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Opinion | Features
My memo to your boss
So let me guess?
You really want to come to Mumbrella360, but you’ve got to justify the time and cost to your boss?
Good news! I think I can help.
Woz not great
In this guest post Tony Prysten argues that the thousand dollar price of seeing out-of-touch Apple co-founder Steve Wozniack on his Australian tour was a waste of money.
This week, for the cost of two iPads (yep, two) I went to the Woz Live conference in Melbourne. I was not impressed.
What the hell is transmedia?
From advertising campaigns to online video series, the term ‘transmedia’ gets quite the work out. But what does it actually mean? Cathie McGinn trawls the media landscape for a definitive definition.
Transmedia, all media and multiplatform are terms often used interchangeably when referencing modern storytelling techniques. Yet, depending who you speak to, there are distinct differences between them.
According to industry experts Encore spoke to, the key elements that define transmedia can be summarised as follows: platform, time, audience, adaptation, and creative collaboration.
Innovation is the remedy for the ailing magazine industry
With magazine circulations plummeting, FHM closing and rumours rife on future ownership of ACP Magazines, Paul Merrill says the only way forward is launching new titles.Eight years ago in the UK, nearly a quarter of all magazine sales came from magazines that were less than four years old. In Australia, the figure was slightly lower, but still significant. Today, the situation is very different. For a start there are so few new magazines. Yes, Masterchef briefly flared, and Top Gear made an initial impact. But Grazia and Alpha fizzled, and now ACP has shelved their plans to launch Elle.
More than a game: broadcasting the Olympics
The 2012 London Olympics will be the biggest televised sporting event of our time. Brooke Hemphill discovers the logistical challenges and technical requirements of producing the event.
From July 27 to August 12, the Australian media will go sport crazy as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, aka the 2012 London Summer Olympics, unfold. The games will be the most televised sporting event of our time as broadcasters look to master every manner of technology at their disposal.
The Voice - Australia's best example yet of social TV
In this guest post, Sputnik’s Rodd Messent has a theory on why audiences have taken to The Voice .I am an addict of Channel Nine’s hit show The Voice. Such is the extent of my addiction I seriously think my housemate might kick me out of our apartment for the semi-frenzied yelling and tweeting that ensues in our lounge room each time the show airs.It’s the first time in almost three years that such disagreement has resulted in less than civil behaviour towards one another, and it’s made me think it might be a microcosm of the large volume of online debate about the show and, correspondingly, an explanation for its success as a social TV experience.Why brands are the US Army - and culture jammers are the Viet Cong
In this guest posting, Dave Burgess, who painted ‘No War’ on the Sydney Opera House, claims that ‘amoral’ advertisers have copied his idea.
Culture jamming is a 28-year-old term coined by the San Francisco-based band Negativland, who declared that the ‘Studio for the cultural jammer is the world at large’.
Branded content is dead. Long live branded content
In this guest posting, Anthony Freedman argues why branded content is making a comeback.
A few short years ago, probably concurrent with the advent of the PVR, a new term emerged within the marketing communications industry; branded content. This was really synonymous with advertiser funded TV shows where programming was created by brands and deals struck with networks to broadcast them.
There were varying degrees of success with this model.
Shock advertising: 30 ads that would give Australia's ad watchdog a coronary
Is shock an underused weapon in Australian advertising, asks Robin HicksToday, Sydney agency The Cabana Boys used an image of a mouth sewn together to shock people with the idea that problem gamblers lie to conceal their habit. Is it the most disturbing image ever? No. Will it get banned by the Advertising Standards Bureau? No. But it did make me wonder why shock is not used more often in Australia – and not just by charities and government bodies. (WARNING: NSFW)
The making of ratings blockbuster The Voice
Jason Mountney goes on the set of Channel Nine’s talent search series, The Voice, to see how the format, based on an international franchise, has come together. What ingredients have gone into making this certified hit that’s rated more than two million viewers on three consecutive nights?
Mike Goldman has one of the toughest jobs on the set of the Nine network’s new talent show, The Voice. He not only has to narrate the show, but also keep the audience from losing their enthusiasm as they realise shooting TV programs takes a lot longer than the one-hour bursts they see in their lounge rooms. A lot longer.
Nine problems stopping The Global Mail from getting an audience
While it’s a shame The Global Mail has failed to make an impact on the media landscape, the signs have been there for some time.I love the concept of a well resourced, philanthropically-funded independent news site. Anywhere in the world, that’s a rare and wonderful thing. In Australia even more so. So I hope that Grame Wood gets to see his investment make a difference.
And I have no inside info on whether Monica Attard’s sudden departure is linked to the site’s failure to find an audience so far.
Regardless, here are nine areas they can easily start to address:
Journalism’s new model?
Does the launch of philanthropically funded news site The Global Mail signal a new era for journalism or is the model destined to be a passing fad, asks Cathie McGinn in this article first published in Encore magazine.With little fanfare, philanthropically funded news site The Global Mail launched in February this year.
The online-only title received a generous five-year funding commitment from businessman Graeme Wood, founder of accommodation website wotif.com, who donated $15million.
Five things that make a great suit
In this guest posting, Gareth Collins argues that the role of a great account manager is to make the work betterI’m surprised at how many suits I meet who don’t know their role in the advertising business. The question ‘what does an advertising account manager or director do?’ is frequently met with answers such as project manager, relationship manager, plate spinner or go between … and those are the nice ones.
Success is judged on the ability to manage a process, be strong administratively and get stuff done. And while a good suit needs to do all of these things brilliantly, if these are the traits that define a great suit, then I’m in the wrong job.
What the hell is transmedia?
From advertising campaigns to online video series, the term ‘transmedia’ gets quite the work out. But what does it actually mean? Cathie McGinn trawls the media landscape for a definitive definition.
Transmedia, all media and multiplatform are terms often used interchangeably when referencing modern storytelling techniques. Yet, depending who you speak to, there are distinct differences between them.
The top seven...most patronising pieces of communication
Sometimes brands have big ideas. Sometimes marketers get so caught up with a grandiose idea that instead of finding engaging ways to sell breakfast cereal, they start to believe their own rhetoric. And sometimes it’s just lazy marketing. Here are my top seven inadvertently patronising pieces of communication…
1) Last night thousands of women gathered in Sydney’s Centennial Park to take part in She Runs the Night, an event created by Nike.
Westpac rules itself out of ‘Can’t’ teaser campaign
Westpac Bank has ruled itself out as the creator of the ‘Can’t’ teaser campaign, making rival CommBank the firm favourite to be its architect.
Yesterday, “one of Australia’s most iconic brands” announced it was to reveal a major brand revamp this weekend, with a ‘big four’ bank heavily tipped to be behind the teaser.
A Westpac spokesman told Mumbrella that it was not responsible, and would not speculate on which of its rivals it might be. However, he added that the word ‘iconic’ was overused in Australian marketing and could describe any number of brands.
CommBank’s press team had not replied to Mumbrella at press time, despite a repeated request for comment.
Domino’s parts ways with BMF to take advertising inhouse
Domino’s has parted ways with its creative agency BMF after a relationship lasting almost exactly one year, Mumbrella can reveal.
The pizza chain is taking advertising creative and production inhouse, but will work with select agencies on a consultancy basis.
Domino’s appointed the Photon Group agency in May last year, choosing it over incumbent The Campaign Palace after a four-month pitch.
Domino’s CMO Allan Collins told Mumbrella in a statement: Read more »
FilmNation acquires global rights to David Michod’s new film The Rover
David Michod
An international film sales and distribution company has acquired the worldwide rights of a new film by an Australian writer-director.
FilmNation Entertainment’s rights cover the vast majority of worldwide territories including North America, but excludes Australia and New Zealand for the new project by Animal Kingdom writer-director David Michod, The Rover.
David Michod said: Read more »
AFR boss Brett Clegg: No regrets over the battle with News Limited
The Australian Financial Review’s new CEO Brett Clegg says he has no reservations about the newspaper going into battle with News Limited over pay TV piracy claims, although he does regret losing his friendship with former colleague Richard Freudenstein over his job move.
In a wide ranging video interview timed to coincide with today’s launch of the AFR iPad app, Clegg discussed the Financial Review Group’s new paywall strategy, its new iPad app and the company’s current legal battle with his predecessor Michael Gill. He also discusses the Financial Review’s coverage of allegations around pay TV piracy involving News Limited’s former sister company NDS.
WorkSafe Victoria turns to mobile to get tradies talking about safety
A new mobile campaign by WorkSafe Victoria has launched to encourage tradies to talk about safety – it is the first time the advertiser has used the mobile medium.
Built as a digital quiz, Top Tradie, the campaign aims to see teams of tradies compete for weekly prizes by answering a mix of sport and safety questions.
Prizes for the top teams include sports packages, footy tickets and vouchers. The final winning team will win four tickets to one of Victoria’s premier motorcycle events.
Telstra, Photon and Google bigwigs join Harold Mitchell for Question Time at Mumbrella 360
Mitchell
Leeder
Melhuish
Kingsmill
Media mogul Harold Mitchell, Google boss Nick Leeder, Telstra’s corporate marketing director Inese Kingsmill and the new CEO of Photon Group Matt Melhuish are to take questions from the audience at next month’s Mumbrella 360 conference.
The powerful quartet will sit on a panel chaired by Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes on the second day of the event, on 7 June.
Bank ambushes ‘Can’t’ teaser campaign with tactical Google key words buy
Heritage Bank has ambushed the ‘Can’t’ teaser campaign by buying Google ad words associated with the campaign.
Type in the words ‘Can’t’ and ‘What is can’t’ on Google, and the Queensland-based bank ranks second in the list of sponsored searches, just behind the teaser campaign domain whatiscan’t.com.
The link to the Heritage Bank website explains why the bank ‘Can do things the big banks can’t’.
The ambush was a response to the story on the teaser campaign posted on Mumbrella yesterday, that speculated that one of the ‘big four’ banks was behind the campaign.
Heritage Bank’s marketing manager Matt Granfield told Mumbrella: “Heritage Bank is a customer-owned bank, so we’re able to do things the big banks can’t, Read more »
Clems Adelaide appoints Karl Fleet from The Palace as ECD
Clemenger BBDO Adelaide has replaced outgoing creatives Greg Knagge and Geoff Robertson with former Colenso BBDO creative Karl Fleet to run its creative department as ECD.
Fleet joins from The Campaign Palace Sydney after 10 months with the agency. He joined The Palace from Colenso BBDO Auckland where he was deputy creative director in July 2011.
James McGrath, national creative director at Clemenger BBDO, told Mumbrella: Read more »
‘Can’t’ campaign turns to kittens and Twitter
The teaser campaign for the relaunch of what claims to be one of Australia’s most iconic brands has moved into its digital phase – and marshalled one of the internet’s most reliable memes – a cute kitten.
Debate is currently raging online about which brand is behind the relaunch – due to be unveiled at the weekend. While consensus is that the project is the work of one of the big four banks, opinion is divided on whether it is CommBank or Westpac. Read more »
The Dictator topples The Avengers at the box office
After three weeks at the top, The Avengers has been knocked off the Box Office throne courtesy of a coup by Sasha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator. Read more »
The Voice dips well below 2m for first time since debut
Nine’s talent contest The Voice dipped below 2m viewers for the first time since its debut a month ago.
The two-hour long juggernaut ran from 7.33pm to 9.47pm, beating Revenge on Seven, which came closest with 1.353m in the 8.30pm time slot, and half an hour of MasterChef on Ten, which took just over 1m.
With ratings of 1.914m – down from 2.177m on its debut - The Voice also overcame Border Security and The Force on Seven, and Bondi Vet and NCIS on Ten, according to preliminary results from OzTam. Read more »
Julie Dormand appointed MD of MercerBell, founder Nick Mercer steps up to CEO
Independent direct marketing agency MercerBell has promoted general manager Julie Dormand to MD, as founding partner Nick Mercer steps up to CEO.
Dormand, a former marketing manager at Merrill Lynch, joined the agency as account director from Lowe in 2005, and had risen to GM by 2010.
Nick Mercer said: Read more »
Nando’s ad features boy eating chicken, ‘Another life-long Nando’s fan is born’
Quick service restaurant chain Nando’s has launched a new TV campaign that shows a little boy eating chicken and ends with the line, ‘Another life-long Nando’s fan is born’.
Andrew Varasdi, the managing partner of Nando’s agency Banjo Advertising, told Mumbrella that the campaign does not flout rules on fast food advertising, since the chicken featured in the ad is grilled.
“Nando’s doesn’t have the same issues as a fried chicken product,” he said.
A spokesperson from the Advertising Standards Bureau told Mumbrella that the ad had received no complaints, and added “there appears to be a good mix of food choices shown in the advertisement”.
Andrew Traucki’s The Jungle picks up international sales
Andrew Traucki
A US-based sales production and distribution company has picked up the worldwide sales rights to the next film by Aussie writer/director Andrew Traucki.
Traucki’s film The Jungle has been picked up by Lightning Entertainment of Santa Monica.
The news sees the two parties reunite after Traucki’s 2010 shark film The Reef.
Booming business of music streaming to be debated at Mumbrella360
The explosion in music streaming services in Australia – and the likely winners and losers – will be debated in a panel session at Mumbrella360 next month.
Last month, Telstra announced a deal with subscription music service MOG enabling users to stream a catalogue of 15 million tracks to their mobile, tablet, computer or net-connected TV. It joined Spotify, Rdio and Songl, who had already unveiled plans to launch in the Australian market.
Joining the Battle of the Bandwidth panel are Dan Rosen, CEO of the Australian Recording Industry Association; Digital Music Distribution CEO Mark Shaw, Sound Alliance commercial director Ben Shepherd, MCM Entertainment Group CEO Simon Joyce and DMG chief digital officer Rebekah Horne. Read more »
‘Iconic’ Australia brand to launch revamp campaign; Is it CommBank?
“One of Australia’s most iconic brands” will this weekend reveal a major brand revamp.
An invitation headlined with the word “Can’t” was delivered to journalists at Mumbrella this morning, linking to the domain ‘@whatiscant.com.au’.
It coincides with industry rumours that a “big four” bank is about to go through a major rebranding with rumours pointing to the Commonweath Bank of Australia. Mumbrella understands that “a massive media buy” of outdoor and TV ads is in the offing.
CommBank’s media team was unable to offer an immediate comment. However, a senior source at the bank told Mumbrella there would be more to say at the end of this week. Read more »
Stonemen video features woman pleasuring herself over image of viewer
Men’s underwear brand Stoneman is courting controversy with an interactive video in which a woman masturbates next to an image of the viewer’s face.
The raunchy interactive video (possibly NSFW) allows the user to upload of a photo of themselves, which is then used in the video.
The video leads the user to Stonemen’s website and gives them the option to buy some Stonemen underwear.
The campaign was developed by Arnold Furnace.
A censored version is running as a teaser campaign.
Paul Fenton, joint national creative director of Arnold Furnace told Mumbrella: Read more »
Medibank shifts ad account from Patts to Whybins
Mediabank has moved its advertising business to Whybin\TBWA Melbourne after a pitch that involved incumbent GPY&R Melbourne, Mumbrella can reveal.
The pitch kicked off in November last year as part of a “best practice review of suppliers”.
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