Brands, stop trying to muscle in on Anzac Day
In recent years, brands have gotten themselves into hot water when trying to piggyback off Australia’s most sacred day of remembrance. Spinach’s Ben Willee advises they don’t try having a crack this year.
We’re fast approaching that time of the year when Australian brands get themselves into an entirely avoidable balls-up. Yes folks, it’s almost Anzac Day.
In recent years we’ve seen seemingly well-meaning businesses fall foul of the Australian public and the media by attempting to align themselves with the national day of remembrance. It’s been three years, but Woolworth’s Fresh in our Memories campaign is still held up as one of the greatest Australian marketing mis-steps of all time.
And despite the backlash that followed that and other memorable Anzac Day blunders, such as Zoo Magazine’s 100 things every Aussie should know about Gallipoli, brands continue to get into hot water. You have to ask, how does this keep on happening?
And, please agencies and advertisers, remember that the word
“Anzac” is protected and you need permission to use it. Permission is not always granted.
To clarify, it is okay to talk about an “ANZAC Day sale” because it is a sale taking place on that particular day.
Correct, just as it’s OK to to use the name of a location in your business if that location happens to have Anzac in its name. For example, if you have a fruit shop on Anzac Parade, you can call yourself the Anzac Parade Fruit Shop without seeking permission.
I completely agree, I don’t think it is appropriate to use this day as a means to market a business. I think the day deserves nothing but respect, and brands can definitely pay that through genuine posts, but there shouldn’t be a sneaky sales tactic behind that.
Well said Willey. True on all counts.
Robbo.
Very well said and statistically [financially too] supported. I admit my email address reveals a vested interest. However saying that a most relevant article that succinctly underlines the seismic changes in sports broadcasting and sponsorships of late and its impact on the marketing dollar spend directions that are effective, have across-the-board reach and fuller engagement.
Adding – appropriateness crucial, and so full marks to the various football codes for a sensitive well managed balance. I’d suggest also Netball, Basketball etc should also be complimented.
A sacred day when we celebrate a bunch of chumps getting their heads blown off.
And losing.
how has this comment made it through moderation???
You wouldn’t have lasted a second in their place John.
Go back to your safe space in Surry Hills and make sure to take a long sip on that extra hot, foamy soy latte you are currently nursing.
You’re the arsehat supporting sending people to war.
Chump.
you’re about as edgy as a butter knife mate.
I don’t think you paid much attention in history class.
Or a sacred day where we remember the cost of war. How you choose to see it reflects your own worth.
No John its about remembering people who served their country right or wrong in the hope that it would eventually save lives abd our way of life. You can disagree but please show some respect
Yet you gladly sleep under the blanket of freedom that the provided you. If Kokoda had been lost, we would be speaking Japanese now.
Hypocrite.
Yet you hypocritically enjoy the blanket of freedom they provided.
… is the laziness and disrespect of shoe-horning the benefit of a product into the deaths of servicemen.
Its so lazy and feels like a second hand car-salesman advert in a regional paper, in 1987.
its OK to use things like these in years where there is a significant amount of time to be celebrated/noticed. But your association and tone of voice needs to be perfect, not on the dot, in the dot, at the centre on point.
Take Sainsbury’s in the UK, their campaign was built around activation and a heavily invested in TV spot, not to mention it was built on an association with a war veterans nationwide charity that has existed for over 75 years, the poppy appeal.
Its only insulting of its lazily done.
They say a secular society will find something to worship, I often think Australia proves this with our relationship to Anzac day. Rarther than saints we have soldiers, and we walk about the day as “sacred”, the “pilgramige” to Gallipoli and “hallowed” beach there (all this seems interesting in that it would have probably horrified the soldiers of the time – many of whom were religious – to hear themselves being talked about as if they were deities).
So brands going “Anzac” in Australia is not too different to advertising “Prophet approved used cars” would be in the Middle East. Tread carefully.
@Line I agree.
I can’t imagine what was going through some of those poor soldiers minds as they jumped off the boats and ran up the beach. It is unthinkable how scary and how awful these scenes would have been. Just awful.
Equally awful, some would say, is profiting from this disaster, unless of course ALL profits go to good causes.
‘Equally, equally’ awful are Casino’s disguised as clubs for serviceman. Truly, it is a disease and a burden on our communities and society: it is vulgar and my grandparents would be turning in their graves.
Nationalism / Patriotism can be dangerous and has many very respected critics:
‘Nationalism as we know it, is the result of a form of state sponsored branding.’ – allegedly by Bryant McGill
‘Patriotism is the willingness to kill or be killed for trivial reasons.’ – allegedly by Bertrand Russell
I have attended dawn services for the last 10 years. Until last year there was always an underlying message that we should avoid war at all costs. Respect was always highlighted to all the fallen and not just our side. Last years was service awful, it almost glorified war. I won’t be attending another.
I lost a great grandfather in WW1. My other fought and my two grandfathers fought in WW2. My father remembers my grandfather saying and I remember my grandfathers saying: ‘Talk, don’t fight. There must never be another war.’
War is packaged up by our media, so warmly, it is like viewing the weather forecast. The patriotic seem pleased when we are bombing people. (Just read comments on social media – disgusting.)
Rant over: lest we forget. (I truly mean lest we forget.)
‘Nationalism as we know it, is the result of a form of state sponsored branding.’ – allegedly by Bryant McGill
Great piece. Let’s hope we see less of this crassness going forward.
Its massively different in geography and mindset, before secular comes man’s need to worship something, since time began whether it be the moon, the sun or the stars that you use to navigate the sea in your dow boat, with your sails full of faith in your god.
The context of marketing within an Anzac day brand frame and an automobile prophet in the middle east is massively different, your comment sits on the fence and ultimately sides with my point.
If you do go with Anzac day, do so if you have a history in a just cause or charity that directly benefits its deceased heroes or living descendants, and get it exactly right and … tread carefully.
If you want to sell a car in the middle East with a God, good luck. But you’ll need more than a lucky star or a prayer.
You’re right about there being a vast difference between religion as practiced by some cultures and the way Australians increasing religionise Anzac Day (I think that’s a real word?). However I suspect this gap is getting smaller over time. I’m still fairly young but have lived through enough of the days, that I see a vast difference between the sane and respectful way we used to treat Anzac day when some of our vets of WW1 were still with us, and the increasingly “worshipful” nature of it in the last few years.
Political parties have occasionally annexed ANZAC day. A few years ago I had a terse email exchange with our local state member who had letter-boxed the area with an eight page (DL) ANZAC day flyer in which their picture appeared no less than half a dozen times. Recipe for ANZAC biscuits… pic of the pollie, shot of local war memorial… with the pollie, WW2 diggers… with the pollie, etc, etc. Crass behaviour IMO, and I don’t think I was the only one because it hasn’t happened again.
I disagree that the AFL’s involvement with ANZAC Day is the ‘perfect living tribute’. The Essendon Vs Collingwood match became an event due to promotion by the then Essendon coach, and the AFL jumped on-board as they saw an opportunity for a big gate. Collingwood have one of the poorest war service records of any VFL/AFL club yet one of the largest memberships. Which works nicely when you want to draw a crowd. No matter how tastefully it’s done, it’s still marketing and the AFL and the clubs are still benefiting from what used to be a respectful day.
Have a google search for Shaun Micallef Anzac Day football. That sketch said it all.
Comparing the bravery of players being well paid to risk minor injury to young men being butchered is frankly downright offensive.
Got to agree with ‘not a fan’ and ‘line’ wholeheartedly.
I find it in bad taste that there is ANY footy games on ANZAC Day, because it is meant to be a solemn day. For two sides to have the monopoly on it because ‘it’s tradition’ is just a manufactured ‘bread and circus’ to appease the masses – that’s IF and WHY you have to play at all.
Of course, everyone will say ‘freedom of choice’ and shout it down, but in that case, just open all the shops as well then. Or is that just crass commercialism and going to the footy is different ?
LEST . WE . FORGET .
(Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine…)
No, that’s not cool. I’m surprised that made it through the moderators, after what happened last year.
People throw terms like ‘outrage’ and ‘offense’ around, but if you really want to see real ‘outrage’ and ‘offense’ from those people who sit right in the political centre or just to the side of it (i.e. ‘the average Joe’ in Australia), just repeat that stunt again from YAM.
ANZAC Day is not about grandstanding on anything. It is a solemn day (and I’d go so far as to say that hosting the bread and circuses of a footy game on the same day is a poor affectation), and posting stuff like you did is especially not cool.
What about the vast hoards of people who will not attend a dawn service, yet will salivate in the lead up and when it comes to mid morning on ANZAC Day, head to the pub, get absolutely wasted and gamble their money away. I know so many more people who seem to live for the 2up and the p1ss and have never and will never attend a dawn service. Madness.
What about people from marketing agencies who use these events to sell their own “consentric thinking” abilities dressed up as an opinion piece? Would the average Australian see this as exploitative?
Great point.
It’s not okay to use ANZAC day to shift product, but it’s A-Okay to use ANZAC day to promote one’s agency. Got it?
Good read and an important piece… none the less some brand will f**K it up again this year
Ben maybe because of your background this opinion piece feels a little privileged white Anglo and myopic. Ask a few people who look different to you how they feel about Anzac Day
And then…
Ask a few diggers how they feel about you using the occasion to promote your agency.
Cheers
What a load of rubbish.
I served with men and women from various backgrounds, including some of those heavily focussed on by the media and I can assure you this:
– Those people who look different to Ben have the same opinions as any white Anglo person
– No diggers will care – in fact we all support each other in civvie applications so would actually encourage this
Cheers