We fabricated an email conversation between a girl and her friend. It explained how a wealthy man made a bet with her at Soul the night before. He arrogantly wagered that if he couldn’t get her to sleep with him, he’d buy Champagne for every girl who went to Soul for the following month. He lost, so his credit card was now sitting at Soul, waiting to be abused. The email also included a mobile-phone mpeg confirming the bet.We then briefed several female friends within the target market to forward it on to their girlfriends and work colleagues as if the story was true.

The email spread like wildfire, not only around New Zealand but internationally, much to the delight of the client and the intrigue of the media. Dozens of blogsites, local newspapers and even a national primetime current affairs show all took the bait.

Thousands of girls showed up at Soul to claim their free glass of Champagne, all supposedly at the expense of our mystery man. Over 3,400 glasses were given away, nearly double the previous year’s promo. Bar sales increased 34% on the previous year and Soul Bar achieved a massive 118% ROI on the total cost of the campaign.