-
Opinion | Features
My memo to your boss
So let me guess?
You really want to come to Mumbrella360, but you’ve got to justify the time and cost to your boss?
Good news! I think I can help.
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.
From the people who brought you iSnack 2.0: Kraft’s Philadelphia sponsored Hey Hey Reunion’s black faces
Just 24 hours after starting to move on from its Vegemite iSnack 2.0 naming debacle , Kraft may have another PR crisis to deal with.
The FMCG’s giant’s Philadelphia cream cheese brand was the sponsor of last night’s controversial Red Faces segment on the Hey Hey Reunion.
The blacked up dance troop – imitating the Jackson Five – walked onto stage with Kraft’s Philadelphia cream cheese logo emblazoned on the screen.
The broadcast – which was Australia’s most watched show of Wednesday night – has generated global headlines, with the clip being much replayed.
At the time of writing, Kraft’s spokesman was not answering his mobile phone. Nine indicated that it had nothing to add to host Daryl Somers’ on-air apology last night.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
-
-
Follow Us
-
Email Newsletter
Latest Jobs- Strategy Director - Sydney
- Marketing/Project Manager - Crows Nest, Sydney
- BDM Mobile Specialist - Sydney
- National Account Manager - Pyrmont NSW
- Account Manager Advertising Media - Sydney CBD
- Strategic Integration Manager - $140,000 package - Sydney
- Ad Sales and Business Development - Sydney CBD
- Customer Service / Social Media Superstar - Sydney
- Business Development Manager Outdoor Senior Role - Sydney CBD
- Junior Digital Producer - sydney
Comments
8 Oct 09
1:43 pm
Surely sombody at Kraft has to go!
8 Oct 09
1:46 pm
This is not Kraft’s year is it?? Ha ha.
8 Oct 09
1:51 pm
There is a rumour going around that they might also be involved in selling cigarettes to teenagers!*
*for the banjo pluckers, this is a facetious** comment
**lacking serious intent
8 Oct 09
2:00 pm
After a job at the Tele Tim?
8 Oct 09
2:09 pm
Why are you cricising Kraft? I’m sure they don’y know what the individual acts and the script are in advance.
The most most incredible thing about this show and this performance is why anybody would want to watch it.
8 Oct 09
2:14 pm
Should’ve gone all the way and advertised iSnack2.0 there …
8 Oct 09
2:27 pm
drawing a very long bow here
8 Oct 09
2:27 pm
C’mon Tim. Stretching a little?
Less sensationalism from our favourite industry blog
8 Oct 09
2:44 pm
Another crack at Kraft? Come on Tim. New material please.
8 Oct 09
2:56 pm
Am I missing something here… what’s the scandal? White men imitating black men? Or was the content offensive. (Sorry, I didn’t watch).
8 Oct 09
3:47 pm
I am honestly glad my time on this earth is limited – when did Australia become so full of do-gooders, politically correct fun-police?
It honestly makes me sick.
There is nothing racist about this? It’s not like they’re up there dropping the N-bomb and calling Darryl ‘Boss’?
Wankers.
8 Oct 09
3:48 pm
Tim…….
Don’t join the do-gooding bandwagon with the rest of them.
8 Oct 09
4:08 pm
dear anonymous redneck (s) – please educate yourself about the black and white minstrel thing – it had a racist intent and is universally condemned among modern pluralist societies. you need to wake up and realise that you are the exception, not everyone else
8 Oct 09
4:47 pm
Poor Kraft…no it’s not their year but this is hardly their fault.
It pained me to sit through parts of Hey Hey whilst my husband watched it with glee, I was unfortunate enough to see Red Faces. I initially though Harry Connick Jr was over reacting. But then I thought about what he said and the full meaning of the black face and felt awful. As a predominately white nation, we have no real understanding of just how offensive this can be.
8 Oct 09
4:51 pm
philadelphia is the city of brotherly love…surely this was done in jest
8 Oct 09
5:01 pm
adding my agreement to Sven.. It is highly offensive, bringing back the old “Jim Crow” days..
not sure I blame the kraft marketing team though. As far as they know they where sponsoring a hugely successful comeback. They didnt know in advance the shitstorm it was going to attract..
8 Oct 09
5:20 pm
There is none so blind as an Australian saying “but that’s not being racist”.
8 Oct 09
5:24 pm
Is doing a parody of an entertainer not allowed?
What if a guy got up there in a short pink wig and put on a crop top and some camo shorts and started imitating PINK. Does that make him sexist against females?
Come on – we can get too politically correct sometimes.
I am in no way racist – this was a take off of the Jackson 5, NOT the black and white minstrels.
So is Robert Downey Jr – playing a black american in the comedy Tropic Thunder – racist too? Where does it start becoming racist?
8 Oct 09
5:33 pm
I believe this Jackson Jive skit is a PR stunt that has been carefully constructed by the corporate team at Kraft, to raise awareness of a new derivative of Philadelphia Cream Cheese that is about to enter the market.
Reports are they consulted many social media experts prior to executing this with military style precision.
8 Oct 09
5:33 pm
Support @ Tom – Tim, you need to relax with a nice little Vegemite Cheesybite & take time off from your Kraft classes
8 Oct 09
9:34 pm
Sven, I am neither anonymous nor a redneck. Did you notice that they WEREN’T a black and white minstrel show??? It was a parody of the Jackson Five, FFS.
Sheez….
9 Oct 09
9:11 am
Harrick Connick sucked.
9 Oct 09
9:43 am
@ Ben Shepherd
I agree. Coincidence that a perfectly scripted Vegemite skit in HHIS Reunion #1.
Also makes you wonder what gave them the black and white faces…
9 Oct 09
10:08 am
Lucky they didn’t sponsor it using Coon
9 Oct 09
10:35 am
Anonymous
Are you really that naive/ignorant/a bit fick? Really? Do you have no idea how the rest of the world views Australia?
Check dis, for example
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life.....ckson-jive
9 Oct 09
10:55 am
@Alex – I wouldn’t worry about a hack who makes her living dumping on Australia at every available opportunity. The UK has a number of ultra right wing politicians belonging to the British National party (BNP) who won local elections thanks to their radical, almost militant anti-immigration, pro-white policies.
That would make the UK more racist than Australia, no?
9 Oct 09
1:28 pm
Simon B – it’s fine to spoof a black entertainer. Its not fine to do using blackface.
An incomprehensibly stupid decision by the producers of that show has cost Australia massive damage to its reputation and millions in lost tourism dollars.
As Alex said, we’re already viewed as a racist nation, and that we would tolerate this on national TV has just confirmed it.
9 Oct 09
1:41 pm
Oh I get it. Was that iSnack2.0 on their faces?
9 Oct 09
1:47 pm
I laughed at it, I laughed real hard. Why? Because of its hilarious portrayal of a perverted freak and his sideshow. Nothing more nothing less.
9 Oct 09
1:59 pm
Well said The Cynic…but Coon as in cheese, and named after Mr Edward Coon, is no longer a Kraft brand.
9 Oct 09
2:00 pm
To quote Avenue Q
Everyone’s a little bit racist
Sometimes.
Doesn’t mean we go
Around committing hate crimes.
Look around and you will find
No one’s really color blind.
Maybe it’s a fact
We all should face
Everyone makes judgments
Based on race.
9 Oct 09
2:24 pm
Has anyone been offended by the “white” lead singer of the group?
No?
Ahhh OK.
9 Oct 09
2:25 pm
So the big question is… exactly how do you parody the Jackson 5 without blacking up your face and wearing an afro wig?
http://i.realone.com/assets/rn.....slarge.jpg
or are they off limits because of their skin colour?
As I’ve said in a previous posting elsewhere on this site, having them on was one of the dumbest decisions a TV producer has made in this country in a long time – but only because of its insensitivity and the fact that it would be considered offensive to an international (ie American) audience. The reality was that the Red Faces contestants were parodying a high profile entertainer who frankly deserves all the parodying we can muster – alive or dead.
There was no malicious intent, they were not wearing the offensive “minstrel” make up that everyone’s been going on about (“Blackface” makeup is more than just putting boot polish on your face) and they were not making any statement, political, racial or otherwise.
Neither by the way, was Harry Connick during his so-called “hypocritical” appearance on MadTV. People wheeling that out as a defence are just naive or trying to fuel the flames to get another day out of the “controversy” for their papers.
Unfortunately in 2009, the media’s habit of cutting and pasting clips off You Tube and blogs to easily fill column space and air time means that minor errors in judgement can become major international incidents.
I notice the previous week’s winner of Red Faces parodied a famous entertainer with Scottish heritage by donning big ears and doing a Scottish accent. It’s odd how no one found that offensive – I can only guess that the Australians who took offence (and I mean REAL offence, as opposed to the mere embarrassment that I felt) to the Jackson Jive act have, thanks to their globally dominant pop-culture, picked up the American sensitivities that come with a large African heritage and a prominent history of slavery.
It’s sad to think that a television show, movie, etc made by, and intended for, an Australian audience will from now on have to think about foreign sensitivities, but I guess that’s the world we live in.
9 Oct 09
2:30 pm
iJive5.0 anyone?
9 Oct 09
2:30 pm
Dear Alex Vivas, you seem to be across the UK’s reaction…
Was there a similar reaction in the UK to this then? Its Matt Lucas wearing blackface…. dressed as Mr T…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/li.....ry/gym.jpg
Curious to know your thoughts.
9 Oct 09
2:36 pm
Well said Adam Paull – I agree wholeheartedly.
9 Oct 09
2:47 pm
again I turn to Avenue Q for inspiration
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
Even though we all know
That it’s wrong,
Maybe it would help us
Get along.
9 Oct 09
3:28 pm
Harvard have put together a test for racism. Take it and see what the results are?
URL below
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
9 Oct 09
5:20 pm
Adam Paul – I imagine every country has an element of racism and I couldn’t tell you which country is the more racist out of the two (UK and Oz). It’s more polarised/extreme in the UK, I’d say, whereas casual racism is much more acceptable down here and I think that shocks most people from the UK.
Steve – A few cute rhymes does not make racism okay. That’s just childish.
Tim’s Little Niece – I didn’t find the Little Britain sketch offensive (Mr T might have), but the Hey Hey one was. That’s probably largely because of the Black and White Minstrel Show connotations. I wasn’t alone in my conclusions as Little Britain didn’t cause any sort of international attention (that I recall), whereas Hey Hey certainly did. You have a reasonable point though, it’s certainly a complex issue.
9 Oct 09
7:39 pm
Alex, the point that I was making was that the “journalist’ in question has a track record of putting the boot into Australia at any opportunity, so her offending article should be taken with a grain of salt this side of the planet. She conveniently overlooks the problems in her own country in order to take swipes at Oz.
10 Oct 09
1:45 am
Honestly, it’s fine for black comedians to go on ad nauseum about white people in a stand up routine (white people can’t dance, white people can’t drive, white people have small penises, white people are all in power) but a white person can’t do the same to a black person.
That’s a racist statement in itself. When will white people realise we are a minority, and our stupid political correctness is making us even more so?
10 Oct 09
1:52 am
i wonder if Mjackson Dr Deva likes the touch of a little boy as well?
10 Oct 09
12:00 pm
Racism – at number 5 on the list of “top 10 reasons to hate Australia”, from the website of Mumbrella’s younger ‘flashpacking’ sister:
http://tumbrella.com.au/2009/0.....australia/
Or as Eddie McGuire said in a Sunday Herald Sun column back in May (at the time in reference to Sol Trujillo’s imminent departure):
“I fervently disagree that Australia is a racist country, but we can be a bit slow off the mark, like an old uncle who doesn’t trust wogs, but his mate Spiro’s okay and some of that Dago food’s not bad and so on”.
Reminds me of the type of conversation you have in the back of a London black cab (taxi). When the driver starts with “I’m not racist. But ….”
11 Oct 09
7:01 pm
Adam,
Good point. The taxi conversation begins with “I’m not a racist but” usually ends with (referring to what they deserve) “I’d pull the fuck**g lever meself”
James
12 Oct 09
9:25 am
A question (slightly off topic) for all marketing gurus on this forum . . . what impact (if any) has this incident had on Harry Connick Jr and his image in this country? In my mind it has been impacted, tarnished perhaps . . . but not sure if he’s the bad guy (or if there is a bad guy) in this whole thing . . . ?
12 Oct 09
9:42 am
Black face is offensive. Whether it is done in Tropic Thunder or Hey Hey. Any form of cultural parody is offensive. If it is okay to make black face jokes, then it is okay to make holocaust gags and whitey jokes.
12 Oct 09
11:00 am
Andrew, you’ve just put many comedians, satirists and impersonators out of business.
A blanket “that’s offensive” is very narrow minded – take a look at the work of people like the brilliant Rory Bremner and Harry Enfield. Even comedians like Dave Chappelle, Whoopi Goldberg and Lenny Henry have all satirised white characters – as they should..
Comedians the world over have a right to satirise anyone they see fit, regardless of their skin colour.
The only crime of the Jackson Jive were that they weren’t funny and therefore not worth defending.
12 Oct 09
12:02 pm
We did have blackface music in Oz, imported then copied from USA, starting around goldrush times(1870′s). Anyone surprised by another ignorant culturally insensitive decision made by those gronks at ch 9? I’m just getting over Sam Newmans & the asian monkey man vox pop
12 Oct 09
12:15 pm
Adam, looking back at my comment, it does appear narrow minded and I should have expanded further.
Black face is steeped in infamy and has with it serious cultural and racial connotations. That is probably the reason Harry Connick Junior took such a stand. If he had not, he would have been savaged in America (a white man standing by while black people are pilloried).
Perhaps the majority of Australians see it as something inconsequential, but it is not. It is in the same league as the Holocaust and Slavery (black or modern). Satire and comedy must exist, but surely some topics are off limits.
12 Oct 09
12:26 pm
Good point Vernon. Somethings are just wrong and we should not tolerate them. A double standard does surely exist – Sam Newman calls an Asian man a monkey, barely a murmur registers. Someone has consensual sex, scandal!
12 Oct 09
1:44 pm
I think Aussies don’t understand that Harry Connick Jr. comes from New Orleans, Louisiana in the South of the US….where racial tension is and has always been EXTREMELY high. The violence that has ranked that city as one of the most violent in the country is born out of racial tension.
I don’t think Australians will ever respect why Americans can be so PC, b/c they dont understand the violent history they’ve endured due to racism.
Do a little homework and read about the LA riots back in the 1965 and the 90′s, look at the very public assassinations of famous American human rights activists, the civil war, images of people being hung from trees in their front yards just b/c of their skin colour, read about the Black Panthers and then Aussies can maybe start to understand why you have to at least respect the PC nature of Americans and in this particular situation Harry Connick Jr who has grown up in the centre of racial tension which still lives and breathes in many parts of the US.
American history has had a lot blood shed due to racism. on a very large scale!
I understand the intended humour of this skit, and I’m not quick to jump on the PC bandwagon but I think Aussies who critique American PC behaviour will continue to do so out of ignorance of American history unless they spend some proper actually spending time in the US, especially the deep South and New Orleans.
PS – Coon needs a re-brand; that’s just embarrassing Australia…
12 Oct 09
2:15 pm
I’ve often wondered about that particular brand name – and wondered if Kraft, an American company, ever cop heat for it back home… Since it was originally named after it’s inventor I believe, I think keeping the name is justified – obviously it is a family name that is still in use so changing it because of any social outcry would just reinforce the stigma that poor family already has to endure thanks to the evolution of their rather unfortunate name.
It’s also odd how Kraft keeps popping up whenever the word “controversy” gets a mention!
12 Oct 09
2:22 pm
Fair point Adam re: Coon cheese and the family name.
Americans have NO idea that Coon exists until they stroll in to the diary aisle at Coles or Woolies down here.
12 Oct 09
4:30 pm
will hey hey please sack John Blackman because he’s actually white…
28 Oct 09
7:58 pm
People should never forget that the Politically Correct are mainly media journalists trying to get attention and make a buck. Harry Connick was upset because of the racial connotations of the black face entertainers in the USA – If he hadnt protested, the ‘politically correct’ american media would have screamed bloody murder in their headlines. Australian media are trying to make him look like a scumbag whiner for complaining – The UK media are always trying to make everyone look like scumbags for whatever reason. The end result is the same – the media is trying to make Australians look like racists and Harry Connick like a politically correct whiner – all the time making money.