-
Opinion | Features
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.
Savage counsel - JFDI
Hi Chris,I run a medium-sized agency that is doing pretty well. As the leader, I am finding my workload just seems to go up and up. I am struggling to stay motivated and particularly to tackle the bigger and tougher challenges I have to face every day. How do I keep up the energy when there just seems so much to do? How do you do it?
Productive, successful executives are those able to consistently tackle difficult and big challenges. It’s a constant struggle for me so I know how you feel. How do the successful leaders do it?
Q&A with Brett Clegg
Brett Clegg, group director – business media, Fairfax Media, in a Q&A that first appeared in Encore, on the journo who refuses to work with him – his wife.Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Hard to go past Rupert Murdoch. He controls the single largest and most diverse portfolio and is intent on leveraging its scale (and, of course, influence). He’s an innovator and his will to win is obvious to all.
The experiential experience
Anyone can throw up a tent in a high-traffic area and harass the general public, but what does it take to pull off an effective experiential event? In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Matt Smith investigates.A television commercial can easily be muted and ignored, but try ignoring a purring, squirming cat in your arms. That was the experience awaiting passers by in Sydney’s Martin Place in October last year when Mars Petcare built Whiskas Kitten Palace.
The News Limited paywall isn't about revenue. It's about data
In this guest post, ninemsn’s editor in chief Hal Crawford argues Fairfax Media and News Limited’s new paywalls won’t draw much revenue, but will generate data. And they’re late to the data party.When I first learned that ninemsn’s major digital competitors Fairfax and News Ltd were going to introduce paywalls across their mainstream properties, I was excited.
Every obstacle thrown in the way of their audiences is an opportunity. People hate friction and anything that makes life difficult on a rival site is a chance to get them on yours.
Is this the worst time to be a journalist?
With scores of redundancies in 2012 and a mass exodus of experienced journos, is this the worst time to be a journalist? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen asks the question.In June last year a tsunami of redundancies began to sweep across Australia’s media landscape. They came in a series of waves and in the 12 months that followed, an estimated 1,200 journalists departed the mainstream media.
Are you a conscious leader?
As the advertising and marketing industry struggles to address the issue of rocketing rates of staff churn in their businesses, Slingshot CEO Simon Rutherford argues that today’s ‘conscious leaders’ should be more focussed on creating ‘staff wellness’ in order to deliver high performing teams and healthy profits.
A conscious leader believes the business has a greater responsibility towards the community it operates in. To ensure sustainable long-term profits, people must come first. Awareness, trust, authenticity, transparency, 100% responsibility, connection, compassion, and love: these are the tools of the conscious leader.
Suits: less popular than pest controllers
Advertising suits have a thankless job that is currently being eroded by the changing industry says Naren Sanghrajka in a piece that first appeared in Encore.Not in my wildest, craziest nightmares would I ever have thought I’d say this. But I’m going to. Being a bean counter is far more appealing than starting as a suit in advertising. There it is. I said it. I actually said those words.
Yes, it’s incredibly depressing. But it’s true.
An answer for Adam: What's the future for creatives?
Each fortnight, Adam Ferrier poses a question to the industry. This week, he asks about the future of the creative.
Who or what is a creative? It’s an old thought, but as I continue on my merry journey in advertising I wonder if there is a role for a ‘creative’ and if there is, what that role is?
In the world of film and TV there is not a ‘creative’. There is a director, a writer, a producer, a DOP and so on. From this mix the creativity happens. But no-one is charged with being ‘the creative’.
Australian films stand on their own merit
The argument that Australian audiences only embrace local films once they’ve picked up a gong at an international festival is inherently flawed says Lee Zachariah in a piece that first appeared in Encore.As much as we like to pretend that we collectively fulfil the world’s need for a country comprised entirely of laid-back, mellow beach dwellers, we do seem to get disproportionately excited when someone else mentions us. Our cool exterior drops away as our local news bulletins breathlessly report that CNN or the BBC or really anyone in one of the ‘real countries’ acknowledged our existence.
We feel detached from the world, and therefore crave its validation.
The vindication of Paul Fishlock
Wow.You may have noticed that not much went up on Mumbrella over the last couple of hours.
That’s because I’ve been reading the judge’s findings in Paul Fishlock’s case against The Campaign Palace.
I’d always known that agencyland can be a brutal place. But the picture of the cynical, ego-driven, unsentimental world that comes through in the findings of Justice John Sacker is something else. I recommend you take the time to read it yourself.
The reputation of Young & Rubicam’s global creative director Tony Granger certainly takes a battering in my view. The word “bully” is a hard one to come back from.
And former Campaign Palace CEO Mark Mackay comes across as someone you might think twice about either hiring or working for, based on the evidence presented. The judge calls him contemptuous of both Granger and Fishlock.
Coal company Xstrata threatens Mumbrella with defamation action over This Is Our Story spoof
One of the coal companies supporting the This is Our Story campaign to promote the Australian mining industry has threatened Mumbrella with defamation action after we reported that a pastiche video has been published.
Mumbrella reported that the ad had been created on behalf of the alternative This Is The Real Story campaign, which is backed by the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.
Less than two hours after publishing the story we received the following letter from XStrata Coal:
I refer to the video titled “Ad pastiches mining industry’s ‘This is our story’ campaign” published on your website:
http://mumbrella.com.au/ad-pastiches-mining-industrys-this-is-our-story-campaign-86514
The video found on this link contains a parody of the piece concerning (name withheld by Mumbrella for legal reasons).
Xstrata recognises that there is legitimate scope for parody in public debate, and appreciates the importance in public life of a free and frank exchange of views. Nonetheless, we take exception to the piece concerning (name withheld by Mumbrella) because it makes a number of suggestions concerning (name withheld) that are unfair and defamatory. In particular:
• (allegation withheld by Mumbrella for legal reasons);
• (allegation withheld by Mumbrella for legal reasons);
• (allegation withheld by Mumbrella for legal reasons);
• (allegation withheld by Mumbrella for legal reasons);
These examples are by way of illustration only.
Xstrata is happy to accept robust criticism. But we are not content to allow a valued employee to be defamed in so unfair and personal a fashion. We therefore require that the video found in the above link (and on any other website hosted by Mumbrella or YouTube) be removed immediately and remind you that all persons involved in the publication of defamatory material are equally liable for defamation. We also observe that the reproduction of the whole of the video taken from www.thisisourstory.com.au appears to constitute a breach of copyright. We request your immediate confirmation that the videos will be removed from Mumbrella and YouTube and we expect that it will be taken down forthwith.
We do not wish to escalate this to a legal dispute, but you should not underestimate our willingness to do so if your website continues to defame our employee.
Yours sincerely
Tom Cregan
Legal Counsel
Xstrata Coal
Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes responded:
Hi Mr Cregan,
Thank you for your email.
Your note suggests you may misunderstand who has published the video to which you refer. Your demand that the video is removed from YouTube is aimed at the wrong organisation.
We were not responsible for uploading the video and have no connection to the YouTube channel “pourouge12″ where it has been uploaded.
In common with several people on social media including Twitter, we were reporting on the video’s existence on YouTube where it appears to have been for the last five days, having already accumulated more than 8,000 views. We have simply made use of of the ability provided by YouTube to embed its content on other sites.
None of the allegations of which you complain appear in Mumbrella’s news story.
However, because I do not wish to become a test case over who is responsible for embedded YouTube content I have now removed the embedded version of the video and replaced it with a link.
I will also be shortly publishing a news story about our correspondence.
Best wishes for the weekend,
Tim Burrowes
-
-
Email Newsletter
Latest Jobs- Creative/Art Director
- Account Manager
- Freelance Account Managers / Senior Account Managers – iknowho
- Business Director: To $140k package
- Senior Account Director | BTL, Shopper, Trade | $130k inc
- Senior Account Director | BTL, Shopper, Trade | $130k inc
- Agency Business Director: To $140k package
- Offline Account Manager: Leading media agency : Great salary
- Business Director: To $140k package
- Account Manager – Design and Branding agency
-
RSS
Comments
20 Apr 12
3:37 pm
Glass jaw much?
20 Apr 12
3:38 pm
Wow, xstrata don’t seem to get it. Quite a good lol for a Friday afternoon!
20 Apr 12
3:46 pm
glass jaw indeed! So disappointing a company would look to threaten a news/industry organisation that publishes a parody of them (not even MAKES a parody of them, but just publishes someone else’s!).
thanks Mumbrella for not toally bowing to the pressure and keeping the clip as a link. I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.
20 Apr 12
4:00 pm
Mums really unhappy that the Xstrata legal team now appear to be shilling for Greenpeace by raising the profile of this topic.
But then again mum doesn’t use the internet. Those “cookie” things freak the shit out of her.
20 Apr 12
4:07 pm
TL;DR
Xtrata – http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr.....r5dikw.gif
Mumbrella – http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgen.....i_give.jpg
20 Apr 12
4:38 pm
I can’t think of a course of action more inclined to boost the number of views of this video to well above 8000. Well done Xstrata, excellent promotion of the video you don’t want anyone to see.
20 Apr 12
4:39 pm
well done Mumbrell, hope this can generate more hit on the VIDEO
20 Apr 12
4:51 pm
Well! I will not be buying my coal from them in the future!
20 Apr 12
5:54 pm
Superb example of the Streisand effect*.. !
* in case Xstrata Coal haven’t heard of that : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
20 Apr 12
5:59 pm
It’s a bizarre claim. Looks like a failed attempt at intimidation to chill debate, with the real impact being the exact opposite.
20 Apr 12
6:07 pm
Screw X-Strata – its a parody and like they give a damn about their employee featured in the ad. The day they no longer need him they’ll give him the flick as all companies do.
I’m sick of mining companies thinking they represent Australia.. We elected politicians to represent us – not these goddam huge mining companies.
They should make the mining tax larger
20 Apr 12
6:08 pm
See,
now I just want to watch the video that I saw the story for earlier in the day and thought ‘meh’.
When I find out that the letter was just a bit of anti-coal astro turfing to boost their views I’ll probably have to nominate it for a pencil or a lion or a crown.
Does advertising do crowns?
Wouldn’t it be great if advertising did swords and you won the right to wear a sword on your belt?
Yes, hipster creatives, a belt for your slack-arse jeans. Imagine walking into a pitch with a sword on – talk about impressive. Hi client *swashbuckling movement* I’m a knight of creativity: bow before my magnificence and while you’re there sign this expense account so I can go and play skeet ball.
Advertising should do crowns AND swords.
Who’s with me?
If the moderator of this comment thread had any gumption (that’s right, I said gumption) he or she would follow up my comment with an immediate “we should totally do swords” comment.
It’s been a long day and Dyson Vacuum Cleaners making difficult places easier to clean is not as much fun as Google + letting you share the right information with the right people. Sorry for the ramble but all the AWARDies will get what I mean.
And totes do the swords thing.
20 Apr 12
6:50 pm
That’s plain dumb.
*** Paging JB. Now is your time to shine! ***
20 Apr 12
7:11 pm
Barbara Streisand effect anyone?
20 Apr 12
7:12 pm
Wow totally missed previous comment, will slink away into shadows….
20 Apr 12
7:18 pm
Pity, that was the only mining ad I’ve managed to sit all the way through without throwing something at the screen.
20 Apr 12
10:15 pm
Let’s wait to see the barbra streisand effect in action – love it!
20 Apr 12
11:33 pm
Slighly off-piste . . but Xstrata is a brilliant name . . isn’t it?
21 Apr 12
9:08 am
If the lawyer is so stupid he thinks Mumbrella can remove the video from You Tube then he’s not much of a threat. That Xstrata employ him says more about them than the video anyway.
21 Apr 12
10:02 am
Tim Burrowes…you’re my hero.
21 Apr 12
12:13 pm
Publisher gets letter from lawyer. Just another day for a publisher then. Hardly news worthy is it?
21 Apr 12
1:17 pm
@Morry – It is a rather wonderful name for an investigative journalist, isn’t it? Other suitable career choices could have been proctologist, excavator or rabbit.
21 Apr 12
1:40 pm
As in Ex-strata aka lock the gates campaign?
21 Apr 12
4:43 pm
Trouble with this is these guys would happily spend $100k on a court case. My guess is $100k would close most small publishers. It’s corporate bullying of the worst kind.
21 Apr 12
6:35 pm
Thank you to Xstrata’s lawyers for bringing this to my attention, and thereby to the attention of my 4,700 Twitter followers, their 1.9 million followers and their 64 million followers.
Your support for parody on the Internet is noted.
21 Apr 12
8:57 pm
We should totally do swords.
21 Apr 12
9:59 pm
I’m all for swashbuckling and swords.
I’d go a step further. Creatives should have medals for the ‘campaigns’ they do. Strategy, penetration, campaigns, officers, offensives… It’s all very military. Why stop there tho?
Let’s them march down George st for the wives they lost, the kids they hardly know and the weekends they sacrificed. And honour them with the blog post, the trumpet call for the digital age. While they’re on night watch valiantly fighting for creativity in a world of accountants, it will make them feel that something they did was worthwhile.
Because nothing is more noble than the creative, who literally sacrifices his life for the mediocrity of the impossible to please.
21 Apr 12
10:00 pm
And like Beau, I won’t be buying coal from them either
22 Apr 12
1:42 pm
See, that’s why I’m clearly just at AWARD school level.
Only a true creative would drill down into the idea far enough to come up with an ANZAC march for creatives. Equating sitting in an office being told “no” with being shot at by Turkish machine guns. Genius. No wonder you don’t need a belt for your pants.
Maybe we should have an Easter for creatives as well. “For the ECD so loved the Idea that he sacrificed his only junior creative team.” All the suits could hand out chocolate iPads.
22 Apr 12
9:10 pm
Most of us are too busy for a 4 day celebration. Better to make it a single day, probably Christmas day as we’re expected to work on ‘debriefs’ (or work hard to make our work worse) every other day of the year.
22 Apr 12
9:20 pm
I really dont understand why coal companies need to protect their images? I mean.. really. It’s not like they will ever be clean in the eyes of the rabid greenies, and the people who buy it don’t really have an option to go to another fuel.
They should take a leaf from the American Express book of public relations: keep quiet unless absolutely necessary.
22 Apr 12
11:18 pm
I don’t think individuals as such buy raw coal anymore do they?. Mostly I think China uses it in their power stations. However Tony Simms will be pleased to know I am burning some of it’s by-products to keep warm in Cornwall.
23 Apr 12
1:49 pm
I think when your original ad does nothing except say “See we do actually employ REAL people and this is one of them…” then you open yourself up to parody – which i think remains the highest art form in the history of space and time.
Well done Manufacturers, Charles Firth, Mumbrella and everyone else who supports a laugh at people with lots of money.
23 Apr 12
3:23 pm
Love a good legal letter of intimidation. What a load of garbage. Mumbrella, on the face of it, you are well within your rights on this one. Go for it.
23 Apr 12
4:21 pm
what newbies might like to reference as the Streisand effect has been PR 101 for the last century – ie never sue or threaten to sue or send nasty legal letters to media outlets because they will invariably backfire and be used against you by that media outlet and others because
a) seeking to prevent the publication of criticism prima facie proves its truth
b) the cover-up is newsworthy in and of itself
c) you offend all journalist’s belief that they aren’t accountable to anyone
23 Apr 12
4:56 pm
The parody is approaching 25k views now…
23 Apr 12
5:48 pm
Ha! Great parody, but what’s the point. How much coal was used to make that parody video, just as much as the original video I’d wager. The sad thing is we all need coal to live the comfortable lives we live..
23 Apr 12
6:19 pm
You’re a LEGEND Tim!
23 Apr 12
8:37 pm
lol just watched the video that Xstrata didnt want me to see…….its not even accurate about the situation, why would you care.
Sheep who are influenced by this video arent worth trying to convince that mining does a lot for Australia so whats the point of trying to close down an entirely legal parody?
23 Apr 12
10:13 pm
@Kate. Do you have an alliance with X Strata?
24 Apr 12
8:33 am
Score another one for their Corporate Affairs GM. Met her at one of their ‘community functions’ and let’s say Mumbrella making mention of the parody is the least of Xstrata’s concerns right now. Such heavy-handed nonsensical tactics without any consideration of how our industry or the community may respond? What a shock. Well done Tim.
24 Apr 12
7:43 pm
Strategically stupid move.
They should stick to something that they are good at – like tax avoidance. Failing that, try mining coal.
27 Apr 12
10:41 am
That would be a SLAPP in the face.
8 May 12
3:20 pm
Although it does appear that Xstrata won here?
Video is down.