Plush koalas appear in New York City to raise awareness and funds for the bushfires in initiative by Cummins & Partners NYC
Cummins & Partners NYC has launched an initiative in support of the bushfire relief, placing plush koalas at prominent and unusual places around the city to raise awareness for the need for support amongst New Yorkers.
Attached to the koalas is a QR code, which directs people to the Koalas of NYC Go Fund Me page which is raising money for WIRES – the largest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation charity in Australia.The fundraisers has already reached $7,000 in donations, of its $10,000 goal.
New York native and member of the creative team, Rachel Mitrani, explained her motivation behind the initiative.
“Working at an Aussie-founded ad agency, has made Australia dear to my heart. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel there on business and spend time with these iconic and beautiful animals. I absolutely adore them,” Mitrani said.
“I was compelled to connect New Yorkers to what was happening on the other side of the world. With the demands of life these days, it’s often difficult to really understand the impact of the bushfires unless you’ve experienced Australia for yourself.”
“I’ve loved seeing the reactions to our koalas. This activation reminds people of the kindness and humanity that still exists in the world. How a team, a city, a world can come together in times of crisis and shed a little light. The juxtaposition of some of the world’s most unique wildlife amongst a concrete jungle like New York City is what is so moving about this.”
An Instagram account, @koalasofnyc, has also been created for the initiative, sharing some of the koala’s adventures throughout the city. The agency states the account has already generated awareness across all continents through millions of impressions, snaps and tags on the account.
The initiative began on Friday January 10.
Cummins & Partners NYC said: “In a world of fragmentation and environmental concern, this is a movement that unites, holding so much relevance and longevity. Significant global interest has already proven that.”
If you’d like to assist with bushfire recovery, relief and rescue efforts, please explore the options below:
Can we as an industry agree that no bushfire related campaign activity will be accepted in award submissions in the coming years? Just to ensure all these little actions are as altruistic as their owner’s claim …
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I love this idea.
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That’s a good call.
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I agree. I want to believe all these activities are coming from a place of good, yet I feel they are exploiting a situation for self-gain.
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Agreed!!!
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highly unlikely
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Nice one. Nothing better than a brilliant idea doing good for the world. Totally my headspace.
Good to see it wasn’t branded with the agency logo.
Agree about the awards thing… seems a bit opportunistic. Can’t imagine any agency holding back on it though.
Stop
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That people are seeing this as an award play says the idea.is powerful.
To suggest that powerful ideas should not be awarded because of the subject matter is absurd.
From the Grim Reaper, to all the TAC commercials, Dumb ways to die… we have short memories…the subject matter has to be honoured with great ideas. That’s what great agencies do.
This deserves every accolade it may eventually get. It certainly deserves praise right now.
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This might be a good idea, but it’s doubtful that it’s great or award winning one, or will keep any of the company described by others here.
Why? It’s only a gimmicky idea or stunt.
It doesn’t solve any problem associated with the ongoing bushfire crisis. Donations and money are rolling in from around the world. The emerging challenge is in managing these donations and getting the money to those who need it, not getting more.
And New York, why? Why is this particular geography key? Is this a hotbed of donations? Is it a place to expect more donations from? No, none of the above. But it is a great way to leverage Australia’s need for external cultural validation to raise awareness and publicity for a cute, but ultimately inconsequential, idea. And that’s what it should be seen as, and why it shouldn’t win any metal.
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$10k donations in five days isn’t Celeste Barber territory. Do we know what percentage of those donations came from NYC? Agree that it’s pretty but inconsequential.
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So I jump onto read about a really good idea raising funds and awareness in the midst of a national crisis and what do I find? Adland tearing itself down again. There are some things about the old beat I really don’t miss. (and to save you some keystrokes, I know you guys don’t miss me either). Keep up the effort Cummins. I hope it raises money awareness and wins metal.
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No agencies should even consider entering bush fire related work into awards.
People are doing this (I hope) because they care and they want to help.
They aren’t doing it to serve themselves by winning a trophy.
Right C&P?
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It’s wonderful to see so many organisations helping those affected by these horrific bushfires, but please don’t forget that the fires also devastated, and continue to burn, in areas outside the East Coast of Australia. I note the inclusion of links in the article to support the NSW RFS and Victorian CFA but it would also be great to also see the Country Fire Service (CFS) in South Australia supported too, as they continue their frontline efforts to save several areas throughout the state, in particular Kangaroo Island. Link > https://cfsfoundation.org.au/
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