The “Big Ad” for Carlton Draught pale lager was created by George Patterson and Partners (Young & Rubicam) of Melbourne, Australia in 2005. The agency used viral marketing techniques to promote the advertisement before it was broadcast on television. Two weeks prior to being broadcast on television, the advertisement was streamed on the Internet. Within 24 hours after release, the “Big Ad” had been downloaded 162,000 times. Within two weeks, it had been seen by over one million viewers in 132 countries. This campaign was widely covered in the press. The viral release of the “Big Ad” was so successful that the company reduced its television media budget so as not to overexpose the advertisement.

The advertisement has since received over 30 awards globally, including a prestigious Gold Lion award at the 53rd Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in 2006.

Bold and audacious! I hope we in India could emulate.

Visual courtesy : https://www.flickr.com/photos/vermininc/