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Opinion | Features
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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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Content pollution: Is your brand guilty?
Content marketing only works for brands that aim to do more than pollute people's social media feeds, argues Bite Sydney's Karen Coleman.
Content isn’t anything new – it has always been the bedrock of a good communications in some form. And despite the current industry hype, content marketing isn’t new either. Brands are waking up to the need to engage with their consumers via relevant, targeted content marketing but unfortunately, the digital media explosion has contaminated some brands’ view of content.
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Mumbrella to hold a video hangout with The Mandarin
Mumbrella will hold a video hangout tomorrow afternoon with the editor and publisher of new Private Media publication The Mandarin.
Announced earlier this year the online publication, from the publishers of Crikey, is taking aim at the 200,000 public servants working around Australia and says it wants to news breaking B2B product for the sector.
Editor Jason Whittaker and publisher Tom Burton will join Mumbrella editor Alex Hayes to discuss the new product, why it is being launched now and its place in the shifting Australian media landscape.
Live blog: Tuesday, July 22
Welcome to Mumbrella’s live blog, our daily roundup of what’s happening in media and marketing.
Top stories:
- Opinion: Marketers risk their reputations if they are complicit in scam advertising
- Hangout with The Mandarin on Wednesday
- Qantas to focus on digital after losing 40 per cent of marketing team
- Quickflix boss coy on Nine’s strategic stake
- TV ratings: The Voice finale falls from last year
- Diageo dumps Ikon moves media to Leo Burnett and Mediavest
- Nine Entertainment promotes new marketing director
- Dettol is Australia’s most trusted brand according to Reader’s Digest
- Box office: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes tops box office
5:20pm - Lost dog – can you help?
1.40pm - At an event today Qantas revealed that it had cut as much as 40 per cent of its marketing budget and would be focusing more on digital marketing. Full story here.
12.58pm - TrinityP3′s Darren Woolley looks at the issues around scam advertising from a marketer perspective and argues that marketers risk their own reputations by allowing agencies to engage in scam advertising. Read the full piece here. Read more »
Qantas flags digital focus after losing 40 per cent of broad marketing team in recent cuts
Qantas is understood to have lost 40 per cent of its broader marketing team in the recent savage round of job losses, with the carrier flagging a more concerted focus on digital marketing strategies going forward.
The cuts, which equate to around 40 positions, were part of a drastic series of measures announced earlier this year to reduce Qantas’s wage bill. The airline cut 5,000 jobs, 1,500 of them from corporate positions.
It is the first time the extent of cuts to the broader marketing department, which includes corporate communications, sponsorship, events and community staff has become clear.
Olivia Wirth, Qantas Group executive manager for brand, marketing and corporate affairs, admitted the marketing department did not escape the cuts. “We were all part of it. It is a big transformation for the business but one that was needed,” she told Mumbrella.
The cuts meant the department, and others across the airline, had “to be smarter” and explore “how we get more value from what we are investing in”.
Wirth said Qantas would continue to explore a mix of marketing strategies but said digital would be a focus.
Quickflix boss coy on Nine’s new strategic stake but confident there is no ‘content stitch up’
Founder and CEO of online streaming company Quickflix Stephen Langsford says it is not for him to comment on US content giant HBO’s decision to sell out of the company, with its eight per cent stake being picked up by new entrant into the streaming space Nine Entertainment Co.
The surprise purchase was revealed yesterday, with the $1m purchase by Nine quickly helping raise the long languishing Quickflix share price 40 per cent, to 1.4 cents.
“It’s not for me to be drawn on what Nine’s intentions or plans are,” Langsford told Mumbrella, this morning. “Quickflix is focused on the business we are operating in this space.
“We have our work cut out for us and are focused on growing our business and getting on more platforms to increase our audience.” Read more »
GPY&R Sydney promote CDs Bart Pawlak and David Joubert to joint ECD role
GPY&R Sydney has promoted creative directors Bart Pawlak and David Joubert to the role of joint executive creative director, filling a gap left by Julian Watt who departed from the agency in November last year before joining Host in February.
Pawlak has been with the agency since November 2005, joining as a senior copyrighter before being promoted to creative group head in June 2008 and taking on the CD title in September 2012.
Joubert joined the agency as a creative director in August 2008. Read more »
Kinetic Super attempt to tackle apathy towards super in new campaign from Naked
Industry super fund Kinetic Super is attempting to tackle apathy from younger people towards the product in a new campaign which seems to take inspiration from the Colour Run.
Created by Naked Communications, the ad sees a collection of young people throw coloured paint dust against a white board and at each other before peeling off stickers to reveal the word Kinetic perfectly white against a now colourful backdrop.
An overlaid narration says “We move more than every before, we don’t sit still except when it comes to our super. So come on Australia, lets get our super moving too.”
‘Opal Man’ ditched at dinner as third ad focuses on free trips
The third spot in Transport NSW’s Opal campaign has rolled out with the ad focusing on how people using it get free trips after eight paid journeys have been taken in a week.
Created by JWT, the first ad in the series launched at the start of the month which focused on the benefits of Opal such as never queuing which was quickly followed up with a second spot focusing on the many locations you can get to using Opal.
Bose to nurture creative talent to promote release of new headphones
Bose Australia is promoting the release of new on-ear and around-ear headphones and earbuds with a “creative fund” aimed at promoting and nurturing Australian talent.
With a $20,000 grant up for grabs, the competition aims to position Bose as a brand associated with talent as it sets out to “identify and commend the unique talents and abilities of Australians”.
Bose is sharing the stories of a people working in various industries such as singer Guy Sebastian, DJ Tigerlily, surfer/photographer Cloudy Rhodes and Sydney artist Jess Bush with the aim of encouraging up-and-coming talent to share their stories.
Man celebrates buying a Jeep from a mountain top
Jeep is continuing with its ‘bought a Jeep’ positioning in a spot promoting the Grand Cherokee.
Created by Cummins & Partners, the spot sees a man on top of a misty hilltop shout out ‘I bought a Jeep’ to which a voice responds ‘me too’.
The Voice finale underwhelms drawing just 1.66m
The audience for 2014′s finale of The Voice was well down on previous years just 1.66m people tuning in to see Anja Nissen win the singing competition.
The result which actually saw the audience decrease to 1.57m for the winner announcement in well down on the 2012 and 2013 The Voice finale results which drew 2.6m and 2.0m respectively.
Despite the underwhelming result for The Voice a lacklustre offering from its rivals saw the show top the night and Nine win the night with an audience share of 27.8 per cent. Read more »
Dettol Australia’s ‘most trusted brand’, according to new study
Dettol is Australia’s most trusted brand with rotary clothes line manufacturer Hills Hoist regarded as the most iconic in the country, according to a new study.
The germ-killing disinfectant edged out Colgate and Dyson while Hills Hoist, a backyard feature in Australia since 1945, beat Arnott’s and Vegemite to top spot, the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand survey found.
The annual research, conducted by Catalyst Marketing and Research, asked around 2,400 Australians to name the products they identify with most.
Nine creates group role to oversee consumer marketing
The boss of Nine Entertainment’s strategic and creative division, Michael Branagh, will spearhead the company’s consumer marketing efforts after taking a new group role.
Branagh has been named director of marketing, a newly created position, and will report to group sales and marketing director Peter Wiltshire.
Wiltshire said the need to unite Nine’s marketing efforts “has never been greater”.
“In this newly created role, Michael will oversee consumer marketing for the group and look to maximise our marketing opportunities both externally and without our considerable media network,” he said.
Branagh, who has more than 20 years experience in media, advertising, direct and digital agency leadership, has been with Nine since 2011 when he joined as director of powered.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes beats Sex Tape by $1.053m
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has once again dominated the weekend box office after taking in $1.053m more than its closest rival, Jason Segel’s Sex Tape.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, pulled $3.514m across 569 screens taking its total Australian box office to $12.675m.
Sex Tape, a comedy written by and starring Segel and Cameron Diaz, which premiered last Wednesday in Australia, took in nearly $2.5m over the weekend. Its total Australian box office stands at $2.533m.
Transformers: Age of Extinction maintained its third place positioning after grabbing $1.210m taking its total Australian box office to $26.248m.
Diageo dumps Ikon as strategy moves to Leo Burnett, with buying overseen by Mediavest
Alcoholic beverages company Diageo has dumped its media agency Ikon Communications and appointed creative agency Leo Burnett to handle its media account.
The company confirmed the move this afternoon, with the deal seeing the Mediavest arm of Starcom Mediavest overseeing the buying part within fellow Publicis agency Leo Burnett.
The loss of the account is another blow to Ikon which in the last year has lost a number of major accounts including Vodafone, Coca-Cola, and RACV WA. Read more »
Live blog: Monday, July 21
Welcome to Mumbrella’s live blog, our daily roundup of what’s happening in media and marketing.
Top Stories:
- Cannes Lions: Savage defends entries ‘Superbowl ads only run once’
- Diageo dumps Ikon and moves media to Leo Burnett with buying by Mediavest
- Cannes Lions: Comms Council CEO urges transparency
- TV ratings: 60 Minutes Baden-Clay special tops night as Masterchef builds
- ING Direct splits with Droga5 and hands interim duties to Soap
- Wotif hires M&C Saatchi for first creative duties
- ASB ruling: Perth brothel told to remove ad because of the placement of a feather boa
- Dr Mumbo: Censoring the blonde beautiful women and Apricot Balls
4:32pm - When coming up with a solution of how to sell a car someone suggested the Wakudoki. And why not…
3:47pm – Diageo has confirmed it has parted ways with media agency Ikon and moved its account to creative agency Leo Burnett, with sister Publicis agency Mediavest overseeing the buying arm.
1.54pm - Meanwhile on all things related to Cannes Lions. Terry Savage has come back to us and answered a number of questions. Read his Q&A here.
1.50pm - Communications Council CEO Margaret Zabel has told Mumbrella that agencies dealing with claims of illegitimacy around campaigns entered into awards should be transparent about them. Read here comments here.
1.05pm - The publishers of travel industry trade magazine The Travel Bulletin have announced the recent June edition will be its last. Read about it here.
12:14pm - If there’s one thing wrong in the world it’s the discrimination against blonde beautiful women
11:16am - World Movies is hosting a season of John Waters‘ ‘Films of Bad Taste’, so they got the man himself to star in the teaser:
10:27am - It seems to be a morning for creative agency announcements with online travel agents Wotif hiring M&C Saatchi as its first external creative agency.
Comms Council CEO urges agencies dealing with illegitimacy claims to be transparent
Zabel
Agencies dealing with claims of illegitimacy around campaigns entered into awards should be transparent about them, Communications Council CEO Margaret Zabel has told Mumbrella.
In response to questions about the industry body’s guidance on scam advertising Zabel said: “In terms of dealing with claims of illegitimacy, obviously transparency is helpful in these cases. Reputation is very important, but there are also sometimes confidentiality restrictions around the release of certain details. It’s up to the agency and the client to discuss and agree on the best and most transparent way of responding.”
Her comments come after questions arose some ads entered by Australian agencies in this year’s Cannes Lions competition coming under scrutiny, which included Saatchi & Saatchi’s Silver Lion winning work for Panasonic and DDB’s Bronze winning McDonald’s executions, with those agencies and clients refusing to reveal where the work had run.
A subsequent investigation by Mumbrella discovered the DDB McDonald’s work ran in News Corp title The Rouse Hill Times, although searches by two media monitoring companies have not uncovered where the Saatchi & Saatchi Panasonic ads ran. Read more »
Executive Channel Australia restructures amid buyout of European operation
Office-block advertising company Executive Channel International has restructured its Australian and international operations and announced a buy-out of its ECNlive’s UK and European operations.
Bruce Fink, executive chairman of Executive Channel International Pty Ltd (ECI) which operates the Media Eye operation among others, confirmed today that the company now wholly-owned ECI network after buying out a number of smaller minority shareholders in its overseas operations and was restructuring ahead of further expansion.
“Following completion of the purchase, the new global company is primed for an aggressive expansion of the ECNlive and Executive Channel networks,” said Fink, in a statement. Read more »
Publishers of Travel Bulletin to close trade magazine but still looking for buyer
The publishers of travel industry trade magazine The Travel Bulletin have announced the recent June edition will be its last.
In a statement on their website publishers Eddie Raggett and Ian McMahon said after 10 years they were reluctantly choosing to close the publication.
“The June 2014 issue of Travel Bulletin will be the final issue to be printed,” the publishers wrote. “In some respects we have made this decision reluctantly.”
“Travel Bulletin closes as a profitable and respected publication occupying a pre-eminent position as the Australian travel industry’s quality monthly journal of record. We take great pride in this achievement over nearly a decade of dedicated work and we do not lightly walk away from it.” Read more »
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