Berghan calls on Australian ad industry to assist putting together a pro bono campaign to help Queensland businesses get back on their feet
![AustralianPaperAd4[2].jpg](https://asset-cdn.campaignbrief.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/03230003/AustralianPaperAd45B25D.jpg)
UPDATED: A quarter page ad (near left) which will be appearing in The Australian tomorrow.
In light of the Queensland floods, Make Communications, Brisbane managing director Murray Berghan (below left) ran a full page ad in the weekend Australian on Saturday to try and get the rest of Australia to buy Queensland goods and services to help them through this disaster.
VIEW A PDF OF THE FIRST AD:
VIEW A PDF OF THE SECOND AD:
Berghan explains his strategy in this email to CB:
This initiative has created a lot of publicity (Sunrise, Today, 2UE, 3AW, 4BH, ABC radio, The Australian and The Courier Mail amongst others) and the question asked by the media and all those businesses and individuals that have contacted me, is what next?
I’ve developed a further idea, and this is where I need your help. Here is the project (excuse the formality but has been taken straight from the document sent to Government).
Goal: To set-up a campaign to promote those Qld businesses that have been affected by the floods to get them back to where they were before the flood.
Strategy: Build a website that is an online directory of all businesses that have been genuinely affected by the floods and promote the site with a Community Service Announcement (CSA) campaign.
Tactics: Put out a call to arms, via the media, for the best people in the business to assist us in putting the campaign together free of charge. Have these businesses produce a website and a multi-media campaign (TV, Print, radio, Outdoor, Online & Direct) to promote the website. Ask the national and international media to support the campaign at the same time. Once done, we release the campaign to the media.
Suppliers required: Ad agency, Digital agency, TVC Director & film production company, PR, media monitoring, Post production company, Photographer, Design firm, Outdoor skins, Printers, Web Hosting, e-payments system, Cameraman & sound recordist, State and global media (of all kinds), Celebrities, Corporate lawyer, Trademark attorney.
Since my call to arms on Sunday, on the Today Show, for the Government to back this idea, they contacted me the same day and want this to happen. As you’ll see by this Courier Mail article.
This Courier Mail story also tells why I have done what I’ve done.
In short, I am a shareholder of two businesses, the agency and the other a school clothing manufacturer which was affected quite badly and does not have flood insurance cover. On Wednesday, the day before the flood, I was thinking, on top of the impending loss, what is going to happen to all of those interstate clients we work with who see the devastation that is about to hit – they are going to look for other suppliers. So I combined my empathy for the experience, with the clothing company, and used my tools of trade from the agency (of which I work in day to day) and ran the ad to hopefully help all Queenslanders.
The agency simply had disruption, whereas the clothing company has estimated damage of over $100k. So many businesses are so much worse off and I’m sure this campaign will be an amazing help to them. I hope the industry will get behind it.
The campaign is not about publicising any one company nor is it about using State Government funds (they are better used to help individuals). I just want this to be the official site to help flood affected businesses, that costs nothing, and has all the help going to those that need it.
Thank you in advance for any timely assistance you can offer.
My number is +617 3251 9900 and email murrayb@makecommunications.com
Thanks
Murray
Murray Berghan
Managing Partner
6 Comments
This is all very admirable, and I don’t want to state the obvious, but why are you calling for help nationwide? And why such a drawn out process?
Queensland has some very talented people in all the areas you mention. And for them this tragedy obviously strikes way closer to home, and is more urgent, than for us viewing from afar.
Call Rem and the other dudes up there. He’ll help. Heck, you have your own agency. Now is your moment.
Don’t rely on us Southerners to do something ‘cool’. Do something now.
I thought your FP ad in the Australian on Saturday was great.
Admiral work.
We all sympathise, but what the dickens is any business doing without insurance?
Because of their proximity to the river and waterways, some businesses couldn’t actually get insurance.
Apparently insurance companies are calling it a “river rising”… and, thus, not a flood.
Absolute pricks.
10.41 – Rem and Murray are at the same agency.