Aruga and QTC win Creative Brisbane Award for integrated campaign success

Aruga and Queensland Theatre Company have been recognised at the inaugural Creative Brisbane Awards, taking out Best News and/or Social Media and Creative Collaboration for a body of work that has steadily reshaped how the state theatre company connects with its audience.

Celebrating the collaborations shaping Brisbane’s cultural identity, the inaugural Creative Brisbane Awards were presented on Tuesday 28 April at Brisbane City Hall, with Aruga’s win recognising a partnership that has grown in both scope and ambition.

Aruga was first engaged by QTC in mid-2024 for public relations support before quickly expanding into a broader role across marketing and communications strategy.

By 2025, that collaboration had deepened further, with Aruga supporting across design and paid social alongside PR, operating as an extension of QTC’s internal marketing team. Together, the focus shifted from individual show promotion to a more connected approach, building audience momentum across the full season.

“Our partnership with QTC began with PR but quickly evolved into a more integrated way of working,” Aruga Account Director Claudia Ferne said.

“That level of trust allowed the work to build over time, taking a whole-of-organisation view rather than a campaign-by-campaign approach.”

Across 2025, that approach delivered sustained visibility and audience growth, achieving 41% year on year box office growth and welcoming 76,000 attendees.

More than 800 media placements were secured throughout the year, reaching an audience of 23.7 million, with over half of the coverage appearing nationally or interstate. Paid social campaigns extended reach further, connecting with 2.8 million people and generating 152,245 link clicks.

That trajectory culminated in the launch of the 2026 Season and a campaign that would come to define the partnership.

Developed by Aruga, All Feeling. No Filter. captured the emotional core of theatre in a way that felt immediate and accessible. It marked a shift away from traditional season marketing, replacing the standard brochure with a 64-page Season Magazine designed to be read, kept and returned to.

For Aruga Art Director Jacob Brewer, the campaign represents Aruga’s integrated model at its most complete.

“QTC invited us into the core team to help shape the 2026 Season from the ground up,” Brewer said.

“That level of trust allowed us to push creatively and deliver something truly integrated – it’s a campaign that really shows our creative capability in full flight.”

In celebrating the Creative Brisbane Award win, QTC described the campaign as “a true team effort”, acknowledging Aruga’s strategic communications and creative approach in helping connect the season with audiences across Queensland.

The judges similarly noted the partnership’s willingness to challenge convention, highlighting its role in rethinking audience engagement and elevating the visibility of Brisbane’s creative sector.

For Aruga, the recognition reflects something broader than a single result – a way of working that brings strategy, creative and communications together from the outset and carries that thinking through every touchpoint.

As this collaboration shows, when that alignment is in place, the impact builds over time, strengthening not just awareness, but audience connection and long-term growth.