Rob Galluzzo on Why Brands Are Uniting Behind a Safer Social Media

Earlier this month it was announced that Hyundai had joined forces with Rob Galluzzo and his initiative 36 Months. An incredible feat for a much-needed and somewhat controversial battle to raise the sign up age on social media from 13 to 16 years of age. 

LBB was joined by Rob and Hyundai’s director of marketing and product, Andrew Tuitah and together they discussed where the initiative is currently standing and what the future holds. 

Within the first three months of 36 Months, over 100,000 signatures on the petition were received during the first two weeks, and the numbers continued to grow from there. Rob described this moment as just one of the many highlights that has come from building this initiative. 

“It has also been fun toying with politicians and the media and encouraging them to just do good. And we’ve been able to do it in a really positive way,” Rob admitted. 

But arguably the biggest highlight for Rob has simply been seeing the cause that he is passionate about attracting and connecting with like minded people, like Michael "Wippa" Wipfli (co-founder of 36 Months), Chris Minns (premier of New South Wales) and the people at Hyundai. 

“It’s profound the effect that having Hyundai as a partner has had and will continue to have for the initiative. It’s a real shot in the arm, it’s bonafide 36 Months. To have a brand like Hyundai not only believe in the cause, but to also take the risk to put their hands up, it sets this precedent and creates a safe space for other brands to play,” Rob said. 

For Hyundai, Andrew explained why supporting 36 Months was a no-brainer for the brand, given that their corporate vision is ‘progress for humanity.’ While Hyundai is obviously a brand that sells and services cars, their bigger goal is to become a mobility solutions provider. 

“And when we see an opportunity to build relationships with people who are ultimately doing good for humanity. When we heard about it, it was an immediate yes,” he said. 

The initiative resonated with Andrew immediately and after discussing with the rest of his team, it was signed off and approved within 30 minutes. It didn’t matter if the person had children well past the age range, right in the midsts of the range or no children at all, it was a unanimous decision. According to Andrew, it was clear that everyone had an experience within the world of social media that meant something to them and were willing to act very quickly about it.

While it's too soon to talk about specifics when it comes to Hyundai’s involvement, they are eager to be involved. 

“We had zero push back. From the moment we finished our initial approval deck, it was turned around in about half an hour. 30 minutes to go from our C-Suite to finance to an official Hyundai project and commitment,” Andrew recalled. 

The quick turnaround caught Rob off guard, and he remembers having to just double check all the signatures to ensure that everything was right. 

While gaining Hyundai was a huge highlight in terms of building upon the initiative, there have been a few challenges that have been thrown Rob’s way. The most obvious being conflicting political agendas. The biggest challenge, however, hasn’t been gaining traction in the political sphere but rather remembering to stay true to the mission at hand. 

It’s important to note that 36 Months in not a war on social media or parents. It involves concerns around cyberbullying, but it is not about cyberbullying or screen time more broadly. 

“Each of these concerns are extremely valid to the conversation, however, the mission of 36 Months needs to remain very clear, very succinct, and very doable. It's to raise the age threshold of social media citizenship from 13 to 16. That's it,” Rob reiterated. 

According to Rob, 36 Months represents the start of many solves for a multitude of different issues but until 36 Months has been properly completed, their mission must remain clear. 

“We deal with these conflicting agendas the same way we deal with anything here (FINCH), with constant gentle pressure, and I should mention, Sim Gupta from supermassive has expertly navigated us through the sea of conflicting agendas” he said. 

Rob continued to share story after story of moments when the initiative resonated with people from all walks of life. The Member for Badgerys Creek, who had only ever been kicked out of Parliament once 13 years ago, was kicked out again during the 36 Month presentation for passionately shouting too much support. While Whippa has been out to schools where the majority of hands were raised when asked the question, “is this something you’d want to happen?”

“The kids want it as well, they can feel the pressure and anxiety just as much, if not more than any of us. That's why we need political support,” Rob concluded.