Two years ago the state of Queensland was engulfed by a catastrophic flood, covering an area the size of France. On January 26 this year, it was hit by another. This one punished a much smaller area, but it was even more ferocious. For the town of Bundaberg, it was the worst in history.

The plight of Bundaberg led news bulletins around the country, but before long, the media, and a flood fatigued nation, moved on and the plight of the small town was forgotten.

As Bundy’s most famous resident, our task was twofold: (1) Lure people back to Bundy to boost a decimated local economy; (2) Fight ‘flood fatigue’ by bringing Bundaberg back into the spotlight, ensuring the bravery of this proud community is never forgotten.

We embarked on an ambitious campaign to create Bundaberg’s biggest ever tourism event just 6 weeks after the deluge. The centrepiece of the campaign was relaunch of our rum. Called ‘Road to Recovery’, the bottles were emblazoned with the names of Bundy’s flood-affected streets. All 171 of them. All proceeds from the rum would be donated to flood victims.

News of this unique release spread throughout our large community of Bundy loyalists. Over 6000 of them made the pilgrimage, creating Bundaberg’s biggest ever tourism event. It injected $2 million into the local economy, raised $1 million for charity, and generated an estimated $1 million in media coverage, with a total media spend of $0

Most importantly, the campaign ensured that the bravery of this proud community would never be forgotten.

Though we used some traditional media to promote the event, simply making such a big announcement created the biggest impact. The idea of 171 unique bottles sent rum enthusiasts and collectors into a frenzy.

Over 6000 people made the pilgrimage to the town for the weekend of March 16, swelling the population by 8%. It was the biggest tourism event Bundaberg has ever seen. An estimated $2.5 million was pumped into the struggling local economy. The rum completely sold out, raising $300,00 for charity. Nearly $1 million in PR was generated, with 169 media pieces. The total reach exceeded 7 and a half million people.

Online, our first Facebook Road to Recovery post engaged an amazing 13% of our entire population and 268,130 unique uses engaged in the month of Road to Recovery activity – almost 1 in 3 fans. Our Facebook page fan base increased by over 9,000 people. Our social activity reached 2,692,405 unique people with in excess of 20.9 million impressions. 1,037,470 people were reached as a result of their friends interaction with our Facebook activity.

And most importantly, this famous event ensured that the bravery of this proud community would never be forgotten.