Lifeguards Let Swimmers Drown In Poignant New Refugee Advocacy Ad
For as long as we can remember, the refugee crisis and Australia’s useless ‘stop the boats’ policy (thanks Abbott) has remained somewhat unresolved.
Enter Common Ventures with its latest campaign for refugee advocacy group Ourstralia, led by Balmain for Refugees, and the ads titled ‘It’s un-Australian not to help’.
The ads feature lifeguards Bruce and Kev who are looking out over the beach, with two separate videos depicting two scenarios where a person is in trouble, and the two men don’t help.
The ad closes with the tagline, ‘This doesn’t happen at our beaches. Don’t let it happen at our borders’.
Bruce and Kev are filmed justifying their reasons for not helping in ways that a large number of Australians will no doubt relate to.
Some of their excuses include asking, “How do we know he’s actually drowning?” and the clincher: “If we’re lucky he’ll be taken out by the tide and over to another beach; he’ll become someone else’s problem”.
The ads follow last month’s ‘I came by boat’ campaign and look to change the attitudes of Australians towards struggling refugees.
“The aim is for Australians to see the fact that we don’t treat anyone else in society like asylum seekers, and remind them of the core penchant of Australians to help people in need,” one of the founders of Common Ventures Damian Damjanovski told B&T.
“It’s a straight-forward message that people should be pretty decent. They’re [refugees] not animals, they’re humans in need.”
Damjanovski added that the agency hadn’t featured Surf Life Saving Australia, but rather generic lifeguards in order to ensure there were no copyright or infringement issues.
B&T contacted SLSA for comment but had not heard back at the time of publishing, however Damjanovski said he “would hope they would get behind the message” for the sole reason that “it’s not acceptable to treat refugees like shit”.
“We wouldn’t accept this attitude anywhere else.”
Please login with linkedin to comment
adma global conference Advertising Standards Bureau American politics Merge shout a mate the house of wellness YouTubeLatest News
It’s Here! All The Incredible Winners From B&T’s Women In Media Awards 2020!
Are Media and B&T couldn’t be more thrilled to congratulate the winners of this year’s Women in Media Awards. It was the virtual celebration to end all virtual celebrations as hundreds of media professionals tuned in to watch 17 incredible industry leaders recognised for their phenomenal achievements in media over the last 12 months. It’s […]
MEET YOUR 2020 WOMEN IN MEDIA WINNERS HERE
B&T’S Women in Media winners have been announced, here we profile in depth each and every one of the incredible winners.
We Need To Talk About B2B Events
This columnist asks is it the end for B2B events? And if so, where will B&T journalists take afternoon naps now?
Women In Media’s Nat Harvey: “Humans Need Other Humans To Thrive And Co-Create Happiness”
Seven's sales director Nat Harvey muses on the year that was AND doesn't use the words "bognogs" or "willy dribbler".
Women In Media’s Juliette Stead: “Playing It Safe Isn’t An Option For Me”
Juliette Stead declares, "Playing it safe isn’t an option for me." Top news if Juliette's your tennis doubles partner.
LiveRamp And The Trade Desk Combine For Cookieless Solution
LiveRamp and The Trade Desk prepare for a cookieless world. And in further bad news, Delta Goodrem is touring.
Nine & The Lab Reveal One In Three Of Nine’s Talk-Radio Listeners Attribute It To Increasing Their Happiness
Study finds radio can increase your happiness. That's probably not the case if your horse gets beat on 2KY, however.
Bastion Collective Launches Bastion Asia
Bastion Collective has launched Bastion Asia which, when said quickly, kinda sounds like "busting, are ya?"
Something Originals Unveils Trailer For New Feature Documentary About Scotch Whisky Icon Johnnie Walker
When B&T's editor chooses to forget "that bitch that ruined my life" he uses & recommends the Johnnie Walker range.
“Very Nice!” Kazakhstan Adopts Borat Phrase For Tourism Campaign
Whether you like it or not, Borat has put Kazakhstan on the map. Much like what Lara Bingle did for Australia, really.
WPP’s Acquisition Shopping List Revealed
This article contains a hint of speculation, a spot of fabrication, but hopefully not a dollop of defamation.
Kmart Forced To Introduce Online Bookings As Melbourne Shoppers Flock To Stores
It wasn't loved ones or close friends Melburnians missed most during lockdown, but cheap plastic tat & bean bag inserts.
Vegemite Launches New ‘Vegemite Squeezy’ Via Thinkerbell
Nothing in marketing says "we've slightly run out of ideas" quite like making a squeezable version, does it.
Tuesday TV Wrap: The Block Is Back On Top As SAS Takes A Hit
Typically, B&T staff don't put a heap of effort into the photos that accompany the articles. A fact exaserbated here.
The Recipe For Return On Investment (ROI)
The recipe for ROI is revealed here! And thankfully it doesn't include caciocavallo podolico or white alba truffles.
YoPRO Reminds The Athletes Amongst Us That ‘Every Millimetre Matters’ In New Campaign Via Emotive
Yoghurt ad's aimed at "pro-am athletes & fitness enthusiasts" or people who have to bore you with everything they eat.
62-Year-Old Model Is The Face Of Biologi’s Pro-Ageing Campaign Celebrating Natural Beauty
New anti-ageing campaign features 62-year-old model who reportedly worked at the Ponds Institute in 1976.
Viztrade Launches Facebook Style Self-Serve Solution
Independent programmatic platform Viztrade has launched a self-serve solution for publishers to generate digital advertising revenue directly from their own websites. Viztrade Connect is to be launched through the Viztrade platform and enables advertisers to purchase advertising from publisher websites with no friction and full visibility into the cost of the media. The solution is […]
Google Launches YouTube Select In Australia
On the upside, reading B&T's tech news isn't as nerdy as reading it on tech sites. On the downside, it's not as good.
Melbourne Indie Agency Hardhat Hires Eight New Senior Team Members
Hardhat announces eight new hires and, as luck would have it, all have different milk preferences from soy to full-fat.
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation Appoints Leo Burnett Australia As Creative Agency
The Barrier Reef is the nation's jewel. Alongside the Christmas Island detention centre and Shane Warne's hairpiece.
Target Shows Us There’s A Better Way To Christmas In New Campaign Via AJF
Fire the gun, it's the first of the Christmas ads! With B&T most looking forward to the Ultra Tune and Metamucil work.
BIG Outdoor Launches Programmatic With Vistar Media
BIG Outdoor has announced the launch of programmatic capabilities powered by Vistar Media. BIG Outdoor is leveraging Vistar’s supply-side platform (SSP) to make their inventory available for purchase programmatically via open exchange or private marketplace deals. “Our mission is to stay at the forefront of improving the value proposition of digital billboard advertising,” said Richard […]
Why Purpose is Needed Now More Than Ever
Has a bad back all but ruled you out of catching falling colleagues for motivation? Try this hernia-free read instead.
Five Aces To Overcoming The Pandemic For CMOs
This is the only thing any CMO should be reading today. Well, this and maybe Riston's latest rants or Marketing Week.
NSW Government Launches Maths Trains Brains Campaign Via Bastion Banjo
The NSW Government and the Department of Education have today launched a major campaign titled ‘Maths Trains Brains’ which is aimed at changing the perception of maths and encouraging more engagement towards the subject for students from pre-kindy to Year 10. The campaign was developed by creative and digital agency Bastion Banjo with production by […]
Grill’d Sticks It To Fast Food Giants In New “Trump’d” Campaign
The B&T office are huge fans of Grill'd & we're not just saying that because it sells booze. Even if that is the reason.
Debunking The Myths: The Environmental Cred Of Print Media
In this guest post, Dr Phillip Lawrence of Edith Cowan University debunks the myths of the environmental impact of printing… The environmental credentials of printing have been in the spotlight for a while with brands and marketers as well as large corporates regularly proposing they would reduce or eliminate paper and printing from their business as […]
“Tiny Tech, Mighty Spec” Says Panasonic’s Newest Campaign Via Awaken
We're being fans of photography here at B&T, showing a particular fondness for the "artful nude" category.
Mindshare Snares Kayo’s & Binge’s Media
The WPP-owned agency Mindshare has revealed it has won the media business for both Kayo and Binge. Both Kayo and Binge form part of Foxtel’s Steamotion’s streaming services and have seen significant boosts to the subscription numbers in recent times, primarily during lockdown. Commenting on the win, Mindshare CEO Katie Rigg-Smith said the win would […]
