Opinion
- After Harold
  
  The ‘Harold rumour’ rarely goes away.
  
  Last time round WPP was rumoured to be looking at buying Mitchell Communication Group. On another occasion one of the trade magazines hoaxed a rival into reporting that Telstra was the buyer.
  
  This time, the rumour appears to have a great deal more substance. Read more »
- Intelligent TV – the next big thing?
  
  I was, I must confess, mistaken about last night’s Gruen Nation. Read more »
- Masterchef: Homophobic? No. Racist? No. Ageist? Maybe
  
  In this guest posting, Tactical TV’s Tony Richardson argues that Masterchef shows Australian TV audiences are ready for multiculturalism but not older faces
  
  When the popularity of a TV show bumps the prime minister and the leader of the opposition to an earlier time slot, you know you have a phenomenon. Read more »
- Bad enough the SMH iPad app is just a PDF, forcing a print subscription is insane
  
  So yesterday Fairfax launched its Sydney Morning Herald iPad app. The strategy – designed to shore up print – and the execution – already derided by users as a “glorifed PDF reader” – are both laughable.
  
  If there were ever doubts that Fairfax is two companies pulling in different directions, then the handling of the iPad app dispels them. Read more »
- Is a kettle boiling a good ad?
  
  So would you watch a kettle boiling? The weekend magazines carriedied an unusual ad.
  
  It was a plain, unbranded address for the url Life is too short.com.au. Read more »
- Guest post: Why Sensis believes in the cause
  
  After Mumbrella criticised the Facebook campaign by Sensis to give socks to the homeless, we invited the brand to explain its thinking. In this guest posting, Sensis communications manager Danielle Horan explains the background to the idea
  
  The debate about the intention behind the Sensis 1234 Warm Up campaign certainly unearthed a range of differing opinions. Read more »
- Hungry Jack’s – something to sing about
  
  I often enjoy giving the Hungry Jack’s ads a kicking, so it’s good to see a new one where there’s an interesting idea. Read more »
- The big election question
  
  As an occasional media commentator, I’m sometimes asked: ‘Tell me Tim. Given that politicians want to engage the electorate beyond the hardcore politics junkies, would it be a good idea to schedule the leaders’ debate at the exact same time as the final of Masterchef, arguably Australia’s favourite TV programme and likely to be the most watched show of the year?” Read more »
- Why this is NOT the Twitter election
  
  If you read the last few days’ papers, you would think that the Twitterati will decide the outcome of the election. Read more »
- Paging the fun police
  
  While any brand has to worry about the legal implications of running a contest, there does come a point where the entire thing looks so unappealing it may be worth going back to the drawing board. Read more »
- Oh PETA
  
  This ad is a tough watch.
  
  If you don’t want to see seals being clubbed, then don’t watch. Read more »
- Sensis – social responsibility isn’t about patronising the needy about their socks
  
  I wish I could put my finger on what it is that makes this social issues campaign for Sensis feel so icky: Read more »
- Old Spice: Best use of social media yet?
  
  Today has been a good day. You know those very rare moments where you see an advertising idea and you can recognise not only how good it is, but how it’s going to inspire other great work? What Old Spice did next is one of those moments.
  
  It combines great advertising, great writing, a huge PR idea and excellent use of social media as a two-way channel. Read more »
- If that’s how paywalls work then we’re utterly flipping screwed
  
  So tonight, for the first time, I went behind Fairfax Media’s pay wall.
  
  Based on that experience, if the future of journalism is paid content then every one of us working hacks is utterly screwed. Read more »
- Media Watch picks an odd target
  
  I’ve got a nasty feeling I’ve finally gone native.
  
  Much like Stockholm Syndrome where kidnap victims come to adore their captors, journalists have always been susceptible to a similar syndrome. Read more »

Believe it or not – it’s a bad ad

Poor old Believe Advertising – the agency has just demonstrated that there is such a thing as bad publicity after all.

The agency must be less than delighted that it took part in The Sun-Herald’s “Selling Australia” feature today.

In an item not unreminscent of The Pitch segment on The Gruen Transfer, agencies were asked to come up with their own ad campaigns for Australia. The paper even included Gruen regulars Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft to give a verdict.

And while Loud’s work – a London Underground sign saying Down Under in front of a wide open road – won praise from the judges, Believe’s did not. It featured a young woman posing for a photo with a pair of pensioners and the message “Escape while you can”.

Branding consultant Hans Hulsbosch labelled it “a really dumb ad”, Sampson voted it the worst ad and Howcroft said he didn’t understand it. The paper also revealed: