Australian Government Department of Health
With COVID-19 vaccination rates lagging behind in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities a new approach was needed to counteract the effects of misinformation and fear. But what would help motivate people to get vaccinated? All of us.
The brief
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in early 2021 and by October was gathering huge momentum. The number of Indigenous Australians vaccinated, however, was lagging behind, prompting the Department of Health to approach Carbon to develop inspirational and motivational new vaccine communication content for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences. The goal of the messaging was to ensure that vaccination rates continued to improve, with the overall sentiment among the community being one of empowerment and hope.
The good
Central to our strategy and creative thinking was ensuring we talked to this audience in a way that speaks to them. Indigenous Australians have 60,000 years of history. 60,000 years of culture. Of art, of song, of dance and language. All of it valuable. All of it worth protecting. So we set about creating content that brought these things to the fore, stoking feelings of community and pride that spurred our First Nations audience into action to vaccinate 'for all of us'.
The campaign includes a series of content videos, TV ads and press ads that feature a range of vaccinated famous faces including model Samantha Harris, musician Baker Boy (who also provided the soundtrack), chef Nornie Bero, street artist Tori-Jay Mordey, Paralympian Amanda Reid and renowned didgeridoo player and vocalist William Barton, along with a cast of everyday heroes.
The result? An optimistic, forward-looking campaign that reminds the audience-our future is as valuable as our past.
The impact
The campaign is still in its early stages but early feedback and responses have been overwhelmingly positive with widespread media coverage reaching a potential PR audience of 65 million.
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