one.”
The campaign idea was sparked by a comment from CEO Martin Molony aboutwatching the crowd spontaneously waving glow sticks during thenighttime fireworks.
“It created a great mental image and presented a shorthand way ofexpressing our long-term strategy of Celebrate in a nice, simple way.People used to wave around sparklers to celebrate events like this buttoday, it’s glow sticks,” McDiven added.
The campaign features dodgem cars, sheep and fireworks and other show events depicted in light-writing by children.
“It’s still about having fun – but our focus on Celebrate will bringout the substance of what we are celebrating at the show each year. Aswith Telethon, people at the Show are having fun and raising money atthe same time. This is put back into the WA community by the non-profitRoyal Agricultural Society of WA in some incredible ways. What we arecelebrating is WA itself – in the same way we go to the Skyshow tocelebrate Australia Day. That’s why the show is special, and I thinkthis message will grow in power over the coming years. But at the sametime we need to drive people through the turnstiles in strong numbersand the child-like sense of magic and anticipation is one of thebiggest drawcards we have to do that.”
The show opens 26th September.
2 Comments
Good work, i like it. Having worked on the show account 20 years ago, I know it’s a challenge to find new angles. This is fresh, relevant and targeted.
Is Tattoo looking for partners for their next job?
Nice ad… so who was in the ‘virtual agency consortium’?