How Yes campaign leader kept John Farnham voice ad a secret
The Uluru Dialogue Co-Chairs Pat Anderson AO and Professor Megan Davis following a media conference in Melbourne to launch the new "You're the Voice" ad campaign. (Image credit: Ben Fry / The Uluru Dialogue)
“NOT LONG AT ALL,” Professor Megan Davis responded when asked by a reporter recently how long legendary singer John Farnham took to get back to her about the possibility of being able to use “You’re the Voice” for the Uluru Dialogues’ latest ad campaign.
As the next iteration of the “History Is Calling” campaign, the new ad is a direct call to action to remind Australians they have a chance to change history for the better.
The film starts in the 1980s - at the time the now-iconic song was released - and follows a family through the years as they witness several key moments which are now forged in our collective memory playing out on their TV screen: the 1967 referendum, the Mabo decision, America’s Cup, the Uluru handback, Cathy Freeman’s gold medal, the 1996 gun reform, the 2008 apology and the marriage equality plebiscite.
Signatories of both the Uluru Dialogue and Uluru Youth Dialogue fronted the media in Collingwood in Melbourne on Sunday morning, outside the headquarters of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation Inc (VACCHO) to help launch awareness of the ad and remind Aussies of the importance of voting “yes” at the upcoming referendum.
Professor Davis was asked to describe the target audience of the ad campaign, and whether it was particularly tailored for some of the states which are likely to prove tougher battle grounds than others when it comes to convincing Aussies that recognising First Nations people in Australia’s Constitution through the establishment of a Voice to parliament is the right thing to do.
“The ad is targeted to all Australians - it’s an Australian anthem,” Professor Davis told the gathered media.
“Obviously for those of us who are - I think we're called Gen X, I'm not sure, I can never keep up with those gen labels - it's had a particular impact upon us, because the song was released in our generation; we were young when it came out.
“But it's for all Australians. The ad showcases an extraordinary number of incredible decisions we've made as a nation that we were anxious about, but which, in the end, led to a better Australia, and which we were all unified behind. “That’s what the ad is about and is aimed at all age groups.”
Production of the ad had been Australia’s best-kept secret while it was being put together, with Professor Davis reporting Aussies’ frustration that the song wasn’t being used for such a perfectly suited call to arms campaign.
“Keeping the ad a secret was really hard; very, very hard,” she said.
“Since I got back from The Rock (Uluru) back in May 2017 following the regional dialogues and then the National Convention held at Uluru, every Australian who has stopped me, everywhere, has asked me whether I’d spoken to Johnny, and had I thought about using ‘You’re the Voice’?
“Once the negotiations began 8-12 months ago, a lot of Aussies were stopping me to ask that question and it was so hard to say ‘yes, we had’, without giving anything away about the extraordinary piece of work which was being created.
“I mean, everybody has thought about it; we've all thought about it. But when John did say ‘yes’, and we pressed the button on production, it was an extraordinary experience.”
The “You’re the Voice” campaign ad was developed by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, alongside Professor Davis and historian Professor Clare Wright OAM.
It was produced by Photoplay and directed by Kaytetye man and award-winning feature film director and cinematographer Warwick Thornton. The film is the first commercial directed by Mr Thornton.
