Marketers need to listen to the silence at State of Origin
This week, multiple State of Origin players chose to remain silent during the national anthem, in solidarity with Indigenous Australians. 3PM's Marnie Vinall argues that, within that silence, there's a lot for marketers to listen to.
This week, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous players refused to sing the Australian anthem at the State of Origin series opener in Brisbane, protesting its lack of Indigenous acknowledgment.
NSW Blues player Cody Walker, from Gove in the Northern Territory, was the first to boycott the anthem, saying it “did not represent him or his family”. Soon after, other players, including Josh Addo-Carr and Will Chambers joined him in saying they wouldn’t sing either. On the night, other players stood with their teammates and didn’t open their mouths when the song played.
Players during last night’s national anthem
These players taking a stand to say, ‘Hey, your anthem doesn’t include my experience’ is something we should be paying attention to, especially as Aussies working in marketing. If this is true for rugby league players and their families, surely it’s true for some of our colleagues, clients, the greater community, and our audience.
As marketers and agencies, it’s in our best interests to be paying attention to all Australian voices, especially those outside of our immediate bubble or those who don’t align with our own privileges.
We need to listen when our audience speaks
Despite the fact that our job is to communicate a message to the masses, we also need to listen when people communicate back to us.
It’s one thing to be proud of the diversity of your team but another entirely to actively commit to creating a business environment that promotes equality, listens to marginalised voices, and changes conventional behaviour. If we act inclusive, our messaging will be too.
Just because it’s not us, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter
Most of us grew up knowing and singing Advance Australia Fair’s lyrics, never questioning its sentiment or phrases. I know I am guilty of this; the words aligned with my lived experience in the country. But as we’re being shown, this is not the case for all Australians.
In line with the players’ protest, rapper Briggs, during a segment on The Weekly, gave commentary on the lyrics, “For we are young and free”, saying: “Now, since all children in Northern Territory detention are Aboriginal and we are the most incarcerated people on Earth, we don’t feel particularly free. And as for young, we’ve been here for 80,000 years but I guess we don’t look a day over 60,000.”
As agencies and Australian businesses that are proud to put the word ‘progressive’ in our bios, isn’t it our responsibility to listen to marginalised voices and honour all Australians, not just the ones with the loudest and most-privileged voices?
The State of Origin players told us something important in their silence last night. We need to listen.
Marnie Vinall is a publicist and copywriter at 3PM
If your take out from this is about marketing then you have deeply missed the point.
User ID not verified.
What a load of left wing nonsense! If i had to describe you before seeing your photo, I would have thought you were a bleeding heart skinny vegan latching onto every BS cause out there. Over-educated but not too bright.
User ID not verified.
Michael Turner’s unfortunate affliction causes him to see things that aren’t there. Here’s what happens when he looks at:
A normal looking lady – “Durr bleeding heart skinny vegan.”
Indigenous Australians – “Durr di durr bleeding heart skinny vegans.”
F*** off huge elite rugby players – “Derp di diddly durr doo bleeding heart skinny vegans!”
Despite thinking they’re everywhere, Michael has never met any bleeding heart skinny vegans and deep down, he isn’t even sure they actually exist. Just ten cents a day can help people like Michael step away from their fictitious Youtube comment world and, like, maybe go outside every once in a while. Please give generously.
User ID not verified.
I love you
User ID not verified.
Hi Monkey, thank you for your comment. My take out from the protest isn’t in the slightest that is was a marketing stunt but rather that as marketers we should be listening to what is important to minorities in Australia, in this instance, Indigenous Australians. As Briggs tweeted this morning, “It’s about the dialogue Australia has with its Indigenous people”, and as we work in the communications industry, we should be listening and engaging with that dialogue.
User ID not verified.