Jetstar launches search for Powderfinger blogger
Jetstar is continuing its drive into social media, funding an official blogger on Powderfinger’s farewell tour which is sponsored by the budget airline.
According to Jetstar: “Over 50 days, Jetstar’s official tour blogger will ‘Follow the Finger’ and produce daily blogs, video diaries, fan photos and Twitter updates. They will interview the band and support acts, interact with fans and locals and become a member of the tour support team.”
As well as covering travel and accommodation, the blogger will receive an allowance of $100 a day.
Sorry, I’m booked as the official blogger for John Farnham’s ‘Last Last Last Time’ Tour. Maybe next time?
Yeah would have loved it, but I’m booked doing Rolf Harris does Led Zepplin & Gunna’s tour.
A hundy a day won’t buy breakfast!
it will buy monkeys, though.
‘… better save that silly money for junkets,’ eh, Bernard?
Damn you, Ronnie, I was really hoping for that gig. Looks like I’ll have to settle for being the official typer-of-tweets for John Farnham’s ‘Okay, This Really IS The Absolute Last Last Time (I Promise)’ tour…
So, for 50 days the “winner” of the “competition” works as a writer covering the tour — call it journalism or blogging or whatever you like it’s pretty much the same thing. They work as a producer, curating fan photos. They work as a PR assistant and “interact with fans and locals and become a member of the tour support team”. That’s a whole bunch of different media skills. And in return they get paid less than the legislated minimum wage.
“Jetstar has been making a growing investment in social media,” it says — but clearly not enough to pay a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.
Maybe Jetstar should try telling the roadies they’ll also get $100 a day “allowance” in return for the privilege of seeing all 34 concerts. To their faces.
[Please insert a final angry sentence that includes the words “exploitation”, “unethical” and “pond slime”.]
Hi Stil,
My first thoughts were similar to yours – particularly as the release didn’t mention the $100 a day allowance.
However, I’m leaning towards it being a great prize for somebody whose personal circumstances allow them to do this, and who is a fan of the band.
Is it any different (apart from in duration) from either festivals that use “volunteers” to provide labour, or companies using interns – I suspect that the winner may end up being someone for who this is a great thing to have on the CV.
At the risk of sounding naive, I suspect their starting point was not : “How can we get some free social media expertise around this?” but more “How can we create a money-can’t-buy prize and use it to connect to fans?”
Like you, I’m against exploitation, but this feels a bit more like market forces where both sides are going to get a fair bit out of it.
(PS – apologies for it taking a while for your comment to go live – it got lost in our spam folder for a few days).
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
it’s extremely cynical (says me with the title Head of Wanking) to assume Jetstar’s starting position for this was ‘how do we get some cheap labour’ …
There will be fans queuing up for this regardless. If the contest is taken away because of advertising ethical questions, god knows how many fans will be disapointed. is that a good thing? It’s a clever cheap scheme by JetStar which is win win win all round. If you don’t want to enter, then don’t.
I agree that “How can we get free labour?” probably wasn’t the starting point, but that’s where it’s ended up. I wrote an even crankier piece over at my place and, in the comments there, find some hidden nasties in the terms and conditions. Credit to sponsors where it’s due. But having to wear Jetstar-branded clothing the entire time you’re on your dream holiday? And having to do, essentially, whatever they tell you?
You’re not wrong about it being an even crankier piece, Stil. (Do have a click, folks – worth a read. Warning: includes the phrase “exploitative cunts”…)
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Erm, Tim, I think you’re meant to warn people about the language before they see it… 😉
I’ve always struggled with the subtleties of the internet…
Chill out Stilgherrian
For someone who just loves music, is starting out in the industry (music or social media) and has the time it’s a free holiday and an interesting behind the scene’s experience.
Sure there’s ‘work’ to be done but if someone’s loving their pretty unique experience I doubt it’s going to be too taxing.
And no I’m not connected in any way, shape or form to Jetstar – in fact I hate flying with them. But I applaud their effor to connect with an obvious key demographic.
Hi
The intent of the competition, and it is a competition, was to try and make it something a bit more interesting than win a pair of tickets to see the band at Rod Laver arena.
It is purely a chance for someone who wants the chance to tour with the band, the chance to do just that. And I think providing that prize is quite a good thing.
We don’t actually need written content on the tour, (there will be huge amounts of content on the tour), which i think is the key to calling us exploitative. We just wanted to create the most amazing experience and prize we could, and travelling with the band to every single event seemed to be that.
And for the record, I’d like to start a worldwide ban on innapropriate use of the smiley face. It doesn’t excuse whatever is written before it. 🙂
Dave May
Head Of Marketing & PR
Jetstar
But Dave, that’s not what it says in the terms and conditions. As I said over here. If you “don’t actually need written content on the tour”, why put in the T&Cs a clause which says you can demand it?
I was always taught to ignore what the top-level PR says and read the fine print, and here the fine print says the “winner” is subject to Jetstar’s orders and wears your uniform.