Boots & Dreams

Background

The AFL (Australian Football League) has a special program, giving Indigenous kids the chance to fulfill their dreams of playing in Australia’s national game. As the main sponsor, Qantas wanted to create awareness of the programme.

The agency saw this as an opportunity to do more than the press ad they were briefed to produce but the chance to create a season-long dialogue with fans through a travelling exhibition, which would help raise further funds for Indigenous charities.

The objectives:

• Drive at least 50,000 fans to the exhibition
• Generate a minimum 1500 visits to the online gallery
• Raise funds for Indigenous charities (target $32,000)

Idea

Here’s a fact. Indigenous Australians make up just 2.5% of the population but an amazing 11% of AFL professionals. So leading Indigenous players were asked to donate a pair of their playing boots to be painted by prominent Indigenous artists.

The boots became the exhibits of the Qantas Boots & Dreams show which was launched at Australia’s famous Federation Square before touring the rest of the country.

An online gallery was created at afl.com.au/qantasboots

Results

Over 450,000 people have viewed the exhibition so far in a season-long encounter between fans and the programme.

There have been over 2,000 site visits with no paid media (a 33% increase on objective) which will grow substantially as the exhibition tours nationally.

The exhibition appeared in Sports TV shows and AFL game broadcasts, delivering $705,000 PR value.

The Boots & Dreams charity auctions have begun. One $200 pair of football boots has sold for AU$5800 and there are 15 more still to be sold.

Our Thoughts

I love this because what started out as a brief for a press ad. turned into something far more ambitious and, hopefully, of more lasting value to both Qantas and to the Indigenous Player programme.

A lot of cause-related marketing looks embarrassingly like exploitation but this does not because it is linking and illustrating the exceptional abilities of many Indigenous people. (I presume we are not allowed to call them Aboriginal any longer, which is a pity since the word appears to me to have more dignity and provenance about it.)

The boots have become objects of astonishing beauty, connecting the ancient culture of an ancient people with modern life and its obsession with sport.

Few advertising ideas entrance, but this one does.