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Gruen (TV series)

Gruen (previously known as The Gruen Transfer) is an Australian television program focusing on advertising, which debuted on the ABC on 28 May 2008. The program is hosted by Wil Anderson and produced by Andrew Denton's production company, Zapruder's Other Films,[1] now part of CJZ. Anderson is accompanied by a panel of advertising industry experts including Russel Howcroft (originally of George Patterson Y&R) and Todd Sampson (previously of Leo Burnett). The title refers to the Gruen transfer, the response to designed disorientation cues in retail environments.[2]

The show's debut episode drew an audience of nearly 1.3 million, the highest debut for an entertainment program in the ABC's history.[3] The concept has been sold to TV production companies in the UK, Denmark, France, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. The Gruen Transfer was nominated for an AFI award for Best Light Entertainment Television Series in 2008.[4]

A spinoff series, Gruen Nation, aired during the 2010 Australian federal election and again for the 2013 Australian federal election. A second spinoff series, Gruen Planet, took over from the fourth series of The Gruen Transfer on 28 September 2011, focusing on corporate and government global media strategies and public relations.[5] Another spinoff series entitled Gruen Sweat examining the branding and marketing of the 2012 London Olympics began airing from 25 July 2012.[6][7] The spinoff series titled Gruen began airing on 9 September 2015, following the original concept of The Gruen Transfer series.

Format

Current segments include:

Gruen Nation

A spin-off series called Gruen Nation was aired during the 2010 federal election campaign.[10] The first episode aired on 28 July 2010 at 9 pm. The series concluded on 18 August 2010. Each 45-minute episode was hosted by Wil Anderson with regular Gruen Transfer guests Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft and guests John Hewson, leader of the federal Liberal party 1990–94, Neil Lawrence, "Kevin 07" campaign co-ordinator, and Annabel Crabb, journalist and political commentator.[11] Anderson said "If the ABC is the national broadcaster, then Gruen Nation is the national bullshit detector."[12]

Gruen Planet

A spin-off called Gruen Planet was announced to replace series 4 of The Gruen Transfer, with a broader landspace.[13] The first episode of the first series premiered on 28 September 2011 with 1.138 million viewers, rating fourth viewed show of the week. The second series began airing on 22 August 2012 following the conclusion of Gruen Sweat.[14]

Segments included:

Gruen Sweat

A third spin-off series, titled Gruen Sweat, aired throughout the 2012 Summer Olympics. The four-episode series premiered on 25 July 2012 to 931,000 viewers.[14][15]

Gruen

A spin-off called Gruen was announced to replace Gruen Planet. The first episode of the first series premiered on 9 September 2015 with 974,000 viewers, ranking as the fourth-most-viewed show of the week. Despite the revised name, there are only extremely minor changes implemented for Gruen. All episodes are hosted by Wil Anderson and feature Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft.

Panelists

Panelists have included: Karen Ferry,[16] Christina Aventi,[17] Dee Madigan,[18] Emily Taylor,[19] Pia Chaudhuri, Carolyn Miller, Adam Ferrier, Sunita Gloster, Lauren Zonfrillo, Priya Patel, Annie O'Rourke, Camey O'Keefe, Kirsty Muddle and others.

Episodes

Critical reception

In 2009, The Sydney Morning Herald felt that The Gruen Transfer represented "intelligence and substance."[20]

In 2013, The Sydney Morning Herald thought that by Gruen Planet, the show's creators had got the franchise format "down to a fine art".[21]

Awards and nominations

In 2013, the Gruen Sweat special edition of the show won a Rose d'Or for Entertainment.[22]

Ratings

Gruen returned to television in 2016 with 954,000 viewers,[23] and in 2017 with 903,000 viewers,[24] while in 2020 it received 943,000 viewers.[25]

Gruen : AUS viewers per episode (millions)
Source: Audience measurement performed by OzTam[26]

Legacy

The show's panelists have become minor celebrities and experts in their fields. They have been contacted to speak on a variety of marketing-related issues,[27] and in particular Todd Sampson was hired by Qantas for a marketing campaign.[28]

References

  1. ^ Ziffer, Daniel (7 February 2008). "Anderson Plays Nice With Aunty". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  2. ^ Lee, Julian (1 May 2008). "Another Denton First: Screening Ads on the ABC". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  3. ^ "Why Wil Anderson wants lower Gruen Transfer ratings". The Daily Telegraph. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  4. ^ "2008 AFI Winners". Herald Sun. Australia. 6 December 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  5. ^ "Gruen Transfer returns – and announces spinoff Gruen Planet focused on PR". Mumbrella. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  6. ^ "Gruen returns from next month with Olympics-themed format". Media Spy. Australia. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  7. ^ Knox, David (23 July 2012). "Wil Anderson no saviour (just a very naughty boy)". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  8. ^ Benns, Matthew: Kiwis get all defensive about TV invasion plot, The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 July 2008.
  9. ^ Lee, Julian: Skit went too far for the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 2009.
  10. ^ "ABC host Wil Anderson is set to get all political in new show The Gruen Nation". news.com.au. 5 July 2010.
  11. ^ "ABC TV - Gruen Nation - Home". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Gruen team to tackle election". ABC. 5 July 2010.
  13. ^ Knox, David (26 August 2011). "Could Gruen Planet mean the end for Gruen Transfer?". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  14. ^ a b Knox, David (25 June 2012). "Airdate: Gruen Sweat. Bumped: Randling, Life's Too Short". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  15. ^ Knox, David (26 July 2012). "2.19m for MasterChef as TEN wins first night of 2012". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  16. ^ Pobjie, Ben (1 June 2022). "Advertising can be like witchcraft: Gruen panellist Karen Ferry". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Christina Aventi". AdForum. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Dee Madigan". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Gruen (Season 10, Episode 7)". Apple TV. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  20. ^ "The Gruen Transfer - TV Reviews - TV & Radio - Entertainment - smh.com.au". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  21. ^ Hardie, Giles (23 August 2012). "Gruen Planet lands on Fairfax". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  22. ^ Commercial interest: Gruen’s back The Australian (subscription required)
  23. ^ "Return of Gruen a ratings winner for ABC as Ten's The Bachelor holds steady - Mumbrella". Mumbrella. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  24. ^ "Gruen returns to television with 903,000 viewers, beats The Bachelor's second last episode". Mumbrella. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  25. ^ Knox, David (15 October 2020). "Wednesday 14 October 2020 | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  26. ^ "OzTAM".
  27. ^ "Gruen panellists review Woolies Anzac fail". NewsComAu. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  28. ^ "Qantas appoints Todd Sampson of Gruen Transfer to the board". Financial Review. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2018.

External links