For Rio Tinto, I was both the strategic and account lead crafting their global Employee Value Proposition and led the strategic and creative delivery of all their communication needs.
A great example of a complex brand, both internally and externally managing a multitude of stakeholders, negative public perceptions and dealing with crisis management.
The only major mining company in Australia that doesn't mine fossil fuels, it's a company with a difference. Since 2018 we've been transforming Rio Tinto into a more human company and it's been paying dividends.
It's easy to hate miners. They're big, they're corporate and the majority of people think all they do is kill the planet. But mining is not only an essential part of the economy, but an essential part of our everyday lives. Even if it's not top of mind. And since Joe public doesn't 'buy' mining products, why do they even advertise anyway?
The truth is the perception of miners is of critical importance in attracting talent, being able to work with communities in which they operate and to have the ability to explore and open new mining opportunities. And the latter often is swayed by public opinion thus governmental views on the industry and the companies therein.
In 2017, BHP, Rio Tinto's largest competitor commenced a massive campaign 'Think Big' (TV, OOH & print) extolling the virtues of BHP and its contribution to Australian society and the economy.
In fact, before Rio Tinto entered the communication scene in 2019, BHP had already spent over $30m on the campaign including multiple campaign refreshes and we knew they'd be continuing their massive investment that same year.
We could also see from the brand tracking scores that BHP were pulling far ahead on the metrics that Rio Tinto and its stakeholders were most concerned about: awareness, trust, familiarity and favourability.
Rio Tinto needed to get in the game.
With less than half the spend of BHP and the majority of miners looking and feeling the same, we knew that we needed to do something different. Find a creative territory that would make us stand out. Strategically, the one thing we noticed BHP and the other miners kept talking about were the 'things' their mining operations contribute to: roads, schools, hospitals etc. But these are cold, emotionless and what every single miner in Australia contributes to.
If BHP were going to go 'big', we would go small. We would take the global tagline of Pioneer Progress and humanise the company to speak about our definition of 'progress': how our minerals were part of the emotional moments they experience every day. Because Rio Tinto doesn't just mine materials, they mine the emotions they create in our lives. Thus the "It's How Our Story Becomes Yours" campaign was born.
Click to play launch film
Because for us, a diamond isn’t just about an engagement ring, it’s about the joy of saying ‘I do’. Aluminium doesn’t just create the plane to take you where you need to go, it takes you home to the people that matter most. Iron Ore doesn’t just build cities, it creates spaces for us to come together. And Copper doesn’t just go into hearing devices, it helps someone hear their family for the first time.
The campaign was optimised for all media including OOH, social and digital.
Further bring humanity to the brand, we brought to life their long-standing partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in a manner that would help disrupt the news cycle and get Australian's behind this worthy cause.
Unknown to most, Reverend John Flynn, founder of the RFDS is actually featured on the Australian $20 note. So to drive coverage, we created a world-first mobile experience that brought him back to life using pioneering AR technology through a browser. You simply scan the $20 to discover that the history and the future of one of the most beloved Australian organisations has always been in your hands.
Click to play case study
Despite BHP outspending Rio Tinto over the campaign period Rio Tinto has not only grown on all major metrics but closed the gap with BHP for 1/4 of the spend.
A brilliant example of not trying to shout louder when you know you're going to be outspent, but speak about something more interesting.
