Category: Strategy

Indigenous Business Month 2025

Annually, the founders of Indigenous Business Month set the scene for the annual theme. In 2025, 33 Creative brainstormed the theme and contextual narrative around Strength through Collaboration, led campaign content design, managed event production, and curated Indigenous procurement across all elements, from venue to trophies for what was the 11th annual Indigenous Business Month community led movement across the Country.

Our ongoing aim is to deliver a compelling awards program celebrating Indigenous business excellence, amplifying stories of collaboration, and ensuring Indigenous-led suppliers and partners are central to event execution and communications.

IBM theme banner - Strength Through Collaboration
What we delivered
  • A high-profile awards event at Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney
  • An updated website for www.indigenousbusinessmonth.com.au
  • Partnered with Corporate Sponsors across various funding tiers to facilitate the event
  • Campaign collateral (graphics, business resources, media releases) aligned to theme
  • Photography and story assets showcasing winners’ journeys
  • Facilitated media interviews and exposure of award winners on a national level as well as community activations through social media on Instagram, Facebook and Linked In.
  • Coordination between Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, Iscariot Media, sponsors, judges and nominees in event planning, travel and accommodation.

 

Outcome highlights
Why it matters

Rather than just celebrate success, the event modelled how partnership, reciprocity and shared purpose can strengthen Indigenous business ecosystems. It’s a blueprint for future programs where action backs the message and it judged and celebrated Indigenous Businesses and their contributions, amongst peers.

The team at 33 Creative are proud to have supported another year of Indigenous Business Month and encourage all of our friends to contribute to the conversation online #IndigBizMonth, visit the website and engage the services of Indigenous Businesses local to you across any area of industry.

The brief  

Every Vape is a Hit to Your Health, is a multi-year campaign being delivered by the Cancer Institute of New South Wales, to encourage young peoples to consider the proven health harms of vaping and provide a range of support pathways. 

It comes as the latest NSW Population Health Survey shows current vaping among people aged 16-24 has significantly increased to 16.5 per cent in 2021-22, up from 4.5 per cent two years prior.  

33 Creative were engaged to support the campaign through the development and oversight of materials exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples.  

video

The approach  

Given their expertise and active engagement in the space, we embraced a collaborate approach with Na Joomelah – a dedicated Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) team based in La Perouse, NSW.   

By partnering with Na Joomelah, we were able to best support the Every Vape is a Hit to Your Health campaign with culturally informed perspectives and localised strategies, tailored to effectively engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples in the state.  

It was clear from the beginning, both our teams were passionate about using strength-based message to empower our community to make informed choices about their health and well-being.  

Video and Creative Production

To support the campaign, we created two 15-second video products for use across YouTube and social media platforms. The videos featured TIS Project officers and took place in local community centres to align most strongly with the community.Our aim was to increase the self-efficacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples through promoting alternatives to vaping such as traditional healing practices and holistic wellness approaches.  

For further resources visit the Vaping Resource Hub.

The brief

We were engaged by Cancer Council Australia (CCA) to review the cultural appropriateness and overall usefulness of CCA’s current content and assets to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audience, as well as help guide their future content.

The approach

To kick off the project, we undertook a desktop review of the materials, prior to undertaking a series of community consultations to hear firsthand how community members were engaging with existing cancer screening, prevention and diagnosis information, what gaps exist, and how to enhance information to best meet community needs.

The final report included community insights and recommendations to enhance audience focused content, with an emphasis on diverse channel selection and delivery.

We look forward to seeing how the Cancer Council Australia team roll out the community insights into their future work, and a special thank you to the participants who contributed their time and expertise.

The brief

33 Creative have been working with Aboriginal Employment Strategy since our inception! We were delighted to be approached to help support the AES in developing their 25th anniversary strategy and supporting brand activation – We Deadly Together.

Statement of Impact

Creative approach

We wanted to create a yearlong celebration of events and activities, that tell the story of the AES, it’s people and community.

The program commenced in Moree, regional NSW in 1997, to address high unemployment of youth in the region. 25 years later, AES is now the longest running Aboriginal employment service, with a national reach and more than 13 regional offices.

The creative approach was designed to celebrate community and the people that have been a part of the AES journey over the last 25 years. We want to celebrate the strength, resilience and determination that helps AES deliver its vision – a career opportunity for every Indigenous Australian.

AES 25th Birthday Social Tiles

The impact

We developed a fun celebratory brand ‘We Deadly Together’ to support the AES collateral and activities throughout 2022 and rolling out the communications strategy for the year, including a partnership with the NRL Indigenous All Stars, establishment of a newsletter and social media calendar and a promoting success stories in the community.

We also worked with the AES team to share their story of impact to grow their reach and partners as part of the long-term growth of the organisation.

We wish the AES all the best in their next 25 years!

AES Banner

The brief

13 YARN provide 24/ 7 confidential, culturally safe crisis support. The First Nations led service connects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with trained crisis support workers to to yarn about your needs, worries or concerns without judgement.

33 were engaged by 13 YARN to enhance the reach and awareness of the service. We worked with the team to create a social campaign featuring diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander influencers to promote the 13 YARN services to their audiences and enhance overall awareness in First Nations communities. We were excited to be working on this campaign being the first crisis support for First Nations people in Australia.

Creative approach

Our creative approach was purposeful and targeted to make sure we engaged talent that aligned with the known high users of the service, including age groups and cohorts of the community at highest risk of crisis situations.

Working with 11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander influencers across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, we created a brief that allowed our content creators to make content that was engaging and resonated with their individual audiences in an authentic and meaningful way. We wanted creators to feel empowered to talk to their audiences about mental health, and promote that there is a service out there specifically for mob to call during times of need.

 

Highlighting creators

BlackFitness

Josh from Black Fitness, a young Wiradjuri man, drew on his personal experience to create content that was both reflective of his own journey and lived experience sharing his own tips to look after your mental health and wellbeing.

Allira Potter

Working with proud Yorta-Yorta woman Allira, we were able to reach her audience of over 40,000 people to create a message that not only promoted the 13 YARN service but more broadly reduce stigma and shame associated with mob talking about their mental health.

If you or someone you know is experiencing crisis, visit 13 YARN or call 13 92 76, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The brief

Philanthropic organisation the Paul Ramsay Foundation partnered with six First Nations project partners, to elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice, leadership and agency in education.

The program supports the six projects driven by Indigenous led education practices with a focus on language and culture in supporting education and youth success. ​

Paul Ramsay Foundation Brand Guidelines

Creative approach

We were pleased to be part of the program, bringing together the six partners to create a shared communications framework to share the impact of the projects individually and as a collective.

A key focus of the approach was elevating First Nations voices as leaders in education sovereignty to enhance the reach of projects and leaders.

The design approach also elevated the partner organisations in leading the work, supported by the Paul Ramsay Foundation. A partner pack was created to support a shared purpose, messaging and focus of the program wide communications, in conjunction with individual project communications lead by each organisation.

Paul Ramsay Foundation Partner Pack

The impact

The program announcement was a collaborative media release featuring each of the program partners and distributed to media nationally.

We worked with program partners and their agencies to support media pitching, supporting deeper coverage of the projects designed to promote Indigenous led education and influence more support for similar projects nationally.

We look forward to seeing the impact of the projects to support education outcomes!

Paul Ramsay Foundation Social Media Tiles

Sharing language and culture with Gujaga Foundation

Established in 2019, the Gujaga Foundation is the peak organisation leading Dharawal language, cultural and research activities, led by and for the La Perouse Aboriginal community.

As a social enterprise, the community run organisation provides fee for service activities that support free language programs and cultural activities to be delivered back into the community, revitalising and preserving Dharawal language for future generations.

33 Creative were delighted to work with the Gujaga team to develop an overarching communications strategy to promote the work of the foundation in leading language, culture and research, build community engagement and support long term, meaningful relationships with its partners.

The final delivery of the strategy has been completed, to support internal teams in rollout.

To find out more about Gujaga visit www.gujaga.org.au or follow on Instagram for #dharawal language words and updates!

2022 Indigenous Business Month

Background

33 Creative, together with Dr Michelle Evans of the MURRA Indigenous Business Master Class Program and Leesa Watego of Iscariot Media and their teams, led another successful Indigenous Business Month in the month of October. The theme for the 8th Indigenous Business Month was “Actions Today, Impact Tomorrow” which called upon First Nations business owners and non-Indigenous allies to gather online and in community to look at our actions today and how they impact our tomorrow.

As business leaders, we wear many hats. Inspiring the next generation of business leaders is one – what we say and do today in our communities could be the spark that inspires our businesses of tomorrow.

Indigenous Business Month Awards

2022 saw the highest number of award applications in the last three years and a particular growth in the number of Regional Indigenous Businesses getting on board.

This year’s winners were:

Indigenous Business Month is about shining the light on those that are doing amazing things. We encourage everyone to get across the activity of this year’s award winners and keep an eye to other Indigenous Businesses achieving remarkable things. As Indigenous Businesses we should recognise, value and reward our Actions Today, having positive Impact Tomorrow.

Visit the Indigenous Business Month website for more information and follow our #IndigBizMonth socials – Facebook, Instagram, Linked In and Twitter to keep up to date on #IndigenousBusinessMonth

Indigenous Business Month Awards

The brief

Philanthropic organisation the Paul Ramsay Foundation partnered with six First Nations project partners, to elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice, leadership and agency in education.

The program supports the six projects driven by Indigenous led education practices with a focus on language and culture in supporting education and youth success. ​

33 Creative worked between community and a designated steering committee to see that the communication and brand strategy was fit not only for the Premier’s priority, but most importantly, relevant and accessible to First Nations audiences – especially students, and their parents and carers.

Artwork by Kamilaroi Student, Felicity Adams

The Aboriginal artwork incorporated throughout the campaign was created by student, Felicity Adams, who is a proud descendant of the Kamilaroi people, currently living and learning on Dharug Country.

“This artwork is about the journey we take through school and our continuation to learn and grow. Each section represents our growth and understanding during our schooling until we are full of knowledge and prepared for the world beyond school. The four outside sections represent us continuously learning and trying to reach our full potential. For the middle section, I used dots in different colours, patterns, and sizes to represent all the knowledge we accumulate during school, including what we learn about ourselves and our culture. Our mix of knowledge and understanding is represented as a beautiful, intertwined piece of art.”

– Felicity Adams

Following the development of the communications strategy, 33 Creative’s Aboriginal internal design team worked with Felicity’s striking artwork, to develop a full suite of digital and print materials to support My Future, My Culture, My Way.  These assets were successfully rolled out, comprising informative fact sheets, social media assets, an infographic, and a comprehensive style guide and stakeholder toolkit to support the application of these campaign materials. Ahead of the My Future, My Culture, My Way launching, we also developed the campaign’s inaugural e-newsletter communications piece which cultivated high engagement from key community members and stakeholders.

As of early 2022, My Future, My Culture, My Way, has been successfully implemented and rolled out.

Click here to download the campaign resources or sign up here for My Future, My Culture, My Way newsletter updates.

The brief

Founded by Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin, GO Foundation established a scholarships program for First Nations students and provides access, opportunity and cultural support for students to ensure their journey through school is as rich and rewarding as possible.

GO Foundation engaged us to facilitate an online workshop and develop a communication strategy to support their new business strategy and partnerships model and refine their communication priorities.

Our role in this project saw us conduct a strategy workshop session with key members from GO Foundation and the 33 Creative team. We undertook a review of their existing communications activities, key priorities, and pain points across the organisation. This included a full audit of current social media channels and content.

The impact

We developed a communications strategy to align with the strategic plan that focused on three key areas to guide and prioritise activity and showcase the unique offering through GO Foundation. This included recommendations on language, communication channels, and partnerships focussed on maximising success and impact.

It stepped out key activities against each communication objective and also further segmented GO’s target audience into primary and secondary audiences.

The strategy developed will be used to help guide future communication which is in its initial stage of rollout.