Marketing

Social Marketing Program

As ETWA is committed to developing a trading partnership with our partners based on dialogue, transparency and respect, seeking greater equity and respect for human rights; on a practical level, we aim to bring the artisan producer to life in the mind of buyers at the time of purchase and beyond. This Social Marketing approach seeks to influence cultural and social values in western markets and heighten consumer sensitivities to the ethical characteristics of handcrafted products. It aims to create a relationship between the producer, the product and the buyer to encourage consumers to think about the welfare of the makers in their purchasing decisions. It is an extension of our commitment to equitable, just and fair trade, to skills sharing and capacity building for women in East Timor.

Outline: The program consists of three elements. At its core, the focus is on documenting the lived experiences of weavers through print and digital photography. Through its process, the capacity of the community to track their own development will improve. By teaching and resourcing the community to collect their stories and photograph changes, we will enable them to document their own stories into the future. As more weavers take part, the capacity to utilise basic digital photography and editing will also assure the practice of communicating new information to ETWA and the global community is realised.

The program also aims to give ETWA members, supporters and the broader community opportunities to know the weavers, while raising awareness about the personal and social implications of trade. The colour of dye soaked hands, the texture of the earthy fabrics, the struggle and the perseverance of these beautiful and strong women will be realized through narration and digital photography.

To personalise the East Timorese products that ETWA markets on behalf of our partners, the weavers’ stories and photographs will feature on ‘Swing Tag Flyers’ to accompany each East Timorese Tais product sold in Australian and International markets. The flyers will encourage buyers to get to know the producers and the community in East Timor.

You can support this program by donating to ETWA, volunteering in Australia or East Timor, or simply purchasing East Timorese handcrafts. This program also links to ETWA’s Business Development Initiative.