Eurovision talks to Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Head of Entertainment, Jennifer Collins, about the Rose d'Or winning entertainment series Gruen Sweat.

“The Gruen series, produced by Cordell Jigzaw Zapruder since 2007, is a series of shows that interrogate the world of advertising in an intelligent and highly entertaining way. To closely examine advertising, brands and marketing in the way Gruen does could only ever be done on an advertisement-free national public broadcaster,” says Collins.

“Advertising is an area that hadn't been looked at closely on TV. There were closely guarded secrets surrounding the industry and we wanted to hear what went on behind the closed doors of advertising companies. And we wanted these insights delivered within an entertaining vehicle.”

Jorg Grabosch ABC Head of Entertainment (Jennifer Collins)

Gruen Sweat host Wil Anderson is a hugely popular comedian in Australia who is also well known in world comedy circles.  “Wil was the stand out choice for the host. He is an incredibly smart Australian comedian who has a genuine interest and curiosity in getting to the core truth of the show...uncovering the spin.”

Panel members Russel Howcroft was the CEO of Y & R Brands Australia and Todd Sampson is the CEO of Leo Burnett and their good-natured sparring and willingness to boldly disagree with each other is another key element in the success of the series, as Collins points out, “Wil, Russel and Todd had such amazing chemistry straight from the start. We wanted to hear the secrets of their trade, and as leaders in the advertising industry they brought an enormous depth of knowledge and generously shared their world with TV audiences." 

During the 2012 Olympic year, the Gruen Sweat four-part series was born. Despite already being a successful vehicle for the ABC, they were not permitted access to any Olympic Games footage or branding. Collins explains, “The production team made clever creative choices using news footage sparingly. Gruen Sweat looked at the Olympic Games through the prism of being the biggest marketing event on earth, so in fact the absence of Olympic footage wasn't too problematic in the end. The rules and regulations around the Olympics, including the footage restrictions, actually became a large part of the show.”

During the awards ceremony in Brussels, Entertainment Jury Head Jorg Grabosch commented on the irony that the Olympic Opening Ceremony had to be removed from consideration for a Rose d’Or award due to copyright and brand restrictions. From the event itself to seemingly-minor incidences, they were all fuel for discussion. As Collins recalls, “Gruen Sweat found many examples of small shops and businesses being prosecuted for flouting the Olympic rules, for example making Olympic rings out of donuts. Silly examples like this illustrated the extremes of the spin and brand control.”

Feedback from audiences during the broadcasts of the show confirmed that it remains one of ABC’s best performing programs.  “The critical and media response has been outstanding. It is applauded as a quality entertainment series, with strong public value and delivers large cross-generational audiences. For a public broadcaster, it is a gem,” says Collins. 

Future plans for the Gruen series include four episodes of Gruen Nation later this year, discussing Australia’s federal election.  “‘Spin is the operative word. Gruen Nation will examine the spin behind the election campaign,” she says. Judging from media reports emerging so far, there’ll be a lot to discuss.