SUB CATEGORY :

USE OF EVENTS

ENTRANT COMPANY :

LEO AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY

TITLE :

THE DEBUTANTE BALL

BRAND :

JOHNNIE WALKER

ADVERTISER :

DIAGEO AUSTRALIA

AGENCY :

LEO AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER :

CATH KING

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER :

CLARE PICKENS

GENERAL MANAGER :

JAMES WALKER SMITH

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :

ANDY FERGUSSON

GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

TIM WOOLFORD/TOMMY CEHAK

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

STACEY KARAYANNIS/ROSIE STONE

AGENCY PRODUCER :

TAMARA KENNON

SENIOR FILM PRODUCER :

FRANCESCA D’ORAZIO

DESIGNER :

JOHNSON DIEP

GROUP BUSINESS DIRECTOR :

ANDREW THISTLETHWAITE/GEMMA COX

BUSINESS DIRECTOR :

CAMERON DOBBELSTEYN

SENIOR BUSINESS MANAGER :

ROSIE DINGLE

SENIOR STRATEGY DIRECTOR :

DHIV PILAI

MEDIA AGENCY :

FOUNDATION, SYDNEY

BUSINESS DIRECTOR :

TEGAN CONN

PR AGENCY :

HERD MSL, SYDNEY

PR MANAGER :

SAVANNAH FIELDER/ROSS STEBBING/MIRNA ELSABIE/
SARAH FINDLAY/LUCY LINCOLN

GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :

RACHEL SHUN

SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :

JANETE SAMPAIO

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

SCOUNDREL, SYDNEY

DIRECTOR :

SELINA MILES

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY :

MILOS MLYNARIK

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :

ADRIAN SHAPIRO/KATE GOODEN

FILM PRODUCER :

TESSA SIMPSON

STYLIST :

NICOLA SINCLAIR

WARDROBE :

KELLIE MONTGOMERY

HAIR & MAKE-UP :

MAT HORNBY

OTHER FILM PRODUCTION CREDITS :

SCOTT HELDORF/JOHN YOUNG/LEE KELLY/PETE SUTTON/
TING (ADISUG) TUBTIM/AISHA PHILLIPS

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :

Despite being home to one of the biggest celebrations of Pride on the planet, many queer Australians have never attended The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The reasons they have yet to attend are nuanced and personal. They can be because of acceptance of their own identity, family pressure and conservatism, geographical, financial and even because of a fear for personal safety.

As part of its continued support of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Johnnie Walker wanted to create a brand experience with substance, authenticity, and integrity to voice its support for the LGBTQIA+ community and remind them to ‘Keep Walking’. Our ambition was to do more than just be a ‘logo’, but to provide genuine support, uplifting members of the community, their stories and their experiences.

As a proud partner and official sponsor, we wanted to empower people to come to their first ever Mardi Gras in 2024. So, we subverted the most iconic ‘coming out’ tradition there was, a Debutante Ball, and gave it a big, fabulous twist. A first of its kind, the Johnnie Walker Debutante Ball helped Mardi Gras First Timers from across Australia take the first steps they thought they might never take, surrounded by their community.

The Debutante Ball brought a new level of authenticity and meaning to Branded Events by creating one that enabled a life changing experience for LGBTQIA+ peoples in Australia. Every touchpoint of the experience itself was the essence of Johnnie Walker and their commitment to societal progress. By choosing to use our sponsorship of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras as a way for people take their first steps into community, The Debutante Ball was more than a branded event, it was a platform for some peoples ‘second coming out’.

CREATIVITY/IDEA/INSIGHT :

In a world that’s more divided than ever, community and sense of belonging has never been more paramount, but despite being home to one of the biggest celebrations of Pride on the planet, many queer Australians have never attended The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The reasons they have yet to attend are nuanced and personal. They can be because of acceptance of their own identity, family pressure and conservatism, geographical, financial and even because of a fear for personal safety. As a proud partner and official sponsor, Johnnie Walker wanted to empower people to come to their first ever Mardi Gras in 2024. So, we subverted the most iconic ‘coming out’ tradition there was, a Debutante Ball, and gave it a big, fabulous twist. The Johnnie Walker Debutante Ball helped Mardi Gras First Timers take the first steps they thought they might never take, surrounded by their community.

STRATEGY :

Rather than a media strategy that involved a passive consumption approach, we chose one that could be participated in. First, it involved targeting the LGBTQIA+ community with a national outreach, inviting people to attend their first Mardi Gras. With the help of attendees of the first ever Mardi Gras, we created a series of films welcoming first timers. This was seeded through mainstream and niche queer publications. We then used respondents' stories, to further generate talkability. Finally, we transformed a place with historical significance for the community into a ballroom. Boosting the reach of the experience, we partnered with influencers to attend and share content. To further encourage public participation in the event, we also partnered with Sydney tourism publications 'What’s On' and City Guides to spruik the events itself, as well as made tickets available to the public.

EXECUTION :

To bring The Debutante Ball to life, we partnered with icons of the first Mardi Gras in 1978, we released films inviting LGBTQIA+ people from across Australia who had never been to Mardi Gras, to attend for the first time. Thousands responded to our national search with heartfelt stories, including Australian music icon Nathalie Bassingwaithe who had recently come out herself. A diverse group of Debutantes from across Australia were then selected to come and make their debut. The debutantes were brought to Sydney and paired with stylists and make-up artists from the community to create a look that represented who they wanted to debut as. We then transformed an iconic queer landmark in Sydney into a grand queer-themed ballroom where our ‘Debs’ were announced to the community at large. The Johnnie Walker Debutante Ball experience formed the basis of a documentary film and a national OOH and Social Campaign.

RESULT :

Hailed as creating “a new and heartwarming chapter for Mardi Gras”, The Johnnie Walker Debutante Ball made waves both around Australia, as well as reaching international audiences resulting in:

Total Impressions: 336.69M
Number of pieces of earned coverage: 154

Quality of coverage:
100% of coverage was positive in sentiment
97.6% of coverage featured our first key message
93% of coverage featured our second key message
87.6% of coverage featured our third key message