1. Overseas Owned Beer
On the very first episode of Planet, we unpick the messaging around: the only leader on Earth more besieged than Gaddafi ... our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Is there any hope for the PM? How would our Gruen communication specialists reposition her? Will an appearance on Junior Masterchef help? Or is she a Dead Woman Walking?
SABMiller’s $12.3 billion purchase of Fosters. How do you sell Aussie beers that are no longer Aussie? How do you manage the public and media blacklash? Do brands really need to worry about patriotism?
THE PITCH. In Grand Final week for the NRL and AFL, with the atrocities of mad Monday just around the corner, we’ve asked our agencies to come up with a campaign to convince Australians that we should stop expecting our footballers to be role models. Blackbocks (Adelaide) Vs Cooch (Perth).
2. Breast Cancer Month
A very recent example of what looks like a textbook PR disaster. Last week, a Melbourne woman claimed she was bullied and ridiculed in a retail store by a shop assistant. She complained to the company, who went even further in an over-the-top, abusive email. Unsurprisingly, the shopper posted the correspondence online and it went viral, trending worldwide. She ended up on current affairs shows, along with the company spokesman, who threw more fuel onto the fire by defending the company's position. As a result, the store got maximum exposure, but is all PR good PR?
Pinktober. Pink lollies, pink windscreen wipers, pink copy paper, pink footies... The panel looks at the 'pinking' of products l in the name of Cause Related Marketing. Breast Cancer Awareness is a great cause, but are some cashing in on it?
