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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.
Fertility clinic ad first in Australia to show woman giving birth
Sydney based fertility clinic Genea will today launch a powerful TV commercial featuring a woman giving birth to support the organisation’s rebranding from Sydney IVF.
The ad has been created by Rhodes Shapter and directed by Zia Mandviwalla from Curious Film in New Zealand. MEC is the media agency.
Creative director Dale Rhodes, Creative Director at Rhodes Shapter, said use of TV was unprecedented in the fertility category in Australia. “It is, to our knowledge, the first time a real birth has been shown as a commercial in Australia. High impact and totally relevant to the brand – birth and healthy babies is what Genea is all about.”
The TV campaign, running on Nine, Seven, 7Two, Go and Gem, will be backed with social media and DM activity.
Rhodes said: “Zia had a fantastic intuitive response to the script. She also had great experience in working with non-actors. We were able to find a mother who had had three previous uncomplicated births and was planning to use a birth centre, as this was ideal for filming.
“Zia built up a close rapport with the mother, father and midwife. We then flew to New Zealand a few days before the due date and waited for the labour. We shot on two cameras over a six-hour period.”
The ad is set to an original score by NZ composer Don McGlashan.
Media agency MEC is working on the campaign and the ad will run on channels and online.
September 1st, 2011 at 11:30 am
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Comments
1 Sep 11
11:55 am
Awesome ad.
Well done
1 Sep 11
12:16 pm
Very powerful & moving. Well done
1 Sep 11
12:26 pm
Pretty sure Myer did something with a woman giving birth in the 1990s. It won awards for the positive portrayal of women in advertising. Although it was all actors, not real people. Saying that, this is better by a long shot.
1 Sep 11
12:35 pm
If this ad doesn’t get banned I will lose all faith in the Ad Standards Board. It has a legitimate vag shot!!!! Even that Roger David ad only had a poorly photoshopped Union Jack in a girl’s mouth
1 Sep 11
12:42 pm
Powerful.
1 Sep 11
12:58 pm
Wow. Beautiful.
(I wish someone made my labor look that good.)
1 Sep 11
2:08 pm
Just beautiful! In my eyes, the most powerful ad ever created!
1 Sep 11
2:23 pm
More things we have to some how protect our children from viewing that arent at the age they should be having any comprehension to what is going on. Sometimes younger children are allowed up at a later time slot ie football night. The ad might be legitimate but it doesnt belong on tv.
1 Sep 11
2:26 pm
Hey conservative at 12.35…. A vag shot!!!! Where do you think babies come from – the cabbage patch???????????????? *give yourself an uppercut*.
A lovely add and done with class.
1 Sep 11
2:39 pm
Well Dale, you clearly understand women and Zia is a great talent. You were the first to show a woman farting in the bath ( in the 90′s) for New Woman and now another first. Beautifully shot. It transported me. Thank you.
1 Sep 11
2:47 pm
amaaazing… it will certainly be talked about!! cue: mia freedman!
1 Sep 11
3:06 pm
This is not appropriate for TV, think of all the sickos who will get off to this
1 Sep 11
3:16 pm
Very surprised at some people’s reactions! Labour and birth is such a beautiful momentous occasion, why do we need to shelter our children from it?! Well done Genea on a beautiful and thought provoking advertisement!
1 Sep 11
3:35 pm
I agree with all of you. It is truly a wonderful add, and I am sure ‘disappointed’, that the Aus broadcasting assoc with mandate where and when it can ve viewed.
Nice to see something lovely, natural and perfectly normal , than most of the vulgar trash we see every night on TV.
1 Sep 11
3:49 pm
Top marks.
1 Sep 11
4:00 pm
Yeah,, Good Ad. Now watch someone ban it.
Hello Neil, Neil, I’m not a prude but…
1 Sep 11
4:37 pm
A stunning job of filming and presenting birth without showing anything untoward. To Conservative and others who complain – I watched the ad frame by frame after reading your comment, and I absolutely could not see a single thing that could be described as a ‘vag shot’. It was carefully framed by the woman’s legs and the hands and arms of those assisting in this birth.
One of the problems we have these days is that the only birth that most women experience is when they give birth to their own children. Birth is a scary and mistifying experience. In years gone by, other women in the family attended all births, and girls were brought along to see and assist with birth when they reached puberty so that they understood the process and were prepared for the experience.
How wonderful to be able to present childbirth to the masses in such a tasteful fashion. Bravo…or should that be, Brava!
1 Sep 11
5:14 pm
Be interested to know if they conceived via IVF. That seems to have been glossed over in the release.
1 Sep 11
5:17 pm
Sex sells.
1 Sep 11
5:19 pm
This is stunning. Advertising at its best. Tears in eyes.
1 Sep 11
5:30 pm
Absolutely fantastic.
‘ Disapointed’ @ 2:23 concentrate on protecting children from bad spelling, grammar, and punctuation and let them engage with real life.
1 Sep 11
5:34 pm
Beautiful – really fantastically done – will make anyone struggling to have a baby cry – I know I just did.
Are the comments above serious? This is in no way offensive, there is no ‘vag shot’,and if you hvan’t taught your children where babies come from this might be a good idea!
1 Sep 11
5:34 pm
@conservative you can’t make an ad without a product shot.
1 Sep 11
5:52 pm
love this ad – its totally moving. conservative, you shuold pick up a biology book and have a quick read – everyone has seen one at some stage, so nothing new or shocking!
1 Sep 11
6:07 pm
Wonderful ad and haunting music, tastefully done have read some of the comments that some have said! What is wrong with you people there is nothing unnatural or sexual about it. In a lot of cultures children see this all the time. Good on you Genea well done and what a great job you all do there. Terry
1 Sep 11
7:16 pm
O.M.G.
Stunning birth! Adored the baby’s fingers wrapping around the Dad’s hand.
Genea, you really are world leaders in fertility.
2 Sep 11
10:19 am
Sheesh Moogles & surry hills, I’m pretty sure Conservative knows where kids come from. Suggesting someone give themselves an upper cut? Grow up Moogles. People are going to disagree with you.
I can’t believe how sappy this made you all.
2 Sep 11
10:40 am
Absolutely brilliant. So beautifully expressed I had tiers in my eyes, and I’m a bloke.
If this ad doesn’t win all trophies and admiration of other professionals and public. I don’t know what.
2 Sep 11
11:52 am
Stunning. It was beautiful. Just lovely.
Those who don’t like it on TV probably also disagree with women breastfeeding in public.
2 Sep 11
12:13 pm
sex cells
2 Sep 11
1:54 pm
Great to see natural and joyful birth being portrayed in the media – there should be more of it. Beautiful film.
Strange how we can accept violence and blood thirsty scenes on TV all the time yet birth is seen as something to be censored….unless of course it is surgical or highly dramatic! Our women need more joyful images like this to show them that birth is not something to fear but to embrace
2 Sep 11
2:47 pm
Fast forward 18 years. “I know that face…weren’t you the kid in that TV ad…(fingers clicking)…?
3 Sep 11
8:43 pm
Fantastic. Congratulations to the RhodesShapter team!
4 Sep 11
6:53 pm
This made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. Inappropriate for an ad .
6 Sep 11
10:37 am
The score-only soundtrack and the use of black and white make this ad much more… palatable. Imagine seeing all that in colour…
19 Sep 11
2:05 am
This is an amazing piece of work- so moving and incredibly beautifully done!
22 Sep 11
1:56 pm
Wow!
These people are SO lucky to have such a beautiful baby AND have it captured on film so beautifully…..what a keepsake!
If you are offended by this you should be ashamed of yourself.
27 Sep 11
2:54 am
I am weepy and I haven’t viewed it yet