How we made a brand people love to complain about on social the hero of Australia’s biggest sporting event
Telstra
Issue 29 | December 2013
Agency
R/GA Sydney
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Gavin McLeod Creative Director Josh Rowe Senior Designer Michael Armstrong Copywriter Peter Mountford Designer Alex Fitzroy
Other Credits
Senior Producer Chris Rollings Senior Data Analyst Trent Ostrander Content Controller Clea Newson General Manager Digital Marketing, Telstra Harry Lowes Director of CRM, Loyalty and Digital Marketing, Telstra Nick Adams Social Media Advisor, Telstra Sarah Calderwood Digital Marketing Manager, Telstra Josette Addinall
Date
July 2013
Background
Telstra wanted to use one of Australia's biggest sporting events, The State of Origin series, to strengthen its association with rugby league fans.
The problems were that this was Telstra's first attempt at engaging rugby league fans and they were going to have to rely on fans sharing content if they were to generate reach. Also, Telstra were not an official sponsor of the series and had no access to game or player assets.
Idea
It was decided to make the fans themselves the centre of the action with the Origin Fan Battle. Fans from the State of Queensland and fans from New South Wales were challenged to fight it out on Twitter to find out which team, the Marrons or the Blues, had the greatest supporters. All they had to do was tweet #queenslander or #uptheblues to get behind them.
On game days, Telstra's Social response Labs engaged with fans joining in their Twitter conversations as and when they happened.
Influential fans were identified and, based on their tweets, creative teams created customised artwork for them to share.
Competitions gave away tickets and signed shirts across the three games to reward the most passionate fans.
Some of Australia's biggest celebrities got involved, including sports stars, Olympic athletes and TV personalities, extending the campaign reach to their followers.
Two legendary ex-players acted as official fan leaders in videos of them cheering on their teams, giving it to their opposition and explaining to fans how to get involved.
After each game, every tweet was counted to determine the Fan Battle winner. Infographics were sent out after each game, showing the key moments and the most influential fans.
Results
The Origin Fan Battle enhanced the fans' State of Origin experience. It demonstrated how a deep understanding of fan behaviour in social media can help secure engagement, despite starting from a small base. The specific results were:
- Over 14 million social impressions
- 40% social lift generated by fans retweeting
- Only 8% generated through paid media
- Increased @Telstra_News followers by almost 50%
- 95% of replies were positive.
Our Thoughts
Ever since Nike ambushed the Olympics, marketers have looked to try and steal interest from the official sponsors at big sporting events. It has become a sort-of marketing meme.
In this instance, the ingenious part of the idea is switching the point of interest away from the teams themselves to the fans. Who are the most passionate, the reds or the blues? A question Manchester United and Chelsea fans might care to ponder.
For me, successful online communications is when an idea turns viewers into participants. They join in. They become a part of it. And then they start to frame and tell their own stories about the brand, which travel further and mean more than any advertising message.
In short, what we have here is a bold marketing plan, an ingenious strategy and flawless delivery.