Project Overview
As part of a Mitchell Shire Council initiative to encourage residents to shop locally, Sidedoor was briefed to develop a communications campaign aimed at children, to get the message into the community.
The concept was to be introduced to children during a class program, with the key components being a launch video and children's activity.
There were many stakeholders including council, primary schools/teachers, children, retailers and the wider community.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Julie Jackson - Strategy, Wendy Bakker-Mayall - Illustrator/Graphic Designer, Creativa - Post Production
Project Brief
The primary objective of this campaign was to create awareness of the benefits of shopping locally and to demonstrate how the local community within the Mitchell Shire can support each other.
It was imperative to develop a campaign to engage Grade 5 students, who would then become the ambassadors of the communication message and spread the word.
Through a simple class program, the campaign was expected to interact and excite the children to get involved and promote the message.
Key components of the campaign were a launch video, communication material and merchandise.
Project Innovation/Need
Our strategy was to create identifiable characters to tell the SHOP LOCAL story. We therefore created The Mitchell Crowd - 5 fun, colourful characters that the children could relate to. (Fashionista, Handy, Foodie, Sporty and Hipster)
By bringing these characters to life we were able to quickly gain the acceptance and engagement of the 10-13 year olds.
We developed an animated video based on the life of these characters and how they support the community. The characters were then leveraged across all communications.
In order to stimulate word of mouth and further exposure, merchandise packs were also created including - branded shopping bag, fridge magnet shopping lists and bookmarks.
Design Challenge
The greatest challenge in the development of this campaign was the audience. To engage, interact and gain the acceptance of 10-13 year olds was imperative to the success of this campaign.
Creatively using the right language, tone and execution would ensure its success and longevity.
Other considerations:
- language, tone and creative execution
- extend the reach to the home and wider community
- creatively balance the Mitchell Shire branding, campaign logo and the key messages
- create a unique and simple concept
Effectiveness
The SHOP LOCAL campaign achieved enormous awareness with both the target audience and the local community together with press support. Mitchell Shire has been contacted by many local traders expressing interest in further involvement in the program.
The community was saturated with the SHOP LOCAL message beyond the children, through street signage, bus advertising, posters, pull up banners and merchandise.
The current campaign has set the platform for future programs and on-going support of the Shop Local initiative. The Mitchell Crowd characters can be leveraged by developing and creating strong personalities that are memorable and act as a constant reminder of the message.
Tags
Graphic Design - Illustration and Type
This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience.
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