Year on year, Australia is facing greater risk of devastating natural disasters such as bushfires, storms, cyclones and flooding. Yet, the number of uninsured homes in Australia has grown 32% in just four years due to a number of factors: apathy, understanding, industry reputation.

IAG, NRMA’s parent company is a purpose-driven organisation that aims to make the world a safer place. With this as their ‘North Star’, our brief was to find a way to cut through the Christmas clutter and educate Australians on their growing risks and the importance of insurance.

The objectives of the campaign were two-fold. Firstly, our activation had to drive brand awareness over the holidays with a fraction of the media budget to previous years. Secondly, we had to change the way people experience insurance, which was after tragedy had already happened, to help everyday Aussies understand the real dangers posed to them.

HELP! the game. A board game sold in the country’s largest retailers at Christmas that lets people experience real-life risks without actually having to risk anything.

Designed in partnership with leading game designers and insurance experts, HELP! makes confusing lawyer-jargon fun and mimics the real-risks of living down under.

With every roll of the dice, players can either protect their assets with giant domes (insurance) or risk losing them to everything from bushfires to snakes to storms, cyclones, sharks and burglars.

In order to help drive awareness and sales of a brand new board game during the Christmas period, it was critical to seed the new game and build awareness before the campaign launched in traditional media.

Given this new product lacks any reviews or referrals from friends, we turned to trusted publications and well known influencers that speak to mothers and families with children directly, suggesting the game as a great gift idea for the Holiday season. Additionally, with a portion of proceeds going to the Australian Red Cross, it’s a gift that gives back in 2020.

The influencer strategy needed to cover three core groups:

Macro-parenting influencers to target the core audience, demonstrating the family-friendly aspect and encourage purchase of the game.

Gaming influencers to add credibility and promote the game’s relevance within gaming culture.

Micro-influencers to increase reach and social media saturation, while helping generate general awareness.

The HELP! campaign ran for 7 weeks in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (QLD), Australia from the 1st November to the 18th December 2020.

The campaign initiated with early seeding of HELP! The Game through content developed by Australian influencers, many of whom had been impacted by real world Australian risks as they’re experienced in HELP! The Game. Additionally, HELP! Was seeded in Gift Guides across Australia.

From the 8th November, campaign activity took a digital and shoppable-first approach via a complex digital ecosystem implemented across Google, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, eBay, Amazon, Catch, YouTube and helpthegame.com.au – making NRMA Insurance the first insurer to use shopping ads in all of APAC. The activity continued with 3x15sec films airing on BVOD and digital channels. Finally, digital OOH boards placed in close proximity to NSW and QLD Kmart retail stores drove awareness and footfall for in-store purchases.

Over the holiday period, HELP! The Game secured 12% of the Australian board game market share.

By integrating awareness and sales activity across campaign communications, HELP! The Game not only sold well, but increased brand consideration by 32%.