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Gruen - Season 18 Episode 1
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00:18G'day, I'm Will Anderson. Welcome to Grin.
00:21Are you ready for the greatest show of all time?
00:26Nah, not this show. A new reality program from Vaseline. Tell them Tyra.
00:30It's Tyra here at the Afterglow. I've been given a mission by Vaseline to find eight shimmering singles ready to
00:37find their match. It's got all the drama you love.
00:40We're just chatting.
00:41And at the end, only one couple will be crowned the glowiest.
00:45Glow my god. Which couple will be crowned the glowiest? Wait, does Vaseline have any products that can help?
00:51In this box, there are some tools to help you raise your girl's heart rate, including Vaseline Cocoa Radiant.
00:57Made with 100% cocoa butter. My heart's beating faster just thinking about it.
01:01Oh, mine too Tyra.
01:06Vaseline has been my glow to YouTube channel for years for reasons I'd prefer not to say.
01:12But this series has everything. Eight singles, four body oils and one massive fan. Me.
01:22I'm a glow bro. And all these greased up horn bags have exciting jobs like content creator, playboy, heartthrob and
01:32situationship survivor.
01:36My favourite part is the elimination, so to put it a more Vaseline-y way.
01:40You are all going to vote on which couple is less glowing and more going.
01:44Oh, I can't wait to find out which couple is less glowing and more going.
01:49Who's oiled and who's spoiled. Who's slopped and who's chopped. Who's creaming and who's dreaming.
01:54Who's coated and who's outvoted. Who's greased and who's released.
01:59Who's oozing and who's losing. Who will be lubricated and who will be eliminated.
02:04Who will be slathered in discharge and who will be sent home with a cab charge.
02:17That was longer than an episode of Afterglow.
02:21But each one minute episode feels so much longer thanks to slick Vaseline product placement.
02:27Before we begin, let's have each of you apply some Vaseline body oil to amp up the glow.
02:32This is going to get really slick. No, see, it absorbs really fast. It's not greasy.
02:38It's a little greasy.
02:39But don't worry, I'm not going to spoil the finale.
02:42OK, yes I am.
02:44And the glogy goes to Elkie and Elliot.
02:47And who doesn't want a bedazzled Vaseline bottle.
02:51I've got mine.
02:55It came with my official Afterglow merch.
03:00Let's see what else is in here.
03:02Oh, good.
03:05Oh.
03:06Oh.
03:08Oh.
03:10Oh.
03:10Oh.
03:11Well, that's, it's just loose Vaseline.
03:15Oh, that was in here.
03:18Oh, that is gross.
03:20Oh.
03:21Oh.
03:24Oh.
03:26Oh.
03:28Oh.
03:2918 years.
03:31Oh.
03:32Oh.
03:32Oh, my goodness.
03:33Okay.
03:34Well, if they make a second season, I know who they should cast.
03:38Glow Off Kids.
03:43It's time to welcome our panel, Todd Sampson,
03:48Kieran Peet-Fordor, Karen Ferris and Russell Algonne!
03:59Hey, have you ever noticed that the letter W
04:02sounds like the words W?
04:06Well, for nearly 44 years, Westpac didn't,
04:09but now they have, and they're doubling down.
04:12Take some little W.
04:14Just think of the things you could do.
04:17Double me?
04:18If instead of just one, you would double you.
04:23You'd have double the hands and double the legs,
04:27and double the heart and double the heads.
04:29Oh, where would you start, and what would you do
04:31if instead of just one?
04:34You okay, kiddo?
04:35We're fine.
04:36We're not you, but when it comes to banking,
04:39we can be your W.
04:41Great.
04:42Now they can rip me off twice.
04:45And I can't wait until they find out about big W.
04:49Surprisingly, for an ad with so many redheads,
04:52this campaign has a huge outdoor presence,
04:54including this ad that asks,
04:56if you could double you, what would you two do?
04:59Oh, great question.
05:01What would we two do?
05:02This is what we two would do.
05:08Oh, double will.
05:11Westpac.
05:12Make a deposit.
05:22We had some spare Vaseline.
05:26Russell.
05:28Russell, WTF.
05:30Well, you know, Will, I like advertising, Will.
05:33Yeah.
05:33But when I...
05:34Okay, Russell's back.
05:36Yeah, yeah.
05:37When I first saw this, I just thought...
05:39I honestly thought,
05:40this is the most convoluted nonsense I've ever seen.
05:43It literally...
05:44I couldn't believe that they'd had this, you know,
05:47brainwave, you know, on a whiteboard to say,
05:49oh, my goodness, you know how your logo looks like this?
05:52Well, that actually is pronounced a W,
05:54and therefore we're going to say,
05:55your customer is your W,
05:57and we are going...
05:58You just go, what convoluted nonsense that is.
06:03But then I sort of thought about it.
06:05Oh, God, you're going to come right on this now?
06:09Yeah.
06:09Oh, wow.
06:10But I'm coming right on...
06:11And I had a conversation with other Russell.
06:14Exactly.
06:15Yeah.
06:17And he reminded me, you love advertising.
06:20And this is advertising,
06:21so you must love this advertising.
06:24Right, so why do I now love it?
06:26Well, what's going to happen is...
06:28Well, it's going to work.
06:29And why would it work?
06:30Well, the number one hurdle that you have
06:32in all advertising is just...is attribution.
06:34It's very hard to ensure that your piece of advertising
06:37is attributed to the brand.
06:39So what Westpac's doing is, in fact, what ComBank does.
06:42They have a...you know, they've got their, you know, diamond,
06:44their yellow diamond.
06:45Yeah, they have a shape.
06:47And the NAB, they've got a star.
06:48They've now decided that their star is their, you know,
06:51their ability to differentiate their bank versus the other banks.
06:54And then Westpac's decided that the W
06:56is the bit that differentiates it.
06:57Like, obvious, duh,
06:59and yet they haven't done it for 44 years.
07:01So it's going to work at that level.
07:03The other level where it's going to work
07:04is that the reality is, as time goes on,
07:07our relationship with the bank will, in fact,
07:09in effect be like a W,
07:10in that it will be AI-driven on our phone
07:13and that AI app will know you will.
07:16It will know you very well.
07:17So I feel like they're on this pathway
07:19where it's going to make sense for them.
07:21And then if you start looking at the shorter work
07:23that they're doing,
07:24you can see that that is
07:26where they're taking this communication.
07:29So, yeah, I've moved on.
07:30I actually think it's going to work.
07:31I wouldn't call it brilliant.
07:32I would still call it convoluted nonsense,
07:34but it is going to work.
07:35Yeah.
07:36I mean, just putting aside the play on the W,
07:39what I find...
07:39But how can you?
07:40I know.
07:41I know.
07:41You can imagine how this is going to spin off, right?
07:43Double fees,
07:44double queues,
07:46double time.
07:47But put that aside.
07:48The thing I find cheeky about it
07:50is that, you know,
07:52Westpac is basically...
07:54The insight here is saying
07:55we're all overwhelmed.
07:57We're overwhelmed so much in life
07:58that we need another person,
08:00we need another one of us to cope.
08:02But their solution to that modern overwhelm
08:04is another you.
08:06It's not lower fees.
08:08It's not more branches.
08:10It's not better service.
08:11It's another you.
08:12I mean, it's either hubris
08:15or incredible oversight.
08:17Well, it's a massive either claim.
08:19It's definitely an either claim.
08:20You know what it's like?
08:21It's like going to a mechanic
08:23with an engine problem
08:24and then saying,
08:25have you ever thought about getting two cars?
08:28No, it's not.
08:29Yes, it is.
08:32I don't think it is, Todd, anyway.
08:34Karen?
08:35It is really confusing, right?
08:36Like, if their insight...
08:37If their insight is that
08:39we are time poor and overwhelmed,
08:40why would you demand to make an ad
08:43that audiences have to use
08:45so much mental energy to understand?
08:46I think the insight's correct.
08:48I think the way they executed it
08:50was really badly.
08:51And also, like,
08:53we're in this place
08:54where people are really serious
08:56about money at the moment.
08:57There's cost of living,
08:58there's housing crisis,
09:00there's also, like,
09:00intergenerational wealth gap.
09:02Westpac has a heritage
09:03of being the serious brand.
09:05You know, they went from, like,
09:06helicopters and Australians
09:07helping each other
09:08to this sort of place.
09:09And it's like,
09:10they could stand out
09:11from the rest of the competitors
09:12and actually talk, like,
09:13two adults in a room,
09:14let's talk about your money problems.
09:15Where instead they've created
09:16this pleasant villa
09:17with this, like,
09:18Mumford and Sons kind of soundtrack.
09:20And it's all just very nice.
09:22And the thing is, like,
09:23nice is a biscuit.
09:24It's a biscuit that no-one wants to eat.
09:26It's covered in sugar,
09:26it's the boring one
09:27that's in the tin.
09:28No-one wants nice.
09:29Nice doesn't stand out.
09:30Nice has no teeth.
09:31Like, nice doesn't...
09:32You don't remember nice.
09:34Well, I think this will be remembered, though, Karen.
09:37Well, first, full disclosure,
09:39I work on one of the competitions.
09:41So...
09:41But I also am very familiar
09:43with financial services as a category.
09:45And I agree with you,
09:46the insight is around this, you know,
09:48financial struggle
09:49that everyone's kind of going through.
09:50But that's not just
09:51for the financial services category.
09:52It's across multiple categories.
09:54And the risk is,
09:55when everyone's dealing
09:56with the same insight
09:57that they're trying to respond to,
09:58you start to sound the same.
10:00And back in 2018,
10:02NRMA and Westpac
10:04were both saying we're helping, right?
10:06Help was their big platform.
10:07So I kind of understand
10:09where they're coming from,
10:10of going,
10:10we're just going to build
10:11something ownable.
10:12So when we spend 25% more
10:15on our media budgets this year,
10:17at least it's not some generic thought.
10:19It's something that at least
10:20people will go,
10:21okay, it's that colour,
10:23it's our word,
10:24it's everything around that.
10:26So I understand it
10:27from that perspective.
10:28And I do also give kudos
10:29to the fact that
10:30going after some custom music.
10:32The thing that's happening
10:33in the world now,
10:34in the ad world,
10:34is this notion of distinctive assets.
10:36Everyone's obsessed
10:37with their distinctive asset.
10:38And so they get excited
10:39in the boardroom
10:40because they can say,
10:41you know what your distinctive asset is?
10:42It's your logo.
10:44All right?
10:44And so,
10:45and we're going to put
10:46an idea into the logo,
10:47the idea being W,
10:49and then we're going to
10:50double down on W
10:51and you watch what happens.
10:52The attribution, Todd,
10:53the attribution of this advertising
10:55is going to be out of this world.
10:57Russell,
10:57I can't believe I'm saying this,
10:58but I think you should stick
10:59with your gut instinct.
11:01That it was convoluted rubbish.
11:04I know it's convoluted rubbish.
11:05It is convoluted rubbish.
11:06Stop there then.
11:08But this isn't, buddy.
11:09But other Russell's like,
11:10come on,
11:14we started the show in the afterglow,
11:16but if you've been to Woolies lately,
11:17you know how it feels
11:18to not use lubrication.
11:22Everyday Rewards
11:23is Woolies' loyalty program
11:25slash spying system.
11:26And this new ad
11:27is checking you out
11:28at the checkout.
11:29I'll get this.
11:31Sweet.
11:32So close to getting $10 off.
11:34Oh, don't forget to scan.
11:37Let me see you scan that.
11:39Let me see you scan that.
11:40Let me see you see me scanning that.
11:42Let me see you see him
11:43see you scanning that.
11:45Let me see you see me
11:47see him
11:47see us scanning that.
11:49Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:54Your Everyday Rewards card.
11:55Everyday Rewards.
11:56Let me see you scan that.
11:58Oi, mind your business, baby.
12:00If your parents knew
12:01how to scan a condom,
12:02you wouldn't be here.
12:06The Everyday Rewards ad has almost as many half-off signs
12:10for their loyalty programs as there are security cameras,
12:12making sure you're really loyal.
12:14But I love that tune.
12:16It's actually my second favourite Woolies song
12:18after this one I saw on Rage.
12:21I love stealing from Woolies, I love stealing from Woolies,
12:24I love stealing from Woolies, I do it every day.
12:28Real song.
12:30Real actual song.
12:33Karen, what do you think of that ad?
12:36You know, it's very fun and very un-Woolworths.
12:39I think that's great.
12:40Like, when was the last time you saw anyone having a good time in Woolies?
12:43Because I think the thing is, we know that they're,
12:45along with Coles, are the big bad,
12:47but unfortunately they're a necessary evil
12:49for a lot of people who can't be able to shop anywhere else.
12:53And we're in this really interesting position
12:55where people don't really want an apology for them anymore
12:57because we know that they're still going to do the same things
13:00that they've done before.
13:01So, if they're going to slap me in the face,
13:03we might as well have a good time with it, right?
13:05Like, let's just have some fun.
13:07Like, drop this sort of salt-of-the-earth,
13:09earnest farmer shtick that they have going on
13:11and actually just make ads that are fun and funny.
13:14Like, we know from research that 72% of people
13:17will be more likely to buy from a brand that is funny
13:20than one that is boring.
13:22And I think that's where Woolies are pivoting to
13:24when we see work like this.
13:26Isn't it great that we're now singing the action?
13:28Let me see you scan that.
13:29Let me see you scan that.
13:30Right?
13:31So, usage is everything.
13:33So, advertising designed to get you actually using.
13:36This...
13:36I actually really love this.
13:38I love the soundtrack.
13:40I love the use of, you know, let's call it a jingle,
13:43in that it's, you know, they're driving usage into my brain,
13:45which is always the trick to jingles.
13:47It's very hard to...
13:48You've got to watch it, right?
13:50And I particularly love the older woman
13:52with her fantastic little move.
13:53Yeah.
13:54It's weird to see how, like, these supermarkets
13:57are selling surveillance and data collection
13:59and how they're sort of repositioning
14:01that it's not surveillance, it's helping you.
14:03So, nobody says,
14:05would you like to be in a long-term behavioural monetisation program
14:08that's going to mine your data for their profit
14:10for the next 20 years?
14:12What they say is, would you like $3 off dog food?
14:15And we go, yeah, because they know two simple things.
14:18Immediate rewards are valuable,
14:20and with the law of reciprocity,
14:21when they give us something,
14:23we are willing and often give something back to them.
14:26And what I find disturbing about this ad
14:30is that it's almost honest,
14:32because it is creepy that they're watching us all the time.
14:36And whether they're doing this unwittingly or not,
14:39they're sort of normalising this idea
14:41that collecting our data is kind of funny,
14:44and it's OK, and it's really great,
14:46and we should collect as much as possible.
14:48So, they can mine it for their benefit.
14:50And the future of that is not just,
14:53oh, when you walk in, you know,
14:54it's going to pop up on your phone saying,
14:56here's your shopping list.
14:57The future of that is going to be,
14:59when it's happening already,
15:00which is surveillance pricing.
15:01So, they're going to know you well enough.
15:03So, the future is not how much does this product cost.
15:06It is how much are you willing to pay.
15:08And that's where it's all going.
15:10That's a potential...
15:10And in some...
15:12That is a potential future.
15:13That is a highly likely future.
15:15Well, no, that is a potential future,
15:17which probably will require legislation
15:19to not let happen,
15:20because that must not be allowed to happen.
15:21But this normalises it.
15:23This kind of makes fun of it.
15:25It's still remarkable how willing we are
15:28to give all our data for an equal reward.
15:31So, the reward is often one point for one dollar.
15:34So, it takes $2,000 of groceries
15:36to get one pan on your reward system.
15:39Yeah, it's a great piece of advertising, though,
15:40isn't it?
15:44Both Russell's in firm agreeance.
15:47I think what they've done that's really interesting
15:50is they've set this ad in a point
15:52where most people find pain in the shopping journey,
15:55which is the price point, right?
15:57It's when you're paying and you're being like,
15:58how much am I going to lose this week?
16:00It's also in the part of the shops
16:02where, when we used to go shopping,
16:04you'd go to a cashier, you'd have a chat,
16:06you'd wait in queue,
16:07you might talk to the people around you,
16:08because you're there for, like, five, ten minutes
16:10at the cashiers.
16:11Now, in that cattle call self-service bit,
16:14you're surrounded by human beings
16:16and you have no human contact
16:17and you feel very detached.
16:18And so, they've shown us
16:20what we have not realised we miss the most
16:23from things that have changed in the past five years
16:26is human interaction and community.
16:29This is a bunch of strangers
16:30cheering each other on for saving money.
16:32Remember feeling happy?
16:33My research team assures me that some people do.
16:36For the rest of us...
16:39McDonald's has a new meal.
16:41Good luck going after our fans.
16:42We have a hundredth meal at McDonald's.
16:45You mean...
16:45Saja Boy's breakfast meal.
16:47Ours has ten chicken McNuggets.
16:49Ours has hash breast.
16:51Hash brown.
16:52Zoe.
16:52It's a battle for the fans.
16:53For our grown-up fans.
16:55Kids will love that,
16:56but they can't have it.
16:57According to the fine print,
16:59it cannot be distributed or redeemed
17:01by a child under 15 years.
17:04Why?
17:05Because it has cool adult stuff,
17:07like playing cards and special purple sauce,
17:10which, since it's adults only,
17:12I can reveal is made of grimace jizz.
17:25I can't wait to try it.
17:28Oh, it's going to be good.
17:30Oh, wow.
17:31That smells real bad.
17:33Yeah?
17:33Is it really purple?
17:35Yeah.
17:36Do you want to try it?
17:36I'm going to try it.
17:37It's had my finger in it.
17:38It's all right.
17:38It might taste a little like Vaseline.
17:40Exactly.
17:42Wow.
17:43Do you want a stick?
17:44It's actually purple.
17:45It's purple.
17:46Do you want a little stick?
17:47No.
17:48Oh, okay.
17:49That is...
17:50You know what I...
17:51You know what I...
17:55Grimace has had asparagus.
17:59Well done.
18:01Oh, God.
18:02That is disgusting.
18:05Oh, God.
18:08Oh, yeah.
18:10Mmm, I'm loving it.
18:14Kieran, is this just the way to make Happy Meals more expensive?
18:18With McDonald's and Huntrix and the K-pop Demon Hunters,
18:22I think there's two parts to it.
18:23There's the part around McDonald's,
18:25which used to be known as this fast food chain, right?
18:28And now they're not cheap, so that's a big difference.
18:31Coffee is a lot cheaper at your local cafe
18:34rather than going to McDonald's at the end of the day.
18:36And it's also not the fastest option.
18:38So there's those unfunctional things that you used to make it
18:41the place to go to get that meal that you wanted,
18:43not necessarily a thing that you're going for anymore.
18:45So they're trying to build these emotional connections.
18:47They're trying to get you connected through passions and partnerships.
18:50This strategy works for a lot of brands.
18:51They've always done this.
18:53For this particularly, why Huntrix,
18:56it has been a huge phenomenon.
18:58Now, in order to really look at if this is going to be effective,
19:01you kind of need to look at the original strategy.
19:03Is this something to really, like, make them land forever
19:06and really grow forever?
19:07No, this is probably not their long-term strategy.
19:09They've got the monopolies and those bits and pieces
19:11and those partnerships that come in regularly
19:13and build that longer-term growth.
19:15But what they're doing is they're dipping into these cultural insights,
19:19these moments in time, right?
19:20So they just did Friends, they did a few other ones,
19:23and they've got them changing all the time.
19:24And Netflix capturing something that has an audience
19:29that goes from kids to adults,
19:30I think it's really smart, that cultural moment in time.
19:33What's everybody else paying attention to?
19:35And I think K-pop Demon Hunters is also so creative.
19:39Like, that's what's let them do really interesting things with us.
19:41I know that that sauce is disgusting,
19:43but I think it's still let them do really interesting things
19:46with what the actual product in the Happy Meal looks like,
19:48even though it's expensive.
19:49Can I ask Todd a question?
19:50Yeah, why not?
19:51Let's do it in a new format.
19:53You don't need me.
19:55I'm just wondering whether that animated fella
19:59with his six-pack of hashbrowns,
20:02whether that makes you want a hashbrown.
20:07Your licence to ask questions is rebuttal.
20:16So what's really interesting is instead of trying to compete in price,
20:20they're competing on a reason to actually shop there.
20:22And so what they're selling here is the reason why they can charge more
20:25is because they're not selling food.
20:26They're selling a fan experience.
20:28And this is your ticket into entering the world of K-pop Demon Hunters.
20:32So you've got this premium packaging.
20:34It's a bigger box.
20:35But then you also have the unboxing, right?
20:37And then you've got your blind collectibles where everybody wins.
20:40But then also you have an Instagrammable, socially shareable food moment.
20:44So in some previous ones, it's like a crazy shake.
20:46In this one, it is the purple sauce.
20:47Oh, OK.
20:48Where if you, like me, not a huge fan of K-pop Demon Hunters,
20:51but being like, I want to try the purple sauce,
20:53it's a small upgrade risk to do something that's a little bit fun,
20:56you want to share it on socials.
20:58But also for younger audiences, younger as in being 15+,
21:02because that's who this is meant to be aimed at,
21:04you can do it with your friends.
21:06So you can go in, you can each buy it, see what you get.
21:08Because you're carrying that big, giant box,
21:11it becomes this, like, culturally cool thing
21:13where you aren't carrying the Macca's bag that your parents have.
21:16It's, like, something that you can signal to everyone,
21:17I'm really into this thing and, like,
21:20look at me with my K-pop Demon Hunters merch.
21:22With the K-pop Demon Hunters turning the McDonald's arches
21:25even more golden, we thought it was time
21:27we lit on our own ABC icon,
21:31beloved by kids all around the world.
21:33Hey, kids, do you love Bluey?
21:36Well, too bad.
21:38Introducing the Four Corners Adult Happy Meal.
21:40Each box includes a pack of six nuggets of truth
21:44live exported right to you
21:46and our limited-edition anonymous sources,
21:50which we will never reveal.
21:52And don't forget your toy.
21:54It's a whistle.
21:55Go on.
21:56Blow it.
21:57The Four Corners meal.
21:59Because there's nothing to be happy about.
22:08To kick off the new season,
22:10we're racing right into the most controversial topic
22:12in the world right now, e-bikes.
22:15Which I believe are bikes from Israel.
22:19This week, we asked our agencies
22:21to make us love e-bike gangs.
22:23Here's the first pitch.
22:24Everyone is focused on the trouble out there,
22:27but disruption creates opportunity.
22:28It's just a matter of how you look at it.
22:30The people we celebrate today as heroes
22:33didn't often start out that way.
22:34They started out as trouble.
22:52Dance?
22:54No dramas.
22:55You'll make it.
22:55To show us how you're going to play
23:00Live, love, lead the earth
23:03Currents rising, the rye has begun
23:08Live, love, lead the earth
23:16Go!
23:17Wow.
23:19You have convinced me.
23:20Here's our next pitch.
23:21This brief was tough.
23:23Yeah, because we all have pretty special feelings
23:26towards e-bikes.
23:27But we did have the insight
23:28that we were all kids once too.
23:31And the stuff that we were doing
23:32and the people before us were doing
23:34was probably worse than zooming around on an e-bike.
23:37Every generation has their rebels.
23:41Outlaw.
23:44Troublemakers.
23:45This is a kind of bad, isn't it?
23:46I suppose we're all bad in our own way.
23:48Hippies.
23:49It's also a time of rebellion
23:50against the authority of the adult world.
23:53Dropkicks.
23:54I think those are dangerous.
23:55Slackers.
23:56Losers.
23:57Idiots.
23:58Little shits.
24:00Worst nightmare.
24:04It could be worse.
24:09It's a rite of passage.
24:15Wow.
24:15You've convinced me.
24:16But what will our panel think?
24:17Todd, which one do you prefer?
24:19I mean, I do agree that it's hard to take criminals
24:21with a low-carbon footprint seriously.
24:25So I'm going for two.
24:27Number two, what about you, Karen?
24:28Yeah, that's a clear number two for me.
24:30Karen?
24:31Number one made me laugh a lot,
24:33but I think the insight number two is stronger,
24:35so I'm going number two.
24:36Russell, you're the tiebreaker.
24:43Live, love, live the...
24:46Which one did you like?
24:47Definitely two.
24:48Definitely two.
24:49OK, well, congratulations to Jack and Nimble.
24:52We will have a helmetless teenager race this over.
24:59If you're watching the ABC right now,
25:01chances are you're a godless communist.
25:04Well, have you heard the good news?
25:06There's a new app that promises to get you closer to God
25:09and hello be thy name.
25:11It's our time of year again.
25:12Hey, buddy.
25:13You leading Lent on Hallow this year?
25:14You bet, brother.
25:16Stay prayed up.
25:17Yeah, you know it.
25:18Hey, father.
25:19You joining Lent again this year?
25:21Of course.
25:22Stay prayed up.
25:23All right, father.
25:25Sister, you're joining us again on the app this year, right?
25:27I am, Mark.
25:28I can't wait to join you guys on Pray 40.
25:30I love it.
25:30Hey, Chris.
25:31Yo, what's up, Mark?
25:32You want to join us on Hallow this year?
25:34Join you on Hallow?
25:36I was hoping you'd ask.
25:38Yes.
25:38Stay prayed up.
25:39I'll stay prayed up.
25:40You said it.
25:40I love it.
25:42Can I say that?
25:43Check it out.
25:44Download Hallow today.
25:47Jesus Cross.
25:53How did I get Jesus Cross?
25:56Hallow is like Grindr for God.
25:59For just $17 earthly dollars a month, Hallow offers prayer guides, tracks for your devotion,
26:05and if you miss a day, it'll kill your firstborn son.
26:10Love it.
26:10So far, Hallow has logged over a billion prayers and is fronted by holier-than-thou celebs
26:16like Gwen Stefani, who told me that she ain't no hello-back girl.
26:22Aww.
26:23But when it comes to God, she has no doubt.
26:28I just hope it can help my friend Mark, who seems to have a gambling problem.
26:31Let's, let's go for the world!
26:38And as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ always says, chances are you're about to lose.
26:45Todd, will we pay to pray?
26:47It's incredible, isn't it?
26:48Like salvation behind a paywall.
26:50I mean, it's just, arguably, it's not surprising, but arguably God is the most successful brand
26:56in the world, and the church has been monetizing him for thousands of thousands of years.
27:01I think what's sort of, I guess, depressing is that, is how they're doing it.
27:08So, using an app, using a digital platform to do it.
27:12So, for many people, they're getting anxiety and detachment and loneliness issues because of technology.
27:19And once again, we're turning to the technology that makes us feel distracted to help us straighten out.
27:25And that, to me, is what's a bit off about this.
27:28I'm just shocked at, since when did religion become mainstream to talk about in ads?
27:33And so that, for me, is very surprising.
27:35I think we went through a big period of time where you just didn't see it.
27:38Now they're, like, taking Super Bowl ads out and they're doing big things with this.
27:41But it's clearly this ambition to go, okay, how do we make young people connect with faith again?
27:47Because that doesn't exist in a younger space.
27:49But I also think the delivery of that ad, the execution of it, was way too fake for me.
27:55Like, I think Mark Wahlberg was a choice, right?
27:58So, they weren't using celebrity endorsements before they brought him on.
28:01And I actually read an interview with the CEO and co-founder, where he said it was to attract an
28:06audience of lapsed Christians, but also the non-religious.
28:09So, people who might be agnostic or God-curious.
28:12And to get them in.
28:13Because we know that celebrity endorsements, that people are more likely to buy a product if it is sold with
28:17celebrity.
28:18And what's really interesting is that audience of people who are unsure, this helps to reinforce with them.
28:24Which all humans have is that we're looking for like-minded people to reinforce our worldviews so that we can
28:29think that it is right.
28:31So, when you're seeing your, like, group of bros like Chris Pratt and Mark Wahlberg and a bunch of other
28:35religious people all on there doing it.
28:37You're like, ah, I've made the right choice in choosing this religion or doing this every day, which is really
28:43an interesting sort of thing that works.
28:45But also, like, the app, even though, you know, as you were saying, it's like using that when people have
28:50a nap addiction.
28:50It's actually borrowing a lot of behaviour that people have online and using it.
28:55So, in the Hello app, you can have, like, Bible sleep stories, calm meditations.
29:02I think, like, there's calm readings.
29:04And things that people are already downloading apps for and using.
29:07But also, the behaviours of religion are often time-based and ritual-based.
29:12And your phone supports that.
29:13So, you've got calendars, you've got timers, you've got notifications.
29:16You can even have, like, audio playing.
29:17So, you can listen to the Bible while you're driving.
29:20Interesting, isn't it?
29:21Is the objective of Hello to actually get people into, you know, to practise religion and go to church and,
29:28you know, and practise how they go about their life in a different way?
29:32Or is it because they want to get the subscription?
29:34I think it's a subscription.
29:35This is a replacement of church.
29:37They're not being like, hey, do some of our 40 days of Lent and go to church every Sunday.
29:42This is your church.
29:43You've got a father on there.
29:44You've got a nun on there.
29:45You've got everything you need.
29:47They're actually...
29:47It's really interesting because this is privately owned.
29:50It is competing against the church on the basis of religion.
29:53And that's the issue I have with it.
29:54I think in most cases you can get away with your, you know, who you're using as your celebrity ambassador.
30:00But in this case, I think it's not cool of them not to show that he's an investor in the
30:04company.
30:05That that's a bit like, come on, you are, you have equity in the thing that you're selling on behalf
30:11of God that you're going to make money from.
30:14It's a nice logo.
30:18That was a beautiful pivot by you.
30:21I love that.
30:22Todd got a bit serious and you were like, logo nice?
30:27Heather Russell whispering in your ear, logo nice.
30:30Logo nice.
30:31Say the logo's nice.
30:35Surely that line, though.
30:36That line, I can't stand that line.
30:38Stay prayed up.
30:38Yeah.
30:39Stay prayed up.
30:40Are you staying prayed up?
30:41They felt so forced.
30:42Stay prayed up.
30:43Yeah.
30:44Hey, stay prayed up.
30:46Yeah, I know, right?
30:48Yeah, that's one of those, like, you know when your uncle's trying to be cool type of thing?
30:51It feels like that.
30:52But again, it's usage, right?
30:54You know, the line's designed and all these platforms, the key is, you know, reach and then usage.
30:59So you've got to get repeat usage.
31:00So stay prayed up is a, it's a usage line.
31:02Don't say amen, because that won't get usage going.
31:04Say stay prayed up.
31:09From one resurrection to another, the death of Jeans West hit devoted denim demons like me so hard that I
31:16haven't worn pants since.
31:17Don't look under the desk.
31:20But now Jeans West is back, sort of.
31:33MUSIC PLAYS
31:43Why do these two look so alike?
31:46It's not good jeans, it's A.I., which is why the song lyrics sound suspiciously like the prompt that Jeans
31:52West put into the A.I. generator.
31:55A warm, cosy Australian cafe, atmosphere with relaxed indie folk vibes.
32:03The Jeans, yeah, we spent a lot of this today singing that.
32:08The Jeans West marketing is full of the Jeans' worst slop slogans like,
32:12Jeans time is here.
32:14And the more straight to the point, buy jeans!
32:17LAUGHTER
32:18Personally, I can't wait to dress in all denim and go for a romantic walk to Ope La Rue.
32:26Come on, baby, let's climb it!
32:29Karen, can Jeans West sell a bootleg?
32:32You know, I think this is a great example of when marketers, or anyone really, has too much confidence in
32:38the output of A.I.
32:39Cos I think the discussion isn't whether you use A.I., it's whether it made something worse.
32:43And in this, for example, a lot of discussion has been about, what is the relationship between these two women,
32:50right?
32:50Are they sisters? Is it a mother-daughter thing? Is it a twin? Is this a W situation? Is it
32:56her in the future?
32:57Like, it's not clear because they both have the same hair, but one's a little bit longer.
33:01And they look similar, but not.
33:03Where if you did this in real life, you would have gone through a casting process where you would have
33:07had those discussions of being like,
33:09like, is this clear enough? Does she look like she's her whatever she's meant to be?
33:13And you would have made sure through styling and propping and through acting and directing that that was clear to
33:18the viewer,
33:19where this is just confusing.
33:20It also isn't shot like a fashion ad.
33:22Like, the angles that this A.I. model is at, some of them are, like, really forward and blocky looking,
33:27and that the clothes make her look like a Gumby, where, like, some of the angles, like, them seeing like
33:31that,
33:31it's like you get a good view up an armhole.
33:33And, like, those aren't things that sell clothes.
33:36But then I think the lyrics at the end just cap off that they just churned something out,
33:40and this was probably made in China, where Jeans West is located,
33:43that they didn't do the due diligence of checking with anyone what those lyrics mean,
33:47because they would be like, this all seems fine, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
33:50Here's the tragedy.
33:51No.
33:52Oh, Russell's choked up.
33:54Yeah.
33:54Here's the tragedy.
33:55Yeah, what's the tragedy?
33:55The tragedy is it doesn't matter.
33:57It doesn't matter.
33:58Because in the end, so Jeans West is a brand that, you know, there's, it's incredible,
34:02like, all these brands that are in our brain, and all you've got to do is just set it alight.
34:06And that's really all this advertising is doing.
34:08So there's this notion, you know, in the investment world that we are on our way to having single-person,
34:14billion-dollar companies.
34:15So you can have a single-person, billion-dollar company making, like, let's say it's Jeans West.
34:20So there's a brand that you just have to ignite very readily, very cheaply with AI,
34:25and then you can just sit at a desk and just, you know, get all the orders and send them
34:29out.
34:29Like, it's this incredible, low-cost model to go about building a business.
34:34I'm not so sure it builds a brand, but it definitely is going to build a business.
34:37I think it's tragic.
34:38I think it's really tragic.
34:40But that is where we're at.
34:41Like, I get it on paper, right?
34:43So on paper, using AI for advertising makes sense.
34:46It's cheaper, it's highly scalable, and it's faster.
34:50But fashion doesn't just sell fabric.
34:53You know, it sells aspiration, and it sells lots of other things.
34:57It sells a look, and it sells...
34:58And so when you look at this, and it's so cheap and obviously, like, stupid,
35:04you don't just question the product, you question the whole company again.
35:09And I think making a forgettable ad faster still makes it forgettable.
35:14If it was for a brand name that we'd never heard of before, then I would agree with you.
35:19But because we've heard of it, it works.
35:21The amount of content being created on channels that people are consuming these days is ridiculous.
35:26AI swap is real.
35:27This is part of that as well.
35:28And so I can totally understand the ambition of going, we don't have that much budget.
35:32We want to create something.
35:33But how do we still have that human connection in it?
35:37That is the big challenge.
35:38And I think no one's answered that yet.
35:40Everyone's trying to do it in some way.
35:41But I do think you're going to start alienating audiences.
35:44Fashion is something that's so representative of who you are and how you put yourself out there
35:48that you can't just, you know, throw AI in and take over the emotional part of what it should be
35:54at the end of the day.
35:55Hello promises our prayers will be answered, but only if Mark Wahlberg doesn't hang up first.
36:00Hey, buddy.
36:01Hey, buddy.
36:02I noticed you seem to be hanging up on people in these ads.
36:05Just one day.
36:06Yeah, you know it.
36:07Hey, father.
36:08Hey, son.
36:10I guess.
36:10I really want to talk to you about how you're hanging up on people.
36:14Sister, you're joining us again on the app this year, right?
36:16Girl, it feels like you're not listening to me.
36:19Love it.
36:19Check it out.
36:20Download Hallow today.
36:21Hello?
36:22Hello?
36:22Are you still there?
36:29Please thank our panel.
36:30Todd Sampson, Cunfrey, Caudela, Karen Ferry and Russell Howcroft.
36:38We were going to leave you tonight with something made by humans, but then we were prompted to go in
36:43a different direction.
36:47An ABC comedy panel show
36:50Like that murder one
36:51And that museum one
36:53And the quiz one
36:54And these other quiz ones
36:56And whatever this one was
36:59Make the ads get slowly worse
37:01And the hosts get rapidly older
37:03At 18 seasons of heavy sexual tension
37:07And hide it in a brand that everyone thought was already dead
37:13Generating...
37:14Thank you, everyone.
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