Gruen Nation (2013) - Episode 4

Host Wil Anderson will be joined by regulars Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft as well as Nation legends Dr John Hewson, Lachlan Harris and Annabel Crabb. You’re Soaking In It … We look at Labor’s “Spotlight” ads. Is the scare tactic effective? Is suggesting that Tony Abbott might take recorders away from schoolkids actually a vote winner for the Libs? Why do so many Liberal ads look like they were made in Powerpoint? Do they really want us to pay attention? Oh, and we also show our favourite attack ad. What Would Poland Do?: What do Poland’s political savants do when they want to make a candidate look like a hero? They just do it, throwing in a bit of gratuitous sexism. Because they can. The Small Picture: It’s Silly Season, that time of the campaign when candidates hang out with FM radio crews and television comedians, desperately trying to make themselves look cool and authentic. What are the pitfalls? The Pitch: Simon Veksner from Naked versus Ron Mather from It’s The Thought That Counts. The challenge? To create ads that will make us all happy about voting this weekend, that will get us out of bed with a spring in our step. On The Trail: Why have there been so few streetwalks on this campaign? What’s the smartest way to handle a heckler? Do the jibes hurt? Are fans even more dangerous? And And just what kind of toll does campaigning take on a person?