Two years ago the state of Queensland was engulfed by a catastrophic flood, covering an area the size of France. On January 26 this year, it was hit by another. This one punished a much smaller area, but it was even more ferocious. For the town of Bundaberg, it was the worst in history.
The plight of Bundaberg led news bulletins around the country, but before long, the media, and a flood fatigued nation, moved on and the plight of the small town was forgotten.
As Bundy’s most famous resident, our task was twofold: (1) Lure people back to Bundy to boost a decimated local economy; (2) Fight ‘flood fatigue’ by bringing Bundaberg back into the spotlight, ensuring the bravery of this proud community is never forgotten.
We embarked on an ambitious campaign to create Bundaberg’s biggest ever tourism event just 6 weeks after the deluge. The centrepiece of the campaign was relaunch of our rum. Called ‘Road to Recovery’, the bottles were emblazoned with the names of Bundy’s flood-affected streets. All 171 of them. All proceeds from the rum would be donated to flood victims.
News of this unique release spread throughout our large community of Bundy loyalists. Over 6000 of them made the pilgrimage, creating Bundaberg’s biggest ever tourism event. It injected $2 million into the local economy, raised $1 million for charity, and generated an estimated $1 million in media coverage, with a total media spend of $0
Most importantly, the campaign ensured that the bravery of this proud community would never be forgotten.