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Opinion | Features
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.
The experiential experience
Anyone can throw up a tent in a high-traffic area and harass the general public, but what does it take to pull off an effective experiential event? In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Matt Smith investigates.A television commercial can easily be muted and ignored, but try ignoring a purring, squirming cat in your arms. That was the experience awaiting passers by in Sydney’s Martin Place in October last year when Mars Petcare built Whiskas Kitten Palace.
The News Limited paywall isn't about revenue. It's about data
In this guest post, ninemsn’s editor in chief Hal Crawford argues Fairfax Media and News Limited’s new paywalls won’t draw much revenue, but will generate data. And they’re late to the data party.When I first learned that ninemsn’s major digital competitors Fairfax and News Ltd were going to introduce paywalls across their mainstream properties, I was excited.
Every obstacle thrown in the way of their audiences is an opportunity. People hate friction and anything that makes life difficult on a rival site is a chance to get them on yours.
Is this the worst time to be a journalist?
With scores of redundancies in 2012 and a mass exodus of experienced journos, is this the worst time to be a journalist? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen asks the question.In June last year a tsunami of redundancies began to sweep across Australia’s media landscape. They came in a series of waves and in the 12 months that followed, an estimated 1,200 journalists departed the mainstream media.
Are you a conscious leader?
As the advertising and marketing industry struggles to address the issue of rocketing rates of staff churn in their businesses, Slingshot CEO Simon Rutherford argues that today’s ‘conscious leaders’ should be more focussed on creating ‘staff wellness’ in order to deliver high performing teams and healthy profits.
A conscious leader believes the business has a greater responsibility towards the community it operates in. To ensure sustainable long-term profits, people must come first. Awareness, trust, authenticity, transparency, 100% responsibility, connection, compassion, and love: these are the tools of the conscious leader.
Suits: less popular than pest controllers
Advertising suits have a thankless job that is currently being eroded by the changing industry says Naren Sanghrajka in a piece that first appeared in Encore.Not in my wildest, craziest nightmares would I ever have thought I’d say this. But I’m going to. Being a bean counter is far more appealing than starting as a suit in advertising. There it is. I said it. I actually said those words.
Yes, it’s incredibly depressing. But it’s true.
An answer for Adam: What's the future for creatives?
Each fortnight, Adam Ferrier poses a question to the industry. This week, he asks about the future of the creative.
Who or what is a creative? It’s an old thought, but as I continue on my merry journey in advertising I wonder if there is a role for a ‘creative’ and if there is, what that role is?
In the world of film and TV there is not a ‘creative’. There is a director, a writer, a producer, a DOP and so on. From this mix the creativity happens. But no-one is charged with being ‘the creative’.
Australian films stand on their own merit
The argument that Australian audiences only embrace local films once they’ve picked up a gong at an international festival is inherently flawed says Lee Zachariah in a piece that first appeared in Encore.As much as we like to pretend that we collectively fulfil the world’s need for a country comprised entirely of laid-back, mellow beach dwellers, we do seem to get disproportionately excited when someone else mentions us. Our cool exterior drops away as our local news bulletins breathlessly report that CNN or the BBC or really anyone in one of the ‘real countries’ acknowledged our existence.
We feel detached from the world, and therefore crave its validation.
The vindication of Paul Fishlock
Wow.You may have noticed that not much went up on Mumbrella over the last couple of hours.
That’s because I’ve been reading the judge’s findings in Paul Fishlock’s case against The Campaign Palace.
I’d always known that agencyland can be a brutal place. But the picture of the cynical, ego-driven, unsentimental world that comes through in the findings of Justice John Sacker is something else. I recommend you take the time to read it yourself.
The reputation of Young & Rubicam’s global creative director Tony Granger certainly takes a battering in my view. The word “bully” is a hard one to come back from.
And former Campaign Palace CEO Mark Mackay comes across as someone you might think twice about either hiring or working for, based on the evidence presented. The judge calls him contemptuous of both Granger and Fishlock.
Bondi Hipsters seek sponsorship for Olympics show
The Bondi Hipsters are looking for a brand to sponsor a trip to the London where they plan to report on the Olympics.
Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nick Boshier, who star as Dom and Adrian in a new pastiche of Bondi hipsters that launched yesterday, plan to “turn the traditional media model on its head” and are offering behind-the-scenes daily reportage during the 2012 Olympic Games.
Former JC Decaux staffer Van Vuuren said the opportunity for brands would be “like Roy and HG’s Olympic coverage but with two younger, better looking dudes in skinny jeans.”
Van Vuuren is best known for his YouTube-based character The Fully Sick Rapper. Last year, Van Vuuren and his brother Connor won the Optus ONE80 Project and have since produced a 60-minute pilot for MTV Australia entitled SICK.
Van Vuuren is working with Sydney-based content creation agency Infinity Squared, and is joined by Nick Boshier, one of the creators of Beached Az, in what they see as “a new kind of model, promoting the use of online creators and their audiences as a means to produce original shows,” reads a press release.
Van Vuuren said “During the Olympics brands will have standard sponsorships all over mainstream media. We think young people will look outside mainstream media to keep up with the results and coverage, and a funny one minute daily video will be much more likely to reach a youth audience. The Olympics only happens once every four years, so it’s totes exclusive, and we’ll be on the VIP list.”
The duo’s brief is to work with agencies and brands to “create bespoke branded content”. Van Vuuren said “Ryobi Drill would be a great fit as a brand. It would be totes ironic.
Infinity Squared has recently created branded content for the likes of McDonald’s and Asics.
Van Vuuren and Boshier’s ‘The life organic’ video has amassed almost 118,000 views since it was uploaded last week.
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Comments
13 Mar 12
7:19 pm
hehe, they are totes selling out
13 Mar 12
7:47 pm
Perhaps they could meetup with the Dalston Superstars while they are there?.
13 Mar 12
8:57 pm
‘Bespoke content’…the irony.
13 Mar 12
9:11 pm
reminds me of flight of the conchords
14 Mar 12
7:41 am
So is this anything to anyone outside the eastern suburbs?
14 Mar 12
8:34 am
totes selling out and i’m devo – was fun in the early bits…I know, you could do Trent from Punchy, and Fully Sick Rapper as bonus sponsorship – but 1 get 2 free
14 Mar 12
9:49 am
nice way to get a free holiday
14 Mar 12
10:03 am
Oh yes, heaven help us all if talented people actually get to make money out of their clever creations.
14 Mar 12
10:16 am
Tharnks for reading the articlesie… Look, we hate sellouts, but it’s not selling out if it’s like some totes random brahnd… Like a Spatula company, or Ryobi Power Tools, or a company that makes Toilet Brushes or something… That would be totes ironic… Is that what irony means?… Such a paradox.. Is that what paradox means?…
14 Mar 12
10:26 am
I admire their approach to sponsorship, but my totally uniformed gut opinion is that they won’t get a deal for the Olympics. Also, parodying hispters is a bit old hat isn’t it? Would be interested in hearing what kind of brands/clients people might suggest this too or if they too think it’s had its day.
14 Mar 12
11:58 am
Good on them. We need more raw slick entertainment in this advertising game.
14 Mar 12
12:25 pm
Haters gonna hate. You guys are hilaious! Hope a sponsor comes on board.
14 Mar 12
1:08 pm
They can prove a point by paying their own way, but agreeing with Rob, does this mean anything to anyone outside the eastern suburbs?
14 Mar 12
1:25 pm
Mick, since I posted the Organic Life vid on my Facebook, the vast majority of people delighted by it were not Eastern Suburbs dwellers. In fact, all my Eastie friends seemed a little uncomfortable with the accurate portrayal of our pursuits. I think Dom and Adrian would find a much wider audience for their Olympic coverage than the Bondi (I’m not a) hipster collective.
14 Mar 12
1:32 pm
They might as well do it from Bondi, as without media accreditation they won’t get anywhere near any action in London. However I would like to see them on the road and their reaction to the world outside the east as they are funny.
14 Mar 12
2:31 pm
Everyone knows what it’s about! Everyone that doesn’t live in Bondi perceive Bondians to be like this…..I’m not originally from Bondi but live there now and I see quite a few characters like this every day! Before I moved to Bondi I thought it was exactly like the series promotes it to be. I believe Nicky when she says majority of people that have viewed it aren’t from Bondi. Maybe if they stop putting their bloody dogs on dinner tables at restaurants/cafes people will like them a bit better….And what’s with the ‘someone died’ expression on their faces? In all fairness not everyone that lives in Bondi are like these characters…But it’s not hard to spot the Bondi Hipsters…….I am going into hiding now. Peace
14 Mar 12
2:37 pm
Why not float it on a crowd sourcing site, and use the existing audience they already have as the platform. Some 20 something kid just funded a feature length film with his youtube audience (aimed for $60 000… Ended up with over $200 000).
Who wants to do what a brand says anyway, why not use your audience to see what they want, they’re usually more adept at telling you, and are far greater to work with than a brand.
14 Mar 12
2:40 pm
Like the rest of the Bondi Hipsters series, can one assume that any such Bondi Hipsters Olympic related content will be posted on the ChristiaanVanVuuren YouTube channel, which is already montised, and thus any branding within the content will be overshadowed by the variety of YouTube banner, Promoted Video and TrueView advertising products that are already targeting that channel / content?
14 Mar 12
2:43 pm
Oh … when you said ‘paradox’ … I thought that with the accent you were saying ‘pair of dorks’. ‘Nuff said.
14 Mar 12
2:43 pm
I think The Life Organic could be re-created as any East London hangout. Dom and Adrian would be liked by many especially reporting on the Olympics. My Londoner pals cringe at this (as they did too at “Being a Dickheads Cool”… remember that?) They also totes say totes in LDN/UK… it would work. Good luck lads.
14 Mar 12
2:49 pm
I agree with Dan, even if they get sponsors to send them over to London… i doubt they have already sorted out media accreditation. Which means they won’t have access to all the ‘behind the scenes’ from the Olympic sites etc. So they might have to rely on one of those dinosauric medium’s like TV or radio to get them access… Unless you just want to know about parties and backpacker accommodation… maybe try Contiki boys
14 Mar 12
3:02 pm
I thought this was about *Bonds* Hipsters and wasn’t sure why some underwear needed sponsorship for a Olympic show.
14 Mar 12
3:33 pm
Maybe they should hit up the British tourist board?
14 Mar 12
3:52 pm
Power to them for being funny and creating a great catchy song.
However there’s a few too many meta-levels for a commercial project – After announcing your real names, and announcing you want to a commercial deal for your non-commercial characters. You’re giving the game away.
I think it’s unfortunate irony…not the clever kind.
14 Mar 12
4:24 pm
except it’s not even funny
14 Mar 12
4:51 pm
gimmicky, dumb and already dated
14 Mar 12
5:21 pm
Its the kind of comedy that appeals to other media people who have not had interesting lives in the real world.
It refers to nothing of substance.
Its been done before, better.
Its the comedic equivalent of direct marketing spam.
So, all up, it will probably be a huge success in the commercial media.
14 Mar 12
8:13 pm
God forbid advertising / branded content should be entertaining. You break into our homes every evening & bore the crap out of us with your product propositioning based long term ground swell buliding initiatives.. rather than fast forward you I will let you play in the background while I watch these guys online.
15 Mar 12
10:32 am
Dear Ex Bondi Media Man. Yea i totes agreeballs with you… i mean, those who make comments on trade websites have, or “have had”, totes interesting lives. And to Berg, no need to be so racist brah…. it’s just a little vidsie.
15 Mar 12
10:43 am
It’s a bit of fun. They’re having a go. Good luck to them…
15 Mar 12
12:54 pm
Why do commenters love being angry and mean? If you don’t like it, keep clicking…
18 Mar 12
1:40 pm
Is Bondi really Sydney’s hipster enclave? When I last went there, the fashion and vibe seemed more like Chapel St/St Kilda (to give the Melbourne equivalent) – trashy bourgie fashion victim as opposed to hipster. Particularly in places like White Revolver. I would’ve thought somewhere like Surry Hills with its vintage boutiques and cafes you have to wait in line for would be more like the hipster mothership than Bondi is. Perhaps Melbourne’s definition of the word is slightly different. Or maybe our hipsters are more hipster. The Bedroom Philosopher was certainly doing these gags at least two to three years before it became cool to… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZiae16Ry8
18 Mar 12
2:01 pm
Yeah but Nathan Barley was doing those jokes a good five years before him!
18 Mar 12
4:44 pm
getting paid – well done guys
19 Mar 12
7:29 pm
This has to be the best piece of content as Dom and Adrian that they have released. Everything else is painfully unwatchable, no offence. And there is nothing about this stereotype that is ‘media’, i’ve shared this with non media people and they see the truth in it. It’s not about media twats, it’s about bondi twats!
19 Mar 12
8:18 pm
I don’t think it matters that Bondi isn’t really a hipster enclave (I kind of assumed that was part of the joke). But when you compare it to Nathan Barley or Portlandia (the alpha and omega of hyperlocal hipster satire) one can’t help but experience a bit of the old cultural cringe.
3 Apr 12
2:46 pm
Haha while TV’s for old people, at least a TV camo can set up a shot where their reflection could not be seen on the lens of a mirrored pair of faux RayBans