Gruen Nation unpacks the campaign trail tricks that politicians use to snag your vote

Australia Broadcast Center

30-04-2025

From corflutes on street corners to 'brain rot' memes on social media, political parties have pulled out all of the stops in an attempt to snag your vote this election.
Gruen's panel of advertising brains are here to break down the tricks from the (campaign) trail, telly and TikTok.
From silly to thought-provoking, here's how they work.
Campaigning as 'emotional warfare'
Cost of living has been a popular theme throughout the campaign, and former ALP strategist Annie O'Rourke says Labor would have braced for an onslaught of emotional ads from opposition parties.
"You've got to grab someone's attention, and then you've got to flood their guts with feelings," Ms O'Rourke says.
But, she says some ads depicting families doing it tough have not struck a chord with audiences.
"Instead, they got served up [a] sad guy eating his soggy Weet-Bix," she says.
"Election campaigning is emotional warfare. It's visual warfare.
"Luckily for the ALP, these ads don't do that."
A Liberal National Party ad depicting cost of living pressures.
(
Supplied: LNP
)
Advertising executive Todd Sampson says ads of this nature show the major political parties are working off the premise that "if you're ahead, be positive, if you're behind, be negative".
"Fear has been used in political advertising since the beginning of political advertising, because it works," he says.
"
Research shows that when people are scared, they're less likely to research policy and more likely just to react illogically in many cases.
"
He says ads will often use dim colours and "droning" sound effects to bring the message home.
The truth, the whole truth?
Some might be surprised to find that political parties aren't bound to tell the truth when it comes to advertising.
Sampson says there are more legal requirements and regulations around selling toilet paper than there are around selling the country's political leaders.
"There is no legal requirement for political advertising to be factual; it is incredible," he says.
According to the Australian Electoral Commission, the AEC has "only limited powers with respect to regulating the content or truth of electoral advertising".
Former Liberal strategist Toby Ralph says it's all about persuasion, not information.
He says political strategists use the foundation of truth to create a narrative, "and hope it doesn't collapse before the vote comes".
Media and marketing brain Russel Howcroft says it's also common to see political ads that aren't particularly well made.
"It's almost like part of the idiom of political advertising is that it's cheap, and you want to spend as much money as you possibly can on the media, not on the production of the actual advertising itself."
It's left to the voters to do their own research on what the truth really is.
'Brain rot' advertising not about the message
From a party leader fighting an octopus to skeletons being engulfed in flames while filling up their car, there has been a new approach to political advertising when it comes to attracting younger voters.
An Australian Labor Party ad depicting Peter Dutton fighting an octopus.
(
Supplied: ALP
)
As absurd as some of the videos may seem, Cheek Media Co founder Hannah Ferguson says it's not about the content itself.
"[These videos] don't work in the sense that they're actually spreading any kind of message," Ms Ferguson says.
"They're only working in the sense that they communicate to young people that there's an obsession with achieving their vote, with earning it.
"They're trying to appeal to me and that want is enticing. It's not about the message, it's about the ego stroke.
"We're now trying to find the worst one to enter the group chat, or to call my brother or sister about, because people think it's hilarious."
Read more about the federal election:
Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025
ALP strategist Ms O'Rourke says the pay off really comes for political parties when young people engage with the memes.
"If they're sharing it and looking at it, even getting to the end of it without scrolling on, it actually improves the algorithm," she says.
"A lot of the time, these ads are [there] to do the job of scaling for the other ads, because these things get the eyeballs."
A new media and celebrity influence
What do Grindr, Fortnite, OnlyFans and a corflute have in common? They've all been
Celebrities and influencers have also regularly featured on the campaign trail, after the 2024 US election saw party leaders engaging with new-age media.
Former US president Joe Biden was interviewed on the SmartLess podcast, while President Donald Trump appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Abbie Chatfield posing while Greens leader Adam Bandt DJs.
(
Supplied: Australian Greens/Abbie Chatfield
)
Back home, Ms Ferguson interviewed both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Greens leader Adam Bandt on her podcast The Big Small Talk.
Podcast host Abbie Chatfield has also interviewed the ALP and Greens leaders, and has appeared in advertising for the Greens.
Sampson says the reach of influencers and podcasters shouldn't be dismissed.
"They're called influencers for a reason, because their reach and impact is huge, particularly podcast influencers, because podcasts have out-mainstreamed mainstream media," he says.
Photo shows
a male politician talking to a young woman on a podcast
The AEC has issued advice after the prime minister appeared in a co-authored Instagram post with social media personality Abbie Chatfield.
"Why pay for a 30-second ad when you could have a two-hour ad? Would you rather be grilled by Sarah Ferguson or hugged by Abbie Chatfield?"
Ms Ferguson says this is the first time Australia has seen politics "made hot".
"I think in the US, it's like a fun conversation where celebrities get involved, but this is the first federal election in Australia where people are actually excited and think it's cool to get engaged," she says.
"I think that Abbie Chatfield and other influencers in this space are saying it is cool to care.
"We expect that you wear your values on your sleeve, and you communicate with your friends and family about [them], and that's one of the most powerful parts."
Election ads coming from every angle
So, if you're having trouble switching off from the avalanche of political advertising, there are good reasons why: advertising tricks and sheer volume.
Our phones are overloaded with
According to Gruen Nation host Wil Anderson, more than $27 million has been spent on election advertising during the federal election campaign so far.
"The major parties have over 500 unique ads on YouTube, 300 on TikTok and 800 on Instagram," Anderson says.
Watch
at 8:00pm Wednesday on ABC TV, or on ABC iview.