Australian Mining launches ‘This is our story’ ad
Australian Mining has launched the latest incarnation of its ‘This is our story’ campaign, in which mining employees talk about the importance of the industry.
In this spot, Len Thong, who came to Australia as a refugee at the age of three after his parents were killed in Cambodia, talks about how his job at Rio Tinto has helped him, and how mining “helps every single Australian”. It was created by Lawrence Creative.
Australian Mining is supported by the Minerals Council of Australia, which is made up around 50 mining companies including Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, OZ Minerals and Vale.
The other ads in the series are viewable at thisisourstory.com.au.
I think I can see where this is going…
…if Carbon Tax comes in, this lot are out of a job?
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Deeply cynical doesn’t even begin to describe this campaign.
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Hmmm…. – agree, but think it will be effective
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i wonder if Len was aware of the extent to which the tragedy of his parent’s killing would be leveraged for the commercial benefit of Rio Tinto shareholders?
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The Mining industry helped my sister and her family. I know little about mining but I do know that it can give some Australian families a chance to live a normal, affordable life. Not everyone is well educated or will hold high paying jobs, living in the Eastern suburbs sipping on their lattes. But some of them will proudly do hard labour and bring home money to their families for the sole purpous of giving them a chance to have a better life. I could be wrong but I think this campaign will reach people that need financial help.
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Deeply cynical doesn’t even begin to describe the advertising industry.
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Ah Ben, another one who mistakes the messenger for the message-writer.
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I always thought the messenger was the medium through which the ad agency’s message saw the light of day but obviously must stand corrected.
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Hi All,
There is nothing political about this campaign at all, nor will it be used as a springboard for any other form of campaigning. The campaign is simply designed to show the community the broad cross section of what we do it through compelling personal stories. There are hundreds of people in the mass media putting forward a view of mining every day – why shouldn’t the industry also have a say?
Cheers,
Ben
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No.
The message tends to come from the “client.”
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Actually, that’s unhelpful of me. To correct:
The business / comms objective should come from the Client.
The crafted comms message should come from the Agency.
The optimal choice of medium should come from the Media Agency.
The client pays the bills, so they are the origin.
Reality is often different, though.
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Ben M.
You’re kidding, right.
You really think, on of all places Mumbrella, that will wash?
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Ben Mitchell if there is nothing political about this campaign how come it appears in the middle of the carbon tax debate? If it’s not political take it off immediately until carbon tax is not an issue, otherwise it’s very presence is a political statement. And if it’s not supposed to do anything then how about using the money for something useful like refugee welfare?
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“There is nothing political about this campaign at all.”
If you listed carefully, you can hear the faint smooshy sound of a million eyeballs rolling in their owner’s sockets.
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Groucho – it was planned 10 months ago before the ccarbon policy was proposed. We are hoping it will attract workers to the industry. As you may have heard, the resources sector needs workers.
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Gee Ben, why didn’t you say that @ 1:10pm today (see above), or hadn’t the PR people come up with that by then?
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If the very admirable Mr Thong can make a success of his life after everything that’s been thrown at him including the death of his parents, I doubt the sky will fall in from a government tax.
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Ben.
It seems disingenuous that
“We are simply having a broader conversation, trying to explain to people that we do a vast array for society much more than provide tax revenue to government.”
– from ABC Online
lost the “tax revenue” aspect and became:
The campaign is simply designed to show the community the broad cross section of what we do it through compelling personal stories.”
– Mumbrella 1.10pm
and then lost the “community…stories” to become:
“We are hoping it will attract workers to the industry. As you may have heard, the resources sector needs workers.”
-Mumbrella 4.07pm
Could you explain the shifting sands on which this campaign is premised?
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Rio Tinto’s net profit tripled from 2009 to 2010 and that was on top of paying off $4 billion, part of it’s debt from aquiring an Alco giant the previous year.
The government currently pays around $1.7 billion in fuel tax subsidies to the mining industry. What is really going on here?
Rio TInto: If you really want to show you care and that this is all about “attracting workers to the industry” you can always raise the salaries of the miners? What’s that I hear you say….it would eat away at your profits?
Not political, my arse.
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@Ben
It would be good to see the story about how they used to get the natives off the land.
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Yes, yes, these are terrible, but have I missed a post on another industry with more money than morals? Dude, Nanny State ads.
The mining ones have used a lot of money to create repugnant but effective ads. the tobacco industry has paid someone a lot of money to create the most inept, off message, counterproductive pieces ever.
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*** Paging Ben Mitchell ***
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Yeah Ben, what AdGrunt said, and you haven’t answered my question either.
Ben when you start playing this game you can’t just stop when you are caught out
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The comments make me want to cry…. can anything exist without cynacism? I really like this ad!
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Stupid add, What do I care about foreign people working in the mining , How does this relate to me??? Makes me think they have no idea about anything ..
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Jo: how I pity you and your thoughts! You couldn’t be further from the truth.
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the first time i saw this on TV I just laughed out loud, incredulous at how transparent this ad is. Ever so subtly, the mining industry is implying that mining helps out orphaned refugees and makes dead parents proud… geez. What reaction are they expecting? “Oh terribly sorry mining industry, I didn’t realise you had actual human beings working for you. And they have lives? Stories? Again, my apologies – this simple fact obviously validates everything you’ve been doing. As you were.” Not to mention that Len and his friends would be fired without a second thought should the bottom line require it…
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