David Pocock was the key to the successful delivery of our Strength to Care story to an audience not traditionally open to conversations about masculinity and care.

But he was not to be just a 'face'.

Notoriously reclusive and private, our creative team and production partners created an environment in which David was comfortable to share, at length, many of his closest and personal thoughts on masculinity and care. We worked with David through a series of workshops, to better understood the motivations behind his beliefs, and pieced together through film, how these elements of care away from the field makes him so prolific on the field.

David's stories - in his own words - also gave our campaign, credibility, recognition, substance and engagement in the rugby community. A community historically resistant to conversations on the subject.

From our first shoot day to campaign launch we had just 7 weeks.

The output was a 3-part content series, 15 second pre-rolls developed for in stadium broadcast & TVC. Behind the scenes and social content hosted through Dove website and social media channels also shot.

• 3 x 2" Branded Content Films

• 1 x long form Behind the Scenes Film

• 6 x 60" - 90" Masters (broadcast integration / online)

• 1 x 30" Broadcast TVC

• 1 x 30" In Stadium 'Big Screen' Edit

• 2 x 15" Pre-roll edits (online)

The content was shown across both Fox Sports and FTA TV and included integrated broadcast introductions, viz-pull through, pre-match promotion and integration with commentary team.

The authentic creative and media placement strategy meant our message resonated immediately with rugby fans. Hearing these stories from a hero in such a relevant environment (live sport) and throughout the tournament gave weight to the messaging and breadth to the content.

Dove and Pocock’s stories have sparked instant debate. Positive articles about Homophobia, Mental Health and Masculinity were raised throughout the country. We created newsworthy attention being featured on Sky News, Channel 10, SBS and a range of local channels.

The earned attention allowed men to share their personal stories and we witnessed a nation standing beside David Pocock through online posts #IStandWithPocock and I have the #StrengthToCare

In the first week of launch the campaign generated more than 3 million earned impression. But the further impact of reaching more than 50%, half of the male population to have a positive impact was incredible.