Political Ads are All About Turnaround

When the Australian Workers Union decided to inject itself into the national debate on the resource Rent Tax, they called EMC with a challenging brief.

With a 48 hour turn around we were asked to script produce and deliver a 30 second TV ad that would rebut the increasingly shrill complaints of the mining lobby.

Working with Milko Productions, EMC adapted a concept we had been working on for some time – the notion that the mining industry is defined by what it takes out of Australia.

This became the creative frame to attack  mining executives like Clive Palmer, a high-profile National Party donor with massive wealth and a larger mouth.

It all came together as a no holds barred attack ad – nothing too subtle – but a clear message and a humanising of what can be complex issues.

The results? AWU national secretary Paul Howes launched the ad via an interview with Channel Ten’s Meet the Press, coverage on all TV news that night and print and radio coverage into the next week.

We would like to claim credit for the free media too, but on this occasion that was the AWU’s own work.

Peter Lewis, Director EMC