Dear Kevin, where is the fair go for Aussie adland?
In this guest post, Glen Condie asks Kevin Rudd if he might put his money where his mouth is by giving business to local agencies instead of the multinationals
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I keep seeing and hearing you on my television and radio. I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that you feel Australian businesses should be given a fair go and that small business is critical to the health of our nation. I agree keeping profits in the hands of Australian companies can only help us. Most importantly when I hear you saying that you will ensure that Australian companies will get their “fair share”, I get all giddy.
There’s one thing though that I don’t understand. You dole out millions each year to ad agencies and I can’t seem to remember many gigs going to independent Australian companies. You see, Mr. Prime Minister, I’ve worked for two Australian agencies since 1999: Maverick and Wonder. In that time these companies have been awarded exactly zero dollars in projects for you, despite being very well regarded, winning lots of awards and handling clients such as Telstra, Westpac, Qantas and Nestlé, who seem to think we’re up to it.
The Government have an obligation to place their business with the agency that with deliver the best return on their investment of their taxpayers funds. All agencies employ taxpaying locals. The citizenship of their owners is absolutely irrelevant. As a one time agency director, Australian owned as it happens, which handled a number of government accounts I was a citizen of another country. Should we have appointed? Of course, we were good enough to beat the other agencies, local and multinational at the pitch. Wonder just need to be better at getting on pitch lists, better at doing pitches. Perhaps the investment of some overseas capital might help……… Certainly more than playing the local victim card.
What a load of cobblers.
“You guys are probably in a strategy meeting with the Americans you brought over to run your campaign. Oh well…”
Except one of them’s a Pom. That probably makes it even worse, doesn’t it? Or maybe it just highlights that they brought in who they thought were the best for the job.
“You see, people that are entrepreneurial enough to start their own business never rely on government.”
Actually entrepreneurs depend on government massively; to educate the staff they need, supply the infrastructure that delivers gas and electricity to their buildings, give tax breaks for everything from car usage to buying wanky fashion mags, even to repair the roads that allow you to drive to see your customers.
This post highlights the things that always makes me chuckle about aussies; they accuse others of whinging, but never stop doing it themselves; and they claim to be hardened, entrepreneurial frontier types, yet live in a massively subsidised country where everyone is on middle-class welfare.
How’s that for a fair go?
Their main agency is an Australian independent as are many of the other agencies they use. Just because they haven’t used your particular events / branded entertainment companies doesn’t mean they are not using Aussie agencies. They seem to use a good mix of agencies for the job.
Have you even applied to get on roster?
In the hour or two it took you to conceive, write and proof this whinge you could have been improving your agencies skills, pitching ability, output etc.
Perhaps less effort in whinging and more effort in pitching!
Well said, Glen. I’m not sure about previous comments, sounds like jealousy with a bit of smart-arse mixed in. You make a good point about KRudd… a total phoney and would change his policy to anything if a poll suggested it.
Why don’t they use Australian ad agencies? Because using you doesn’t advance his own agenda…
I have seen your work and you certainly deserve to be considered for government work, although as you point out, good businesses certainly don’t rely on government anything!
Keep up the good work mate.
Yes this is definitely his top priority
Am I wrong, but is Adcorp not Australian owned? Don’t get me wrong Im sick of KRudds crap, but if you are going to have a whinge get your facts right.
adcorp australia ltd (AAU) Details
Adcorp Australia Limited operates as an advertising agency to businesses and government in Australia and New Zealand. It offers advertising agency services specializing in human resources, real estate, government, motor vehicle, education, and retail markets. The company also provides Website design, development, and database support services. In addition, it offers digital marketing and consulting services, including supply of Web-based products, and strategic employment solutions. Adcorp Australia Limited is headquartered in Ultimo, Australia.
Sorry Glen but can’t agree with you on this one. I’m currently with an independent agency and we are currently working on some government contracts (PR & comms) that we won fair and square in a pitch process against the bigger multi-national agencies
I just want this election to be over so we can get back to our work…..
Hear, hear Glen. I don’t care if people think you’re having a whinge – in fact I think it should be a louder whinge because it seems the Government goes not listen.
I find it appalling that the companies you mentioned have never had Federal Government work. Having worked with BWM in the past I agree they and the other agencies mentioned are very capable of handling anything thrown at them.
Let’s hope there is a change and the new lot keep to their promise of helping Australian business big and small. For my part/whinge I am a small business and would just like a break from the red tape and tax burden.
Thank you, Glen, for raising this important issue.
That’s MY bloody taxpayer dollar, and I want it re-circulating around the neighbourhood, preferably a few times!
Hmmmm,
I love your admission that Aussie agencies need special treatment.
Just like Holden.
The real issue is that the advertising industry is not getting it’s fare share of government hand outs . Like the car and farming industries we too have been suffering through hard times because australians are no longer purchasing australian goods, or goods in general for that matter. Oh thats right our industry has to stand on it’s own two feet, we don’t survive if we aren’t competitive, clever and resourceful!
Didn’t Neil Lawrence do Kevin 07? I’m pretty sure he’s Australian….
I just tweeted this thread to Kevin https://twitter.com/KRuddMP and we should all do just that. Great post Glenn.
I think a lot of you tree hugging socialists have missed Glens point. He is not whingeing about not get KRudds business. He is saying stop saying one thing, “Support Australian small business” and then not do it himself.
Glen is not whingeing about not getting awarded contracts. He is saying Kevin is again full of shite….. And remember vote early and vote often……
The issue is not right or left wing driven.
It can be summed up like this. The FREE MARKET is not FREE.
Markets need some accommodation for local entities otherwise the big dogs will always swallow the small.
Look to the state of the film industry. The majors dominate and the profits go to the distribution arms. The model kills independents film-makers’ profits.
Look at farming. Ditto. Coles isn’t going broke but Australian farmers….
Look at the state of our tax revenues. We pay company tax. Global corporations waltz out the door with their profits gratis.
There must be accommodation for local entities otherwise you will lose their great skills and talent to offshore entities and the global powerhouses.
That’s not socialist claptrap. That’s management of our future and a rule you can apply to all the industries and elements of our nation. It’s needs special attention and an abandonment of the premise that ‘free market rules’.
If that were the truth our super funds wouldn’t have been bent over the rail during the GFC and we’d all be wealthier for the wonderful management of our futures by the world’s financial institutions.
Look at advertising
Well said Glen. I’m amazed at the grouchy comments and advice about pitching.
If you work for an independent agency, then you must be good at pitching and being an entrepreneur.
What’s wrong with wanting some rivers of gold like all the others are doing?
Glen’s not asking for favours, just an end to yet another example of gov’t hypocrisy: I know of many in the industries in which I work 🙁 How can it ever be a level playing field for Aus business, when we’re competing on a global stage with enormous conglomerates who have more money than sense, more power than people, more spin than integrity and/or no ethics?
We were sold out years ago to this global model which has no room for morality or local social conscience, and no incentive provided for entrepreneurial investment in Aussie *talent* in any form 😛 Our manufacturing, farming, customer service and music industries are a few examples which are now coming home to roost 🙁
I’m looking forward to the day an actual ‘leader’ commits to utilising and protecting our unique Australian skills, instead of apologising for them and/or accepting credit for them to suit the political trend of the day.
A radical change – no, introduction – of leadership is our only chance to maintain the quality of life we’re marketed on, rather than have it watered down to the lowest global common denominator: ie. where the $ is God, free speech gagged behind closed doors, and Human Rights are written down on cheap imported toilet paper 😛
In the meantime, I applaud Glen’s FAIR questions to establish just how FAIR our own government is being toward the critical *small* business backbone of our nation…. I look forward to some updates / answers (presumably via Kev’s *Australian* publicist? 🙂
Great article …. Well handled albeit a little off target….
But you know what (as our PM often says) There is no chance this is going to change with an Abbot Government. Those chaps are classic at selling the farm and have been for decades. So don’t get too excited who ever wins in September!
Answer is simple – get a a 457 Visa
I think Mumbrella (like most industry specific media sites) should have a policy of commenters needing to identify themselves (and thus make there vested interests known).
I think Glen makes a fair point. It’s pretty standard in any government procurement process to try and prefer ‘locally owned businesses’ where possible. Why should communications be any different? Are foreign owned agencies really offering expertise that is unavailable locally. I doubt it.
Not to mention that it’s been pretty well publicised that many foreign owned businesses are paying a fraction of the tax of locally owned businesses. So we lose two ways.
And before anyone rips into me for these thoughts… first identify yourself (and your current employer) then by all means fire away.
Umm there’s a campaign running now, by BMF. Created when they were an independent.
’cause an agency would never outsource their production and dev work to India/China/Philipines, right? Right?
Tough debate here. I totally get the point Glen is making. Practice what you preach, but hang on, without investment from OS where would we be in so many industries and, how can we expect to export anything with this attitude. I’m conflicted here and without looking like a fence sitter see substance in both sides
Can’t clap enough.
Good on you fella.
As much as I may have had on occasion a contratemps with Glen, I cannot but agree on this occasion
I don’t believe he’s holding out his hand
I do believe he is illustrating that there appears to be imbalance
None of us can decry competeition from foreign-owned industry equivalents on a level playing field
S’long as that field is even, and apples are compared with apples …..
chris miller
inflatable image technologies
indie developer-designer-manufacturer 100%-Australian
Agree with Glen, government saying one thing doing another, thankfully we do have talented people and we live in a country where we get to say what we feel.
At the core of Glen’s argument is this simple premise : because we are Australian, and this Is Australia we need special treatment, ie we are not good enough to compete with the rest of the world so we need some sort of affirmative action by someone, presumably Government. Every Australian industry can mount this argument, as can any industry in any country in the world, including all countries we export to. So, what do we want to be, victims or victors?If we can’t compete on a world stage get off it. And for fucks sake stop wining.
….and whining too.
Ho hum, welcome to the real world
just because you are australian, independant and small, doesnt mean you shoudl get a helping hand. nor should a multinational behemoth that employs 200 taxpaying locals
decisions are made based on capability, credentials, experience and price.
Seriously, if the Monkeys aren’t used, Mr Condie has made is point about the hypocrisy.
I think this article just points out Kevin’s ‘win at all cost’ mentality. Why would Australian taxpayer dollars be spent on American campaigners? Spend spend spend. And now it’s a case of having those dollars leave our country. Awesome.
And yes, I think it should be a mandatory to have 50% of agencies invited to pitch Australian independent agencies. BMF and the Monkeys would wipe the floor with most of the multinationals on a strategic and creative level. And if the independents are getting bigger as a result, they’re hiring more top talent.
Will anyone be upset if the independents are the biggest? They certainly all used to be the biggest. Singo’s now Ogilvy. Conigan & May now Leo Burnett. Clemenger now Clemenger BBDO et cetera. Stop bullshitting and put ‘our money’ where your mouth is. Instead of the other way around for a change.
Its not about special treatment for Australians. Funny how Australian leaders like to position Australia as a leader in levelling playing fields (it is actually solo artist)
Once we get past the sheer chutzpah of pollies blatant manipualtion diohonesty and hypocrisy……this is about decision makers lacking accountability for OUR money. e.g the recent GOVT comments following the FBT issue suggesting that we will look into mandating all government vehicle be locally made…DUH.
Frankly once the basic capabilities are satisfied advantage should be given to locals………after all its our money!!!
Streuth, what a whinge. Sometimes you just don’t get the job. Suck it up, the ALP doesn’t do ‘experiential’ stunts.