Below the Fold is the monthly newsletter from Cognito’s Australian team based in Sydney, an independent PR and communications agency specialising in financial services and technology.

Hey, it’s Jonathan-

“Unfiltered. Unscripted. Uncensored. I’ll go there. Why not?”

That was Karl Stefanovic in January, launching the independent podcast that, six months later, would end his run at Nine.

He’d already found the perfect self-description. Asked whether he was Australia’s answer to Joe Rogan, Stefanovic called himself “Joe Bogan,” with a guest list worthy of the gag: Pauline Hanson, Barnaby Joyce, Tony Abbott, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Clive Palmer, Pete Evans. Then, on 23 June, he gave an hour to British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, told him “God I love ya” on air.

Nine first said it had “no involvement” in the podcast’s guests or editorial but was “taking this matter seriously”. Within days it confirmed Stefanovic would leave “immediately”. In Karl’s words, “So I’m free. Truly independent.”

Now, we’re hearing reports of a possible bromance blooming between Stefanovic and disgraced radio personality, Kyle Sandilands – with The Daily Telegraph reporting the ‘Karl and Kyle Show’ looking like a real possibility.

Birds of a feather, so they say… as Stefanovic then promptly added Piers Morgan to his list of interviewees, as of last week.

As usual, I’ve outlined some of my observations in more detail under this month’s Kudos and Catastrophes segment, Scott has shared his latest ‘Narratives’ update on political gaffs, and the team has highlighted some journalist insights and client wins in the sections below.

As always, get in touch if any of this caught your eye, or if there’s something you’d like dissected in next month’s edition.

Until next time,

Jonathan Buxeda,

Director, Cognito ANZ

Narratives Down Under

As observed by Scott Schuberg, Managing Director, Cognito ANZ

I’m a big fan of Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing. In episode six of season four, chief of staff Leo McGarry mocks the assertion that the president was a party to the assassination of foreign leader accused of funding terrorism.

The quote goes, “You think the president’s afraid that if he admitted complicity in Shareef’s death he would lose votes in this country? To sweep all fifty states, the president would only need to do two things: blow the Sultan’s brains out in Times Square, then walk across the street to Nathan’s and buy a hot dog.”

Perhaps it’s a little tangential, but a couple of the recent Albanese ‘gaffs’ made me think about this paradox – that a political leader can do the wrong thing and win votes at the same time.

This dynamic of winning votes for things that attract criticism is the opposite of virtue signalling, and can be done strategically or accidentally. In Albanese’s case, I can think of two responses he has given this year that he has had to walk back and apologise for, but may have netted him increased interest from the centre right, outpacing what he lost from the left.

In an attempt to appeal to younger voters (otherwise why would you bother with these games), Albanese took the bait when asked to describe people in one word. He described Grace Tame as “Difficult,” perhaps a too little hastily and without consideration of the myriad interpretations; then he broke the one-word rule and described ISIS brides as “Made their bed; they’re lying in it” – much less latitude on the interpretation of that one. It was deliberate, and came with no apology.

His latest moment came in response to questions posed in a vlog by comedian Nikki Osborne published on 3 July. After clarifying he’d marry Kylie Minogue in a shag/marry/date hypothetical, he then confirmed “All of the above” when pressed as to whether he’d shag and date her.

The longwinded point that I’m trying to make is that Albanese’s popularity in a country that has compulsory voting isn’t really threatened by what the centre and centre/left voters think, he’ll probably get their vote regardless. But letting slip on all of the above may add up to more of a political opportunity than a threat, as polls show that frustrated Australians are resorting to tribal instincts and launching to the right. Those voters might find this language refreshing rather than distasteful, apropos the tactics that have rewarded Trump and Farage.

A quick read of SMH’s Brittany Busch’s coverage, coupled with her previous reporting on the Grace Tame apology, sums up the situation well.

The question then is whether this can translate to corporate communications principles. For some consumer brands, yes it works – take firebrand Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, for example. In the world of B2B, however, customers don’t vote behind a curtain, they associate themselves with partners in full view of their stakeholders.

So in conclusion, I’d say watch and learn from these examples of what not to do. Rehearsing and putting key messaging to use is arduous, being ultra selective with media opportunities feels limiting. But they’re both essential disciplines – don’t let you media advisors drag you into things that feel wrong; your gut is probably right.