With the brand platform ‘Proudly Different’, accepting the status quo was not part of the brand’s DNA. Russia doesn’t afford the same freedoms towards LGBTIQ citizens as Australia, including the open celebration of their identity.

So we wanted to return to the festival’s rebellious roots by reaching out to Russia’s queer community, using a billboard campaign to start a global social media conversation. To advertise that the festival’s opening night would be live streamed to Russia, the billboard campaign launched in Melbourne and was completely written in Russian, proudly flying the rainbow flag as a symbol of defiance against Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ law.

It was then shared on social media, inviting Russia’s queer community to the opening night party and to watch a feature length film, via Periscope. The campaign demonstrated how important the festival is to Melbourne, cementing its role in the global fight for equality.

Implementation: An outdoor campaign written entirely in Russian went up in Melbourne, inviting Russia to participate in the festival’s opening night. It was seeded to social media and PR and driven to Russia. A three-hour Periscope broadcast fronted by a Russian host live streamed the opening night party and feature film globally.

Media channels and integration: Digital and Print Billboard, with PR push and social media integration, followed by Periscope live stream.

Timeline: two weeks of billboard campaign and PR activity prior to the live event.

- A US$2,400 investment generated 3.3 million impressions reaching over 2 million people.

- Opening night of the festival sold out.

- Global PR coverage and social media shares drove the story to Russia – with recognition recorded from Russian academics to Russian social media.

- The Melbourne Queer Film Festival Director noted that, “To Russia With Love made the festival more relevant than it’s been since the festival first began.”