Koala campaign continues to evolve even if koalas don’t

With some cute costume changes but keeping their eyes fixed down the camera at you, these koalas have an important message for the human population that shares their Redlands Coast home.

Redland City Council’s new marketing campaign to raise awareness of koalas and the issues they face, is based on the message that koalas do not know how to protect themselves from human-made dangers.

They have not evolved to deal with dogs, diseases, dangerous roads, or the drowning threat of backyard swimming pools.

Consequently, looking after koalas is a shared responsibility. We all have a role to play.

The Council koala campaign marks a move away from the humour of the previous four-year campaign, to engendering empathy in viewers.

From 2019 to 2023, humour was a strong element in Council’s koala safety campaign with an evolving scenario of a young male “bachelor” koala, clutching a red rose in his mouth, looking for his soul mate. The popular campaign was titled the Bachelor in Paradise, after the television show of the same name.

Council’s General Manager Community and Customer Services, Louise Rusan, said the new campaign elicited feelings of connection and empathy toward animals in need.

“It is an approach that moves the audience to a more emotional engagement,” she said. “It is about creating a desire to be a part of the solution.

“The campaign is another part of Council’s continued commitment and investment in koala protection and community education.”

It was launched recently with a series of major billboards and will roll out across a wide range of mediums in the next few months.