As we wrap up the final winter month and head into spring, we’re looking back on a busy few weeks full of some epic events and campaigns. You might have already read about our inclusive marketing event we held in August, or heard about this Equal Pay Day campaign we took part in.
Get the details on our events, new clients, and why the team has been humming ‘Be Our Guest’ from Beauty and the Beast nonstop in this month’s recap.
Beyond rainbows — our inclusive marketing event at The Commons Cremorne
Earlier this year, we surveyed over 300 people via social media about their thoughts on LGBTIQA+ representation in Australian marketing and advertising. The results revealed a pressing need for better and more authentic representation in the industry, and it’s up to us to make that change. Based on our findings, we created a practical guide in collaboration with Queer Town for brands, marketers, and agencies to get representation right.
To share our findings and launch the guide, we hosted an event at our digs at the Commons Cremorne on the 8 August.
MC’d by our very own designer Surej, we heard from panellists Archie Beetle, Emily Weir, and Amery Oke-Johnston who shared their perspectives and experiences on LGBTIQA+ representation and inclusion in marketing. We were so excited to see such a great turnaround and excellent questions from the audience. A big thank you must go to our panellists for sharing their insights and ideas, as well as our sponsors Matéo, Wonki, Heaps Normal, Plakkit, Monday Distillery, Frekl, and Defialy for helping us put it all together.
We were thrilled to see the news of our event and guide picked up by Mumbrella, Campaign Brief, and B&T, and hope that this coverage helps to propel more brands into action. Keep an eye out for some of the campaign posters you can spot around Melbourne in the coming weeks.
As for the biggest takeaway of the night? It was the importance of consultation with LGBTIQA+ communities at all stages of a campaign lifetime and beyond, as well as making inclusion a long-term priority rather than a short-term goal. It’s a good thing our guide gives you the steps to do just that, and you can grab it for free here.
How to build high-performing teams
At the end of August, we gathered for a high-performing teams workshop held by Ami Summers from Craft Coaching and Development. Ami has coached us both as a team and individually many times over the years on how we can best work together, and has mentored us on leadership and management.
This three-hour workshop was a deep dive on what cultivates high performance and what kills it (aka: the five dysfunctions of teams). We explored the essential beliefs and behaviours to thrive as a team and left the workshop feeling inspired, equipped with actionable steps, and ready to up our game (and culture) even more.
Celebrating the year that was at our EOFY party
The 2023-2024 financial year was a big one for Young Folks: we welcomed a bunch of new team members and clients, grew our positive impact, and hosted some exciting events. As is the Young Folks tradition, we celebrated it all at our annual EOFY party.
We kicked off the night with a delicious dinner at Daughter in Law followed by a short walk (ahem, embarrassing run-walk because we were late!) to Her Majesty’s Theatre for a showing of Beauty and the Beast that definitely brought a good dose of childhood nostalgia for the whole team. From the orchestra and costumes to the amazing dance ensembles and stage decor, the show impressed the whole team.
Everyone left the evening ready to embark on a Disney marathon of all the old favourites.
You know it was a good night when barely anyone remembered to take any photos! Here’s a blurry team selfie from Daughter in Law.
Intersectional pay gap reporting on Equal Pay Day
19 August marked Equal Pay Day, the 50 days past the end of the financial year that women have to keep on working to earn the same as men. But for whom exactly is it Equal Pay Day?
While we have limited data on this, Equal Pay Day is a longer while away for First Nations women, women of colour, women with disabilities, non-binary people, and other marginalised communities. Without sufficient data, we don’t know the extent of the gap we must fix.
That’s why this year, we joined the call with Ladies Talk Money on their ‘Out of Sight, Out of Pocket’ campaign to call for intersectional pay gap reporting in Australia. Other countries already collect this data, and we must too.
You can co-sign the letter here to help us take a step towards truly equal pay in Australia.
Welcome to our new clients
This month, we’ve got another round of new clients we’re stoked to introduce. They include:
- Wayahead, a NSW-based organisation educating people on mental health and directing them to services that offer help. We’re building them an omnichannel marketing strategy, as well as working on the brand expression to bring the strategy to life.
- Miriam Bella, a social enterprise committed to battling poverty and empowering communities in Kenya, doing so by producing beautiful footwear made by local communities. We’re helping Miriam Bella launch in the Australian market with a full go-to-market strategy.
That’s it for August — now bring on spring as we gear up towards the busy season and get ready to work on some big new campaigns and projects.
