Judge's comments:

A grass roots approach that embedded itself at the right time harnessing a movement of nationwide support. Highly versatile with it’s low key approach and not precious in its ownership. Design for the people that worked.

Description:

2020 is a year that changed all Kiwi lives. Covid 19 hit and Aotearoa was thrown into lockdown, the daily number of cases, weeks locked in our bubbles, mounting redundancies, or the unknown number of families that would lose their livelihoods weighed heavily. So we decided together, our team of 130 was in a unique position to help the team of 5 million. There was no playbook and we had no idea what to expect.

When lockdown forced New Zealand to a grinding halt, no one felt the economic burden more than our SMEs. Instinctively, we knew SMEs badly needed local support, and this was substantiated through research. Many had made huge personal and financial sacrifices to establish and maintain their successful brands. However, few were prepared for the impact of COVID-19 and many had to close, impacting their incomes, savings, assets, relationships and mental health. Small businesses – the backbone of our economy – were in turmoil and needed help.

As an independent local business, we were in a unique position to do the right thing and offer our assistance. We took the initiative and developed a brief, got together and worked a plan late into the night. Working with local businesses, we identified their key needs and how we could help. With a sense of urgency and mission, we crafted a national campaign and usable resources, all in 12 days whilst under level 4 lockdown ourselves.

We crafted a campaign in two parts:

One – A national mass-media campaign to persuade Kiwis to support their local businesses
Two – Free resources for businesses, to help them through the hard times

Support Local, Shop Local became the national rallying call around which we built our messaging. We crafted a visually simple campaign, executed in stark black and white (to save on costs for all involved) and brought to life with friendly, charming illustrations and writing. To shift consumer behaviour in such unprecedented times, we needed total coverage. Our media partners around the nation heard the call – Television, newspapers, video on demand, out of home, social media, digital and many more… totalling over $1million, all for free. The movement was underway.

We mobilised teams around the country to create a suite of tools for SMEs to access and use. This became a central website that hosted interviews and advice with key business leaders, information and downloadable toolkits – all free of charge. Aligned to the national campaign, the toolkits featured printable posters and stickers, plus social media templates, digital assets and more – all encouraging people to support local, shop local.

The campaign went nation-wide, Kiwis heard the call and rallied around their local businesses. 38,500 businesses accessed the website, and using our resources, 69% reported an earnings increase averaging over $5000 each. 97% of businesses reported the toolkits to be useful. And whilst these numbers are important, our priority is always with the people of Aotearoa and their livelihoods.