The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) is calling on media agencies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned businesses during NAIDOC Week, urging the industry to go beyond statements and take real economic action.
‘Buy Blak’ during NAIDOC Week
Running from 6–13 July, this year’s NAIDOC Week carries the theme “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy”. The IMAA is encouraging its members, and the broader media and marketing sector, to embrace the message by “Buying Blak” and investing in Indigenous-owned enterprises.
Sam Buchanan, CEO of the IMAA, said the campaign is about turning intentions into meaningful support: “NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for us as an organisation to step into something meaningful, confronting and transformative. We want to make our actions louder than our statements.”
Sam Buchanan
Longstanding commitment to Indigenous allyship
The IMAA has a longstanding relationship with Indigenous-led social enterprise Kings Narrative and continues to deepen its reconciliation commitments through cultural immersion trips and an industry-first Reconciliation Action Plan.
Last month, 12 senior members of the IMAA visited Alice Springs to engage with Kings Narrative and other First Nations initiatives. The group met with Rayleen Brown, founder of Indigenous catering company Kungkas Can Cook, and witnessed how ethical purchasing directly benefits local Aboriginal communities.
Jessica Carmody, Managing Director of Kings Narrative, said supporting Indigenous businesses is not about charity, but economic justice: “It’s about shifting the power, and Blak businesses play a big role in that by employing Aboriginal people, investing directly in their communities, circulating wealth where it’s most needed, breaking down barriers and improving lives.”
Carmody added that Blak-owned businesses offer “quality, innovation and deep cultural value, often exceeding that of their mainstream competitors.”
Resources to help agencies take action
To help agencies act, the IMAA recommends using verified platforms such as the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN), SpeakWrite Consulting for supplier sourcing, and artist collectives like No Fixed Gallery. Members are also encouraged to buy native ingredients from Kungkas Can Cook, which supports Aboriginal women harvesters and promotes foods enjoyed for over 40,000 years.
Top image: Rayleen Brown, Kings Narrative and IMAA members