The Work 2022 Contenders: Showpony

Campaign Brief recognises and showcases the great work that is being produced in the region with The Work 2022 Contenders…

Flinders University: Fearless
Showpony
What would you do if you were fearless? This provocative question underpins the new Fearless brand platform. The position taps into the University’s unique history, reflecting the courage of the University’s namesake, Matthew Flinders, the charge of the founding Vice-Chancellor – “experiment and experiment bravely” – and the institution’s continued commitment to forging new ways forward.

In an era of profound change, this brand platform is more relevant now than ever, speaking to the needs and aspirations of today’s students. As the launch of ’Fearless’ the video features the voices and performances of the people of Flinders – a collective response to the question “What would you do if you were fearless?” collated from interviews with Flinders University students, teachers, researchers and alumni.

These voices are paired with evocative, attitudinal imagery that brings the people and places of Flinders to life.

Department of the Premier and Cabinet: Future Jobs
Showpony
In South Australia, there are huge job opportunities in the growing industries of space, defence, cyber, energy and hi-tech. But there’s a problem; there is more demand for skilled workers than there is supply. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet needed a campaign that would encourage young people to take up educational pathways to fill these skilled positions, while also growing the public’s confidence in the state’s ability to provide quality jobs long into the future.

Job numbers might excite economists, but how do you make them interesting to people who don’t get enjoyment out of graphs? Our challenge – how to articulate to the public the scale of job opportunities in future-focused industries in South Australia.

We created a campaign that took the dry subject matter of numbers and transformed them into something dynamic and unexpected. We brought them to life with bespoke, in situ design solutions built from the locations in which we were filming. The result was an arresting, exciting campaign that clearly articulated its message – in South Australia, there are more jobs for you.

Return to Work South Australia: More than Pain
Showpony
While there’s a growing awareness of the addictive properties of prescription opioids, there are a range of other unexpected side-effects connected to these powerful drugs that the public is still largely unaware of, including relationship breakdown, crippling anxiety and impaired physical function.

This 45sec film weaves these seemingly unrelated side-effects into an emotionally driven, layered narrative that explores different experiences of loss, before revealing prescription opioids as the common cause with the line, ‘opioids can take away more than pain’.
The result is a cinematic, emotionally resonant awareness film. One that steps outside the category norms to engage, affect and inform.

Tooletries: Back Scrubber
Showpony
A man’s back is a lot like a remote jungle rainforest – untamed, inhospitable, possibly harbouring unidentified carnivorous fungi. But, with Tooletries’ new silicone back scrubber and its extended handle, men could finally tackle this long-forgotten territory.
Presenting the product as an unexpected and ridiculous extension of their own appendage, we encouraged gents to scrub where no man had scrubbed before.

Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia: Quit Your Way in May
Showpony
Ever thought you’d hear the words; cartoon characters, jingle and anti-smoking campaign in the one sentence? May is the month for quitting, and to launch this State-wide event we created “Quit Your Way in May”. A warm, inclusive campaign that takes a refreshing approach to an otherwise uniform category.

With a range of charming characters and a catchy jingle, we showcase unconventional and amusing tips and tricks to highlight the many ways someone can quit. Entertaining and upbeat, it encourages people to join other South Australians and quit their way in May.

The campaign spawned an online community where people shared their quitting journeys, shared tips, and gave each other support, through May and beyond.

Alcohol and Drug Foundation: Mobile Quiz
Showpony
Amateur sport is the lifeblood of regional and metro communities across Australia. It unites people from all walks of life, provides welcome distraction and hope during hardship and promotes social inclusion, long after the final siren has sounded.

So, when the Australian Federal Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) announced new national alcohol consumption guidelines, our client, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, wanted to engage these community sporting clubs through their Good Sports initiative.

Harnessing the spirit of competition intrinsic to sporting club environments, we produced an interactive campaign that challenged viewers to guess the new guidelines for themselves and test their knowledge in a bespoke online quiz. By gamifying the messaging, we helped to better embed the new guidelines and prompt our communities to consider their own consumption.

Australian Speciality Coffee Association: Championship Cup
Showpony
The Australian Coffee Championships represent the pinnacle of professional industry competition for coffee baristas across the nation, with the winners here taking on the globe in Milan’s prestigious World Coffee Championships.

To help the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) promote their flagship event and engage a highly anticipatory global audience, we created an espresso trophy in the boldest, simplest expression of what the competition is all about – the championship cup.

Tooletries: Manscaping
Showpony
Serious facial hair requires serious maintenance and anyone who’s ever crafted a chin curtain of respectable quality will know that the bathroom sink can cop a hearty dusting. Luckily, Tooletries’ range of innovative bathroom products mean furry folks can shift their manscaping to the shower and keep their sink in as pristine condition as their beard.

To introduce these new products and enable a new behaviour, we harnessed the everyday phenomenon of face pareidolia (seeing faces
in inanimate objects) to deliver an instant, memorable get.

Department of Human Services: Break the Cycle – OOH
Showpony
Domestic violence manifests as an escalating cycle of aggressive behaviour where the breaking of objects can be a precursor to actual physical violence. This insight inspired a creative execution that takes full advantage of the outdoor format. Bold and arresting it challenges the perpetrators of domestic violence to recognise their behaviour and take steps to break the cycle of abuse.

The QR code is a direct link to a dedicated 24/7 men’s referral service that provides advice and counselling to enable meaningful behavioural change.

Department of Human Services: Break the Cycle – Radio
Showpony
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s was an alarming rise in incidents of domestic violence across Australia. We were asked by the Department of Human Services SA to help them develop a campaign that would tackle the different forms of domestic abuse.

This radio ad deals with the issue of intimidation and physical abuse, challenging perpetrators to reflect on their own behaviour – to recognise that their actions are perpetuating a cycle of abuse that has the potential to destroy the lives of those closest to them, and impact on their family for generations to come.

But this ad also offers hope, a way out. A chance to be the ‘one’ who gets the information needed to break the cycle by visiting the State Government’s new domestic violence website and hotline.

Inspired by real, researched accounts of the different kinds of domestic abuse people faced every day, we set out to build an instant connection with our audience, creating scenes the listener could recognise with relatable environments and confronting scenarios.

PLAY THE FIRST SPOT
PLAY THE SECOND SPOT
PLAY THE THIRD SPOT
PLAY THE FOURTH SPOT

Department of Human Services: Break the Cycle – Social Media
Showpony
Sexual violence is highly prevalent in Australia and has a devastating impact on many individuals, families, and communities. While men make excuses or deny that their actions are sexually violent, only the victim’s perspective matters.

Executed across all social media channels, we also recommended running ads on the popular dating app Tinder, and welcomed their enthusiastic response.

In a first for the global dating giant, they ran free placements of our tailored messages, in an environment where women are particularly exposed to instances of sexual violence, providing campaign reach far beyond our expectations.

Flinders University: Australia’s Most Effective Resume
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Flinders University ranks first in Australia for the percentage of postgraduate students in full-time work. We highlighted the importance of that statistic simply and powerfully, with a clear takeaway – if you want a job, study postgrad at Flinders.

Flinders University: Number 1 for Number 1
Showpony
Recent research shows that Flinders University ranks first in Australia for the percentage of postgraduate students in full-time work. Given most people go to university with the hope of securing employment, we highlighted the importance of that statistic with a simple, arresting ad, anchored by Flinders’ distinctive gold colour.

The entry deadline for Campaign Brief’s The Work 2022 has now closed. Entries are FREE with only an acceptance fee charged for those that make the cut.