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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.
Second Gina Rinehart mini-series in development
Channel Nine has commissioned a production based on the bitter family fed between billionaire Gina Rinehart and three of her children with the working title Mother Monster Magnate.
The announcement comes a week after it emerged that Screentime was working on a version of the Rinehart story.
A Nine spokeswoman told Mumbrella the production would be a two part mini-series totalling four hours.
Read more »
Michael Christian back on air on Today Network
Royal prank radio presenter Michael Christian quietly went back on air this morning.
The Today Network’s Melbourne station Fox FM put Christian into the late morning shift.
However unlike other timeslots, the station’s website only describes the show as “Hit music!” and does not identify the presenter.
During on-air links listened to by Mumbrella this morning, the presenter did not identify himself to listeners. Read more »
Grattan promises to bridge academia and journalism
Grattan at a press conference announcing her departure from The Age last week.
Veteran political reporter Michelle Grattan has started her new role with The Conversation taking up a “cubbyhole” in the offices of Keating Media in the Press Gallery.
This morning, Grattan told Mumbrella she was enjoying the move. Read more »
TV ratings kicks off with Seven taking the night
The opening of the official 2013 TV ratings year on Sunday was a tight battle, but Seven won the night.
Ten began the year with a better showing than recent days with MasterChef: The Professionals climbing back over the one million viewer mark, and Elementary (944,000 viewers) and Modern Family (922,000) taking eighth, nine and tenth spots respectively.
Kate Ritchie to make guest return to Home And Away
Kate Ritchie is to make a brief return to Seven’s Home And Away after a five year break, the network has announced.
Ritchie, who played Sally Fletcher from the age of eight, said in the announcement: “There will be a wonderful sense of familiarity stepping back into Sally’s shoes for a while. Summer Bay is a very different place these days and I am looking forward to working with all the fresh faces.”
The show is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Ritchie will start filming her role shortly, with the story rolling out over a number of months. Read more »
Cricket Australia PR manager Rebecca Appleton moves on
The PR manager at Cricket Australia has called time on a five-and-a-half year stint with the sporting industry body to join Treasury Wine Estates.
Rebecca Appleton, who joined CA in 2006, starts as global PR manager for the wine-maker’s Wolf Blass Business unit today.
Cricket Australia is currently looking for a replacement. Read more »
Guardian hires Fairfax Canberra duo
On the same day The Age’s former political editor Michelle Grattan starts her new role at The Conversation, the newspaper’s national affairs correspondent Katharine Murphy and sister paper The Sydney Morning Herald’s Lenore Taylor are quitting the Fairfax titles for The Guardian’s Australian launch, the Australian has reported. Read more »
Magazine body relaunches with focus on ‘lust’, ‘want’ and ‘desire’
The relaunched Magazine Publishers of Australia – which represents the country’s largest glossy magazine publishers – has launched its first marketing campaign under new boss Robin Parkes.
The relaunch includes a new slogan: “Magazines Move Me”, along with an updated website developed by Apparent.
The campaign – created in-house by Bauer Media’s creative director - advertising, Carolyn Innis – includes ads on the themes of “lust”, “want” and “desire”.
West End Draught tries to redraw the Victoria-South Australia border
South Australian beer West End Draught has launched a campaign to take back land which ended up Victorian after a mapping error 160 years ago.
“The Reclaim” sees the beer call on historian Bob Dunn to tell the story of the 1850 blunder and subsequent legal dispute. Read more »
Sphere Agency’s Cup of Nations anthem to be performed to estimated TV audience of 700m
A song written by Melbourne’s The Sphere Agency is to be performed in front of a global television audience of an estimated 700m people at the closing ceremony of soccer tournament the Africa Cup of Nations.
Yvonne Chaka Chaka rehearses The Sphere Agency’s ‘Hearts on Fire’
The song, which was originally written for Sphere’s former client Nando’s, is to be sung by African star Yvonne Chaka Chaka. Read more »
Church of Scientology ‘flattered’ by approaches from Australian PR and marketing firms
Coming to Australia: Scientology’s Super Bowl ad
The Church of Scientology has said it has received a number of solicitations from marketing and PR firms in Australia seeking their business.
Yesterday, the Church of Scientology revealed plans to improve its image and tackle what it called “misconceptions” about its brand in Australia, which it says has prompted the advances from agencies. Read more »
Melbourne scientists acquire Cosmos Magazine
The ownership of popular science magazine Cosmos has changed hands, with Luna Media selling the print, online and iPad brand to a couple of Melbourne scientists.
Dr Alan Finkel and his wife Dr Elizabeth Finkel, a science writer, have acquired the nine-year old title in a move that will see the publisher’s advertising and editorial teams move from Sydney to Melbourne. Read more »
Volvo ends ties with agency Sapient Nitro, appoints Arnold Furnace
Volvo has parted ways with ad agency Sapient Nitro, with the car maker moving its advertising business to Arnold Furnace.
The Arnold network handles Volvo in a number of markets globally.
An announcement from Sapient Nitro reads: Read more »
Melbourne’s radio revenue again ahead of Sydney but overall down
Radio revenue dropped across the country in January compared to last year, but the notable feature was that Melbourne only recorded a slight dip to again reap more than Sydney.
It was the second month in a row this has happened, according to figures released by Commercial Radio Australia.
Negative noise has side effect of fuelling public interest, says Cricket Australia marketing boss
“It’s not always such a bad thing to get negative press.”
The publicity around sports scandals can actually help sporting codes get better rights deals with broadcasters because they generate interest, the man in charge of marketing for Cricket Australia believes.
Speaking at last night’s Meet the Marketers event organised in Melbourne by Mumbrella, Ben Amarfio – executive GM of marketing, digital and communications for Cricket Australia – said that sometimes it was possible to be too concerned about negative publicity.
He said: “In the last 12 months, the NRL has had players assault women, players assault policemen, they’ve had drug, corruption and match fixing issues – the list goes on and on. And yet they’ve just signed a TV deal for over $1bn, which is almost 50% bigger than their last TV deal.”
Social media news sharing traffic halves in January
It wasn’t just newspapers that were light on news over January with social media sharing on news websites falling significantly last month.
According to the Queensland University of Technology’s Centre for Creative Industries and Innovation, news sharing on social media sites like Twitter fell by half in the early weeks of January.
Associate Professor Axel Bruns said this result was not surprising with the number of tweets captured by the study falling to 122,000 in the early part of the month. This is down from more than 240,000 in December.
Kate McClymont to keynote Press Freedom dinner
Leading investigative journalist, Kate McClymont is the keynote speaker for the Walkey Foundation’s annual Press Freedom dinner.
The annual event, hosted by the Walkley foundation, brings together leading media figures in support of press freedom and to fundraise for journalists and media working in dangerous areas of the Asia-Pacific region.
2012 was one of the bloodiest on record with attacks on journalists increasingly significantly.
A total of 121 journalists and media workers were killed in targeted attacks and cross-fire incidents. In the Asia-Pacific, 30 media workers were killed as a result of terrorist attacks, targeted murder or insurgency.
Seven well ahead for the week with official ratings to kick off on Sunday
The Seven Network is well ahead in the last week of the non-ratings period and is in an unassailable position to win it in the five capital cities with a progressive Sunday to Thursday audience share of 27.9%.
But Ten is set to run fourth at 11.6%, with ABC1 ahead of it on 12.4%, while Nine is on a modest 20.9%, considering it had high hopes for The Block: All Stars which has failed to crack the one million mark all week according to OzTAM figures.
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