Creating inclusive campaigns

Summary

In 2023-24, the Victorian Government partnered with Think HQ to deliver an awareness campaign. The campaign encourages the safety and acceptance of trans and gender diverse Victorians in public spaces. Trans and gender diverse people report high rates of being treated unfairly, and of feeling unsafe, in public spaces. This is because of their gender identity.

Campaign development

The campaign was co-designed with a group of trans and gender diverse people recruited by Think HQ. This group included people from:

• Transgender Victoria
• Transcend
• Zoe Belle Gender Collective
• Inclusive Rainbow Voices.

To develop the strategy and creative approach, Think HQ facilitated:

• two in-person workshops
• an online feedback session with the co-design group.

Members of the Equality team in the Victorian Government attended the workshops. This meant that attendees had their feedback heard firsthand. The concept for the campaign emerged from these discussions: There were unspoken ways you could indicate support for a trans and gender diverse person in public.

Campaign production

The campaign was directed by Harvey Zielinski, a trans man. The creative approach centred around the idea that 93% of our communication is non-verbal. Facial expressions, body language, gestures, eye contact and space can convey what we want to say, without saying it.

The campaign uses this idea throughout. It depicts realistic, non-verbal interactions that trans and gender diverse people could experience. Some interactions are negative, showing people what discrimination can look like. Other interactions are positive, showing small moments of allyship and how important it is to be accepting in whatever ways you can. The scenarios themselves are carefully considered and relatable across a broad audience. This includes:

• a family gathering/BBQ
• taking public transport
• waiting for a lift
• playing footy
• moving to a new neighbourhood.

Campaign in market

The campaign was launched in June 2024, during Pride Month. It was not shared widely on TV, radio, or billboards. Instead, it was delivered through:

• ambassadors
• the Victorian Public Service networks
• partners and stakeholders across community.

This meant the campaign had a wider and more impactful reach and was well circulated online.

In the first month, on Department of Family, Fairness and Housing channels alone, it had a reach of approximately:

• 2,500 people on Facebook
• 14,000 people on Instagram
• 73,000 people on LinkedIn.

In the same month, the videos were played almost 40,000 times on LinkedIn and almost 20,000 times on Instagram. It received over 50 pieces of positive media coverage and public support from more than 35 stakeholders.

Importantly, much of the feedback from trans and gender diverse Victorians was that the campaign was positive and validated their experiences.

Summary

In 2022, ACON partnered with the Cancer Institute NSW to deliver a cervical screening campaign in NSW called Own It. The campaign was designed to empower all young women and people with a cervix to feel comfortable with a cervical screening test.

Many people face barriers to getting a cervical screening test because of their identity. These barriers can increase and overlap when you have an intersectional identity. To address this challenge, the campaign included talent of many different:

• genders
• sexualities
• abilities
• cultural backgrounds.

Campaign development

ACON worked with the Cancer Institute of NSW to identify the people in our community who may face barriers to getting a cervical screening test. This could be because of:

• their identity
• a previous negative experience like pain or cost
• experiencing discrimination from a healthcare provider.

Examples of this include:

• lesbians being told they don’t need a test if they don’t have sex with men
• trans and gender diverse people being misgendered during a screening.

Both ACON and Cancer Institute NSW identified these barriers from published evidence and previous research in the field. They then developed a clear message for their campaign: You can be in control of your cervical screening test and do it in a way that empowers you.

Campaign production

To develop the script, ACON first consulted with community members to gather real stories of getting a cervical screening. They then selected talent whose stories aligned with the campaign key messages, so the script was authentic.

The talent was told the script was flexible. If someone was uncomfortable with a line, they could ask to adjust it in a way that affirmed their gender or sexuality.

Prior to the campaign launch, some sample assets were developed. These assets included posters and videos. The content was then tested in a series of focus groups and interviews. The testing was with cisgendered heterosexual women, LGBTIQA+ people and First Nations people.

The campaign materials were a success, and people reacted positively to the inclusivity of the campaign. Even if the talent in the campaign did not reflect their own identities, they said the campaign reflected their friends and family. This helped to build relevance. This contradicts many stereotypical beliefs, including that:

• older people will react negatively to diversity
• culturally and linguistically diverse people will react negatively to the LGBTIQA+ community.

Campaign in market

This was ACON’s best performing cancer prevention or screening campaign they have done based on:

• message recall
• campaign recognition
• performance among LGBTIQA+ audiences.

The campaign also performed well broadly across the target audience.

The success has led to funding from the Commonwealth Government to expand the campaign nationally. The inclusivity of the original campaign also made it easier to scale for a broader national audience.