The diversity of mathematics is highlighted in Bastion Banjo campaign for the NSW Department of Education
To mark the launch of the NSW Government’s Math Trains Brains initiative, which is aimed at encouraging more engagement towards the subject for students from preschool to year 10, the Department of Education is rallying support from the public with campaign by Bastion Banjo.
The campaign works to raise awareness of the impact of mathematics on a range of fields by reframing the subject in parents’ minds. The ad highlights how maths informs problem solving in sport, cooking, music and art.
Banjo creative director, Ben O’Brien, explained the campaign needed to help start conversations between parents and their children.
“The jobs of the future, both technical and creative, will require some maths education. So our job was to get a conversation started between parents and kids and make maths feel alive. And even a bit fun.
“We know that parents’ own maths anxiety is often passed down to their child. Especially when asked for help with maths homework. We needed to help reduce this maths anxiety, and as a result overcome their cognitive bias by reframing maths based on its benefits, which are far reaching.”
NSW Department of Education director of content and digital transformation, Carmen Michael, added: “To help grow students’ proficiency in maths, it is necessary to foster positive attitudes towards maths, which are shown to be a key factor in students’ achievement.
“For our students, this means being able to notice, wonder and engage with the maths they come across in the world around them; and by exploring the possibilities and opportunities they can experience by learning and studying maths.
“For parents and carers, this highlights the relevancy of maths by showcasing where it is in their everyday life, empowering them to become more involved in their child’s maths education.”
The ad takes inspiration from traditional ad campaigns for sports, blending a a dynamic soundtrack with high energy vision. Monster Children produced the spot, which will be distributed as the 60 second film and 30 and 15 second cut-downs.
Bastion Banjo’s founding partner, Ben Lyttle, commented: “Our creative approach was to demonstrate the benefits of maths across a broad range of skills, beyond numeracy. And do this in an inspiring way – demonstrating maths being used in surprising and unexpected ways such as music, cooking and sport.
“We needed to show parents and carers that maths is one of the most important subjects a child can learn, because it is like exercise for the brain. Maths helps to enhance sport decision making, understand music patterns, rhythms and beats, as well as problem solving, critical thinking and more. Building a child’s life skills by training their brains with maths.”
Credits
Department of Education
Director Content and Engagement | Communication and Engagement – Carmen Michael
Campaign and Strategy Lead | Communication & Engagement – Sheree Joseph
Video Producer | Communications and Engagement – Lily Rasdall
Bastion BANJO
Founding Partner – Andrew Varasdi
Founding Partner – Ben Lyttle
Creative Director / Head of Art – Georgia Arnott
Creative Director /Copy – Ben O’Brien
Senior Art Director – David Jones-Hawke
Producer – Angelita Gandakusuma
Group Account Director – Smita Yagnik
Monster Children Films
Director – Chris Searl
Producer / AD – Jam Hassan
DP – Cambell Brown
Production Manager – Sally Quade
Editor – Lily Davis (The Editors)
Post Producer – Liv Reddy (The Editors)
Colourist – Fergus Rotherham
Music Composition – Ryan Miller (Hercules Street Studio)
Sound Post-Production – Squeak E.Clean Studios
