Blogger on Media Watch ABC TV

ByLaurel Papworth

Today Tonight’s whisper marketing story last week is an old story rehashed and mashed-up. For example: Ruth: Oh… They’ve got the eggplant. Have you tried this one?Woman: NoRuth: It’s the best. — Channel 7, Today Tonight, 8th March, 2004 The clip with that “discussion” was shown in both 2004 and 2008. No need to come…

Today Tonight’s whisper marketing story last week is an old story rehashed and mashed-up. For example:


Ruth: Oh… They’ve got the eggplant. Have you tried this one?
Woman: No
Ruth: It’s the best.

— Channel 7, Today Tonight, 8th March, 2004

The clip with that “discussion” was shown in both 2004 and 2008. No need to come up with a new story if you can just cut and paste old footage, right?

Whisper marketing sucks by the way. Which is what Tim Longhurst was telling them.


Tim Longhurst: It’s a huge risk for a company to take, to take a whisper marketing campaign.
David Richardson: How quickly can it backfire?
Tim Longhurst: It can backfire very quickly.

— Channel 7, Today Tonight, 14th May, 2008

Only Channel 7 didn’t tell him that it was an old story. He didn’t know until someone who knew someone (funny how social networks work!) saw it on Media Watch. Gavin Heaton gave him the Media Watch transcript link as a comment on Tim’s blog:

It’s a sneaky old gimmick that can persuade you to watch a recycled story – same malls, same bars, same supermarket aisles – just as if it were new.

In fact, Sluggo’s version was Whisper Marketing III. Today Tonight had already re-used the 2004 whisperers once, last year:

We the media, media watch. Or something.
I love Media Watch’s own “whisper campaign”last paragraph- whoever wrote it would be a great blogger! so snarky 😛

By the way, have you seen that new bloke on Media Watch. A bit wrinkly but I reckon he’s really good. You should have a look at him – Mondays at 9.20, on the ABC.

And they’ve got some good stuff on their website too. Check it out.

Same time next week, then? See you then.

What’s the name of the Australian word of mouth whisper marketing company that does this stuff? I was just talking about it with clients yesterday… couldnt’ remember the name. Girls who like vodka was one campaign?

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4 Comments

  1. I didn’t see the Today Tonight story (as it’s the worst show in the entire history of television) but I’m guessing the gist of it is having “plants” in the grocery store to tell you what to buy?

    Sounds like the worst strategy ever. I was in the grocery shop on the weekend and a woman approached me in the biscuit aisle and said “You have to try these crackers, they’re divine”.

    I muttered ‘Get away from me you freak’ as I backed away from her… why the hell would I listen to some stranger about my grocery choices??

  3. …err or maybe it’s Mint PR? article is hard to follow. Ah well I’ll figure it out later – here’s a story a client told me about yesterday. Interesting coincidence in a cosmic world? 🙂

    article
    “The pay-to-spruik model appears out-dated. A Sydney-based vodka company that used to recruit sexy but “well-educated” models to go to bars, chat up men and spruik its brand has ditched the technique, which goes by the unflattering term of “roaching”. ASM Liquor’s director, Ben Anderson, said: “We have decided to not do any more of that. Times have changed and, well, you don’t want to muck around with the Government, certainly not for a marketing campaign.”

  4. Watching television can become an addiction both for children and adults. Like all addictions, this 1 too has various side effects. Numerous of us realize this problem but feel quite helpless about it. You should remember that you need to have a great deal of determination to stop watching too a lot TV but by no means it is an impossible task.

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