Worst West Wing episode ever: Make accounting great again
If the world remembers this week for anything, it will be – Dr Mumbo predicts – remembered as the week the world finally recognised accountants as fun-loving party animals.
To kick off the week, we had the Oscars blunder, in which it emerged that the auditor was so distracted by Tweeting backstage that he gave poor old Warren Beatty the wrong envelope to read out.
But that’s nothing compared to a recruitment ad shot for the Australian government’s Department of Finance.
Unearthed by The Sydney Morning Herald, which reports that it was shot by Together Creative at a cost of $37,400, Dr Mumbo urges giving every moment of the three minutes, 11 seconds video a watch.
I have not laughed that hard in a very long time!
The video was gold, but that breakdown was even funnier, if possible.
That’s not acting; it’s fly on the wall in Canberra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_wLqHYflxA
Latitude Financial should use this. The logo is close to GE’s as well.
The ‘paleo-pear-and-banana bread’ gag was good, not the non-actor’s fault she couldn’t deliver it.
Big question is how did that come in under $4000?
Under $40 000. Four thousand was just the lanyard budget.
“The ‘paleo-pear-and-banana bread’ gag was good”. Was it?
“Big question is how did that come in under $4000?”. It didn’t.
Apparently she improvised the line!
I thought that was the best line of ‘ad’ until “Hey buddy..”
Defining awkward. Great write up Dr M.
Up a decimal point, almost $40K. So much sumptuousness.
And yeah, it’s one long cringe. Can’t imagine what kind of person such a ghastly video might recruit.
The Finance Dept’s budget should be severely cut for producing this bunch of pretentious wank. Government is to govern not self-promote. What next, Dept of Correctional Services doing a recruiting video for prisoners?
This isn’t about self promotion, it is about trying to get the best graduates they can. Terrible execution though.
There’s more to applying for a position than looking at a crappy video.
Jesus!
I don’t know if I should or cry!
There’s nothing wrong with this video. It will win awards.
I absolutely agree. It has everyone talking – it’s inclusive, and I bet all the staff in the video are loving the national attention they are getting. The fact that it’s gone viral, makes their uncool acting, very cool!
Everyone now knows all the things they are up to, which was the purpose of this ad.
Brilliant!!!
Agree. It should be seen as a huge success. The name of the department is out there which will help consideration.
I thought it was excellent. A refreshing change from polished spin. And fun.
You dummies are going to feel pretty dumb when you realize that there is more to the running-sprinting gag than you thought.
You see it’s a play on words that agile practitioners will get, and if these millennial accountants are anything these days it’s agile. It works on multiple levels, and demonstrates how innovative and modern their working style is. Which, coincidentally is what young people LOVE. They can not get enough innovation.
“Sprinting is better than running”… you bunch of sillies.
In the middle of that cringeiness was a decent ad trying to escape.
I helped it escape.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_RnA5Dk2ZE
great edit – but you’ve cut the fun out of it. Now it’s just beige!!! And for that reason, it’s not a good ad.
Youve made it shorter and even more boring??
Nice work Steve. I admire the fact that rather than laughing like everyone else here, you made an effort to fix it.
Great edit. Thank you.
…that’s 3:09 of my life I’ll never get back…yawn…⚜
I am pretty sure thats where stoner sloth works now.
Hmm….it’s had acres of media coverage…https://goo.gl/XJQfjC…so maybe they were on to something after all…
Looks like part of an episode of ABC TV’s “Utopia” program. Is the Department trying to promote their staff for a gig with “Utopia” ?
My first impression was ‘Utopia’ too.
Priceless commentary. Thank you for the best laugh of the week!
Dr Mumbo you’ve outdone yourself, funny AF!
I’ve seen vids featuring a mustachioed pool cleaner and a cheerleader that have better performances than this.
The best part about this is that Finance will be mortified that there has been such international discussion and ridicule about their organisation. Perhaps it might make them get back to worrying about our burgeoning national debt instead of how to be cool.
Imagine if you will if you were running or working for a satirical magazine charged with ‘sending this department up’? Surely all you could do would be to reproduce it in full. groan
https://youtu.be/opRLZz4ooH8
“…with a level of sincerity usually reserved for hostage videos..”
A truly brilliant and hilarious line!!
Well done!!!
Members of the public service’s grad program are not even slightly smug or arrogant nor do they feel or act superior, so they need an ad to tell them how great they are. It says a lot about the public service that a bunch of new grads with no work or life experience are hailed as “game changers”
Made the mistake of trying to drink something while reading this!!
Anyway, for anyone thinking that was funny, think about this:
We were paying for this!
Lighten up mate, its 4k
While it might well be cringeworthy to watch, these guys are all legends back in their office. First hand feedback I’ve been told. We can criticise all we want, but we all understand what they’re trying to say because we live in offices that talk in this manner with our own little buzzwords and detached bullshit that the rest of the world doesn’t understand. Sure, they’re not great actors, but they’re not meant to be. They’re authentic and despite it’s severe lack of polish, it’s worked because we’re all talking about it. I’m sure these guys are taking it in the chin and having a laugh too.
Whats the big deal? It’s like nobody has ever seen a corporate video before
Yes, the performances were terrible and the concept was probably approved by a Central Committee whose members were so bored that they relished the opportunity to be part of something ‘creative”. But is it so much worse than the usual ‘since the dawn of time’ rubbish that passes for corporate creative every day? As for the budget and who paid for it, taxpayers have paid loads more for government ads that have achieved nothing, some of them produced by the same people laughing at this one.
I’m curious. What does the graduate program at Mumbrella look like?
Pretty much the same, Paul. We have a lot of networking meetings, drink a lot of coffee and consume our own weight in paleo pear bread.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
I reckon let the Working Dog team have a go at doing the campaign…they would nail it hella funny
You pricks ever tried acting? It’s so unbelievably awkward. These people are all heroes for having a go, and one or 2 almost pulled it off.