TDN AusNZ caught up with Tanita Mitchell, co-director of Kick Up and Godolphin Australia’s marketing and media manager, ahead of the Kick Up Workshop to be held at Royal Randwick Racecourse on June 9.
Since the inception of Kick Up in November 2022, the reception has been enormous from racing participants, stakeholders and enthusiasts welcoming the initiative with open arms.
It is exhausting for racing fans to hear the constant inaccurate and untruths spread about the treatment and welfare of thoroughbreds on social media platforms and protesters who park themselves out the front of the major Australian race tracks on big race days, recycling the same exaggerated narrative based on zero factual or scientific evidence.
The loud anti-racing movement up until now has managed to slide by with no challenge or opposition in their quest to see the sport’s demise and those that engage in it.
Until now…
The idea to offer an alternative perspective to everyday Australians and counter false narratives wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. Several years in the making, after many hours of extensive research and development of marketing materials before the launch, Kick Up is well-positioned to change the biased narrative set by anti-racing detractors.
The organisation is the brainchild of a group of passionate racing professionals. At the helm directing the movement are Vicky Leonard, Nathan Skrivanic and Tanita Mitchell.
Mitchell recognises the power and influence social media has on the younger generations. She particularly uses her experience and position as marketing and media manager at Godolphin, specialising in media, PR and language used to engage with non-participants.
“Our industry has its own language, and if you weren’t born in the industry or actively work in it, these terms could be hard to connect with. Terms like ‘breaking’ mean to educate, in racing terminology, but to non-racing people, ‘breaking’ is using acts of force to separate or cause to separate into pieces.
“I’m passionate about language and media because it is hugely influential, and the media are talking to many stakeholders within our industry.
Kick Up workshop
The Kick Up Workshop will be held on June 9 at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Owners’ Pavilion and Godolphin Managing Director Vin Cox will MC the event.
Mitchell shared the workshop’s purpose and what is to be expected, “The workshop will be broken into two parts. Firstly, it will be about information sharing – what we have learned so far, where we need to get to, and strategies that can help take us there.
“Ahead of the spring carnival, it is paramount we establish what we need, what will be helpful, and what deliverables will help stakeholders.
“The main question is; what practical role can Kick Up play to help stakeholders, participants and the wider community push the right messaging?”
After the introduction and presentations, guests will break into the Pillar workshop groups, for a more practical exercise.
The first Pillar consists of Research and Standards to be conducted by Oz Wedmore; Media, PR and Language, hosted by Mitchell, followed by Content Marketing, to be hosted by Nathan Skrivanic, then Social Media and Digital Communities which Maoliosa Nugent will host.
“Following our observations and journey, the second phrase will be practical. We have broken it into four pillar groups. The pillar groups are the key areas we have identified that will drive Kick Up’s strategic approach, where workshop participants can practically contribute and assist. The workshop is about getting everyone to work together to achieve more. If we all contribute one per cent to help improve the perception of horse racing, the improvement could be huge, given how many people are racing employees nationally and internationally!
“Our job is to provide the other side, not to be the opposition, but to arm ourselves with accurate facts, and then everybody and anybody can decide their view instead of being fed one narrative.”
When asked how the Kick Up journey to date has gone, Mitchell expressed, “It’s only been six months since Kick Up’s official launch and the impact it’s had is already showing. We receive messages weekly from people saying they used the Kick Up resource to send to owners, another was able to use it to help secure a sponsor – it’s clear it’s helping and it’s wonderful for our industry to have this resource available. The next step for us is to ensure it’s sustainable both financially and resource-wise to allow us to do more, we’ll speak to that on Friday in the workshop.”
This will be the first practical workshop for Kick Up. Still, Mitchell shared that it will not be the last, with the not-for-profit organisation looking to host a seminar on the dawn of all the major Australian carnivals to arm participants with the latest research and factual information and to develop long-term strategic plans executed through the power of community.
Anyone interested in attending next Friday’s workshop in the Owners’ Room at Randwick should get in touch with Maggie Johnston at mjohnston@kickup.com.au
