Yesterday afternoon, the nation meandered to a semi-standstill as Julia Gillard called a vote to determine the leadership of the Australian Labor party. In the end, a rumoured challenge from ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd failed to materialise and Gillard was re-elected unopposed. However, it seems the Australian public actually prefer Ruddy, if Kogan’s politician-themed TVs are anything to go by. Prepare yourself for the battle of the prime ministerial boob tubes!
In 2009, Kogan Technologies released the ‘Kevin37‘ — a 37-inch HDTV that was heavily marketed around Kevin Rudd’s ’07 election campaign and subsequent economic stimulus package. The TV even shipped with a promotional ‘Kevin37’ T-shirt in the style of Rudd’s campaign logo.
In 2010, Kogan attempted to pull off the same trick twice with the ‘Julia32‘ — a slightly more petite TV with a distinctive red finish in homage to its namesake’s auburn locks.
“The Kevin37 lost its way, now it’s time to get back on track with the Kogan Julia32, which is more accessible to hard working Australian families,” Kogan’s CEO spouted at the time. “It comes with stable back-end support, so we didn’t feel that direct input from the public was required,” he cheekily added.
In light of the hoopla at Parliament House yesterday, we decided to contact Kogan’s marketing department to see which TV — and by extension, which prime minister — was a bigger hit with the public. Here’s their reply:
Pretty interesting findings – For every Julia 32″ TV, 3.62 Kevin 37″ TVs were sold.
In other words, Rudd is approximately 3.6 times more popular than Gillard, at least among Kogan TV owners. Nobody likes a usurper it seems. (We’re sure the Julia32’s garish red colour scheme had absolutely nothing to do with it.)
In any event, we anxiously await how Kogan will capitalise on Tony Abbott’s inevitable election win this year: a Mad Monk Media Player perhaps? Or maybe a Budgie Blu-ray Smuggler? We’re here all night. Try the veal.