EXCLUSIVE: The ad industry is set to gain from the carbon tax row, with the Australian Coal Association (ACA) preparing a $5 million campaign opposing the government's proposed carbon tax.
The coal mining industry lobby group, which represents industry giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, will roll out the campaign in June across TV, print, radio, and online. The ACA is also weighing up the possibility of out-of-home activity.
The creative will challenge Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s plan, which aims to put a price on carbon emissions from July 2012 to tackle global warming.
The ACA has already publicly spoken out against the scheme, arguing it will cost jobs and send coal mining investment overseas. Several agencies were briefed by the ACA earlier in the year. One source said: “If you were to say the campaign is happening, you wouldn’t only be barking up the right tree, you’d be sitting on the top branch.”
AdNews understands one of the agencies the ACA approached was Lawrence Creative Strategy (LCS), which has previously worked with BHP Billiton, to devise the creative, but the agency’s founder Neil Lawrence told AdNews that the agency will not be involved in the campaign.
LCS worked on the Minerals Council of Australia’s “Keep Mining Strong” campaign, which attacked former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s Resources Super Profits Tax.
A spokeswoman for the ACA said the industy body had not yet signed a contract with a creative agency. She said: “We are certainly considering our options with advertising.”
This story has been updated since publication.
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