Young Wavemaker and Ogilvy teams launch GoFundMe campaign to finance bushfire masks and raise funds for RFS
Four 20-something media and advertising professionals from Wavemaker and Ogilvy have teamed up to use their skills in response to the devastating bushfire season unfolding across Australia, and are asking for GoFundMe donations to make it a reality.
Bec Drummond and Marco Del Castillo from media agency Wavemaker Australia and Jack Burton and Lucas Fowler from fellow WPP creative agency Ogilvy Australia have created a P2 pollution mask with a uniquely Australian feel, with all proceeds from sales to be donated directly to the Rural Fire Service.
But they need to raise $10,000 to produce and sell the masks, dubbed Smoggys.
With 90 fires burning in NSW alone, half of which are uncontained, 2.9 million hectares burning through NSW and QLD, 680 homes, 6 lives and 2,000 koalas lost, the four passionate Sydneysiders decided that thoughts and prayers were not enough.
To get Smoggys up and running, the foursome is asking for the support of friends, families, colleagues and fellow Aussies via GoFundMe contributions. Their aim is to raise $10,000 by Wednesday 18th December, which will allow them to actualise the Smoggys business so they can start selling across Australia. The masks feature patterns that are distinctly Australian – koalas, lamington, bin chickens and pluggers – symbols of the Australian spirit and larrikin identity.
Drummond, Del Castillo, Burton and Fowler have confirmed that if they can’t raise the required $10,000 to go into production with Smoggys, any money raised will be donated directly to the RFS. So if you choose to donate, you can be assured that your money will still make its way to the firefighters battling the dangerous blazes.
A P2 mask is considered one of the more effective ways to limit exposure to toxic bushfire smoke and PM2.5 particles, but it has to seal well around your face – so fellas, shave off that beard!
Says Bec Drummond, joint strategy director at Wavemaker: “The Rural Fire Service have been working around the clock to contain and downgrade bushfires across the country, to keep the rest of us safe. But the fires are out of control, the weather conditions aren’t easing up, the smoke is carrying across the nation and we’ve only just started summer.
“Rather than continue to feel powerless, we decided to do something that could help ordinary Australians deal with this new reality as well as help raise valuable funds for our firies on the front line.”
Says Jack Burton, art director at Ogilvy: “Wearing P2 masks isn’t something Aussies are used to. But then again, we aren’t used to having our air quality that is up to 11 times hazardous levels. Our idea is to help Aussies through the smoke haze and help the RFS fight against the smoke. A solution to protect both our lungs, and our land.”
Drummond, Del Castillo, Burton and Fowler received the encouragement and support of their agency leadership teams in developing their idea into a viable initiative.
Donate at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/smoggys
Earlier this year, each duo faced off as competitors in the Australian Cannes Young Lions final. However, in this time of climate emergency, they have decided to band together and leverage each other’s complimentary skills to help Australians fight the fires.
14 Comments
“If they can’t raise the required $10,000 to go into production with Smoggys, any money raised will be donated directly to the RFS”. My question is, if they do raise the $10,000 how many ‘smoggys’ would they need to sell before they make a profit that exceeds $10,000?
Say they only raise $9,999 and end up giving it straight to the RFS vs they raise $10,000 and sell the smoggys but they only raise a profit of like $1000….
please stick to media number crunching and advertising designs. This clearly will just end up being a donation drive as it has a good (great) intention but not a single product (industrial) design, or logistic / operation thought behind it. If that is the case, I think young leaders surely can get WPP to folk up 10k+ in donation. Like Bezos said, good intention alone simply does not work.
And to ‘leaders’: You obviously love this because it has great bylines to shout about to execs and the industry but put your money where your damn blessing is.
Maybe I am just a cynical old fool.
Yes, sadly you’re a cynical old fool. Give these guys a break and show some support
That’s a pretty tired graphic for a group of 20-somethings.
Sounds like a bitter comment from a ‘freelance’ creative to me… good luck in getting a full-time job
This stinks of WPP self promotion culture is so bad with this one.
Great ideas and great intention from the kids, so all WPP could do was some PR byline push help, “encouragement and support”? Christ.
Surely leadership could have folked out the 10k initial outlay + some product design, logistic and operation assist given this idea clearly doesn’t have any of?
Instead it had to go to gofundme?
Maybe I am a cynical old fool, but clearly leadership has no God damn clue.
Surely by the time these come out the smoke in Sydney will have subsided.
Also, wouldn’t the end goal of supporting bushfire causes be the reduction of bushfires and preventing these masks from being needed in the future?
Doesn’t the introduction and production of a new product (that @But pointed out, potentially stops money from going to RFS if they make the $10k) introduce more emissions / waste / go against preventing the masks being worn in the future?
Why not use this talent / creative resources to create an appeal? Or shed a light on any number of the existing GoFundMe and charity initiatives that are much more established / have enough existing momentum to see more success from incremental gains vs. investing money to start from scratch?
Why does everything have to be a product that will get thrown out in 6-12 months?
This just seems like a bunch of “20-something’s” using the bushfires to improve their resumes and portfolios.
This is such an amazing and well planned idea from young Australian’s.
Super proud of this generation, can’t wait to receive one. These designs are funky and cool.
Ignore the negative backlash, there will always be people who need to lash out at others because their own life is unsurprisingly dull, boring and reeking of self loathing.
Good job guys !
Amazing initiative guys – this is what people in media and advertising should be using their talent for all the time! Helping each other.
Great idea and well done for taking the initiative. Ignore the Negative Nellies!
This money would be better spent lobbying the government to take serious action on climate change. It is disgraceful that our major defence against bushfires is a team of hard working VOLUNTEERS. More funding and resources are needed in this area. We are a global embarrassment.
Go Jacky B
The kids are alright.
Love all the whiny boomers up in here. Don’t think it’s effective? good go fight a fire instead if sitting at your macbook pro making award winning ideas for FMCG brands. Nerds.
What a brilliant idea.
Those who left negative comments please let me know what did you do or will do to help this bush fire.
Are you fighting the fire?
Are you funding those volunteers?
Are you doing whatever you can to save water?
If not, why are you criticizing others with good ideas?
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