Ray Hadley has ‘Get routed’ ad for street directory pulled from Macquarie Radio Network
Radio 2GB’s morning show host Ray Hadley has had a Father’s Day ad for UBD Gregorys Street Directories – which made a pun about telling dad to ‘get routed’ – pulled from the Macquarie Radio Network.
After the ad was played on his show this morning Hadley launched into a rant describing it as “highly, highly inappropriate” and adding: “I have no doubt that some smart ‘A’ with a pony tail and piercing thinks it’s witty. It may be witty but it won’t be on my program again I can assure you.”
Roxy Ryan, marketing director for publisher Hardie Grant, told Mumbrella the ad was meant to be “light hearted and a bit tongue in cheek” adding they would not “be looking to advertise with the Macquarie Network again actually, given this experience”.
The ad, created by agency Red Crayon, used a voiceover which said: “Ever wanted to tell dad to get routed? Well, this Father’s Day, you’ve got the opportunity to do exactly that. With over 600 new roads added this year, he’ll be sure to love being told to get routed. Hey dad, get routed.”
Straight after it played Hadley called out the ad as offensive, adding: “I don’t know how it made it through the checks and balances of the number one radio station of what is a large network, but I will be talking to the sales and commercial people and voicing my extreme displeasure. It might pass muster in other low brow places but it won’t pass muster here.”
He added: “We have certain standards that we adhere to here, we have a lot of fun and jokes but we don’t cross the lines of what should be decent and fair.
What the advertisers should realise is that many young mums listen to my program with many young children in the car, and it’s tough enough to negotiate my way through some of the stories I have to negotiate through on air without having offensive commercials.”
Hardie Grant’s Ryan told Mumbrella the campaign, which has an outdoor element and an ad spend of around $150,000, was meant to be targeting tradies and other people who spend a lot of time in their cars, and was a follow up from a campaign last year centred around telling dad to ‘Get lost’.
But she admitted she was surprised to have the ad called out on air by Hadley saying: “Given he works at the station and it’s not actually his call we certainly didn’t expect the actual presenter to be having a say. We have no problems placing the ad with the network.
“That’s what’s strange to me, they say they had a couple of people call in and complain and they’ve got to listen to their listeners, but to pull it because he finds it offensive is an odd one to me.”
She added: “If Ray Hadley gets to personally pick and choose which ads he thinks are fit for broadcast depending on what he’s offended by I don’t think he’s doing his listeners much of a favour either really.”
She also denied the campaign had been created to be deliberately provocative to gain PR exposure across the media, saying “we’re not that kind of company, we’re not looking to get sales through media controversy or anything like that”.
The Macquarie Radio Network confirmed the ad had been pulled from its 2GB (Sydney), 6PR (Perth) stations as well as 5AA (Adelaide) which it is the sales representative for.
Alex Hayes
“many young mums listen to my program with many young children in the car”
The lot of them should be charged with child abuse.
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Other low brow radio shows, who the hell does this bloke think hes kidding,an obnoxious right wing shouter with a very very thin skin that’s Hadley
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Not sure that ad is appropriate, but his show probably isn’t too!
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Good work Ray, agree 100%
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Pot calling kettle black.
Headlines should read:
‘Aggressive, angry shock jock, who wouldn’t look out of place on a radio show back in the 50’s, bans innuendo from his one sided show’.
It would be good if he could take an ethical stance also.
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Maybe they should have advertised it on his weekend show “The continuous Call”, the innuendo displayed in their banter makes this ad look like a prayer book.
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As a former presenter, and award-winning radio/television/print advertising copywriter, in the ‘professional’ world of media, if any announcer even remotely criticized the content of a paid advertisement on air, no less than the GM, Sales Manager and Program Director would see to it it was the announcer’s last broadcast.
Make no mistake, commercial radio exists solely to provide a medium to generate revenue by airing advertisements. Hence, the ‘commercial.’ Programming – in any format – simply fill the gaps until the next commercial break. Granted, the more popular the program, the more stations can charge for the commercials.
When and by whom Hadley and his petulant entitled ilk began wagging the dog that is Australian radio marked the beginning of the end of management control, and thus, the ruination of an entire country’s media.
The only resolve is for station owners to finally grow a pair and start sacking these pompous dimwitted punks in bulk. Replacement presenters are a dime a dozen. After all, if Hadley can do it, how hard can it be?
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Actually don’t agree with what people are saying here, I listen to Ray Hadley and find him exactly opposite to what you are all calling him out to be. It is very easy to describe someone as an obnoxious right winged shouter, but do you listen? Commenting on this will now open me up to those people. Get back to the story instead a ask yourself why he took this stand, maybe you will find that there is a lot of people out there that agree with him
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Its called double entendre. A phrase clearly assigned to one meaning, with a rather obvious, possible and usually risque, alternative meaning.
In the case of this particular ad, which I have not heard, it vulgarity or otherwise, would rather depend upon the pronunciation of “Routed,” meaning mapped, or set out in order, which has an English pronunciation identical to the word “Rooting,” which apart from its vulgar secondary use, has a legitimate use, meaning foraging, digging or searching through or under.
it is more usually pronounced “Routed” rhyming with “Shouted,” in which case the reference to vulgarity is twice removed but equally effective, and arguably more effective.
The front man, in my opinion, is obviously grandstanding and halo polishing, but then Hinch, Pontius Pilate, and many others have employed the same tactic.
I remember a gardening programme on the radio, in which the trans potting of chrysanthemums was being explained. At the very conclusion, the presenter said “Follow these easy steps listeners, and your chrysanthemums will be rooted in no time.”
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Can somebody please send Ray a mood board featuring Singo’s current creative personnel and their favoured hairstyles and attire? This ponytail and earring trope is letting down what is otherwise an excellent Daily Telegraph podcast.
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All true Richard, except that Hadley and Jones are the meal tickets for those who own and run the station. Getting rid of them cuts off the very lucrative meal ticket. Just think how much these two have cost their owners in defamation payouts, yet they are still there. Their earning power well and truly mitigates the risks.
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Not good work Ray, disagree 100%
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Has anyone actually checked that this whole thing is not a stunt concocted by the network? Clearly his young mum listeners don’t ever get survey books either. Just sayin’
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So reverse this ad and have it telling mum to go get rooted. See how many find that offensive.
I doubt anyone would ever try and have that ad made because they could see how offensive that would be, so why do it to fathers.
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To Richard s Kazimer, a couple of things:
1. Replacement presenters are not “a dime a dozen” – obviously you have never programmed a radio station or hired talent.
2. The minute the sales department gets a hold of a radio station and the programming becomes “filler” until the next ad bracket, the station is in trouble. I’m sure Hamish and Andy would love to know that they’re just filling space between the ads – expensive “filler”.
3. It is the job of the presenter to apply standards on his/her program where management has failed to do so. Unfortunately, the dollar speaks loudly and can undermine those standards, hence the proliferation of those abysmal male sexual problem ads.
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I’m outraged that people still sell street directories. $35 for something you can get for free on your phone?
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Got a feeling the company rep wasn’t a great fan of Hadley to begin with. There are only a few radio presenters with clout and audience enough to call the shots – he is one of them. They’ll be back with Macquarie – audience seems a perfect fit with the product.
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What has not been mentioned is that the typical listener to both Hadley & Jones need to be told how to think. Both are successful due to the great numbers of bogans and easily led listeners out there, particularly the over 65. Most readers would have heard a tradie in a table top truck or van with either Hadley or Jones yelling out the windows. And of course their ‘charity’ work is their cover
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Oh My God!
Finally Hadley has said something I agree with – that he has a lot of jokes on his programme.
Yeah, and most of them are Cabinet Ministers.
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Jazzbo that’s a very condescending attitude towards 2GB’s listener base. Not everyone outside Surry Hills adland is “easily led” or a bogan. In fact given the number of tatts and big beards in our “creative” sector I think we can see who is being led. I do also find it amusing that people accuse Jones of inciting youths to riot at Cronulla while at the same time saying all his listeners are geriatrics who can’t get out of the chair. I don’t particularly like their style, but just because the inner city of Sydney does not listen does not mean that Jones and Hadley aren’t good outlets for advertisers.
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Interesting that the ad was not aired in Melbourne (Melways stranglehold) or Brisbane (low rating station).
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Seriously the ad. is disgusting and should not be on air. I heard it in Brisbane today, and laughed till I could laugh no more. Ray is correct though!!.
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