dianne@prontopr.com.au
dianne@prontopr.com.au
SPORT · TOURISM · EARNED MEDIA
A 55-kilometre swim along one of the most remote rivers on earth, the Ord River inhabited by 5,500 crocodiles. That’s one croc every 10 metres. A story from a town of 5,000 was read by more than four times the population of Australia. It reached a potential audience larger than the planet and changed Kununurra’s future.
Ultra-marathon swimmer Andy Donaldson set out to become the first man to swim 55km down the Ord River, from Lake Argyle Dam to Kununurra, through one of the most remote rivers on earth, which is home to 5,500 freshwater crocodiles. The job: turn a remote endurance feat into a global story that shines a light on Kununurra, putting it on the world swim map.
We used crocodiles as the hook and the story did the rest. An elite athlete, a record attempt, 5,500 crocodiles, breathtaking imagery and feel-good community elements: everything international newsrooms dreams of, in a single pitch. We created an irresistible story, and it went viral.
The story ran in more than 20 countries and 379 separate pieces of coverage, from The Guardian and BBC Radio 5 Live to Good Morning America, CNBC, People and The Times of India. A story from a town of just 5,000 people was read, watched and shared around the world.
The Guardian, BBC, BBC Radio 5 Live, ABC Australia, Good Morning America, CNBC, People, Yahoo News, 7NEWS, 9 News, 10 News, The West Australian, The Times of India, Corriere della Sera, AAP.
379 total pieces of coverage
110.6M online coverage views
27 media interviews in two days
20+ countries
3.9M TV viewership (captured)
1.8M radio listenership (captured)
The story was syndicated across high-traffic media networks. Combined, the outlets that ran it draw a potential monthly audience of 105.1 billion and 12.9 billion unique monthly visitors (source: SimilarWeb). Of that potential audience, the articles themselves drew 110.6 million coverage views.
Beyond the headlines, the campaign reached 90 students at East Kimberley College and 90 young swimmers at Wyndham pool clinics and drew a 200-strong crowd to the finish at Swim Beach. It has since sparked the beginnings of a swim-tourism sector in Kununurra, plus a potential book deal with an major publisher, a global fitness approach and documentary talks all following. A remote town now has a global story of its own.
"It was a great release! Lots of useful info in there. Made my job easy."
"We got through to Andy, Dianne, and got him on air, he was great. It was a lovely way to end our programme. Thanks so much for arranging that at short notice. "
"Thanks again for all of your help! So glad we could put that story together so quickly."
Photo credits: Ben Broady