With the finalists for Cairns Hatchlings, presented by Yahoo, having been revealed, we are turning our focus to the work that earned them their place in the spotlight. This week we take a look at the PR category.
Desperate to know who will take out the top spot? Join us at the Cairns Crocodiles, presented by Pinterest.
All entrants must work in pairs. The finalists for the PR category are: Anastasiia Nazarenko and Tina Kandelaki, Alyssa Mair and Annabelle Dane, Sam Rouse and Aislinn Powell.
The pairs were challenged to develop an innovative campaign to inspire corporations and individuals to participate in the Live Like MMAD fundraising initiative for Musicians Making A Difference.
The brief asked entrants to launch a viral national movement, reignite the power of fundraising and demonstrate how visible acts of “MMADness” can transform young lives.
Here’s a look at their work.
Anastasiia Nazarenko and Tina Kandelaki, Palin Communications
Nazarenko and Kandelaki revealed donor fatigue as a key problem facing Australia’s non-for-profit sector. It is not a result lack of awareness but rather originality and limited attention.
Their response uses music as a means to connect. The pair invite Aussies to post a video of themselves humming the song that means the most to them, using the #LiveLikeMMAD to create a viral moment.
The pair frame humming as music in its most accessible form, inviting everyone from all walks of life and levels of talent to join and donate. It aims to turn the mundane everyday act of humming into a fundraising initiative at scale.
Alyssa Mair and Annabelle Dane, Hello
Mair and Dane identify lagging action as a key problems for fundraisers in an oversaturated market. Despite a willingness to help being a core Australian trait, corporations and individuals are experiencing fatigue within the media as well as those giving.
Their response is to present Aussies with a low friction, listening challenge. ‘Wish Youth Well’ aims to leverage the 20th anniversary of Bernard Fanning’s debut ‘Wish You Well’. The idea is to challenge people to stream the song as much as possible for a period of time, with royalties being donated.
The proposed campaign utilises Fanning’s star power as a means to cut through fatigue and bring attention towards the cause. By channelling donations through royalties, the pair have also removed the need to ask for direct donations in a crowded market.
Sam Rouse and Aislinn Powell, Thinkerbell
Rouse and Powell identify declining charitable giving as a core problem facing MMAD, in conjunction with rising cost of living making Aussies less likely to donate. They recognise that while donations are down, they have shifted towards live experiences, causing a challenge for traditional fundraising approaches.
Their response was to reframe fundraising by creating an experience people can be excited to pay for rather than asking for donations. ‘One MMAD Day’ has been positioned as a live music experience where attendance becomes the donations.
The proposed campaign introduces a music busking festival, synchronised across major cities and regional centres, where the $15 tickets go towards MMAD. It further extends fundraising through merchandise partnerships, artist ambassadors and community participation.
