ALUMNI
MATT PERRY
Sending a good message
When Republic of Everyone was asked by popular ABC TV show Gruen Nation to develop an ad to ‘sell the Greens’ during the 2010 election, they knew they’d been given the perfect brief. Not only did their ad win the show’s The Pitch competition, it was also described by host Will Anderson as the best pitch the show had ever seen. Viewers of the show agreed – seconds after the ad appeared, social media channels such as YouTube and Twitter were alight with positive comments, spurring The Australian Greens to approach Republic of Everyone about using the ad in their election campaign. Unfortunately, because the concept was ‘owned’ by the ABC, the Greens did not get their wish. But smart thinking between the agency and the political party led to a PR and social media communication strategy that generated more than 200,000 views of the ad on YouTube, thousands of tweets, likes and blog posts, numerous print articles and interviews across national media channels in the lead up to the election.
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The influential campaign is just one of many recent successes achieved by the self-described ‘sustainability agency’, co-founded by 2007 CSL Fellowship Program alumnus Matt Perry.
The name Republic of Everyone is ‘based on the idea that we’re all in this together and that everything we do affects everyone around us’, a point that really hit home with Matt following a trip to Central and South America in 2003.
‘Our vision is to create a company that significantly contributes to social and environmental good,’ Matt says. ‘We describe ourselves as a sustainability communications agency, not an advertising agency. It is about ultimately helping clients profit from sustainability through smart strategy, creativity and communications. Our clients always have to be doing some kind of good – environmentally, socially or ethically.’
‘I saw the world’s many social, environmental and economic problems are all connected; symptoms of one mounting sustainability crisis.’
Centre for Sustainability Leadership
After working in marketing and communications in London, New York and Sydney for major communication agencies such as M&C Saatchi, Matt came to Melbourne where he was accepted into the Fellowship Program,
an important step towards the creation of Republic of Everyone. ‘Becoming connected to a vibrant network of change makers, mentors and speakers who are leaders in their field transformed my sense of being overwhelmed and insignificant into a conviction that I really could make a difference.’ As well as working with not-for-profits like the Heart Foundation, Greenpeace and the Cancer Council, Republic of Everyone also develops branding and communication strategies for commercial clients looking to improve their sustainability credentials along with their profits.
‘We tie sustainability to the core values of a brand. And we want to prove that by doing the right thing you can still drive businesses forward,’ Matt explains. Importantly, Matt doesn’t see being sustainable as a limit on the success of his business. ‘Our single-minded passion for the promotion of sustainability and our collaborative approach is a beacon attracting innovators – corporations, SMEs, government, NGOs and employees – in their search for like minds and “smart thinking”. You can’t fake the intention to embed sustainability into every part of everything you do. Republic of Everyone’s continued success demonstrates the potential for sustainable business thinking.’ Annual Review 2010 • Our change makers 21