Challenge: Take an unfamiliar overseas brand: ‘Knauf’, with a new product: ‘Earthwool’ insulation, and make them a household name. Knauf couldn’t afford a nationwide ad campaign and didn’t have nationwide distribution, so we created the biggest new product demo we could think of that would get nationwide exposure, and would then drive interest online to a sales channel that we created for them. Concept: ‘Warming up New Zealand’s Coldest Town.’ With a recorded winter temperature of – 22 Degrees C, Ophir, in Cental Otago, holds the record for being New Zealand’s coldest town. Enter German brand Knauf with their environmentally friendly ‘Earthwool’ insulation, because they offered to insulate the whole town. The project took a year, and all 48 residents got their homes insulated, as did businesses like the Post Office and the Pub. Why it was important to do this: Strangers often get the cold shoulder and it’s no different in business. And in the harsh climes of the South island, your actions speak louder than your words. Leading with brand behaviour instead of an ad campaign, provided a topical and very talk-able piece of branded utility, proving that Knauf (and their products) were true to their word. Outcome: A heartwarming 5 - minute piece on nationwide TV show ‘Close Up’ broadcast the full story to nearly 450 000 viewers. National online news website 3News also covered the story (average weekly impressions are 985 000 and many kiwis rely on this site up to the minute reliable news and information).

The project took a year to complete, and during that time we interviewed locals gathering all kinds of funny anecdotal content, while documenting the installation, and progress towards a fully insulated town. All this material would help to furnish content for our online activity, and a forth-coming news story. Then the story was then seeded to the producers of the prime-time current affairs show Close-Up, who thought it had nationwide appeal in the 7-7.30pm slot and they agreed to send a presenter and camera crew to cover the action in chilly Ophir. Online we created a topographic replica of Ophir right down to the brass tacks of the buildings and ‘brass monkey’ stories, which could be explored. It also links through to ‘Right House’ now a nationwide Knauf approved Earthwool installer.

A five minute piece on nationwide television show ‘Close Up’ broadcast the full story to nearly 450 000 people. National online news website 3News also covered the story (average weekly impressions are 985 000 and many kiwis rely on this site up to the minute reliable news and information). In doing so, Knauf became a household name. And now potential customers have a place to explore: the online replica of Ophir, from their own-undoubtedly warmer-desktops, and then go shopping, with the online sales channel now going live.