THE PITCH: The Gruen Nation wants eight agencies to create election advertising
With a federal election about to be called, Zapruder Films has announcedthat it is suspending The Gruen Transfer and running extra length, extrastrength specials called Gruen Nation. “How the major parties pitch theiradvertising message will have a huge bearing on which side wins. Any agencyworth its salt will be looking at the two campaigns and thinking, ‘We could dobetter’. During the election campaign, we would like to give eight agencies thechance to prove it,” says the show’s producers in a press statement.
Hosted byWil Anderson and featuring Gruen regulars Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft,Gruen Nation will “run an ‘X-Ray over the federal election” examining theadvertising, as well as the other tricks and tactics parties use to get their messagesout.
Politicalinsiders and campaign veterans will join the two advertising experts in aseries of 45-minute specials, in the same timeslot, dissecting each week’sevents as they unfold.
At thecentre of the show will be The Pitch. Normally, it’s a challenge to agencies tosell the unsellable. This time, they are asking you to play for real. Yourclients will be the Labor Government and the Coalition Opposition. The issuesand personalities will be the ones we see on the evening news. And you’ll beworking in real time, with as little as three days to turn an ad around.
The GruenNation is seeking four styles of advertising — Heartwarming, Fear, Jingle, and Attack
— and needs eight agencies to step up to the plate and demonstrate to amassive national audience, and the main players in Canberra, how good theyare. And how good they could be ifthey were given the gig at the next election.
“Don’t chewit over for too long. There are only eight slots. And we want to fill them now.It doesn’t matter if you’ve done The Pitch before. It doesn’t matter if youhaven’t. The eight most passionate, most committed agencies are in. This is notfor the faint-hearted. You’ll be on the national stage, being tested in realtime. Who wants to play? Call us.”
Jon Casimiron 0438 759 014 or email jcasimir@zapruder.com.au
PollyConnolly on 0408 476 438 or email pconnolly@zapruder.com.au
27 Comments
I’m so OVER The Gruen Transfer.
Please can they not act in a way which suggests they play a bigger role than just (previously) entertaining TV?
Also, “The Gruen Nation is seeking four styles of advertising — Heartwarming, Fear, Jingle, and Attack” – OH. MY. GOD.
How much are they paying for our time and ideas?
translation: who wants to create content for our show for free
I’d rather eat bad Olives.
Vote One Monty.
Vote Two Olives.
The Gruen Transfer should do a show on Ad blogs…. This has nothing to do with the above article, but it might be interesting to hear their opinions on them, rather than just more talk about ads they like… or don’t.
Genius, agencies desperate for PR create content for their show, and they get paid
zip to do. Still, the PR isn’t great if you get shafter 4 nil like whoever it was who did that awful AFL thing last week.
LOL like Archive hasn’t been doing the same thing for years…..
Yeah we’ll do that – right after we get all our work done, and get shafted on a few pitches. Sounds awesome. I hate seeing my wife and kids anyway.
Sounds great. How much are they paying for content?
Denton certainly knows how to play agencies.
He’s making money from the desperate.
A Gruen Election Series? What next? A limited edition box set out in time for Christmas? This just means that Wil’s unfunny, try-hard gags will simply switch from BP’s oily pelicans to Tony Abbott’s budgie smugglers. Grow up, ABC. At least the real Zapruder filmed something of real significance. (And that was on Super 8!)
Just what the industry needs, another 4 agencies proving they know nothing about advertising. I wonder how many of them already do Labor [Fed/State] advertising and haven’t realised this is NOT a good idea to be getting involved in. If they want that relationship to continue or have any hope of having one in the future can I suggest you just stick to regular scams and not this great big new scam on everything.
Which Monty, 1:55?
Should be good.
Why are you people whinging?
Is it right that Coles has left DDB?
I wish you people would cheer up.
There’s only one real Monty. He’s a a Labour man.
Just ask Besley….wait he lost.
All that thinking and work to get to speak for 1 minute. I really ticked off last time I’d done it. You and your creative department spend a great deal of time working on it, then spend money making it and then you get 1 minute?
I’d suggest Zapruda get serious about it. And as agencies lets not just make it about funny haha.
SUGGESTION:
2 agencies present. 1 Labor. 1 Liberal. Get the at home audiences to vote (sms) for the winning campaign. Who is in power at the end of the show? That’s a show.
Make it a proper pitch. 5 minutes for each side. For a proper campaign. 1 TVC. 3 press. 3 outdoor.
That way agencies get to show what they do best. CAMPAIGNS. And let’s face it, it’s called an Election Campaign for a reason. Rarely does a single ad win an Election.
10:23. A single ad never wins an election.
What a crap outcome for democracy – more advertising for only two party’s! Another breach of the ABC charter?
Go the Greens!
Just what the ad industry needs right now – another unpaid pitch. Perhaps to keep it realistic they could 1. Move the goalposts mid way through the process. 2. Drag it out for 3 months 3. Claim they don’t want creative but are interested in the strategy only to appoint the agency that produces a pretty much finished campaign (for nothing).
Or to make it genuinely realistic, they could invite 6 agencies to pitch, and at the end of it award the account to their mates, no matter what the work is like.
I hope and trust Jon Casimir is reading this thread. 10:23 has some very sound and positive suggestions which should be considered… within the tight time constraints of television. Perhaps within the expanded 45 minute format that’s possible.
As to the whingeing about providing free content… it would be genuinely interesting TV and would hopefully contribute not only to a better appreciation of what we do but perhaps even growing respect for the industry – which is still characterised as being full of wankers with ponytails.
Television has a voracious appetite. That’s why it’s called a Hungry Beast…which of course was another Zapruder product. Smart fella that Denton.
Bitter… bittter. BITTER… bitter…
oh sorry, you caught me singing in the shower while tapping something out on my laptop. Yes, everything is rigged, especially rig workers on a rigging gig.
Ermm….. 90% of clients go with agencies based on ‘relationship’s.
So if you can’t put out… find a what’s-he-call-it.
You guys get way too wound up about Gruen. It’s a TV show. Stop trying to have it be a true representation of our industry. It’s just entertainment and Denton knows what people want to watch.
10:23…No one wants to watch an entire 5 minute pitch of our ideas. I know a few people in this industry I might get a kick out of watching for 5 minutes, but most wouldn’t go on Gruen. And don’t forget, that 5 minute pitch we do all the time…is designed to sell an idea that gets a consumer to pay attention for 30 seconds, not 5 minutes. The show is fine. I don’t think it’s funny but people like it.
Sounds like most of the commenters here need a career change.
“Waaah, a tv show is bringing attention to my field of expertise. They’re offering people free air time to show we’re really good at what we do! We can’t work for mainstream kudos or the joy of an open brief, we only understand money and industry circle jerks! They must be stopped!”
It’s simple: if you don’t want to work for free, don’t enter the pitch. I’ll never hear your name and both our lives will be complete.