MIA Mums In Ads: Long copy ad about gender equality

In a bid to connect with the advertising industry’s male gender equality allies and recruit their support for our upcoming initiatives, MIA (Mums In Ads) dangled the carrot of a mysterious prize in a place that this niche audience would find it: inside a long-copy ad about gender equality, within the pages of Mavens Magazine - an industry publication dedicated solely to the topic.
The magazine was then distributed to the lobbies, kitchens and common areas of advertising and media agencies across Australia. At the end of the campaign period, MIA’s ad had received a total of zero responses. A total and utter flop.

Armed with a stinker of a campaign and a strategic PR hook, we used the International Day Of Failure to announce our campaign’s woeful results in the hope to spark conversation.

The story was then picked up by multiple Australian and international trade press and shared via industry thought leaders on Linkedin, kickstarting a thriving discussion amongst our elusive target audience - men in the advertising industry.