Australia LG Optimus launch

LG-Electronics, a worldwide design leader in mobile technology officially launched its addition to the Smartphone market in a warehouse in Alexandria on 6^th July 2010. Ogilvy PR’s Australia’s consumer public relations agency Pulse Communications worked with LG Electronics’ Mobile Marketing team to execute the launch of its Android handset, and to raise awareness of it latest Smartphone offering amongst Australian media and retailers.

The warehouse was transformed into five different spaces to encapsulate various features that the Optimus offers. Pulse Communications worked with Rizer Events to execute the launch.

The five rooms consisted of a tattoo parlour, featuring a girl being tattooed, this highlighted the phone’s Google Goggles App that can recognise logos and images. It then provides a Google search result based on the findings.

A comedy lounge highlighted the phone’s social networking capabilities as comedians performed and the guests Tweeted feedback and topic requests. The music room saw renowned guitarist Peter Northcote perform as guests were able to look up song lyrics with the Optimus handsets.

The party was attended by consumer, technology and lifestyle journalists, LG partners and employees. Media attendee highlights included The Sun Herald and In Style, Appliance Retailer, Madison and Rolling Stone.

In addition guests also had the chance to rub shoulders with the stars as Pulse Communications secured the attendance of a number of high profile celebrities including sports star Lauren Eagle.

Results of the campaign to date include: 32 product related reviews and a highly coveted social pages piece in a key metro publication. An ongoing review amplification program planned for August/September.

Off The Record 2010 Federal Election Campaign

Special Edition: Election Eve

That was the election that was

Political orthodoxy, the published polls, and gut feeling say Labor will be returned to power tomorrow. However this campaign has been anything other than orthodox. As many commentators have stated it’s a campaign between two opposition leaders, with Labor surrendering many of the benefits of incumbency in removing Kevin Rudd and installing Julia Gillard as Prime Minister in June.

Both leaders have had very few slip-ups of their own doing but have lost momentum at crucial times. Tony Abbott struggled to effectively sell his broadband policy and lost valuable momentum, but it was the leaks against Gillard from within her own Party that have probably been the most damaging moments of the campaign so far.

Both leaders failed to really cut through in their campaign launches, but Abbott missed the bigger opportunity to capitalise on the calamity of Labor’s second and third weeks. Gillard’s ‘web-health’ policy announcement during her launch speech played well to the ALP’s policy strengths, supporting her forward-looking rhetoric and highlighting a perceived weakness in her opponent.

The live debate was a dull dead heat, while the two ‘people’s forums’ in Rooty Hill and Red Hill were evenly split.

There is clearly an anti-Government swing on in Queensland and NSW, and although it is now a cliché, it is true that ultimately the campaign will be decided by the uniformity of that swing in those two States.

The Labor brand in both States is clearly damaged. In Queensland, the removal of Kevin Rudd has not played well, while Gillard was clearly taken aback by the strong cynicism in Western Sydney following her announcement of the Parramatta-Epping rail line. The ALP now probably regrets its decision to muddy the waters in the campaign between State and Federal issues in NSW.

Countering this is strong support for the Government (and the progressive side of politics) in Victoria and South Australia – partly due to the Gillard home town factor – which may see as many as four seats change hands from Liberal to Labor. WA could go the other way with Hasluck and Swan (notionally Labor) in play for the Coalition.

The Greens are on track to attract their highest level of support at a Federal election and are now favourites on the betting markets to win the seat of Melbourne. That the Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate after 1 July 2011 is the only certainty going in to tomorrow’s election.

The Coalition campaign has built some momentum in its final days but OTR still thinks Labor and Julia Gillard will fall over the line with a four to six seat majority.

The best of times…

The PM’s performances have been strong throughout the campaign so it is difficult to pinpoint one single best moment, however, Australians got to see the “real Julia” in the television programs Q&A and The 7PM Project, and she continued to build on these strong performances.

Tony Abbott’s victory at the “people’s forum” at the Rooty Hill RSL was a moment of strength for the Opposition Leader. His decision to literally meet people at their level played out well, setting the tone for his contribution to the question and answer session. While the margin of victory was close it showed that Tony Abbott could hold his own as a creditable alternative Prime Minister.

… the worst of times

Veteran journalist Laurie Oakes’ airing of inside cabinet information that Gillard had questioned a pension increase and paid parental leave marked the low point of the Government’s campaign. A second leak that she had reportedly sent a staff member to represent her at National Security Committee continued to provide an unwelcome distraction for the PM and overshadowed the Government’s campaign message for a number of crucial days.

The Coalition’s campaign launch was a lost opportunity for Abbott to continue to build momentum over the course of the campaign. The absence of any detailed policy coupled with a focus on personality was supposed to show the Coalition as a safe pair of hands. Instead it provoked questions about the Coalition’s policy strength. Tony Abbott’s admission later that he was not a “tech head” only encouraged the perception that he was not across the detail of his own policies.

Return engagements

It’s safe to say there has not been an Australian election in living memory where so many former party leaders played such a central role. Like once great actors who can’t bear to leave the stage, in 2010 Kevin Rudd, Mark Latham, Bob Hawke, John Howard, John Hewson, and even Andrew Peacock all took turns at upstaging the young ingénues who had taken their roles.

The most tragic player was clearly Mark Latham. Rarely has an ex-politician’s desperate and transparent need for relevance been so unmatched by their ability to achieve it. No doubt he’ll think he accomplished what he set out to do, shining the spotlight on what he now says is an empty and meaningless process. But Latham looked like a buffoon and a bruiser, and ended up committing the cardinal sin of being boring.

The best return engagement was John Hewson, whose appearances on the ABC’s top-rating (three words you don’t see together very often) Gruen Nation revealed a raconteur of some skill, and a pretty insightful commentator to boot. No doubt he’ll be looking for other media gigs to capitalise on his renewed fame.

It’s strange to say Kevin Rudd had a good campaign, but in an odd way he did. Media and public sympathy was only enhanced by his illness, and whatever the result tomorrow his reputation will come out unscathed: if the ALP wins, his late intervention will be seen as a key factor; if they don’t, his ousting will be.

Bob Hawke has now effectively replaced Gough Whitlam in the pantheon of Labor greats, while John Howard’s brief return cemented the affection and regard significant sections of the electorate still hold for him. The less said about Andrew Peacock’s ill-judged comments the better.

It’s been suggested the reason for all these special guest appearances was that neither the PM nor Opposition Leader had the gravitas to pull spotlight themselves. We’re hoping that in 2013 one of them has been on the stage long enough to grow into the leading role, and that there’s no longer a part for these distracting supporting players.

Kerry and Laurie’s Excellent Adventure

This campaign has been characterised by media outlets keeping their leading journalists at home rather than lose them to the road for five weeks. This may have been what led one media commentator to call the coverage “one of the most abysmal performances I have seen from the media”. We’re not sure if that’s true, but the line of questioning about “Mr Rabbit” surely marks a new level of triviality.

But despite all the tweets, Facebook updates and FM radio interviews, the last five weeks have clearly demonstrated the traditional media’s ongoing ability to lead the political debate, set the agenda, and completely derail a campaign when they want to.

Two pivotal journalists – Laurie Oakes and Kerry O’Brien – changed the fortunes of both parties in the campaign, throwing the Labor and Coalition campaigns off the rails in a way that demonstrated these Titans’ ability to own the media cycle: Oakes by his cabinet leaks and O’Brien with his questioning of Abbott on broadband. Both journalists were at the top of their game and left politicians on both sides in their wake.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

First there were silly arguments about the format for the leaders’ debates, although what we ended up with was a forced and lifeless event. Then there was the economic debate that never was. But the most interesting new development over this campaign has clearly been the ‘people’s forums’, where Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have been tested separately by questions without notice from voters.

In the crucial election battleground of Western Sydney, Gillard and Abbott faced a room full of swinging voters at the Rooty Hill RSL. Gillard faced a reasonably hostile audience from a pokies stool on the stage, dealing calmly with questions on the ALP factions’ involvement in Kevin Rudd’s dismissal, broken promises and bungled schemes. Abbott won the night by moving down to be amongst the people, and demonstrating his natural, folksy style with everyday Australians.

This week featured another people’s forum in another important battleground: Queensland. The forum at Brisbane Broncos Club in Red Hill used the same format as the Rooty Hill event. Both leaders positioned themselves below the podium among the people and both faced some difficult questions, Abbott on WorkChoices, broadband and election costings, Gillard on why she took away Queenslanders’ ability to determine the Prime Minister. Abbott was up first, but Gillard emerged slightly ahead according those present and media commentators.

The ABC’s Q&A debates offered viewers a different dynamic, with a mix of Labor, Liberal and swinging voters. Gillard’s polished performance was a defining moment in her campaign, producing a near perfect answer on her family status and demonstrating her sharp humour when responding to a gift of a question on Mark Latham. Abbott found the questions from the ABC’s audience more challenging, provoking a mixed response from the audience.

The people’s forums were a refreshing change from the trained political parlance practised by the press gallery and challenged the leaders to connect on a different level. We’re sure they’ll become a fixture, although the jury is still out on the need for a US-style debates commission for future campaigns.

The State(s) we’re in

The cartographer’s marks that separate the States of the Federation are often said to be accidents of history, a reminder of our colonial past that is an anachronism in our modern, borderless economy. So why are there such significant differences in the mood and temper of the state electorates? Why are those who follow Rugby League so pissed off, while those who watch AFL are so seemingly content?

Dissatisfaction with the Keneally and Bligh Governments will most likely lead to significant Labor losses in NSW and Queensland, where polling suggests they will lose four seats and eight seats respectively. Gillard has done what she can to distance herself from the NSW Government in particular. But the people of the marginal seats of Western Sydney seemingly don’t care.

The mining tax debacle and the knifing of their own PM mean the state of play in Queensland is even grimmer. The pollsters are tipping Bonner, Petrie, Leichardt, Forde, Dawson, Flynn, Dickson and possibly even Brisbane will fall to the Coaltion.

The Government will do well in progressive Victoria and possibly even South Australia, but cannot afford to lose the NT seat of Solomon. If the ALP is behind when the polls close in WA, then it’s ‘so long, farewell’ to the Gillard Government as the seats of Hasluck and Swan are tipped to swing to the Coalition.

More than Facebook and email

For all the planning and strategising done by parties before a campaign, they are unpredictable, uncontrollable events with a momentum all of their own. This was supposed to be the health and economy election, so the prominence of broadband has been a surprise to many.

The issue was a late game-changer for the Government, allowing it to promote its future-focussed bona fides against the Coalition’s apparent disinterest in the technology of tomorrow. The Coalition announced it would scrap the NBN as part of its $6 billion broadband policy, but Tony Abbott’s absence from the announcement and his later stumbles on the issue made him look out of touch and out of date.

By contrast, Julia Gillard flew to Tasmania to launch the commercial start of her $43 billion NBN, and four days later used the Labor campaign launch to link the NBN with the future health of Australians through online consultations.

Moving forward with real action

No doubt a majority of TV viewers were relieved to see the broadcast blackout kicking in on Wednesday night, especially after an intense final week of negative advertising. If you are still undecided, rest assured, online and social media advertising will continue on until tomorrow, thanks to a blackout loophole.

With the 2010 Federal Election TV advertising all wrapped up and in the can, it’s time to revisit some of the highlights and lowlights:

• First round of positive ads featuring their leaders talking about their priorities – Liberal’s Action contract ad (with that rather dated “Real Action” jingle) and Labor’s Moving Forward ad (featuring some sloppy writing).
• Labor’s series of negative advertising – Tony Abbott’s record as a health minister, economic record, and tax hikes, and “Don’t risk with Tony Abbott”.
• The Coaltion’s negative advertising saw the return of “Kevin O’Lemon”, also “Same old Labor” followed by “Same old Julia”, South Park-esque ads featuring Gillard and Keneally, Another boat and Stop Labor’s carbon tax.
• Third party advertising – with the ACTU sticking with an anti-WorkChoices theme, GetUp!’s series of commercials most notably on Abbott’s record on women’s issues, and the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies’ anti-mining tax ad.
• Perhaps the ad that generated the most buzz didn’t broadcast at all – the fake Greens ad by Republic of Everyone on Gruen Nation – If you think, vote Greens generated close to 100,000 views on YouTube.

Best quotes of the campaign

Oakes: “What do you think when I say Mark Latham?”
Gillard: “Unfortunately at the moment Laurie I think Channel Nine.”
Oakes: “Well that’s a fair cop Gov.”
- The PM and Laurie Oakes, Weekend Today, 1 August

“We really are a cross-section of the community, albeit some of the more colourful sections of the community. We’re not exactly the ‘gray suits’.”
- Fiona Patten, President of the Australian Sex Party

“Bob Hawke… had a tax summit, now if we had that today, happen before people’s eyes – ‘Oh – tax summit, imagine doing that? Imagine getting people to Canberra? Oh – why would you bother talking to anybody? Why don’t get on with leading it’ – tweet, tweet, tweet and so on.”
- The PM at yesterday’s Press Club event.

“Nice to see you Mark, and I hope you enjoy your life as a journalist.”
- The PM to Mark Latham, 7 August.

“Just as the Prime Minister says, I say as well that I’m no Bill Gates here and I don’t claim to be any kind of tech head in all of this.”
- Tony Abbott on the 7:30 Report, 10 August.

“There are some things that can’t be measured.”
- The PM on Mark Latham, Q&A, 9 August.

“Wayne Swan is to surpluses what Paris Hilton is to celibacy. They remember it once existed but they’ll never see it again.”
- Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, 20 July.

Ogilvy PR and The Reputation Group target Melbourne and more

Melbourne, August 17, 2010: The Reputation Group is the latest agency to join forces with Ogilvy PR, with the highly regarded communications agency to become a cornerstone of Ogilvy’s Melbourne offering.

The Reputation Group will significantly extend Ogilvy’s Melbourne PR team, bringing its extensive local networks, impressive campaign successes and particularly strong social marketing capabilities into the business. Recent successes for the Victorian agency include public relations activities for the DonateLife campaign and the Melbourne and Sydney Good Food and Wine Shows.

As part of the move, The Reputation Group’s Lelde McCoy will take on the new role of Managing Director of Ogilvy PR in Melbourne.

“This is an exciting opportunity for both Ogilvy PR and The Reputation Group,” said Ogilvy PR Australia’s Group Managing Director, John Studdert.

“As the largest, most specialised agency in Australia, Ogilvy PR already offered significant expertise to our clients, not least from working closely with our partner agencies in Ogilvy Group Melbourne,” said John Studdert.

“We anticipate this combined offering will not only attract new clients and skilled industry professionals but will also become a significant value-add to our existing clients.”

“This move is a natural fit for both agencies,” said The Reputation Group’s Managing Director Lelde McCoy. “There are many synergies across the businesses. We also share a common approach to client service, delivery of award-winning work and the development and nurture of our talented creative teams.”

“By joining forces with The Reputation Group’s outstanding team, we will further consolidate Ogilvy PR’s position as the number one agency in the Asia Pacific,” added John Studdert.

Ogilvy PR is part of Ogilvy Group Melbourne and STW Group, Australia’s leading marketing content and communications services group.

Ends

For further information:

Rebecca Tilly

STW Group

0410 501 043

The 2010 Pollute-o-Meter

The Climate Institute (a Major Climate Partner of OgilvyEarth) commissioned leading risk analysts, Climate Risk to assess the impact of the climate policies announced by each of the major parties in this election. Called the Pollute-o-Meter, this innovative and interactive online tool gives a clear picture of the differences between the major parties’ climate policies by showing Australia’s pollution pathway. The quantitative Pollute-o-Meter tool is coupled with a qualitative Five Star Rating Analysis that accounts for contributions to strengthening global agreements and supporting research and development. The tool allows for real-time tracking of each party’s ‘pollution promise balloons’.

With the Pollute-o-Meter and detailed analysis we hope to help you see through the hot air, past the phony ballast, towards a safer landing for our overly pollution-dependent economy and its climate diplomacy.

The Climate Institute

The Climate Institute is a non-partisan, independent climate change-focused research organisation that works with community, business and government in Australia and internationally to drive innovative and effective climate change solutions.  OgilvyEarth is a Major Climate Partner, and participant in The Climate Institute’s Climate Partners Network, which is a new, dynamic corporate partnership focused on promoting business leadership in the area.  The Climate Partners represent a cross section of the economy who are working individually and collectively to promote the innovation and investment needed for Australia to be competitive in the emerging global low-carbon world.

Pulse Communications helps Ford celebrate two Australian motoring firsts

Left to right (front): Former Ford Australia President and CEO; Bill Dix, Senator Kim Carr, Victorian Premier John Brumby, Ford Australia President and CEO; Marin Burela, and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Federal Secretary Ian Jones

Left to right (rear): Former Ford Performance Racing driver Allan Moffat and Former Ford Australia President and CEO; Sir Brian Inglis

Ford in Australia celebrated two milestones which no other Australian vehicle manufacturer has achieved–85 years of production in Australia and 50 years of the iconic Ford Falcon.

Consumer public relations agency, Pulse was tasked with creating a campaign that celebrated the longevity of Ford and in particular, Falcon by reinforcing its significance in the hearts and minds of Australians who have embraced the car for over 50 years.

Consumer public relations agency, Pulse created two events and a tailored media strategy to generate coverage around Ford’s unique anniversaries.

Firstly, a staged media photo call was held at Ford’s Broadmeadow plant in Melbourne to celebrate the anniversary of the first Falcon rolling off the production line.

Seven Falcons including the first Falcon XK in 1960 and the latest 50th anniversary model were driven off the production line by past Ford Australia presidents, long serving employees and Ford Performance Racing drivers.

The event was witnessed by Victorian Premier, John Brumby and Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

All major metro TV news crews, VIC metro newspapers and radio stations attended and one-to-one interviews were held with Marin Burela, Ford Australia President and CEO.

The same evening, a gala dinner was held at the Ford Discovery Centre (Ford’s museum) in Geelong, Melbourne to celebrate Ford’s 85th anniversary of vehicle manufacturing in Australia.

Geelong is the birthplace of Ford Australia and the dinner aimed to recreate Ford’s early years by turning back the clocks to the 1920’s.

The venue was transformed into an art deco inspired evening and featured the first Ford Model T off the production line in 1925.

Nearly 200 people attended the dinner including key Geelong Football Club members to signify Ford’s 85 year partnership with the Club.

To support the events, consumer public relations agency Pulse developed a tailored media strategy to generate in-depth news and feature coverage on the history of Ford in Australia. Feature angles included profiling Ford’s long-standing employees, the economic contribution Ford has made to Australia and the history of Falcon.

Pulse created b-roll footage using archived Ford materials to visually showcase Ford’s history in Australia. In addition to being shown at the gala dinner, the footage was used as overlay by key metro TV news programs.

To date, Pulse has reached 63 million Australians via 240 pieces of positive coverage including key pieces on Channel 7 news, Sky News, a double page spread in the Herald Sun, The Australian and Australian Financial Review.

The Social Side of Marketing

Ogilvy PR Managing Director John Studdert set the scene and jogged a few memories with his opening remarks: “Life. Be In it; Slip, Slop, Slap; Click, clack, front and back; Arrive alive – don’t drink and drive . . . these are all memorable campaigns that raised awareness, shaped or changed opinion and impacted our behaviour.”

Studdert was speaking at the third in a continuing series of Ogilvy PR breakfast events designed to inform and stimulate a select group of guests.

This week’s topic was Ogilvy On…Profit vs Public Good with the subject being the value of social marketing.

Held in Sydney’s Establishment Ballroom, the 80 invited guests were treated to a lively panel debate, moderated in his usual entertaining, forthright style by Tony Jones, the host of ABC TV’s Q&A program.

On the panel were Peter Ritchie, the former chief executive and chairman of McDonald’s Australia, Dr Christine Bennett, the chief medical officer and director of healthcare leadership at Bupa Australia Group, Tim Gartrell, the CEO of newly launched not-for-profit group GenerationOne which aims to alleviate indigenous disadvantage, Tony Thirlwell, the CEO of the Heart Foundation of NSW, the NSW Shadow Treasurer Mike Baird, Tom Beall, the managing director of Ogilvy PR Worldwide’s global social marketing practice, and Greg Sam, the joint managing director of Parker & Partners, Australia’s leading bi-partisan public affairs company and a member of the Ogilvy group.

The discussion started with a debate about the definition of social marketing. Most thought it boiled down to promoting change for social and public good, without profit being a motive. Beall, while agreeing with that definition, recalled that 25 years ago when he was invited to join Ogilvy from the public sector to set up the social marketing practice in Washington he was assured that he would be “working on the side of the angels”. Ritchie, however, saw it as an organisation adopting a continuing positive social role within its community so that the organisation actually lived that role and came to be seen in a positive light.

Thirlwell related the concern within some parts of the Heart Foundation when they allowed McDonald’s to carry the foundation’s tick of approval on some of its products. Some were outraged at the charity being associated with a fast food outlet but Thirlwell said the reality was that an enormous number of people ate fast food on a regular basis so it made sense to try and encourage the industry to have healthy options on offer.

The talk around fast food led to a discussion of obesity levels, with Bennett, who also was chair of the Federal Government’s National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, pointing out that 50 per cent of our health burden relates to how we live our life.

The problem, of course, is how to change people’s behaviour. Gartrell said the difficulty GenerationOne faced was that there was widespread awareness of the disadvantages faced by Australia’s indigenous population – which meant that awareness campaigns were not needed – but attitudinal change by white Australians was essential before real change could occur.

Beall said the object of most social marketing campaigns was behavioural change and cited the Heart Truth campaign which he ran in the US. The campaign started seven years ago and its aim was to raise awareness of heart disease among American women.

At the time, even though heart disease was the No 1 killer of women, it was largely seen as a man’s disease.

The campaign, which is still running strong, has been shown to have raised both the awareness of heart disease and of the symptoms and has markedly decreased the female rates of death from the disease.

And, just in case you were thinking about it, the consensus was that fear campaigns generally don’t work.

After the panel session, Beall gave his top five tips for any organisation considering engaging in social marketing.

1. Be audience-centric. Know who you are talking to.
2. The importance of research. Research the market, but also know what other competitive forces are out there.
3. Talk to other stakeholders. Extend your reach to other interested groups in the field and get them involved early on in the planning stages.
4. Don’t depend on just one communication channel. Audiences hear messages in wide variety of places and media and it is important to have a presence in all those places.
5. Assess what you are doing as it goes on and be open to change if the evidence suggest it’s not working as well as you thought it would.

Special Off The Record – Julia Gillard Prime Minister Designate

The federal Australian Labor Party now has a new Leader and soon Australia will have a new Prime Minister – Julia Gillard. Gillard was elected unopposed when Kevin Rudd bowed to the inevitable of his Party room and elected not to run against his Deputy in a Party room ballot for the Party Leadership. Treasurer Wayne Swan will join her as Deputy Leader and soon to be Deputy Prime Minister – he was also elected unopposed.

In politics, it’s all about the numbers.

Kevin Rudd started the week by launching Sh*tstorm – the book.  By the end of the week, he and his office had created a sh*tstorm of their own.

It seems just months ago that Australians were swept up in Kevin 07 fever. But then came Rudd’s back flip on emissions trading and a mining tax which put large and powerful parts of the country offside.

This, combined with Rudd’s inability to connect at a meaningful level with the voters, has seen his personal – and importantly his Party’s – polling figures freefall. A Newspoll this week suggested that In Western Sydney he is trailing both Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott as preferred Leader.

The final straw for Julia Gillard came early yesterday. Again, it was all about the numbers.

Early yesterday morning a story ran in The Sydney Morning Herald which revealed that Rudd’s chief of staff had been working his way through Labor’s caucus trying to figure out if his boss would have the numbers to survive a Leadership challenge from Gillard. The story impugned in the eyes of Gillard’s backers (inside the Labor caucus and outside of it) her unwavering loyalty.

Some describe it as the straw that broke the camel’s back but it is clear that plans were afoot and dissatisfaction simmering for some time. Four factional powerbrokers from Labor’s Right played a key role brought to a dramatic head yesterday evening: Bill Shorten, Mark Arbib, David Feeney, and Don Farrell.

It turns out these four horsemen of Rudd’s personal apocalypse had in fact been conspiring all week. Feeney and Arbib, both former Labor state secretaries (VIC and NSW respectively) were convinced Rudd didn’t have what it takes to win a campaign against Abbott in an upcoming election. Or perhaps more to the point that Labor’s chances under Gillard were significantly improved.

Their counsel to Gillard was simple (and this was certainly not the first time she had heard it from them): challenge him.

And then on that basis, instead of enjoying a quiet drink to celebrate Nick Sherry’s 20^th anniversary in parliament, Gillard, Rudd and their consiglieri hunkered down in the PM’s office working out what to do next. AWU Leader Paul Howes made it known that his union had withdrawn his support for the PM the next thing we knew Rudd’s fellow Queenslander and Treasurer Wayne Swan would be running as Deputy on Gillard’s ticket.

By morning, all Rudd had left was, ironically the hard left of the Party.

Focus group research conducted by Ogilvy Illumination – Parker & Partners’ research practice – in four electorates in four states around the country last week confirms the judgement made by Labor’s factional hardheads. Conversations about the federal Government’s performance were becoming irretrievably bogged down in discussions about the performance and character of the former Prime Minister.

Abbott’s temperament and likely performance as Prime Minister also attract significant levels of concern. In fact in the Abbott to Rudd match-up on character and temperament the uncertainty over how Abbott might perform as PM was probably on balance sufficient to award the fight to Rudd (in a series of low scoring rounds with no convincing knock-out blows).

This will be important as PM Gillard seeks to define her premiership in its early days. Her skills as a communicator and the current popular take on her personality are strong assets. The assessment of her performance as Deputy PM is more nuanced: regardless of merits of the arguments the school building program is widely seen as one of the signature failures of the current Government and more broadly the Building the Education Revolution program is not seen by many as having delivered substantial results across the country.

On this basis expect to see the Liberal Party tackle the new Government on the basis of their competence and financial management skills – both areas of considerable brand strength for the previous Howard Government with which Tony Abbott is closely connected in the public mind. Abbott will also need to consider recalibrating his style – his action-man style may have been sound with Kevin Rudd as a foil but will less effective with PM Gillard.

Gillard on the other hand will do well to focus on traditional Labor strengths of being on the side of ‘the little guy’ understanding the situation that working people find themselves in and doing what they can to ensure they get a fair go. Gillard’s warmth and genuine people skills will contrast favourably with Rudd’s perceived attributes in these areas.

What will happen in the polls? Expect a (brief) honeymoon period for the new PM as the Labor vote finds its new level under new and more popular Leadership. Voter assessment of Gillard will likely correct itself from an initial high once voters reconcile their hopes for change in the way the Government is doing business with the month to month reality of a new Gillard.

When it comes to popular support there are both swings and roundabouts to holding the top job and while PM Gillard will be given many more opportunities to define herself as the incumbent (and past Deputy) there are plenty of political sh*tstorms you have to weather from the front as Leader.

Julia Gillard’s path to the Prime Ministership has been a conventional rise through the ranks of Australian left-wing politics.

Now 48, Gillard was born in Barry, Wales and migrated to Australia with her family in 1966. They settled in Adelaide and she attended the Unley High School before going on to study Arts and Law, first at The University of Adelaide and then The University of Melbourne. This is where Gillard’s involvement in organised politics began – in 1983 she served a term as National President of the Australian Union of Students and was also Secretary of left wing organisation the Socialist Forum.

Following university, Gillard worked as a solicitor with the law firm Slater and Gordon, becoming the first woman to be appointed a partner of the firm in 1990.

In May 1996, she was appointed Chief of Staff to the then Victorian Opposition Leader and current State Premier, John Brumby – a position she held for two and a half years.

Gillard was elected to Federal Parliament in 1998 for the outer metropolitan Melbourne seat of Lalor, a safe seat for the ALP.

She was first appointed to the Shadow Ministry in November 2001 where she held a range of portfolios. In December 2006, Gillard joined with Kevin Rudd to successfully challenge Kim Beazley and Jenny Macklin for the Leadership and Deputy Leadership positions. She was elected unopposed as Deputy Leader and appointed Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Social Inclusion.

Following the 2007 Federal Election, Julia Gillard became Australia’s first female Deputy Prime Minister after proving herself to both the Party and the electorate by handling one of the primary battlegrounds in recent political history – industrial relations.

Preferring not to take on the treasury portfolio, Gillard instead took on the “super ministry” of education, employment, workplace relations and social inclusion. Her priorities have included the implementation of several key election mandates, including disbanding of the Howard Government’s WorkChoices regime, replacing it with Fair Work Australia, and implementing the “Education Revolution”.

Gillard belongs to the ALP’s left faction and is well liked within caucus where she is regarded as an extremely hard working and politically astute. She has long been considered one of the Labor Party’s most promising talents. Critically, she is the Labor’s best parliamentary performer.

Gillard lives in the Melbourne suburb of Altona with her partner, Tim Matheson, a hairdresser.

Avatar takes to the skies

Ogilvy PR’s consumer public relations agency Pulse Communications worked with Twentieth Century Fox in conjunction with Virgin Blue to help celebrate the launch of Avatar on Blu-ray and DVD and to ignite excitement around the country. Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time, became available nationally on Blu-ray and DVD on Thursday 29^th April.

The idea was to capture the hearts and minds of Avatar fans and to make them feel as if Avatar had spread across the country. With the parameters of only nine working days from the initial concept to execution, Pulse Communications was responsible for bringing the concept to life.

A large public relations stunt was created utilising an Avatar inspired Virgin Blue Boeing 737, 20 Nova competition winners and current and former NRL bulldogs players. The lucky competition winners and Bulldog players were expertly airbrushed into the Na’vi people, complete with wigs and ear pieces, and sent on the trip of a lifetime to be a part of the biggest DVD launch in the country.

The Virgin Plane flew from Brisbane to Sydney airport to be met by four models that had been completely transformed from head to toe into Na’Vi. The four Na’Vi models posing outside the Avatar inspired plane, and inside the cockpit resulted in a fantastic photo which generated huge media attention.

The resulting media coverage reached an audience of over 25 million and created a return on investment of 20:1. Highlights included The Daily Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald Online, mX Sydney, Gold Coast Bulletin confidential, Channel 10, Fox Sports News and Nova FM.

The success of the public relations campaign was only further reinforced as AVATAR shattered industry records delivering the biggest “day one” DVD and Blu-ray sales results of any film in Australia, announced today by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE).  In just one day, TCFHE sold 360,000 combined units of AVATAR (DVD and Blu-ray) – beating all “week one” release records.

From Clink to Click: ancestry.com.au calls up the past

Challenge

Do you have a convict ancestor? If you did, would you know? In its first project for Australia’s leading family history website, Ancestry.com.au, public relations agency Howorth led a PR campaign to launch two new convict-based historical record collections to the public. These records (the Convict Registers of Conditional and Absolute Pardons, 1791-1846 and the New South Wales Certificates of Freedom, 1827-1867) complete the journey from arrest to release of almost one third of all convicts transported to Australia.

With more than 2.3 million criminal and convict records now available online, Ancestry.com.au made the entirety of its 15-part Australian Convicts Collection accessible for free for eight days in January 2010. With the door to the past wide open, Howorth had to convince the public to come knocking.

Insight

Howorth constructed a public relations campaign, tied into Australia Day, to get consumers thinking about how their families originally made it to the Lucky Country, before encouraging them to dig down into their own pasts.

Creative idea, relentless execution

Howorth knew it needed a high-profile partner for the campaign launch, so secured a national News Limited exclusive for Australia Day itself, which resulted in coverage in all news.com.au sites across Australia. Metropolitan radio talk back programs were also targeted with embargoed material so they could incorporate the story into the weekly plan. Following this initial coverage burst, the release was then issued to all other media.

Outcomes

The response locally for the convict collection was overwhelming, with more than 200 pieces of coverage, including breaking news online across Fairfax and news.com.au, and radio news bulletins. 20 radio interviews were conducted across commercial, AM and community radio, from the ABC to 2GB, with some stations syndicating the interviews across their networks and regions to raise coverage levels even further. Print coverage included major pieces in the Hobart Mercury, Canberra Times and Sunday Territorian. Through social media engagement, public relations agency Howorth also generated 21 ‘Tweets’ on the open Convict Collection indexes, with some of the influential Twitter users having over 1000 followers.

As a result of the PR campaign, Ancestry.com.au received their highest ever unique visitors for a single day on Australia Day (25^th January 2010 ).

Gratifyingly, the client was thrilled with the results; “The Howorth team achieved results well beyond our expectations. This is a great start to our relationship,” said Debra Chesterton, Managing Director, Ancestry.com.au.

Pulse to race ahead with Matt Buchanan

Ogilvy PR Australia has brought ex-pat Matt Buchanan back to Sydney to take up the reins at consumer agency Pulse Communications. Matt returns to Australia after a 12-year stint in the UK, having held senior roles at The Red Consultancy, Lexis Public Relations and the Bell Pottinger Group.

Most recently heading up the consumer brands division at The Red Consultancy in London, Matt begins work at Pulse from September 6.  He replaces outgoing Managing Director, Samantha Allen, who has been promoted within Ogilvy PR Worldwide to lead the agency’s Global Consumer Marketing practice from New York.

Ogilvy PR Australia’s Managing Director, John Studdert said: “Matt’s track record speaks for itself – he’s led award-winning UK and global work for some of the world’s biggest brands and has successfully grown his 40-strong division despite the tough economic times.  His creative flair and deep sector expertise will begin delivering immediately for Pulse’s clients, and we know he’ll contribute to our wider success story within the Australian market.”

Pulse is one of Asia Pacific’s most awarded and successful consumer PR agencies with a client base that includes LG Electronics, Tourism Australia, Fosters CUB, Rolls Royce, Ford and Unilever.

Taking over the 20 plus strong team, Matt will bring a wide-ranging sectoral perspective to the business, with experience ranging from Pfizer to Samsung, Virgin Money and Coca-Cola.

Having led strategic and creative thinking for brands like eBay, Gumtree and MySpace, he will also work closely with Ogilvy PR’s worldwide 360˚ Digital Influence group, developing bespoke campaigns and providing senior counsel for clients. Matt has a bachelor’s degree from RMIT University, and began his career at Hill & Knowlton and Porter Novelli in Australia.

He commented: “During my time in the UK, I’ve worked with, and learnt from, some of the best people in the industry. The chance to return home to Australia and take up this exciting role at Pulse was an opportunity too good to resist.  I’m looking forward to building the Pulse brand even further and working with the great team and the other companies within the Ogilvy PR and STW Group to deliver creative excellence for our clients.”

Pulse was awarded the Best New Consultancy in 2004 (Asia Pacific PR Awards), Campaign of the Year (2008 Asia Pacific PR Awards), and has gone on to win over 50 Australian and global awards including the top honour for all WPP-owned PR agencies worldwide.

Ogilvy PR Australia is a joint venture between Ogilvy PR Worldwide and STW Group, Australia’s leading marketing content and communications services group.

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