OUR WORK

THE BRIEF

Like many arts events globally, plans for 14th annual Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) in 2020 were thrown into doubt following COVID-19 border closures and the introduction of social distancing measures. However, seeing these unprecedented times as a unique opportunity to reach an even broader Australian and international audience through digital channels, DAAF organisers quickly pivoted to launch an online fair for the first time ever.

THE APPROACH

Bastion Effect and the DAAF team worked closely together to adapt our original communications strategy – which had been developed based on the delivery of a physical art fair in Darwin – to take the fair in a completely new direction. And all while in lockdown! 

The campaign involved media pitching to local and international targets, an influencer engagement program with product seeding to 12 influencers across the country to generate socials activity, a digital Google Ads campaign driving traffic towards the fair’s website, stakeholder engagement and key partnerships facilitation.

Bastion Effect worked with local, national and international media across TV, radio, online, print and social media platforms to present DAAF as the premier Indigenous art event in Australia. We also highlighted the move to an online format as an accessible way for anyone, anywhere, to ethically purchase authentic Aboriginal art. To do this we profiled the artists, designers, art centres and DAAF executive team as key spokespeople and experts in the field. Of course, having stunning imagery to work with also helped!

THE RESULT

DAAF opened its virtual doors to the first ever online fair on Thursday 6 August 2020. The program was officially launched the day prior via the inaugural National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFAs) which were livestreamed on NITV broadcast. So successful was the online art fair, it was extended by an extra weekend!

In total, Bastion Effect achieved 310 media hits for DAAF and NIFAs, generating exposure among more than 112,295,450 people worldwide. This included 85 hits in international media including the Boston Herald, Daily Herald, the Epoch Times and MSN News.

Our outreach hit all of our top tier media targets across print including Herald Sun, The Australian, The Age, Australian Financial Review, Vogue, Good Weekend, Marie Claire and the list goes on! The team also managed to land broadcast opportunities with ABC National 7pm evening news, ABC Weekend Breakfast, NITV and Triple J (and more). Lastly, all lifestyle and fashion online touchpoints were covered including RUSSH, Vogue, Vogue Living, The Design Files, GQ,  The Urban List, Fashion Journal, WWD, and Fashion newspaper editorials for The Age, Herald Sun and The Australian.

The digital campaign drove 76,000 new visitors to the DAAF website, with traffic up 400 per cent.

THE

BRIEF

Taste Australia is a category marketing program run on behalf of Hort Innovation, Australia’s horticulture industry body, representing fruit and vegetable growers from all over Australia. Taste Australia is a brand used to represent and promote Aussie produce in export markets across Asia. Our task is to raise the profile and export demand of Australian produce through the Taste Australia brand and maintain its premium positioning.

THE

APPROACH

We look at the consumer journey from awareness, through to education, trial and purchase – and engage with the consumer along this path ending in conversion at point of sale. We use point of sale (POS) marketing, including sampling and gift with purchase (GWP), social media, influencers & KOL/KOCs, public relations and events, e-commerce marketing, advertising, partnerships and sponsorship.

We run the Taste Australia program in a range of Asian nations including China, Vietnam, The Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

THE

RESULT

Over the past two years Bastion Effect has managed the export marketing of commodities including Australian citrus, tablegrapes, summerfruit, cherries and much more.

We’ve rolled our campaigns out across nine diverse countries, conducted sampling and activations in more than 100 cities within those nations, mobilised support from more than 100 influencers, held 21 events and generated more than 500 pieces of media coverage.

With our in-market partners we have put Aussie produce in the hands of tens of thousands of consumers by organising more than 3,000 sampling days.

Our social media tactics have resulted in more than 467 million impressions.

And at the end of it all we’ve contributed to an exponential increase in sales, the numbers of which we can’t disclose here. Contact us directly to learn more.

THE

ASK

As part of its transformation of the iconic Nylex site into a vibrant mixed-use precinct, Caydon was embarking on shuttering the Cremorne site’s eye-catching silos and removing the Nylex and VB signs for restoration.

Wanting to keep the community informed and updated, Caydon asked Bastion Effect for help in clarifying to Melburnians its vision for the site and how it could communicate key construction milestones.

THE

APPROACH

With the site off limits for many years and a refresh of the scheme in play, we needed to re-engage media and stakeholders in the project to re-establish relationships and provide clarity as to what The Malt District would encompass when completed.

We started by defining the project’s story, mapping out key narratives and messages, forecasting potential issues and identifying opportunities to re-engage Melbourne in the rebirth of this icon.

This led us to our first piece of public activity – taking the revitalised Malt District story to media via a site tour ahead of the silos being covered in scaffolding.

The tour included an overview of the revised masterplan, a walking tour of significant heritage structures and a discussion of proposed future uses, including exciting plans for a new hotel.

The site tour also featured exclusive access to the top of the historic silos where the group was able to take in spectacular views and witness the ‘turning on’ of the iconic Nylex Clock one last time before it was removed for refurbishment.

THE

RESULT

By bringing media in (rather than keeping them at arms-length) and providing special access to this unique site, we were able to generate strong coverage (22 pieces in fact) and develop relationships for the project with media including (click the link to view the coverage):

• Australian Financial Review
• Herald Sun
• The Age & SMH
• Channel 7 News
• 3AW & ABC Radio
• Pedestrian TV

The positive, factual nature of the coverage contributed to a more accurate understanding of Caydon’s plans for the site among the local community, as well as prospective commercial tenants and apartment purchasers.

THE

BRIEF

Part of the large-scale global logistics company Toll Group, Toll Ambulance Rescue provides helicopter rescue services in partnership with NSW Ambulance. To demonstrate their importance and expertise as NSW Ambulance’s partner, we strategically repositioned their social communications to drive awareness, community support and further positive sentiment.

THE

APPROACH

After conducting a comprehensive audit of Toll Ambulance Rescue’s (TAR) competitors, we determined the brand needed a new edge and a new social approach that would connect with the hearts and minds of the target audience – the NSW community.

The key differentiator was simple – make the content about ‘the people’. Instead of talking about TAR’s biggest achievements and updating the audience with the number of missions, we placed ‘people’ at the centre of our social storytelling.

We shared human stories of team members, we crafted user generated content (thank you messages and photos of the helicopters that were captured by the community and fans) and most importantly, we engaged with the audience instead of having a one-way conversation with them. 

On the creative side, we were able to channel the authenticity and humanisation of the brand through real-life photography.

To build on the content strategy and community management, we encouraged the audience to get in touch with us more and to tag us, allowing the brand to build a personable relationship with every member. Because in today’s world, dialogue is often the missing link between brands and people. People want to have their opinions and their voices heard. And in this case, their experiences shared. And social media is the perfect earned and shared media channel to provide that platform.

Concurrently, we also manage ACE Training Centre, which is the training facility and service that TAR provides. Our role in social is to promote the excellence and quality of the program, supported and underpinned by the success stories that are globally-recognised. With a strategic combination of SEM and paid social, we have seen a healthy and continuous pipeline of leads through to conversions (qualified leads who make online enquiries about the courses, followed by offline conversion).

THE

RESULT

Conversion for the ACE Training Centre is one of our key metrics and we’re proud to say that is higher than ever (if you want to know exact, drop us a line), while our social media reach is a mega 6.5 million and engagement 167,000 and counting. Over 12 months impressions are sitting at 12.8 million.

THE BRIEF

Like many arts events globally, plans for 14th annual Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) in 2020 were thrown into doubt following COVID-19 border closures and the introduction of social distancing measures. However, seeing these unprecedented times as a unique opportunity to reach an even broader Australian and international audience through digital channels, DAAF organisers quickly pivoted to launch an online fair for the first time ever.

THE APPROACH

Bastion Effect and the DAAF team worked closely together to adapt our original communications strategy – which had been developed based on the delivery of a physical art fair in Darwin – to take the fair in a completely new direction. And all while in lockdown! 

The campaign involved media pitching to local and international targets, an influencer engagement program with product seeding to 12 influencers across the country to generate socials activity, a digital Google Ads campaign driving traffic towards the fair’s website, stakeholder engagement and key partnerships facilitation.

Bastion Effect worked with local, national and international media across TV, radio, online, print and social media platforms to present DAAF as the premier Indigenous art event in Australia. We also highlighted the move to an online format as an accessible way for anyone, anywhere, to ethically purchase authentic Aboriginal art. To do this we profiled the artists, designers, art centres and DAAF executive team as key spokespeople and experts in the field. Of course, having stunning imagery to work with also helped!

THE RESULT

DAAF opened its virtual doors to the first ever online fair on Thursday 6 August 2020. The program was officially launched the day prior via the inaugural National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFAs) which were livestreamed on NITV broadcast. So successful was the online art fair, it was extended by an extra weekend!

In total, Bastion Effect achieved 310 media hits for DAAF and NIFAs, generating exposure among more than 112,295,450 people worldwide. This included 85 hits in international media including the Boston Herald, Daily Herald, the Epoch Times and MSN News.

Our outreach hit all of our top tier media targets across print including Herald Sun, The Australian, The Age, Australian Financial Review, Vogue, Good Weekend, Marie Claire and the list goes on! The team also managed to land broadcast opportunities with ABC National 7pm evening news, ABC Weekend Breakfast, NITV and Triple J (and more). Lastly, all lifestyle and fashion online touchpoints were covered including RUSSH, Vogue, Vogue Living, The Design Files, GQ,  The Urban List, Fashion Journal, WWD, and Fashion newspaper editorials for The Age, Herald Sun and The Australian.

The digital campaign drove 76,000 new visitors to the DAAF website, with traffic up 400 per cent.

THE

BRIEF

Taste Australia is a category marketing program run on behalf of Hort Innovation, Australia’s horticulture industry body, representing fruit and vegetable growers from all over Australia. Taste Australia is a brand used to represent and promote Aussie produce in export markets across Asia. Our task is to raise the profile and export demand of Australian produce through the Taste Australia brand and maintain its premium positioning.

THE

APPROACH

We look at the consumer journey from awareness, through to education, trial and purchase – and engage with the consumer along this path ending in conversion at point of sale. We use point of sale (POS) marketing, including sampling and gift with purchase (GWP), social media, influencers & KOL/KOCs, public relations and events, e-commerce marketing, advertising, partnerships and sponsorship.

We run the Taste Australia program in a range of Asian nations including China, Vietnam, The Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

THE

RESULT

Over the past two years Bastion Effect has managed the export marketing of commodities including Australian citrus, tablegrapes, summerfruit, cherries and much more.

We’ve rolled our campaigns out across nine diverse countries, conducted sampling and activations in more than 100 cities within those nations, mobilised support from more than 100 influencers, held 21 events and generated more than 500 pieces of media coverage.

With our in-market partners we have put Aussie produce in the hands of tens of thousands of consumers by organising more than 3,000 sampling days.

Our social media tactics have resulted in more than 467 million impressions.

And at the end of it all we’ve contributed to an exponential increase in sales, the numbers of which we can’t disclose here. Contact us directly to learn more.

THE

ASK

As part of its transformation of the iconic Nylex site into a vibrant mixed-use precinct, Caydon was embarking on shuttering the Cremorne site’s eye-catching silos and removing the Nylex and VB signs for restoration.

Wanting to keep the community informed and updated, Caydon asked Bastion Effect for help in clarifying to Melburnians its vision for the site and how it could communicate key construction milestones.

THE

APPROACH

With the site off limits for many years and a refresh of the scheme in play, we needed to re-engage media and stakeholders in the project to re-establish relationships and provide clarity as to what The Malt District would encompass when completed.

We started by defining the project’s story, mapping out key narratives and messages, forecasting potential issues and identifying opportunities to re-engage Melbourne in the rebirth of this icon.

This led us to our first piece of public activity – taking the revitalised Malt District story to media via a site tour ahead of the silos being covered in scaffolding.

The tour included an overview of the revised masterplan, a walking tour of significant heritage structures and a discussion of proposed future uses, including exciting plans for a new hotel.

The site tour also featured exclusive access to the top of the historic silos where the group was able to take in spectacular views and witness the ‘turning on’ of the iconic Nylex Clock one last time before it was removed for refurbishment.

THE

RESULT

By bringing media in (rather than keeping them at arms-length) and providing special access to this unique site, we were able to generate strong coverage (22 pieces in fact) and develop relationships for the project with media including (click the link to view the coverage):

• Australian Financial Review
• Herald Sun
• The Age & SMH
• Channel 7 News
• 3AW & ABC Radio
• Pedestrian TV

The positive, factual nature of the coverage contributed to a more accurate understanding of Caydon’s plans for the site among the local community, as well as prospective commercial tenants and apartment purchasers.

THE

BRIEF

Part of the large-scale global logistics company Toll Group, Toll Ambulance Rescue provides helicopter rescue services in partnership with NSW Ambulance. To demonstrate their importance and expertise as NSW Ambulance’s partner, we strategically repositioned their social communications to drive awareness, community support and further positive sentiment.

THE

APPROACH

After conducting a comprehensive audit of Toll Ambulance Rescue’s (TAR) competitors, we determined the brand needed a new edge and a new social approach that would connect with the hearts and minds of the target audience – the NSW community.

The key differentiator was simple – make the content about ‘the people’. Instead of talking about TAR’s biggest achievements and updating the audience with the number of missions, we placed ‘people’ at the centre of our social storytelling.

We shared human stories of team members, we crafted user generated content (thank you messages and photos of the helicopters that were captured by the community and fans) and most importantly, we engaged with the audience instead of having a one-way conversation with them. 

On the creative side, we were able to channel the authenticity and humanisation of the brand through real-life photography.

To build on the content strategy and community management, we encouraged the audience to get in touch with us more and to tag us, allowing the brand to build a personable relationship with every member. Because in today’s world, dialogue is often the missing link between brands and people. People want to have their opinions and their voices heard. And in this case, their experiences shared. And social media is the perfect earned and shared media channel to provide that platform.

Concurrently, we also manage ACE Training Centre, which is the training facility and service that TAR provides. Our role in social is to promote the excellence and quality of the program, supported and underpinned by the success stories that are globally-recognised. With a strategic combination of SEM and paid social, we have seen a healthy and continuous pipeline of leads through to conversions (qualified leads who make online enquiries about the courses, followed by offline conversion).

THE

RESULT

Conversion for the ACE Training Centre is one of our key metrics and we’re proud to say that is higher than ever (if you want to know exact, drop us a line), while our social media reach is a mega 6.5 million and engagement 167,000 and counting. Over 12 months impressions are sitting at 12.8 million.