Junk reigns at News Corp Australia
Holt Street turns patriotism into ad copy and editors into sales reps.
Much (digital) ink has already been spilled critiquing News Corp Australia's intrepid national advertorial campaign, "Back Australia". Launched last week, its noble call-to-action is buying Australian-made products while loudly bemoaning the nation being awash in plastic junk courtesy of Chinese e-commerce newcomers Shein and Temu.
The most glaring incongruities have already been covered off, namely that the campaign's leading voices include former retailer Dick Smith and Harvey Norman chief executive Katie Page, both of whose fortunes are based on selling Australians imported electronics.
Another proponent is Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott, whose margins at Kmart and Target are being devastated by the free global market for plastic junk. Australia Post CEO Paul Graham worried that we're all "hooked [on] this drug of the cheapest product available". If he ever stepped into one of his own stores, he'd discover their shelves loaded to the ceilings with the most egregious jetsam. Need a motorised ice cream cone or a pair of rainbow-coloured walkie-talkies with your Express Post satchel?
Sydney's Daily Telegraph editor Ben English told the trade media that Back Australia was based on "reader feedback". It is difficult to discern any more intelligent consideration of the concept. Celebrating Australian-made people and things is a flagrant banality and shoehorning that theme into countless sponsored articles makes for profoundly uncompelling content.