Australian Campaigns of the Decade: GO GENTLE AUSTRALIA ‘STOP THE HORROR’ (2017) VIA CUMMINS&PARTNERS SYDNEY

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In the lead-up to the start of the 20s Campaign Brief nominates the campaigns that contributed to Australia being consistently ranked in the top 5 most awarded countries at global award shows throughout the decade.

 

To urge politicians and voters to let the new Voluntary Assisted Dying law pass through Victorian parliament in 2017, Cummins&Partners Sydney, working in partnership with Andrew Denton, Go Gentle Australia, Revolver / Will O’Rourke’s acclaimed director Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Assassin’s Creed), and History Will Be Kind developed a shocking film project called ‘Stop The Horror’.

Gaining huge awareness through PR and social, the project was launched initially as a new horror film by Kurzel. ‘Stop The Horror’ allowed people to witness the true story of the grim last days of terminally ill patient, Greg Sims. His story is told with brutal, gut-wrenching honesty. The intense moments of pain, the emotional turmoil, the despair and, at times, the endless waiting, are all laid bare.

As viewers saw these terrible events unfold, they are offered the opportunity to ‘stop the horror’ at anytime, thanks to a bespoke digital video player. At any time when a user pressed the ‘stop’ button, they left the film and were instantly taken to a page that asked them to really stop the horror, by supporting the law that would be voted on in Victoria.

The campaign generated significant attention, with News.com.au saying: “Stop the Horror: The movie so terrifying it’s unwatchable”. While Junkee asserted that “You probably can’t make it all the way through this horrific short film”.

Results:

A viral news story with 200+ pieces of local and global coverage and potential reach of more than 280M in the first 24 hours, including features in The Australian, Mamamia, The Project, the UK’s The Mirror and cult-site UNILAD, CNN Chile plus outlets in Ireland, Peru, USA, Mexico.

Digital results saw an average viewing time for the video of 3 minutes and 15 seconds (33% YouTube completion rate), with 10,000+ petition submissions and 540,000+ social media impressions.

And, in a historic result – Victorian Parliament legalised voluntary assisted dying.

The campaign won awards around the world, including three Gold Lions and a Silver Lion at the 2018 Cannes Festival of Creativity, plus two Silver Pencils and two Wood Pencils at D&AD. At Spikes Asia the campaign won two Grand Prix (Film Craft and the Grand Prix for Good), plus 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze. And it won Best of Show at AWARD.

Agency: Cummins&Partners Sydney
Executive Creative Directors: Tom Martin & Julian Schreiber
Creative Director / Art Director: Mandie van der Merwe
Creative Director / Copywriter: Avish Gordhan
Integration Manager: Olivia Etzine
Group Account Director: Joe Godsell
Executive Digital Producer: Celia Karl
Digital Producer: James Tammesild
Digital Media Manager: Georgia Pedersen
Director: Justin Kurzel
Production Company: Revolver / Will O’Rourke
MD / Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer: Pip Smart
Producer: Serena Paull
Producer: Alex Kember
Post Production: Fin Design + Effects
VFX Compositer: Richard Betts
VFX Producer: Emily Newbould
Edit House: ARC EDIT
Editor: Peter Sciberras
Colour Grade: Be Colour
Colourist: Ben Eagleton
Sound Design & Mix: Sam Petty
PR: History Will Be Kind
Senior Account Director: Edwina Brook
Senior Account Manager: Niall Hughes