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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.
Triumph claims Australian Facebook first with ‘buddy up’ campaign
Brisbane agency BCM is claiming an Australian first by pairing up women for a keep-fit regime on Facebook for sports bra brand Triumph Triaction.
The Facebook page will serve as a match-making service for women looking for a fitness buddy in their area.
Search marketing and an e-newsletter are being used to drive traffic to the page.
Beer ads win round four of Sirens
Two creatives from Clemenger BBDO Melbourne have won the campaign and overall categories for round four of the 2012 Sirens Awards, the radio awards run by Commercial Radio Australia.
Richard Williams and Ant Phillips won for their work on Foster’s Carlton Mid beer campaign, “Spending too much time with the Wife?”.
Sacked AFR boss sues Fairfax
Former AFR boss Michael Gill has taken legal action over his dismissal from Fairfax Media, reports today’s The Australian.
The company got rid of Gill in March last year, replacing him with Brett Clegg.
Days before his departure, Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes put the rumour to Gill who described it as “nonsense” at the time.
Hi Life Health & Beauty retracts ‘misleading’ anti-ageing ad
Cosmetics brand Hi Life Health & Beauty has published a groveling retraction in a newspaper following a campaign for skincare product that was found to make misleading claims.
The campaign for Stem Cell Therapy claimed that the product contained ingredients that could effect human skin cells and reduce wrinkles. However, Therapeutic Products Advertising Complaints body ruled that the ad was misleading.
The half-page retraction, which was printed in the The Sun-Herald yesterday, begins:
An advertisement for “Stem Cell Therapy”, which we published in this newspaper, should not have been published.
Mix 106.5′s Claire Hooper and Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross on isolation, ratings and elitist radio
Claire Hooper and former Nova presenter Tim “Rosso” Ross, the new breakfast team on Sydney station Mix 106.5 talk to Mumbrella’s Colin Delaney about:
- The new partnership;
- Why Rosso no longer feels isolated by breakfast radio;
- The great child giveaway;
- Why the best way to find out if you’ve gone too far is reading about it in The Daily Telegraph;
- 2CH’s Bob Rogers – living radio legend;
- The ABC’s Triple J: “repetitive and wanky”?
- Cooking on the radio
- How to orchestrate a massive ratings drop
Sophie Falkiner fronts new campaign for MeadowLea
TV presenter Sophie Falkiner is fronting a new campaign for MeadowLea.
The campaign encourages families to swap their butter for MeadowLea, which the brand claims will save each family member 2.5kg of saturated fat a year.
Called the Plant Seed Promise, participating families will help MeadowLea build gardens in children’s hospitals.
The first garden, at St George Hospital in New South Wales, will be opened by Falkiner and dietitian Karen Kingham in February.
‘Foxtel could try to buy Ten’
Foxtel could bid for Ten if the subscription TV platform’s merger with Austar is turned down, a media analyst has predicted.
Writing in today’s Australian Financial Review, Ben Holgate suggests that there might be fewer regulatory hurdles than for the Austar bid – and it would be cheaper too, particularly if Ten’s outdoor operation Eye is sold separately. Read more »
PHD to open Melbourne office
PHD is to open a Melbourne office in the coming months.
PHD strategy director Chris Stephenson confirmed the news, but said it was too early to say who would run the office or where the premises will be.
The Omnicom agency recently won the global $60m account of banking giant ANZ, which is headquartered in Melbourne, although Stephenson said the move had been planned before the ANZ win.
Toyota launches ad for new Camry Atara
Toyota has launched a new campaign for the Camry Atara featuring a man diving off a cliff backwards and in slow motion. The agency behind the ad was Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney.
Australia plummets in press freedom index
Australia has fallen 12 places in a league table of press freedom – and now trails the UK, despite the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.
Gay dating site Manhunt hits Sydney billboards
A gay dating website has launched a billboard campaign in Sydney’s Paddington area to promote a new mobile product that helps gay men hook up.
The campaign was created inhouse by Manhunt. The media was bought by Pink Media Group, a gay media specialist that launched in Sydney in September, which also works with gay hook-up app Grindr.
‘The back’ is back for Oral-B
Procter & Gamble toothpaste brand Oral B has revived ‘Rob the Dentist’, a character in its TV ads in the 1980′s, as part of a Facebook campaign.
The character known as “The back”, as he always had his back to camera, first appeared in Oral B ads in 1982, and made a brief comeback in 2003 to promote the Oral-B Power Toothbrush range.
Fans of the Facebook page can decide and share where they think Rob has been since the 80′s via an avatar. The best entry wins $10,000.
Cottee’s Cordial goes back to its roots
GPY&R Melbourne is behind a new campaign for Cottee’s that takes the cordial brand back to its roots with a celebration childhood.
ABC boss Mark Scott ‘contender for top job at BBC’
ABC boss Mark Scott has been named as among the front runners to lead the BBC.
According to Media Guardian, Scott is one of three obvious outside choices when the BBC’s current director general Mark Thompson steps down in the next few months. Read more »
Sandilands: I don’t do sorry, aIthough I went too far. But worrying about sponsors isn’t my job
Kyle Sandilands has given his first detailed interview since the furore over his attack on News Limited journalist Alison Stephenson. It will appear in tomorrow’s edition of The Weekend Australian Magazine.
In last year’s on air outburst on 2Day FM, he described the journalist as a “piece of shit” and made personal comments about her appearance.
According to a preview of the article published in The Australian today, Sandilands says: “I don’t really do sorry,” before conceding that he did go too far.
Sandilands also appears to claim in the interview that his comments were a reaction to a story by Stephenson being unfairly critical about bad ratings for his TV show.
He told The Australian: “We put it on and the ratings weren’t bad, not for that time of night, and then they start falling because people go to bed or whatever, and then I see what News Limited has written, and it’s all ‘oh, Kyle’s show was a big failure.”
However, Sandilands’ attack on Stephenson actually aired two and a half hours before the ratings were released. Read more »
Group buying sites draw 100 complaints over conduct
ADMA CEO Jodie Sangster
Three months after the launch of a code of conduct for group buying sites, the industry has received around 100 complaints from the public, Mumbrella can reveal.
The most common gripes, according to the Australian Direct Marketing Association, the body handling the complaints, concern delays in the delivery of goods, the inability to redeem goods within a certain timeframe and slow customer service.
Most complaints were received around Christmas time.
ADMA boss Jodie Sangster said that there were “no complaints yet” about how group buying brands communicate with their customers.
“Complaints are most commonly specific to deals – not the group buying brands themselves or how they communicate,” she said.
She added that complaints were spread evenly among group buying brands with no single culprit to blame.
Sangster’s comments come two days after Hard Hat strategy director Daniel Monheit posted an opinion piece slamming group buying sites for ruining email marketing by spamming their customers.
Aegis Media relaunches Vizeum brand in Sydney
Vizeum Sydney GM Nick Behr
Aegis Media has announced the relaunch of media agency brand Vizeum in Sydney.
The launch will see clients and staff transferred from MPG to provide a foundation for the agency, which has struggled to establish itself since entering the market two years ago.
Carnival Cruises, Nikon and Tourism NT are among the clients to switch from MPG to Vizeum Sydney, along with 25 staff.
MPG and sibling digital offering Media Contacts are owned by Havas globally, but operate as a joint venture with Aegis Media in Australia. The MPG arrangement dates back to the days when Mitchells, now owned by Aegis, was independent.
An Aegis Media spokesperson said the move would not mean the end of the MPG brand in Australia, which will be run by Jason Dooris in Sydney and Melissa Roberts in Melbourne.
New Idea’s Amy Sinclair to edit Famous
After a six month search, Famous publisher Gereurd Roberts has appointed his colleague Amy Sinclair as the magazine’s new editor.
Roberts, previously the magazine’s editor-in-chief, was announced as publisher in July, remaining in the editorial role until his successor could be appointed.
Sinclair joins from fellow Pacific Magazines titles New Idea where she has been editor since late 2009. Before that she was editor of ACP’s Woman’s Day.
Roberts said: “Amy’s reputation, insight and experience within the weekly magazine market are unrivalled. Read more »
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