Bloody brilliant: How Lunch Partners Sydney tackled Gruen’s “PB oil spill disaster” challenge
CB Exclusive – Here is how Lunch Partners Sydney creative partner Darryn Devlin tackled The Gruen Transfer’s creative challenge (aired tonight on ABC) to try to convince the public that the “PB oil spill disaster” is a good thing.
Approached By Gruen, we actually found the “brief” an interesting question.
Can you really sell “the unsellable”?
In this case, is there any positive for “Petroleum Brilliance” in an absolutely abhorrent situation.
Because of the gravity of the situation, we believed it was not a time for a “sponsored gag”.
Rather, if were to approach this, we would do so in a serious way.
We wrote what we believed was the only possible spin for “PB”.
We approached the only possible credible person to present the case.
(and no it wasn’t Ray Martin or Ian Leslie)
A huge thank you to the marvelous Tim Flannery.
And for Art & Code for making the impossible, possible.
The Gruen Brief
THE CLIENT: PB, stands for Petroleum Brilliance, an international fuel company
THEBRIEF: the company has a public relations disaster on its hands. Adeep sea well off the coast of America has sprung a leak and oil isflooding the coastline. Everyone, from the President down, is pissedoff at them. Billions are being wiped off the company’s share value.How does it convince the public that an oil spill is a good thing?
Lunch Partners
Written and Directed
Darryn Devlin
Art & Code Production
Producer: Angus Giorgi
Producer: Geoff Clow
DoP: Sissy Reyes
DoP: Angus Giorgi
37 Comments
so the insight is that as a result of the worlds worst oil disaster the development of alternative energy will somehow speed up is not only in bad taste, it’s bloody nonsense. as is the ad.
I was waiting for the twist, and when it eventually came I thought it was quite inspired. Unrealistic? Perhaps. But Gruen’s role is not to change the world. It certainly was a nice bit of lateral thinking, rather than just another sponsored gag.
8:03, you’re a dickhead.
It’s a great idea.
You’re a dickhead.
Tell em’ about your stage fright DD…? That’s got to be one for he blog?
great stuff. quality thinking. hopefully it leads to some more business for them.
“We actually found the “brief” an interesting question. Can you really sell “the unsellable”
Maybe next week, Denton wants to pose the question, “Why the Holocaust was a good thing”.
No, I didn’t think so.
The exercise proves that advertising can’t sell shit products.
Stop puffing up thinking it can.
Good for a laugh though.
Lighten up! If all organisations seeking to achieve environmental outcomes constantly preached doom and gloom we would lose our ability to influence. No one is suggesting that one of the worlds worst natural dissasters has any positive outcomes… but this ad actually does raise a valid point in a clever and funny manner.
I would love something as savvy as this to be created for Bush Heritage Australia. This is potentially getting an environmental message through to an audience that isn’t necessarily ‘green’.
Rubbish. Just rubbish.
Maybe the sponsored gag was the way to go.
i watched this at 3 in the morning and it hurt my head
I like the though but not the execution.
The irony of Tim’s delivery will be lost on many, if not most.
“Can you really sell “the unsellable”?” That effort or the oil spill?
I thought it was horrible
wasted potential
I could be wrong (it happened once before in 1999) but didn’t DD have a rant last year on the blog about agencies supplying free content to Gruen? Why the backflip DD?
I’m still not sure why cheaply put together mock commercials to a joke of a brief are meant to somehow translate into good publicity for the participating agencies.
And still equally unsure why agencies spend their own time and money doing this, for what is essentially a highly profitable private enterprise, which is making a lot of money for its creators.
Some may think the Pitch segment shows the community at large (including prospective clients) how clever the agencies are. I think it demonstrates something else entirely: namely, how desperate, gullible and unintelligent our industry can be at times.
See, an intelligent response to “sell the BP oil spill” would be: trying to spin this disaster is the worst possible thing BP could do. and only a moron would suggest otherwise.
Now, if you want to respond with “lighten up arsehole… it’s just a bit of light entertainment”… well, if that’s your aim then go try out for fucking walk-up night at your local comedy venue. Agencies do this because they think it’ll generate a bit of positive publicity for their business.
Jesus wept. How wrong can they be? It just makes them look like clowns who’d try to sell anything to anyone, regardless of how stupid that course of action actually is.
Oh stop taking yourselves so seriously, it really is pathetic.
Didn’t Old Bill once say “a great ad campaign will make a bad product fail faster”
reinforces the notion that all agencies are shameless whores who’ll sell anything for a quick buck or cheap pr. now what did i do with that al queda brief again?
Well said 12.00pm.
A new TV and Ad low.
Oh stop taking yourselves so seriously, it really is pathetic.
Hmmmmmmmm
http://www.campaignbrief.com/2009/04/devlin-to-zapruder-transfer-so.html#more
yes do recall DD waxing sour grapes about Gruen a year ago, but guess TV face time can bring about PR backflip
In reply to 12:00pm –
Ad men secretly wish for a bit of fame, they love industry recognition, awards etc and now they can try and get some public fame as well. There’s nothing wrong with that. Who doesn’t want to be recognised for what they do, in a professional sense?
The show is primarily a piece of entertainment made for the general public – hence all the gag briefs and silly responses. Contribute if you want, ignore if you have issue with providing free work. I think if the show creators were making lots of money they would be looking to move it to a network (time will tell..aka GNW) I don’t think it has broad enough appeal for that move but hey you never know.
So if these pitch ad stress you out my friend there’s always something else for you to do with your time other than get upset the Gruen Transfer hasn’t called you yet. 😛
No one forces you to watch it 12:00, yet strangely you still do. Why is that?
I’ve barely watched the show since halfway through season one, 2.29.
I just check out the clips on the CB website, out of professional curiosity.
And I somehow think you’ve entirely missed my point. I wasn’t saying “I personally think GT sucks and I’d never watch it”. I was saying “I think agencies that agree to do the pitch segment are foolish”.
Comprehension a problem for you?
what I hated about the devlin spot was that the brief was taken seriously. the other guys didn’t, because you wouldn’t, you simply wouldn’t with a brief like that. besides, it a PR company that handles briefs like that.
wrong winner, if there is one.
I don’t think there is anything we could do to further diminish our standing in the eyes of the public. People generally hate advertising. They often love the stuff it sells but view the peddlers and the peddling with suspicion and contempt. I think that a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun on the ABC is pretty harmless. It’s like gay sex. It’s there if you want it but it’s not compulsory.
it’s always nice when the little agencies knock off the big multi’s
If you believe Euro’s inside the pitch, they threw all their resources and intellectual firepower at the gig
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/gruentransfer/insidethepitch.htm
Some people just like making stuff, especially without LINK testing.
It’s a good way to learn.
If you don’t like it hit another button on your remote – it’s a pretty simple concept.
I didn’t know Trevor Beattie wore glasses.
jesus people….
they convince Tim Flannery to be the spokesperson
produced what the smart dude said was good enough to run as is
on a sushi budget
i say kudos to all
James d – bloody funny isn’t it, they still came up with crap!
DD’s spot was funny.
James d, that was done as a piss take you idiot.
bp is awful! we should all not buy their gas!
The fact this stirred debate proves it was effective communication
The gulf oil spill is undoubtedly one of the most disgraceful atrocities of this century. While the attack of 9/11 was constrained within that relatively small area of ground zero, this oil spill stretches out across the ocean, impacting innocent animals, formerly beautiful coastline as well as local tourism and other industry. I with all my heart hope that this disgrace to BP is solved as soon as possible.
Golly, that Anonymous is quite schizophrenic isn’t he and she and he?