The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation advances education by promoting studies and discussion associated with the establishment and development of western civilisation. This includes supporting the principle of civil discourse and free enquiry which is central to the inheritance of the Enlightenment.
In 2024, the Ramsay Centre brought international policy expert Robert D Kaplan to Australia for events and a headline lecture.
The Centre briefed Agenda C to use Mr Kaplan’s visit as part of a push to build a younger and more politically diverse constituency.
Our target audience
The Ramsay Centre typically found itself attracting an older audience to its lecture series events. In order to broaden the appeal of these events and further the mission of the Centre to spark discussion of Western values among a younger audience, the Ramsay Centre briefed Agenda C to create a lecture promotion campaign which would attract 20-45 year old mid-career professionals interested in leadership and self-development. Importantly, the Centre wanted the attendees to be centrist or politically non-dogmatic – interested in discussing and debating ideas, not ideological warriors fixed in their views.
Our insight
Agenda C developed a profile of our target audience. They are career-minded young professionals have many demands on their time and have to be given a compelling reason to add another commitment. Big abstract ideas can seem irrelevant to them. We needed to build the link between ideas and the professional success they are pursuing, convincing them that engaging with the ideas presented by the Ramsay Centre would contribute to their career progression. They needed to believe that a better understanding of ideas and their origins would give them an actionable insight into the present.
The strategy
We positioned the RD Kaplan event as part of a series of events at which attendees would receive an understanding of what is happening in the present and what will happen in the future, by better understanding the past.
Using the RD Kaplan lecture as our first event, we started by using Kaplan’s notion of the tragic mind to bring to life our proposition.
Leaning heavily on his book The Tragic Mind, we identified examples of where history and literature have provided a guide to current events. Our task was to bring this to life visually and through narrative in our short videos and, using quotes, in our graphical tiles, using creative techniques to show how patterns emerge.
The emphasis would be on how ideas can change the world. An example of that was drawn from Kaplan’s own experience of learning from his self-identified mistakes as a journalist.
Our key proposition
We distilled our key proposition to our target audience into a simple line which also became our tagline:
To own the future, you need to know the past.
In order to know what is coming, it is important to be well-informed about the ways in which events have played out across human history. That knowledge is a powerful advantage for those seeking to shape the course of the future, including the young strategists and leaders we wanted to come to the lecture series.
Our process
Agenda C read RD Kaplan’s The Tragic Mind and identified key passages and concepts from his book that we could use to illustrate our key proposition. These passages were chosen to reinforce the idea that an understanding of what has been can be used as a guide to what is an what will be.
Our creative
Agenda C developed a bold, modern look for the Ramsay events. The colour palette was black with bold pink and royal blue pops of colour. Our hero image depicted a young woman and man looking to the future. The creative used a montage style to layer images of historical and current events. Sans serif font gave the creative a clean, contemporary feel.
Our messaging
We developed copy to express the thinking behind the tagline.
Leaders are shaped by what is happening around them: what are the events and ideas that will inspire and caution you?
Vision for the future requires a rich grasp of the present. Leaders understand their context and engage with the ideas and movements shaping our future.
On Thursday, 31 October 2024, esteemed US journalist and best-selling author Robert D Kaplan will deliver a timely discourse on The Tragedy of 21st Century Geopolitics.
What you will learn:
- Crisis Management: Benefit from Kaplan’s real-world experience consulting on global conflicts, preparing you to lead effectively in high-stakes environments with competing priorities.
- Global Awareness: Hear from an award-winning foreign affairs expert and broaden your understanding of international dynamics.
- Strategic Insights: Benefit from Robert D. Kaplan’s extensive experienceadvisingGlobal Powers, from briefing President George W. Bush in 2001 to advising the Pentagon and the U.S. Navy, gaining actionable insights into how top decision-makers approach global security issues.
- Geopolitical Expertise: Learn from one of the world’s top geopolitical thinkers, offering a real-world perspective on navigating contemporary international affairs.
- Foreign Policy Lessons: Kaplan has shaped foreign policy, learn the practical challenges of global governance.
Be part of a community of insight.
Our campaign infrastructure
Agenda C built a bespoke campaign microsite with a sleek and modern design to engage young people with our proposition, hosted at ownthefuture.org.
The website provided education on the thinking behind our proposition and explicitly conveyed “what was in it” for young people to attend.
The site also hosted social assets designed to repeat and reinforce messages through targeted social outreach.
The campaign website included an integrated CRM (Klaviyo) which allowed interested people to enter their contact to register.
We were able to capture data of site visitors and use this to our advantage through retargeting them on social media platforms.
The
outcome
- Half a Million Reached on a Minimal Budget
On a very small budget, Agenda C inspired over half a million people to learn more about Ramsay Centre events in just three weeks.
- Repositioning the Centre for the Next Generation
We delivered a proof-of-concept to the CEO on how the Centre could adapt its proposition and attract a younger audience to participate in constructive dialogue and learn about history and Western traditions.
