Cannes Lions
SYDNEY CONVICTS RUGBY UNION CLUB, Sydney / SYDNEY CONVICTS RUGBY UNION CLUB / 2016
Overview
Entries
Credits
Description
The campaign required multiple creative ideas integrated together, early ideas supported later ideas
Host the “World Cup of Gay Rugby”
- Boost visibility
- Also, gay athletes have no power
- Powerful allies were needed to influence people in sport, few were willing to support “anti-homophobia campaign” (stigma)
- Australians LOVE international tournaments
- Tournament was used as ‘honeypot’ to engage/attract powerful supporters
First International Study
- Needed proof of widespread homophobia
- Created coalition: 7 universities, 3 multinationals, government, Gay Games
- Conducted Pro Bono
Mardi Gras
- Australia’s largest protest march
- Convinced organisers to make homophobia in sport the focus
Report Slurs
- With no gay athletes, we asked ‘straight’ professional ambassadors to report homophobic slurs during matches
- We prepared our response in advance to maximise effect: Influencers would help motivate media coverage, study results would prove not isolated incident, gay community would demand strong action
Execution
- Hosting world cup worked far better than expected
- First supporters: Australia’s Prime Minister and John Eales (most respected rugby player!)
- Both supported after reading Convict’s personal stories sent through official channels
- Attracted many others leveraging credibility from their support
- Eales arranged a meeting with new Rugby CEO
- Dramatically different outcome than first meeting: Rugby would adopt an ‘inclusion policy.’
- CEO publicly challenged 4 other professional sports to do same
- We used various tactics, including study results and government pressure, to convince the other sports to follow Rugby
Slurs
- stopped being ignored after a rugby ambassador reported player using ‘faggot’ in a match
- created weeks of public discussion. Media allies supported our call for strong response
- The player was fined $20,000, enforcement supported by public
Alarming Proof
- Soon after, we released study results, generating weeks of international media coverage
Outcome
1
- 7 Australian sports committed to eliminate homophobia. Government measuring/reporting annually
- 5 countries working on similar
- First international study (9500 participants) proved widespread homophobia
- Media, players, officials stopped ignoring homophobia (front page, huge fines)
- Public supports enforcement (100,000 wore Rainbow Laces)
- World Rugby committed to international leadership on homophobia – athletes lobbying FIFA, ICC
2
- 500M+ reach
- Multiple stories in 12/15 world’s most popular news sites (Guardian: 10 athlete profiles)
- Australia’s most read paper: 100+ stories (22 profiles, Chief Sports Writer came out)
- Wide social sharing of infographic of statistics on homophobia from study
- Media stories supporting ending homophobia in countries gays outlawed: Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan
3
- Undeniable statistics now easy for international activists, media to find online
- 2 Australian companies require anti-homophobia policies before sport sponsorship
- 2 Professional Rugby Players Came Out
- Rainbow Laces Round: 100,000 participants
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