Opinion
- What's in a name?
  
  In this guest post, Moensie Rossier wonders about the power of names for brands and marketers.
  
  Brands have been having a bit of fun with names lately, not to mention a fair bit of success. Interbrand just named a headhunting firm Cloak & Dagger. And ‘Share a Coke’ showed how much power there is in a name.
  
  The Coke campaign effectively short-circuited the usual mechanics of communication. It undoubtedly stroked people’s egos. But, I believe, its success stems from the fact that it directly and automatically affected people’s behaviour, rather than doing so indirectly by shaping attitudes.
- Best ads from Super Bowl 2012
  
  The Super Bowl is all done and a team from North America won. But as well as some sort of sporting event, it’s the world’s biggest advertising showcase. See the best of them right here… and please tell us what you think.
- How to debunk media myths
  
  In this post, UWS’s Ullrich Ecker, John Cook and Stephen Lewandowsky argue that cognitive science can help PRs form strategies in managing media misreporting.
  
  A growing cohort of commentators has bemoaned the descent of contemporary political “debate” into a largely fact-free zone.
- How about simply focusing on what consumers want?
  
  In this guest post, Peter Mountford argues that brands should think more about what is really going on for consumers
  
  Who here is hoping their favourite brand of toilet paper is going to be organizing a flash mob on their way home from work today?
- What the Optus web copyright victory means
  
  In this analysis first published on The Conversation, RMIT’s Marita Shelly examines the implications of Telstra’s defeat over the online rights to the AFL broadcast deal
  
  This week’s Federal Court ruling that Optus customers are able to view sporting matches minutes after they are streamed live without breaching copyright is a landmark decision that alters our understanding of copyright law, and has significant implications for the AFL’s broadcasting rights deal.
- Does Gina Rinehart’s bite of a chunk of Fairfax make her an oligarch?
  
  In an article that first appeared in The Conversation, Mark Rolfe wonders whether the mining magnate’s move could turn Fairfax into something resembling America’s Fox network.
  
  Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has moved to increase her stake in Fairfax Media, owner of The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and a number of radio stations. Rinehart has already shown her desire to play a role in public life, campaigning against former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s aborted mining tax. She has also demonstrated a willingness to make media investments to ensure her pro-business worldview is promulgated.
  
  What does this latest move by Rinehart mean?
- Gillard's Australia Day crisis
  
  PM Julia Gillard’s media adviser Tony Hodges has been forced to resign over the Australia Day tent embassy debacle.
  
  It came after it emerged he had revealed opposition leader Tony Abbott’s whereabouts, leading to both politicians being rescued by police in ugly scenes.
  
  Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes and advertising practitioner Jane Caro debate the topic on Weekend Sunrise’s masters of Spin segment:
- The biggest cock-up I made in business
  
  In this guest post, Chris Savage urges agency staff to live the brand.
  
  I still shudder when I think about how incredibly stupid I was when I made the biggest stuff up of my career. And then, 18 years later, I did it again. Do not make this mistake with your clients. Ever.
- Hey Groupon. Thanks for fucking up email
  
  In this guest post, Daniel Monheit warns that group deal overload is devaluing email marketing
  
  Email marketing used to be fabulous. Back in the heady days of 2010, brands would work hard to build up well qualified databases, upon which they’d bestow carefully crafted correspondence filled with information, offers and incentives. The recipients, of course would be delighted: “Oh look! An email! From one of my favourite brands! And it’s 40 cents off at Woolies this week!”.
- The staggering sway of Harold Mitchell
  
  The Power Index today names Aegis Media chairman Harold Mitchell as the most powerful person in Melbourne. Andrew Crook profiles him.
  
  Harold Mitchell takes pride in dispensing with the niceties. When The Power Index visited his South Melbourne private office before Christmas, fresh remains were scattered all over the boardroom table.
- Share a Coke with… the moronic masses
  
  The most-read story on Mumbrella last year, with not far off 100,000 page views, was a fairly humdrum yarn about the launch of Coca-Cola’s name-on-a-bottle campaign.
  
  The headline, “Coca-Cola puts people’s names on bottles in ‘Share a Coke’ campaign”, though hated by any self-respecting sub-editor, was loved by Google. And in rushed what can be politely described as the public.
- Assumptions kill creativity
  
  In this guest post, Gual Barwell disagrees that the sales success of the Old Spice social media campaign was overstated.
  
  Yesterday’s post from Cathie McGinn suggested the Old Spice campaign failed to connect with consumers. Based on the facts and figures, I disagree.
  
  What Old Spice and Wieden + Kennedy has done and done phenomenally well is to create a franchise.
- The SMH's readers (are wrong) editor
  
  We are now about five months into the reign of Australia’s first readers’ editor. And I don’t think it is working.
  
  It struck me at the time of Judy Prisk’s appointment to the Sydney Morning Herald that the fact that her boss was editor-in-chief Peter Fray was not going to be ideal if she was going to be the independent voice of the reader.
- The emperor's new fragrance: Old Spice’s campaign failure
  
  In this guest post, Cathie McGinn slays a sacred cow of 21st century marketing – the highly awarded Old Spice campaign.
  
  One of the biggest myths of recent times (by which I mean a story of great heroism and triumph we’d all like to believe but deep down know to be untrue) is the Old Spice social media campaign. It’s been much lauded and awarded as an example of outstanding content, a creative and collaborative way of connecting with consumers and driving a record increase in sales.
- How reliable are radio ratings?
  
  In this guest posting, Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis wonders how accurate radio ratings can be, since the data is collated from handwritten diaries.
  
  So, the radio ratings season gets underway tomorrow. After a well-earned break, Australia’s commercial radio stations will renew their obsession with figures to see how many of us are listening. Are they winning or losing the ratings war?
  
  The much feared radio survey is the only way to measure the success or failure of a station’s playlist, talent, promotions or even good old Black Thunder crosses. With six-figure salaries riding on the make-or-break nature of ratings, just how accurate are Australia’s radio survey results?

Dutch’s Destiny from Optus: Good idea, shocking acting

Aussie telco Optus has launched Dutch’s Destiny, an online video series featuring the adventures of a young rapper.

The series, which features on an Optus YouTube channel and Channel V, sees viewers being asked to vote on a dilemma at the end of each episode.

It’s a good idea – and yet more evidence that the time is now for video content that goes beyond the 30 second commercial.

Unfortunately the acting makes me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon.

Tim Burrowes

October 18th, 2009 at 5:28 pm

Comments

Drama
18 Oct 09
5:32 pm

Mind you, he does work in a call centre and seems to hate his job. Maybe he works for Optus.

Doug Fresh
18 Oct 09
6:27 pm

How is this a good idea?

Terrible acting. Cliche plot. Do Optus really think anyone who isn’t part of their agency list would even watch this, let alone enjoy it?

Terry T
18 Oct 09
8:44 pm

Under the guise of a much misunderstood quality of ‘engagement’ we have had a rash of user-generated story lines. Watch A, then choose B or C. Choose C, then choose D or E. The issue is ‘A’ doesn’t engage, let alone viewed to its conclusion. Lame content, ridiculous story lines, laughable performances and the expectation is someone (outside the immediate agencies) will give time to these brand/sales mechanisms? Get over this idea that engagement can be manufactured without a commitment to long-term, quality initiatives.

Michael Harris
18 Oct 09
10:01 pm

I happened to be round at a friend’s place last night when this ‘ad’ broadcast on one of the music channels. I had to ask what it was, and then got stuck wondering how the heck this is going to help their brand.

Then cue the scene about where the so-called music exec propositions the aspiring ‘musician’ for sexual favours to stand a chance of getting somewhere.

A well timed point for the crickets outside to pipe up if there ever was one.

Doug Fresh
18 Oct 09
11:16 pm

i guess things like this happen when the motivations of the groups involved aren’t aligned

agency that came up with the concept will back it because they want the revenue and want to do a big project

media agency will back it because they want to appease the client and not alienate the creative agency

publisher will back it because it’s a cross platform idea they can PR internally and externally, plus the money is great for these things as a lot of it will be disguised as ‘production’ hard costs.

internally the marketing team will back it as none want to admit they’re not sure how to engage the target audience.

no one involved will have the spine to stand up and question this – no one will ask the question ‘do we really think anyone gives a f*ck about this sort of ad content’ … the assumption will be that this is how modern brands market themselves.

Aaron
19 Oct 09
10:58 am

Okay, did they hire actors from the same place as Microsoft does?

Chris
19 Oct 09
11:01 am

I choose to switch to Three Mobile by the end of the day.

Stuart
19 Oct 09
11:03 am

Soft porn wrapped in an Optus brand

Tony Swiss
19 Oct 09
11:05 am

This sort of thing reminds me of that line, “if you book them, they will come”. A great example of someone pulling out the “Gen Y likes this” text book and randomly selecting pages until they have built themselves a “strategy”.
Music + smug actors + perceived influence = successful campaign. Right?
How patronising and, worse, lazy to assume this sort of garbage is going to work.

mully
19 Oct 09
11:15 am

Hang on, I don’t get it. Had he come to clean ze pool?

Art Vandelay
19 Oct 09
11:46 am

This is utter CRAP.

Not sure how this is “more evidence that the time is now for video content that goes beyond the 30 second commercial”.

This is on par with watching a video of a dog taking a steaming hot turd in the park.

stu
19 Oct 09
1:02 pm

I like how you say “Aussie telco Optus”….

I’m sure the SingTel and its ultimate owner the Singaporean Government appreciate the irony.

mumbrella
19 Oct 09
1:19 pm

Hi Stu,

It’s a shorter way of saying “telco that operates here in Australia”. In the same way that people might think of Sydney’s Daily Telegraph as an Aussie newspaper. In that context, it doesn’t really matter that News Corp is based in the US.

Cheers,

Tim – Mumbrella

Lewis
19 Oct 09
4:01 pm

How ridiculous. Another great fail for Optus

John Grono
19 Oct 09
4:03 pm

F. None of the above. How to kill online video in one easy lesson.

Ben Shepherd
19 Oct 09
4:16 pm

youtube channel is going off!!

153 subscribers

11,000 video views

fibbest
19 Oct 09
9:30 pm

Are you being sarcastic ben?

Andrew Juma
20 Oct 09
9:23 am

Make it stop. Someone, please

Simon Julian
20 Oct 09
10:46 am

So it is an ‘okay’ idea (I can’t stretch myself to good, sorry Tim!).

The premise in some situations would be good and I kind of like the idea behind it, however in the end the fact that it is (a) ultimately for Optus and (b) so poorly put together, scripted and developed are big issues for me.

In the end the ‘campaign’ around this is a bit of a non-starter, because the choices are so poor and the story just isn’t that engaging. This misses the real point on this type of campaign, which is that it is 100% storytelling – if you can’t come up with an engaging story don’t do it – I’d forgive the acting etc if the story was well crafted and engaging!

Mike Watkins
20 Oct 09
11:03 am

I just threw up a little bit…

Kate Richardson
20 Oct 09
5:35 pm

Oh what could have been. I’m feeling a bit embarrassed right now.

westernluke
23 Oct 09
2:28 pm

Is this for real? Just when you thought shows like this were things of the past, you turn on your tv to this rubbish.

Seriously, every time I watch the tv and hear that lame ass intro rap music, I scramble around ripping apart the living room searching for the tv remote.

I feel for the poor kids who do the “acting” (and when I say acting, I use the term lightly) They probably think they’re doing a great job, and that they’ll be the next big thing, reality check… Stick to selling isurance or what ever you do in real life, never try acting again, or rapping for that matter, you’ll probably earn more money in your life time selling insurance than trying to make it big as a rapper.

Still, I feel a little responsible in the whole thing. If I didn’t buy Optus credit or pay an Optus bill my money wouldn’t fund such rubbish. Perhapse a change to Telstra is in order???

Oh, and Optus… FYI… Next time you need an idea for a marketing technique DO NOT… and I mean DO NOT hire some lame ass marketing firm to come up with a “cool idea” aimed at a demographic twenty to thirty years their junior. It doesn’t work, It has never work.

Brendan
24 Oct 09
11:34 am

I think some might be missing the point. I am 21, I love this campaign, it’s hilarious. The terrible acting has surely got to be intentional. A slick production with David Wenham and Geoffrey Rush isn’t gonna work here. It’s part mockumentary, but just a hint of it, the aim is for my generation to be like “are they serious…this is terrrrrrilble….but I like it, it’s addictive” that kind of thing. The bad acting works.

Art Vandelay
26 Oct 09
1:16 pm

Brendan, you’re an idiot.

Brendan
26 Oct 09
4:37 pm

Art Vandelay, you’re clearly as pretentious as your name and have no idea what market you’re dealing with. You will never be able to say you know the demographic I am part of better them me, no matter what data you have. I’m not saying what the agency did here was ingenious and intentional, I’m just saying it works for what it is. You shouldn’t stray from the children 7-12 age market, by the sound of lame insults like that.

Brendan
26 Oct 09
4:41 pm

and why hide behind Seinfeld aliases anyway? How weak are you? do you just do this to any forum, just go around bagging people?

Art Vandelay
26 Oct 09
4:47 pm

Brendy boy- did you just quickly google my name and realise it was a Seinfeld character instead of my real “pretentious” name? Whoops!

You better get off mummys internet now and get back to the latest episode of Dutch’s Destiny… You never know what will happen next!!

Graham Welch
26 Oct 09
8:14 pm

‘Art’, it seems like you’re the one who is using your mother’s internet. I think this young fella has actually said something interesting that marketers may overlook, but you haven’t really shown any qualification at all to understand any of this discussion so this might be wasted in you. Just stay off this forum or grow up.

Art Vandelay
26 Oct 09
8:29 pm

And please welcome to Mumbrella, the creative mastermind behind Dutch’s destiny, Mr Graham Welch.

Simon Julian
26 Oct 09
9:42 pm

I have to say ‘Art’, if you’re going to treat the discussion in this way at least do so under your own name, then we at least all CAN google who you are (if only to avoid you in future!).

If you can’t do people that courtesy then I doubt anybody is going to pay too much credence to your comments…

Art Vandelay
27 Oct 09
9:09 am

Simon Julian, I’m not here to service some sycophantic desire for my peers to accept me (or take credence)

But maybe you’re right….
Maybe I should post under my real name….
Maybe I should even link to my own half baked industry blog…. Surely someone will take me seriously then right??
Aaah, I know what’s missing, attaching my CV to my blog. There.. All set. Online acceptance here we come!!

Brendan
27 Oct 09
4:38 pm

why ARE you here Art? You’re here to hang shit on others from behind a blanket. You’re not adding anything interesting. And congrats on your comment “This is on par with watching a video of a dog taking a steaming hot turd in the park”, that is a really lively and original analogy.
Say what you want now, and you will, and you’ll stew over it, because you’re pretty pathetic and none too clever, but I’ll jump off the hate ship at this stop because I’ve got stuff to do. I’m not coming back to this page again.
ciao Farty

Art Vandelay
27 Oct 09
4:50 pm

Now now Brendan, no need to call me ‘farty’, that’s quite mean.

Anyway, since you wont be reading this, nice to chat, enjoy the rest of Dutch’s hilarious antics and exploits.

Simon Julian
27 Oct 09
8:03 pm

Why Art, you visited my lil website *blush*

Why someone with sooooo much valuable insight and knowledge would grace me with their oh so interesting feedback is just beyond me…thank you just so much, I really mean it.

Seriously, send me your contact details, I’d just love to catch up and trade way interesting thoughts and stuff with you

Anyway, bored now, you’re a one trick pony buddy

Art Vandelay
27 Oct 09
9:13 pm

What a shame you dont overuse the same sarcastic creative license on your blog a bit more Simon.

Simon Julian
27 Oct 09
9:36 pm

I’ll take it under advisement, if only I had met you sooner.

I take back what I said before, you get more interesting as time goes on. Nice to see we’re on a first name basis now, I feel so much more comfortable

kreek
4 Nov 09
2:50 am

i agree with brendan, its hilarious and is intentionally mocking, jeeze people