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Opinion | Features
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Why aren't more media companies offering job sharing to get experience back in the door?
With the media industry churn and talent drain a constant issue Lucy Formosa Morgan asks why more companies aren't open to job sharing.
There’s rarely a shortage of applicants for coordinator positions however when it comes to recruiting experienced middle / senior level people, the talent bank seems to dry up. Agencies can struggle to fill vacancies for months or end up having to recruit from overseas. So if we have plenty of juniors that we’re devoting time and money to training up, where are they going? Why is there such a shortage of good talent out there? -
Marketers are the ones whose reputations are most at risk if they are complicit in scam advertising
With questions being raised over the integrity of some awards entries in recent weeks, former creative director Darren Woolley says scam can be as damaging for marketers as the agencies involved.
Scam awards entries have come to industry attention again, following the most recent Cannes Lions Awards. In the process, several high profile advertisers have been associated with their agencies’ entries. But what are the implications for the advertiser?
It is a standard response that advertisers are not really interested in creative awards. But the fact is that marketers are human and those that have healthy and close working relationships with their agencies actually enjoy seeing them being recognised, especially for work they may have created together. -
Terry Savage defends debated Cannes Lions entries saying 'Super Bowl ads run once'
In a Q&A conducted by email, Terry Savage, chairman of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, defends the integrity of the competition and answers questions around scam ads following an investigation by Mumbrella into a series of ads from Australia entered into the Press category which ran just once in regional media.
What is your definition of scam?
"We require the work to have been approved by the client and to have used paid Media in the execution, if there is a query we get validation via the agency the client and the Media schedule that the work has run and complied within our entry rules. In the case of self promotion and NGO that is not the case." -
Australian Women's Weekly editor on how its latest cover has changed industry attitudes
The cover of the July edition of the Australian Women's Weekly features the image of ultra-marathon bushfire survivor Turia Pitt, a move which surprised many in an industry driven by image. Editor-in-chief Helen McCabe spoke to Miranda Ward about how the cover came about, and its effect not only on the public, but also the beauty and fashion industries as we.
The July cover of the Australian's Women's Weekly has done more to market "what the heart and soul of the magazine is" than anything else the magazine's editor-in-chief Helen McCabe has done in her five years at the helm.
Speaking to Mumbrella about the July edition which featured Turia Pitt, a survivor of the bushfire that swept through an ultra-marathon in Western Australia's Kimberly region in September 2011, McCabe said the cover is "a really strong signal to market that this magazine is committed to Australian women, quality stories, independent journalism, long-form story telling and quality writing. -
If you don't want to enter real work into awards, then fuck off and be an artist
In this guest post, awards jury veteran Matt Batten, a former ECD of Wunderman Australia, argues that the practice of scam advertising - raised by Mumbrella in recent days - hurts the whole industry.
Reading from 10,553 miles away – that's 16,983km in the metric – I'd like to commend you on your dogged determination to find answers to the burning questions surrounding some of Australia's most intriguing Cannes Lions winners this year.
Some say that this is the way of the world (at least our small part in it) and that creativity should be let free upon the award shows regardless of whether or not it was a legitimate response to a brief or a proactive project to help solve a genuine business problem for a real client – or a made-up ad for a brand that had no idea of its existence. -
Does culture really eat strategy for breakfast?
Good startups often point to their culture as a driver of their success, but Eaon Pritchard asks whether that culture can be derived without a clear strategy?
Culture, in an organisational sense, is usually interpreted as the collective behaviours, attitudes and beliefs that — when mixed together — create a particular set of norms within said organisation.
Obviously there can be ‘good’ culture and ‘bad’ culture. -
Five things Wicked Campers needs to do online right now
Wicked Campers has been in the midst of a media controversy over the last few days. Sebastian Vasta takes a look at how the brand could better manage the online and media crisis.
The latest cry to end Wicked Campers’ misogynist toilet humour is certainly not the first time the budget backpacker van company has been in trouble.
But it’s certainly the loudest the online outrage has ever been. -
Cut here: Reshaping the ABC
After the ABC unveiled its first round of cuts after having its funding cut in the last budget Ben Goldsmith of the Queensland University of Technology looks at how it might look in the future, in this cross-posting from The Conversation.
Monday’s announcement that the ABC will make 80 positions redundant is just the latest move in an enforced process of change to the public service broadcaster. It has a long way yet to run.
The announcement finally put the lie to Tony Abbott’s election eve pledge, live on national television, that there would be “no cuts to the ABC or SBS”. In concert with other recent announcements, it seems clear that public broadcasting – and in particular the ABC – is squarely in the government’s sights. -
Lost dog - can you help us find him?
Adland is an industry that likes to give back. Today, we're asking you to help us find this dog.
You can find out more about Windblown Dog's history below: -
The future of Facebook is forensic
Marketers should stop using Facebook as a mass reach tool and start thinking about conversions not conversations argues Jack Smyth. Forget conversations – the future of Facebook is forensic By now you’re probably sick of the same articles recycling the same Facebook statistics. Over 12 million Australian users, spending on average 8.5 hours every week and so on. We all know Facebook offers massive reach. -
Two stats about Netflix that should scare Foxtel and Quickflix
With US streaming site Netflix poised to enter the Australian market next year Andrianes Pinantoan from Pocketbook crunched some numbers to see try and ascertain what the local pay-TV market already looks like now.
Netflix is set to enter the Australian market, but that doesn’t stop a few enterprising Australians from accessing it now. Actually, it’s more than a few. -
Family Feud's return confirms the state of game shows in Australia
In this cross-posting from The Conversation Matthew Wade argues the return of Family Feud shows Australia's TV networks are not interested in testing their audiences intellectually.
Family Feud returns to our television screens tonight as part of Ten’s desperate scramble to remain a viable entity, and is scheduled to compete with Seven and Nine’s main news bulletins at 6pm.
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An open letter to the staff of DDB Sydney and Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney
In this open letter, Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes reaches out to the many excellent staff working at the award-winning agencies DDB and Saatchi & Saatchi.
So last week, you may have noticed we gave some coverage to your Press Lions-winning work on behalf of McDonald’s and Panasonic. Congratulations again.
Some of you even got a namecheck in the credits.
I’m talking to you, -
You want fries with that? Creative careers are still out there, for now
Young people from poorer backgrounds looking to get into careers in creative industries could be amongst the most hard-hit by the government's new 'earn or learn' social security policies argues Ruth Bridgstock, senior lecturer at Queensland University of Technology in a cross-posting from The Conversation.
The old jokes about creative arts and humanities graduates serving at the local fast food outlet are hard to put to rest – they speak to long-held concerns around the value of creative degrees, and to worries that students of creative arts programs aren’t employable when they graduate. -
25 things that have changed about journalism during my quarter century as a hack
Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes began his media career 25 years ago today. He reflects on the changes journalism has seen during that time.
A quarter of a century ago, I was feeling pretty nervous.
A shy 18-year-old, who tended to blush if somebody spoke to me, I'd somehow mumbled my way into my first job in newspapers.
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Live blog: Thursday, July 24
Welcome to Mumbrella’s live blog, our daily roundup of what’s happening in media and marketing.
Top Stories:
- Screen Australia to axe 12 staff and support for industry training programs after budget cuts
- TV ratings: The Voice Kids drops to lowest ever whilst Masterchef wins prime time
- Press Council records ‘considerable concern’ over climate change story handling in The Australian
- ADMA warns against mandatory reporting after Catch of the Day delayed reporting breach for three years
- Dr Mumbo: A mighty albatross perched majestically between my thighs
3:34pm - Not shy of creating a bit of controversy Carefree has released some new videos which are bound to have a few people seeing red.
1:30pm - Network Ten’s executive general manager Russel Howcroft has accused companies of confusing the public by slapping their corporate name on advertising in a needless bid to take ownership of their brands.
12:30pm – Screen Australia has announced it will be lowering its maximum investment in films to $2m, cutting 12 full time staff members and shedding $500,000 from marketing support following a $25m cut to its budget by the Federal Government over four years in May’s budget.
11:51am - What’s the future of the iPad? Apple reported sales of the device were down 9 per cent last quarter, and boss Tim Cook didn’t even mention it in their earnings statement. Is the writing on the wall for the device wonders the SMH? Read more »
Press Council records ‘considerable concern’ over climate change story handling in The Australian
The Australian Press Council (APC) has taken the unusual step of issuing “an expression of considerable concern on its findings” in a ruling against an article and editorial about climate change in The Australian, whilst an article linking a politician to a brothel in the Sydney Morning Herald has also been censured.
In the ruling which was made public today the APC upheld complaints over an article and editorial in The Australian over incorrect reporting on the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published in September last year.
The council expressed concerns over what it argues were delays in the acknowledgement of error and expressions of regret with the Council ruling: “They should have been made very much earlier, and made directly to the publication’s readers in a frank and specific manner.”
Today The Sydney Morning Herald also published a ruling after the APC found it “inaccurately and unfairly” linked then treasurer Chris Bowen with Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone, who was landlord of a business which on certain occasions had been found to be illegally offering sexual services, in a report published just before last year’s federal election.
ADMA warns against mandatory reporting after Catch of the Day delayed revealing breach for three years
The Association of Data Driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) has warned that forcing companies to report data breaches could see consumers unnecessarily “flooded” with reports that their personal details may have been compromised.
Chief executive Jodie Sangster said making it mandatory to notify the Privacy Commissioner could be counter-productive as genuinely serious breaches may be lost amid a mass of unnecessary warnings.
Her comments came after news emerged that daily deals website Catch of the Day told consumers of a potential security breach three years after the incident. Read more »
Parent companies ‘should let their brands do the talking’ insists Ten’s Howcroft
Network Ten’s executive general manager Russel Howcroft has accused companies of confusing the public by slapping their corporate name on advertising in a needless bid to take ownership of their brands.
He told a panel discussion that companies such as Unilever and Procter and Gamble should let their brands do the talking and keep the corporate identity in the background.
“I don’t buy a Unilever and yet these days they do like to brand their advertising,” Howcroft said. “It’s like the parent wants to own the child and yet I am buying the children, not the parent.”
His comments came during a discussion on ‘brand purpose’ at a seminar organised by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA).
Howcroft also accused brands of being self-obsessed and “forgetting the transaction”. Read more »
Australian Grand Prix appoints Visual Identity to handle digital account
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has appointed independent full-service agency Visual Identity (VI) to handle the digital requirements of the 2014 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and the 2015 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Mumbrella can reveal.
The account was put out for pitch in May as the Grand Prix was looking to drive the brand’s online presence as it aims to become a digital leader in the sport and entertainment industry.
Misha Horsnell, Australian Grand Prix Corporation group manager of marketing, said: “Throughout the pitch process, VI demonstrated an excellent understanding of our brief, impressing us with innovative concepts. Ultimately, vi presented an overall digital service package that met the key objectives of the business in this space.
Clear Channel’s Australia and New Zealand president John Bevans departs
Clear Channel’s Europe, Australia and New Zealand president John Bevans has left the company after 16 years, with the company simplifying its management structure in the region.
The company, which owns 50 per cent of outdoor company Adshel in Australia, as well as a joint venture with the Australian Radio Network with iHeartRadio, with Bevan’s responsibilities in the region falling under Clear Channel Outdoor global CEO William Eccleshare.
Lynx encourage men to ‘face the world with confidence’ in new BBH spots
Lynx is refocusing its messaging from “success in the mating game, to getting guys ready to face the world with confidence”, a positioning that sees the brand encourage men to embrace dreaded Mondays and Wednesdays and see the “untapped potential of these blah work days” in two global ads created by BBH.
The global ads are complemented locally with a national outdoor campaign, running across major sites in key city suburbs for four weeks. Read more »
Screen Australia to axe 12 staff and support for industry training programs after budget cuts
Mason
Screen Australia has announced how it will save more than $5m this year with measures including lowering its maximum investment in films to $2m, cutting 12 full time staff members and shedding $500,000 from marketing support.
The publicly-funded body which provides grants to Australian film and drama producers was handed a $25m cut to its budget by the Federal Government over four years in May’s budget, and has undertaken a review of its processes to find where it could make the savings.
Training funds are also set to be cut with $400,000 stripped from the Talent Escalator program, whilst there will be a “transition away” from direct funding for screen resource organisations, with a move to commission them to do professional development activities handled in house.
Staff cuts will see the body reduced to effectively half of its 2008 size, with 100 full time employees as opposed to 190. CEO Graeme Mason said the review had led to a “renewed focus on the core business of the agency”.
Former TMS boss Andrew Lamb joins Initiative as client partner
Former managing director of independent media agency TMS Andrew Lamb is to join Initiative in the newly created role of client partner.
Lamb, a 12 year veteran of TMS, departed the agency in April shortly before a pitch for part of Toyota subsidiary Lexus’ media account, was announced.
“Andrew carries a high level of respect in the industry,” said Lee Leggett, CEO of Initiative.
“Among the marketing community and media owners he is known for building strong relationships with clients and as a team leader. He is the calibre of executive I am focused on bringing into the Initiative team and I am looking forward to working with him.” Read more »
Samsung creates moving SlideLiner seats as part of Wallabies sponsorship
Samsung has created a set of seats which move on tracks alongside the pitch as part of its sponsorship of the Wallabies as part of a campaign for its latest range of TVs.
The spot promotes its Samsung SlideLiner activation which gives rugby fans who have purchased a Samsung TV the chance to win a seat between the grandstand and the pitch which runs along an 80m track beside the pitch, moving up and down the pitch to follow the game in real time.
Created by experiential and digital agency Traffik, the spot features a number of Wallabies players including Adam Ashley-Cooper, Nick Phipps, James Slipper, Tatafu Polota-Nau and ex-Wallaby Nathan Sharpe as the fan heckling the team from the SideLiner seat.
SAP Australia to continue working with Howorth Communications despite global Omnicom alignment
Software provider SAP Australia will continue to work with Howorth Communications despite the company consolidating its global communications, advertising and media and other marketing services with Omnicom.
Perry Manross, head of global corporate affairs for SAP told Mumbrella: “There are no immediate plans to engage Omnicom directly in Australia. SAP Australia has worked with Howorth Communications since July 2013 for Australia-specific communications support, and this relationship remains very productive and very strong.”
The Voice Kids pulls just 806,000 in first weeknight outing as Masterchef wins primetime battle
The first weeknight outing of The Voice Kids has drawn just 806,000 viewers for the singing contest, which features children competing for a recording contract.
The result, which sees the audience for the junior version of The Voice halve from 1.6m since its Sunday June 22 debut, will be a disappointment for Nine and comes just a day after the network’s head of reality TV vowed to refresh the adult version of the singing competition.
In contrast Ten’s Masterchef won last night’s 7.30pm entertainment battle with an audience of 1.128m while The X Factor had an audience of 1.079m in the same time slot on its first Wednesday audience according to the OzTam Overnight Metro Ratings.
Read more »
DWA changes Asia Pacific management structure as John Massey departs
Massey
John Massey, the Asia-Pacific MD of tech-focused media agency DWA, has left the company after a seven-year stint to join Singapore based IT firm Leo Tech.
Massey moved from Sydney to Singapore in 2012 to oversee the expansion of DWA’s regional business from Asia. He was also behind the launch of DWA’s Auckland, New Delhi and Bangalore offices.
He joined the company in 2007 from Haymarket, where he was publisher and sales director for the company’s titles in Australia, based in Sydney. Read more »
The Mandarin denies it intentionally copied rival’s logo
Tom Burton publisher of new online website The Mandarin, which is aimed at members of the public service, has rejected suggestions by rival PS News that the new Private Media venture copied their logo.
In a video hangout with Mumbrella yesterday, Burton was challenged by the group editor of his rival over what it claimed were similarities in the design of the two logos.
“It certainly wasn’t meant to be,” said Burton. “I don’t even know what the logo for Public Sector News is to be honest.”
“It was put together by a design agency and we went back and forwards on it a million times arguing about whether Tasmania should be part of Australia or Bass Strait should be recognised — should it be pink, should it be blue or should be angular.”
Live blog: Wednesday, July 23
Welcome to Mumbrella’s live blog, our daily roundup of what’s happening in media and marketing.
Top Stories:
- Video: Mumbrella hosts a hangout with The Mandarin
- Reality TV boss: Nine will refresh The Voice for 2015
- Agencies need to look beyond creative awards for validation from marketers warn new business experts
- TV ratings: X Factor wins overall entertainment battle, but Masterchef takes the demos
- Dr Mumbo: On your high horse
- Ad watchdog clears Watch Dogs ad
3.28pm – Our video hangout with Private Media’s new venture The Mandarin, which looks at the public service, has just wrapped up. You can watch the discussion here.
1.26pm - Nine’s reality TV boss Adrian Swift has admitted he felt Monday night’s finale of The Voice “deserved” a bigger audience and has promised to “refresh” the format ahead of its 2015 return. Read the full story here.
1.19pm - The agencies battling it out for the Budget Direct creative account. For all the details on who click here.
12:23pm - An ad for video game Watch Dogs (the one which sent ticking safes to journos, and got the bomb squad called in) was hauled in front of the ad watchdog for glamourising guns.
11:46am - When asked about the ongoing debate around the Cannes Lions awards a panel of new business experts have suggested agencies need to look beyond just creative awards to culture and effectiveness measures to boost their credentials.
10:12am - TV ratings are in, and whilst Seven and The X Factor won the night it was ten and Masterchef which walked away with the demographic gold last night, whilst Nine saw an improvement for Hamish and Andy.
9:27am - Once again the 24-hour news cycle see a key word omitted from a news ticker. Ironically this time it’s ‘horse’.
Nine’s reality TV boss says The Voice finale ‘deserved’ better ratings, promises a refresh
Adrian Swift
Nine’s reality TV boss has admitted he felt Monday night’s finale of The Voice “deserved” a bigger audience and has promised to “refresh” the format ahead of its 2015 return.
Speaking to Mumbrella Nine’s director of development and digital Adrian Swift said they will look at all aspect of the show, after just 1.6m metropolitan viewers tuned in to see Anja Nissen take out the singing competition, down from $2m the year before.
The Voice was credited with turning around Nine’s fortunes when it first aired in 2012 and was the most popular show that year. However, it struggled last year against Seven’s My Kitchen Rules losing some audience share, and this year has seen numbers fall off still further.
Swift said he believed the falls were in line with declines in traditional broadcast audiences and that the network would look at a number options, including reviewing the coaches, the songs and possibly featuring more of the backstory of unsuccessful contestants, to make the show more captivating for viewers.
“We believe the show deserved bigger numbers but I think the reality with all singing show is that they are down this year,” said Swift, who also has responsibility for Nine’s The Block which enjoyed a resurgence in ratings this year. Read more »
Filmmaker works with Jack Daniels to explore issue of musicians ‘selling out’
A filmmaker has denied that he sold out by taking money from Jack Daniel’s to produce a documentary – that explored the issue of musicians accepting cash from brands to further their careers.
Dan Graetz, founder of Brisbane-based Graetzmedia, told Mumbrella that he was handed “complete creative control” of the venture when he was approached by JD to shoot a documentary as part of the whisky maker’s new Future Legend’s music initiative.
“When Jack Daniel’s showed interest in supporting creative music-related projects I figured I’d go for broke so pitched this documentary around musicians, brands and honesty,” he said.
Graetz said that after initial reservations at accepting financial help, he was “surprised” at being handed complete creative control of the documentary, The Truth About Money in Music.
BMF and Host among three agencies vying for Budget Direct shortlists
The agencies battling it out for the Budget Direct creative account are 303Lowe Sydney, BMF and Host, Mumbrella understands.
It was revealed last month that the Queensland-based insurance company was pitching its creative account with three agencies in play.
Budget Direct declined to comment on the shortlisted agencies, with director of marketing and digital Jonathan Kerr stating: “We are in the middle of our creative pitch process and will make an official announcement regarding an appointment in August.”
The contacted agencies also declined to comment. Read more »
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