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Opinion | Features
Cannes - a reminder that celebs need adland too
The Cannes Lions may have been full of celebrities this year, but that’s because they need brands, argues Profero’s Wayne Arnold
Having only been here for two days, I’ve already managed to soak up some of the glamour of Cannes, witnessing the media scrum around Sean Combs and (very nearly) bumping into Jack Black on La Croisette.
If 2012 was the year of the client, it seems 2013 may be the year of the hard working celebrity.
Melissa Doyle is ready for prime time (but what does it mean for Today Tonight?)
It’s easy to be dismissive of TV presenters – particularly when they’re doing something as fluffy as morning television.
But today’s announcement of the departure of Mel Doyle from Sunrise is a reminder that it’s harder than it looks.
How bosses can build trust by baring themselves to staff
In this guest post, Simon Rutherford, CEO of Slingshot Media, argues that bosses should be vulnerable in front of their staff.
Winston Churchill once said: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
Fake it til you make it...as a radio newsreader
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Emily Hoskins from ARN tells us how to do her job.
What does a radio newsreader actually do?
A radio newsreader has to be switched on from the moment they sit at their desk. At the Australian Radio Network each journalist writes, researches, edits and reads their own news bulletins under tight deadlines – every 30 minutes during the breakfast shift and every hour after 9am.
Keith Reinhard on freedom to fail, winning back Maccas and how agencies can survive
In an exclusive interview in Cannes today, advertising icon Keith Reinhard, one of the founding fathers of what is now DDB Worldwide, talked to Mumbrella’s Robin Hicks about freedom from fear, his favourite ads of all time, winning back McDonald’s and why the most important thing in advertising is passion.Savage counsel - little white lies
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas. This week, he talks about when it’s okay to lie to clients.
Hi Chris,
I often find myself telling little white lies at work – I tell people on the phone that I don’t want to speak to I’m about to duck into meetings. I told my colleague her new haircut was great when really it wasn’t and I praised someone’s work when actually it was kind of shit. After each of these occasions, I felt pretty terrible and wonder if you could tell me how can I speak with candour in the future – for my sake and others.
How to build a culture
How important is a company’s culture and how do you ensure you are breeding a good one? Matt Smith investigates, in a piece that first appeared in Encore.When production companies Cordell Jigsaw and Zapruder’s Other Films merged early last year, bringing the staff together within the walls of the Zapruder building proved to be something of a challenge. While the two companies weren’t strangers to each other due to six months of talks and negotiations, working together on a full-time basis was a different story.
Q&A Damian Keogh
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Val Morgan CEO Damian Keogh reveals his potential alternate career.
Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
I’d say Kerry Stokes, slightly ahead of Harold Mitchell and Kim Williams. He controls the entity with the largest revenue across free-to-air, online, magazines and newspapers. On pure size alone, his influence and leverage over advertisers, media agencies and consumers is unmatched. Harold is still the king in media, slightly ahead of John Steedman, but Henry Tajer and Leigh Terry are the heirs apparent. Kim Williams controls News and that’s a big base to work from.
If a violent game is okay, then so is using a violent ad to promote it
An ad for video game Dead Island Riptide was banned by the ad watchdog. James Whitehead of online entertainment publisher IGN argues that it was the wrong call.A fortnight ago, it emerged that the Ad Standards Board had banned a television commercial for the video game Dead Island: Riptide, due to its depiction of violence – specifically suicide.
Why content makers are leaving our shores
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Craig Anderson says there simply isn’t enough opportunity for content makers in Australia, especially for those making comedy.Last year I had multiple meetings with production companies in Australia and discovered that apart from the odd commercial campaign, there’s no proliferation of paying platforms for comedy. From my own experience there’s iView, which will buy content once it’s already been made (though I live in hope that it will one day be granted the financial power to commission content). I’ve also had the odd informal commission from the SMH iPad consisting of two narrative series and a comical review show. But none of these endeavours were financially viable.
Managing your management style
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Stephanie Brown says the advertising industry often leaves people ill-equipped when it comes to managing staff, especially when they’re promoted into management roles.Managing people is hard. In fact, I actually think it’s the hardest job in the world. With no disrespect intended, I often joke that if my job didn’t involve other people to manage, it would be a walk in the park. I could get about my day’s work in a nice, linear fashion, happily checking off my to-do list as I go. I’m a process-orientated person. I get a kick out of getting things done.
Why the Facebook chase is making brands treat consumers like morons
You know how we look back at quaintly patronising ads from the 1950s and wonder what on earth the advertisers were thinking?
I’ve got a feeling that in a few years time, we’ll be looking at the behaviour of big brands on Facebook the same way.
An entire generation of marketers – or at least a sizeable proportion of them – have lost their minds.
So many have become so obsessed with generating user interactions at all costs, that all thoughts about overall brand perceptions or long term marketing goals have vanished. All that counts now, is generating likes and comments at all costs.
Blog this!
Paid content, sponsored posts and brand ambassadorships – in theory, today’s blogger can be just as valuable to brands as mainstream media. But does blogger outreach actually work? In an article that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.“I get approaches from PR companies constantly,” says blogger and author Kerri Sackville, with more than a hint of exasperation. “I have never done a sponsored blog, on my own site, but that doesn’t stop them from asking.”
McLennan right man for job
It’s all change at troubled broadcaster Channel Ten with new directions, new executives and a brand new CEO. Managing director of Adstream Peter Miller says Hamish McLennan is the right man for the job, in an article that first appeared in Encore.I am a bit of a schmuck when it comes to movies. I love romantic comedies. My favourite is One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney.
Q&A with Richard Herring
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, CEO of APN Outdoor Richard Herring talks media.Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
I don’t know if there is one person in particular. The fragmentation of traditional media and new entrants has made it a more level playing field with regards to major influencers. As was demonstrated with the recent media reform recommendations, together, the broader media community still has a very influential and powerful voice.
What one medium could you not live without?
Outdoor – clean, entertaining, evocative and informative.
Ad board decides Westpac ad used gay stereotype but did not breach rules
A Westpac Bank ad featuring a camp male couple talking about slow payments has been cleared by the Ad Standards Board of complaints that it used gay stereotypes.
One complaint to the ASB said: “The two characters were being portrayed as gay men with horrible stereotypes that inaccurately portray gay people and is both inaccurate and offensive to gay men.”
Westpac defended the ad, claiming it was popular with the gay community.
It said: “Since launch, we have had some resounding positive feedback, with very high preliminary awareness and recognition figures especially from the gay community who have embraced the humour and its intent and congratulated Westpac on our depiction of these characters.”
The ASB ruled that the ad – among the first work for Westpac by its new agency Lavender – did not breach advertising rules. It said: “The Board agreed that the men are represented in part in a stereotypically effeminate manner but they are also represented as business owners. The Board considered that the men are presented in a manner which, although somewhat stereotypical, focuses on their frustration as business owners and is not negative.”
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Comments
31 Jan 11
2:44 am
Advertisers use stereotypes all the time — “women,” “soccer moms,” “pierced/tattooed delivery guys,” “college-educated businessmen,” etc. The only reason Westpac’s ad is getting any attention is because it deals in gay stereotypes.
31 Jan 11
11:52 am
Jeffry,
You’re right mate, everyone does get stereotyped. And to a degree I also think, ‘oh stop whinging, everyone cops it’ – all granny’s aren’t senile pilots of motorised wheelchairs either, but you know, it’s kind of funny and stuff.
I suppose the difference when we’re talking about this distinct minority in the community and they are a minority, is that soccer mums, and tattoo delivery guys are afforded (at least in Australia) all basic human rights as citizen of a democracy.
The continued perpetuation of this stereotype sadly lumps queer men into one big basket that makes it easier for everyone else to sit by and blindly allow our governments to treat them as second class human beings.
And we socially minded left of centre advertising folk passively sit around thinking, “hey man, I don’t care if you’re gay, big whoop. Why even make an issue about it?”
If we ignore the issue, will it go away?
31 Jan 11
12:26 pm
It was lift from the movie “Best in Show” – nothing very original about it.
31 Jan 11
12:38 pm
is that alex perry on the left?
31 Jan 11
12:53 pm
Why would a character in a TVC be anything other than… wait for it… a character in a TVC?
One could take it to mean all sorts of things, but one could also take it to be …. wait for it … a TVC.
Of course, the reason these things are supposed to be funny is that if you are not part of the group being portrayed it is funny to laugh at, but if you are in that group, it is potentially offensive. That is how politically incorrect jokes work.
31 Jan 11
12:56 pm
Looks like an episode from Will & Grace or Modern Family…
There’s definately something wrong with people who complained.
31 Jan 11
1:17 pm
“…the gay community who have embraced the humour and its intent and congratulated Westpac on our depiction of these characters.”
Yeah right. The ad is about as funny as a shark attack and offensive to boot.
31 Jan 11
1:20 pm
I can’t imagine why anyone would be offended at this advertisment….other than to say its probably not the best ad I’ve ever seen and is poorly scripted. However, in terms of being stereotypical? I can think of a hundered other more stereotypical scripts that could have been written and in terms of a look; well its about a million miles off Dick Emery’s gay spoofing so I wouldn’t be complaining.
I think it shows a great approach to considering that Gay couples could be portrayed as customers. We know they’re out there so why not show that they live in the real world.
31 Jan 11
1:34 pm
What a crock ! Ongoing use of creepy creative to cloak the greed of the big banks ! What about the tripe being served up by the Commonwealth Bank!? They must think we’ve no recall of “we’ll sack staff and replace them with ATMs and that’ll reduce people’s bank fees” or “there’ll be no reduction in competition in the banking sector if Westpac buy St George” – truly so mauvaise foi – they’re living in their own private Idaho!
31 Jan 11
1:53 pm
A very very, clever ad. Nice to see ANZ being shown up on banking humor. And no doubt that is Alex perry. wonderful!
31 Jan 11
2:59 pm
The biggest gay festival in Australia, the Mardi Gras, is essentially a bunch of gays parading down the street dressed in drag/on motorbikes/covered in sequins. Basically it’s a competition to see who can be the biggest gay stereotype, and yet it’s embraced by the gay community.
But this is somehow offensive?
31 Jan 11
4:23 pm
“…the gay community who have embraced the humour and its intent and congratulated Westpac on our depiction of these characters.” … really? I wonder how many thay actually spoke to!?
31 Jan 11
4:24 pm
Oh, and I’m not offended by it, I just think it is a bad ad
31 Jan 11
5:48 pm
The bottom line is that this is a very hollow brand strategy from Westpac. This campaign is “executional” at best and “category generic” if you give them any credit at all.
Forget the stereotypes – the real story is the impending agency pitch.
31 Jan 11
7:46 pm
As a heterosexual male I’ve decided to boycott all ads that portray me as dumb, hapless, useless ’round the home, a bad driver, terrible cook, useless husband/father, can’t read a map, scared of my mother-in-law, can’t fix a washer, can’t read instructions, can’t use the washing machine, can’t use the most basic technology, can’t shop, slight pervert, can’t change a nappy, can’t even distinguish what washing powder is, all while being a slightly chubby and oafish VB drinker. I WOULD boycott those products, however as that’s the advertising industry’s ONLY way of portraying heterosexual males, I’d most likely starve!
31 Jan 11
10:02 pm
can anyone cite examples of gay/lesbian characters in advertising that aren’t stereotypes? note I said characters, not ian thorpe.
31 Jan 11
10:10 pm
…. oh, and particularly ads that believe i don’t have the slightest knowledge of the female menstrual cycle and female sanitary hygiene products… (Although, in all truth, I do prefer to play a little dumb to all that lot….!)
31 Jan 11
10:23 pm
Keef
You should also ban the company that claims that if you don’t fix something round the home yourself, your wife is going to sleep with the handyman. Although it is a hilarious ad.
Dave
1 Feb 11
1:00 am
Sorry, what’s the stereotype? That they’re seamstresses?
Westpac should be applauded for thinking the mighty pink dollar might add value to their bank.
1 Feb 11
7:56 am
why is it that advertising is subject to so many complaints like this, yet movies and tv shows are rife with similar material and they don’t get pulled off air?
1 Feb 11
8:44 am
I would be offended as a gay male NOT because I was offended by the concept, but the performers are HORRID and the script shocking.
A crap ad inclusive, or exclusive of homosexual people is still a crap ad.
1 Feb 11
8:52 am
If we’re so worried about perpetuating stereotypes, why do we tolerate drag queens and flambouyant gay men, and über-butch womyn in our parades? Aren’t we(they) also perpetuating the same negative stereotypes we complain about here? And we all know effeminate gay men, we know “butch” gay men, we know effeminate straight men, and effeminate lesbians. Let’s stop being so sensitive and PC!
1 Feb 11
10:31 am
Curious, rumour has it that these two in the Westpac ad were both pulled off air…by each other.
1 Feb 11
1:08 pm
Go to bed Jessica!!!
2 Feb 11
4:05 pm
I wasn’t offended by the gay people, didn’t even cross my mind. I was offened by the mention of the Easter Show – it is so Sydney centric! And the bank wants to make money all over Australia….quietly irritated.
2 Feb 11
7:42 pm
i was offended, mostly by the blatant rip off of Best in Show…
23 Feb 11
12:20 pm
I am gay…you silly queens..get a life…It is funny. How different is it to a drag show? We created humour….dont kill it..go and get a good fuck!
23 Feb 11
1:56 pm
Boring ad. Nothing offensive about it.