Background

The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is an annual celebration of diversity, inclusion and respect. However, 84% of LGBTIQ+ Australians still believe there are part of Australia where they are unsafe, with many feeling isolated from the safe haven of the Oxford Street parade. As Principal Sponsors of Mardi Gras, ANZ decided to spread its support beyond inner-city Sydney by transforming some of the 123 other Oxford Street signs around the country into fabulous Mardi Gras-inspired sculptures. We were tasked with not only conceiving, designing, and building the signs, but also installing and transporting them simultaneously to remote areas, across six states of Australia that were deliberately chosen to reach the LGBTQI+ community in a way we'd never been able to before.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Oxford Street in Sydney is visited by thousands of people from all over the world every year for the Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. But what about those members of the LGBTQI+ community who feel isolated and unsupported in rural Australia that may never show their support to people in those rural Australia that may never attend the part in Sydney? ANZ has branches throughout Australia and wanted to show their support to people in those rural communities as well as their continued support for the Mardi Gras parade in Sydney. With that in mind, we realised that there are 123 Oxford Streets all over Australia and so we decided to transform a selection of those Oxford Street signs countrywide into unique representations of LGBTQI+ culture. Popping up on Oxford Streets from Bunbury to Berry Springs, the campaign culminated in a massive 123-sign, 6 metre tall, 4-tonne sculpture in Sydney.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

Each sign was created with a simple design aesthetic: to keep the integrity of the sign and use that as the basis for each design. With that in mind, the poles became a flamingo’s leg, a candle, a golden arrow, a unicorn horn, a high heel, a hill’s hoist, a rainbow and a weather vane. The rest of the design grew out from the idea of what each pole would be. Each sculpture was carved in foam, primed and coated with Orion Silver to create a sparkling effect and hand-painted in Kandy Colour metallic paint in a palette that reflects the colours of the rainbow flag. Each was finished with a pearlescent ‘Oxford St.’ panel, that shimmers with the rainbow spectrum from every angle. Each location was chosen to juxtapose the sculptures and not only highlight the concept but also be easy to photograph and share online.

List the results (20% of vote)

The story of Auntie Cece, from the country-town of Mittagong is out proudest result. Our idea was designed to reach LGBTIQ+ individuals isolated from Sydney's Oxford Street, letting them know it was okay to be gay or (in Auntie Cece's case), transgender. When Mittagong's sign was vandalised, Cece took to social media, speaking against the hateful act, publicly revealing she was transgender. Sadly the sign was later stolen and two others vandalised- reinforcing the need for them in the first place. At a macro level the campaign delivered 239 million impressions, with 396 earned media hits across TV, Press, Radio, and Online. - 99% positive sentiments, 270% higher than competitor banks - An incredible 10 million giphy sticker views - 78% lift in sponsorship awareness outside Sydney - 50% lift in overall awareness (of an already famous sponsorship) - 25% lift in National belief that ANZ supports diversity & Inclusion