Desperately Seeking Michelle Visage
You’re a small, community health NGO, and in the midst of planning your country’s annual ( and largest) LGBTIA+ Community event (The Big Gay Out NZ, hosted by EndingHIVNZ ) an international celebrity and community advocate flies into town for a few weeks, creating of one of those rare, once in a lifetime opportunities to make the unexpected happen that are impossible to ignore.
However…
NGO budgets are limited and, with the Big Gay Out event less than 2 weeks away, as tight as the timeline to make it happen; quarantining, a busy filming schedule and covid safety rules of the production limit the talent’s accessibility and availability; spending precious time, budget and resources on an idea that has no predictable outcome creates a risk that has value if it works, but costs with no return if it doesn’t.
EndingHIVNZ saw a great opportunity to explore, but with a few challenges in the way, the question is:
How does a small community health NGO with limited time, budget and resources get the attention of an Emmy Award winning, international LGBTIA+ community icon who just happens to be in town?
Background: RuPaul’s Drag Race, Michelle Visage and Big Gay Out NZ
To really appreciate the creative genius here, it helps to know who the players are and how all the pieces come together.
In case you’ve been living under a rock and not heard of RuPaul’s Drag Race, it’s an incredibly successful, all drag, super gay reality tv competition headlined by host RuPaul and bestie, lead judge ( and fan favourite around the world) Michelle Visage.
In its 13th US season, 2nd UK Season and 1st seasons in Canada and Holland, Australia is finally joining the race. Originally planned to be filmed in Australia, Drag Race Down Under S1 was relocated to Auckland, NZ because the limitations of covid requirements in AU proved too challenging.
Drag Race audiences and popularity continues to grow in the mainstream, but it’s the LGBTIA+ crew that are the long term, largest audience at the core of the fan base.
EndingHIVNZ would have been deep in the planning for Big Gay Out when the Drag Race crew started arriving ( and quarantining) in Auckland. it’s not really that surprising that someone connected the two and sparked the idea of bringing them together.
Taking advantage of the rare moment of circumstance and timing that bought the Drag Race cast within reach, a very public and personal invitation to Big Gay Out was published for judge Michelle Visage.
Why Michelle Visage?
RuPaul may have created and be the host of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but it was the Emmy Award and Webby Award winning, LGBTIA+ Community Icon, fan favourite Drag Race Judge Michelle Visage that Big Gay Out was excited to have join them on the day. The answer to why needs more understanding and explanation than is relevant or needed here, but as the favourite with fans around the world stanning Michelle Visage, she really is the natural choice.
The opportunity of having Visage at Big Gay Out is exciting because Visage’s popularity and effortless fit for the event adds a special sparkle of anticipation and surprise to an already colourful day.
Having such a high profile guest is also unique and unexpected, creating conversation about Big Gay Out in the lead up to the day.
Desperately Seeking Michelle Visage
How does a small community organisation with limited time, budget and resources get the attention of an international community icon who just happens to be in town?
The most obvious ways to reach Visage are through traditional PR outreach to her management or the Drag Race media team, or direct contact through Twitter, Instagram and TikTok mentions and/or DMs ( the social media Visage is most active on).
We all know that community health NGO’s run on resources and funding tighter than a tuck on the runway, and with the event was less than 2 weeks away, following the known and traditional paths doesn’t always fit the work. ( and doesn’t always push us to challenge our thinking and habits like we should)
Whether it was due to budget, time, confidence of success or the want to take a more creative approach, EndingHIVNZ broke from all trends and traditional ways, dialled up some All Stars style thinking, and chose a completely different path.
Actually that’s understatement, to reach Visage they took possibly the least obvious and most unexpected path you probably would never imagine - it’s a bold, surprising, creative idea that is so personal and unique that it’s pure, inspired genius.
We may be living in a digital world, and Visage’s social media, online presence, multiple TV gigs and media engagements says that she is a very digital girl, but - to get a message to Michelle Visage EndingHIVNZ went old school - a personals ad in the local paper.
Desperately Seeking Michelle Visage
If you think a personals ad in the paper sounds like an 80’s flashback, you’re right, it is. It’s also an idea that understands and is tailor made for Visage.
Visage was stanning Madonna in the NYC club scene of the early 80’s, and she still does.
Placing a personals ad and using the headline“Seeking Icon” is a clever reference to the to a key part of the story of Madonna’s first film, Desperately Seeking Susan.
The copy is a cheeky, flirty, light, character filled, fun and accurate description of Visage that speaks directly to her. The overall light hearted tone also speaks about organisation behind it.
The creativity, uniqueness, nerve, talent and personalisation in this ad creates a bespoke message that is entertaining and instantly recognisable as Visage.
It’s made for her, and any Drag Race fan and although published in the paper, it’s extremely shareable content.
The Power of Fans and Twitter
The idea may be clever and unique, but there’s no guarantee that Visage will see a personals ad in the local paper.
It’s a risk with an unpredictable outcome, but an idea inspired by the 80s doesn’t have to stay in the 80s. When a fan shared the ad on Twitter tagging both Visage and EndingHIVNZ, a small viral moment happened, and it was enough to create the connection needed.
How does a small community organisation with limited time, budget and resources get the attention of an international community icon who just happens to be in town?
Who knew that publishing a cheeky, old school personals ad in the paper would be the answer that opens the door?
BUT DID IT WORK?
The goal was simple, and spelt out in the personals ad > To have Michelle Visage attend New Zealand’s biggest LGBTIA+ Community event, Big Gay Out.
Big Gay Out was held in Auckland on Sunday February 14.. and a picture tells a thousand, joyous, big gay words.
For a small community health NGO like EndingHIVNZ to have Michelle Visage, an Emmy Award winning, Rainbophabet Community advocate and icon, legit international celeb, with an extreme sports style filming and media schedule surprise guest into their Big Gay Out event - for the advocacy, love and appreciation of their work and the community - is pure joy and magic…
That EndingHIVNZ achieved this in under two weeks, on a budget of a newspaper personals ad - or less than a cheap wig if you like, and not much more than creative genius and Madonna like prayers — is a fucking phenomenal win.
This was no workroom mini challenge….
And with genius gay as fuck creative thinking, they slayed it.
