2017 marked the 15th anniversary of St.George Bank’s partnership with arguably the most beautiful cinema in the world, the St.George OpenAir Cinema on Sydney Harbour. The sponsorship activation challenge for St.George this year was to create deeper fan engagement for event attendees, and to leave a lasting positive impression of the iconic brand.
A number of targeted activities throughout the 42-night season ensured movie goers had the best experience possible, while connecting with the brand at multiple touch points. Branded cushions made grandstand seats even more comfortable, available to customers for a gold coin donation, with all funds going to the St.George Foundation. Over the season, $45,000 was raised which will help smaller community organisations provide a brighter future for socially, economically or physically disadvantaged children.
We upgraded the first 100 St.George customers each night with the “best seats in the house”, giving them a premium view of the screen. Our friendly brand ambassadors helped all attendees to reserve their seats and provided general support at the events.
This year, St.George also leveraged the biggest and best assets at their disposal – the gigantic screen and the excited audience themselves. Gemba created a short film which followed the journey of three young movie lovers enjoying a spectacular day in Sydney, culminating with them arriving at the Royal Botanic Gardens to enjoy a night at the cinema. The film finished with a nightly ‘St.George OpenAir Cinema Selfie’ – a photo starring the audience and branded with the event details. This was tailored for each night of the season, and event attendees could find this photo on the St.George Facebook page after the movie, tag themselves and share their experience with their friends and family on social media.
Across the season, St.George engaged with over 78,000 movie lovers and countless friends and family via social networks, helping to make the most beautiful cinema in the world an even more unforgettable experience.
