Carlos Alcaraz greeting guests as an undercover doorman at Crown Towers.
Independent creative agency HERO has won the Crown Resorts business, marking the partnership with a campaign that has generated global news coverage of tennis world number one Carlos Alcaraz working as a doorman for a day.
HERO was tasked with developing activation of Crown's campaign platform, Expect the Unexpected, featuring elite global tennis stars enjoying Crown as Australia's entertainment destination.
The campaign leveraged seven tennis stars while they were in Australia for the Australian Open, including Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa and Casper Ruud.
All featured in a series of unexpected and playful moments, created to showcase the breadth of Crown's experiences and transition from social feeds to mainstream global news.
The campaign's centrepiece featured world number one Carlos Alcaraz surprising guests by working a shift as a Crown doorman.
The stunt moved from social media to global earned media coverage across major news networks, from 7News and the Herald Sun to international outlets including Spain's MARCA and MSN España, Fakt in Poland and global tennis news channels Lareum and Tennis Tonic.
The Alcaraz content has surpassed five million views, while the broader campaign across Instagram and TikTok generated more than 12 million video views and 2.5 million engagements in its first two weeks.
Other activations included Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa partying at Crown, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev grilling teppanyaki at a private table at Koko and Iga Swiatek serving as an undercover waitress at Marmont.
"These surprise moments are all about creating memorable guest experiences - the kinds of interactions guests talk about long after they've left," said Crown Melbourne chief executive Ed Domingo.
“Seeing world-class tennis players helping with guests' luggage and on the teppanyaki tools reminds us that fun can happen anywhere, at any moment, at Crown.”
HERO creative chairman and founder Ben Lilley said Crown is an iconic Australian brand.
"Crown is an iconic Australian brand and the sheer breadth of its hotel, leisure and lifestyle offering, and the unexpected joy of seeing the world's best players genuinely interacting with them, made this a magical creative opportunity. We're thrilled to kick off our partnership with such a significant global success," he said.
Carlos Alcaraz greeting guests as an undercover doorman at Crown Towers.
Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa partying at Otoya vinyl bar.
Iga Swiatek serving diners as an undercover waitress at Marmont:
Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime grilling Teppanyaki at Koko:
Casper Ruud taking on fans at the Crown Melbourne Racquet Club.
- E
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.