DREAM BABY DREAM

Short List
TitleDREAM BABY DREAM
BrandSPINIFEX GUM
Product / ServiceSPINIFEX GUM
CategoryB02. Use of Audio Platforms
EntrantSDWM Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Idea Creation SDWM Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Production SDWM Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Production 2 E FRONT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Production 3 SAM I AM Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Jake Turnbull SDWM Design Director
James Orr SDWM Creative Director
Elle Bullen SDWM Creative Director
Jarrick Lay SDWM Business Director
Bella Plush SDWM Designer
Sebastian Covino SDWM Copywriter
Caterina O'Brien SDWM Project Co-ordinator

Why is this work relevant for Media?

This campaign uses audio platforms to create a way for people to get behind the movement towards a fairer Australia. By collecting voices both digitally and live, turning every one of them into a signature on an ever-growing petition, as well as a feature on an ever-growing song, we simultaneously used our media to engage and reward our audience. What resulted was a song that featured the voices of Australia, and fought for a better version of it.

Background

Indigenous Australians have lived in Australia for over 60,000 years and are considered as of the oldest living cultures in the world. However in their own country, they face numerous injustices and are heavily discriminated against. Half of the young people in juvenile detention are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 2% of the population makes up more than a quarter of the national prison population. An Aboriginal man leaving school is more likely to go to jail than university. Many believe these issues are symptomatic of Indigenous Australians not having a say in how their country is run and the policies that govern them as a culture. Because in 2020, there is still no First Nations voice in the Australian Constitution, leaving the 800,000 Indigenous Australians voiceless. Young Indigenous girls choir Spinifex Gum wanted to use their voice to fight for one in the Australian constitution.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

To release their new single ‘Dream Baby Dream’, originally made famous by Bruce Springsteen, we made it more than a song. We turned it into a platform where the dream of every Australian could be expressed: A First Nations voice in the Constitution, and a fairer Australia. We then went on a national tour, where each performance of the song turned into a way for people to use their voice to sign a petition for change.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

To most Australians, the notion of our First Nations people having a voice in Parliament seems obvious, but unless there’s a referendum, nothing can change. Our strategy was to create a way for every Australian to be able to express their voice, and in turn allow the voiceless to be heard by the Federal Government.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The song was first embedded into a custom microsite, where anyone could sing along to the chorus in a karaoke-style format with their recording automatically mixed and mastered into the song. Continuously updated on all streaming services, the song featured the ever-growing number of people who contributed to it - the voices of Australia. The microsite and the song became an interactive musical petition demanding change. At the same time, Spinifex Gum went on a national tour around Australia, collecting the voices singing along at every live show, which were all added to the master track. At their final show, which took place on the steps of Parliament House, the vinyl was handed to the Australian Government, demanding change from the voices of a nation.

List the results (30% of vote)

The final song featured over 20,000 voices of Australia, gathered both digitally and at the shows. The campaign was covered by every major news provider in the country, and garnered over 39.9 million social media impressions. But most importantly, the song provided a platform for every Australian to fight for an Indigenous voice in Parliament, by using their own. The campaign added to the national conversation and growing demand for a First Nations voice in the Constitution, and in the months following, the Indigenous Minister of Australia Ken Wyatt called for a referendum on the issue before the next Federal Election.