In praise of The Checkout
A few weeks back, I gave a talk to a group of clients at an agency. As we chatted after the formalities, it turned into a bit of a mutual support group.
Several marketers around the table had been beaten up by The Checkout and were taking it seriously.
In my view, that is a thoroughly good thing.
Tonight marks the last episode in what has been a show that defines everything the ABC should be about. It contains the kind of content that self interest would prevent the commercial networks from ever airing.
The show has been one of the most thorough and entertaining ongoing investigations into consumer rights I’ve seen.
Created by the team behind The Chaser and production house CJZ (the home of The Gruen Transfer), at the heart of The Checkout is campaigning journalism, subtly disguised as satire. It also relied on what appears to have been a very successful collaboration with consumer group Choice.
In a very specific niche, it’s the first time I’ve seen the techniques used by The Daily Show successfully applied in Australia. Similar shows in other countries have been pompous and boring. The Checkout was neither. It’s been accessible and has consistently found innovative ways to explain complex consumer issues.
A couple of pieces stood out for me. First, Julian Morrow’s look at what ads in trade mags say about brand agendas:
And also Craig Reucassel’s brilliant piece on the regulation of complementary medicines:
If I have one criticism or disappointment, it is that a lot of these pieces did not get picked up more widely. Other than the takedown on Cadbury’s sleight-of-hand on product size, there were missed opportunities in getting follow-up media coverage.
If some of these investigative pieces had aired on Four Corners, they would have driven talkback radio and been picked up by the newspapers. It probably wanted more PR follow-through at the time of broadcast about the substance. There was a real opportunity to set the agenda.
To be honest, when I interviewed Reucassel and CJZ’s Nick Murray before broadcast , it was hard to picture how the show would go. I’m not sure they fully knew themselves.
And that was probably reflected in the way that, much like the first series of The Gruen Transfer, the show evolved.
The success of the show – which took place while CJZ co-founder Andrew Denton was on his sabbatical – also suggested that he has left his DNA in the company even if, as seems likely, he does not return.
This is a show which is bad for the marketing industry in the short term in that it alerts consumers to some cynical tricks. But if Media Watch sometimes improves journalistic practice by making people afraid to appear on it, I suspect The Checkout could end up serving a similar purpose if it gets another series. In the long term, that would be good for the world of marketing as a whole.
If ever there was a show screaming out for a recommission, this is it.
And make sure you watch the final episode tonight. It’s at 8pm on ABC1.
Tim Burrowes
Best thing The Chaser ever did.
User ID not verified.
Completely agree, Tim. It’s a great show. I hope it gets recommissioned.
Until then I will try and find suitable opportunities to use the awesome catchphrase SCAAAAM!
User ID not verified.
Hmm, I was under the impression this one of i-view’s most downloaded shows (due to demographic of audience and people interested in consumer rights being more likely to use the net rather than TV). Anecdotally it sure seems to have a powerful reach with the postgrad educated/middle class professional segment of society – maybe that’s just because they need to pay off their two degrees worth of govt loans though.
User ID not verified.
Fantastic & much needed show
User ID not verified.
very much agree with you Tim it was brilliant and will be missed
User ID not verified.
Here, here!! And Scaaam is now part of the lexicon at our joint.
User ID not verified.
I love this show. I have just made my first submission – a product v packshot image. I suppose every single Weight Watchers/McCain/Lean Cuisine frozen mean will fall into this category but I still enjoyed emailing off my pic.
User ID not verified.
Awesome show,! I diesagree with the author on the last point, I think it’s an awesome show for marketing, in that it restores credibility of real marketers who play by the rules.
Marketing is not about bullshit and betrayal of consumers, it’s about positioning and value exchange.
User ID not verified.
Great show
User ID not verified.
Totally agree the show is great.
User ID not verified.
Here! Here!
More programming like The Checkout and Media Watch
User ID not verified.
Tim, as a former shopping and consumer reporter, I had to stop watching as most times, I found that what they were covering had been done before (well I might add) by the 6.30pm tabloid TV shows and newspapers, which might explain why their content did not gain further ground. As a well-informed (female) consumer, I also was infuriated by what I felt was a male-centric approach but perhaps this was because I have been told to write too many stories by less-than-informed male news directors. There is plenty of new ground to break in this field. I just felt they didn’t break it.
User ID not verified.
A great consumer show that engages you as an adult, rather than ACA-sequence moron-alert style.
I’m with Caroline. If you’re a marketer that has been “beaten up” then take a long look in the mirror. Using duplicity and film-flam to “market” is not really marketing at all.
User ID not verified.
Sure Paddy, I can see where you’re coming from but the big difference is that the 6.30 tabloid shows were chasing sensationalism and that’s about it, very little journalistic cred from such formats.
The male-centric angle you raise is certainly interesting, however, but as you admit you’ve been somewhat tarnished (for want of a better word) by the male news directors.
BTW for anyone who’s is interested, my two sons of 9 and 12 are huge fans of The Checkout – and I haven’t been training them to be cynical or wary at all – they constantly complain about different ads, particularly on the radio when they hear a phrase such as “the more you spend the more you save”, it just doesn’t make sense to them so think it’s really stupid. Hilarious!
User ID not verified.
A good use of taxpayer dollars.
User ID not verified.
Most consumers know the product is being pimped . . don’t they?
User ID not verified.