Seriously, the longest project I’ve been involved with. It took nearly 18 months to get this bad boy up and running. Acis, one of Australia’s largest providers of business and investment structures and restructures, wanted to expand into NSW and Victoria. They’re well known in QLD. But it’s incredibly difficult to get the attention of owners/directors of accounting firms. A leaflet or email wouldn’t cut it. The brief was to get a foot in the door so Acis can have a one-on-one meeting with southern accounting firms. And the point of difference with Acis, is that they scrutinise every transaction. Fool proof. To demonstrate security, integrity and what occurs when things go wrong when finances aren’t in the right hands, a direct marketing piece was needed.
It begins with each recipient receiving a personalised handwritten card with their name, title and 3 digits.
The following day, they receive an army metal dog tag, with their name, title and the same 3 digits embedded into it.
The next day, a large package arrives by registered post. It’s a Zero Halliburton – the choice of briefcase for spies and drug lords, apparently.
The 3 digits opens the case, revealing billions of dollars of genuine Zimbabwean currency. There’s a card on top as the only clue.
It says visit whytaketherisk.com.au
When each recipient visits the site, there they must put in their personalised 3-digit code, to then be presented with the video below.
There’s no other information on the site. All the ‘why’, explaining the briefcase, the money and the campaign, is contained in the video.
The director, Brendan Williams, and I went to Zimbabwe to film the video. It may seem excessive (we could’ve filmed a version of the script in the agency), but it wouldn’t have been genuine. The briefcase was the real deal. The money, 100% legitimate. So the film had to be shot over there. It gives the campaign more gravitas. (And the recipient more guilt to follow up). Zimbabwe was tense to say the least, with an assassination attempt on the President and wife just a week before we got there. With the recent election only weeks old, the opposing party were taking the government to court over the result, claiming it to be heavily rigged. We were there days before the result of this election came out. Telia Chilundo Mhonda, CD from TBWA Zimbabwe let us take over her office to film in. The actor we cast was fantastic.
Just getting our hands on enough currency that doesn’t exist in circulation to fill 100 briefcases was a feat in itself. Because the currency is no longer legal tender, most of it was used for fuel in the end. Lining walls or mattresses. So what’s left is now for the souvenir market.
