Decorate our 2024 Christmas Tree
8 minutes read
In the spirit of Christmas, we’re taking time to reflect on 2024 as we celebrate the festive season.
Maybe it’s the eggnog, maybe it’s too many advent calendar chocolates, but we think gathering an A+ group of clients and campaigns is like assembling a picture-perfect Christmas tree.
We start with a strong and stunning tree – our wonderful retainer clients – add those cherished ornaments we could never part with – the returning campaigns we adore – then sweeten the look with sparkly and on-trend additions – our beautiful new projects.
Join us as we decorate Aruga’s Christmas Tree with clients and campaigns that glittered, dazzled and sparked joy throughout 2024.
THE ONES WE CAN’T CELEBRATE WITHOUT
Like every project and every Christmas tree, you need a good foundation. Here at Aruga, we are honoured to end every year already planning the next with our most loyal friends. With 44 returning clients in 2024, here are some highlights to kick off our celebrations.
Evolving at a pace to rival its stunning riverside precinct, Northshore Brisbane embraced a new approach in its fourth year with Aruga, introducing content creators into our communications and PR kit bag. Account Director Beth loved showing off the best of the precinct through the eyes of some of Brisbane’s favourite influencers for our Hidden Gems campaign which reached over 231,000 people.
Brisbane Economic Development Agency
It’s no surprise to regular readers that Team Aruga is obsessed with Brisbane and ready to whip out a recommendation for the latest hotel, restaurant, tour company or event at a moment’s notice. Keeping our finger on the pulse of what’s hot and working with media and influencers to spread the word to domestic and international travellers is like a timeless tradition for our BEDA account leads Nat, Claudia and Eliza. We can’t wait to spread joy beyond the festive season with a shiny new three-year appointment as Brisbane Economic Development Agency’s tourism, business and major events PR partner.
Tourism and Events Queensland
When Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) had a BIG idea to launch its new global campaign – ‘Queensland is Bluey’s world, for real life’ – it turned to Aruga to make some noise. We helped TEQ set a world record for the biggest game of Keepy Uppy by managing media at three world record destinations – Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Cairns – securing global coverage, capitalising on interest and expertly keeping the game’s signature red balls in the air. Account Director Jai puts this down as a career-defining moment – not only because it was TEQ’s largest campaign in over a decade, but her daughter had 15 minutes of fame when Sylvia Jeffreys interviewed her on TODAY Show, an experience that filled her with pride and excitement.
THE ONES THAT CONTINUE TO SPARK JOY
Everyone cherishes them – the ornaments that hold a special place in our hearts and without them, it’s just not Christmas. Here at Aruga, our loyal, returning clients are the gifts that keep on giving.
Going bigger and bolder in 2024, Team Aruga painted the town pink and drummed up national interest in Brisbane Festival for a seventh consecutive year. Kicking the festivities off with a bang was Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust and Senior Account Executive Lilly loved being part of the magic behind the scenes. “This event truly takes over Brisbane during September and being presented with the opportunity to continue to work with some of the city’s most influential changemakers and talented artists is truly inspiring,” Lilly says.
The race to Christmas can feel like a marathon but clients like Bridge to Brisbane make that journey all the more fun. After breaking records in 2023, Aruga put our best foot forward again in 2024, breaking our own record to secure 35,000 people at this year’s event. Agency Director Tracy loves this campaign, not only because of what it does for the community but also because it brings Team Aruga together for a fun day out for a good cause. We’ve already started training for 2025!
Brisbane Broncos
We’re Brisbane Broncos’ loudest and proudest cheerleaders, but not just for the team. Content Director Bel and Art Director Isaac are kicking goals with the Broncos Community team to deliver copywriting, design and content creation to produce a posh quarterly magazine, stunning Annuals, Stakeholder Booklets and a website’s worth of fab features.
THE ONES THAT ADDED SPARKLE THIS YEAR
There’s nothing better than welcoming shiny new additions. And if you’ve been to our chic new HQ, you’ll know we are not short of them!
We are proud to introduce some new decorations to our Christmas tree this year. Spanning events, arts, not-for-profits, government and everything in between, these are the clients that added extra sparkle to our 2024.
Affordable Art Fair Sydney and Brisbane
Celebrating artists big and small, Aruga’s Co-Founder Adam particularly loved this event because of founder Will Ramsay’s non-negotiable that the global art phenomenon only showcases the work of living artists. In Will’s words, “dead people don’t need our money!” We can’t wait to deliver this public relations campaign for 2025 in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne!
Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning
Want a deluxe-looking plan? Art Director Isaac is your man! Partnering with the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning to design the 274-page Regional Plan for Far North Queensland, Isaac put his Santa hat on to deliver precise typesetting, bespoke visuals, and strict adherence to accessibility standards for clarity and usability. He wrapped everything up in a polished design featuring custom infographics, detailed graphs and considered text layout to present complex information effectively. Sleigh!
It’s not every day you are gifted the opportunity to support a once-in-a-generation transformation, so Nicholas Street Precinct went straight to the top of our 2024 ‘nice list’. Enlisting Aruga to deliver an integrated marketing campaign to formally unveil Ipswich’s new city heart, we successfully established the Nicholas Street Precinct as a dynamic destination for Queensland’s future growth. From expertly throwing popcorn to make news pics pop to delivering art-led hoarding design and playing arcade games in the name of content (or so we’ve been told), Account Director Jarrod is proud to have brought all the services of Aruga together as part of this landmark opening.
There’s something truly magical about listening to live music under the stars, so Account Director Beth was first in line to host top-tier media for Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Under The Stars in Tropical North Queensland. Jetting to Port Douglas and Cairns to show off the very best of QSO, Aruga secured a stocking stuffed with media wins for its biggest regional tour to date and our first year working with this incredible team.
As an arts-loving agency, it brought us Christmas cheer to add the beloved Queensland Theatre to our prized partner list this year. Engaged to help drive marketing and communications for its 2025 Season Launch across public relations, paid social, influencer activity, copywriting and strategic counsel, Senior Account Manager Georgie cherished the time spent with the Queensland Theatre team to make the launch one of its most successful ever.
TAB Pool Room
Aruga’s events and activations division, BonBon, knows the secret to winning over fans and putting on a show they won’t forget. So, when TAB approached us to celebrate its multi-year partnership with the Brisbane Lions, we crafted the ultimate game-day destination.
Perched high above The Gabba grandstands, our TAB Pool Room combined a playful vibe with premium comforts, offering punters an unrivalled game-day experience. And as the Lions roared to premiership glory, it turned out the greatest gift of all in 2024 was a win for Brisbane fans everywhere!
We’ve worked alongside the Foundation for two years to support its organic social media, so we were excited to flex our media relations and paid social muscles to support the launch of its world-first program: See, Hear, Believe: Responding to Domestic & Family Violence in LGBTQ+ Communities. Account Manager Rylee is proud to have worked on this launch with the Foundation’s incredible team, striving to help make the community a safer place.
Christmas in Orange, NSW, anyone? The opportunity to rebrand and rebirth a heritage hotel property interstate doesn’t come around every day, but when it timed perfectly with the launch of our dedicated design division, Aruga Studio, how could we say no? The rollout of Yallungah Boutique Hotel’s gorgeous new brand identity, from logos to bold colour palettes, complemented by a sophisticated new tone of voice, had our newest team member and Art Director Jacob feeling very at home.
So, pop the champagne everyone – Aruga is officially signing off for 2024 and enjoying the festive season. See you in 2025!