Sportsbet needed to engage customers ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup which faced low interest from the Australian public, driven by even lower expectations of success for its ‘Socceroos’ - the tournament’s lowest ranked qualifier.

We custom-built a hot air balloon in the likeness of Brazilian icon ‘Christ The Redeemer’ (the biggest balloon to ever fly over Australia), and flew it over major cities leading up to the Socceroos’ first game - a stunt driving business results and inspiring a nation through the power of patriotism.

An extensive media contact list was developed and strategic PR plans were customised for each city our balloon would take flight, in order to maximise coverage. Prior to launch, we engaged key media relationships to ensure the story would receive prime-time coverage.

On launch day, we provided helicopter footage and still images direct to key media wires and outlets, as well as chartering a helicopter specifically for the media to capture their own content.

Key senior executives were thoroughly briefed in the event they needed to give a statement, given the high risk nature of the stunt.

The campaign ran successfully to the original PR plan, which was broken down into an hour by hour list of actions for specific PR staff to execute. There were no accidents or leaks.

Prior to the launch, an extensive media engagement program took place to ensure maximum coverage would be received in all mediums. Media contact lists and PR plans were customised for each city our balloon would take flight, and PR content was even tailored to suit specific mediums.

On launch day, the PR team actioned an extensive media follow up campaign and were available for interviews during prime broadcast times around the country. This was all repeated later in the day, as the story broke in the northern hemisphere.

The most successful marketing exercise in company history, outperforming budget in all key areas.

• EARNED MAJOR MEDIA COVERAGE IN OVER 100 COUNTRIES (*iSentia)

• NATIONAL PRIME-TIME TV COVERAGE ON EVERY MAJOR NETWORK IN AUSTRALIA (*iSentia)

• #1 ONLINE WAGERING COMPANY - EDITORIAL MENTIONS (*iSentia)

• $74m TURNOVER - Nearly 40% more than our biggest competitor (*Internal - Competitor Press Release & Annual Report Data)

• 51% OF ALL NEW CUSTOMERS IN CATEGORY

• 61% SPONTANEOUS BRAND AWARENESS - Highest ever score (*Toluna Brand & Advertising Awareness Tracker)

• 49% NET PROMOTER SCORE (*Internal - Website Customer Survey)

• #1 WORLD CUP BETTING BRAND - 35% of all online wagers (*Toluna Brand & Advertising Awareness Tracker)

• #1 RE-TWEETED TWEET EVER BY AN AUSTRALIAN BRAND (*Twitter Australia)

• 77% SHARE, CATEGORY ENGAGEMENTS - FACEBOOK (*Simply Measured)

• 65% SHARE, CATEGORY ENGAGEMENTS - TWITTER (*Simply Measured)