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Opinion | Features
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.
Q&A with screenwriter Craig Pearce
Craig Pearce, screenwriter for The Great Gatsby, spoke to Encore about working with Baz and writing for 3D.
How did you get into script writing?
I always loved stories and acting and dressing up and being anything but myself and I never realised that was not something other people did. After leaving high school, I did a three year acting course at NIDA but always thought I would one day write. Baz was a good friend and he had a theatre company. He wanted to extend a 20 minute version of Strictly Ballroom. We got it to 45 minutes then he was approached by producers to turn it into a feature film. I started helping him out on the film while they were looking for a real writer but eventually Baz had to go to the producers and say, “There’s this guy who’s my best friend and he is a really good writer”. To the producers’ credit, they believed in Baz so we had two weeks to re-write it.
Savage Counsel - winning pitches
Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly Encore advice column.
Hi Chris,
It seems we have to increasingly pitch for everything. Even with existing clients, we’re now expected to pitch ideas, competitively, for every project. We’re winning about two out of five of what we’re pitching for. It’s a huge burden on our time and budgets. What is your secret to winning a pitch presentation? How do we make sure our presentations are a knockout?
Bank rage: The last straw
So I always honour PR embargoes.
But in Heritage Bank’s case, I’m willing to make an exception.
Thank you, Heritage Bank, for the box of straw that’s just exploded onto my lap.
It would seem that Heritage’s way of drawing attention to its bank rage campaign is by inducing rage in journalists. About now, a similar scene will be unfolding in various newsrooms as the Heritage booby trap arrives by overnight delivery from Toowoomba.
Good luck with that.
Tim Burrowes
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Comments
28 Jun 12
10:52 am
OMG! Is there a diamond or something among the hay?!
28 Jun 12
11:00 am
Harden the fuck up Tim
28 Jun 12
11:05 am
#PRfail
28 Jun 12
11:07 am
Cupcakes might be more effective. I agree. Journos having to deal with hay is not going to end well. Especially if they have hay fever. Or had to traipse to a mail room to get it.
28 Jun 12
11:18 am
Well, to be fair Tim, it was a pretty standard Australia Post mailing box, did you open it upside down?
28 Jun 12
11:19 am
Tim – was this the last straw?
28 Jun 12
11:20 am
I’m guessing you took some tomatoes out?
28 Jun 12
11:25 am
How does straw cure bank rage?
Hopefully the head of the bank will issue an apology
28 Jun 12
11:27 am
“What is bank rage?
The overwhelming feeling of anger and helplessness an individual feels when treated with disdain and disrespect by their big bank.” – byebyebankrage.com
It’s like being offered a bunch of cheesy vox-pops of happy customers, like being told how easy it is to switch banks, like telling me that they are safe and secure, but not giving me a single bit of information that makes them different to my bank and making me think I might make a switch.
#laststraw
28 Jun 12
11:29 am
Yeah the Hay is annoying but it seems to have worked.
28 Jun 12
11:30 am
I got one too…. made a terrible mess on my desk….
Silly stunt but kinda like the survey results…will we respect the embargo? well now that mumbrella’s gone there… I suspect we can too…
28 Jun 12
11:37 am
Looks like this was the straw that broke the Mumbo’s back?
28 Jun 12
12:04 pm
I’m guessing there’s a needle in there somewhere?
And finding a ‘good bank’ is like finding it.
Next week, look out for a box of hen’s teeth and a calendar with a month of Sundays printed in it.
28 Jun 12
12:05 pm
As the person who plays Hayman in the TV show DirtGirlWorld all I can say is “Hey”.
28 Jun 12
12:07 pm
wasn’t Heritage Bank the outfit that told everyone how to do proper bank marketing at Mumbrella 360?
if they can’t get simple trade PR right, what does that say?
28 Jun 12
12:07 pm
I’m sure there’s a needle in a haystack gag there somewhere…
28 Jun 12
12:09 pm
@Nicole Bahahaha
28 Jun 12
12:11 pm
Umm… call me stupid but WTF has straw got to do with banks or bank rage?? As a PR myself, I’m left a little perplexed at this stunt. I guess you had to be there…
28 Jun 12
12:11 pm
This might only be the start.. keep an eye out for a donkey on the doorstep.
28 Jun 12
12:11 pm
Idea is executed great. Affected journalist in a positive manner. Like this work. More posts please like this.
28 Jun 12
12:12 pm
It reminds me of dumb music biz PRs who used to pack their envelops with glitter. When opened the tiny pieces lodged in keyboards and trackballs as well as all over the desk and floor.
28 Jun 12
12:13 pm
Good PR fail.. but not epic. That honour goes to the rocket scientists who sent a package hilariously disguised as a time-bomb to an Adelaide liquor store. Unsurprisingly, half the suburb went into lockdown while the bomb squad checked it out. Fun yarn that day.
28 Jun 12
12:14 pm
I may need another coffee – what’s the link between curing bank rage and hay?
28 Jun 12
12:17 pm
I hadn’t heard of Heritage Bank til this Mumbrella post. Not sure how a box of straw cures bank rage though.
28 Jun 12
12:23 pm
INQ – Last Tim was sent cupcakes he ragged on them too.
This article doesn’t give enough information about what the purpose of the “stunt” was, no doubt there was more info than is being provided.
My advice to all Advertisers, Agencies, and PR houses – don’t send your package to Mumbrella
28 Jun 12
12:29 pm
I’m sure there’s a PR company out their looking for a new client – Haystac perhaps
28 Jun 12
12:30 pm
Or the straw that broke the Mumbrella’s back . .
28 Jun 12
12:37 pm
People pushing stories to the media should never use an embargo as it places the journalist in an invidious position by giving them information they cannot use until a certain time on a certain date. The dilemma for the journo is “Can I use this embargoed information to get other angles or followup to the story or not?” The PRs should program their email system to send the media release out when it can be used.
28 Jun 12
12:50 pm
Got you talking Tim so would say it’s a #PRwin simple as that. How many press kits have you ignored? Tim, if I had an industry blog I would want to feel like it was good for the industry which I am sure you don’t feel. You are always so quick to tear shreds off every idea which promotes other mindless trolls jumping on your negative / moaning bandwagon. It’s fine to challenge ideas but don’t promote negativity which you know will lead to a host of horrible comments about a marketing campaign. Before you say it, I am not from the PR agency or Heritage, I am just someone in the industry who is sick of the way you report.
28 Jun 12
12:56 pm
That is brilliant… Maybe its only funny because i’m not the one with hay all over my desk and clothes.
28 Jun 12
1:13 pm
Could double as a tourism campaign for the town of Hay
28 Jun 12
1:17 pm
I’m 99% certain that you’ve opened it upside down, then cleverly disguised the blunder by placing the bank’s letter on ‘top’ of the box again for the photograph. Luckily it wasn’t cupcakes!
28 Jun 12
1:31 pm
Don’t get the hay at all but it certainly worked as you have posted it, which is an achievement in itself!
28 Jun 12
1:50 pm
Hi RB,
I’m afraid I don’t remember the cup cake issue to which you refer. As you’ll see from our list of gifts here, we do get them a fair bit: http://mumbrella.com.au/about/.....ality-2012
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
28 Jun 12
2:01 pm
Sarah Edwards, you took the words right out of my mouth.
28 Jun 12
2:04 pm
Just for the record – and I thought I’d clarify since everyone is askign what straw has to do with bank rage – the box had a tomato in it, and a pen. It wasn’t just straw. It wasn’t even straw, it was sugar cane mulch and it was there to protect the tomato. The media release was on top of the mulch. The tomato had a little tag leading to byebyebankrage.com – which all would have made perfect sense if you had the media release in your hand and you read it.
28 Jun 12
2:33 pm
what does a tomato in the middle of a box of straw (or sugar cane mulch) have to do with banks? honest q
28 Jun 12
2:39 pm
Could be worse Tim, I sent pasta sauce out in a press kit once, needless to say the GLASS jars smashed en route. You can imagine the reaction I got to that one!
28 Jun 12
2:51 pm
Did the goldfish survive this time?
28 Jun 12
2:55 pm
Ever heard of bubble wrap? Even more confused now: sugar cane mulch + tomatoe + pen? Still don’t see the connection. Even without the protective mulch. Hertigage bank PR team note: the idea is that the poor hard working busy journo should see the connection immediately with our without the realease.
PR win or fail will be determined by the meaurements you have set around the camapaign. Let’s see what media run with it and how that adds value to the brand – we’re just interested and confused.
28 Jun 12
3:02 pm
Richie, the campaign is about letting people get rid of their bank rage and one of the things we’re doing involves tomatoes. It’s not supposed to make sense out of context, but if you had a media release in front of you it would make be perfectly clear.
28 Jun 12
3:03 pm
*unlike my typing today
28 Jun 12
3:14 pm
Its a teaser campaign folks.
They couldn’t afford the big CommBank “CAN” style of teaser campaign so they’re making do with what they can out of Towoomba.
Next week we’ll get apples packed in old petrol cans, before finally Bob Katter will appear on our screens riding on a donkey reading poetry.
28 Jun 12
3:37 pm
Oh, the old sugar cane mulch, tomato and pen PR trick eh. (Roll eyes)
So last year..!
28 Jun 12
4:09 pm
Love it. Nice one Matt.
28 Jun 12
5:44 pm
Tim,
If you can’t weave straw into gold I don’t know who can.
28 Jun 12
6:56 pm
perhaps it was a straw poll?
or has someone used that already?.
28 Jun 12
10:49 pm
Too subtle for me, but getting a free tomato AND pen, AND something with which to stuff a pillowcase – that’s a win!!
Reminder note – always open a package from a bank over a large clean open garbage bag – just in case.
29 Jun 12
10:07 am
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable and why is a bank placing a tomato in pen? (I thought pigs were kept in pens?)
29 Jun 12
10:11 am
Obvious folks – you get the tomato, throw it at the big bad bank’s window and are supposed to feel better. Perhaps they would have been better off sending their PR to SauceBottle??? (Nyuk nyuk nyuk).
The other thing you could to is to put the tomato in a CAN – Unless of course you CAN’T
I think the subbies could have a field day with this one – that is if there are any left in newsrooms – my sympathies to colleagues at Fairfax and News.
29 Jun 12
2:50 pm
So it seems that we’re all wrong. Banks do give a stuff!
2 Jul 12
8:20 am
Was the sun shining?
2 Jul 12
10:45 am
Few! Thank heavens for PR companies who decide to snail mail their PR (which could easily just be emailed). Not only by snail mail, but a parcel too, which costs even more and keeps me in a job! – Postie
Seriously:
If a PR agency has to create such a stunt is it a sign that they do not have good enough relationships at the publishers end?
(I am not trolling, more raising the question.) If I had fantastic relationships with journo’s, I could simply pick up the phone, explain what we were doing for my client and email them the press release….?
(As opposed to sending a, erm, tomato….?!!!!)
Thoughts?
4 Jul 12
11:00 am
Postman – If you really want to make a statement – you can do so with a send out. Demands more attention than a call or email and done right, can help get better cut through with the super busy journos.
9 Jul 12
1:45 pm
can you smoke sugar cane mulch?
11 Jul 12
7:58 pm
In the 1st pic, the box is indeed upside down. This is why all the straw fell out. Lol at Doug asking if the straw/cane mulch can be smoked or not? I’m sure someone out there has tried it ;0)
19 Jul 12
3:27 pm
Hay, I read this a couple of days back, but took some time to Lucerne up a little before pitching in. The way things stand, this is looking like the last straw.
Is it , in fact, Straw? It looks a little Hay like, as it sports tiny stems and a small amount of leafy substance, which may or may not be strictly legal, that’s another consideration, having received it through the post, but it may just be straw or pea stalks or Bagasse.
I suggest that after all the trouble it’s caused, don’t waste it, throw it on the garden.
23 Jul 12
5:31 pm
First World Problems….