While Australians shared a deep sense of pride in the Sydney Opera House, most Sydneysiders didn’t consider it more than an iconic Australian venue that caters mainly for people who love operas, plays and special one-off concerts. An idea was required that would break down this perception and put the Sydney Opera House on the radar as a destination that was an open and welcoming creative space that is accessible to everyone.So we created The Ship Song Project and invited the world inside the iconic building, while showcasing a totally different side to ‘The House’. The music video was set to a re-working of Nick Cave’s immortal ballad, ‘The Ship Song’, and featured performances by some of Australia’s and the world’s pre-eminent artists. It was launched online via a seeding program on social networking platforms.

It was launched online via a seeding program on social networking platforms.

In the 24 hours after its launch, the film clip was shared online 1.7m times and was picked up by every major television news program and featured in every major Australian newspaper. There was also extensive coverage across international press.The single reached 34 on the iTunes singles chart and trended on Twitter and YouTube for four days.Over $2m in free PR, editorial and social media was earned at launch.The Ship Song Project helped SOH achieve a 40% increase in ticket (August 2010 vs. August 2011).Best of all, $0 was spent on traditional media.

It was launched online via a seeding program on social networking platforms in conjunction with a live media event at the venue. The song was released as a single and played on national radio. It was also was available for download on iTunes along with the film. In addition to this posters were created and distributed around Sydney city. 3 x 30 second TVC's were created and played on national television. The film was also played on QANTAS in-flight along with a documentary about the project.