This National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week, Australians are being encouraged to discover the Traditional Country beneath their feet with the launch of ‘Connect to Country’ from Facebook Australia and Indigenous creative agency Campfire x.
With the creative developed by DDB Melbourne, the ‘Connect to Country’ campaign invites Australians to better connect with the world’s oldest continuous culture, and encourages brands and businesses to embed First Nations culture as an integral part of their physical and digital footprints.
Starting today, the campaign video asks all Australians “Where You From?” and encourages them to discover more about their local First Nations communities, with resources available on the ‘Connect to Country’ Facebook page. These resources include videos to learn how to acknowledge Country and tips for connecting with their local community and language groups.
The campaign has been supported by Coles, Tourism Australia, and Telstra.
Alexandra Sloane, director of marketing for Facebook Australia, said: “This partnership brings the world’s oldest storytelling culture to the world’s newest storytelling platform. Our platforms have powerful abilities to enable storytelling and connect all Australians with the custodians of this land, the First Nations peoples who have nurtured it for more than 60,000 years. This campaign delivers cultural understanding and education based on the land you’re located upon, so it’s never been more accessible to learn First Nations stories in your own backyard.”
DDB Melbourne Creative Nic Molyneux said: “It’s not often you get to work on projects this important. As a First Nations creative, it’s immensely rewarding to be a part of launching the campaign, and I know the DDB team is extremely grateful for the opportunity to contribute and learn. This is just the beginning, I can’t wait to see where it goes.”