M!r"#$ D%&&'(!)S(r!(*+, C-* S(#)"'

~Customer Owned Banking Association

V Energy Drink

The Greater Building Society

Wagner Magnesium Forte 400

And more...wo-hoo!

~mariusforplanner.com~

Customer Owned Banking Association (C.O.B.A.)From Conservative Lobbyists to Consumer ActivistsC.O.B.A. is the industry organisation for mutuals, building societies and credit unions, its main activity being to lobby federal and state Governments. While given a wide range of objectives by their members, their focus lately has been to get the Coalition to commit to conducting an independent inquiry into the financial sector, as well as influencing its terms of reference.

The Background

.* C/!00*&+*

C.O.B.A. NEEDED TO ENGAGE THE VOTING PUBLIC IN THEIR CAUSE TO GET GRASS-ROOT SUPPORT

THAT COULD BE CONVERTED INTO LEVERAGE

ON THE POLITICAL STAGE.

HOWEVER, WHILE THE PUBLIC WOULD BE THE

ULTIMATE BENEFACTOR OF SUCCESSFUL

LOBBYING, CREATING PASSION FOR THE DRY AND

COMPLEX TECHNICAL DETAILS OF SOMETHING

LIKE A FINANCIAL INQUIRY WOULD BE HARDER

THAN SQUEEZING BLOOD FROM A STONE.

.* I&$"+/($

People care about their hip pockets, but not if it requires too much mental effort.

We had to find a way of getting people to emotionally engage with a bunch of lobbyists and make their efforts be perceived as important and personally relevant.

The conservative financial organisation had to step out of their comfort zone, and show they were fighting for the people, not just for a bunch of banks...

The STRATEGIC IDEA

Relaunch COBA as aCONSUMER ACTIVIST

organisation

...redefining who COBA is and what they do...

Fr%1 (/2:

T% (/2:

The Strategy in more detail

C.O.B.A. shed its dark suit and took up the fight for fair and ethical banking for all Australians.

This overarching goal is achieved through three core streams of activities:

1. TAKING on the BIG FOUR BANKS, as well as the POLITICIANS who enable their abuse of power, and various other unethical practices, through unfair legislation that disables free competition.

2. PROVIDE information about the ALTERNATIVE BANKING sector - where people come before profit - and provide advice to those who wish to make the switch from traditional banking.

3. LOBBYING is now only one of three streams of core activities - this is where C.O.B.A. leverages grass-root engagement to fight for their members’ cause. This is where they get to wear their suits.

...TAKING C.O.B.A VERY FAR FROM THE COMFORT OF THE BOARDROOM, BUT ULTIMATELY CREATING A MORE HUMAN AND RELEVANT BRAND

The Creative Brief

When campaigns and tactics were driven by a purpose above and beyond the day-to-day activities, C.O.B.A. was allowed to free their minds and rethink every aspect of their communication.

By taking their cues from organisations such as G*(Up!, 31&'(,, Gr**&p*!4* and 3&%&,1%#$, they had a clear direction for everything from look & feel; personality and media channels - yet they still had ample room for innovative creative executions.

Traditional media were rejected in favour of content-based ideas that would be shared in social media and covered in mass-media.

This was made possible by championing a cause which rarely fail to engage:The abuse of power by big corporations, enabled by politicians, the victims of which are everyday Australians

V Energy DrinkFight for your right - not to party, but for a better futureThis was a project that never made it to the actual client.

The Background

.* C/!00*&+*

THE ENERGY DRINK CATEGORY HAD BECOME

INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE AND HOMOGENOUS,

WITH EVERY PLAYER PROFESSING PHYSICAL

INVIGORATION, AND CHASING EVERY AND ANY

PROPERTY WITHIN THE FIELDS OF MUSIC

FESTIVALS, EXTREME SPORTS AND NIGHTLIFE.

PROVIDING AMPLE OPPORTUNITY FOR AN

ENERGY DRINK BRAND TO BE BRAVE AND

CHALLENGE THE CONVENTIONS.

.* I&$"+/($

Consumers of energy drinks represented a wider range of demographic than one would think looking at the category’s marketing output. Soon there would be an equal male-female split, and 30+ was the fastest growing segment.And, importantly, a large proportion of energy drinks was consumed with the purpose improving 1*&(!0 performances at places like universities and offices.In other words, not all of us wish to parachute out of spacecrafts.

Introducing: THE GUARANA PLANT; containing a form of concentrated energy, it’s an essential, active ingredient in V.

It is a renewable and sustainable form of energy, native to, and

found only in:

THE AMAZON:THE LUNGS OF THE WORLD

The STRATEGIC IDEA

PURE ENERGY!

The brains of V drinkers are fueled by CONCENTRATED energy from the PUREST place on earth.

Cool, that’s a really promising start. However it’s not quite there just yet.

V, after all, energises the girl who studies rather than parties all night, and the guy who reads books rather than Zoo magazine, and will therefore need to engage their customers at an intellectual level. Through something they care deeply about.

So, let’s see where the Pure Energy can take us...

If V is serious about energy, why not put into practice some of that cheekiness for which they’re well known, and start talking about V as

not just a DRINKS COMPANY who happen to also provide energy

but as an ENERGY COMPANY whose mode of delivery just so happens to be a drinks bottle

THEN WHAT....?

What if...?OLD COMPETITORS:

NEW COMPETITORS:

Then we get some new competitors...

...and they are being very, very naughty

THREATENING OURCUSTOMERS’FUTURE

...AS WELL AS OUR OWNSOURCE OF ENERGY

AND THIS REALLY PISSES US OFF!

The Strategy in more detail

V now has a cause. Above and beyond itself. Something worth spending advertising dollar on. Something their customers could relate to and care about:

V will not stand by and watch our competitors giving energy a bad name -

V will fight for the future of our planet: home to our customers as well as our own source of renewable energy.

V will tirelessly point out our competitors’ many “mistakes”, and energise their customers so that they can join V in creating positive and real change.

The Creative Brief

This positioning opens up a plethora of creative opportunities, be it campaigning against corrupt oil companies, war mongering politicians or the hypocrisy of other, so-called “green’, brands.

As long as it’s done with a cheeky sense of humour, the creative direction is guided more by a worthy cause and current affairs than by corporate style guides, lofty one-word “brand essences” and Roy Morgan data, making for a r"4/*r, more #&"q#* and !#(/*&("4 brand.(And, if it’s a quiet news week, they can always create some Gina Reinhardt memes to seed through their social media channels.)

Greater Building Society (The Greater)Don’t underestimate the power of a common enemyGreater Building society is a regional bank with a strong presence in NSW, particularly in the Hunter and the Illawarra regions. While offering much the same products as any traditional bank, their origin as a building society means they are essentially owned by their customers, with all profits going back to its members and their communities. In other words a very different ethos from that of the profit driven Big Four banks.

The Background

.* C/!00*&+*

WITH LOW AWARENESS, OLD BRANCHES, NO

UNIQUE PRODUCTS AND AN INFERIOR ONLINE

OFFER, GREATER WAS LOSING OUT TO THE BIG

FOUR BANKS. UNABLE AT THIS STAGE TO ADDRESS

ANYTHING BUT THEIR COMMUNICATION, THEY

WANTED TO CREATE A STRONGER CONNECTION

WITH PEOPLE AT A BRAND LEVEL.

AND NO CONNECTION IS STRONGER THAN THAT

BASED ON A SHARED SET OF VALUES AND A

COMMON ‘ENEMY’.

.* I&$"+/($

With their regional origins and footprint, as well as their building society credentials, The Greater shares a set of values - a mindset - with people in the regions.

In our society, anything ‘big-city’ quickly becomes the ‘default’, with its elites and media defining and leading the country’s discourse. The Big Four banks represent the ultimate manifestation of this unsympathetic mindset.

Frustrated by big-city arrogance and dominance, people in the regions - in order to construct a positive identity - inevitably develop a world view which is in direct opposition to that of the big cities.

These two opposing world views were defined and referred to as the C%rp%r!(* and C%11#&"(, mindsets...

PROFIT VS. PEOPLEME VS. US

SUPERFICIAL VS. AUTHENTIC

VANITY VS. DOWN TO EARTH

IMPERSONAL VS. LOCAL PRIDE LAZY VS. HARD WORKING

The STRATEGIC IDEA

Demonstrate a shared COMMUNITY mindset with their regional customers

A connection between The Greater and their customer would be forged - their underdog status bringing them together in the never-ending battle for pride and superiority against the powerful, but morally corrupt, big city people and their big banks.

This would position The Greater as the natural choice for people in the regions.

Crucially, it would also reposition the Big Four Banks as catering only to their opposites: the superficial and arrogant city-lickers.

The Creative Brief

It’s easy for a brand to say ‘we’re just like you’. So The Greater couldn’t simply talk about a shared mindset, they also had to demonstrate exactly how they offer value to their customers. The creative brief therefore focused on how the two mindsets differed in the context of the 0%4!0 *4%&%1,.

The C%rp%r!(* M"&)$*( - characterised by short-term profit, competition, individualism and survival of the fittest - leads to cold, impersonal and dysfunctional communities.

A bank that adheres to the C%11#&"(, M"&)$*(, on the other hand, is a natural fit with economies where every participant works together for the common good of the entire community.

Wagner - Magnesium Forte 400From pharmacies to petrol stationsWagner is an Australian producer of minerals and supplements. You haven’t heard of them you say? I’m not surprised...

The Background

.* C/!00*&+*

DRIVEN BY A FASCINATION FOR ANYTHING

ALTERNATIVE, MINERALS & SUPPLEMENTS

HAVE BEEN THE NEW BLACK FOR THE LAST

FEW YEARS, MAKING IT A COMPETITIVE CATEGORY.

THERE ARE MORE THAN 25 BRANDS FIGHTING FOR

WHATEVER SHELF SPACE IS LEFT OVER FROM

THE THREE BRAND LEADERS.

WAGNER IS ONE OF THEM, AND THEY WERE JUST

ABOUT TO INTRODUCE YET ANOTHER

MAGNESIUM TABLET TO THE MARKET.

.* I&$"+/($

The vitamins and minerals market is confusing, with all sorts of dubious claims of efficiency, with limited to no possibility for the average consumer to know what works and what doesn’t.

The category is extremely homogenous, with brands claiming the same benefits for the same people, distributed through the same channels, their packaging looking virtually identical.

Giving Wagner many rules to break...

Faced with this, why on earth would anyone choose a brand like...

...when they can go with one of the safe choices...Wagner?...

BUT, WHAT DOES MAGNESIUM REALLY DO?

It relaxes you

It lowers your heart rate

It calms nerves

But who, apart from the traditional Blackmores and Swisse customers would be into something like that...?

HOW ABOUT THESE GUYS?

The STRATEGIC IDEA

RETHINK the entire VMS category, from PRODUCT and CUSTOMERS,

to DISTRIBUTION and ADVERTISING

BASED on the effects of magnesium, Magnesium Forte 400 would be pitched at a young males (and females) in general, and consumers of energy drinks in particular.

THING WAS, these guys don’t really hang out at pharmacies......which was great because that meant it could be sold at petrol stations instead...

NEITHER do they respond well to the type of communication favoured by the VMS category...

...which was great, because that meant they had an excuse to get creative

The Strategy in more detail

Introducing Mg - Australia’s first*ANTI-ENERGY DRINK

(**Ok, it would probably look a bit cooler)

**

(*Apparently, a significant market for anti-energy drinks has emerged after I had this idea. Damn it!)

JUST SO THAT YOU CAN, YOU KNOW:

Calm down before those stupid exams

Chill out before that big date

Come down after a day of jumping out of spacecrafts and other extreme sports

Take the edge off that epic hangover

Lower your heart rate after having had too many RedBulls

B#(, w!"(, (/*r*’$ 1%r*..!(Don’t worry, these are short)

BUPA HEALTH INSURANCE

.* B!45+r%#&)

BUPA WANTED TO DEVELOP A PRODUCT AND SERVICES OFFERING FOR THEIR MANY RETAIL OUTLETS, WHICH WERE ONLY UTILISED FOR CLAIMS PROCESSING.

THIS OFFER WAS TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR PROPOSITION: “HELPING YOU LEAD HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER LIVES”.

.* I&$"+/($

Australians were becoming increasingly health-conscious as was particularly evident in fitness and diet trends.We found that the most valuable customer to target a retail offer at would be women with young kids (most health-conscious, high level of claims, family has long potential future with BUPA).

.* S(r!(*+,

We developed a brand new service which we called THE HEALTH PLANNER.Taking place in-store with a registered nurse, this is a low-barrier service consisting of physical tests, online questionnaire and private consultation, which leads to a personal health plan that deals with all aspects of the person’s life - e.g. nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management.

PIG’S EAR - CRAFT-BEER

.* B!45+r%#&)

THIS CRAFT-BEER IS THE RESULT OF ONE MAN’S PASSION FOR HOME-BREWING. STARTING OUT IN A GARAGE IN REDFERN IT IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING COMMERCIALISED.

IT IS HOWEVER BUT ONE OF MANY, MANY CRAFT-BEERS AND MICRO-BREWS AVAILABLE

IN ADDITION TO THE GREAT QUALITY, A DISTINCT BRAND WAS REQUIRED.

.* I&$"+/($

Beer is potent cultural currency - one’s choice of which says a lot about who you are (or would like to be perceived as)You’re either a down-to-earth Aussie bloke swearing to VB, Toohey’s or Carlton Draught - or a pretentious hipster drinking craft-beerThe result is that great quality beer is essentially unavailable to the majority of Australians.There was a gap in the market, and Pig’s Ear was well placed to fill it...

.* S(r!(*+,

Pig’s Ear thinks everyone should be allowed to enjoy a craft-beer without worrying about what anyone says.Their mission:DEMOCRATISING CRAFT-BEERPig’s Ear will be a cheeky and opposing voice to the pretentiousness of the foodie and winey cultures. The flagship brew became Garage Ale and the tagline Straight Out’ta Redfern - hinting at a no-nonsense attitude. They would be open about supermarket ingredients and share, rather than mystify, their brewing process.

DYMOCKS BOOKS

.* B!45+r%#&)

STRUGGLING AGAINST THE ONLINE GIANTS AND WITH NO TIME AND MONEY TO ADDRESS THEIR ONLINE OFFERING, A CAMPAIGN WAS NEEDED THAT ENCOURAGED PEOPLE TO BUY BOOKS THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY.

.* I&$"+/($

60% of books sold at Dymocks were purchased as gifts.

And while Amazon can recommend books for you, it comes to short when you need help selecting a book for your aspiring artist of a nephew or sewing enthusiast of a grandmother.

.* S(r!(*+,

Supported by their great range of books and knowledgeable and passionate staff, the proposition became:DYMOCKS MATCHMAKER - There’s a book for everyone, and we help you find it. This tapped into the almost romantic experience of getting lost in a book as well as giving people a good reason for shopping at Dymocks.

IN ORDER FOR BRANDS TO TRULY BECOME PART OF CULTURE AND BECOME RELEVANT TO PEOPLE, I BELIEVE WE MUST: CHALLENGE CONVENTIONS. QUESTION EVERYTHING. ESPECIALLY ROY MORGAN DATA. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT. DARE TO FAIL. LOOK OUTSIDE PRODUCT CATEGORIES FOR INSPIRATION. REALISE BRANDS ARE NOT AT THE CENTRE OF PEOPLE’S LIVES. DEVELOP BRANDS WITH A PURPOSE ABOVE AND BEYOND SELLING STUFF. STOP BRIBING PEOPLE TO ‘PARTICIPATE’. SURF. REFRAME WHAT YOU DO. MAKE BRANDS FAMOUS BEFORE STARTING A DIALOGUE WITH EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER. STOP TRYING TO BE LOVED. LIKED IS GREAT. ONLY FACEBOOK LIKES DON’T CUT IT. DEVELOP BRANDS WITH COMPLEX PERSONALITIES, NOT MISGUIDED SIMPLICITY. WATCH TARANTINO MOVIES. DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT NOT ALL BRANDS CAN TALK AND ACT LIKE A HIPSTER. DRINK WINE. ASK, ‘HOW EXACTLY WILL THIS PIECE OF COMMUNICATION CREATE CHANGE?’. PROMOTE VALUES, NOT PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL ‘BENEFITS’. CONDUCT CULTURAL AND ACADEMIC RESEARCH. DON’T TRY TO BE APPLE. ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE AN FMCG BRAND. CHEERS! MARIUS

.!(’$ "(!