Forty-five men in fluorescent mankinis descending upon Bondi Beach is a sure way to capture attention and make a statement. To celebrate the launch of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm on its platform, Amazon Prime Video did just that.
With the annual Sculpture by the Sea taking a hiatus due to COVID-19, Amazon Prime Video seized an opportunity to fill the void its postponement left at the iconic Sydney beach. The 45 Borat lookalikes did yoga along the beach as an in-character press conference was held with Cohen streaming in virtually. A six-metre statue of Borat was delivered by helicopter to Bondi to celebrate the movie sequel, and the beach was rebranded for 24 hours as “Borat Beach”. Other Borat lookalikes turned up around Sydney at radio stations and outside Sunrise’s headquarters in Martin Place.
Hushidar Kharas, head of Prime Video Australia, tells AdNews the move was to bring some cheer to Sydneysiders amid what had been a tough 2020 for all, and also drive awareness of the new film on the platform.
“We wanted the Borat activation to put a smile on people’s faces and carry the comedy themes of the film,” says Kharas. “Of course, our business objective was to drive awareness and excitement for the new film and its home on Amazon Prime Video; a goal we feel we achieved.”
The activation was a huge success, garnering widespread coverage across broadcast, news, online and social outlets. But Kharas says it also played an important role in spotlighting Australia.
“The activation also acted as a benchmark for what we can do here in Australia, and images and footage from the day featured in international news outlets in Europe and the USA,” he says. “The film exceeded our acquisition and viewership goals for the campaign and was the most viewed title in Australia on Amazon Prime Video during 2020.”
Activations and experiences are nothing new in the film and television industry. Disney, Universal Studios and Village Roadshow are among the entertainment conglomerates who, for decades, have been using theme parks and resorts to drive deeper engagement with their, and .
