Ogilvy Australia has continued its push into the innovation space, announcing its development of, and investment into, a new global platform called Padlokt.

Padlokt is a new fan engagement service which enables fans to get closer to their idols than anywhere else. The aim of the business is to be the leading platform in bringing fans and celebrities closer (#closestfan).

Padlokt provides an environment where fans get to know the real person underneath the celebrity, starting as a platform that allows fans to talk directly to top tier stars from across the globe through a unique subscription model involving both talent and consumers. As the business grows other services will be included that extend the offering.

Ogilvy Australia was a co-founder and was instrumental in its design and development, launching it to market via its Ogilvy Ventures division. Padlokt is a stand-alone company with offices in several global locations.

“Ogilvy has been moving into more of an innovation space for several years, including the launch of Ogilvy Ventures last year. Our involvement in Padlokt is part of this move, as we look to not only provide marketing services to our clients, but create new products and services in the content space,” said Ogilvy Australia CEO David Fox (pictured above).

“As we collaborate with other companies to launch new products, we continue to drive a fully-integrated model with innovation at its core. This change in our business model is really the platform to drive our growth at scale and at speed.”

“Padlokt is a great example of this model in action. Through Oglivy Ventures, we helped develop the idea, design and build the platform, and create the business model to take to market to gain broad investment. With its launch onto the market this month, we are proud to now be an ongoing investor and look forward to its growth across the globe.”

Anthony Johnston, Head of Ogilvy Ventures said the platform worked by providing fans with direct access to a variety of stars contracted to the service, either by being part of a group asking a question via video from a mobile or desktop, or through watching and listening through a live stream, accessing a library of video content and reading exclusive news.

Padlokt also provides a direct and new revenue stream for athletes via a revenue share, encouraging the talent to continue to provide access. To help the talent all questions are submitted and vetted before the video event, with a moderator on hand to ensure the process runs smoothly.

Padlokt recently partnered with UFC® in a deal to bring some of its top current and former athletes to the platform, offering subscribers access to live video interactions and content created exclusively for PADLOKT.

These athletes will join professional basketball player Julius Randle, professional American footballer Randall Cobb, four-time track and field Olympic gold medal winner Sanya Richards-Ross, former professional cricketer Adam Hollioake and US TV personality Marquel Martin as content creators using the platform. PADLOKT expect to announce more partners from across the sporting, entertainment and lifestyle worlds in the near future.

Padlokt is based out of Australia with offices in Las Vegas, London, Munich, Sydney and the Gold Coast.