Former marketer Scott Morrison’s bushfire messaging isn’t good leadership, and it isn’t good PR
As the country burns, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s messaging isn’t strong, yet comforting. It’s spin. Bad spin at that. Mumbrella’s Brittney Rigby asks how a former marketer could be so bad at navigating his way out of the PR hole he’s dug himself into.
Unprecedented bushfires are scorching the country. At least nine people are dead. Half a billion – half a billion – animals have been burned alive. 381 homes incinerated since Christmas Day. Those numbers will only continue to rise. The sun is permanently red, the population choking on the smoke cloaking our cities and towns. A haunting picture of a small boy in a boat, wearing a mask – redness coating everything in an apocalyptic haze – is seared into our memories and onto our newspapers’ front pages. Small towns have been obliterated, the message clear for anyone living in or travelling to the New South Wales south coast, for example: This is only going to get worse, get out and stay away.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison projects a frightening detachment, digging himself deeper and deeper into a PR crisis that reflects an incapacity for both good leadership and good marketing.
This afternoon, during a press conference, the PM said that “the best way to respond is the way Australians have always responded to these events” and “we cannot control the natural disaster”. Yet firefighters and scientists have made it clear that this disaster is unprecedented; and when a crisis is unprecedented, historical responses won’t suffice.
Morrison is no leader, he couldn’t even lead a choko vine over a dunny wall.!
His semantic spin is so boring, people have started to see straight through his bullshit.!
The least he can do is blame Labour and the Greens for this crisis.
But never accept blame or show sympathy for his Governments failure to act and get a handle on the Climate Crisis.
How good is Hawaii as a holiday destination Scum Mao.?
John, best not be too hasty in condemning our Prime MInister. Calm down and regain control of your emotions then in a quieter moment you’ll be wiser.
Hi John,
I prescribe 1 weeks holiday in Hawaii so you can “Calm down and regain control of your emotions” I’m sure once you’ve done that you’ll have a clear understanding of what going on and will be more level headed and understand the situation better. Or hopefully it will have all blown over by then.
Is that what he is supposed to do Paul, do you think that will work. I think that’s what some people thought and look how well it turned out for them.
Are you seriously defending this PM?
He has achieved absolutely nothing since accidentally winning the election and has the gall to leave the country when it is literally on fire.
Grow up Paul!
Ohhh!
I’m quietly and emotionlessly replying
Take a look at the video of Scott Morrison at a Cfa shed when he walks in and wants to shake the hand of a fire fighter !!
The fire fighter has no interest in his words / the fire fighter standing next to him drinking a coffee takes a sip of his drink as the seated firefighter stands up and leaves with no interest in Morrison
The fire fighter drinking displays no emotion or care fro Morrison’s interaction
The point being no respect for Morrison’s attempt at compassion ( your either genuine or not ) this video displayed real people with a real heart seeing a fake ( Scott Morrison )
And to add to this as Scott Morrison walks out of the shed turns to another Cfa member and said he must be tired
The Cfa member replies he just lost his house and home
I can only see by this video a pm that is only interested in self preservation of his position
The action speaks louder than words
September was when the fires started we are now in January
He either was ill informed by his advisers (which I doubt ) or just did not care of what he was told by them in regards to the fires
Now that he is rested and had big photo shoot with the cricketers he has decided that he better start helping out
3 months to care ???
The Cfa is planning hr by hr ??
Our prime ministers support is using our cultural togetherness of jump in and help a mate , lets get this done ,whatever it takes attitude ,to support his reasoning for having a holiday in Hawaii and his attitude they will sort it out no worries is degrading to the people that have elected him to lead when they can’t
I’m not emotional just saying how it is
Look at the posted videos
Read what he has said in conversations and interviews
this Scott Morrison is not suited to his role to run this country the shit has hit the fan and he can’t handle it , the real person comes out when the shit hits the fan
This person is only interested in fixing it with money
The Victorian premier has 1000 times more integrity ,reality and logic than Morrison he called it as it is and has sat in the controll room as much as humanly possible
And communicated to the state as what his job role is and what we pay him to do
Make your own mind up
This is how I see it
His advisors begged to meet with him to minimize or prevent disaster he booked a holiday instead
@ Paul you may be better informed but it’s unlikely you’ll ever be wiser .
Yes, let’s follow the ‘wisdom’ of our Prime Minister. The leader who decided to take an overseas holiday in Hawaii while his country burned. Having a big mouth and the ability to shoot it off may win you elections, but it won’t win you respect. Scott Morrison is yet another self-serving politician. He’s more interested in his hold on power and his political legacy than the victims of the bush fires. That self-satisfied smirk says it all.
I think it very very obvious, that anyone can look good when everything is going their way, but when circumstances change , there is a test of that person’s character.
Morrison was tested, as all of Australia was and still is. All of Australia rose to the tragedy of the bush fires, firefighters died, billions of animals burnt to death, and where was Morrison?? On holiday overseas!
Morrison’s character was tested, and he did not pass. On his arrival back, he tried his PR tricks and actually forced people to shake his hand! Amazing and pathetic!
Get rid of him! He is no representative of Australia. Get rid of him. Morrison is an embarrassment.
Scott is definitely not a leader. He should resign and take his wife and children on a cruise.
ACTUALLY, HE IS A LEADER, YOUR LEADER IN HERE IN AUSTRALI YOU [edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
Cant see what the rest said but I’m sure it was: “Respect your flag you inconsiderate young man”
Soz Boomer!
I can see, clearly, why he ‘didn’t get far’ in marketing. #ScottNoIdea
Great article, many thanks
Britney
This story has no place on Mumbrella.
If it is about good “marketing ” then maybe so.
Your highly leftist rant provides all criticism but no solution.
Australia is a bad product. Caught between diverging climate and environment ideologies.
The bushfires are amongst the worst in history because we dont burn off.
The first peoples of this land new how to do it.
Instead we built up Tinder that set us all on fire. Why? Because your beloved “optics” would see controlled burning as emissions.
You have no fucking idea what youre writing about and to diminish it to a marketing problem is ridiculous.
If this is Mumbrella 2020 i would petition all people in the marketing and advertising community to stop reading Mumbrella.
Youre a disgrace
Ok boomer
Find something more constructive (and original) to respond with rather than this ‘OK Boomer’ garbage. It just makes your generation look like a bunch of uneducated twats.
The “OK Boomer” movement was born out of the younger generation being sick and tired of the older generation discounting their views on gender, economics and the environment. Boomers have sent this planet into a Environmental spiral, made it almost impossible for young people to climb the property ladder and let the 0.1% run away with the worlds wealth. It’s now young peoples jobs to fix all of this. Be careful before calling an entire generation “uneducated twats” as it’s obvious that it’s your generation that is currently getting caught with their pants around their ankles.
lol. Ok zoomer.
ok boomer
Try harder. The irony is lost on you
Mate, you don’t have to look far to find copious amounts of expert research that explains why hazard reduction burning has minimal to no mitigating effect in these catastrophic fire conditions. And that these fire conditions are getting worse due to the drying effect of global warming. But you’re right, that’s tangential to this story, which critique’s the PM’s PR performance of the past few weeks. The writer makes plenty of good points. It’s not her job to provide a solution. That’s up to Scott Morrison and his team. (And seeing as his forces handshake strategy has been deployed after this article was written, it looks like things are getting worse for him, not better.)
Hey No Place, (or is this really Scotty From Marketing?), let’s agree to disagree.
This is one of the best opinion pieces I have read in a while on Mumbrella, so bravo Brittney.
Anyone that thinks the PMO or the PM himself has handled this well is delusional.
Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus.
LMFAO????
Everyone is stressed under the current conditions and it is easy to take offences at opinions, I don’t think this article meant any more than to highlight expressed views based on PR, Crisis Management, Sentiment etc
But, because you decided to attack Brittany, including the use of colourful lanaguage I will point out that you have stated “The bushfires are amongst the worst in history because we dont burn off.” – I beg to argue that this expresses a very limited understanding of the situation.
Perhaps consider that the drying of our country has also played a part in driving this catastrophy, the lands have been drought conditioned through so many more factors including water harvesting (a dead Murray Darling), fracking (reported to use 19 million gallons a day plus the irreversible impacts to our rock and soil structures which support water links to our basin) combined with changed rainfalls and temperatures which are linked to the issues surrounding climate change there is a lot of valid research on these topics you can find.
None of us are scientists, so we don’t have the answer, and I don’t profess be the master of knowledge either, but I am taking a proactive approach to educate myself and suggest you do the same before you make aggressive and sweeping statements.
Well said Shelly
Hi No Place ,
https://www.smh.com.au/national/this-is-not-normal-what-s-different-about-the-nsw-mega-fires-20191110-p5395e.html
Nor does your pathetic attempt.
Thanks for the article. I loved it!
Mate, you clearly have absolutely no idea what “leftist” even means.
I suggest you stop embarrassing yourself and grow up!
Great thoughtful and well written piece, thanks Brittney. Will still be reading Mumbrella in 2020! FYI, No Place, it’s actually You’re not Youre .. good punctuation needed in any rant – left or in your case right.
This argument is absolutely infuriating and evidence of how effective the Murdoch propaganda machine is. I’m honestly surprised you stopped yourself short of blaming the Greens for preventing hazard prevention burning, which I can’t believe has become something I keep hearing. You always know the person has no clue what they’re talking about when they say “Back burning” instead of the correct term.
Here’s an actual government supplied paper that goes into a bit more detail on how ineffective hazard prevention burns would be in extreme weather. I suggest you read it .
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/cib0203/03Cib08
No place, the science community has been telling us for decades that bad things are going to happen from global warming and now we’re seeing those dire predictions come true before our very eyes. But you still continue to deny the problem even exists? Ego is a powerful and terrible thing. BTW Britney, a great article. As a past marketing person, I am gobsmacked at the incompetence of Morrison’s positioning over the bush fires. You’d think he’d have learnt something from G W Bush and Katrina. But then again his climate branding is based on “Crisis. What crisis?” and so of course you take a holiday during the fires to state there’s nothing to see here. Pity you’ve had to come back home with your tail between your legs. If Morrison had been the CEO of large corporation this disaster would have sunk him.
No place, please read Fact Check re: burning off before you comment. Authorities have had trouble burning off due to years of drought making undergrowth highly flammable. Because of this, burning off has had to be done slowly and carefully which blew out the time frame. Well it’s certainly done now. And for those who think the Greens are to blame for the lack of burning off – when have the Green’s been in power on the mainland EVER. This is not a time for left vs right. This is a time for looking at scientific evidence and acting on it. The time for an orderly transition that would not hurt our economy has been and gone. If we had started 30 years ago when scientists first warned us, we would be prepared. We chose to stick our heads in the sand and here we are today.
And so are you. This is not a Left or Right issue … it is just facts and science. Get that into your noggin.
@ no place
Yes, it’s very “leftie” to want people not dead, to want homes not destroyed, to want animals not killed… so “lefty” that we can rely on the “righties” to do those things. Well done Scotty!
And well done for blaming your kids for the Hawaii holiday (apparently he made a promise to them), after all, promises are sacred, aren’t they Scotty?
But maybe not oaths. Oaths of Office.
And blaming the States is another stroke of brilliance.
So…gun control is a State Responsibility but that didn’t stop John Howard from taking effective, decisive action. Like a LEADER, you know, Captain of the 1st XI sort of thing. OK never mind.
Ok boomer
I also thought it was a bit out of place, none the less fair and entitled comments made by BR.
Just saying, missed a good chance to make the maybe-out-of-place story more relevant with a bonus commentary on the appropriateness of a Tourism Aus campaign airing during this time of crisis, and the link to this from Scotty’s previous administration there. Now that would be a piece, no?
Okay Boomer
do some research xx
when is the next newspoll
Scot Morrison has admitted climate change is real but has never agreed its human caused. Ever. The media needs to call him out on this. I predict bad polling will see him rolled by Peter Dutton before the next election. So be careful what you wish for people.
Scott is bad Peter Dutton would be worse!
Dutton is being investigated by the Feds on advice from NSW Police.
He might not be around long.
Remember, ScoMo has only a one seat majority.
If Angus Taylor goes, as he well might…
As well as being a pretty poor leader, Scotty from Marketing also wasn’t a very good marketer. We still don’t know why he was sacked from Tourism Australia AND Tourism New Zealand. Not a great record
It’s not ‘Scotty from marketing’ it’s ‘Scotty fired from marketing ‘ Google his work history and read the Crikey result. Ignore the Wikipedia piece, Scotty’s people update that daily.
Isn’t he purported to have purloined something at TNZ?? And I don’t mean a sheep.
Great piece…but should we really be calling him a marketer? I think “failed marketer” is more accurate…he was sacked by a Liberal Gov after his Tourism Australia turn after all, and the reasons weren’t pretty*.
It’s now abundantly clear why Turnbull rarely let him speak in public when he was Treasurer, which at the time seemed in such stark contrast to Howard/Costello.
It’s just unclear to me if he’s doing simple messages for simple people ala Trump (read the comments on his Facebook posts – lots of blind faith) OR he’s actually simple himself (hence the rolling comm cringe which will be studied in universities for years to come) OR he has the worse marcomms staff in PMO history. His office is probably not concerned yet though…Murdoch press and Sky News still have Morrison well covered.
*https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2019/06/08/fresh-documents-morrisons-sacking/15599160008252
You nailed it
I’d like to take door 3 for $300 thanks Sharon.
Announcing the deployment of 3000 reservists, accompanied by a lovely upbeat iMovie…
https://twitter.com/ScottMorrisonMP/status/1213330419044638722?s=20
…but forgetting to tell the head of RFS who then gives you a well deserved serve on morning television.
https://www.facebook.com/9News/videos/2552939464995877/
But is it the PMO’s marcomms staff who are incompetent or are they just being ignored?
Isn’t marketing about selling a product and putting it in its best light? Here the problem is with the product. Someone who failed up over and over again and now finally has to be judged.
ScoMo’s forced handshake is in line with Mark Latham’s bullying handshake with John Howard and Bill Shorten’s failed handshake with a few blue collar workers in the last election campaign.
A bad handshake marks the beginning of the end in Australian politics.
Bye Bye Scott.
From a marketing perspective, this matter has been handled by the PR people very poorly. Mainstream media have had a field day with reactive “We smell blood” stories. At this time the arguments over cause should be set aside to one of practical help and advice and I suspect that no leader is immune from attack from displaced people who have lost everything. There is no simple solution, its not a left or right thing. Have you checked Albos FB page? 1 post a day just critical of the government. As expected from an Opposition leader. He is no better. And what of the Greens leader? Nowhere to be seen. My thoughts are that the PR team need hourly messages out as to “What is being done” to inform and remind and to assure help is on its way as no doubt it actually is. The optics look different to the reality and sadly it’s the PR and media who are somewhat responsible. It’s obvious now that all mainstream media cannot report news without comment or political inflection and that for me is where our world is at now. Where are our newsmakers? we have enough commentators.
The “My thoughts are that the PR team need hourly messages out as to “What is being done”…”conjured up the following PR schedule.
09:00 No progress to date
10:00 No progress to date
11:00 No progress to date
12:00 No progress to date
13:00 No progress to date
14:00 No progress to date
15:00 No progress to date
16:00 No progress to date
17:00 No progress to date
I’m sure if Scott Morrison can’t make it rain we should get the greens or the Labor party to take over. I’m sure they could make it rain.
Don’t… you’ll offend them
Why hasn’t it rained Bob? Any thoughts there?
Sorry Pete. Just prayers I’m afraid
SloMo’s Prayer:
“Dear god, no more acts of god, OK?”
Great article, fun comments, particularly our token Boomer, M. No Place Who seems to only want rightest rants published.
It’s a great case study in shocking PR, but hardly surprising. Scotty from Marketing has had a simple strategy from day 1: delay and deflect, pray and project. This allows him to do nothing while appearing to, blame others to position himself better and to push problems to the future. Short termism at its finest.
The problem he has now is that he is trying to do this away from pre prepared statements and/or in front of live and emotional audiences. As it turns out, Scotty from Marketing is somewhat hollow, and his inability to find empathy or make connections is playing out in weird handshakes and snubs. A windsock and a puppet, the folks pulling the strings will need a new marionette very soon, this one appears irreparably broken.
Poor time for partisanship.
Marcomms competence (and in this case incompetence*) is bipartisan.
Good leaders (and the marcomms staff communicating that leadership) come from all political persuasions. As we saw at the time of Port Arthur, a Coalition leader is perfectly capable of being a unifying agent of change and can achieve non-politicised, well communicated outcomes. Admittedly that was at a time, when our media landscape wasn’t so warped^, and when a trade like Mumbrella could publish a perfectly reasonable analysis of a marcomms strategy and it not be considered partisan.
*https://www.facebook.com/InsidersABC/videos/2802316793188425/
^https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/01/02/michael-pascoe-murdoch-climate/?fbclid=IwAR1q6v06N31UM0wLYxHueBHuDCpk9UVslJOzRqQtpv_z8kmFXHBavhgwf6w
Makes me think what would Jacinda do? She already has – resolved to get NZ back on track in terms of stability, trust and climate change. Now that’s leadership – she’s listened to her country and taken swift action.
I don’t want a marketer as a PM. I want a leader. Morrison is clearly neither. Terrific, well judged writing in this article. Brittney should be congratulated and the article should be republished on the front page of every newspaper in the country and In social media. A concise summary of Australia today. And, unlike ‘No Place’, Brittney didn’t need to swear to make her point. By the way, I’m a boomer and as outraged as all generations should be.
A few points that I consider worth thinking about.
The Honorable Scott Morrison is the Prime Minister, not the President. He is the first among equals, that is to say he is the minister appointed by the other ministers to lead the party. This is not a republic or a dictatorship, ours is not Nazi ideology, the Leader (Führer) is not the mind and body of the people (Volk) of Australia. His taking a week’s holiday does not diminish the magnificent work of firefighters or the wellbeing of the people of Australia.
Climate change is bashed about like a tennis ball at a match, it may or may not have a great influence over bushfires, but whatever the scientific determination, bushfires have been a devastating feature of Australian life for centuries of recorded time, and maybe for millennia. One very troubling fact is that neither climate change nor natural combustion is responsible for provoking some unimaginably dreadful people to commit arson.
The official statistic on Australian bushfires started by arsonists is 13%. Temperatures across Australia in 2019 were 1.5º above the long-term average. The scientific consensus is clear that the drying effect of global warming increases the risk of fires of greater magnitude and frequency. Australia will continue to face these disasters, and worse, until the world acts to reduce carbon emissions. Our government is displaying a schoolyard-level “we won’t act until other countries do” attitude, when we should be acting locally and advocating globally for dramatic change. Scott Morrison needs to be a leader, but all he does is deflect responsibility, surround himself by people actively engaged in the coal industry (check the CVs of the people currently working in his office, or close by) and look for photo opportunities. This isn’t a partisan rant because I don’t suggest that an ALP government would be too different. But Scott is PM so that’s just hypothetical. Apart from that, you’re spot on, Richard.
Like (The professor comment)
Is this Scotty’s PR Guy commenting from Hawaii? Maybe this is why his marketing has been so bad.
Politics aside, that’s an important and well-written relevant marketing article. Well done Brittney. It’s all anyone can think about right now. Even if the PM is out of touch with the electorate, you’d think with is background he could be faking it a lot better.
Slo’mo should have had his holiday in New Zealand and paid a visit to Jacinda Ardern, just to learn how to effectively handle a crisis.
The man is an embarrassment to the nation.
The marketing and communications industry seems to be moving to the left rather quickly, which is at odds with the general population if recent election results in Australia, UK and USA are any indication.
One person’s “moving to the left rather quickly” is another person’s “talking common sense”.
Perhaps that’s because you are being exposed to generally more educated people in this forum and reading comments you’re not comfortable with. The effects of climate change that scientists having been warning us about for decades are upon us. Right leaning folk need to realise this issue is far more important than partisan politics and its ok to admit they were wrong and get on with demanding more from our governments.
Ok..a confession.
I writer my comment/richiesti rant, whatever you want to call it after a few beers.
As i read it now in the cover light of day, i would chance a word.
Mumbrella, your groupthink is boring and this wasnt a well written piece. Sorry Britney I am sure you have the same high minded thick skin of most journalists. So you dont care.
But the piece was terrible.
Ironic that your name is “No Place” when your comment screams of someone who has no place judging the writing of others.
I believe I read that Scotty from Marketing was replaced early (before contract expiry) in his PR leadership role due to dissatisfaction with his performance. Daniel Geschwind did much better in his time for tourism Queensland.
Scott Morrison is a complete disaster. It obvious he would rather be home with family than visiting fire ravaged communities. He’s not Prime Minister material at all.
He fell into the job with little preparation and it shows. He is not a leader. It’s not a natural thing for him. He’s embarrassing himself and Australia.
Scott, just resign mate. Go on a lovely long holiday with the children. The office of PM is not for you.
The answer is simple. Prime Minister, please go to the climate control knob on the remote control. Turn it to the right, about 2 cms. Leave it for a few hours and all will be ok.
With regard to his detachment. A friend sent an article relating to Scott Morrison and his religious beliefs on Pentecostalism. A quote from the article:
What is asked of the believer when the Evil One seems to be in control? Just to “stand firm and see the deliverance”. The only possibility of defeat comes from succumbing to the Enemy’s attempt to “intimidate” and “distract”.
Terrifying times if this is all true.
Full article here: https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2019/february/1548939600/james-boyce/devil-and-scott-morrison
Malcolm Turnbull’s attitude towards the South Australian blackout was also totally disgusting. An entire State had shut down and 1.5 million Australians were scared, worried and anxious. Did the PM demonstrate any leadership – calm and console his people? Nope, the first thing to come out of his mouth was political point-scoring with a stupid smirk.
Lefty lunatics:
“Scotty, come back from Hawaii and comfort your fellow man while the houses and wildlife are burning!”
Also lefty lunatics:
“How dare you try and console rural victims of bushfire, you vile creature!”
The left are full of contradictions. Scotty is an incompetent fool that can’t lead, but he has the strange ability to start sporadic fires and make it rain. And make money magically appear for the rural fire service, plus anticipate that almost 200 dickhead arsonists will send the country in chaos.
“Do something, Scotty from marketing! Make it stop!”
Even if he could stop the fires, the feral left would still froth at the mouth. They will never be satisfied. Like a bunch of entitled little twits who insisted that mummy dearest ring up the school and change the grades, the outrageous left just cannot accept that the PM has no control over fire!!!
BuT cLiMaTe ChAnGe!
Arsonists (climate change anarchists) started the fires. Lack of fuel management compounded the ferocity. And Australia just happens to be hot and dry continent, you dumb asses.
There is a strong correlation between those who generally address “the left” as the problem and quack conspiracy theories.
“But arsonists did it all… leave my ScoMo alone! Respect your PM! He’s entitled to a family holiday! Those firefighters who insulted him are dIsReSpEctFuL!!!!!“
Put down your copy of that NewsCorp drivel you are reading and wake the fk up.
Get off the the THC laced fudge bro,
Aside the fact LNP gutted the resources to manage hazard reduction burning – ScottNoIdea was warned months ago about the impending dangers and what did he do?
Are there extra arsonists this year? What’s changed? Hint: scientists have been telling us for the past 3 decades or more, why ignore science?
P.S. No of this has anything to do with ‘left’ or ‘right’.
what the fudge, what the actual fudge…
SlipperyScottie thought we wanted him back to be among us. Like Jesus and His disciples.
Slippery was wrong.
We wanted him to CONNECT, to DO SOMETHING.
Once, when I was selling a boat, Ben Lexcen came to do an inspection. I asked him if he was looking for signs of damage and he replied that he wan’t concerned if there had been damage, he was more concerned about THE QUALITY OF THE REPAIR.
SnakeoilScotty didn’t start the fires and as he said he doesn’t hold a hose.
It doesn’t matter how the fires started, what is important is how we respond, how we “fix” them. And THAT is what we want the Prime Minister to address and act on.
Thank you for your excellent article with its calm, serious tone. I have read another excellent contribution today which also sums up the situation as it currently is in our devastated homeland and failure of leadership…written by Richard Flanagan and published in the New York Times.
Let’s be clear, Scott Morrison is a failed marketer (his where the hell are you ad was banned in the UK and its content demonstrates he knows zero about marketing) … and now he can add failed prime minister to his CV. Scott Morrison lacks many things, especially common sense. And Australia is sick of standing by and listening to the level of ineptitude that spills from his ignornant mouth… a man more out of control than our bushfires…
ScoNo,
Loves to get his head in front of the cameras, does nothing. Reckons a nice picture of himself and the Aussie cricket team will make everything OK people affected by these fires could not give a xxxx about the cricket THEY JUST WAN”T HELP.
Morrison either go away or resign. Shane Fitzsimmonds for PM
Please read the article in today’s Australian about cool burning. And please stop the lemming like groupthink.
I’m tired of it.
Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
We have been fiddling with tried and true practices…Scomos leadership isn’t the Nero here. It’s what I mentioned in my first post. And yes I am boycotting Mumbrella, its events and its very toxic and arrogant editorial policies.
For someone who is boycotting us, ‘No place’, you are here an awful lot.
I’m generally sorry to lose a reader, but not those who come online to swear, call my staff a “disgrace” and cobble together a half-baked argument.
I wish you well out there, and if you’d like to turn your anger into action, here is the link to donate to the RFS:
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/support-your-local-brigade
Farewell,
Vivienne – Mumbrella
As so many PR professionals who’ve been unceremoniously lumped in with corporate marketing functions know, the disciplines call for differing skill sets and perspectives. Marketers often fail to consider how the message plays once it’s in a channel they’re not in control of. Watching Scotty from Marketing failing to sell a brand message in a reputation environment is a familiar sight for every PR person who struggles to get their CMO to understand the necessary difference in approaches.
All the empathy of a nascisistic psychopath!
But is totally consistent with the type “Christianity” & “Christian love”
I’ve seen displayed in the Pentecostal movement with a twist of Hellsong.
I doubt very much he will be able to come back from this.
I’m doubting that ANY Australian political party will be able to come back from this is the public’s eyes.
Australians have had a gutfull of all of them
Of course Shonky Morrison has been a disaster.
Although the succession of f**k ups has been quite astonishing.
Who (outside of a character on VEEP) actually grabs a distraught fire victim’s hand and forces a handshake for the camera, then releases a self-aggrandising Party promotional ad during a natural disaster ???
Whoever is Shonky’s Comms and PR team should be sacked immediately.
But that’s not the bit that’s sad. It’s the commenters — presumably predominantly white men of a certain age — who are
a) affronted by anyone calling Shonky out; and
b) still recycling the Denialist bollocks they read about in NewsCorp tabloids or heard from Kerri-Anne, Kochie, or Karl.
Who said we were the higher species ?
What a disgraceful article and how out of touch is the author , who no doubt as a lawyer works in an office, lives in a house more likely drives or rides in vehicles uses computers and mobile phones all of which have contributed to the so called climate change for which she blames Scott Morrison for. I hope she doesn’t take any holidays in case any client my need her services. Let’s all take responsibility for our own lot in life and stop blaming others
Irony masterclass, I love it!
“Dont insult our PM, respect the flag!”
Regardless of political alliances or view on climate change i found this article very interesting reading.
Without doubt the volunteers have shown more commitment and dedication to this country than ScoMo. They have worked tirelessly without pay or using their holiday leave. And it’s not their job to hold a hose.
Those who have put their lives and possessions at risk are amazing. All the selfless acts of kindness is heartening.
No name calling….i would not have a job or pension for life if i “failed” to perform my job satisfactorily, ScoMo
We are not just exhausted and fearful. We are very angry down here in NSW.
Not only a failure in Marketing and Crisis Comms but a total disaster as a leader a country sorely needs.
We need climate action NOW.
Analysing this Crisis campaign comes with a feeling of the need to suspend disbelief!
Surely it’s fiction!
It’ seems so amateur and without any professional strategy in place.
Even the basic photo ops just fell over from poor planning. Details such as advising the right outfit may seem trivial but it’s PR 101. Dress down to look as if you’re prepared to help – not in a shiny flare-white shirt and rigid tie. Office anyone?
The speeches are hardly inclusive and embracing – use “we” “us” “together” “our”Australian spirit. Not this stilted and emotionally removed dialogue he obviously has been handed. Or worse – became his own client. On and on go the fails all our industry’s professionals must be so shocked to see. At least if the platform is structured well, you can give your client a decent chance to save his image – or not …
Regardless of the other issues, our industry was let down. Big mistake! Huge!
On the first episode of “I’m a Celebrity…” the two Hosts did what they called “a Morrison high five”
That’s where you put your hand up then grab the other’s hand and force it into a high-five slap.
When the Hosts of IACGMOOH start taking the piss you KNOW you’re in trouble.
Dear Lord. Does nobody see the hypocrisy of climate outrage from marketing people?
Q: So you’re in marketing…what do you do exactly?
Marketers: “Pscyhologically manipulate target audiences to buy more stuff that they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.”
Q: What impact does that have on the environment?
Marketers: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Glass houses, people. We are all “Scotty from Marketing”.
Dear Lord, will someone explain to this person that it is the job of Government to regulate the behaviours of large corporations so they don’t adversely affect the lives of its citizens? And that the Liberal Government is constantly legislating for a more loosely controlled market because is easier for companies to profit within? And this kind of long-term behaviour from Conservatives is what has contributed to climate change over the last 50 years because companies could spew whatever they wanted into our air, water, and earth, kill animals, destroy habitats, poison people, all just to make a bigger profit? And that our industry has been responsible for literal millions of dollars contributed to charitable & environmental causes for years and years? And that to project misplaced anger at the people making $80k a year in a company they don’t control just to pay their rent, when the true culprits are millionaire politicians who use their power to enable these companies to destroy our planet, just isn’t right?
Actually no, our Government is meant to protect and serve its citizens and this means proactively planning for disasters like this, not retroactively throwing 3,000 army reserves at it months after you cut 30 million dollars from the RFS. The reason these fires are so bad is because of the Liberal’s short-term self interest, just like…. bad marketers! And you know who is a bad marketer… ScoMo! Are you starting to see a trend? Do you actually work in this industry at all?? Pre-planning and long term thinking address problems, reactive short-term thinking just puts band aids on them, just like ScoMo is trying to do with his image.
This is the problem when marketing people think they can do public relations, effectively. They are related but not the same. A public relations professional would have advised more authenticity and less ‘spin’, and understood the context of the crisis enough to advise an empathetic and leadership response. But no matter how good your public relations is, as they say, ‘you can’t put lipstick on a pig’.
Actually no, our Government is meant to protect and serve its citizens and this means proactively planning for disasters like this, not retroactively throwing 3,000 army reserves at it months after you cut 30 million dollars from the RFS. The reason these fires are so bad is because of the Liberal’s short-term self interest, just like…. bad marketers! And you know who is a bad marketer… ScoMo! Are you starting to see a trend? Do you actually work in this industry at all?? Pre-planning and long term thinking address problems, reactive short-term thinking just puts band aids on them, just like ScoMo is trying to do with his image.
He had numerous attempts to contact him by the fire chiefs warning of the impending disaster .
These are the letters sent by former NSW Fires Chief Greg Mullins and 22 other former emergency chiefs to the Prime Minister in April and September predicting a bushfire crisis and requesting a meeting. #nswfires #auspol https://t.co/djhHjHknAe https://twitter.com/zdaniel/status/1193297938476347398?s=20
I’ve approached Mattel with a concept for a new Morrison-themed doll figure – ‘Inaction Man’
We are a democracy.He won the election.
Democracies are living and breathing entities. Just because he won an election, he is not immune from criticism. We have a right to exercise the tenets of democracy, every single day. As long as I am allowed to speak, I will.
Silence, is compliance.
Very true Rick… there are a lot of bootlickers in this comment thread. I suspect they believe we either:
A. Live in North Korea where we can be shot for speaking up
or
B. Live in the US where we must revere our exalted elected president.
Absolutely Rick.Speak up.Be heard.Perseverance will however be required.
The next election is over 3years away.
@Bill :
Morrison has a majority of 1 . The next election is one LNP heart attack away
A few things at play here. Systemic, wilful ignorance of a global emergency that has been forewarned. Poor preparation for a bushfire season that was predicted to be the worst ever. Lack of a timely and meaningful response to the crisis – on a practical or an empathetic level. The government is guilty of all of this – so, regardless of where you sit the political spectrum and what you do for a living – criticism is fair and important. The government has displayed gross negligence and dereliction of duty – and must be held to account.
For our professional community – that it’s ‘one of us’ that is at the helm of this shit show is an interesting point, and one that should be a wake-up call. Should we be surprised that #ScottyFromMarketing is a bad and spineless leader, when most of our industry leaders are and are allowed to be? Are we complicit when we accept leaders who lack any sort of vision, who shirk responsibility and will happily throw their teams and agencies under the bus? Do we facilitate this toxic behaviour and culture, when we never call them out on it? Let’s champion better people!
Interesting correlation between Scott’s leadership and his history in marketing.
I’m going to pledge my vote to “The Cat For PM” in 3 years time.