Big Red Group partners with IfOnly to launch charity based premium experiences platform in Australia

IfOnly, a charity oriented curated experiences brand, has launched in Australia via a partnership with RedBalloon parent company, Big Red Group (BRG). 

IfOnly, founded in 2012, offers experiences with local and world-class ‘luminaries’ such as experts in their field, celebrities or other noteworthy personalities, brands and charities with a twist. The experiences, which range across entertainment, culinary, music and more, give back up to 80 per cent of the funds to an associated charity.

BRG co-founder, Naomi Simson, said the launch of IfOnly is testament to the Big Red Group’s purpose ‘to shift the way people experience life’ and is a response to the continued growth of the experience economy.

“Customers, more than ever, want to align themselves with brands that have a true social conscience and who are actively contributing to the community," Simson said.

“Australians are known as charitable people, and the way we value activities and our time more than material possessions is unlike any other time in history."

IfOnly launches locally with more than 20 charities set to benefit initially, including Cancer Council, R U OK?, Starlight Children’s Foundation, OzHarvest and The Sony Foundation.

“IfOnly is all about making the impossible possible and answering a consumer desire for richer experiences that give to both the recipient and our communities via the strong philanthropic focus," Simson said.

Premium experiences available include dinner with Australian cricket icon, Michael Clarke, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, benefiting The Cancer Council, and events with Simson herself, with proceeds going to the Research Foundation of Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Australians through this new partnership with IfOnly also have access to overseas events such as Ariana Grande's ‘Sweetener’ US tour experience and a South African rhino conservation experience at Umganu Lodge with Kevin Pietersen, benefiting the Care for the Wild.

“We raise millions of dollars for charities in the US, and we can’t wait to do the same here in Australia through our partnership with BRG,” said IfOnly US CEO, John Boris.

“By combining the Australian experiences market leader with the leader of premium experiences in the US, we are able to bring our unique offering to new audiences and support more causes.”

Big Red Group was created in 2017 to oversee a family of experience marketing business including RedBalloon, Adrenaline, Marketics (Albert AI) and Redii. BRG is jointly owned by RedBalloon founder, Simson, and fellow entrepreneur, David Anderson, who initially joined as CEO of subsidiary business, Redii, in 2014, and collectively represents more than 3000 experience partners and more than 7000 experiences across Australia and New Zealand. 

Following its restructure, BRG has set about expanding its businesses to future-proof the organisation and better focus on the changing needs of customers. The company now boasts BRG is the largest online aggregator of experiences in Australia, and was recognised as the third largest globally by Hitwise in 2018.

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