A couple of days ago I was very critical of Ardern’s reliance on clichés but it appears I was a little hasty. I should give myself an uppercut for suggesting the possibility that she might have had an original thought.
We are all aware that Ardern has a degree in communication, but clearly the sieve has leaked, because it is obvious her qualification just wasn’t useful enough to sell her response to the pandemic. But she also has another qualification, Advanced Socialism. Why not rip off the taxpayer to promote her profile.
Reported in Stuff:
“The government contracted 28 individuals or businesses to aid the response to the coronavirus pandemic, the bulk of which were for advertising, marketing and communications needs. The cost of these various spin doctors was in excess of $16,000,000.”
What did we get for our $16,000,000? “We must go hard, we must go early”; “Test, test, test”; “Be kind”; “Wash your hands”; “Team of five million”; “Jobs, jobs jobs”. Also reported in Stuff:
“Clemenger BBDO Limited (a worldwide communication company) was to be paid $3m for its role with the response, which is understood to have involved the clear and concise messaging such as “stay home, save lives” and other messages”.
So there you have it. Each childish cliché uttered incessantly by our dear leader has cost us about $1,000,000. But it’s only money. Mine and yours. So here is my $1,000,000 contribution. “Stay home PM, get out of our lives”. A 5% discount if achieved by Saturday 19 September 2020.
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