Thomas Cleary won the Account Planning Group's 'Planning Idol' in 2017, a national competition which invited 55 strategists to tackle a live brief for the Australian Red Cross. The brief tasked strategists to find an innovative solution to reduce levels of social exclusion experienced by Australians. Thomas' strategy was based on the insight that the highest levels of social exclusion occur in public housing, and that there are over 9.1 million vacant seats across Australia’s top 4 sporting competitions. ABS data reveals a high correlation between high-public housing density, sporting heartlands and home of professional sporting teams. 'Transforming empty seats into friendships' is a campaign strategy that aims to reduce levels of social exclusion in public housing by attracting sport obsessed volunteers to accompany groups of socially excluded sports fans to games. At the core, the strategic idea is about using idle capacity in marketplaces to provide social services in ways that don’t affect pricing power. It’s about turning market failure into positive outcomes for society. Here is the final pitch deck. May it fuel your thinking and act as the catalyst for even better strategic ideas!

1. Transform empty seats
into friendships
A campaign strategy for the Red Cross to address social exclusion in public housing

2. What is social
exclusion?

3. There are
currently 5.3m
socially
excluded
Australians,
with 1.3m
deeply
excluded.

4. Social/economic
Physical
Psychological
The effects
are
debilitating

5. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
65+ years
Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander
Year 11 or less
Long-term ill health/disability
Public housing tenant
Top 5 socially excluded groups in Australia, 2014.
Deep social exclusion
Marginal social exclusion
But where do we start?

6. 66%
I N C R E A S E I N D E E P S O C I A L E X C L U S I O N
E X P E R I E N C E D I N P U B L I C H O U S I N G B E T W E E N
2 0 0 8 - 1 4 .

7. 58%
O F I N D I V I D U A L S L I V I N G I N P U B L I C H O U S I N G
L I V E A L O N E , C O M P A R E D T O T H E N A T I O N A L
A V E R A G E O F 2 5 % .

8. Woolloomooloo
Milsons Point
Redfern
Contextual
inquiries

9. Of the six public housing tenants
interviewed, five were avid sport fans.

10. There is a high
correlation between
public housing
density and sporting
heartlands, stadiums
and homes of NRL
teams.

11. There are over 9.1m vacant
seats across Australia's top 4
sporting competitions.
52%
IDLE CAPACITY
66%
IDLE CAPACITY
19%
IDLE CAPACITY
27%
IDLE CAPACITY
2.7m
EMPTY SEATS
3.2m
EMPTY SEATS
2.6m
EMPTY SEATS
388k
EMPTY SEATS

12. Transform
empty
seats
into friendships

13. PUBLIC HOUSING SIGN-UP
VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP
Above-the-line campaign is
launched on social media
and print, leveraging reach of
partnered leagues and
sporting sections of
newspapers and sporting
specific publications.
GAMEDAY
Ride sharing platforms to
pick up the volunteers and
groups from public housing
to transport them to games.
Attendees sit side-by-side, as
they watch their team storm
to victory.
FRIENDSHIPS
Creation of online platform
or social network ‘groups’ to
ensure attendees can stay in
contact and organise future
meetups.
MATCHING
Matching of volunteers to
socially excluded based on
sporting interests and teams
supported. This is crucial so
attendees have a baseline of
common interests.
How will it work?

14. PUBLIC HOUSING SIGN-UP
VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP
GAMEDAY
Ride sharing platforms to
pick up the volunteers and
groups from public housing
to transport them to games.
Attendees sit side-by-side, as
they watch their team storm
to victory.
FRIENDSHIPS
Creation of online platform
or social network ‘groups’ to
ensure attendees can stay in
contact and organise future
meetups.
MATCHING
Matching of volunteers to
socially excluded based on
sporting interests and teams
supported. This is crucial so
attendees have a baseline of
common interests.
How will it work?

15. PUBLIC HOUSING SIGN-UP
VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP
GAMEDAY
Ride sharing platforms to
pick up the volunteers and
groups from public housing
to transport them to games.
Attendees sit side-by-side, as
they watch their team storm
to victory.
FRIENDSHIPS
Creation of online platform
or social network ‘groups’ to
ensure attendees can stay in
contact and organise future
meetups.
MATCHING
.
How will it work?

16. PUBLIC HOUSING SIGN-UP
VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP
GAMEDAY
FRIENDSHIPS
Creation of online platform
or social network ‘groups’ to
ensure attendees can stay in
contact and organise future
meetups.
MATCHING
.
How will it work?

17. PUBLIC HOUSING SIGN-UP
VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP
GAMEDAY
FRIENDSHIPS
MATCHING
.
How will it work?

18. An ecosystem of shared
value:
THE RED CROSS
PARTNERS
SOCIALLY EXCLUDED
VOLUNTEERS

19. 01
Objectives, strategic alignment and KPIS
02
Raise awareness of social
exclusion among Australian
population
03
Success? An increase in active Red
Cross volunteers by 75k.
Success? An increase in positive social
posting, online commentary, sentiment
and search around the campaign and
topic of social exclusion by 10x..
Objectives and KPIs
Reduce levels of social
exclusion in public housing
Increase volunteer acquisition
Success? A reduction in deep social
exclusion experienced by individuals
living in public housing by 20% (from
~396k to ~317k).

20. 01
Objectives, strategic alignment and KPIS
02
Raise awareness of social
exclusion among Australian
population
03
Reduce levels of social
exclusion in public housing
Increase volunteer acquisition
Success? A reduction in deep social
exclusion experienced by individuals
living in public housing by 20% (from
~396k to ~317k).
Success? An increase in active Red
Cross volunteers by ~75k.
Success? An increase in positive social
posting, online commentary, sentiment
and search around the campaign and
topic of social exclusion by 10x..
Objectives and KPIs

21. 01
Objectives, strategic alignment and KPIS
Increase volunteer acquisition
02
Raise awareness of social
exclusion among Australian
population
03
Reduce levels of social
exclusion in public housing
Success? An increase in active Red
Cross volunteers by 75k.
Success? An increase in positive social
posting, online commentary, sentiment
and search around the campaign and
topic of social exclusion by 10x.
Objectives and KPIs

22. Cinema
Comedy
The
possibilities Opera

23. Utilise idle capacity in
marketplaces1.

24. Solve social exclusion
where it’s most endemic.
Utilise idle capacity in
marketplaces1.
2.

25. Solve social exclusion
where it’s most endemic.
Transform empty seats
into friendships.
Utilise idle capacity in
marketplaces1.
2.
3.

26. Solve social exclusion
where it’s most endemic.
Transform empty seats
into friendships.
Utilise idle capacity in
marketplaces1.
2.
3.
Thankyou