Mad Mex Give Away Burial Plot To Combat Permanent Food Comas Via Connecting Plots
Not for the faint of heart, the cult-classic is back by popular demand, returning for its 14th year for a limited 6 week period until 21 July. During that time, the iconic double-sized burrito will come with a free can of Liquid Death, promising to murder both your hunger and your thirst.
Anyone daring enough to take on the challenge will go in the running to win a grand prize to die for – their own personal plot of land in a cemetery. Entrants just need to purchase a Big Burrito combo, go to the website and write the inscription for their own tombstone in 25 words or less to go into the running to win their very own burial plot.
The campaign uses popular content creators @lach_mac and @jonbernardk to deliver eulogies for friends and family who tackled the combo, while the ever-popular satirical institution, The Betoota Advocate is publishing bespoke content to give the combo mass appeal.
“While Aussie property prices soar and cost of living grows more expensive than ever, the cost of dying just got that little bit easier. Partnering with killer brands like Mad Mex and Liquid Death gives us the creative freedom to push boundaries for greater ROI – we’ve had a lot of fun bringing this to life across creative, influencers and content partners.”
Connecting Plots Creative Partner, John Gault.
The campaign aims to drive foot traffic and sales during the limited period, while also starting the brand on its journey to bring the “Mad’ back into Mad Mex.
“The Big Burrito is a staple of our marketing calendar. We were excited to step things up this year and partner with the team at Liquid Death to really embrace the food coma that is more or less guaranteed when you down a 1kg burrito with a 500ml tallboy. Kudos to Connecting Plots for bringing the madness and developing a campaign that’s made us all a little uncomfortable – in a good way.”
Mad Mex General Manager of Marketing, Nick Cook.
The campaign is rolling out across social, digital, POS and owned channels, as well as across PR, influencers and content partnerships.
View the full campaign here →
Connecting Plots wins three Cairns Crocodiles
Gold – Travel/Leisure Campaign
‘Find Your Happy Place’ – The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW
Silver – Radio & Audio
Let’s Clean Things Up’ – 30 SECONDS
Bronze – FMCG Campaign
‘The Experts in Air’ – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia
MHIAA is shortlisted at the 2024 WARC Awards for Effectiveness
Air conditioning isn’t something people know or care about. It’s a purchase that might happen once, maybe twice in their lifetime (if ever) but when it does, it’s technical and hard to know the difference between brands, resulting in consumers more often than not letting installers decide what brand they buy.
This created a massive problem. The only way for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia (MHIAA) to grow market share would be by getting buyers to actively choose them and not just wait for recommendations.
This meant we needed to break the rules of the category with a B2C2B approach.
MHIAA had won the CHOICE Best Brand Award for the 6th year in a row and Canstar Blue Most Satisfied Customers award for the 5th year in a row – proving them as the expert choice in A/C.
And that created the opportunity we needed. Not just to position MHIAA as ‘The Experts in Air’, but to do so by being distinctive and memorable in a category known for retired sports presenters and cash back deals.
We weaponised humour to deliberately stand apart from competitors and appeal to both consumers and installers, doing it in a way that reinforced the brands’ expert credentials – showing MHIAA takes mastery of air to the extreme.
Through brand mascots and entertainment, we broke the traditions of a boring category and tickled the funny bone of audiences, making our brand more memorable and reminding consumers that we were the smarter choice as the most trusted and satisfying brand in the market.
The campaign boosted sales, significantly grew market share, delivered a massive ROI and helped customers make the expert choice in A/C.
Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Remind Us You Can't Put A Price On Childhood Memories
Hoping to mirror the success of the 2023 campaign which saw 58% of all tickets sold before the event opened, the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW is again reminding consumers that the Sydney Royal Easter Show is a chance to ‘Find Your Happy Place’.
But with further cost of living pressures on Aussie households, a focus on showing value for money is a critical shift in the campaign’s messaging.
With the Show boasting exceptionally high awareness within the state of NSW (over 90%), the ‘Find Your Happy Place’ brand saliency message will continue to solidify its place in people’s minds, over the Easter period.
“Our ‘Find Your Happy Place’ brand message evokes memories and joy in young and old, evidenced by how it exceeded targets by more than 10% last year. It has become part of the vernacular in media reporting and with our Show audiences, so we remain confident and passionate about the long-term life of the branding. It resonates deeply with our customer base, as well as our Show team.”
Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Head of Marketing, Frances Jewell.
A multiple messaging approach to mid funnel comms will target multiple audiences across different motivators – showing there is something for everyone at the event, with sales driving, action-oriented messages being used to land ‘value’ in a more literal sense (i.e. savings).
“The brand platform ‘Find Your Happy Place’ has struck a chord with people. It reminds them of the power of joy in creating life-long memories, and we’re confident it will continue to build on the success of last year.”
Connecting Plots Creative Partner, John Gault.
The Sydney Royal Easter Show will run from Friday 22 March 2024 to Tuesday 2 April 2024.
Australian Eggs Launch Latest Instalment of 'Bring The Bright' Via Connecting Plots
The new work continues to drive this positioning while elevating the use of eggs to consumption beyond just breakfast.
“The ‘Bring the Bright’ brand platform has been received incredibly well, people really connect with it. It’s encouraging to see people start to embrace eggs in a broader range of meals and occasions.”
Australian Eggs Managing Director, Rowan McMonnies.
The latest chapter tells the story of a playful family dinner occasion where the core ingredient goes missing.
“The ‘Bring the Bright’ platform is about the inherent joy that eggs can deliver. The platform has enormous potential. This is just the start of showcasing the breadth and versatility of the humble egg.”
Connecting Plots Creative Partner, John Gault.
The work has come to life in partnership with Infinity Squared, UM and Liquid Ideas, rolling out across digital channels including BVOD, DOOH, social and owned channels over the coming months.
All time record of tickets sales leads to 8 IAFE award wins for Royal Easter Show
1st Place Category 1A Television Commercial
1st Place Category 3 Single sided, Flat Promotional Ad
1st Place Category 9 Online Advertisements
1st Place Category 11 Out of Box Marketing / Promotion
2nd Place Category 2 Radio
2nd Place Category 12 Best Marketing Campaign
2nd Place Category 5 Promotional/Advertising Poster
3rd Place Category 8 Advertising (Outdoor)
Australian Eggs Encourages Aussies To Brighten Their Meals And Moods With New Campaign
With the goal of elevating the use of eggs within a broader range of meal occasions, the new brand platform ‘Bring the Bright’ encourages Aussie households to brighten not only their meals, but their entire family’s demeanour thanks to the flavour and rich nutrients packed inside eggs.
“We know that Aussies love eggs. They’re healthy, versatile and at times decadent. However, outside of breakfast, our consumers don’t necessarily think of eggs when it comes to snacks, lunch, and dinner. That’s what we’re looking to change.”
Australian Eggs Managing Director, Rowan McMonnies.
While eggs are a well-established ingredient in the homes of everyday Aussies, research showed that consumers in their daily lives have a pragmatic mindset and established habits when it comes to eating routines. The new creative work shows that adding an egg is the simplest way to take a meal from humble to special.
“This platform introduces a human element to eggs. Its flexibility enables us to bring it to life through a range of emotional, to more pragmatic creative that’s been tailor-made for each paid and owned channel.”
Connecting Plots Creative Partner, John Gault.
The launch campaign’s hero films, directed by Richard Vilensky and produced by Infinity Squared, capture playful and relatable family moments, from the perfect flip to dinner prep’s cheeky interruptions.
The first phase of the campaign is currently rolling out across TV, out of home, BVOD, social, digital and owned channels with additional creative iterations launching in the coming months. The campaign has been brought to life in partnership with UM and Liquid Ideas.
The launch follows the recent news that Australian Eggs had appointed Connecting Plots as its creative agency of record following a competitive pitch in May of this year.
Westinghouse Launch Major Brand Equity Play In Australia
In a bid to increase market share and future proof the brand locally, ‘Happy to Help’ works across all the brand’s sub-categories and positions Westinghouse as the quiet, reliable helping hand in Aussie homes that, when called upon, will step up and help out so you can get back to living.
“When we sat down with Connecting Plots we all agreed that the ambition was to solidify Westinghouse as an icon of Aussie homes. Aussies have an inherent affinity with Westinghouse – it’s a brand that most Aussies grew up with and this new positioning is targeted at reigniting that truth in Australian culture. Our culture rates people who quietly pitch in without complaint or drama to help out when things get beyond our control and that’s exactly what Westinghouse is all about.”
Electrolux ANZ Marketing Director, Richelle Barker.
The launch campaign’s hero film, directed by Jesse James McElroy and produced by Infinity Squared, tells the story of a dinner party gone wrong, thanks to a lively Grey Morwong fish who has other plans – with Westinghouse quietly stepping up to the plate to save the day. It’s a deliberate play by Westinghouse to step change the categories stereotypes and conventions by using humour and a story to emotionally connect with consumers who’ve been drowning in rational category messaging.
Aside from the long-term brand building elements, the launch campaign is also designed to bring more rational proof points to life at both a category level for people entering the market and at a product level for those ready to make a purchase. The platform ‘Happy to Help’ is also designed to be both a compelling value proposition for customers as well as employees.
“This platform will come to life in every brand impression Westinghouse creates. From retail to delivery and comms. For us, that’s where the real magic happens. When a brand like Westinghouse can bring their brand story to life perfectly in every channel, across paid, owned and earned, in consumer comms, internal and trade”.
Connecting Plots Co-Founder, Dave Jansen.
The brand has also developed a distinctive sonic branding device to be used across all audio and relevant channels as a refreshed brand look and feel.
“Westinghouse is one of the largest and most iconic brands in its category in Australia and in fact, one of the largest brands by volume in the Electrolux Home Products portfolio, making Australia a critical market for Westinghouse. We’re thrilled that with the launch of this new range we can offer Australians and New Zealanders uncomplicated appliances that make life easier and let them get back to the things that really matter.”
Electrolux ANZ Managing Director, Kurt Hegvold.
The campaign launched on Tuesday 5 September and will roll out across paid, owned and earned channels. The campaign has been brought to life by Connecting Plots, Infinity Squared, PHD and Humann.
View the full campaign here →
How Renovating a Campaign Is Helping Difflam Take On Strepsils
Ah, the dreaded razor blade throat. We’ve all been there, and it’s definitely not ideal. Thankfully, there’s always been Difflam for soothing relief. However, when it comes to those initial tickles and discomfort, it seems like everyone’s first thought is Strepsils.
To tackle this issue, Difflam expanded their product range by introducing non-medicated lozenges and launched an advertising campaign positioning themselves as the ultimate solution for any stage of a sore throat.
Unfortunately, the campaign didn’t perform, failing to resonate with consumers in conveying the emotional benefits of using Difflam.
That’s when Connecting Plots was brought in to renovate the creative and connect the Difflam story perfectly across every channel for both brand and product specific messaging.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Reinforce Expertise As 'Sommeli-Airs' Of The Air
In a highly competitive category that’s hard to navigate, the new campaign by Connecting Plots seeks to unlock the assurance of an expert opinion, with the MHIAA Air Experts behaving like wine sommeliers – but with air.
It’s the third iteration of ‘The Experts in Air’, a brand platform that takes a humorous and light-hearted approach to presenting MHIAA as the true experts of the air-conditioning by stating that to truly understand air, MHIAA takes air exploration to the extreme.
“We understand that most Aussie’s are only in the market for an air-conditioner a few times in their life, if ever and that the brand affinity seen in other product categories isn’t as strong. So why not have some fun in what is usually a pretty conservative category and grab the attention of immediate and future customers so they can make an informed decision when the time is right.”
MHIAA Marketing Manager, Jenny Perello.
The brand strategy continues to focus on long term growth through distinctive and consistent brand building, underpinned by MHIAA’s heritage, credibility, customer satisfaction and the fact they are the most independently awarded air-con brand in Australia; with over 14 awards from CHOICE®, Canstar Blue, Finder and Product Review. The campaign also looks to uplift short term sales with a cash bonus promotion targeting both consumers and installers, who are highly influential figures in the sales process.
“Over the past three years, we’ve built on ‘The Experts In Air’ platform with a unique brand of humour to unashamedly claim category-leadership. When in doubt, you ask an expert and with their heritage and awards, that’s exactly what MHIAA are – our job is to convey that in a fun and compelling way that helps them stand apart.”
Connecting Plots Co-Founder, Dave Jansen.
The campaign is running across TV, BVOD, YouTube, radio, social, online, POS and owned channels, working closely in collaboration with media agency Speed.
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