#PlateForAMate is an annual community awareness campaign that encourages Australians to ‘share a plate with a mate’ for the good of others.
In 2022, an A-List lineup of much-loved chefs, celebrities and culinary brands came together to create nourishing recipes specifically designed to share with loved ones.
As well as reminding Australians of the mental health benefits of shared mealtimes, #PlateForAMate raised funds for the Black Dog Institute to deliver much-needed mental health training in regional and rural communities that have been devastated by recent natural disasters.
The Brief
Blue Planet PR was tasked with executing on the PR goals for each of the campaign’s stakeholders:
1. Raise awareness of the need for mental health support in rural and regional areas, driving donations towards the Black Dog Institute.
2. Bring the involved brands to life by telling their stories.
3. Generate engagement with the recipes, seeing more Australians cook and share meals with family and friends.
4. Showcase the effectiveness of #PlateForAMate with potential sponsors.
The Strategy
While natural disasters have shone a light on the mental health crisis unfolding in regional and rural Australia, for people in the city, it can be a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’.
Blue Planet PR brought the cause to the forefront by telling the stories of
each of the involved brands. Brands that have all persevered through the hardships of the last few years to produce the food that lines the shelves of our supermarkets. From the farm where the cauliflowers are grown for Three Threes flooding for the third time in twelve months, to Delite Mandarins’ crops being wiped out by a freak hailstorm, to Our Cow having their farm decimated by bushfires, drought, then floods.
With the campaign rolling out over the course of a few months, we utilised these personal stories to create new angles to keep the #PlateForAMate message fresh. Throw in a fun-filled, pancake-flipping fundraiser at Bondi Farmers’ Markets, and #PlateForAMate was kept front of mind for a broad range of media outlets.
The Result
Media coverage, with a reach exceeding 3 million, was secured across television, radio, print, online, podcast and social media outlets. These outlets were both business and consumer facing.
Over $40,000 was raised for the Black Dog Institute to deliver its mental health training programs in regional and rural communities.
