How Gruen made people love adland

31Jul08

Source: Simon Canning, The Australian

THE ABC’s surprise hit of 2008, The Gruen Transfer, which wound up last night, may have unwittingly taught the advertising industry a lesson that for too long has fallen on deaf ears.

Over eight weeks, the show, which revealed the dark underbelly of the industry, attracted more than a million viewers per episode.

But has it been good or bad for adland?

The show’s producer, Jon Casimir, and Zapruder’s Other Films founder Andrew Denton set out two years ago to work out how to bring to life on TV what happens in the boardrooms of agencies.

The format was a big risk for everyone involved, from the ABC all the way down to those appearing on the show — and, of course, their clients.

One of the big risks was that the ABC was committing to a show where 80 per cent of the on-air talent had no TV background — a recipe for disaster.

Indeed, some admitted they would never have taken part but for Denton’s involvement.

Eight weeks later the show has been commissioned for a second series, and don’t be surprised if Zapruder licenses the format overseas.

The ad industry was at first intrigued by the concept, but after the first couple of episodes it turned largely derogatory, accusing the series of trivialising the industry.

But away from the myopic world of advertising, a funny thing happened — people were interested.

Denton says he has been surprised at how the public have embraced the show.

Audiences loved it — from the on-air personalities to the interactive ad-creating technology on the website.

Wil Anderson has been a handy host, and the choice of Leo Burnett’s Todd Sampson and Y&R’s Russel Howcroft as lead panelists has paid off in spades.

Sampson allowed himself the freedom to criticise where he thought it was due, while Howcroft — a former chairman of the Advertising Federation of Australia — played a straight bat in delivering a genuine industry perspective.

The Gruen Transfer also managed to successfully shoehorn genuine humour next to deeply serious subjects in a fashion that would have been almost impossible in any other format.

Some in adland have been seduced by the show’s charms, while there remains a handful of vocal critics who, having staked out their position early in the piece, found themselves unable to move on as the series did.

Gruen has proved not just a very good show, but a marketing tool of a quality that the ad industry itself has never been able to create.

There are many benefits to be gained from The Gruen Transfer.

It has successfully put a human face to an industry that since its very inception has been largely anonymous.

It has forced some frank and public debate of serious issues — ranging from sexuality and obesity to road safety and sex slavery — while showing the world that advertising does take these issues seriously.

It has served as a recruitment tool for the industry, which has seen inquiries about a career in advertising skyrocket at the Advertising Federation of Australia.

It has also managed to mightily piss off the Kiwis, when a campaign was created promoting Australia invading New Zealand.

Denton and Casimir are somewhat humble about what they have created, but they deserve the advertising industry’s gratitude.

They have elevated it to a level of respectability it could never have achieved on its own, showing its practitioners as intelligent, passionate and deeply creative.

But perhaps the most important achievement was that the million-plus people who tuned in each week will probably pay a lot more attention to the advertising they see.

Who would have thought adland would have Aunty to thank for that?

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