Research-based communication design for a First Nations gambling support service.
Background
Relationships Australia Queensland (RAQ) required digital community education content and resources to support First Nations clients through their Gambling Health Services. RAQ requested Relative Creative and Triple A submit a joint proposal to produce a suite of visual and video products that communicate available support for ‘safe gambling’ in a culturally relevant way.
Opportunity for futures
Gambling has a long history in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and has been used as a way to share resources and socialise. In the past, campaigns with ‘clinical’, confusing or inappropriate communications have been ineffective. We saw an opportunity to communicate clear messages around ‘safe gambling’ that would resonate with First Nations people by drawing on the colloquial imagery and language of text messaging.
Our approach
This project was highly collaborative, working closely with Aunty Debra Bennet and the RAQ team. Drawing on this partnership, up-to-date research and best practice, we created key messages that called on audiences with a variety of relationships to gambling to “yarn about safe gambling”. The overarching campaign strategy promoted yarning with family, friends, community and support services (like RAQ). This message was informed by three realities: research showing where people predominantly turn first for reflection and advice (themselves and family), the strength of existing support networks, and the various avenues available through RAQ.
We rolled this out for the three audience focuses, basing each on a campaign motivation, a “yarn about” topic, and a “keep track of” tip. The primary focus was about preventing harm, calling viewers to yarn about setting goals for healthy habits and keeping track of money for hobbies. The secondary focus was about at-risk harm intervention, calling views to yarn about changing your story for the better and keeping track of time and debts. The tertiary focus was about transformational behaviour, calling viewers to yarn about committing to a new track and keeping track of health and relationships.
As a part of the campaign identity, we developed two key devices drawing on the semiotics of texting and instant messaging. The ‘Dollar Sense’ and speech bubbles emojis capture short and sharp advice in a light conversational, non-patronising tone—as though a friend, family member or community member has texted to have a yarn about safe gambling. Australian banknotes are also used as background devices with subtle icons depicting aspirational visual messaging—the yarning icon, time clock, beach umbrella—in the banknote windows. A subtle escalation of currency changes with the escalation of harm in each audience focus.
RAQ’s new motivational campaign for Gambling Health Service was rolled out in posters, a micro-website, animation and video. We developed, scripted and produced the animation, with audio by Triple A. We also created the animations for the three videos produced by Triple A. Finally, we devised a media distribution strategy.
