Opinion
- 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 marketing
  
  Email 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.
- How reliable are radio ratings?
  
  In this guest posting, Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis wonders how accurate radio ratings can be, since the data is collated from handwritten diaries.
  
  So, the radio ratings season gets underway tomorrow. After a well-earned break, Australia’s commercial radio stations will renew their obsession with figures to see how many of us are listening. Are they winning or losing the ratings war?
  
  The much feared radio survey is the only way to measure the success or failure of a station’s playlist, talent, promotions or even good old Black Thunder crosses. With six-figure salaries riding on the make-or-break nature of ratings, just how accurate are Australia’s radio survey results?

Advertisers pile in for SBS’s Entourage

Entourage – the feelgood bromance of life on the Hollywood A-list – is finally to air on free TV in Australia – and advertisers have already piled in.

The HBO-made comedy has already been a staple of the subscription Arena channel but debuts on SBS next month.

According to SBS, Telstra, Unilever (Lynx) and Ford have taken up the full allocation of commercial airtime for Entourage’s first, eight-week season.

SBS will also offer episodes of the drama on a dedicated Entourage website.

The drama features the adventures of hot young actor Vinnie Chase, played by Adrian Grenier, and his entourage of friends.

((Hat-tip: Ben Shepherd)

July 9th, 2009 at 3:32 pm

Comments

Tiphereth Gloria
9 Jul 09
3:37 pm

Wow only 5 seasons behind Fox8 and Season 6 is airing next week in the US.

Ari Gold
9 Jul 09
4:16 pm

I’d love to associate my brand with a show that has:

- Been on air in the US since July 2004.
- Been available on DVD since May 2005
- Primarily downloaded via BitTorrent by the core audience, to whom they’re trying to reach.

Good job on the rort SBS!

Turtle
9 Jul 09
4:25 pm

I would like to support Ari’s comments…but I’m too stoned.nice work SBS.

Ben Shepherd
9 Jul 09
4:43 pm

not sure if people have seen this – http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1914477

“Every week on Entourage”

stu
9 Jul 09
4:57 pm

isn’t it a teensy bit arrogant to assume that companies with some of the largest ad budgets in the country don’t realise this?

don’t you think that they might want to associate their brand with an audience that hadn’t seen this show yet, and might have negotiated an appropriate rate for gaining that exposure with the station that has negotiated an appropriate rate in buying the program, with full knowledge of the exposure it has previously received?

Ben Shepherd
9 Jul 09
5:13 pm

BTW i agree with Stu. Give SBS and these advertisers some credit.

Ari Gold
9 Jul 09
5:42 pm

That was a good speech, Stu. If I was 25 and liked cock, we could be something.

Lemondae? Please
9 Jul 09
7:42 pm

I’d prefer to watch Viking Quest

Foobar
9 Jul 09
8:03 pm

Almost Stu. Except that the entire target of this show is savvy enough to have already downloaded it, or has foxtel. If they haven’t, they’d be too clueless to watch SBS.

Con Frantzeskos
9 Jul 09
11:04 pm

Tse Tse Fly

stu
10 Jul 09
6:19 am

hi Ari
i’m sorry that you’re not 25
stu

stu
10 Jul 09
6:20 am

Foobar
is that research or assumption?

mumbrella
10 Jul 09
8:49 am

Great link, Ben. I’ve embedded it above.

Cheers,

Tim – Mumbrella

Ari Gold
10 Jul 09
10:27 am

In all seriousness and taking the fanboi hat off for the moment. The only reason it’s making it to free to air, is because of the content deal between SBS and XYZ.

The lack of respect the commercial networks show their viewers in this country is disturbing. Entourage and The Sopranos are prime examples. Nine waited almost a year before airing the finale. As an advertiser trying to reach a niche audience, I want to be in programming where the audience is glued to their seats, engaged. Re runs and long delays don’t diminish the effectiveness of advertising in the show in their first place. Nine will claim that Sopranos didn’t rate. It didn’t rate because the audience found their content elsewhere (i.e. online) because the delays and scheduling (midnight anyone?) were frustrating.

Median age of the show varies, probably because of the small sample size, but you’re looking at late twenties, early thirties according to ratings data. That bracket is the least likely to subscribe to STV too, so the success of the screen on Area, just goes to show you how engaged the audience is.

Airing a show that is now 5 years old, with a massive cult following and then claiming that they’ve sold out all the airtime is not something, which I personally would hang my hat on. The show itself is only 23-24 minutes long, so it’s no great feat of achievement to sell it out. Plus, what sort of view experience is the audience going to have?

Despite its legality, BitTorrent would account for a large portion of Entourage viewing. As long as the networks continue to be risk adverse with these sorts of shows it will continue to be that way – even more so as the general public becomes more familiar with non-legal means of accessing content.

I know what I’ll be doing on Monday night!

Ari Gold
10 Jul 09
10:35 am

Where’s Lloyd when I need him to proof read my rants!? Some of that should have read:

… long delays diminish the effectiveness…

… what sort of view experience is the audience going to have?

Now, I’m off to anally punish the wife.

LaurenMC
10 Jul 09
2:30 pm

Who cares when it first went to air. Does it have a long shelf life as entertaining… Yes it does. Good on SBS.

Zac Martin
10 Jul 09
2:36 pm

Loving the comments here.

Have to admit, I’ve just done Season 1 – 5 through BitTorrent and will be downloading Season 6 as soon as it airs. While I’m sure there’s still some stragglers who haven’t seen it yet, I know all my mates have.

Johnny Chase
10 Jul 09
2:46 pm

VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

C K Cash
10 Jul 09
3:02 pm

It would have to be on SBS as they would need to censor it a bit if on the other free to air channels. Waiting for the next season to start on Arena….

Wisey
10 Jul 09
3:13 pm

I love you Johnny Drama.
The more of you, the better
x o x o

Turtle
10 Jul 09
3:47 pm

Get the F%$* outa here Drama, do you mean we have to roll all the way downunder and do another f@#^%&# launch party?

Jesus Christ Ari Gold you just got demoted to silver!

Roger Lintzeris
10 Jul 09
4:17 pm

I don’t think it matters where people have seen this show previously.

These days unless it’s an Australian drama people have downloaded it / seen it somewhere else.

30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development we’ve all seen it before but it still rates.

Not only that, but Subs TV show these programs on repeat constantly….and they still draw audiences and more importantly – highly suitable environments for brands to align themselves.

One show which has continued to rate no matter how many times it’s shown is The Simpsons. A Network Ten staple for as long as anyone can remember and still one of the best performing shows on Ten against many demo’s.

Well done, to those brands who got on board.

Johnny Drama
10 Jul 09
5:44 pm

Free to air in Australia has always sucked at showing great US cable shows. See Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiam, Conan O’Brien, Dexter etc etc. Either get Foxtel or download it online is the only way to go.

And catch me in Platoon and The Doors films.

Arilover
7 Aug 09
11:40 pm

Ari Gold is God. Period.