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Opinion | Features
How bosses can build trust by baring themselves to staff
In this guest post, Simon Rutherford, CEO of Slingshot Media, argues that bosses should be vulnerable in front of their staff.
Winston Churchill once said: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
Fake it til you make it...as a radio newsreader
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Emily Hoskins from ARN tells us how to do her job.
What does a radio newsreader actually do?
A radio newsreader has to be switched on from the moment they sit at their desk. At the Australian Radio Network each journalist writes, researches, edits and reads their own news bulletins under tight deadlines – every 30 minutes during the breakfast shift and every hour after 9am.
Keith Reinhard on freedom to fail, winning back Maccas and how agencies can survive
In an exclusive interview in Cannes today, advertising icon Keith Reinhard, one of the founding fathers of what is now DDB Worldwide, talked to Mumbrella’s Robin Hicks about freedom from fear, his favourite ads of all time, winning back McDonald’s and why the most important thing in advertising is passion.Savage counsel - little white lies
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas. This week, he talks about when it’s okay to lie to clients.
Hi Chris,
I often find myself telling little white lies at work – I tell people on the phone that I don’t want to speak to I’m about to duck into meetings. I told my colleague her new haircut was great when really it wasn’t and I praised someone’s work when actually it was kind of shit. After each of these occasions, I felt pretty terrible and wonder if you could tell me how can I speak with candour in the future – for my sake and others.
How to build a culture
How important is a company’s culture and how do you ensure you are breeding a good one? Matt Smith investigates, in a piece that first appeared in Encore.When production companies Cordell Jigsaw and Zapruder’s Other Films merged early last year, bringing the staff together within the walls of the Zapruder building proved to be something of a challenge. While the two companies weren’t strangers to each other due to six months of talks and negotiations, working together on a full-time basis was a different story.
Q&A Damian Keogh
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Val Morgan CEO Damian Keogh reveals his potential alternate career.
Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
I’d say Kerry Stokes, slightly ahead of Harold Mitchell and Kim Williams. He controls the entity with the largest revenue across free-to-air, online, magazines and newspapers. On pure size alone, his influence and leverage over advertisers, media agencies and consumers is unmatched. Harold is still the king in media, slightly ahead of John Steedman, but Henry Tajer and Leigh Terry are the heirs apparent. Kim Williams controls News and that’s a big base to work from.
If a violent game is okay, then so is using a violent ad to promote it
An ad for video game Dead Island Riptide was banned by the ad watchdog. James Whitehead of online entertainment publisher IGN argues that it was the wrong call.A fortnight ago, it emerged that the Ad Standards Board had banned a television commercial for the video game Dead Island: Riptide, due to its depiction of violence – specifically suicide.
Why content makers are leaving our shores
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Craig Anderson says there simply isn’t enough opportunity for content makers in Australia, especially for those making comedy.Last year I had multiple meetings with production companies in Australia and discovered that apart from the odd commercial campaign, there’s no proliferation of paying platforms for comedy. From my own experience there’s iView, which will buy content once it’s already been made (though I live in hope that it will one day be granted the financial power to commission content). I’ve also had the odd informal commission from the SMH iPad consisting of two narrative series and a comical review show. But none of these endeavours were financially viable.
Managing your management style
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Stephanie Brown says the advertising industry often leaves people ill-equipped when it comes to managing staff, especially when they’re promoted into management roles.Managing people is hard. In fact, I actually think it’s the hardest job in the world. With no disrespect intended, I often joke that if my job didn’t involve other people to manage, it would be a walk in the park. I could get about my day’s work in a nice, linear fashion, happily checking off my to-do list as I go. I’m a process-orientated person. I get a kick out of getting things done.
Why the Facebook chase is making brands treat consumers like morons
You know how we look back at quaintly patronising ads from the 1950s and wonder what on earth the advertisers were thinking?
I’ve got a feeling that in a few years time, we’ll be looking at the behaviour of big brands on Facebook the same way.
An entire generation of marketers – or at least a sizeable proportion of them – have lost their minds.
So many have become so obsessed with generating user interactions at all costs, that all thoughts about overall brand perceptions or long term marketing goals have vanished. All that counts now, is generating likes and comments at all costs.
Blog this!
Paid content, sponsored posts and brand ambassadorships – in theory, today’s blogger can be just as valuable to brands as mainstream media. But does blogger outreach actually work? In an article that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.“I get approaches from PR companies constantly,” says blogger and author Kerri Sackville, with more than a hint of exasperation. “I have never done a sponsored blog, on my own site, but that doesn’t stop them from asking.”
McLennan right man for job
It’s all change at troubled broadcaster Channel Ten with new directions, new executives and a brand new CEO. Managing director of Adstream Peter Miller says Hamish McLennan is the right man for the job, in an article that first appeared in Encore.I am a bit of a schmuck when it comes to movies. I love romantic comedies. My favourite is One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney.
Q&A with Richard Herring
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, CEO of APN Outdoor Richard Herring talks media.Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
I don’t know if there is one person in particular. The fragmentation of traditional media and new entrants has made it a more level playing field with regards to major influencers. As was demonstrated with the recent media reform recommendations, together, the broader media community still has a very influential and powerful voice.
What one medium could you not live without?
Outdoor – clean, entertaining, evocative and informative.
Q&A with screenwriter Craig Pearce
Craig Pearce, screenwriter for The Great Gatsby, spoke to Encore about working with Baz and writing for 3D.
How did you get into script writing?
I always loved stories and acting and dressing up and being anything but myself and I never realised that was not something other people did. After leaving high school, I did a three year acting course at NIDA but always thought I would one day write. Baz was a good friend and he had a theatre company. He wanted to extend a 20 minute version of Strictly Ballroom. We got it to 45 minutes then he was approached by producers to turn it into a feature film. I started helping him out on the film while they were looking for a real writer but eventually Baz had to go to the producers and say, “There’s this guy who’s my best friend and he is a really good writer”. To the producers’ credit, they believed in Baz so we had two weeks to re-write it.
Savage Counsel - winning pitches
Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly Encore advice column.
Hi Chris,
It seems we have to increasingly pitch for everything. Even with existing clients, we’re now expected to pitch ideas, competitively, for every project. We’re winning about two out of five of what we’re pitching for. It’s a huge burden on our time and budgets. What is your secret to winning a pitch presentation? How do we make sure our presentations are a knockout?
Mumbo Report: Bruce Heald on why sound design matters in advertising
In this episode of The Mumbo Report, Noise International’s Creative Director, Bruce Heald, talks about:
- The importance of sound in advertising;
- How music and sound design can dramatically change a piece of vision;
- Noise International’s challenge to agencies
Telstra’s Mark Buckman, Harold Mitchell, Nine MSN’s Joe Pollard and Comms Council chairman Anthony Freedman join Mumbrella360 lineup
Four of the most influential people in Australia’s media and marketing industry are to take to the stage for the final session of next month’s Mumbrella360 conference.
The two day event will culminate with a keynote Mumbrella Question Time in which the panel of four takes questions from the audience.
Mark Buckman, the new chief marketing officer for Telstra, will make one of his first public appearances since moving to the telco giant from the same role at Commonwealth Bank.
Buckman is arguably best known for championing the importance of marketers being brave in their advertising strategies.
Also on the panel will be Anthony Freedman, chairman of The Communications Council, which is the voice of Australia’s ad agencies.
Freedman is also CEO and founder of independent ad agency Host, which has just celebrated its tenth anniversary, and PR agency One Green Bean.
Another member of the panel is Harold Mitchell, executive chairman of Aegis Media Group Australia and New Zealand and founder of Mitchell & Partners, which is the only Australian media agency with billings of more than $1bn.
Mitchell was one of the pioneeers of standalone media agencies in Australia.
And the panel is completed by Joe Pollard, CEO of NineMSN. Nine MSN, a joint venture with Microsoft, is the digital voice of the Nine Entertainment Co which includes the Nine network and ACP Magazines. Pollard’s career has included JWT and Mindshare and global director of media at Nike.
Tickets for Mumbrella360 – and the full programme – are available at the Mumbrella360 website.
Big debut for Chris Lilley’s Angry Boys but AGT wins
Chris Lilley’s Angry Boys made a strong debut on ABC1 with an average audience of 1.369m viewers on Wednesday night.
But the biggest show was Seven’s Australia’s Got Talent which rated 1.514m, just ahead of Ten’s Masterchef which rated 1.442m.
It was another bad night for Nine in what was one of the most competitive nights of the ratings year to date. Nine News (1.155m) was the network’s only show to bring in an audience of more than 900,000, according to preliminary overnight metro ratings from OzTam. Read more »
Hearings on outdoor media reach final stage
The final hearing of a parliamentary inquiry into outdoor media takes place tomorrow. The government will square up to the alcohol and foods industries to gauge whether the self-regulation of outdoor advertising is keeping up with community standards.
Grolsch graffitis Melbourne tram and Sydney bus
Pacific Beverages has commissioned local street artists to graffiti a Melbourne tram and a Sydney bus as part of a campaign by Pacific Beverages to push the ‘creative, characterful’ credentials of its Dutch beer brand Grolsch.
The artists were given complete creative freedom – as long as the piece was Grolsch-inspired – with only the silouette of beer’s trademark swing-top bottle standing out.
Pacific Beverages worked with Melbourne agency Hunter on the campaign.
Sam Thompson quits DMG, replaced by Austereo’s Helen Davies
Sam Thompson, general manger of DMG Radio Australia, has resigned as the Melbourne general manager for Nova 100 and Classic Rock 91.5FM.
Thompson said: “Six years is a long time in the one role. It’s now time to explore fresh challenges and for new opportunities.”
She will be replaced by Helen Davies, who is currently director of entertainment content solutions at Austereo.
Lexus creates iPhone app for CT 200h launch
The White Agency and Webling Interactive have created an iPhone application for client Lexus, which gives players the chance to win a new Lexus CT 200h hybrid hatch-back.
Australia’s Got Talent beats Masterchef
Australia’s Got Talent on Seven raced past Masterchef last night although Ten was not helped by transmission problems that also hit sister digital channel Eleven. Read more »
Scented advertising company launches Just Be Magazine
The first printed edition of beauty and fashion title Just Be goes on sale today, published by scented advertising company Reed Pacific Media.
The first edition of the quarterly contains 85 pages, with 115 pages planned for the next issue. On the outside back cover is an ad for online fragrance retailer Bonza Spice, which smells of roses.
There will be a maximum of three scented ads per issue. “Any more would confuse the nose,” said Doug McNamee, Reed Pacific Media’s retail manager.
Mumbo Report: Hayley Lewis’ headache cure; cocky Kenwood; KFC goes fancy; Sam Kekovich Jnr; another Target ad
In this episode of The Mumbo Report:
- Hayley Lewis helps you cure your headache; Kenwood gets cocky over a hand mixer; KFC pretends to be gourmet; Sam Kekovich goes back to school and the Red Circle Boutique’s $99 leather jackets in the top five countdown of last week’s most played prime time ads. Read more »
Mojo, Burnett Sydney and Parallax Design fly Aussie flag at Art Directors Club
At the 90th annual Art Directors Club, Australia winners were few and far between at a ceremony dominated by American agencies.
Publicis Mojo picked up a silver in the broadcast craft category for ‘Ride’ for Coca-Cola’s energy drink Burn.
Burn Energy Drink :: Ride :: feat Steve Berra (OFFICIAL HD) from Burn on Vimeo.
And Adelaide brand design agency Parallax Design also won a silver for Antipodean Vintners in the package design category.
As founder Russell Tate retires, STW looks ahead to ‘challenging’ year end
As Russell Tate called time on his stint on the board of STW Group at an annual general meeting yesterday, the marketing communications group signaled its intention to keep profits high, grow digital revenue and expand by acquisition.
STW’s chief executive Mike Connaghan (pictured) told Mumbrella that the company’s predictions made in February that net profit margins for 2011 would be 5-10% higher than in 2010 were on track, but admitted that this would be “challenging” to sustain.
In the AGM report, the Queensland floods, the earthquake in Christchurch, events in Japan and subdued consumer sentiment in Australia and New Zealand were identified as obstacles to STW hitting its targets.
Mark Pollard moves to global planning role at Saatchi & Saatchi
Former McCann Sydney planning director Mark Pollard is to become global planning director for Lenovo at Saatchi & Saatchi NY.
Mumbrella reported Pollard’s departure from McCann in March but at that stage he was unable to say where he was headed.
But he has revealed on his blog: “I’ll be joining Saatchi & Saatchi NY in 2 weeks as SVP, Global Planning Director on Lenovo and also applying digital thinking across the agency’s clients.” Read more »
Droga5′s Sudeep Gohil appointed APG chair
Account Planning Group Australia has nominated Droga5′s executive planning director Sudeep Gohil as chairman for 2011/2012.
He replaces Jeremy Nicholas, chief executive of BMF, who has stepped down after a three-year stint.
Fairfax and newsagents agree terms over TV guide distribution
After a fortnight of ructions over the soon-to-launch merged television supplement of the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun-Herald, Fairfax and the Newsagents Association of NSW and ACT have reached an agreement over its distribution.
The Guide will be inserted into the Sun-Herald, and will be optional for Sydney Morning Herald customers on Monday.
Fairfax Media’s director of marketing and newspaper sales, Robert Whitehead, told Mumbrella: “We have decided to launch with the optional section being available on Mondays only. It’s a logical step and we were pleased with the feedback we have received. It will be Australia’s first large-scale opt-in section which builds on our experience with The Form racing liftout.”
Droga5 to ‘reinvent’ digital offering following Brett Mitchell’s move to Pollen
Brett Mitchell, director of digital at Droga5, is leaving the agency to join Pollen Digital, a move that has prompted Droga5 to ‘reinvent’ its digital offering.
Sudeep Gohil, executive planning director/partner at Droga5, told Mumbrella: “Brett’s departure has given us the opportunity to look at how we actually staff for digital solutions, so rather than simply replace him we have sought to reinvent our digital department.”
Recent digital hires at Droga5 include Andrew Knott from Holler – as a creative technologist – and integrated producer Ryan Chong, who joined from W+K London this week.
The restructure, which is still being worked on internally, will see digital placed “at the heart of the agency”, and the notion of a digital department removed, Gohil explained.
Bell Direct uses testimonials for client acquisition push
An image-free ad made entirely from client testimonials is the creative idea behind the latest campaign for Bell Direct, the online stockbroking firm. Created by BMA with media by MPG and Media Contacts, the ad targets frequent traders and active investors.
Balloon goes up on media group buying site LilBirdie
Lil Birdie founders Levy and Tannous
Media group buying site Lil Birdie has today launched its first offer – a deal for brands to sponsor hot air balloons.
The deal is with Picture This Ballooning which runs trips in Victoria, including over Melbourne.
The deal is priced at $9,950, which is a 50% discount on ratecard.
As Mumbrella reported in February, the founders of Lil Birdie say that their model is not based on offering distress media inventory.
The next offer – to launch later this week – will be for what Lil Birdie describes “a media option that’s available in shopping centres in key metro locations”.
Lil Birdie has been co-founded by former AdNews editor Samantha Tannous and Jonathan Levy, boss of brand experience monitoring agency Bravo. Read more »
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