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Opinion | Features
Disclosure in Social Media: How transparent should bloggers be?
In this guest post, blogger and digital creative Laura McWhinnie argues for more disclosure in the bloggersphere.
The bloggersphere has always been a bit like the Wild West. Bloggers could post about products to their heart’s content without having to disclose their relationship with the brand. This meant that consumers had no idea who was behind the marketing messages influencing their purchasing decisions. But in 2009 that all changed
Liars, cheats and thieves
Is our industry full of cheats and liars or do people of honour who stand by their word still exist in business? In an article that first appeared in Encore, Cameron Boon investigates. The recent court case involving Paul Fishlock suing his former employer The Campaign Palace brought into focus more than just the struggle of one man. It highlighted that there are some in adland whose word cannot always be relied upon.
Q&A with Adshel's Rob Atkinson
Online trading is the next big thing says Rob Atkinson in a piece that first appeared in Encore. Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Harold Mitchell because of his influence and the footprint he has left. He’s built a huge brand in Mitchells, offloaded it into Aegis, Aegis has obviously done extremely well to be then sold on to Dentsu. So if you think about it, he is very much a father figure of the industry.
Making it overseas
Is the best way of being successful in Australia not be here at all? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Lee Zachariah speaks to Aussies making it big abroad.I always wanted to work in New York,” says Julian Cole. “I thought it was the number one place to work in advertising; a lot of the best campaigns were coming out of there. So I moved over and was lucky enough to have a couple of interviews in the first couple of weeks.”
Cole’s story is indicative of the somewhat contentious idea that the best way to be successful in Australia is to not be in Australia any more.
Got a book in you?
From journos to ad execs and PRs, these days everyone seems to have a book in them. But what does it take to get published and will you actually make any money? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Brooke Hemphill finds out.Attention wannabe authors. Forget big fat advance cheques and living off royalties. The reality of having a book published today is another story altogether. There are only two reasons you should even consider sitting down at your computer to bash out a manuscript – passion or profile.
Savage counsel
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly advice column.Hi Chris,
My clients seem to be demanding more and more from us. At the same time, it seems many of the younger people in our industry simply don’t have the client servicing skills my generation grew up with. How do we instill in our executives some of the good old-fashioned behaviours that would keep a client happy and loyal?
Fake it til' you make it... as an ad agency receptionist
From dressing the part to playing the gatekeeper, Leo Burnett Sydney’s Susie Henry tells us how to make it as the face of adland in a piece that first appeared in Encore.What does a receptionist in an ad agency actually do?
Well, there’s the frantic every-day, all-day stuff of deliveries, courier bookings, doing expenses for directors – always challenging – plus arranging all the travel. But one of my main jobs is counselling the account service people. I also keep up with all sports information to discuss with our sports-loving clients – because who wants to be bored while they’re waiting? And I know how they like their coffee. You need to know everyone – from accounting to HR. I’m also the go-to for all catering and sending flowers.
Whose views skew the news? Media chiefs ready to vote out Labor, while reporters lean left
Most journalists lean left-of-centre, says Folker Hanusch of the University of the Sunshine Coast, in a post first published on The Conversation.Most Australian journalists describe themselves as left-wing, yet amongst those who wield the real power in the country’s newsrooms, the Coalition holds a winning lead.
But while the media’s political leanings will no doubt be debated in the lead-up to September’s federal election, our study has also found other largely unscrutinised biases remain – particularly whose views disproportionately shape the news.
It's time for a new New Wave in the film world
Government funding bodies are lazy and decadent, says industry veteran Michael Thornhill but in a piece that first appeared in Encore, Ed Gibbs begs to differ.I vividly remember the time I first saw Animal Kingdom, David Michod’s breathtaking labour-of-love feature debut. The press screening was half empty, despite the film winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance just months earlier, in 2010. Yet its superb performances, stylistic flourishes and overall polish left me speechless. Could this really be a feature debut, an Australian one at that, I wondered, almost out loud? It seemed too good to be true.
Going cold turkey on an agency addiction
Life is sweet for freelance writer Max Kitchen, but in a feature that first appeared in Encore, he admits his struggle against returning to the agency fold.I’ve never taken heroin. But I suspect if I had, the temptation to try it again would not be too dissimilar to the lure of returning to agency life.
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.
Clems and M&C lead in good year for Australia at Caples
It has been a good year for Australian agencies at the John Caples International Awards, which recognise direct and digital marketing.
There were 25 winners from 137 entries – Australia’s best ever conversion – with M&C Saatchi and Clemenger Proximity Melbourne securing three golds between them at the event in New York.
Vodafone webisodes drive Australian GP sponsorship
In the lead up to this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Vodafone has launched a series of webisodes to support its sponsorship of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team.
The series, devised by Host and created by The Jamboree, follows the fortunes of Ben ‘Kelso’ Kelly, an ordinary guy who is discovered via a recruitment drive in Victoria to be Vodafone’s ‘third driver’.
The first webisode tells the story of the search for a driver to go head to head with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 driver Jenson Button and Craig Lowndes, the V8 TeamVodafone driver, at Bathurst.
Mumbrellacast: Media manifesto; Fairfax shake-up; Earth Hour; Lifting content; George Negus; Winners and Losers; KFC
- PHD’s Chris Stephenson on learning from losing the Unilever pitch, and being at the centre of an online backlash
- Mumbrella360 and a new media manifesto
- The Fairfax shake-up
- Earth Hour’s local ad – does comedy work?
- Lifting content: A Current Affair vs Today Tonight
- Ten moves George Negus to 6:30
- Will Seven’s Winners and Losers be Australia’s Sex And The City?
- Nine’s Million Dollar Flop
- KFC’s snack attack
(42m58s)
Featuring Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes, PHD strategy director Chris Stephenson and Mumbrella deputy editor Robin Hicks. Read more »
PHD’s Andy Littlewood switches to Mediacom
Mediacom has hired PHD’s Andy Littlewood as its chief data and ROI officer.
Littlewood was PHD’s director of analytics and direct since 2008. Prior to that he worked at Aegis before starting his media agency career with a three year stint at Mediacom in the UK.
Littlewood will lead a team of 30 focusing on direct response, analytics, data and econometric modelling. Read more »
Million Dollar Drop’s emergency episode fails to pull back the ratings
Nine’s last minute move of running a second episode of Million Dollar Drop on Thursday night failed to pay off, with the show attracting a four city audience (excluding Melbourne which carried CSI) of 493,000.
In what had been described as a crisis move, Nine replaced its scheduled episode of CSI with Million Dollar Drop in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide following the show rating poorly on Monday. Last week CSI rated a four city audience of 557,000 in the same timeslot, according to OzTam. The drop amounted to about an 11% fall on last week. Read more »
Australia up for metal in Asian effectiveness awards
Australian agencies have shown a fairly determined effort to bring home some metal from the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards in Shanghai this year, with 53 entries in the running out of a total of 858.
Australia has entered the fifth highest number of awards; Singapore and India entered the most, both with 171 entries. Agencies from New Zealand submitted 11.
BMF technical director Andy Smith resigns
Andy Smith, the technical director of BMF Sydney, has resigned after 16 months with the agency, managing director Martin Rippon has confirmed.
Smith is set to leave the agency in April.
The technical director role was a new position created to upgrade BMF’s digital capabilities. Smith worked alongside digital planning director Aaron Michie, and creative director Fred Haas.
Robbie Williams and Jamie Oliver star in Nikon ‘I am’ campaign
A brand campaign for Nikon has launched to promote the Japanese camera maker’s full product range. The TV spot, created by German agency Jung von Matt and adapted locally by Sydney-based Studio Woo, stars Robbie Williams, Jamie Oliver and photographer Vincent Munier.
Volunteers sought to prepare media manifesto project
Representatives from Australia’s media agencies and media owners are being asked to join a working group to do the groundwork for a new manifesto for the media industry to be thrashed out at Mumbrella360.
The next two months will see the working group create a list of key articles to be discussed and agreed at Mumbrella360 which takes place in Sydney on June 7 and 8.
The Mumbrella360 session – titled Establishing a change manifesto for Australia’s media industry – is being curated by media agency PHD after it was voted for by Mumbrella readers.
PHD strategy director Chris Stephenson explains the vision for the manifesto:
Fairfax hires real estate director Craig Frost, Metro Media hires ex-ACP’s Darren Anderson
Fairfax Media’s Marketplaces division has created a new role – real estate director – Domain, Melbourne – following the integration of Fairfax’s Melbourne real estate advertising businesses.
The role has been filled by Craig Frost, who returns to Fairfax after 18 months at APN where he was general manager in Coffs Harbour, managing The Coast Advocate and The Woolgoolga Advertiser.
He will report to general Manager – key categories, Tony Blamey, and starts on April 18.
McCann unveils ‘This is me’ spot for Metro Trains
Metro Trains has launched a new brand campaign that portrays its everyday customers – in this instance an elderly Bulldogs fan – as the life and soul of Melbourne’s transport system.
The campaign, the first brand effort for Metro Trains since it took over from previous operator Connex, was created by McCann Melbourne.
Mumbo Report: Director Tim Bullock
In this episode of The Mumbo Report from Studio 33, director Tim Bullock talks about:
- The transition from suit to creative;
- Using Tropfest as a route into directing commercials;
- His work including Kia’s “The Message”, that Libra ad, the award winning Toyota “soft stuff” spot and Sky Sports’ match fit drill sergeant.
- The likelihood of a second series of adland comedy 30 Seconds.
Worrying Wednesday for Big Bang Theory
Nine’s The Big Bang Theory, which was looking like a viable replacement for Two And A Half Men, is showing worrying signs of decline, slipping further beneath the psychologically important million-mark last night.
According to preliminary overnight metro ratings from OzTam, the US sitcom dropped to 0.883m viewers, down from 1m+ just a fortnight ago, and out of the top ten most-watched shows.
Not for the first time, not a single Nine or Ten show recorded more than 1m viewers. Ten’s The Biggest Loser was closest, with 0.978m, and squeezed into the top five.
Ten moves George Negus to 6.30pm and goes for 90 minute 5pm bulletin
Ten has shaken up its new early evening news schedule after less than two months. However, it is sticking with its two-and-a-half-hour sweep of news and current affairs.
Now instead of Ten News at Five running for an hour before George Negus at 6pm and a separate bulletin at 6.30, News at Five will run for 90 minutes before George Negus at 6.30pm. The 7PM Project won’t be affected.
The move by Ten is contrary to rumours this week the the network was about to halve its commitment to early evening news.
The existing state-based News at Five presenters will continue to present, while the 6.30 bulletin presentation team will now move onto the general roster including the late news. There will be no job losses.
According to this morning’s announcement from Ten about the moving of 6PM With George Negus: “This change in Ten’s early evening schedule is in response to audience feedback, which has been strongly supportive of the program as a unique, credible commercial television offering, yet has revealed a preference for it to be scheduled in the more traditional public affairs timeslot.” Read more »
Tourism Australia media tender reaches final stage
Final stage presentations for the Tourism Australia media review are taking place in Sydney this week, the tourism body has confirmed.
MediaCom, OMD and incumbent Carat are in the running for the three-year contract, one of the country’s largest media budgets, worth $180m.
A recommendation on the preferred tenderer is expected to be made to the board and the tourism minister May 2.
The tender was announced in December last year.
Naked completes long awaited launch in Singapore
Naked Communications has officially completed its long awaited launch in Singapore, which will serve as the strategy agency’s Southeast Asian hub.
The agency will be run by Imogen Hewitt, who relocates from Australia where she was commercial director of Naked Sydney and Melbourne, and Richard Leong (pictured, left), a highly-regarded strategist who joins from Lowe, where he was regional head of communications strategy.
The two managing partners will report into Naked’s Australian and New Zealand management team of Mike Wilson, Adam Ferrier and Phil Hayden.
Unilever shifts Continental brand from DDB to Lowe
Unilever has shifted advertising duties for its Continental brand from DDB to Lowe as part of a regional realignment of Knorr, the global brand name for Continental.
The move brings to an end an eight-year relationship between Continental and DDB.
Fairfax bosses join Mumbrella360 lineup to debate the death of newspapers
Four of Fairfax Media’s most senior personnel are to come out fighting on behalf of newspapers in a session at June’s Mumbrella360 conference.
Jack Matthews – newly appointed as CEO of the new Metro Media business unit of Fairax; Paul Ramadge, editor-in-chief of The Age; Mike Van Niekerk, the digital editor-in-chief of Fairfax Media and senior writer David Marr will take part in the panel.
The session – entitled Newspapers are dying: Just another old chestnut – was proposed by Fairfax as a curated session and voted for by Mumbrella readers. The session is curated by Fairfax’s director of trade marketing and insights Liz Ross.
Mumbrella360 takes place on June 7 and 8 at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney.
After debating the issues including the move of classified ads to online, the decline in print circulation and the rise of multi-platform brands, the session will culminate in the audience being asked to vote on whether they believe newspapers are indeed dying. Read more »
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