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Opinion | Features
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Answers for Adam: My guilty obsession with that bacon ad
This week Adam Ferrier asks whether a new ad for bacon will sizzle or burn.
I’ve got something to confess – I’ve become rather obsessed with an ad that was launched last week. The ad is for Primo Smallgoods, and shows a man surrounded by bacon as it falls from the sky – a parody from the 1999 film American Beauty.
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What does the future hold for Mitchell & Partners?
After the retirement of Harold Mitchell last year the Dentsu Aegis group has been shuffling its pack, moving some major clients into Carat away from its traditional powerhouse agency Mitchell & Partners. Nic Christensen sat down with the new management team at Mitchells to find out what the future is for an agency now a third of its former size.
Harold Mitchell was undoubtedly a dominant figure in Australian media buying, and while he may have retired last year, his shadow still looms large over the business empire he built over 40 years and what was known for much of its life as the Mitchell Communications Group. -
PR's PR problem - all substance and no image
The Australian PR industry is thriving, but it has an image problem, argues Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes
For the last few weeks, I've been mainly thinking about PR.
That's because I've been putting together the program for this Thursday's CommsCon conference, and running the awards that go alongside them.
And I've been pleasantly surprised - it's been a more inspiring process than I'd anticipated. -
Archaic cross-media ownership laws won't save local content
In this cross posting from The Conversation, Michael de Percy of University of Canberra discusses media ownership laws and how changes might impact on local content.
Communication minister Malcolm Turnbull’s proposal for changes to cross-media ownership laws has reignited calls for the government to protect local content.
On the surface, it appears reasonable to expect government to regulate for the provision of local news coverage. Indeed, Nationals leader Warren Truss wants to ensure that “genuine localism” is maintained should there be any changes to cross-media ownership laws.
With Australia’s population concentrated in the larger metropolitan regions, “the bush” is rarely seen as a profitable market for commercial media operators, hence the assumption that government should intervene. But are traditional concerns about content versus carriage relevant in the NBN era?
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Clock is ticking for Malaysia Airlines in crisis management
In this cross posting from The Conversation, Hamish McLean of Griffith University assesses the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 from a PR perspective.
For Malaysia Airlines, every hour counts as it deals with the loss of flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew on-board. The first 48 hours of a crisis are the most critical for an organisation as it aims to reassure people that it can deal with, and resolve, the crisis.
It is in this time period that people will decide whether or not to support the organisation in trouble. A failure to act decisively and with leadership can result in inflaming outrage and blame. For Malaysia Airlines, that time is now up. It is now entering a reputational minefield.
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Why hackers and marketers need each other more than ever
In a guest post from South by SouthWest Daniel Bluzer-Fry says as the world evolves marketers and hackers will need each other more than ever to stay relevant.
During The New Digital Age – a session at the SXSW interactive conference with Google's Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen , director of Google Ideas - it was suggested most technical white-collar jobs will disappear in the near future thanks to the continual evolution of technology. The Googlers believe that it is creativity that will be key in giving people utility as labour, so even those who have historically been our most respected professionals appear at risk. For instance, if I were to ask you if you’d prefer a human surgeon or robot to do major surgery on you in ten years time … well, it’s hard not to think that the robot would be more accurate, reliable and expedient.
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Eight surprises in the new Sydney radio ratings
Today's radio results signal a once in a generation shift, argues Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes.
Zoinks. This may be the most dramatic radio survey ever released.
Here are the things I noticed first. (Forgive me for focusing on Sydney, where the changes have been the biggest.)
1. In Monday to Sunday share, Southern Cross Austereo's 2DayFM has plummeted from number one FM station to bottom commercial station on either FM or AM. That is, I'm just about certain, unprecedented. It's even below Fairfax Media's struggling talk station 2UE. 2DayFM's audience halved from 8.4% to 4%. -
Answers for Adam: Should marketers follow Kyle Sandilands' lead?
With people more likely to notice the negative Adam Ferrier asks should marketers dial up the negative for more sales?
If you have an ugly feature on your face – guess what other people notice. In fact they notice it even more than you think - sorry. In fact, it’s normally how we remember other people ‘You know Bob – the guy with the big hairy nose’.
We pay attention to his big hairy nose for the same reason we notice negative, alarmist headlines in the news. Or why advertising often uses scares and shock tactics. Or why 74per cent of the available words we can use to describe someone’s personality are negative. -
The media consolidation is coming - and the deals have probably already been done
The coming wave of media consolidation could push Ten into the arms of News Corp, Seven into bed with Fairfax Media and Nine with WIN, predicts Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes
A long while back, I had lunch with the father of an English Premier League footballer. He confided that his son would be replacing my club's top striker.
None of this had appeared in the transfer-obsessed tabloid sports pages. And nor did it for several months. But the transfer eventually unfolded in exactly the way he told me it would.
It was eye-opening to realise just how far in advance top level deals are stitched up. -
Banning booze ads will just make marketers more creative
As the calls for stricter regulation of alcohol advertising to protect children heat up Mike O'Rourke argues changes to advertising will do nothing without changing behaviour at home.
Hi, my name is Mike O’Rourke and I ask my kids to pass me beers. I drink alcoholic beverages at home, and yes, I have also been guilty of asking my kids to go to the fridge for me. And when we have guests I angst about what wine we’ll serve as much what food we’ll eat. And the rhetorical discussions with my son over whether I should get 2 bags of ice or just the one (the answer’s always two).
Like most Australian families, alcohol plays a large part in my home life. -
Why stupid is normal – when smart people make dumb choices
Ashton Bishop and Gary Wilkinson argue how the actions of former BP chief Tony Hayward during the Gulf of Mexico oil crisis should be a wake up call to stressed marketers and those that work with them.
In 2010 after over 455 million litres of oil had already poured into the Gulf off the Louisiana coast and millions of litres more continued to escape every day, Tony Hayward, the CEO of oil giant BP, and the public face of the environmental disaster, decided to take part in an exclusive yacht race off the Isle of Wight. There was outrage. Social media, already heavily critical of BP’s poor response to the catastrophe, got worse. -
What is the most effective method for charity fundraising?
Recent pieces on Mumbrella around charity street fundraisers have stirred debate about the pros and cons of the practice. Here Angela Brooks looks at what the statistics show is the best way of fundraising.
Following Mumbrella’s recent stories on the pro’s and con’s of ‘chuggers’, I thought it may be of value to reveal what the statistics show is the best fundraising strategy for charities and how to secure more out of the Australian hip pocket. The results will surprise many. -
Answering Adam: Why advertising spin does harm consumers
In response to Adam Ferrier's article on whether advertising spin is actually OK, TV luminary Nick Murray argues it is not.
As Adam Ferrier correctly points out in his wonderfully provocative article the ABC's consumer affairs show The Checkout takes aim at brands which charge more for products marketed by preying on desires and fears in nearly every episode. I make TV shows including The Checkout, so I thought I'd give a non marketer's perspective.
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Analysis: Where has it gone wrong for Ten?
After starting the year with improved ratings and an air of optimism audience shares have declined severely for Network Ten. Megan Reynolds spoke to industry insiders to find out where it went wrong.
Secrets and Lies was one of the most anticipated dramas of the year, which has already been picked up by production companies in the US and UK, launched to 403,000 metro viewers on Channel Ten last night. While those numbers may be disappointing for executives in the Pyrmont offices, they are higher than it has been getting for established reality show The Biggest Loser and the revived So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD).
In the week after the Winter Olympics Ten's total network audience share dropped from 18.8 per cent, to 14.4 per cent. This included the main channel's worst-ever rating night, where it took just 6.4 per cent of the audience.
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Answers for Adam: Is advertising spin actually good?
In his regular column Adam Ferrier poses a question to the industry. Today he asks is advertising spin as bad as it is made out to be?
Advertising is bad right? We coerce people into buying stuff they don’t need. Further, as TV show The Checkout points out (most weeks) we sometimes just put a descriptive word like ‘Baby’, or ‘Premium’ on a certain product, and then charge more for exactly the same thing. For example, all shampoos are basically made of the same stuff – so why are some priced at $3.00 a bottle whilst ‘Premium Salon Quality’ alternatives (at product parity) cost $30 (or more)?
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Showpony Advertising promote South Australian National Football League with ‘This is football’
The South Australian National Football League has launched a campaign promoting its 2014 season promoting it as the rawest form of the game.
Showpony Advertising created the campaign after undertaking a comprehensive brand review which helped direct the tagline “This Is Football”
The agency’s creative director Parris Mesidis said in a statement: “The SANFL is on the cusp of a new era and our research revealed that people believe the SANFL is footy as it’s meant to be – a professional and tough competition that is completely accessible and affordable for friends and families.
“The campaign tagline, ‘This Is Football’ is a celebration of everything that makes the SANFL unique and entertaining.”
Blogger agency The Remarkables Group launches joint venture to amplify reach
L:R Mighty Mighty’s Andrea Horton, The Remarkable Group’s Lorraine Murphy and Mighty Mighty’s Chris Parker
Blogger talent agency The Remarkables Group has announced a joint venture with digital agency Mighty Mighty in a bid to amplify their bloggers’ content and make them more attractive to brands.
The joint venture sees The Remarkables move towards a publisher model, bringing together various blogging verticals and grouping the 18 bloggers in The Remarkables Group so it can offer brands retargeting, video seeding, paid social and native advertising through a platform where readers can enter competitions, sign up to receive samples and opt in to hear more from brands.
Remarkables founder Lorraine Murphy said the move would allow the agency to dramatically increase the audience it can offer brands, telling Mumbrella: “Many of our clients told us last year that bloggers still work out as quite an expensive channel. So what we have done is put a framework around the content we are creating so there is a lot more bang for buck with brands.
Read more »
Mumbrella live blog: Wednesday, March 19
This is Mumbrella’s live blog, all you need to keep you up to date in the media and marketing world. Refresh the page for latest updates refresh the page.
Top stories:
- Last chance to get tickets for CommsCon today
- Twitter coy on speculation it now has 4m Australian users
- Woolworths shortlists three smaller agencies for media strategy help
- The general manager of Domain has taken redundancy during restructure
- Carefree goes for another frank message in latest tampon ads
- Dick Smith to fight ruling striking OzEmite off trademark list
5:46pm - Apologies for the blog being a tad quiet this afternoon – the Mumbrella offices have been a hive of activity in preparation for tomorrow’s CommsCon conference and Awards. Here there are some last-minute tweaks being made to scripts ahead of the Awards, where there are just eight seats left. Want a ticket – click here for more details.
3:32pm - So, it seems Twitter’s push Down Under in the last 18-months has paid off, with the social network doubling its user base according to presentations seen by agency execs. However, boss Karen Stocks is staying mum on the matter.
1:38pm - In the latest on the Woolworths media pitch the supermarket has shortlisted three “smaller” agencies to assist on its strategy, including Ikon.
12:21pm - There’s an interesting piece on smh.com.au today by Richard Ackland accusing Andrew Bolt of hypocrisy, after the right-wing commentator said he had been deeply offended by implications he is racist aired on last Monday’s Q&A.
11:52am - Dick Smith has made a U-turn and decided he will appeal the decision to strike the OzEmite name from the trademark list as battle with Roger Ramsey’s Aussiemite intensifies. Read more »
Woolworths looks at ‘smaller agencies’ including Ikon for media support
Woolworths is understood to be looking at a number of “smaller media agencies” as part of the review of its media account, Mumbrella can reveal.
While the majority of the $240m media account is expected to go to one of the four major agency groups on the shortlist, it is understood that Woolworths last week had presentations from Match Media, Bohemia and Ikon Communications.
All agencies contacted declined to comment on the pitch but it is thought that decision of Woolworths to look at smaller media agencies is driven by a desire to find a support agency to help with strategy on the account which is one of the biggest in Australia. Read more »
MLC starts interactive exhibit in Australian Museum to save retirement
An interactive exhibit has been installed in the Australian Museum as part of a national marketing campaign for MLC urging Australians to save for their retirement.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and NAB Wealth created the “life-sized diorama” dramatising how retirement could become a thing of the past and retirees an endangered species in the Australian Museum in Sydney today, and will launch another live exhibit at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station on Monday.
The Let’s Save Retirement campaign will be launched in print, outdoor, TV and digital channels on Sunday. It also features the new MLC visual identity created by brand consultancy PUSH Collective.
Twitter believed to have hit 4m Australian users as local office turns one
Karen Stocks
Twitter is understood to have reached the four million user mark in the Australian market but managing director Karen Stocks refused to reveal the size of its domestic audience.
Multiple senior agency executives have told Mumbrella the Australian Twitter sales team is now telling the market that there are more than four million Australian Twitter accounts, following a push by the platform on key areas such as sport, television and music. However, when asked about this Stocks, who joined the company in September, was circumspect.
“We don’t breakdown numbers at the country level”, said Stocks, before adding: “But I am very, very happy with the growth we are seeing.”
A rise to four million accounts would mean the platform has doubled its domestic audience in the 18 months since the first US Twitter executives flew in and began a strong engagement strategy, designed to lift the its profile amongst the Australian public. Read more »
Domain general manager takes redundancy in state-based restructure
Fazel
The general manager of Fairfax Media’s real estate website Domain has taken a redundancy as the company restructures under new CEO Anthony Catalano.
Sales executive Ross Fazel had worked with Fairfax for nearly seven years and was made general manager of Domain for Fairfax’s community media in January 2013.
However, earlier this month Fazel opted for redundancy in preference to alternate roles offered, as Catalano moves Domain from a national to a state-based structure, as it looks to take on market leader REA Group. Read more »
Nissan positions X-Trail as ‘family proof’ in new ad
Nissan is promoting its “all-new” X-Trail with an ad which celebrates the car as suitable for a large family, introducing the positioning of “Family proof”.
The commercial, created by Whybin\TBWA features a family’s off-road adventures which sees the car drive through a corn crop and what appears to be a factory handling radioactive waste, ending with the father turning to his kids in the backseat to say “that could have been messy” to see they are covered in food and green slime they had been playing with before their bumpy adventures.
Dick Smith to appeal decision to strike OzEmite trademark from register
Dick Smith has decided to appeal a decision to remove the trademark registration of Dick Smith’s OzEmite despite previously telling Mumbrella he “probably wouldn’t” appeal last month’s ruling, citing support from the public.
“We got some very good advice from a barrister who’s an expert in this field. He thought not only would we be able to prevent him from striking out our name but we’d have a very good case of having his name removed because he pinched ours,” Smith told Mumbrella.
At the time of the decision Smith told Mumbrella: “We probably won’t appeal the decision but if Roger Ramsey spends thousands of dollars on fighting us on the name we’ll just change it to Dickymite, that’s quite a good name.”
On his change of heart regarding the appeal, Smith said it was the support of the public that made him reconsider.
“So many people wrote to me and said Dick, under no circumstances should you give in to this dishonesty when Ramsey’s clearly stolen your name,” he said.
Carefree delivers another frank message in latest tampon ads
Carefree are promoting its tampons with a new ad aimed at younger women who may have avoided using the product before due to fears and confusion, ending with the line “itty biddy and silky smooth so you can get them in and out easily”.
The brand hit the headlines in 2012 when it became the first to use the word vagina in an advert in an ad from 303Lowe, which upset several viewers and became the most complained about ad during 2012. The ASB eventually ruled use of the word “vagina” was acceptable on Australian TV.
It features a number of young women and their fears before focusing on a woman who appears calm and stress-free, ending with the tagline “Stress free with Carefree pro-comfort tampons – itty biddy and silky smooth so you can get them in and out easily”.
The commercial, created by DDB Sydney, is the second ad of a campaign which “looks to tackle the taboos of periods and vaginal health head-on by demonstrating the reality – and normality – of period”.
DDB Sydney creative director Jen Speirs said: “With this campaign, we needed to reassure girls that whatever they’re experiencing, however scary or uncomfortable in relation to their period, is actually perfectly normal. We felt the most effective way for us to do this was to get other people to talk about what they’ve gone through in the past, or are going through now.”
The Biggest Loser drops to lowest ratings as MKR cook-off wins more than 1.6m
The nail-biting cook-off on My Kitchen Rules and elimination of contestants Harry Curtis and Christo Gibson rated 1.664m last night giving Channel Seven the most popular show of the night, followed closely by The Block with more than 1.3m.
However, Channel Ten saw its ratings drop for The Biggest Loser to its lowest yet this series, with just 307,000 watching in the same 7.30pm timeslot, preliminary overnight metro ratings from OzTam show.
The Biggest Loser was 32nd in all programs and 26th in people 25-54. Ten launched a print ad campaign for the show yesterday, in an effort to boost poor ratings.
Meanwhile MKR was also the top show in people 25-54, and The Block, which had 1.302m total viewers was second in that category. Read more »
AKQA’s Phil Dowgierd made MD for Tribal Worldwide Sydney as Darwin Tomlinson joins as ECD
![image[1]](http://cdn0.mumbrella.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/image1.jpeg)
Dowgierd
Dowgierd joins the DDB Group from AKQA where he led the global Nissan business, prior he held positions at Grand Union, Fallon and M&C Saatchi.
In a statement he said: “Over the past 16 years I have worked for four best in class agencies both in digital and above the line sectors. I am delighted to be joining DDB Group Sydney for many professional and personal reasons.
Tomlinson
“It is my ambition to further develop an already strong global brand and produce an outstanding business that is at the leading edge of the interface between technology and creativity. I am truly excited to be joining one of the world’s best communications networks and to be in Australia as it is one of the fastest economies in adopting mobile and tablet usage.”
Updated: Ten tells Seven ‘we will not be bullied’ amid claims John Stephens was on prescription drugs when he signed contract
Network Ten has said it held long negotiations with programmer John Stephens after rivals Seven said he was under the influence of prescription drugs when he signed on with the network, with Ten retorting it “is not prepared to be bullied”.
Ten released the statement this morning following The Australian’s publication of an email exchange between Stephens and Ten CEO Hamish McLennan, in which Stephens blamed the influence of heavy painkillers for his decision to leave Seven for Ten.
The senior Seven executive had announced he would leave Kerry Stokes’ network to take the job as director of scheduling and acquisitions at Network Ten on March 7.
However in an email to McLennan on March 10, Stephens, understood to have been recovering from a hip operation, said: “Now that I have stopped the painkillers and other drugs and with a clear mind, felt that I can no longer accept the appointment and will not be commencing employment with Ten.”
This morning Ten said Stephens held extensive negotiations with the network in relation to his contract with the company.
“Network Ten wants to get the truth of what happened after that contract was signed by Mr Stephens. The leaking of confidential documents to the media only strengthens our resolve,” the statement said. Read more »
Morning Update: Tesla video made my college grads; HBO illustrates Game of Thrones death in online art; Beastie Boys settle GoldieBlox dispute
This is our Morning Update, rounding up international media and marketing news from while you were sleeping.
AdAge: That Amazing Tesla Video Was Made by Recent College Grads for $1,500
“Tesla doesn’t spend a dime on paid advertising, but a group of recent college graduates decided to make a video spot for the electric car brand anyway.
The result was a minute-long ad titled “Modern Spaceship,” which the Los Angeles-based creators spent $1,500 to make in November. The creators recently started a production company called Everdream Pictures.
The spot — which depicts a little boy who gets into the driver’s seat of the Tesla in his garage and imagines he’s piloting a spaceship — got them a meeting with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in January.”
UM Australia wins agency of the year at Festival of Media Asia
Lambnesia: among the winners for UM
UM Australia was named agency of the year at the Festival of Media Asia last night as Australia once more emerged as the region’s front-running hub for creative media thinking.
Australia claimed seven winners, more than double the next most awarded country, India.
GroupM’s MediaCom won agency network of the year. Most awarded after MediaCom and UM was creative agency FCB New Zealand.
Just two independent agencies emerged as winners, among them Australia’s Match Media for its ‘data matching love story’ for Ikea.
The campaign of the year went to FCB New Zealand for ‘Driving dog’ for SPCA, which won in the Best Use of Content category and was highly commended for Best Communications Strategy.
Mumbrella live blog: Tuesday, March 18
This is Mumbrella’s live blog, your rolling news diary keeping you up to speed with the world of media and marketing. Refresh the page for the latest updates.
Top stories:
- AAMI signals end for Rhonda and Ketut after three years
- Dr Mumbo: L’Oreal’s blurred lines
- Answers for Adam: Will the ‘American Beauty’ bacon ad sell product?
- Dr Mumbo: Ten dominates TV ad spend - according to The Oz’s graphics team
- Ten and Seven head to court over veteran programmer John Stephens
- Seven has halted Deal or No Deal production to concentrate on Million Dollar Minute
- TV ratings: Secrets and Lies drops again
6:54pm - A terrifying image to leave you with tonight – Channel Seven News appears to be under attack from The Birds:
5:59pm - Mumbrella’s deputy editor Nic Christensen is the guest tweeter on the ABC’s Lateline tonight – so check in with him tonight from 10:30pm.
5:46pm - Seven and Ten are still at odds on John Stephens, the veteran programmer who is recovering from a hip operation according to the Australian Financial Review, with Seven issuing a statement saying he is their employee still, before Ten countered arguing he is expected to start at their Pyrmont offices on June 9.
4:42pm - There’s been something of a Twitter spat between, of all people, Khloe Kardashian and Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise after they accused her minders of pulling the plug on an interview when presenter Sam Armytage asked her about sister Kim’s baby North. Khloe fired back on Twitter:
2:13pm – L’Oreal has told its Facebook fans it doesn’t use Photoshop in its images – to mislead them. It does it for “aesthetical reasons”. And changes the shape of Megan Gale’s face.
Pete Mitchell takes on global role to innovate Mondelez’s media output
Mondelez has hired a new global media innovations director to look at its marketing activity across all its brands and find new ways to use the channels.
Pete Mitchell is moving from media agency Mindshare in Chicago, where he ran the global BP digital business, to the global job based in Singapore with the confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate, his first client-side role.
The move will see the Brit evaluate media activity across all markets, including Australia, which he identified as one of the major growth markets for the company.
“Mondelēz has a focus on Asia and growth markets, particularly China, India, Southeast Asia and Australia. Australia may have a relatively small population, but it’s very important market for us,” he told Mumbrella Asia. Read more »
SMI: Ten’s revenue share gets Sochi boost but buyers expect fall in March
Some of Australia’s most senior media buyers have said the boost in revenue for the Ten Network shown in the latest Standard Media Index (SMI) numbers has been driven largely driven by the Sochi Olympics and the finals of the Big Bash and will likely fall back to normal next month.
The February SMI data shows Ten had a 24.2 per cent revenue share, up from 20.3 per cent last month, while Seven had a 40.4 per cent share and Nine had a 35.4 per cent share of the free-TV market. The overall TV revenue in February was up 5.1 per cent year on year to $186.8m, while the overall category including pay-TV was up 4 per cent to $256.9m.
Ian Perrin CEO of ZenithOptimedia said Ten had been boosted by the sporting event and associated sponsorships, but a falloff in ratings in February and into March will see the network likely lose the recent gain next month. He added: “They were buoyed by the fact that their programming in terms of the Olympics and Big Bash (final) happened in February. That’s something they didn’t have a year ago.
“Overall the TV market has been buoyant so I would imagine the overall TV market will remain strong in March, but Ten will get a lesser share in March than it did in February.”
A spokesman for Ten said network would not be drawn on its revenue share targets and would not comment on speculation about their revenue share. However, earlier in the day, Network Ten chief sales officer Louise Barrett said in a statement the February figures were a sign that Ten’s strategy around event television was working.
Read more »
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