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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.
Journalist use of social media in court an issue
Gold Walkley winning reporter Kate McClymont has raised concerns about the potential impact that reporters using social media platforms, like Twitter, are having on the conduct of court cases.
In a video interview with Encore, The Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist said that while she had recently been tweeting from the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearings into the Obeid family, she was concerned about the wider impact social media reporting could be having on the administration of justice. Read more »
Ogilvy PR appoints group MD for social arm social@Ogilvy
Ogilvy Public Relations has appointed Yianni Konstantopoulos as the new group managing director of the agency’s social arm, social@Ogilvy.
Konstantopoulos is a former vice president of strategy and business development at US digital agency Blue State Digital which implemented the digital strategy for the 2008 and 2012 Barack Obama presidential campaigns. Read more »
House Rules rates just 784,000 for Seven
The second outing of Seven’s House Rules dropped to 784,000 metro viewers last night, leaving the network facing increasing questions about whether the new renovation show will be capable of competing with Nine’s The Block.
Last night The Block rated 1.062m, fourth most watched show of the night, according to preliminary overnight ratings from OzTAM. House Rules was 11th, only just ahead of an episode of Modern Family on Ten which rated 719,000.
House Rules made its debut on Tuesday night when it rated 803,000. Ten’s attempt to dislodge The Block, The Renovators, averaged 939,000 viewers on its first airing in 2011 and was considered a failure. Read more »
P&G boss Maile Carnegie named as new Google boss for Australia and New Zealand
New Google MD: Carnegie
Departed: Leeder
Google has appointed Procter & Gamble boss Maile Carnegie as its MD for Australia and NZ. She replaces Nick Leeder who announced his move to France in March.
Carnegie has worked for P&G for her entire career, joining the company in Sydney in a marketing role from university. She joins Google on July 15.
Google issued a statement saying:
“Google has appointed Maile Carnegie as the new Country Director for Google Australia New Zealand, beginning July 15. Read more »
Fairfax recovery sees shares hit 12 month high
Shares in Fairfax Media today reached their highest point in 12 months and almost double the price of their low point just over six months ago.
The share price of 67c on the ASX values the company at almost $1.6bn.
The company’s share price has undergone a steady recovery since October when its price dipped to 36 cents, valuing the company at less than $1bn.
The last time the company’s share price hit 67c was May 29, 2012.
Fairfax Media share price – last 12 months | Source: Google Finance
The Encore interview: Jungleboys
In the Encore interview, Sydney production house Jungleboys founder and executive producer Jason Burrows and writer/director Abe Forsythe talk about Moody Christmas, The Elegant Gentleman’s Guide To Knife Fighting, making commercials and a possible feature film.
STARTING JUNGLEBOYS
Jungleboys founder and executive producer Jason Burrows on the history of the company, the move into TV, their stable of directors and the production house’s unique collaborative approach.
SBS appoints Jim Carroll director of news and current affairs
Public broadcaster SBS has appointed former Ten head of news Jim Carroll as its new director of news and current affairs.
He replaces Paul Cutler who will retire at the end of June. Carroll has most recently been working at SBS as executive producer of World News Australia.
“Jim’s extensive expertise in news and current affairs will be invaluable to SBS as we continue building on the esteemed reputation of World News Australia, our radio news and our flagship current affairs programs Insight, Dateline and Living Black, by broadening our reach and deepening engagement with our audiences across the platforms and devices available to them,” said Michael Ebeid, SBS Managing Director. Read more »
’1 Day in Paradise’ films go live as SapientNitro launches Tropical North Queensland campaign
Tourism Queensland has launched a series of 20 short films as part of a “1 Day In Paradise” campaign created by SapientNitro.
The agency was previously the creator of the tourism body’s renowned Best Job In The World campaign.
Filmmakers shot the videos on GoPro cameras, which can be strapped to people or devices, with the brief to create “adventurous by nature” films that would evolve the brand story for Tropical North Queensland.
Niche magazine titles challenged by agencies: Prove your worth
Durrant
Specialist and B2B publications need to start demonstrating that advertising with them works, a panel of media buyers has told the industry.
Speaking at an event for media sales professionals in Sydney organised by Publishers Australia, MindShare’s chief of knowledge Nick Durrant said: “Find a way of proving that you will deliver the results. There is no room on a client’s budget plan anymore for luxuries. I want to know how many Land Rovers (for example) it’s going to sell me. So what you have to do is show me the idea and then show me how that’s going to work, and if you cannot show me how that’s going to work then you are going to lose, every time. Because everyone else is showing me what this is going to deliver back.” Read more »
Qantas marketing boss Lewis Pullen exits as Olivia Wirth steps up
Qantas marketing director Lewis Pullen is leaving the organisation after three years, with corporate affairs chief Olivia Wirth taking responsibility for the airline marketing function too.
During his time Pullen led wide ranging shifts of the organisation’s global agency arrangements, running a wide ranging media and creative pitch which saw duties for the global creative lead account switched to Droga5. However , 12 months on, no major work from Droga5 has yet emerged. (1.45pm update: Qantas says that Droga5 remains as its lead agency).
Pullen also led the repositioning of the brand under the new line of “You’re the reason we fly”, along with a new piece of music created by Silverchair’s Daniel Johns.
According to the announcement, Pullen will leave at the end of June.
The announcement to staff from Qantas boss Alan Joyce: Read more »
Gender equality: time to put up or shut the **** up at Mumbrella360
The contributors to one of the hottest debates of the year on Mumbrella are to appear at next month’s Mumbrella360 conference to discuss the lack of women in senior roles in the media industry.
Southcombe
Clough
Among the panelists are Peta Southcome, marketing analytics manager at media agency Maxus, who triggered a furore in a piece – entitled Ladies could we shut the **** up? – she wrote suggesting that women should stop complaining about the lack of representation and focus on being as good as they possibly be at their jobs.
Also on the panel is Elly Michelle Clough, publicist from Belvoir Theatre, whose rebuttal – Why ladies shouldn’t shut the **** up - was also among the most commented upon of the year.
Jacoby
Perrin
The pair will be joined by Ian Perrin, CEO of media agency ZO, who set the agenda in April when he asked why all the media agency bosses were male, while all their personal assistants were female.
The fourth panellist is one of the most successful women in the television industry, Anita Jacoby, co-founder of Zapruder’s other Films, the production company behind shows including The Gruen Transfer and Enough Rope. Jacoby left the company last year when it merged with Cordell Jigsaw to become CJZ. Read more »
Budget provides extra funding for ABC, SBS and The Conversation
Public broadcasters the ABC and SBS have both received extra boost in funding from last night’s federal budget.
The ABC will pick up an close to $100m in extra funding with $59.4m to go to news and current affairs and $30m for online content distribution, over three years. Meanwhile, SBS has received an additional $30m over five years.
The move has been welcomed by the managing directors of both broadcasters. ABC managing director Mark Scott last night issued a statement saying:
“This investment acknowledges two of the prime areas where the ABC is using its digital expertise to deliver on its Charter obligations to inform, educate and entertain Australians.” Read more »
Nine’s The Block sees off Seven’s House Rules
Seven has hit its first major misfire of the ratings year with the launch episode of its heavily promoted House Rules rating just 803,000 on Tuesday night.
Although it was up against Nine’s ratings juggernaut of The Voice, the debut for House Rules was even worse than Ten’s The Renovators in 2011 which averaged 939,000 and was deemed a failure. Other shows labelled a flop which had bigger launch episodes include The Shire (942,000), Brynne: My Bedazzled Life (930,00), Being Lara Bingle (925,000) and Excess Baggage (885,000).
House Rules, which aired from 7.30pm to 8.45pm was beaten by Nine’s The Block (1.308m) which aired from 7pm and The Voice (1.597m) which aired from 8pm. Nine’s winning schedule extended to 9pm with the challenge part of The Celebrity Apprentice averaging 1.026m while the boardroom challenge which followed rating 749,000.
Seven created House Rules – a remix the My Kitchen Rules and My Restaurant Rules franchise – in a bid to challenge Nine’s renovation show The Block. Read more »
Strategy hotshop Clear to work with WWF
WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), has appointed M&C Saatchi’s strategy consultancy Clear to focus on developing its brand in Australia. Read more »
Aussie John, Kogan, Boost Juice’s Allis and Lorna Jane to talk about being the face of their brands at Mumbrella360
Mumbrella360 will hear from four company leaders who are also the face of their brands as they swap notes and share the marketing lessons they have learned from the experience.
Allis
Clarkson
Kogan
Symond
John Symond, founder of Aussie Home Loans; Ruslan Kogan, founder of online retailer Kogan Technologies; Janine Allis, boss of Boost Juice and Lorna Jane Clarkson, creator of Lorna Jane activewear will all appear on the panel.
Symond became one of Australia’s best known entrepreneurs thanks to his catchphrase “We’ll save you”. He returned as the face of Aussie Home Loans last year, a move which reportedly led to an uplift of 40 per cent in sales leads. Read more »
News Limited’s Campbell Reid talks paywalls
The editorial director of News Limited, Campbell Reid, was feature guest for this week’s Mumbrella video hangout.
He discussed News Limited’s move to a metered paywall strategy.
Reid – a three decade News Limited veteran – has edited papers including The Daily Telegraph and The Australian and has been group editorial director for nearly six years. He is also a board member of the Press Council and chairs the AAP.
Mojo strategy head Frances Clayton shifts to DDB
Publicis Mojo head of strategy and discovery Frances Clayton has left the agency for a new role at DDB Sydney’s strategic division.
She said in the announcement: “DDB is an impressive and successful agency, but they’re also curious and hungry. At Mojo I had the chance to work with some of the best people in the business. I loved my time there and will miss them all.” Read more »
Big data to be big deal at Mumbrella360
Fairfax’s Harrison
Ten’s Horne
The growing use of data in marketing will be explored in a series of three sessions at Mumbrella360 next month.
In a session curated by advertising technology company Alphabird, brands and publishers will debate how to utilise insights from data in business, share candid examples of the pitfalls they have encountered, along with tips to employ big data more successfully. The panel will discuss the entire spectrum of data implementation from publisher solutions to media targeting, and provide compelling case studies to demonstrate practical applications.
The panel includes Ed Harrison, group sales director, Fairfax Media, Rebekhan Horne, Ten Network’s chief digital officer, Willie Pang, Asia-Pacific CEO of Alphabird, and Warren Billington, managing director of marketing software-as-a-service (SaaS) company Acxiom. It will draw from their experience in coping with the overload of consumer data and how to use it to drive effective communications. Read more »
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