Palmer taps Trump playbook in brazen $7m spending spree

The controversial businessman, keen to get back into the political arena, has deep pockets when it comes to campaigning.

Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party billboard is part of the $7 million advertising blitz being staging ahead of the federal elections. Picture: Zak Simmonds

A $3.5 million advertising blitz since the start of the year has propelled Clive Palmer to an extraordinary $7m in media spending on his political campaign since the beginning of September, despite doubts about whether his one-man ad juggernaut will turn him into a national political force.

Mr Palmer’s TV and radio spendathon has coincided with the Australian Open tennis, with evidence Nine has been a big beneficiary of Mr Palmer’s decision to take his spending to another level.

Statistics compiled exclusively for Media by leading media and marketing consultancy Ebiquity show that for the first three weeks of January, Mr Palmer’s United Australia Party has spent $3.49m on advertising on TV and radio in the major capital cities alone. This figure is nearly three times what it has spent in any other month since starting his advertising nearly five months ago.

But it is in TV that Mr Palmer has really made his presence felt, particularly with seemingly non-stop ads that shout “Australians ain’t going to cop it”, a jingle that is a thinly-veiled rip-off of Twisted Sister’s 1980s’ anti-establishment hit We’re Not Going To Take It.

Ebiquity’s statistics show that Palmer has spent a remarkable $2.95m for the three weeks to January 22 on TV ads.

Mr Palmer has already shelled out more than $1m on ads on Sydney TV alone for the three weeks, close to $1m in Melbourne, and between $285,000 and $396,000 in the other major capitals.

He also continued spending on radio ads during the month, with a particular focus on news talk ­stations owned by Macquarie Media, particularly 2GB, 3AW and 4BC.

Mr Palmer has now spent at least $7.1m on advertising on radio and TV in 9598 ad spots in capital cities since September.

But it is clear he is in the process of escalating his ad campaign dramatically. More than half of Mr Palmer’s ad spots (5054) have run in the past three weeks alone, compared with 4544 for the previous four months in total. He is also believed to have spent millions more that has not been measured in other media and outside capital cities, particularly in regional Queensland.

Mr Palmer’s spokesman ­Andrew Crook did not return calls. However, he has previously been reported as saying the UAP would spend “more than the Liberals and Labor” during the federal election campaign.

The campaign has prompted mixed reactions among media watchers. Adam Ferrier, the boss of leading boutique ad agency Thinkerbell, said the ads were ­“effective for what he wants to communicate”.

“He’s got a colour and a style, and he sticking to it,” Mr Ferrier said. “It’s polarising, and slightly crazy, but that’s his brand, and a bit of colour and movement in Australian democracy.’’

Mr Ferrier said that purely by being “omnipresent and spending so much in broadcast media”, Mr Palmer was establishing himself as a political player.

“He’s signalling to the market that his party is serious, simply ­because he’s investing so much in the media. Irrespective of the content, he believes it himself, and it probably imbues confidence in his supporters.”

But veteran media analyst Peter Cox has questioned how ­effective the advertising will be in terms of his campaign for the coming election.

“It gives him reach and frequency,” he said. “But it also produces resentment.

“If you take people who are Clive Palmer fans, his supporters, they’ll vote for him anyway. But the people who hate him will hate him even more. So all it’s doing is locking in people’s prejudices.”

Mr Cox believes Palmer will continue to ramp up his saturation advertising campaign.

“It is significant that he has targeted the tennis, as that cuts right across Australia,” Mr Cox said.

“The big reality shows at the start of the year also have big reach. All the networks need the revenue, so I’d expect he’ll turn up on My Kitchen Rules and Married At First Sight. He’s going to spend this money, and the networks will welcome him with open arms.”

In line with the adapted Twisted Sister song that has become the theme of his campaign, Mr Palmer’s pitch is an anti-establishment one, Mr Cox said.

“He’s using the same playbook as Trump,” Mr Cox said.

“He sees himself coming in from the outside, like Trump did in America. He doesn’t care what people say about him. In fact, he feeds off it, like Trump does.”

He believes Mr Palmer’s strategy may have a longer term strategic purpose than simply winning votes at the next election.

“He wants to be a player,” Mr Cox said. “There’s not even an election yet, but he has to build reach and frequency.”

“He has no ground force, and he needs to build a ground force. This federal election is the short term; he needs to get a foothold.”