Scientists at the University of Queensland have been conducting some groundbreaking research. They have found that whales communicate with each other across vast tracts of ocean, by singing complex love songs to each other.

We took this research and imagined how whales would respond if we played our own whale song to them, with a real orchestra.

We launched the project with a TV spot. It was an immediate hit, with people loving its inspirational nature. We supported it with a massive outdoor campaign. We created interactive sound banners that directed people to our online Whale Song experience. People were encouraged to create their own whale song, and play it to a lifelike 3D whale, which responded to their song.

Optus is a leading Australian telecommunications company. They were involved in a prolonged, retail price war and desperately wanted their brand to stand for something again, so consumers would consider them on more than price.

Within minutes of the TVC going to air, the website was inundated with visitors. Targets were eventually doubled, with over 185,000 unique visits. Average time on site was over 3 minutes, with 83% of visitors interacting with the whale. Overall, top of mind awareness was significantly raised, and monitoring of online sentiment was positive 14:1.

If you ask anyone in Australia what Optus stands for, they will say the same thing: animals. Furthermore, a whale that responds to your own whale song really proves the proposition; When it comes to communication, anything is possible.