Victoria Against Violence and Taboo launch #OrangeCard to change the conversation
Taboo has launched the #OrangeCard as part of Respect Victoria’s ‘Victoria Against Violence’ 16 Days of Activism, enabling and encouraging Victorians to take an active stance against the cultural drivers of family violence.
Inspired by the penalty card warning in football, #OrangeCard is an ambassador-led social campaign that gives Victorians a non-confrontational way to stand up against disrespectful behaviour. Orange is also the universal colour representing a global movement to end violence against women, symbolising a brighter future for all women.
Melbourne agency Taboo developed the campaign after being appointed through a competitive pitch back in September. Over 20 ambassadors put their hand up for the campaign, including comedian and radio host Jo Stanley, AFL captain Nathan Jones, Paralympian Jessica Smith and entrepreneurs Stef and Jess Dadon.
Says Andrew Mackinnon, managing director, Taboo: “Family violence is a national emergency in this state and across Australia. There is an urgent need for change. All forms of violence are unacceptable, yet family violence is pervasive – and there’s this myth that it only affects a certain demographic, while the opposite is actually true.
“From the moment the Orange Card idea was born, it immediately felt like a simple and easily adoptable tool for changing the conversation. It’s been incredibly satisfying watching this idea get picked up in the vernacular, and it feels as though it now has a life of its own.”
To coincide with the campaign launch on the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls (25 November), the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Spire, AAMI Park and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia lit up orange. The Melbourne Star turned orange to close the campaign on International Human Rights Day.
Client: Victoria Against Violence
Julia Knight – Manager Communications (Respect Victoria)
Lauren Coutts – Acting Manager Communications (Office for Women)
Jess Shulman – Senior Communications Advisor (Office for Women)
Luke Butler – Senior Communications Advisor, Campaign Manager (Respect Victoria)
Creative Agency: Taboo
Managing Director: Andrew Mackinnon
Creative Director – Nick Jamieson
Copywriter – Claudia Sarosiek
Art Director – Steph Kitchin
Client Services Director – Khia Croy
Senior Account Director – Ollie Reeves
Senior Account Manager – Sarah Gates
Digital Strategist – Tatum Ambler
Junior Strategist – Sienna Giraldi
Producer – Gavan Dawe
Photography – Cameron Grayson
DOP – Thuy Vy
Featured ambassadors in hero video:
Bernard Curry – Actor, TV Host and Singer
Jo Stanley – Comedian, TV Host and Creator of Play Like a Girl Book Series
Stacey Christie – Travel Blogger & Accessibility Activist
Nathan Jones – AFL Captain, Father and Husband
Stef Dadon & Jess Dadon – Creators How Two Live and Footwear Label TWOOBS
Maker Mayek – Human Rights Advocate & Lawyer
Moana Hope – AFLW Player
Angela Pippos – Sports Journalist, TV and Radio Presenter, Documentary-Maker & Author
Zara McDonald & Michelle Andrews – Hosts of Shameless Podcast
13 Comments
I just saw this orange card idea advertised at the train station in Melbourne. I’d like some clarification on the scope of using this card. In the view of social conservatives like me, violence against women and children (and let’s not forget men) in any situation is immoral. This includes the act of aborting one’s child. It also includes the act of removing a child from one or both of its biological parents simply in order to satisfy the child-raising preferences of a single adult, or the similar preferences of a loving couple. Would you be happy for me to raise an orange card whenever I see a same-sex couple with a child, or a woman on her way to an abortion centre? I just wanted clarification on that one.
Thanks for your time,
Brendan Triffett
The orange card device is problematic. Would you really give an orange card to someone – say, a disrespectful colleague you saw in the workplace? Would giving an Orange card create open conversation and real behaviour change, or would it be confrontational and cause hostility in exactly the audience who needs to be reached here? I’d say the latter. Puns are fun, but the idea behind them needs to be better thought out, so as not to alienate the audience whose attitudes the campaign hopes to change.
Mate, you’re asking to be afforded the same allowance for your principles as everyone else. You’re a self-admitted social conservative – don’t you know that means you’re not allowed them by now?
What a terrible idea. This won’t change a thing
Amongst a few similar campaigns claiming to address this problem- this actually gives a workable solution. I don’t hate it.
And what are you doing about it aside from posting negative rot on an industry blog about a campaign attempting to help end family violence? Have a good look at yourself. Regardless of whether or not it works, at the very least it’s giving it a red hot go.
If you took the time to understand more about the campaign you’d see there are multiple ways to use the card with saying it to someone obviously the most difficult, confrontational and less likely to happen.
But in the context of social media where negative and disrespectful conversation is rife, the Orange Card become much easier to use. In fact, the Campaign Brief comments section is a great example of a platform full of negativity and disrespect.
And tbh, if being a bit confrontational is perhaps what’s required to make people realise their behaviour isn’t ok then so be it.
Also, it’s not a pun.
A play on words is a pun. That’s the definition.
And thanks, I’ve got 10 years experience in the sector, so I do know what I’m talking about. Just because you don’t like what you’re reading, doesn’t make it wrong.
You are incorrect.
Definition of a pun is…
“ the usually humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound”
It’s a bad and confusing idea, it won’t work.
Mention this in context and you’ll get laughed at. What am I doing about it? Just bloody calling it. Day in and day out. The sooner people (especially guys) just say that it’s not on the better.
Unfortunately this campaign mechanic relies on an understanding of football, and this the concept of getting a penalty card, how that translates into this campaign… it then relies on critical mass reach and awareness and people adopting it. I reckon merely mentioning it would then mean having to explain the campaign. It’s not going to work. But hats off to Taboo for getting so many ambassadors on the ground and for pushing the conversation.
At the end of the day, us blokes just need to call out the dickheads around us, cards or not.
@Truth if instead of canning an idea which ultimately is having a crack at stopping a serious problem and supported it like the ambassadors, who wouldn’t have been paid as it’s a government initiative, then maybe it would work. But you know, you keep being cynical, anonymous coward.