The WORST episodes of Gruen
Every episode of Gruen ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Gruen!
Gruen is about advertising, how it works, and how it works on us. It decodes and defuses the commercial messages that swirl through our lives, with the help of a panel of ad industry experts. It's the show that tracks advertising almost as closely as advertising tracks you!
#1 - Greenwashing & #philausophy
Season 11 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/6/2019
It's easy being green, according to brands. What campaigns are making a difference and what's just greenwashing? Plus, the fallout from #philausophy, wage theft and the Pitch takes on gambling. Wil is joined by Todd, Russel, Nitsa Lotus and Emily Taylor.
#2 - Spring Racing Carnival, Betting, Hungry Jacks
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 10/26/2011
What do Joan Collins, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dame Nellie Melba, Carson Kressley, Jean Shrimpton and Snoop Dog all have in common? They’ve all been on the celebrity guest list at Flemington. How much do companies pay for their attendance? What are the responsibilities of a good tent guest? And the question of everyone’s lips, will Leo, Shane and Liz turn up this season? On the Spin Cycle this week, we look at the marriage of death and publicity. From the World of Advertising and image control, The Renovators will look at Hungry Jacks: new burgers, new slogan, new healthier repositioning. From next year, in NSW it will be mandatory to include kilojoule counts on fast food menus. Last week, Hungry Jacks got in early, the first chain to roll out the changes. What’s the value of that in PR terms? Is it possible to sell the Ultimate Double Whopper, voted the unhealthiest fast food in Australia, alongside plastic cups of raw vegetables? And on The Pitch, returning to the racing theme, a campaign to convince Australians to ignore the Melbourne Cup. Braincells Vs sense.
#3 - Qantas, Kevin Rudd, Occupy Wall St
Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/2/2011
Wil Anderson,Todd Sampson (Leo Burnett) and Russel Howcroft (Y&R Group) are joined again by City Public Relations’ Tim Allerton and for the first time, Rebecca Huntley (Ipsos-McKay), one of Australia’s most respected social analysts. On Crisis Management this week, we again turn our attention to the airline that stopped the nation. Qantas stranded an estimated 70,000 passengers on Saturday and upset many thousands more after management grounded its entire fleet. Even those of us who have always loved the airline are now wondering how we got into this damaging relationship. How will Qantas now rebuild its brand internationally and at home? And if this was a calculated strategy by the board, why confirm Alan Joyce’s huge pay increase two days prior? On Spin Cycle we count down this week’s shameless attention-seeking stunts. They involve a supermarket, a whale and a “celebrity”. A couple of weeks ago, we spoke about brands exploiting the Arab Spring. This week we look at the marketing and branding that has sprung up during the Occupy Wall Street protests. Millionaire celebrities are jumping on the bandwagon. How effective is that wattage of star-power to the cause? On The Pitch this week – a Twilight Zone hypothetical. It couldn’t happen ... or could it? Imagine Julia Gillard has been deposed and Kevin Rudd restored as Prime Minister and leader of the Labor Party. That’s right, a guy disliked by the public, with so few friends in his own party that they ditched him. Our agencies have to come up with a convincing ad to kick off his re-election campaign... Oddfellows Vs. Convert
#4 - Mining, Pokies in Public Places, Kim Kardashian
Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 11/9/2011
Joining Russel Howcroft (Y&R Group) and Todd Sampson (Leo Burnett) for a rigorous Gruen spin class this week are self-described marketing bloke and occasional propagandist Toby Ralph, and a PR veteran of 15 years, Suzy Yates. On the Renovators this week, we look at the ways mining companies try to make us love them. With the watered-down mining tax legislation expected to get through parliament this week, we ask why these companies are still trying to win our hearts and minds. Is their investment in local communities just a diversion, to distract us from their mega- profits? And as ‘global warming’ became the softer sounding ‘climate change’, can the mining companies substitute ‘fracking’ with the gentler ‘seam stimulation’? Oh, and one last thing, what do you do when Alan Jones decides to attack you? On How Do You Sell...The PR cyclone Kim Kardashian and sister Khloe whipped through Sydney last week. How has this LA reality TV family managed to create an empire that turned over $70 million last year? Everyone bitches that she’s famous for absolutely nothing, but that fame just grows and grows. What is the need in us that Kim answers? On The Pitch, we ask our agencies to help an industry under threat. If you believe Clubs Australia, new poker machine laws will ruin this country. So to help the industry, we’ve asked our agencies to come up with a campaign to convince Australians to free the pokies from restrictive club environments and let them find new markets in shops, schools, waiting rooms. wherever… Jack Watts Currie Vs DraftFCB
#5 - Golf, Cancel Xmas, Religions
Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 11/16/2011
#6 - Supermarket Collectables & Google's New Campaign
Season 11 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/25/2019
Gruen returns with a deep dive into supermarket collectables, Google's new campaign and a Pitch persuading meat eaters to go vegan and vegans to eat meat. Joining Wil, Todd and Russel are Dee Madigan and Karen Ferry.
#7 - Banking Royal Commission & KFC
Season 11 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/2/2019
This week on Gruen, the advertising aftermath of the royal commission: how the big, small and online financial institutions are banking on an image change. Plus KFC's very quiet re-rebrand and the Pitch tackles over 65s.
#8 - Department Stores & Big Vitamin
Season 11 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/9/2019
This week on Gruen: the Spring Racing advertising offensive, the department store death rattle, Big Vitamin. Plus a Pitch to convince Christians to become atheists and atheists to believe in God.
#9 - Influencers & Mental Health
Season 11 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/16/2019
Overly melodramatic ads, the volatile influencer economy and brands wading into mental health. Plus, it's retail vs online shopping on The Pitch. Joining Wil, Todd and Russel are Christina Aventi and Rebecca Bezzina.
#10 - Milk & INEOS
Season 11 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/23/2019
Wil and the team look at milkvertising: how dairy and alternative milks are vying to fill our cups. Plus books as brands, the marketing marathon that was the INEOS 1:59 Challenge and It's Fix it or Bin it on The Pitch.
#11 - State Tourism & Spring Racing
Season 11 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/30/2019
Brandspiration, domestic tourism and how your state sells itself, the PR crisis engulfing spring racing season, and a pitch for and against Halloween. Wil is joined by Todd, Russel, Karen Ferry and Carolyn Miller.
#12 - Royal Family, Kwantas, Vodafone and Egypt
Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 10/19/2011
In the Gruen spin class this week, Wil Anderson is joined by Todd Sampson (Leo Burnett), Russel Howcroft (Y&R Group), Anthony McClellan (AMC Media) and Anouk Darling (Moon Communications). GOD SAVE THE ROYALS As the Queen touches down on Australian soil on Wednesday, we take a gander at Brand Royal 2011. After taking a battering in recent times, William & Kate’s wedding returned some of the shine to the family. The Royals exist in an uneasy truce with commerce, seen to be above petty money-making, yet locked in a dance with all kinds of brands and charities. And with support for the monarchy drifting upwards again, what does this visit mean for the Republicans? CRISIS MANAGEMENT This week, ice-cream brand Ben & Jerry’s released a statement supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement, despite the fact that the company is owned by Unilever, the kind of multi-national corporation the protesters were demonstrating against. We look at the pros and cons of brands trying to associate themselves with social and political revolution. SPIN CYCLE A countdown of three of the dodgiest, attention-grabbing publicity stunts from around the world. THE PITCH This week, we challenge our agencies to come up with a campaign for a fictitious client, Australia’s number one airline, Kwantas: The Flying wallaby. The ad has to sell the idea that moving airline operations offshore is the patriotic thing to do. Make Vs Thinkbone.
#13 - Food Delivery & The Heart Foundation
Season 11 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/13/2019
How pizza + robots = $, a taxi campaign that puts the rank in taxi rank, the selling of Australia's worst serial killer & privacy vs oversharing on The Pitch. Wil is joined by Todd, Russel, Christina Aventi and Dee Madigan.
#14 - Streaming Wars & Australia Post
Season 11 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/20/2019
It's a whole new world as Disney takes on Netflix in the streaming wars. A Pitch to double or halve the population. And Australia Post delivers Christmas cheer. Joining Wil are Todd, Russel, Claire Salvetti and Kirsty Muddle.
#15 - Alcohol Marketing & AfterPay
Season 11 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/27/2019
On the Gruen final: getting into the Christmas spirits - how alcohol marketing is adapting to Aussies drinking less. AfterPay and gratification now, pay later. And on The Pitch, everything is fine vs everything is f***ed.
#16 - Soap & Bushfires
Season 12 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/21/2020
How a pandemic fell into soap's hands, brands giving thanks and can a bushfire campaign go too far? Plus the Pitch saves journalism, unless that's fake news. Joining Wil, Todd and Russel is Christina Aventi and Emily Taylor.
#17 - Coronavirus Messaging & TikTok
Season 12 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/14/2020
Gruen is back and putting Coronavirus messaging to the test without shoving a swab up your nose. And why is TikTok advertising on the telly? Also, what's TikTok? Plus a pitch to either love or ditch the office.
#18 - Bunnings Warehouse & RM Williams
Season 12 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/28/2020
We find out what's on in the Bunnings Warehouse and put the boot into RM Williams. Plus a musical pitch dedicated to our frontline workers. Joining Wil, Todd and Russel are Carolyn Miller and Priya Patel.
#19 - Tourism Australia & Big Mac/Big Jack
Season 12 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/4/2020
How Tourism Australia sells us to ourselves; Big Mac, Big Jack, and the big legal stoush; the pitch cancels and uncancels cancel culture. Joining Wil, Todd, and Russel are Karen Ferry and Sunita Gloster.
#20 - Selling Beer & LOOK UP
Season 12 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/11/2020
How do you sell beer in a year that drives you to drink? We didn't know why billboards were telling us to "LOOK UP", so we looked it up. Joining Wil, Todd and Russel are Dee Madigan and Nitsa Lotus.
#21 - Chooks & 5G Conspiracies
Season 12 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/18/2020
What's cooked about the way we're sold chook? Can telcos fight conspiracies with a 5G-up? And a pitch to save or end the arts. Wil, Todd and Russel are joined by Priya Patel and Sunita Gloster.
