Optus Finds Unlikely Friend In Billionaire Gerry Harvey

Optus Finds Unlikely Friend In Billionaire Gerry Harvey



The boss of Australia’s biggest ad spender, Gerry Harvey of Harvey Norman fame, has used radio time on the Nine-owned 2GB and 3AW to oddly defend Optus’ latest stuff-up.

The telco, of course, suffered a 16-hour outage last Wednesday that infuriated long-time customers. Yesterday, Optus chiefs blamed the incident on “routing information” following a software upgrade at the telco.

However, Harvey, the 84-year-old billionaire retailer, used ad time to defend the maligned telco.

In a voiceover in the ad, Harvey declared: “Optus, Optus. Kick them when they’re down – really? I thought Australians were better than that. It could happen to any company; it could be your turn next time.”

He goes on to say that Optus, which is a commercial partner, will continue to receive support at its stores.

“Yes, we will support Optus,” Harvey said.

“If you think Optus is getting a raw deal, then you think like us. Need a new phone? It’s an Optus deal at Harvey Norman. Tell them Gerry sent you.”

Defending the ad, Harvey later told 6PR Perth: “You get a situation where you’re the CEO of a public company, and it could happen to any public company, the CEO doesn’t run the IT department.”

Latest News

Generation Australia’s Cloud Computing Bootcamp Boosted By Motorola Grant
  • Technology

Generation Australia’s Cloud Computing Bootcamp Boosted By Motorola Grant

Talented yet vulnerable prospective candidates looking for a career in tech have recently received a boost with a Motorola Solutions Foundation Grant for Generation Australia’s Cloud Computing Bootcamp. The 16-week part-time program is designed for those unemployed, under-employed or at demonstrable risk of unemployment, including First Nations, women, neurodiverse and those from CALD backgrounds. Cloud […]

Host Of New Hires At Snap
  • Social Media

Host Of New Hires At Snap

Snap Inc. has announced a host of new hires across its team in Australia, including Dina Bailey as ANZ agency lead. Lead image: L to R – Dina Bailey, Bethany Rao-Davies, Sarah Ding, Rob Fitzpatrick, Tony, Daniel King, Elise Keeling The new hires include Dina Bailey, ANZ agency lead; Daniel King, senior client partner; and […]

X Booted Out Of Social Self-Reg Code Following Inaction On Voice To Parliament Disinformation
  • Social Media

X Booted Out Of Social Self-Reg Code Following Inaction On Voice To Parliament Disinformation

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has been kicked out of Australia’s code for managing misinformation and disinformation online due to its lack of response to user complaints during the Voice to Parliament referendum. Lead image; Linda Yaccarino, CEO, X Twitter and subsequently X, had been a signatory to the Australian Code of Practice […]