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Opinion | Features
Woz not great
In this guest post Tony Prysten argues that the thousand dollar price of seeing out-of-touch Apple co-founder Steve Wozniack on his Australian tour was a waste of money.
This week, for the cost of two iPads (yep, two) I went to the Woz Live conference in Melbourne. I was not impressed.
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.
Cadbury’s launches next phase of Joyville campaign
The next phase of Cadbury’s ‘Joyville’ campaign has launched for the chocolate brand’s new product Marvellous Creations.
Created by Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, the campaign opens up the world of Joyville further, having introduced the chocolate factory three weeks ago.
The ad, which will run globally including the Cadbury’s home market the UK, was shot in Prague.
Read more »
MasterChef Twitter hashtag swamped with spammers
The Twitter hashtag for hit reality cooking show MasterChef was swamped with spam tweets during the show last night.
The official Masterchef Twitter accounts encourages viewers to tag their Tweets with #MasterchefAu hashtag.
Nearly 300 spambots were created specifically for the screening of Masterchef on Ten last night, set up within minutes of the show airing and as the hashtag became a trending topic.
Twitter has now suspended the dodgy accounts, but not before the #Masterchef hashtag had been flooded with over 1,100 tweets. Read more »
Mumbrella360 to support drive to attract students into comms industry
Mumbrella is to run a free programme for students interested in entering the communications industry, as part of this year’s Mumbrella360 conference.
Sponsored and curated by Group M, the one day programme will focus on educating students on career options within media.
Group M is seeking to reach out to students beyond those doing traditional marketing and media degrees, including to those with data and analytical skills. They will hear from a series of some of the most senior WPP staff in Australia about all aspects of the industry.
Students in the final year of degrees, or in the first year of a job in the non-media part of the industry considering a career change, can apply for the free places by logging on to the Mumbrella360 booking page and adding the code: STUDENT360
As well as having access to Mumbrella360′s morning keynote presentation from Tourism Australia marketing GM Nick Baker, the students will also rejoin the room at the end of the day for Mumbrella Question Time and the final of Battle of the Media.
Greet
Howcroft
According to the draft programme, the day will be chaired by James Greet, CEO of MindShare.
Russel Howcroft, CEO of Y&R Brands and Gruen Transfer panelist, will discuss the history of advertising. Read more »
Sony consolidates Australian media into Omnicom Media Group, OMG avoids conflict with Apple and HP
Sony has consolidated all of its Australian media planning and buying into Omnicom Media Group after a pitch that sees Starcom MediaVest move off the business.
The shift marks the first time OMG will be buying at a group level in Australia, which it will do through bespoke unit Sony@OMG. The unit is designed to avoid conflict with PHD client HP and OMD client Apple.
The news comes four months after Aegis avoided a conflict situation when it added Holden to a client list that also features BMW and Nissan.
OMG already handled Sony Computer Entertainment through OMD and Sony Mobile through PHD, and now has a more powerful position on the roster alongside strategy agency Naked Communications, Euro RSCG, which handles creative and digital, and Hausmann Communications, which handles PR.
Starcom handled the Sony Electronics business, which the agency claims was worth $5m in billings.
OMG boss Leigh Terry told Mumbrella: Read more »
BlackBerry Wake Up campaign switches to targeting people who ‘mean business’
Countdown site: Now complete
BlackBerry’s much talked about teaser campaign today moved into the reveal stage with its heavily promoted countdown website linking to a new URL called Wake Up. Be Bold.
The campaign has been backed by experiential activities in cities including Sydney and Melbourne featuring Wake Up signage and a flash mob of protesters chanting and holding up banners outside the Apple Store.
The site now features a scrolling message and voiceover telling people it’s time to “wake up and mean business”.
Nando’s: ‘Eat interesting’
Nando’s launched a TV ad around MasterChef last night. The ad focuses on the importance of sharing and uses the slogan ‘Eat interesting’.
NRL players recite poetry for Mother’s Day ad
Some of the most celebrated players of the National Rugby League have taken part in a tribute ad for Mother’s Day.
The ‘Ode to Mums’ TVC features rugby players reading lines from a poem about how much they owe their mothers. The ad screens this evening on Fox and will also air on Sky in New Zealand.
Bondi Rescue claims Google+ Hangouts ‘world first’
The production company behind Bondi Rescue is claiming that the show is the first drama series in the world to connect with its fans using Google+ Hangouts.
People can now ‘hang out’ with the cast of Bondi Rescue on Google+, with the likes of Chief Lifeguard Hoppo, and Bondi favourites Reidy, Deano, Maxi, Jesse and Kerrbox and Whippet in attendance.
The first Bondi Rescue Google+ Hangout took place on April 30, and future events will take place at 8.30pm although no dates have been given.
Kristin Burgham, head of sales at Cordell Jigsaw, which makes the show, said: Read more »
MasterChef return rates 1.368m, beaten by The Block
Ten’s MasterChef returned with a series debut of 1.368m metro viewers on Sunday night.
The show – the most important in Ten’s armoury – is facing tough competition this year including against Nine’s contest The Voice on weeknights. Last night it was beaten by The Block which rated 1.476m for Nine.
MasterChef was fourth for the night, also beaten by Seven News (1.565m) and Nine News (1.481m).
It is the second series running to see a decline in the debut audience. Last year’s opener rated 1.569m despite competition from The Logies, while 2010′s was 1.692m.
The Star: There will be stories
A silver-haired crooner performs a lounge version of the classic Guns-n-Roses track ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ in a new ad for casino and hotel complex The Star by The Monkeys.
The ad, directed by Steve Rogers, is the first under the creative watch of Micah Walker, who joined The Monkeys in February.
Walker said: Read more »
Media Alliance warns of press freedom promises slipping away
The Labor government’s promise to champion freedom of the press in Australia seems to have “slipped away”, the boss of the country’s journalists’ union has warned.
Writing in the Media Alliance’s annual Press Freedom report, federal secretary Chris Warren said that Australia had slipped down global press freedom rankings, in part because of restrictions on how journalists’ access to immigration detention centres and also because of the recommendations of the government-commissioned Independent Media Inquiry which wants a new news media regulator.
After highlighting restrictions on freedom of information and protection of whistleblowers,Warren wrote: “The 2007 election brought to power a Labor government which included in its platform a promise to address these restrictions on the freedom of the press in this country. We applauded when the Rudd government announced new Freedom of Information laws (some states haven’t yet joined that party). We were enthusiastic participants in the public hearings that led to new Commonwealth shield laws and urged the states to follow suit.”
He added:
But so much of this promise seems to have slipped away. Read more »
James Hardie mini-series wraps a day after high court judgement
Anthony Hayes as Bernie Banton
A two part mini-series about the James Hardie asbestos tragedy will wrap filming today, a day after the High Court handed down a decision on the company’s directors.
The High Court found the seven directors of the asbestos manufacturer had committed breaches over the company’s asbestos compensation fund.
The mini-series Devil’s Dust, scheduled for the ABC and based on real events and people, follows three men, Bernie Banton an asbestos suffer and former James Hardie worker played by Anthony Hayes, Adam Bourke who discovered Hardie was selling a carcinogenic product, played by Don Hany and Matt Peacock, an ABC journalist, played by Ewen Leslie.
3000 women Run the Night at Nike’s first Australian event
Nike held its first She Runs the Night female-only running event in Australia last night in Sydney’s Centennial Park.
Over 3000 women took part in the event, which is part of an ongoing initiative intended to give women a supportive community and safe ways of running after dark with branded running clubs and events.
The event cost $80 to attend and participants received a Nike running shirt as part of the entry package.
The event was MC’d by The Voice host Darren McMullen.
Juliana Nguyen, marketing director of Nike Pacific told Mumbrella: Read more »
The Monkey’s win Gold Siren for f(bleeping) Ikea ad
Tim Green, The Monkeys
An ad for Ikea has won ad of the year at the Sirens Awards, announced this morning.
The ad ‘Holidays’ was written by Tim Green and Tim Cairns of The Monkeys in Sydney won the 2012 Gold Siren award. It also won a Silver Siren for winning the ‘single’ category.
The ad aims to discourage the inexperienced from installing their own kitchen and leaving it to Ikea that features a swearing schoolboy telling his class how he helped his father build ‘a new f(BLEEP)ing kitchen’ over the holidays.
The ad was directed by Ralph van Dijk.
BlackBerry’s ‘Wake Up’ campaign strategy labelled ‘pre-digital age’
The strategy for BlackBerry’s teaser “Wake Up” campaign has been labelled 15 years out of date by the boss of a rival agency.
Speaking on this week’s Mumbrellacast, Mike Wilson, chairman of Naked Communications, praised the execution of the campaign but said the strategy was “pre-digital age”.
The Wake Up teaser campaign has seen a series of stunts with campaigners holding up placards outside the Apple Store, in the background crowd on Seven’s Sunrise and elsewhere. Paid media activity has focused on a website countdown.
The strategy is being led by Sydney based agency Tongue. Among Tongue’s management are former Naked staffers John Du Vernet and Jonathan Pease.
Wilson said on the podcast: “The actual tease activity… was very well executed and generated a lot of conversation. But where it falls down is that I don’t think it was particularly well constructed within a communication strategy framework. The notion you would go out with a load of messages get people talking and then not reveal for several weeks later to me is something you would have done in the pre-digital age. Read more »
Cane toad fatally underestimates the Ford Falcon EcoBoost
Ford has launched an ad in which a cane toad fatally underestimates the power of the four cyclinder Falcon EcoBoost.
The campaign will initially run online only, with no plans to air the spot on national TV yet.
Young Lions finalists revealed
The finalists vying to represent Australia in the Young Lions competition at Cannes next month have been revealed.
Australia will be represented in the categories of film, marketer, media, print and digital. Read more »
Nando’s hires media agency ahead of marketing push around MasterChef
Chicken chain Nando’s has appointed Match as its media agency after a credentials presentation.
Nando’s is a new sponsor of MasterChef, announced yesterday, and a new campaign will launch around the show on Sunday.
It is unclear how the brand will be integrated into the show, although the association is likely to be around flame-grilling.
“We’ve had to think laterally about how to integrate the brand with the show, as MasterChef is obviously about using food from scratch that isn’t cooked,” said Match strategy director Ian Czencz. “But MasterChef is also about good cooking, so there’s a clear fit there.”
Match takes on the business, which Nando’s formerly handled inhouse. Nando’s recently appointed Banjo as its creative agency.
Kim Russell, marketing director, Nando’s Australia said: Read more »
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