The Work 2024 Contenders: R/GA
Campaign Brief recognises and showcases the great work that is being produced in the region with The Work 2024 Contenders. Here is R/GA’s Top 3…
We Are Warriors: Sydney New Year’s Eve Fireworks & Calling Country
R/GA
In Australia, 6% of youth are Indigenous, yet account for 49% of juvenile detainees – 22 times the rate of non-Indigenous kids. This is the highest incarceration rate on earth.
We Are Warriors (WAW) was created to connect Indigenous youth with relatable, First Nations role models, so they can see people like them achieving success. By inspiring Indigenous kids to unlock their potential and realise their greatness, we help the next generation ‘see it to be it’.
This couldn’t have been more important in 2023. When the 3% Indigenous Australian population felt rejected by society following the ‘No’ outcome to a proposal to amend the constitution to recognise First Nations people and create a body for them to advise the government.
The outcome of the vote, but also the traumatic campaigning process that preceded it and opened up hugely divisive rifts across the country, left Indigenous people feeling confused, angry and rejected. They were left questioning their identity, acceptance in their own country and their future.
More than ever before, we needed to reach out to the 3%, wherever they were in the country. So, in a display of unwavering support and with the world’s eyes on Sydney for the New Year’s Eve fireworks, WAW seized the moment to shine Australia’s brightest spotlight on Blak excellence and send a message of love to Indigenous Australians, reminding them that they are part of the oldest living culture on earth.
Bold projections on the Harbour Bridge and an original nine-minute original score, told the story of one of the first Indigenous resistance fighters, Pemuluwuy. Showing the 3% Indigenous population that their voice matters – that they are seen, loved and heard.
To spread our message further, and ensure the Indigenous Australian audience could connect and engage with WAW and its message, we hacked the public broadcast. A strategically placed QR code on WAW founder Nooky’s shirt led audiences to a microsite. Using AI-voice-generated technology, Nooky’s voice spoke to Indigenous youth, sharing a personalised message of love and strength, which they were encouraged to pass on.
The fireworks were broadcast to a global audience of 425m and over 2m across social media. Eye-catching visual storytelling, our QR code t-shirt stunt and the talkability of the campaign reignited the conversation around Indigenous culture with an advertising value equivalent of AUD7m.
The campaign monopolised print, radio and television, with WAW founder Nooky being interviewed across the likes of Sky TV, ABC Breakfast, The Australian and Esquire. Meanwhile, we saw a 13m+ website impressions and a 5,550% increase in website traffic on the WAW website.
But, ultimately, hacking the country’s biggest annual event spread our message of hope to the Indigenous 3% that needed to hear it, proved that love speaks louder than hate, and most importantly, reminded First Nations people that they are, and always will be, warriors.
One viewer puts it best: “Fabulous. A healing balm to the ‘No’. Thank you Sydney!”
Ansarada: Brand Transformation
R/GA
Ansarada helps corporations simply and securely organise critical information across all aspects of operations. But fast growth and complicated messaging left it struggling to show how it could add value beyond M&A, into areas such as ESG and governance. To rebrand ahead of US expansion we landed on an insight: Ansarada brings order to organisational chaos.
The language of order (alphabetical, chronological) and the order of language became the basis for a dynamic brand that plays to our audience’s intelligence, while custom illustrations are a witty and creative counterbalance to the logic-driven system. We put order on a pedestal and showed it makes business sense.
In the year post roll-out, Ansarada saw 7% revenue increase to $AUD51.8m, 42% annual recurring revenue increase to $AUD11.4m and 96% customer growth increase. The refreshed brand clearly conveyed Ansarada’s values and resonated with its audience, enhancing brand visibility.
Client Zoe Smith, said: “Ansarada’s refreshed brand clearly conveyed our foundational values and resonated with our targeted audiences,” and “consistent representation across all brand elements and customer touchpoints ensured effective communication of the revamped brand.” She also highlighted that “overwhelmingly positive customer feedback on brand visibility validated our decision.”
We Are Warriors: Blak Powerhouse 2024
R/GA
Australia celebrates its national day on 26 January – the day it was colonised. For many, this day is known as Invasion Day or Survival Day, and celebrating it displays a shameful level of indifference towards First Nations’ lives.
We Are Warriors (WAW) is an Indigenous-owned social enterprise launched on Australia Day 2022 and is committed to changing how Indigenous youth see themselves. In a country where the odds are stacked against Indigenous youth, WAW’s mission is to make Indigenous success more visible, so they can “see it to be it”. Part of that mission is subverting 26 January’s contentious legacy and reclaiming it for Indigenous Australians.
From WAW’s inception, we didn’t want to be yet another organisation jumping on a good cause bandwagon. That meant kickstarting the brand with a bold campaign that would genuinely change the narrative and make a lasting impact for Indigenous Australian youth.
So, We Are Warriors and the creative agency approached The Powerhouse – one of Sydney’s most iconic museums and a major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), owned by the Government of New South Wales. On the most contentious day of the year, 26 January 2023 and again a year later, we launched a complete takeover of this historically white colonial space, officially turning it into Blak Powerhouse. An event that subverted the symbolism of Australia Day to diminish its power over Indigenous Australians by creating a completely immersive experience that showcased the incredible cultural contributions of Indigenous Australia.
Thousands of people walked through the doors of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum where photography, music, art, dance, film, performance and panel discussion showed them the incredible cultural contributions of Indigenous Australia.
With design inspired by the Aboriginal flag, the sun was the perfect symbol to transform a Sydney cultural institution and day of trauma into a safe space. This came to life everywhere at Blak Powerhouse – from stage design featuring a huge yellow sun that lit up Warriors as they performed, to yellow wayfinding dots that guided people’s journey. Across OOH, social, and fly posters around the museum, the block colours of the brand created a safe space for the community – all coming together to change the meaning of 26 January.
Over the course of two years and two events, WAW reclaimed the narrative of an historical day and ushered in a new era of Indigenous pride. For all attendees, Indigenous or not, the significance of this taking place in such a colonial space couldn’t be missed. Blak Powerhouse represents a fresh take on a centuries-old history, cementing We Are Warriors’ cultural impact from the off. And for a government institution like the Government of New South Wales to take a stance and own a perspective on this controversial day was a huge achievement in itself.
Between 2023 and 2024, the event’s attendance doubled, establishing itself as the museum’s largest audience at its Powerhouse Late events to date. In 2024, the event generated media coverage worth AU$3 million, and WAW’s website sessions surged by 1000%. WAW was supported by brands including Adobe, JD Sports and TikTok. Proceeds from merchandise, sponsorships and grants continue to support content creation and mentoring programs for Indigenous kids. The resounding success of Blak Powerhouse led to a commitment by the Powerhouse museum to host it annually, creating a secure space for First Nations people to celebrate Blak pride.
And as Blak Powerhouse has evolved from headline grabbing takeover to annual event that provides a secure space for First Nations people to celebrate Blak pride, we’ve set the wheels in motion for a national reappraisal of 26 January.
One Indigenous attendee said it best: “WAW has given us our power back.”
The deadline for Campaign Brief’s The Work 2024 is Monday May 13. Entries are FREE with only an acceptance fee charged for those that make the cut. See full details and enter here… If your company has entered The Work and would like to showcase your Top 3, email adam@campaignbrief.com.