Optus Small to Medium Business: A competition you'd start a small business to win

CASE STUDY - The Optus Small Business team managed to secure five tickets for the Olympics. But unlike other big Olympic sponsors, it didn't have a huge budget to promote its campaign to the 2 million small businesses in Australia. So instead of launching a campaign, we launched a small business. Thorpedo Pool Cleaning, owned and financed by Australia's most successful Olympian, Ian Thorpe. Ian's return to the pool, 17 years after his original Olympic triumph generated headlines around the world. Ian launched the enterprise with a solitary tweet, and a TV ad in Sunday night Prime Time. Even the media who suspected a prank played along, and when Ian revealed a behind-the-scenes documentary of his fledgling start-up, he received intense coverage in Australia. This allowed Ian to promote the Optus competition as worth starting a small business to win. The attention prompted thousands of entries across the Australia, and generated thousands more leads for the Optus Small Business team. Agency: WiTH Collective