Inside the head of a mining exec

Wil Anderson is a stand-up comedian and host of Gruen Planet. Photo from abc.net.au

Confirming what many of us have always suspected, a recent edition of the spin-busting Gruen Planet on the ABC lifted the lid on the dark art of mining advertising, including advertising for controversial coal seam gas.

Coal seam gas is attracting huge public debate in Australia, as farmers and locals attempt to stand up to multinational companies vying for access to the lucrative fossil fuel buried deep beneath their land.

As host Wil Anderson and panelists discussed on Wednesday’s show, mining giant Santos has recently announced plans to drill more than a thousand coal seam gas wells in the Pilliga Forest of New South Wales.

But winning the hearts and minds of Australians is proving a tough gig for the company as more and more people begin to voice their concern that the Pilliga operation would reduce the area to an industrial wasteland and threaten countless species including the endangered Pilliga Mouse.

When asked what tactics mining companies like Santos might use to try to turn the tide of public opinion, self-described ‘marketing guy and occasional propagandist’ Toby Ralph spoke about the crudely-named ‘FUCCEM’ approach – a six-point checklist that involves Forging local relationships, Understanding local concerns, Creating local opinion leaders, Claiming the middle ground, Employing activists as consultants, and Marginalising the remainder.

Anyone who watches television or reads the newspaper will be well aware that the mining industry in Australia has recently embarked on an intensive PR campaign centred on the notions of economic stimulation and job creation.

But as Anderson rightly pointed out, tourism in Australia is actually responsible for five times as many jobs as those provided by the top seven mining companies.

The Gruen panelists finished the show with a critique of one particular Santos ad which plays on the Aussie ‘man on the land’ stereotype and attempts to re-frame the inherent destruction of coal seam gas mining as ‘good for Australia’.

“Santos make $2 million profit every day,” said Ralph, explaining that the cost of such advertising campaigns represents “chump change to these guys”.

So, will the FUCCEM approach be successful? We think not. With the help of our supporters, the Wilderness Society is working hard to oppose Santos’ plans for Pilliga destruction. Together, we can tell the big mining companies to get fracked.

If you missed this edition of Gruen Planet, you can watch it here (for a limited time).

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