Cannes Contenders: Y&R New Zealand

How will New Zealand perform at Cannes this year? In the lead up to the Festival, Campaign Brief will be showcasing the work we hope will impress the judges…

Breast Cancer Cure: Breast Milk

Breast Cancer Cure needed an ongoing stream of funding for breast cancer research. We decided to hijack the revenue stream of New Zealand’s largest commodity – dairy, and approached premium milk brand Lewis Road Creamery with an idea to repackage their blue top milk as ‘Breast Milk’. 20c of every bottle sold was donated to Breast Cancer Cure, making a routine donation as effortless as a switch in milk brands. The campaign was launched with a PR push, while outdoor and social media channels worked to normalise the product and encouraged New Zealanders to make funding a cure part of their everyday routine. ‘Breast Milk’ received coverage across national television, social media and global news and the campaign became the most talked about charitable initiative of 2015 in New Zealand.

Burger King + Peace One Day: McWhopper

On 26th August 2015, Burger King did the unthinkable. They published an open letter in traditional and social media, proposing a ‘burger wars’ ceasefire with longstanding corporate rival McDonald’s. BK proposed the two restaurants join forces to create a symbolic mash-up burger, The McWhopper, to be served on UN Peace Day. The proposal was met by frenzied public support, so McD’s drew criticism when they said no. Inspired by BK’s instructional ‘burger build’ online film, tens of thousands of people took matters into their own hands by creating and sharing do-it-yourself McWhoppers on YouTube, Instagram, Vine, Twitter, Facebook, and mainstream media. Meanwhile, four other competitor restaurants raised their hands for peace and together with BK created and served the historic ‘Peace Day Burger’ on Peace Day, 21st September 2015. So far the campaign has received over 8.9 billion impressions, equal to US$139 million in earned media.