Pink Shirt Day 2024

Curative poses a question with new campaign for Pink Shirt Day

Creative agency Curative have teamed up with the Mental Health Foundation to create the 2024 Pink Shirt Day campaign, one that centres diverse voices and poses an important question to remind New Zealanders of the power of supporting others against bullying.

New Zealand has some of the highest bullying rates worldwide. Coming up on Friday May 17, Pink Shirt Day is a chance for everyone in Aotearoa to do their part to eliminate bullying in Aotearoa by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusion.

“Pink Shirt Day is a chance to raise awareness of the importance of being an Everyday Upstander against bullying” says Shaun Robinson, Mental Health Foundation Chief Executive. “Even the smallest act of supporting another person can help create a culture where bullying behaviours can’t thrive. We love the authentic direction that Curative have taken the 2024 campaign, which brings a thoughtful, strengths-based approach to our message”.

Curative’s human-centred campaign focuses on what it feels like to be supported against bullying by exploring authentic narratives in answer to the question, “what would it have meant to have someone stand up for you?”. Emulating the culture we can build when we stand up to bullying, the visual approach revolves around a simple motif of support.

“As soon as we started working on this brief we began reflecting on our own answers to that question, so we really wanted to bring that tone of reflection and realness to the campaign, as well as visually conveying that feeling of support” Curative Creative Director Logan Bradley says. “For the hero spot, we’ve told a story over one shot, which first isolates one person in a group, then pulls back to reveal the network of support they have around them”.

The campaign features a soft, warm aesthetic and heroes authentic voices from a range of rainbow and disability communities. The hero spot is accompanied by a second commercial that helps New Zealanders understand what it means to be an Everyday Upstander, as well as a suite of promotional images that feature New Zealanders young and old.

Everyone in Aotearoa can take part in Pink Shirt Day on Friday May 17 and help their school, community or workplace celebrate this powerful movement to spread aroha and kindness. Find out more below, purchase your pink tee or tote from Cotton On, and get ready to say, “Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, and Stop Bullying”.

To find out more, visit pinkshirtday.org.nz.