The Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) is a major contributor to the Southland community and economy. The government’s reform of vocational education was set to strip SIT of its autonomy, with dire consequences.
This project was self-initiated; our task being to mobilise the Southland community in a two-phase campaign.
Stage one: Community education and mobilisation. We needed to show Minister Hipkins how Southland felt about its asset being compromised by way of a vocal and visual “welcome” for him at every site of his Southland visit, especially the public meeting.
Stage two: A plea for submissions. This would ensure Southlanders had a voice. Businesses and individuals were compelled to submit to the Government.
This campaign required immediate action from the day the reform was announced. We needed the community to get on board and offer their physical space, resources and time to ensure we could mobilise Southland.
Naked Creative partnered with community groups, businesses and organisations to create sea of orange across Invercargill and Southland. This included signage erected throughout Southland, primarily on the Minister’s travel route, a haka to greet him at the airport, and people wearing Stand up for SIT T-shirts, posters and hoardings at every meeting he had in the region.
Our marketing was primarily educational, ensuring the outcomes or the proposed reform were made clear to Southlanders. This included a digital, print and radio campaign, with a focus on PR. We worked with various local and national influencers to prepare and share opinion pieces, and Carla engaged in a speaking circuit for the duration of the campaign. A Stand Up for SIT song was written, and a pop-up shop created to allow the community to access information and assistance with their submission.
“When the Reform of Vocational Education draft was released with its debilitating ramifications for SIT, Naked Creative was quick to jump to our defence and plead SIT’s case. I watched with amazement at the speed they were able to bring things together and rally the community for their Stand Up for SIT campaign.
Within days, their team had pulled together a region-wide marketing and PR campaign. Everywhere I looked, Stand Up For SIT was there. The turnout for the Minister’s arrival at Invercargill Airport and the public meeting at SIT were highlights of the campaign, the tension between the Minister and the Southland community palpable in those rooms.
They compelled the Southland community to have a voice. I am beyond grateful for the response Naked Creative have incited in our community and the profile they’ve given to SIT’s concerns.”