WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN LAND: How we turned a love story into a national headline, and how you can too.

Not every campaign needs a million-dollar budget. But every campaign that lands needs a clear message, credible talent and a moment people can experience. Whether you’re launching a product, building brand awareness or driving national media buzz, the same rules apply. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide to building a campaign that makes headlines with real-world examples from our recent work turning a real-life love story into a national headline for Australian barramundi. 

1. Start with a theme that every channel can own 

Your campaign needs a central theme that’s emotionally engaging and strategically useful. A strong theme gives your story intention and creates a home for your key messages. It should be flexible enough to stretch across PR, social, influencer content and activations without losing sight of what it’s all about: the product, the audience and the brands values. 

For Australian Barramundi, our theme ‘ Falling in Love with Barramundi’ wasn’t just cute, it was strategic. It allowed us to talk about love for Australia, love for hard-working farmers and love for food. The theme worked across interviews, reels, recipes and beachside activations. 

2. Choose talent that embodies the story 

The right spokesperson(s) brings credibility, emotional resonance and a built-in audience. Look for people who naturally align with your message. 

Ask yourself: 

Will their audience care about this story? 

Do they feel authentic to the product or brand? 

When MasterChef’s Declan Cleary and Sarah Todd fell in love, so did Australia. Their love story wasn’t just a tabloid moment, it became the core of our national campaign for Australian Barramundi. From media interviews to a barra love shack pop-up, they helped Australians fall in love with barramundi by showing how much they loved each other and the product. 

3. Create a moment people can experience in real life 

To make people care, you need to create a moment they can experience. This might be a pop-up, a tasting, a masterclass or a PR stunt. The goal is to turn your message into something memorable and shareable. 

For barramundi, we knew that once people tasted it, they’d be booked. Cue the Barra Love Shack, a beachside pop-up at Bondi where Declan & Sarah cooked and served their Aussie Barra Taco to a queue of hungry locals (& paparazzi). 

4. Make the media fall in love too

Earned media is on the most powerful tools in your campaign arsenal, but only if the story is worth telling. Journalists are looking for: 

– A strong visual angle 

– A timely or seasonal hook

– Talent that media want to talk to and consumers want to hear from 

– A story that has purpose 

In our campaign, we built media into the talent remit, offering up to five interviews. With Declan & Sarah having done onyl one exclusive interview previously, media jumped at the opportunity. The result? Over 60 pieces of coverage with a combined readership of over 80million. Our story was picked up by Broadsheet, New Idea, Yahoo, Better Homes & Gardens, Australian Women’s Weekly, The Courier Mail, The Morning Show and more. Why? Because it wasn’t just about seafood, it was about love, summer and food. 

5. Don’t overcomplicate it 

The best campaigns are focused, they have clarity and creativity and are built on strategic choices. All it takes is one strong theme, once credible talent, one iconic activation and content that works hard across PR and social. 

6. Want your own national headline? 

We know how to build campaigns that land, and we LOVE doing it. From beachside pop-ups to national media buzz, we craft campaigns that are strategic and impossible to ignore. 

Let’s make your next story the one everyone’s talking about.