Corona is supporting the Piha Surf Life Saving Club in a bid to raise funds for the redevelopment of the facilities located at the popular, and unquestionably dangerous, beach on Auckland’s West Coast.
To assist the fundraising efforts, Corona has arranged for the clubhouse overlooking the beach to host an exhibition of ten New Zealand coastal images, captured by a selection of globally recognised surf, travel and lifestyle photographers—namely, Derek Henderson, Morgan Maassen, Chris Burkard , Richard Hodder, Skip James, Scott Sinton, Rambo Estrada, Jereme Aubertin, Chris Searl and CPL.
Each image donated by the photographers has been professionally framed and is currently available for public viewing at the surf lifesaving clubhouse.
Between 20 February and 1 March all the photographs will be auctioned on Trade Me, with all proceeds going to the development planned by the life saving club.
To further consolidate the fundraising effort, Corona has created a temporary deck and pop-up bar at the front of the club, allowing visitors to enjoy the Piha scenery from 4.30pm to sunset every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 16 Jaunuary and 1 March, with all profits also being donated to the cause.
Although the campaign profits are all set to go to the Piha Surf Life Saving Club’s coffers, it is also a shrewd marketing move on the part of Corona on account of it slotting neatly into its ‘From Where You’d Rather Be’ positioning.
And as Google Creative Lab’s Tom Uglow explained in an interview for the December/January edition of NZ Marketing, ‘for good’ projects are becoming increasingly popular because of the benefits they offer to brands:
“… ‘for good’ is effectively branded content. It’s content that people feel comfortable in engaging in. And it makes everyone in the process feel good about it … and that’s where it’s about value for these brands. It’s not about finding the next Miley Cyrus; it’s about finding the next Malala Yousafzai. Those stories are much more powerful and potent, and you see that coming through the awards shows all the time.”
Few could question the weekly heroic efforts of the men and women who squint at the ocean from the clubhouse every summer, and Corona’s support of their cause will certainly resonate with many Kiwis who enjoy the beach—something which especially true for those who might have seen the lifesavers in action.
“This idea was a collaborative piece of work with Monster Children Creative and our activation agency Spur,” says Corona’s New Zealand brand manager Stephanie Quantrill. “Then we used Rollercoaster for the production. We’ve all been working together for the last 12 months to come up with ideas that capture the essence of the ‘From Where You’d Rather Be’ campaign and bring it to life in a meaningful way. MCC provide the big idea framework and the network of contacts, and Spur are instrumental in bringing it to life.”
Quantrill says that the ‘From Where You’d Rather Be’ positioning is unique to Australia and New Zealand, and has been running since 2008.
“The connection with surf was a natural fit with the Australian and New Zealand love of the coastline and the surfing culture,” she says. “The laid-back vibe and the moment with friends is the essence that Corona is attempting to capture.”
Nowhere is this objective more clearly encapsulated than on the Corona homepage, which currently features a range of content inextricably linked to the surfer lifestyle. One of the standout pieces on the website is 12-minute surf video that follows the trail of a group of surfers and artists on a trip.
While most of Corona’s creative in New Zealand is conceptualised by the Australian-based MC Creative, the beer brand also worked with local magazine DGZ on a web series called Loose but in Time, which has been posted to Vimeo.
“One of the great things about Corona is our relationships with like-minded people, brands and publications,” says Quantrill. “We’ve loved working with DGZ and intend to maintain a close relationship with both them and other brand partners in the future. For Corona it’s about building a community of partners that share the same values and connections.”
