Damian Keogh - Seven NetworkStephanie Atkinson - Seven Network The client briefed the agency on ways to drive viewership of the Seven Network’s telecast of Salt Lake City Winter Olympics – off the station. Australians have and always will embrace the Olympic ideals.

Australia is one of only two nations to compete in every modern Olympic Summer Games.We are one of only five countries to host two Olympic Summer Games.The Sydney 2000 Olympic Summer Games were proclaimed as – “The most successful in Olympic Games history” with Australia winning 56 Olympic Medals.Traditionally, the Summer Games deliver the highest rating results, with the Sydney Summer Games breaking all records for viewing in Australia. The Winter Olympics does not generate the same level of viewership as winter sports are not as popular, being a predominantly snow free nation!The task was to ignite interest and excite the potential audience to tune in, watch the telecast and support the athletes – even though they are not as well known or as familiar with the sports as the Summer Games. During the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the city celebrated. Big Screens in the CBD brought live coverage from the events around the city and the locals congregated with our visitors from around the world every night and partied hard. It is impossible to describe the emotion, the spirit and the sense of global community that prevailed in Sydney at the time.

The Olympics have left an indelible mark on the city and will never be forgotten.The task we set ourselves was to re-capture the spirit, emotion and sense of celebration that Sydney-siders experienced during the Sydney Games by making it snow in the city. The major outdoor mall in the Sydney CBD (Martin Place), famous for the big screens and partying during Sydney 2000 became a snowfield in the middle of Summer.The event was launched on Thursday 14th February with Westpac Bank, the major sponsor of the day and of the Telecast.

The day featured an artificial snowfield (combination of fake snow and man-made snow) in a section of Martin Place with Toboggan ride, snowman areas, ice sculptures, large screen, pine trees, athlete appearances, large mountain backdrop, stage and plenty of give-aways, which included 2000 Olympic Pins.

The day was promoted on television in news programs and via commercial airtime. Nova (local radio station) crossed live to the event during the day and interviewed athletes on air to encourage participation. The Outcome There were snowball fights in the sun with pedestrians, children tobogganing and building a snowman and hundreds of autographs signed by Winter Olympic athletes.

We received extensive PR exposure across Seven TV programmes from morning television shows to news to coverage from the telecast itself.Overall, the Telecast received the highest commercial share (36.3%) and delivered peak audience ratings during the broadcast. The media strategy team threw the conventional brief in the bin. We knew we needed more than a few static, one-dimensional billboards to promote the Winter Olympics in Sydney’s long, hot summer.

The Olympics is about life, drama, movement and edge of your seat excitement. A conventional advertising approach would undersell the magic of The Olympics. The media team took up the challenge to develop a strategy that re-captured the spirit and fun of the Sydney Games. Summer in Sydney is 35 degrees (celsius) in the shade. It is so hot and dry and the sun is so relentless and unforgiving in its heat that you can cook an egg on the pavement. Snow and the Winter Olympics couldn’t be further from your mind. What better way to achieve massive cut through for the event than by dumping a few semi-trailer loads of fresh snow in the main street?

The media strategy team found and negotiated with the company that executed the concept and worked with the agency team and the client to bring in sponsorship and celebrities that made the day a complete success. The majority of Australians have only ever seen snow on television. They have never experienced the wonder of catching snowflakes on your tongue, never thrown a snowball, made a snow angel and never skated, tobogganed, skied, or played ice hockey. Australians have never had to shake snow off their boots or shovel snow to get out their front door. Christmas is 35 degrees and a trip to the beach to swim.

This submission is special because we found a unique way of communicating with the audience by giving them the personal experience. We brought a sporting event that was not tangible, that the audience had no ownership of, and brought it “up close and personal” where viewers could touch, taste, see, hear and experience it first hand.

Some Australians touched snow for the first time in their lives on February 14, 2001.

This event changed the paradigm of promoting television programmes and turned what could have been a static outdoor campaign into a living, breathing, interactive experience that reminded the audience that it doesn’t have to be sunshine, swimming and Ian Thorpe to be The Olympics.

The media strategy team threw the conventional brief in the bin. We knew we needed more than a few static, one-dimensional billboards to promote the Winter Olympics in Sydney’s long, hot summer.

The Olympics is about life, drama, movement and edge of your seat excitement. A conventional advertising approach would undersell the magic of The Olympics. The media team took up the challenge to develop a strategy that re-captured the spirit and fun of the Sydney Games. Summer in Sydney is 35 degrees (celsius) in the shade. It is so hot and dry and the sun is so relentless and unforgiving in its heat that you can cook an egg on the pavement. Snow and the Winter Olympics couldn’t be further from your mind. What better way to achieve massive cut through for the event than by dumping a few semi-trailer loads of fresh snow in the main street?

The media strategy team found and negotiated with the company that executed the concept and worked with the agency team and the client to bring in sponsorship and celebrities that made the day a complete success.