Ad agencies decline a Gruen Pitch
Updated: Here are the topics on this week's show.
- Published by David Knox
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Last week I was lucky enough to visit The Gruen Transfer, an episode which included a first…
Yep it seems ad agencies had actually declined an invitation to make a fake ad for The Gruen Pitch.
What the?
Seems the topic left many of them ducking for cover.
Any guesses on what it was, guys?
Updated: The answer was….. Religion is bad for us and it should be banned.
MC at Gruen HQ, Wil Anderson, is joined at the desk by Russel Howcroft (GPY&R), Todd Sampson (Leo Burnett), Bridget Taylor (Contagion) and newcomer Sunita Gloster (Omnilab).
On tonight’s show:
The Billboard. There are about 9,000 billboard sites in Australia. It’s one of the only form of advertising we can’t switch off or turn the page to get away from. It’s also adopting technology, breaking free of its old-fashioned rectangular straight jacket. So, is it visual pollution or a highly effective way to hit your target market?
Random Acts of Kindness. One of advertising’s hottest trends, particularly insocial media. Brands are now targeting their customers to promote their products, showering them with gifts ad then hoping they’ll become ambassadors, spruiking to their friends and contacts. Is it stalking or building brand loyalty?
The Pitch:
In four seasons of Gruen, we’ve suggested bringing back child labour,invading new Zealand, euthanasing everyone over 80 and many more ridiculous ideas. This week, we finally found a subject so untouchable that we had agencies actually decline to take part. Adelaide’s Jim Stapleton came up with the controversial Pitch suggestion: a campaign to ban religion.
Loud & Clear and Play were the agencies ultimately brave enough to take on the brief.
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26 Responses
Chasers are the only ones who can get away with upseting the Jews, Catholics or any other crack pot relgions.
I guess the pitch was too easy for the agencies that were approached.
They were perhaps hoping for a pitch that was more challenging to “sell”?
Fair enough. If they tried to be funny they would offend and get bad exposure instead of good exposure….
I as ever can not wait for this episode.
I love this show.
Congrats to the abc for having the balls to attempt something so apparently sacred in this so-called democratic world we live in. Some people and groups are much too precious.
So is it a case of the add agencies in question not wanting to work with the truth for a change?
@ David Knox…..Love it….don’t worry about the party poopers….*G*
Sensitive subject, but after the euthanasia Pitch I didn’t think there would be anything off limits.
The agencies rejecting a topic begs the question why the ABC continues to make this grovelling apology for advertising categorising it as “entertainment”. The relationship is currently one of convenience with the ABC getting good ratings and the advertising industry getting good exposure. Any hard questions are never asked of the industry and when they do they will all run for cover. But they never really will be. And the ABC now advertises its network using advertising executives. There is something pretty sick about our public broadcaster in this equation. Perhaps it should be referred to its own charter.
Something to do with safe sex being a myth (a la the Jon Safran report on the ‘Safe & Well’ group once supported by the Foo Fighters)?
I would of thought that the only thing that an advertising agency would not make an ad for The Gruen Pitch is making an ad to make child porn legal!
I saw a picture of David Knox on the Eurovision SBS website a few years ago
I wonder if it is still there
“Ducking for cover?” Maybe something to do with being in support of duck shooting?
Maybe I’m over thinking this one for a Monday 🙂
4th time in today….*waiting impatiently*… 😕
Is that you in the audience sitting in front of Will in the hoodie David?
Some of the site’s most popular stories have been question / answer puzzles. A little fun never goes astray on a blog. Will give the answer after 5 guys.
Steve: I’m not in da pic.
I agree with others that it’s likely to be about the evils of advertising…
But what is with the “check back here later for the answer”, David? This isn’t an episode of The Biggest Loser.
My gues its that it was something too controversial even for the Abc. Who would have thought even the ad agencies have some morals.
might have been about the cons of the Advertising industry, they wouldn’t like that.
No idea? Something twisted, i bet.
That advertising doesn’t work?
Dog move by TvTonight, won’t be checking back to see what this was.
I reckon it was to do with asylum seekers and mandatory detention.
Not a clue…but you have really tweeked my interest…which is just what you meant to do… 😆
Got to be something along the lines of banning advertising would be good for society. Turkeys, Christmas and all that.
something to do with drugs or bringing back the death penalty