Wildlings Perth and Carat WA unleash the unicorn for Gambling Awareness

It’s the gambler’s constant temptation – to place that next winning bet, the one that will erase all the losses and finally put them in front. The ‘unicorn bet.’ A rare and magical thing, yet for many punters it’s worth pursuing… regardless of the cost.

To show how perilous unicorn-chasing can be, Perth based agency Wildlings produced a suite of creative materials aimed specifically at young male gamblers. No patriarchal finger waggling, but rather, an irreverent campaign that seeks to connect with young blokes who don’t want to be lectured. The campaign rolled out across audio, high-impact display, Meta and TikTok, and PerthNow. Large-format outdoor placements amplified the message, alongside creative touches like beer coasters in Perth CBD venues and digital ads in regional hotels, pubs, taverns and airports.

Wildlings’ Creative Founders, Pat Lennox and Matt Wilson, said: “It’s not often you get to work on such an important cause like gambling harm reduction. Rarer still, is to be given the imprimatur to use whatever creative means necessary to get noticed by our target market.”

With a wealth of experience in the behavioural change space, strategist Al Taylor welcomed the opportunity to tackle this issue in a new way. He said: “Getting under the skin of this topic, why so many past campaigns have failed and trying to find a way to connect with a tricky audience was both fascinating and fun, and certainly required some bravery on the client’s behalf. Where the Wildlings team landed is not just a brilliant idea, but a great platform to build on.”

The media strategy developed by Carat WA was designed to raise awareness of gambling harm, encourage responsible gambling, and make sure people know confidential support is available for anyone affected, including their loved ones. The approach also guided friends and family on how to help, while driving traffic to the Gamble Aware website for free, confidential assistance.

“Partnering with Wildlings on this campaign was an incredible opportunity to combine creativity with purpose. Together, we’ve built something that not only grabs attention but genuinely helps raise awareness and connect people with the support they need,” says Carat WA’s Planning Director, Ash Idle.

The campaign runs across Gambling Harm Awareness Week, 20–26 October.

Client: Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety
Creative Agency: Wildlings Creative
Creatives: Matt Wilson, Pat Lennox, Neil Martin and James Tay
Account Services: Nicole Lennox Gray, Courtney Rawlings and Cait Wilson
Media Agency: Carat
Media Client Service Team: Emily Whyte, Vicki Crimmins
Media Planning Team: Ash Idle
Strategist: Al Taylor (Taylor Simpson Jones)
Production: Raz Studios
Director: Paul Komadina
Producer: Mr. Razzle
Sound: MDS
Sound Engineer: Tim Count