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Opinion | Features
Q&A with Adshel's Rob Atkinson
Online trading is the next big thing says Rob Atkinson in a piece that first appeared in Encore. Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Harold Mitchell because of his influence and the footprint he has left. He’s built a huge brand in Mitchells, offloaded it into Aegis, Aegis has obviously done extremely well to be then sold on to Dentsu. So if you think about it, he is very much a father figure of the industry.
Making it overseas
Is the best way of being successful in Australia not be here at all? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Lee Zachariah speaks to Aussies making it big abroad.I always wanted to work in New York,” says Julian Cole. “I thought it was the number one place to work in advertising; a lot of the best campaigns were coming out of there. So I moved over and was lucky enough to have a couple of interviews in the first couple of weeks.”
Cole’s story is indicative of the somewhat contentious idea that the best way to be successful in Australia is to not be in Australia any more.
Got a book in you?
From journos to ad execs and PRs, these days everyone seems to have a book in them. But what does it take to get published and will you actually make any money? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Brooke Hemphill finds out.Attention wannabe authors. Forget big fat advance cheques and living off royalties. The reality of having a book published today is another story altogether. There are only two reasons you should even consider sitting down at your computer to bash out a manuscript – passion or profile.
Savage counsel
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly advice column.Hi Chris,
My clients seem to be demanding more and more from us. At the same time, it seems many of the younger people in our industry simply don’t have the client servicing skills my generation grew up with. How do we instill in our executives some of the good old-fashioned behaviours that would keep a client happy and loyal?
Fake it til' you make it... as an ad agency receptionist
From dressing the part to playing the gatekeeper, Leo Burnett Sydney’s Susie Henry tells us how to make it as the face of adland in a piece that first appeared in Encore.What does a receptionist in an ad agency actually do?
Well, there’s the frantic every-day, all-day stuff of deliveries, courier bookings, doing expenses for directors – always challenging – plus arranging all the travel. But one of my main jobs is counselling the account service people. I also keep up with all sports information to discuss with our sports-loving clients – because who wants to be bored while they’re waiting? And I know how they like their coffee. You need to know everyone – from accounting to HR. I’m also the go-to for all catering and sending flowers.
Whose views skew the news? Media chiefs ready to vote out Labor, while reporters lean left
Most journalists lean left-of-centre, says Folker Hanusch of the University of the Sunshine Coast, in a post first published on The Conversation.Most Australian journalists describe themselves as left-wing, yet amongst those who wield the real power in the country’s newsrooms, the Coalition holds a winning lead.
But while the media’s political leanings will no doubt be debated in the lead-up to September’s federal election, our study has also found other largely unscrutinised biases remain – particularly whose views disproportionately shape the news.
It's time for a new New Wave in the film world
Government funding bodies are lazy and decadent, says industry veteran Michael Thornhill but in a piece that first appeared in Encore, Ed Gibbs begs to differ.I vividly remember the time I first saw Animal Kingdom, David Michod’s breathtaking labour-of-love feature debut. The press screening was half empty, despite the film winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance just months earlier, in 2010. Yet its superb performances, stylistic flourishes and overall polish left me speechless. Could this really be a feature debut, an Australian one at that, I wondered, almost out loud? It seemed too good to be true.
Going cold turkey on an agency addiction
Life is sweet for freelance writer Max Kitchen, but in a feature that first appeared in Encore, he admits his struggle against returning to the agency fold.I’ve never taken heroin. But I suspect if I had, the temptation to try it again would not be too dissimilar to the lure of returning to agency life.
Can sport save Ten?
First there was the Grand Prix. Next came the reported $500m bid for cricket rights, then Ten secured the 2014 winter Olympics. So, can sport save the ailing network? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.The television sports rights bidding process is a bit like a game of poker.
Check, fold or bet. Those were the options for the Ten Network last week when it had to finalise its bid for the cricket rights.
Andy Lark: good for the marketing of marketing
I can still remember the first story I wrote about Andy Lark, when it emerged that he was to be the new chief marketing officer of CommBank.
It was immediately clear that Australia was about to meet an interesting marketer, one who blogged and tweeted and thanks to his time at Dell in the US was digitally savvy. Even two years ago, that was a big deal. The fact that he also had a stint in public relations gave him an absolutely intriguing background before he even arrived.
Storming the media barricades - advice for young journalists
This week Mumbrella’s Nic Christensen, who began his career four years ago, gave the keynote address to would-be journalists at the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s Student Day. This is an edited version of his speech.Good afternoon, I can remember distinctly the last time I was in this room.
It was 2009 and I was sitting where you are. I’d come to this event, a friend and myself — from memory we sat up the back — and I can remember at the time wondering if I’d ever get a job as a journalist.
It was only four years ago and then as now getting a job was ultra competitive but I’m not sure there was quite as much media ‘doom and gloom’ as there is now…
Paywalls will help fund campaigning journalism
In this guest post, News Limited’s group editorial director Campbell Reid responds to the views of ninemsn’s Hal Crawford that the company’s push into metered paywalls is about data rather than dollars.Hal Crawford is both right and wrong in his article which argued that our digital subscription plans are all about the data.
Fake it 'til you make it... as a features editor
Cosmo’s Kate Leaver tells us how to bluff it in her job in a feature that first appeared in Encore.What do you do, as a features editor?
Really, play with words and ideas all day. At any one time, we’re working across three issues of the mag – getting one on its way to the printers, pooling all the words together for another, and planning the issue after that. It’s busy but it’s a pretty magnificent process.
Savage counsel - JFDI
Hi Chris,I run a medium-sized agency that is doing pretty well. As the leader, I am finding my workload just seems to go up and up. I am struggling to stay motivated and particularly to tackle the bigger and tougher challenges I have to face every day. How do I keep up the energy when there just seems so much to do? How do you do it?
Productive, successful executives are those able to consistently tackle difficult and big challenges. It’s a constant struggle for me so I know how you feel. How do the successful leaders do it?
Q&A with Brett Clegg
Brett Clegg, group director – business media, Fairfax Media, in a Q&A that first appeared in Encore, on the journo who refuses to work with him – his wife.Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Hard to go past Rupert Murdoch. He controls the single largest and most diverse portfolio and is intent on leveraging its scale (and, of course, influence). He’s an innovator and his will to win is obvious to all.
Aussie marketers: we don’t need social media expertise to be successful
Marketers in Australia and New Zealand say that an understanding of technology and social media are the things they need the least to be good at their jobs, according to a survey of CMOs by IBM.
In answer to the question, ‘What capabilities do you need to be personally successful over the next 3 to 5 years?’ only 12% said social media expertise – the lowest proportion in the survey.
What capabilities do you need to be successful over the next 3 to 5 years?
Technology savviness rated at just 26% – as did finance skills.
Leadership abilities, creative thinking and customer insights rated top.
The survey was part of a global study, which comprised face to face interviews with 1,700 CMOs; 57 in Australia and New Zealand.
Comments
11 Oct 11
3:13 pm
Just to clarify, this survey asked CMO’s whether they PERSONALLY needed social media skills. It did NOT ask them whether or not they find social media to be important to their overall marketing plans?
The two scenarios have drastically different ramifications, so just wanted to make sure.
11 Oct 11
3:37 pm
Surprising (and reassuring) results… if only because I would’ve thought more CMOs have been sucked in by the bells and whistles of a ‘You Need Twelve Corporate Twitter Accounts Or Your Business Is Doomed!’ being spouted by SM consultalts.
Can’t resist… Commentor #1… “I’ll have the Cream of Summ Yung-Gi”
11 Oct 11
3:49 pm
I would be more concerned about the lack of finance & technology understanding/ skills … which is why they clearly see demand creation as relatively unimportant in the business of marketing (which is to drive growth, increase revenue, market share etc)
11 Oct 11
6:44 pm
There are a number of other very important skill on this list which they also think they can do without. Who needs to understand finance, products value chain or demand creation in marketing…
11 Oct 11
7:36 pm
No surprise to see technology savviness down near the bottom
11 Oct 11
8:39 pm
Leadership in the nineties? That seems very aspirational.
Thought search engines might get a look.
11 Oct 11
11:23 pm
Not surprising that CMOs picked traditional skills like leadership, creative thinking and insights as their top 3. These are the answers senior managers expect to hear from potential employees at interviews. In todays fast paced age, the ability of a CMO to be agile, data driven and digital minded has a direct bearing on his or her departments success, employee motivation and turnover. Only when the top brass embrace these new age skills themselves will we see large shifts in marketing thinking.
12 Oct 11
8:43 am
It is interesting that only 12% of CMOs said they need social media expertise capabilities as the survey also said that CMO felt unprepared for the ‘data explosion’ and ‘social media’.
While CMOs are certainly meant to be leaders and have vision for their teams I would also suggest that they should have a reasonable knowledge of social media to be able to quality check the work of their employees that they hire in this area (or their agencies).
In addition, many employees that are embedded in this area themselves I imagine would find it disappointing if their CMO didn’t have a reasonable understanding in this area because getting buy-in in their social media projects would be more difficult.
After teaching Social Media to Masters Marketing students at UTS one of the reasons many students are looking for new role is because the CMO is out of touch in this area and they cannot use their social skills effectively. Many good mktg employees are being lost this way – perhaps employee retention may spur more CMOs on.
12 Oct 11
10:16 am
You’d expect CMOs to take stock of the situation and hire (young?) guns for social media expertise. Not a skill they personally need. Similarly they’ll use the CFO for financial expertise. I’m sure most PR, ad and media agency bosses would say the same.
46% of CMOs don’t think they’ll need to collaborate with the rest of the C-Suite. Now that’s a worry.
12 Oct 11
10:18 am
So only 1 in 4 said they need finance skills???
12 Oct 11
1:48 pm
The irony being that some of the most desired items can be acquired through (drum roll please)…. social media!
Consumer insights, competitive insights, creative ideas… all can be sourced from social media.
12 Oct 11
1:54 pm
We don’t care much about social media because it creates risk and chews resources
12 Oct 11
2:05 pm
I’m shocked that there’s 57 CMOs in ANZ.
12 Oct 11
2:35 pm
Fact is social media’s not really that hard to understand – it’s just good old word of mouth but online is a hell of a lot faster and a lot more fragmented (excluding Facebook; Twitter and Youtube).
Today, with more customers time spent online then watching TV, and 20% of that online time spent in social media, then a good basic understanding is basically essential for all organisations.
Leadership; creativity etc are all skills needed to leverage social media channels.
12 Oct 11
2:46 pm
Hi all – I was part of the interview team in Australia & New Zealand and am leading the development of our local perspective on the results. I also run marketing for IBM’s consulting business here.
Here are some thoughts / responses. Let me know what you think.
@someyoungguy : We asked what capabilities they need to be personally successful over the next few years
@shane @Relying on experts? If you don’t get it yourself, how can you think about it strategically or ask the ‘guns’ the right questions?
@casey @james D @Jenni Beattie @ The Accountant Good points. My view is that marketing has been viewed or performed as Business Lite: All the taste, none of the calories. Our study shows that being able to talk business, finance and social is critical to success.
@bob While time will tell, I don’t think you can’t “not care” about social media. It’s about building or enhancing relationships, not just getting heaps of twitter followers
I’m tweeting some more of the findings over the next few days on @jarther_work. You can also ask me a question on twitter, or just post here.
You can get the global study at: ibm.com/cmostudy/au (you’ll have to register first)
12 Oct 11
4:12 pm
Perhaps a poorly worded question.
Does ‘capabilities’ mean ‘expertise’ in an area?
Or does it mean to have a ‘general knowledge’ – sufficient to brief, debrief, discuss, judge and measure success?
Capabilities could mean both.
12 Oct 11
4:47 pm
with all due respect Jarther, time HAS told
facebook and twitter aren’t new
if a compelling business case hasn’t been constructed by their acolytes by now, one most likely doesn’t exist
this is why CMOs do little more than experiement with these things (and mainly so they can respond positively to questions from non-marketing people caught up in the hype)
12 Oct 11
6:26 pm
Bravo anti social media marketers because they know that Consumers want marketers out of their social media with a vengance- so they are spot on. as if I’m going to “Like” Jetstar, or The Good Guys on a SM site unless they bribe me with a competition. Marketers should get on with re-targeting, good creative, good placement and smart SEO.
12 Oct 11
6:47 pm
How can CMOs effectively hire expertise when they don’t know whether someone is talking bs?
Lack of financial skills is a real worry. Can we trust these people with budgets?
13 Oct 11
2:37 pm
@Tony Richardson The question was intended to capture personal capabilities (rather than organisational ones). You raise valid points around additional questions we could have asked. Given the study was completed as in-depth interviews, we had to draw the line somewhere.
By the way – you can get a copy of the global study by going to ibm.com/cmostudy/au and register. The study is free to download.
17 Oct 11
9:28 am
@bob I think social media is viewed as a risk in some industries more than others, and a few large companies have had their fingers burned for sure. But one thing is certain, it is here to stay. So the choice for organisations is to ignore or engage.
Engagement can be as simple as listening to what is being said and gaining customer and product insight, or it could involve varying degrees of participation in the conversation. Companies are also going one step further to enable and support social interaction. Telstra recently launched CrowdSupport is an example of a strategic, long term view on social/digital/engagement that might make CMOs take notice.
But even if you’re just listening in, you need a strategy and a set of tools to help you analyse what is going on in the social sphere so you can learn from it. I’m interested in whether anyone disagrees!
FYI I lead http://www.ibminteractive.com in Australia and these are the types of issues we help clients with.
18 Oct 11
8:27 am
Social media is easy to get started on, but it’s way more complicated than Facebook and Google and YouTube. It depends on your needs, but most businesses are here to get more sales – bottom line. Sharing conversation in your tweets and posts isn’t going to achieve this if that’s your goal. It all depends on what your goal is – listen, brand promotion, or engagement. The latter is more strategic than it looks, takes more planning, and not easily achieved with just a tweet or 2. To engage is to really be involved with your markets. That level of involvement is best not left to a 12%-er on any marketing manager’s priority list.