Client
The Melbourne Writers’ Festival

Design Consultancy
Elmwood
Joe Rogers
00 61 3 9207 8100
joe.rogers@elmwood-design.com.au
www.elmwood.co.uk

The Melbourne Writers’ Festival is one of the city’s key annual cultural events, one that attracts writers and delegates from all over Australia and beyond.

Looking to engage a younger generation of writers and festival-goers, the event’s organisers wanted to break down preconceptions about the festival, which was considered to be exclusive and elitist. Elmwood were appointed to devise and deliver a repositioning campaign, with the aim of making the festival welcoming and accessible to all.

The Pencil campaign was intended to put smiles on people’s faces. Using a simple pencil character, the campaign centred on the fact that writing is fun and should be shared and celebrated by everyone.

Phase 1 of the campaign launched in 2006, with the concept brought to life via low-cost, outdoor media and guerrilla marketing techniques. In 2007, Phase 2 told the story of Pencil’s sudden disappearance at the hands of bad guys, Sharpener and Rubber. This humorous approach challenged people’s ideas about the festival and encouraged direct engagement and interactivity with the event.

Over the two years, a new generation of attendees were drawn to the festival, and box office sales went up 43%. Sponsorship also grew 81%, with the number of major cash sponsors increasing from three to 11.

Silver
Museums, Gallaries & Visitor Attractions

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