Great Northern urges Aussies to sign up to The Zero G Network in new work via Clemenger BBDO
Australia’s number one beer, Great Northern Brewing Co. has launched The Zero G Network, a new initiative, developed with partners Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, to protect remote pockets of the great outdoors from mobile data coverage.
The new initiative has launched with online films, influencer partnerships, OOH, print and an interactive website where people can explore, nominate and help preserve Zero G areas so future generations will always have places to experience the benefits of being outdoors and offline.
As part of the campaign, Great Northern mapped 35 Zero G locations across the country launching an interactive map to encourage people to get outdoors and offline. Outdoor aficionados can also nominate their favourite remote locations to be included, creating a crowdsourced database of Zero G locations.
Says Hugh Jellie, marketing manager at Great Northern Brewing Co: “We’ve never relied more on technology than we do today. While being connected to the world from just the palm of your hand is keeping us more connected than ever, it’s also incredibly beneficial for us to get away from our phones and to disconnect and take a break from technology.
“Research shows that we all spend too much time on our phones, and it’s not as easy as just switching off. The Zero G Network is a way to protect remote pockets of the great outdoors where we’d can go to escape it all.”
Research commissioned by Great Northern found half (49%) of Australians have tried to limit the amount of time they spend on their mobile phone, and 35 per cent said their mobile phone prevents them from being present in everyday life.
5G is also expected to reach 95 per cent of the Australian population by 2025, meaning very soon it will be hard to escape our phones.
Says Jim Curtis, executive creative director, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne: “For years we’ve protected select areas of the great outdoors from the physical effects of urban development, but as the digital world continues to spread into every corner of our lives, the time is fast approaching where we need to have some tech-free sanctuaries too.”
The campaign will roll out via digital channels, print and OOH as well as a national PR campaign.
The campaign has also engaged a range of lifestyle influencers to visit Zero G locations, and not influence. Instead, they’ll be offline for their entire adventure to show their audience the value of disconnecting from your phone.
View The Zero G map here: www.greatnorthern.com.au/zerog
Client: Carlton & United Breweries
Marketing Manager, Great Northern Brewing Co: Hugh Jellie
Brand Manager, Great Northern Brewing Co: Verity Jackson
Assistant Brand Manager, Great Northern Brewing Co: Benjamin Haysman
Creative, PR & Influencers: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
34 Comments
Beautiful waterhole, beautiful snake, beautiful snake bite, oh well at least it’s peaceful while I wait to die because I can’t call anyone.
There’s a great feature on your phone called “Do not disturb”. Almost the same thing, but can be done anywhere, for free!
The beer for up here what a joke. Have you ever been to rural Australia and struggled not having reception. It’s a nightmare. Great idea for woke hipsters but totally tone deaf for the rest of Australia. But let’s be honest they’ll probably never see it
Pretty fresh for an Australian beer brand. Well done.
I’m all for this. I just spent the long weekend with friends at an AirBnB with no wifi. Best weekend I’ve had in a long time.
Did you have phone reception?
This is a great idea, and fits the brand perfectly. Those leaving negative comments have obviously had their brains cooked by 5G
If they’d actually have spoken to people who spend time in the bush / go hiking / camping and what not they’d have quickly realised this is a stupid idea.
Having signal is incredibly important at certain times. Yes, I get outside to clear my mind but having the ability to see where I am is bloody useful.
Ideas made for people by people who have no ideas about those people.
You sound like you need to get away from it all. Just relax a little, no one’s forcing you to go anywhere you don’t want to. Hope you feel better soon.
“…no one’s forcing you to go anywhere you don’t want to.” No one’s forcing you to use your phone either.
Best idea to hit the blog in a while. Hats off.
Or do what every other person does and put your phone on silent or do not disturb and don’t risk being stuck in the middle of nowhere without reception. How did this never come up when you guys were producing this?
Would much rather be able to call 000 if I am injured, but thanks. Starlink all the way.
Seems like an idea from some people who have never stepped foot out of Prahran. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtMydzfT1ts
Maybe talk to your customers before you suggest ideas like this. Surprised no one bought it up earlier, but what if you NEED to make a call?
Nice. Onya Vizza and Carlos!
Anyone remember CUB work that spoke to everyone, that everyone loved? They seem to just be doing work that talks to award judges, whilst the brands they do it for fade into oblivion.
With Telstra you don’t need to go far to go zero. There’s dead spots every where around Elwood.
Clearly the people who worked on this are not outdoorsy in anyway. As someone who regularly camps and hikes having reception out there is great. I don’t turn on my phone during the day. Take photos on a camera. But if I want music by the fire or send some people my location I use my phone. How did you guys think it worked?
how am I supposed to find that fucking black box?
Why is my logo so smol?
Idea validation: “We need tech-free sanctuaries”
On website: “make sure you take your satellite phone”
But surely with every Toyota HiLux operating as a signal booster, there is nowhere in Australia that’s a Zero G zone? Unless you’re telling me that HiLux spot was ’embellished’? Surely not.
Keeping a few select places untouched from the digital world? Yep, good.
Isn’t their a man missing in Victorian High Country right now who is uncontactable? Hope your case study works out well. Just turn your phone off if you don’t want to be disturbed but please let the rest of us have access to help if we need it. Not a great ad from an outdoors brand like Great Northern
So all the country folk crying out for better internet ad mobile reception to catch up with the 3rd world will see this and say ‘Ok. Well, guess I’m not supporting that brand’. And that’s a huge chunk of your current drinkers. You don’t even need to be off a major highway to have no reception.
love it!
There’s not a single Australian parent who’d not want a connection in the Australian bush.
Oh, except for the Milats. But then again, they’d probablywant it too, so they could tell the brother where to pick up the skull and spine pieces.
The premise of this is great. We really do need more people slamming beer near high altitude waterfalls, dense hard to navigate forests and snake prone swamps without a pesky handset signal. Then nature will really take its course.
Beautiful.
Yeah it doesn’t matter if the Zero G didn’t work, like, they put a sign somewhere that suddenly had a 5G tower pop up, coz the sentiment works purrrfectly. V simple to execute across multiple channels, you know, like an ad campaign.
Credit*
Clever bouy back again…
when there’s no problem. Problem is, that we are supposed to solve problems. So, there’s a problem with this.
There’s daft.
And then there’s this unadulterated bollocks.