Bring history to life across South Australia, and beyond. With a theme of ‘Power’ chosen for 2024’s History Festival, we were engaged to develop a unique and emotive campaign that would extend across the printed program, brand and website development, marketing collateral, social media and public relations activity.

South Australia’s History Festival, presented by the History Trust of South Australia, is an annual state-wide event exploring South Australia’s history. Held throughout May each year, the History Festival explores the state’s places and spaces, stories, collections and ideas that make us who we are. One of South Australia’s largest open-access community events, featuring hundreds of events from talks to tours, walks to workshops, exhibitions and countless more.

In 2024, the History Trust of South Australia selected a festival-wide guiding theme of ‘Power’. The challenge of capturing this broad theme (without evoking partisan politics) was a unique one. Seizing the idea that there is power in people, a central concept was conceived; 100 portraits, of 100 South Australians. 100 pieces of SA’s living history, serving as the striking central feature of interconnected marketing activity.

Our ambitious vision saw us undertaking a public-facing campaign, calling for members of the public to share their historic stories, while further outreach engaged additional portrait subjects whose public profile or roles made them powerful community ambassadors for the Festival. Over five days, we interviewed and photographed 100 inspiring South Australians, partnering with Jonathan van der Knapp to create a gallery of poignant portraiture; a time capsule of the people of SA.

These photographs and perspectives appeared in the printed program and as an online portrait gallery on the History Festival website, and a strategically identified partnership with SA Power Networks allowed the creation of an additional feature; a statewide outdoor exhibition of the portraits on 100 Stobie poles across ten different councils in celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the Stobie pole.

Creative outputs included, social media, small format OOH, print collateral and city dressing to name a few. The campaign creative brought a fresh, youthful and dare we say powerful perspective on South Australia’s history.  This campaign complemented the 500+ events that were launched with the program in March to ensure rolling coverage in March, April, and May for the month-long May festival. Through curating unique but highly relevant angles in connection with key events and the portrait subjects, we secured a high volume of  local, regional and national coverage, via outlets that speak to both the current, and emerging, audiences for South Australia’s History Festival.

Additionally, we devised and delivered a hero event with a view to ensuring ongoing coverage for the full Festival duration while helping to reposition the Festival’s program offering; a celebration of food history at Ming’s Palace, featuring an in-conversation interview between prominent portrait subjects Chef Ming Chiu and writer Katie Spain.

Outcomes

PR activity generated 791 local, regional and national press mentions, including X online news articles, print articles and X broadcast mentions across TV and radio. Total potential campaign reach of 140.5 million, and an estimated advertising value equivalency of $1.3 million. Social media activity built on our previous year’s multi-channel growth, capitalising on user-generated content driven by ambassadorship of the 100 portrait subjects, with particular growth on Facebook, a key section for the History Festival audience demographic

Highlights

240% increase in media mentions
716% increase in potential reach
41% increase in website clickthrough
10,000 additional site visits generated through portrait gallery alone
106% increase in Facebook reach
722% increase in AVE of PR activity

This project was shortlisted in three categories at the Adelaide Advertising Design Club Awards, winning the award for Photography in a Series or Campaign.