Reserve Bank of Australia priority target campaign NGB $10 and $50

The NGB $10 and NGB $50 are the second and third denominations in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) innovative new polymer banknote series. Following the major campaign for NGB $5 in 2016, general public awareness was high. However, post-issue research showed several groups with particular needs still required additional specialist communications activities. They were audiences with low English proficiency (CALD), Indigenous people (ATSI), people in non-metropolitan areas and members of the vision-impaired community (VI). In planning awareness for the $10 and $50 issue, a suite of special communication activities was tailored to meet the information needs of these priority audience groups in order to enhance confidence in and knowledge of the new series.
Results included:
• Online promotion in five other languages had a response rate three times higher than the average response to online advertising for those populations
• Regional audiences responded to online advertisements at nearly twice the rate of metropolitan areas
• Message recall across all target groups almost equalled mainstream results – a significant improvement.
• Post-campaign awareness surveys showed that the VI community had an exceptional 96 per cent awareness of the new banknotes
• ATSI awareness increased from 20 per cent before the campaign to 85 per cent afterwards
• CALD awareness increased from 35 per cent before the campaign to 66 per cent afterwards

When compared with the improvement in awareness among the general public (from 55 per cent pre-campaign to 62 per cent afterwards) these results demonstrate the resounding success of the targeted campaign.

Australia

The RBA created partnerships to draw on the credibility, audience knowledge and reach of existing organisations that already had trusted relationships with each of the priority audiences. This knowledge was used to ensure ease of use for each group. For example, special radio advertisements were created for people with vision impairment, emphasising the tactile features of the notes, and these were placed on a radio station dedicated to that group. Online and social media advertising was undertaken in five community languages and accurately targeted to the relevant groups, while press ads were placed within in-language publications. The majority of English-language press advertising was placed in regional newspapers and specialist publications aimed at rural Australians to aid ease of use among that group.

The RBA’s priority audience group campaign was unique in the way it specifically met the needs of groups that often miss out on access to mainstream advertising and media. Rather than assume that the information would somehow reach Aboriginal, non-English speaking, vision impaired and rural Australians, the RBA used research to identify that those groups required specialist information delivered in unique ways and then explored those needs with members of those communities so we could construct an inclusive campaign. We then developed materials and ensured these reached the target groups by using channels they frequently accessed. The outstanding results for the campaign show that this painstaking effort paid off with high levels of engagement and impact.

The signature block side of the $50 banknote features David Unaipon, an Aboriginal (Ngarrindjeri) man from the Lower Murray in South Australia who made significant contributions to science, literature and improvements in conditions for Aboriginal people. Features that reflect on his identity and achievements include the miwi and naval chord exchange that he wrote about and Ngarrindjeri shields to the right of the portrait.
The serial number side of the note features Edith Cowan, a social worker, who became the first female member of an Australian parliament when she was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in 1921. The building is the King Edward Hospital that she helped establish, the microtext is from her maiden speech to Parliament and the eucalyptus nut is based on a brooch that Cowan gave followers, symbolising the fact that Parliament was ‘a tough nut to crack’ for women.

It is essential that the RBA positions itself as an organisation that meets the needs of all Australians, regardless of geography, ethnicity, or disability status. Ensuring the information needs of minority groups were met reflected the RBA’s core values, including promotion of the public interest, integrity and excellence and demonstrated the banknote information is available for all Australians.

https://www.facebook.com/SaReserveBank/videos/328729787958506/