ican’tfuckingbelieveit2.0
Sometimes distance sharpens the lens. But the extent to which the Australian media have been captured by the interests of Kraft, the american multinational, is astounding, and mirth-making.
This was the lead story on all Fairfax news websites this morning, ahead of the Sumatran earthquake which killed thousands.
Applying tactics that they first polished with their ‘what kind of vegemite eater are you?’ campaign (or something equally inane), Kraft have now convinced the media that the naming competition for one of their products is worth reporting. The true genius lies, however, in the so-called ’scandal’ around the name that was chosen as a consequence of the competition. This clever manoeuvre allows those editors with some residual pride and professionalism to report on the promotion without being seen to rely on press releases and PR guff from Kraft.
With cajoling from Kraft marketing, the amount of chatter around the promotion has reached a critical mass, so that journalists can consult the public sphere in order to produce the reports, rather than rely on press releases from Kraft.
The cynical geniuses at Kraft have even gone so far as to affect shock at what has transpired, as though the ’scandal’ were somehow against their interests, as though this were a news event that transcends them.
These so-called professionals are (wilfully?) oblivious to the role they play in promoting Kraft’s products, regardless of whether we like the facile name for their facile product.