The Song Room’s first national fundraising campaign asks supporters to shake off their inhibitions and emulate their rock idols by performing their hottest air moves.

The Song Room’s first national fundraising campaign asks supporters to shake off their inhibitions and emulate their rock idols by performing their hottest air moves.

The Song Room launched its first national fundraising campaign with the help of BADJAR Ogilvy agency this July; taking the world-wide phenomenon of the air guitar, and turning it into an integrated merchandise and online campaign. This national nonprofit provides free music and arts programs to disadvantaged children to improve their education and development.

The Song Room is selling packaged air instruments in JB HiFi and Spotlight stores across the country for $2 with much success. This ‘merchandise’ is an entry point to an integrated online competition at www.playair.com.au, which invites people to upload clips of their best air moves or vote for their favourites.

Chief executive officer of The Song Room, Caroline Aebersold, says The Song Room initially thought the online competition would take off first – but that’s not how it has worked out. “At the start of the campaign, 125 JB-HiFi stores each received 140 air instruments to sell throughout the entire campaign. But many stores actually sold out of every instrument on day one!”

The online component of PlayAir fundraises by charging $1 to vote for an air move clip, and the highest rated clips receive prizes such as tickets to the Arias or a fender guitar. The campaign is being promoted on TV, radio, through Avant Cards and publications of Street Press Australia. Aebersold says there are very funny clips online already – including some from The Song Room staff.

“As an organisation, we’ve had huge growth in recent years. We went from being a Victorian organisation to national, and our outreach has increased 20-fold. As our first national fundraising campaign, we wanted to do something really innovative which aligned with our purpose,” says Aebersold.

“The novel air instrument merchandise combined with what is designed to be a viral online campaign fit both those requirements, encouraging people to buy and play air instruments to help put real instruments in the hands of kids who need them.”

For more information – or to upload a clip of your best air-guitar moves – head to www.playair.com.au