We created an unwatchable film, called STOP THE HORROR.

It was released as a horror film by Australian director Justin Kurzel (Assassin’s Creed, Snowtown), with trailers, director interviews and an official Facebook page used to draw people into the “new movie”.

STOP THE HORROR immersed the viewer in the true story of Greg Sims as it recounted his brutal last days. It captured the unrelievable pain and unnecessary suffering he had to endure at the end of his life.

It was so distressing an on-screen ‘Stop The Horror’ button was included so the viewer could escape the film. Once clicked, we revealed that Greg Sims did not have that same right - he could not escape the horror. We then gave the viewer the contact details of their local politicians so they could express their support for voluntary assisted dying. They could take action to truly stop the horror.

The campaign launched on 14 September 2017 in Facebook by seeding the film’s premiere with an official page and video trailers. This was all backed by a targeted Victoria-first strategy to engage existing advocates and new millennial audiences.

To maximise the value of our $20,000 media budget, this digital-first campaign was focussed on generating intrigue and talkability.

In PR, we used a phased outreach strategy backed by issues planning, key messaging and bespoke media packages. We used digital media exclusives at launch, with a focus on news and culture to ignite rapid social sharing. A major TV exclusive was secured to supercharge the debate.

All social and PR content drove audiences to our website where they could watch the 6-minute film. A data capture page allowed us to contact viewers directly with facts about voluntary assisted dying that the viewer could use when contacting their local politician.

Stop The Horror went viral within 24 hours of the launch, with the average viewer watching 3min 15sec of the film before hitting the ‘Stop The Horror’ button.

The campaign made headlines on local and international news platforms – including features in The Australian, Mamamia, The Project, The Mirror (UK), UNILAD (UK), CNN Chile (Chile) plus outlets in Ireland, Peru, USA, Mexico.

Total earned media = $4.2m

Total reach = +280M

190,000+ sessions

10,000+ petition submissions

Arguably, the only result that matters is that, for the first time in history, parliament legalised voluntary assisted dying.

Victoria is now the only state in Australia with such a law.