Buckets of Gold and Fifty Paces

The last time a determined interest group took on a federal government, EMC was behind the wheel – driving the ACTU Rights at Work campaign.

This time the attack is coming from the mining industry, and if reports are to be believed, the miners are forking out in three months $100 million – about four times the three year budget for the Rights at Work campaign.

Having worked on a campaign that most agree shifted government, it’s worth asking – is the Miners campaign as effective? Are the winning the hearts and minds of the battlers? In short, are they going to change the government?

Here are few lessons we learned from Rights at Work, and my initial reactions on how the mining lobby is faring. Comments »

Mining Tax Advertising

 Q. Thinking about the proposed resources super profits tax and the current advertising by the Government and the mining companies, who is more believable – the Government or the mining companies?

 Respondents were divided over the believability of advertising by the Government and the mining industry of the proposed resources super profits tax.

 36% think the mining companies’ advertising is more believable and 33% think the Government’s is more believable. 31% don’t know which is more believable.

 Opinions are closely associated with voting intention. 62% of Labor voters think the Government’s advertising is more believable and 68% of Liberal/National voters favour the mining companies’. Greens voters are more likely to believe the Government (51%/20%).

There is a significant difference in opinion by gender – men are more likely to believe the Government (Govt. 41%/Mining cos. 36%/Don’t know 24%) and women more likely to believe the mining companies or say they don’t know (26%/35%/38%). Comments »

Political Ads are All About Turnaround

When the Australian Workers Union decided to inject itself into the national debate on the resource Rent Tax, they called EMC with a challenging brief.

With a 48 hour turn around we were asked to script produce and deliver a 30 second TV ad that would rebut the increasingly shrill complaints of the mining lobby.

Working with Milko Productions, EMC adapted a concept we had been working on for some time – the notion that the mining industry is defined by what it takes out of Australia. Comments »