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Opinion
The keyboard warrior of Twitter
In this guest post, NBN staffer Scott Rhodie writes an unofficial, personal view on his experience with a hostile Twitter critic.Last night I had a strange incident. While on Twitter I noticed someone saying that Australia’s NBN is already outdated. I wrote a small note back explaining they were incorrect.
And their response? The lovely gentleman (whose Twitter profile says: ‘Father of 5 kids, Loving Grandfather of 10 Grandchildren,and 2 Great Granddaughters. love to give heaps to Pollies and Poofters’) said to me: “Go and lick Gillards C*** out U commie Prick”
What's in a name?
In this guest post, Moensie Rossier wonders about the power of names for brands and marketers.
Brands have been having a bit of fun with names lately, not to mention a fair bit of success. Interbrand just named a headhunting firm Cloak & Dagger. And ‘Share a Coke’ showed how much power there is in a name.
The Coke campaign effectively short-circuited the usual mechanics of communication. It undoubtedly stroked people’s egos. But, I believe, its success stems from the fact that it directly and automatically affected people’s behaviour, rather than doing so indirectly by shaping attitudes.
Best ads from Super Bowl 2012
The Super Bowl is all done and a team from North America won. But as well as some sort of sporting event, it’s the world’s biggest advertising showcase. See the best of them right here… and please tell us what you think.
How to debunk media myths
In this post, UWS’s Ullrich Ecker, John Cook and Stephen Lewandowsky argue that cognitive science can help PRs form strategies in managing media misreporting.
A growing cohort of commentators has bemoaned the descent of contemporary political “debate” into a largely fact-free zone.
How about simply focusing on what consumers want?
In this guest post, Peter Mountford argues that brands should think more about what is really going on for consumers
Who here is hoping their favourite brand of toilet paper is going to be organizing a flash mob on their way home from work today?
What the Optus web copyright victory means
In this analysis first published on The Conversation, RMIT’s Marita Shelly examines the implications of Telstra’s defeat over the online rights to the AFL broadcast deal
This week’s Federal Court ruling that Optus customers are able to view sporting matches minutes after they are streamed live without breaching copyright is a landmark decision that alters our understanding of copyright law, and has significant implications for the AFL’s broadcasting rights deal.
Does Gina Rinehart’s bite of a chunk of Fairfax make her an oligarch?
In an article that first appeared in The Conversation, Mark Rolfe wonders whether the mining magnate’s move could turn Fairfax into something resembling America’s Fox network.
Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has moved to increase her stake in Fairfax Media, owner of The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and a number of radio stations. Rinehart has already shown her desire to play a role in public life, campaigning against former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s aborted mining tax. She has also demonstrated a willingness to make media investments to ensure her pro-business worldview is promulgated.
What does this latest move by Rinehart mean?
Gillard's Australia Day crisis
PM Julia Gillard’s media adviser Tony Hodges has been forced to resign over the Australia Day tent embassy debacle.
It came after it emerged he had revealed opposition leader Tony Abbott’s whereabouts, leading to both politicians being rescued by police in ugly scenes.
Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes and advertising practitioner Jane Caro debate the topic on Weekend Sunrise’s masters of Spin segment:
The biggest cock-up I made in business
In this guest post, Chris Savage urges agency staff to live the brand.I still shudder when I think about how incredibly stupid I was when I made the biggest stuff up of my career. And then, 18 years later, I did it again. Do not make this mistake with your clients. Ever.
Hey Groupon. Thanks for fucking up email
In this guest post, Daniel Monheit warns that group deal overload is devaluing email marketingEmail marketing used to be fabulous. Back in the heady days of 2010, brands would work hard to build up well qualified databases, upon which they’d bestow carefully crafted correspondence filled with information, offers and incentives. The recipients, of course would be delighted: “Oh look! An email! From one of my favourite brands! And it’s 40 cents off at Woolies this week!”.
The staggering sway of Harold Mitchell
The Power Index today names Aegis Media chairman Harold Mitchell as the most powerful person in Melbourne. Andrew Crook profiles him.
Harold Mitchell takes pride in dispensing with the niceties. When The Power Index visited his South Melbourne private office before Christmas, fresh remains were scattered all over the boardroom table.
Share a Coke with… the moronic masses
The most-read story on Mumbrella last year, with not far off 100,000 page views, was a fairly humdrum yarn about the launch of Coca-Cola’s name-on-a-bottle campaign.The headline, “Coca-Cola puts people’s names on bottles in ‘Share a Coke’ campaign”, though hated by any self-respecting sub-editor, was loved by Google. And in rushed what can be politely described as the public.
Assumptions kill creativity
In this guest post, Gual Barwell disagrees that the sales success of the Old Spice social media campaign was overstated.Yesterday’s post from Cathie McGinn suggested the Old Spice campaign failed to connect with consumers. Based on the facts and figures, I disagree.
What Old Spice and Wieden + Kennedy has done and done phenomenally well is to create a franchise.
The SMH's readers (are wrong) editor
We are now about five months into the reign of Australia’s first readers’ editor. And I don’t think it is working.
It struck me at the time of Judy Prisk’s appointment to the Sydney Morning Herald that the fact that her boss was editor-in-chief Peter Fray was not going to be ideal if she was going to be the independent voice of the reader.
The emperor's new fragrance: Old Spice’s campaign failure
In this guest post, Cathie McGinn slays a sacred cow of 21st century marketing – the highly awarded Old Spice campaign.One of the biggest myths of recent times (by which I mean a story of great heroism and triumph we’d all like to believe but deep down know to be untrue) is the Old Spice social media campaign. It’s been much lauded and awarded as an example of outstanding content, a creative and collaborative way of connecting with consumers and driving a record increase in sales.
ACCC takes Panasonic to court over Nintendo Wii promotion
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is taking Panasonic to court over alleged “misleading or deceptive conduct” related to a promotion which offered consumers a free Nintendo Wii with the purchase of a plasma TV.
From November 23 to December 24 last year, Panasonic published ads offering bonus Nintendo Wii gaming consoles by redemption to all consumers who purchased a selected Full HD Viera Plasma television.
The ACCC alleges that contrary to Panasonic’s advertising, consumers could only make a valid claim for the bonus Wii by providing Panasonic with the television’s serial number, which could only be obtained upon delivery of the product.
However, there was no guarantee a consumer would receive their television within sufficient time to identify its serial number and submit a valid claim to Panasonic.
The ACCC alleges that by publishing advertisements offering bonus Wiis and failing to adequately disclose important conditions of the promotion, Panasonic engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct in contravention of section 52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974.
The watchdog is now seeking: declarations that Panasonic contravened section 52 of the Trade Practices Act; an injunction; corrective advertising; an order that Panasonic review and revise its internal business operations; an order that Panasonic establish and maintain a compliance program; and costs.
The matter will be heard in the Federal Court on February 17.
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:45 am
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Comments
23 Dec 09
12:33 pm
Panasonic is not alone in this poor marketing strategy. Sony is also running a promo like this offering a blue-ray player.
I brought a Sony LCD last week and upon buying I realised to claim the blue-ray they are offering I may have to wait several weeks.
Only when you go online to register your product and make the claim you understand how long its going to take to actually get the bonus product.
To prove you are the owner of the product, one has to take a photo of back of the television to show the serial number, a copy of the product registration email you receive, then the ‘original receipt’, which apparently they are going to return it to the customer.
I don’t understand why they trick and put the consumer through such process when people have no time to do such things these days.
Anyway the wait is on and I’m sure there are many like me waiting to get their bonus claim.
Why can’t these companies give the product then and there when the cosumer pick up the product from the store and keep them happy than taking them for a ride like this?
I think it is time someone take Sony also to the court.
23 Dec 09
1:00 pm
I went through this with Sony last year when I was given a PS3 with the purchase of a Bravia (which I was going to buy anyway.)
Yes, I had to send in the paperwork and the original receipts. The receipts were returned and I had the PS3 in a couple of weeks. It was no drama.
As for the marketing mechanism, this is nothing new, it has been around for ages. How many marketing claims are made these days without an asterisk?
23 Dec 09
1:20 pm
someone at the ACCC didn’t get their Wii and now they’re pissed.
23 Dec 09
10:15 pm
By Redemption! Those famous last words.
I received a Blue ray player with the purchase of an LCD TV – didn’t have to wait long, however was shocked to see how many of ‘bonus’ units made their way onto e-bay – made it hard for me to get bids any where near the recommended retail price!!!
29 Dec 09
8:29 am
“How many marketing claims are made these days without an asterisk?”
Read the story: “The ACCC alleges that contrary to Panasonic’s advertising,”
Not enough asterisk, apparently.
2 Jan 10
11:22 am
I can promise marketing campaigns free-of-strings*
*Terms & conditions apply
4 Jan 10
9:55 am
If you are involved in running one of these promotions you will realize how many ‘prize pigs’ and professional prize syndicates are out there trying to wrought the system to win. Unfortunately you have to have too many hoops for a consumer to jump through in order to redeem their free prize. There has to be a simple way promotions are set up and managed that stopped the prize pigs from winning all the time and normal consumers being able to enter and win as well.
13 Jan 10
6:44 pm
I have a good friend who bought his Panasonic 46″ plasma Christmas 2008 and was affected by this issue, and he was terribly disappointed when he couldn’t get his Wii. The bonus Wii was a definite incentive for him to buy the Panasonic.
I think Panasonic have learnt from last years mistake and improved their service though.
I bought my new Panasonic 50″ G10 on the 17/01/2009 from JB Hifi.
I filled out my claim and sent it off with my original receipt via Registered Post to avoid any lost mail risk.
While I waited I could look up the status of my claim at anytime online.
From Panasonic receiving, processing, approving and dispatching the bonus gift I was informed and in touch with them at anytime I liked and they even provided a tracking number for it on it’s way to my place.
I received my Wii and games on the 12/01/2010 with my original receipt in the same condition it left in. It also included a letter from Panasonic with warranty info for it.
I think the process was quite fair for a bonus gift, the turnaround was reasonable and a monkey could have followed the steps to order it.
However, It is a BONUS GIFT – the TV is the same price when the promo isn’t on.
So if you don’t like having to send off a claim, then don’t send it and miss out – but your TV will still cost you the same anyway.
If Panasonic left the stock with the retailers, the bonus gift could possibly influence pricing. I also doubt the retailer wants to be responsible for stock that isn’t their own or waste time processing claims.
The bonus gift deal is for Panasonic TV’s anywhere, and no two retailers are the same – and I think that is the way it is how it is.
Even if it is not for these reasons, it still is the way it is – like many things in life.
Despite all this I still think Panasonic should be held responsible for not being able to honor their end of the deal to customers in 08 – early 09.
13 Jan 10
6:49 pm
Sorry – My post should have said I bought my TV on the 17/12/2009.
It took just under 4 weeks to receive my Wii – not just under a year!
16 Jan 10
3:41 pm
The ACCC is completely correct with their action. I made a qualifying Panasonic purchase but couldn’t get delivery until after Christmas. Then when I finally had the serial number Panasonic’s web site first stated my serial no. had already been used (not by me!) and when I tried a few days later it stated the same thing but also added that my purchase needed to be within the previous 21 days. This is rubbish as I questioned the store extensively about the terms. I knew about the ACCC action and was wary yet I was advised that I only had to claim before end of Jan. There was absolutely no further information in-store stating a limited claim time. I now have to ring them to try and sort it out. The blog on their web site reveals they are giving many customers this run-around. If I don’t get what was advertised I will demand a refund. Sort yourselves out Panasonic!