And now, time for a little ad break...
Down down, prices are down
Down down, they're staying down
— Channel Ten, 25th July, 2012
The old British rockers Status Quo were recruited by Coles to reversion their 1970s hit “Down Down”. During the finale of Masterchef, the Coles version ran for three minutes.
No one could be in any doubt that that was an ad, paid for by Coles.
But what about this?
Announcer: WSFM for Coles Supermarket. Here’s Status Quo and ‘Down Down’...
— WSFM Sydney, 11th July, 2012
After playing the entire song – the Coles version, all three minutes forty seconds of it - Ron E Sparks on WSFM in Sydney came back with this...
Ron E Sparks: Now who would have thought a supermarket advertising campaign would bring such a great classic hit back, huh? Status Quo, that’s right they’ve re-recorded the original ‘Down Down’, Coles style. Now if you enjoyed that let us know on the website, let us know on the website, because I’d be keen to play it again once or twice.
— WSFM Sydney, 11th July, 2012
Over on Gold 104.3 in Melbourne, same day, around the same time, and with no introduction at all...
Down down, prices are down ...
Down down, they’re stayin down ...
— GOLD 104.3, Mornings with Craig Huggins, 11th July, 2012
Again, the whole song was played, as if it were any other classic hit, and Craig Huggins back-announced...
Craig Huggins: Good times and great classic hits, Gold 104.3. Do you think Coles could be the first supermarket to make it onto the charts? Possibly, with that track. Coles and Status Quo have teamed up and re-recorded that classic hit, ‘Down Down’. Maybe a Grammy Award awaits them. It’s 3 to 11, at Gold 104.3.
— GOLD 104.3, Mornings with Craig Huggins, 11th July, 2012
And, same day, same time, Nick Michaels gave the song a play on Brisbane’s 4KQ...this time with an intro...
Nick Michaels: Good times, great classic hits, 4KQ. Now you remember the TV ad for Coles featuring the song “Down Down”? Well, Coles have actually asked Status Quo to re-record the song, and so here it is, Status Quo’s “Down Down” thanks to Coles ...
— 4KQ, Mornings with Nick Michaels, 11th July, 2012
Don’t think you need to hear more. All three stations are part of ARN, Australian Radio Network.
And the question is, were those ads, or weren’t they?
I’m really not sure. Are you?
But according to a Broadcasting Standard that was revised by the Australian Communications and Media Authority as recently as March this year, we should be sure.
Advertisements ... must be presented in such a manner that the reasonable listener is able to distinguish them, at the time of broadcast, from other program material.
— Broadcasting Services (Commercial Radio Advertising) Standard, 2012
So we asked ARN, was it paid to play the songs? They replied, yes...
It is a paid advertisement for Coles.
— Ciaran Davis, CEO, ARN 3rd August, 2012
And, says ARN, it complied with the Standard because of announcements that...
clearly identify the song with the Coles “Down, Down” campaign.
— Ciaran Davis, CEO, ARN 3rd August, 2012
Well yes, but they didn’t clearly tell us it was a paid ad. And anyway, on another station, Cruise 1323 in Adelaide, ‘Down Down’ was played without any announcement, before or after the song. Oooh yes, said ARN...
We are aware of an occasion where the presenter inadvertently forgot to identify the song as an ad and have taken the appropriate action to address.
— Ciaran Davis, CEO, ARN 3rd August, 2012
Ah, so that’s all right then. Down, Down, Down He Goes.
Of course, if you have the buying power of Coles and Woolies, media companies are happy to indulge your every whim - whether that’s by playing four-minute songs on radio that are actually ads – or by not running one-minute ads on the telly...
Man at Checkout: That $42 thanks. Would you like to double or nothing?
Customer: Excuse me?
— Get Up!, The Pokies People ad campaign, 2012
This ad by the activist group GetUp!, about the thousands of poker machines owned by Coles and Woolworths, was rejected by every commercial TV network ...
Customer: I thought you were a supermarket. I just wanted to buy some food to feed my family
Man: Hey, we’re in the pokies business, didn’t you know that?
— Get Up!, The Pokies People ad campaign, 2012
Only one – Network Ten – gave any kind of reason in writing to GetUp’s media buyers for the ad’s rejection, and even that was vague...
The Legal team ... did mention that there is potential trademark infringements.
— Alexander Franks, Network Ten, 4th May, 2012
In other words this...
The Pokies People – play every day
— Get Up!, The Pokies People ad campaign, 2012
Looked too much like this
Woolworths
The Fresh Food People
— Woolworths logo, 2012
It’s amazing how strictly the rules can be applied when you need them. And how loosely, when you don’t.
We’ve no evidence, I should add, that either Coles or Woolworths were consulted about the GetUp! ads by any TV network.
Well, no need to, really.
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