Topic: Healthy Masculinities
Client: Safer Community RMIT
Product: Let’s make RMIT safe for all people.
Target audience: Male RMIT students aged 18–30 on the Melbourne campus.
Key insight: Males across a broad range of cohorts in Australia are often highly resistant to attitude and behaviour change campaigns (Brennan, Donnar, Parker, & Alessi, 2018, VicHealth, 2020). This is particularly concerning given that Australian males are overrepresented across an array of health problems and social issues, including as suicide victims, in drownings, as domestic violence perpetrators in substance abuse and in radicalisation to violent extremism.
SMP: Let’s redefine what it means to ‘be’ a man.
Support: Your campaign will challenge “unhealthy attitudes and patterns of behaviour that stem from adherence to traditional forms of masculinity" (VicHealth, 2020, p.2) by:
asserting that male behaviours and attitudes are changeable (e.g. through a focus on constructing gender), and,
defining what healthy masculinities might look like (e.g. through ‘doing’ gender differently).
Note: Conventional health and social marketing campaigns are often poorly conceived, targeted and executed (e.g. Brennan et al., 2018; Fleming, Lee, & Dworkin, 2014). The identified characteristics of men’s health, knowledge and information-seeking behaviours are commonly mischaracterised and misunderstood, either narrowly focused on individual-level change, presuming mere awareness can lead to spontaneous and self-directed change, or presenting gender as binary. Consequently, male target groups are either unresponsive to, or even react against, the messaging (Brennan et al., 2018; Fleming et al., 2014).
Media: An ongoing campaign idea to launch on one social channel (TikTok or Instagram): Aim for an idea that works moving forward into 2027. Not a one-off launch piece but monthly or quarterly (or semester by semester).
Mandatories: Must feel like the target audience can change behaviour and attitudes.
Big idea: RE:DEFINE uses similar-sounding words with different meanings to show how one small choice can redefine masculinity and help create a safer RMIT community.
RE:DEFINE
RE:DEFINE is an ongoing Instagram Story campaign that invites male RMIT students to reconsider masculinity through simple, interactive word choices. Each execution presents two similar-sounding options with opposing meanings, such as “Hide or Cry” “Tough it out or Talk it out” and “Look away or Lead the way” The rhyme and repetition attract attention, while the poll format encourages students to participate rather than passively receive instructions.
The campaign responds to men’s resistance to traditional social marketing by avoiding blame, shame and lectures. Instead, it presents masculinity as something learned, changeable and shaped through everyday decisions. After each poll, a follow-up Story reveals the healthier choice and demonstrates a practical behaviour, such as opening up to a friend, respecting boundaries or safely challenging harmful conduct.
The recurring format allows Safer Community RMIT to address different issues monthly, during orientation or around key campus events throughout 2027. By showing that a small change in language can represent a larger change in behaviour, RE:DEFINE empowers students to construct healthier masculinities and contribute to a safer, more respectful RMIT community.
Campaign line: Similar words. Different choices.
