Helping new citizens
find their wings
New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs had been caught in the dark ages for a little too long, finally deciding they needed a streamlined, online platform for people to apply for New Zealand Citizenship. Beyond this, they didn’t want to be seen as “just another government agency” and they needed their new platform to have an announcement campaign that backed up their new attitude. They were also battling with low budget, but with a strong desire not to produce yet another corporate talking heads campaign, so they approached us to give them a set of fresh feathers.
Birds have always been of great significance to Aotearoa New Zealand (we actually run an annual “Bird of the Year” competition), and they often carry great meaning to other cultures and countries around the globe as well; so we felt like a campaign centred around feathered friends a somewhat unexpected, but entirely natural fit.
Do it Online Instead ran primarily as a social awareness campaign, with motion & static creatives generating interest and spreading awareness on YouTube & Facebook. The creatives feature Flamingo and Kereru (native wood pigeon), turning what most would expect to be a “talking heads” into a “squawking heads” instead. Flamingo represented a diverse array of foreigners looking for a fresh start in New Zealand, while Kereru stood in for the helpful locals, trying to help new friendly faces into their home.
The campaign’s primary goal was to increase awareness of the new online application process and highlight the benefits of being able to complete such a thorough process online. The DIA were especially interested in us highlighting being able to apply for citizenship “anywhere at anytime”, as well as the ability to save and return to the application later, so as to ease pressure on applicants.
DIA considered the campaign a success, showing a signifcant portion of their users were more eager to engage with the new style of creative, which lead to a follow up campaign surrounding the ability to apply for citizenship as a family. In the follow up, we introduce Flamingo’s children: The Twins. The Twins aided in creating a bond of empathy with parents who were looking to apply for citizenship, illustrating the convenience of the application process, even with children on the loose.