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Opinion | Features
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.
TV audience measurement – why big isn’t always beautiful
In this guest post, Chris Walton argues that the media industry needs to take a new approach to TV tradingThere has been a significant amount of coverage recently about how successful The Voice has been. Indeed, audience figures of 2.6m+ people are very impressive these days. Based on reports, this is apparently double the size of audience that Nine was hoping for in the lead up to the programme launching.
How do you solve a problem like Blunty?
So if you were the proposed News Standards Body, how would you regulate Blunty?The News Standards Body, in case you didn’t notice, is the new organisation proposed by the Convergence Review this week to regulate news and commentary, regardless of platform.
Blunty, in case you didn’t notice, is the video blogger who this week went viral after he filmed a guerrilla marketing demo outside Apple’s Sydney store apparently as a coincidental bystander, but later admitted he’d been put up to it by BlackBerry.
My Kitchen Rules finale cooks up 2.7m, Seven takes 37% share
The last in the season of My Kitchen Rules – the ratings winner of 2012 so far – amassed 2.675m viewers for Seven when South Australians Leigh and Jennifer were announced as winners last night.
The first hour of the two-hour episode pulled in 2.186m, with the show wiping the floor with its rivals from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
Don Logan character returns in ‘Hungrythirsty’ ad for Oak
A crazed man inspired by the Don Logan character played by Ben Kingsley in the film Sexy Beast has returned in the new ad for Oak by The Monkeys.
When the character Sergeant John Henry was first introduced over a year ago, it drew complaints for the public that it made light of people suffering from schizophrenia.
In the new ad, which takes a lighter, more comedic tack with a joke about real estate salesmen, the character walks through a fairground musing on the concept of ‘hungrythirsty’.
Scott Nowell, ECD said: “Last time the Sergeant John Henry character scared so many people into buying OAK, he had to do another one.”
ACP Magazines boss: ‘We will close some magazines down’
ACP boss Matt Stanton
New ACP Magazines boss Matt Stanton has used his first public outing to signal that he will be closing more titles.
The comments from Stanton – at a Sydney media lunch to spruik flagship title Australian Women’s Weekly – came just a fortnight after ACP closed men’s title FHM.
Stanton told the audience: “The global economy and fluctuating consumer confidence will affect our business, and your businesses. We can’t stop that happening. What we can do, however, is making sure ACP brands remain relevant to Australian consumers and advertisers going forward.
“In summary, what does this mean? We will continue to create, curate and commercialise our content in an even more targeted and progressive way. We will continue to launch new magazines as we will do with Women’s Fitness and reinvent old magazines as we’re just doing now with PC User moving into Tech Life.
“We will also make some tough choices as well, and there are tough choices out there. We will close some magazines down which we do not think are relevant going forward or we can see are commercially viable. We will have to do those choices.
Rdio makes first Australian hire: ex-Virgin marketer Dave Cain
An ex-Virgin Mobile marketer and one of the brains behind The Fully Sick Rapper is to join music-streaming service Rdio as its first Australian employee.
Dave Cain, who consulted to Christiaan and Connor Van Vuuren on the production of The Fully Sick Rapper series, joins Rdio as head of marketing and business development.
The new role will see Cain work alongside local agency partners Weber Shandwick, Sound Alliance, Vice and Inception Digital on PR, events, social media and digital.
Cain spent eight years at Virgin Mobile, where most recently he headed up the music and sponsorship department.
Cain said in a statement: Read more »
Bead Foods hires Lion cheese marketer Damian Young
Bead Foods, the company that owns Gippsland Dairy and Chobani Greek Yogurt brands, has appointed Damian Young as general manager of marketing.
Young joins from Lion, where he was marketing manager for the company’s cheese division.
The news comes a month after Chobani announced plans to expand its operations and marketing efforts in Australia.
Terra Nova buyer pulls out
Talks have fallen down between 20th Century Fox TV and Netflix over the terms for the streaming service to exclusively show the sci-fi series Terra Nova.
The series, produced on the Gold Coast was axed by network Fox TV earlier this month, with Netflix beginning talks with the studio soon after.
However, 20th TV has not given up looking for a possible broadcaster, reports Deadline.
Woman writhes while man reads newspaper in ad for Big Richard condoms
Big Richard has launched a new campaign to promote its new vibrating condom pack.
The campaign will run online only, via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
(Video mildly NSFW)
South Australian productions on forced hiatus
The South Australian Film Corporation has been forced to relocate funding as two South Australian productions have been put on hold indefinitely after investment problems stunted their progression.
Greg McLean’s Wolf Creek 2 and children’s sci-fi TV series Resistance will not be going ahead in the immediate future, the South Australian Film Corporation announced yesterday.
As a result, the films’ funding would be relocated to thriller films The Babadook and The Fall.
The two delayed productions were tentpole projects for the state’s new $48m Adelaide Studios, which opened in August have been stayed relatively empty.
Pfizer campaign invites Aussies to cast their cats in next ad
Pfizer has launched a new campaign for its parasite treatment for cats.
Called ‘Crazy little thing call love’, the campaign for Revolution for Cats gives members of the brand’s Facebook page the chance for their cat to feature in an ad.
The campaign will run on out of home, social media, radio and digital media, driving cat lovers to the Facebook contest.
Perth radio ratings: 92.9 edges ahead of Mix in drive
The 2Day Network has eclipsed fellow Southern Cross Austereo station Mix94.5 in the drive time slot in Perth, according to Nielsen’s ratings for the second survey of 2012.
Playing second fiddle across all other shares, 92.9FM won the drive time slot with a decent increase from 14.2% to 16.7%, as Mix dropped from 17.2% to 15.7%.
In the Monday to Friday shares however, Perth is still Mix 94.5′s market winning the share, despite a drop from 16.7% in the last survey to 15.5% in this survey.
Sydney radio ratings: Kyle and Jackie O sees further slip
Kyle and Jackie O’s ratings continue to slide in the Sydney market for the third consecutive radio survey, according to Nielsen.
The show has seen a decline from 11.2% in survey eight of 2011 to 10.1% in the first survey of 2012, to 9.7% in the latest round of rating from January to March
However the show remains a strong performer in the Sydney market despite the backlash over November’s controversy that saw Kyle Sandilands call a journalist a “fat slag” and “piece of shit.”
As the Australian Communications and Media Authority today announces its proposed licensing restrictions on the 2Day FM network, the radio show remains at the top of the battle for breakfast in the commercial FM market.
Hungry Jack’s launches ‘one of the cheapest TVCs ever created’ to bring back Stunner deal
Clemenger BBDO Sydney is behind a new campaign for Hungry Jack’s ‘Stunner’ deal, each part of which was made for $5, the agency is claiming.
Clems account director Justin Cox said that discount website Fiverr.com was the inspiration for the campaign.
“Fiverr.com attracts thousands of people from around the world who are willing to do weird and wonderful things for only $5. It could arguably be one of the most cost-effective TVCs ever created, with everything from the voice-over artist, stunt work, animation and various talent costing no more than $5 each,” he said.
MasterCard appoints Origin as Australian PR agency
After launching a PR pitch in December last year, MasterCard has appointed Origin Agency as its Australian PR agency, displacing incumbent PPR.
A spokesperson for MasterCard said: “We have worked with PPR for over seven years, and they’ve done some great work over that time. As a company over that time period the gaps you need to fill change over time. We felt we needed to go to market and find that out.”
Lawyer complains Carlton Draught ad implies ‘It’s unmanly to wash after urinating’
An outdoor ad for Carlton Draught has drawn a complaint to the advertising watchdog because it tries to persuade men that it is unmanly to wash their hands after going to the toilet.
The billboard, located at the corner of Victoria Road and Robert Street in Rozelle, Sydney, reads ‘The Carlton Draught Tap. The only tap men use at the pub’.
The complaint, made by a 40-something male lawyer, reads: “The advertising message implies that men, real or otherwise, do not wash their hands when they are at the pub, or that it is unmanly to do so.”
Brisbane radio ratings: ABC puts squeeze on tight market
ABC Brisbane put the pressure on Brisbane’s tightly fought commercial radio market, registering the biggest increase in weekday listeners in the latest round of ratings from Nielsen.
ABC612 rose from 11% to 11.9% share, cementing its second spot behind market leader Australian Radio Network’s 97.3FM, which did not budge.
In the battle for third spot, B105 leapfrogged Nova106.9 while Triple M sits in fifth.
Adelaide radio ratings: 5AA leapfrogs Mix102.3 to claim weekday market lead
DMG’s FiveAA has leapfrogged the Adelaide radio market leader Mix102.3 in the weekday ratings from Nielsen.
FiveAA, which suffered the biggest fall in listeners in the last survey, increased its Monday to Friday ratings by more than any other station – up 1.1 percentage points – to overtake Mix102.3 and claim 13.4% of the weekday market.
However, Mix102.3 clings on to the mantle of Adelaide’s most popular station for the full week by 0.2% share – with 13.3% compared to FiveAA’s 13.1%. Read more »
Melbourne radio ratings: 3AW grows more dominant
Melbourne’s most popular radio station 3AW increased its share of listeners in the latest round of ratings from Nielsen.
The station piled on more listeners than any of its rivals, up two percentage points to 14.8% share, between January and March.
ARN’s Mix101.1 was the biggest faller, down from 7.3% to 5.7% share. Mix’s heavily promoted all-female breakfast show with Jane Hall and Chrissie Swan fell back slightly, down by less than on percentage point in the crucial 5.30am to 9am breakfast slot.
Sandilands breached radio code, rules media watchdog
Australia’s media watchdog has ruled that 2Day FM’s Kyle Sandilands breached the radio code of practice when he labelled News Limited journalist Alison Stephenson “a piece of shit” over her coverage of his widely panned television show. The Australian Communications and Media Authority said he breached clause 1.3a of the code, which covers standards of decency.
The attack on Stephenson came on November 22. Sandilands launched into the attack shortly after going to air.
Talking about the TV show, which it emerged a couple of hours later had suffered disastrous ratings, Sandilands told listeners:
“Some fat slag on news.com.au has already branded it a disaster. You can tell by reading the article that she just hates us and has always hated us. What a fat bitter thing you are. You’re deputy editor of an online thing. You’ve got a nothing job anyway. You’re a piece of shit.
“This low thing, Alison Stephenson, deputy editor of news.com.au online. You’re supposed to be impartial, you little troll. You’re a bullshit artist, girl. You should be fired from your job. Your hair’s very 90s. And your blouse. You haven’t got that much titty to be having that low cut a blouse. Watch your mouth or I’ll hunt you down.”
Sandilands’ comments sparked a furore, with a string of sponsors and advertisers withdrawing from the show and from parent company Southern Cross Austereo.
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