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Opinion | Features
Plain and simple
The best pieces of marketing make a case so well, it feels like there can be no further argument.
Like this piece for Cancer Research UK making the case for plain packaging for cigarettes.
Why is advertising so much better in New Zealand than Australia?
Ok, so this isn’t a new observation.
But it really hit home after I watched some TV ads for a kiwi supermarket yesterday that advertising in New Zealand is so much better than much of the crap that is being served up in this country at the moment.
Why is it that Colenso BBDO Auckland can turn something as bland as a supermarket chain into a brand I almost like, while Australian agencies succeed only in either irritating me (Coles) or passing me by unnoticed (Woolies) because the ads are so average?
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.
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:
January 29th, 2012 at 11:29 am
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Comments
30 Jan 12
12:52 pm
how can a masters of spin section not actually involve a spin doctor?
30 Jan 12
1:01 pm
Tony Hodges was obviously “playing politics” by informing the protesters about Tony Abbott’s appearance in the cafe but the focus is all wrong.
It was the protesters who ran amuck & caused the fracas, not Tony Hodges.
30 Jan 12
1:10 pm
Some great points raised Tim – nice one.
30 Jan 12
1:50 pm
Yep – all spin and no content.
Beats me why a PM staffer would manufacture a situation that would put the PM in danger.
It’s interesting to compare the vitriol being dished out as this being such a serious breach of security, compared to, say, the SIEV 4 affair.
30 Jan 12
2:04 pm
Once again a political staffer is used as a skapegoat for pollies to hide behind. The events of Australia Day were an absolute disgrace, yet the actions of the staffer were the least contentious in the whole furore. Politicians have done far worse (hello Craig Thompson) with fewer ramifications.
What about the protesters? Are we too scared to point out how appallingly they behaved for fear of being called racist? Would the police have stood back and made no arrests if the crowd were angry truck drivers or members of the occupy movement? Hardly. At least two of the most senior Indigenous leaders have come out against the violence, but no one else has had the guts to be so vocal.
As the footage was replayed over and over, did anyone else question the way Gillard left the Lobby? Was pushing through the protesters like a rugby scrum in a final really their only option? Furthermore, if the protesters were there to confront Abbott, why did Gillard seem to be the most threatened? Perhaps more significantly, what have the images of our first female PM cowering behind a security guard, who, let’s be honest, isn’t that much bigger than her, done to national opinion about her ability to lead? Suddenly opinion is in favour of a return of the Ruddmeister. Coincidence? I think not.
I agree with Tim this isn’t the last we will hear of this shameful event, but I hope more questions will be asked – and accurately reported – beyond who tipped off whom.
30 Jan 12
3:29 pm
The sight of both political leaders running looked weak and so wondered why they didn’t stay to discuss the issue.
Ducking and running rather than engaging in discourse suggests the leaders do not wish to lead as much as direct.
A difference in style and one genuine leaders from Pericles on would surely not have adopted.
30 Jan 12
3:31 pm
Agree with Hannah that you made a lot of sense Tim……compared to Jane Caro who for mine was a bit shrieky and focused on all the wrong stuff.
As for the issue at hand, the larger question for me is the work environment that encourages a junior staffer to act the way Hodges did – the fish rots from the head. All of us should be appalled that cheap political point-scoring is the order of the day in Canberra, not running the country effectively.
And how about the poor misguided Aboriginal activists, conned by their Labor “friends” into a frenzy against Tony Abbott, the result of which has set their cause back years. Tony Abbott couldn’t have done as much damage to the tent embassy and their cause if he had tried.
A stinky affair all around.
30 Jan 12
4:16 pm
At least it made Canberra interesting for a weekend.
And stopped them talking about carbon emissions and pokies, just for a few minutes.
30 Jan 12
6:44 pm
the images of our politicians scrambling was quality. we must get more leaks like this one out – if only for their absolutely comic consequences.
30 Jan 12
6:44 pm
I think I watched loads about this matter because of the tennis… Channel 7 in between the tennis kept reminding me of the special coverage they had… When I watched the ‘special coverage’ it appeared that the so called mob was a frenzy of reporters; leading the charge and filming from a slightly different angle, was Channel 7.
Bored!!!!!!!!
31 Jan 12
10:30 am
Laird: “Ducking and running rather than engaging in discourse suggests the leaders do not wish to lead as much as direct.”
The people outside were banging on the windows and shouting. They weren’t there for a discussion. As for ducking and running, that was what was advised by the PM’s security detail. When your security team says get out now, it’s a good idea to listen to them.
31 Jan 12
11:23 am
Jane appeared to be trying to spin Julia back into relevance – I could see her pain. She might as well try to spin crap into gold. She also tried to shift the blame onto Abbott. That won’t work any more.
A segment about spinners by spinners. Won’t work.
31 Jan 12
11:44 am
They should get Malcolm Tucker on for the next master of spin at Sunrise, I would pay to see him rip Koche a new one.
31 Jan 12
12:50 pm
Since when is someone from advertising an expert on PR? The gap showed in Jane’s commentary…
31 Jan 12
2:35 pm
The ALP didn’t only attempt to screw Abbott. They f*cked over their own to do it!
Don’t believe me? Read: Minister angry at young flag burners
http://www.abc.net.au/news/201.....section=nt
This is going to get ugly. All those poo hooing any that are mad the ALP pulled this stunt, be it a junior punching above his pay rate or something more, should take a cold, hard look at what actually has been the concisenesses of this action. This is more than the Liberal response.
I agree with ALP Territory Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy . Gillard owes apologies to Australians in general and Aboriginal Australians in particular for those at the tent embassy being used in such a way by anyone in her office and the ALP. She’s the boss. The buck stops with her. It’s too late now for any apology to happen. Gillard is left looking less of a PM in charge and more of just another blame passing politician because of it.
No matter how it’s spun by whom Gillard is gone, and it’s not Abbott or the Liberal party that kicked this off!
3 Feb 12
11:09 pm
if Julia’s minders are reading this please tell her the word is pronounced “a” not “aye”
and “the” not “thee”. Fix these two things and you’ll just about fix her wooden image.
7 Feb 12
11:09 am
Perhaps those here who want to “enlighten” us, with their “expert” opinions on this matter, may care to broaden their knowledge even further by going to the link below….It’s imperative that an open mind is applied though – but then, that might present a problem for some people.
http://www.abc.net.au/mediawat.....424264.htm
7 Feb 12
6:10 pm
Maaate! Your kidding me!
Because the PM didn’t have the gonads (or was too frightened what he’s spill if she did!) to sack Tony Hodges the Australian taxpayers get to pay the incompetent half-wit a motza to p off!
I’m betting he’s already been shoehorned into a comfy job with great benefits. One befitting a maaate!
… Ms Gillard’s office also confirmed yesterday that former press secretary Tony Hodges, who resigned last month for his role in the Australia Day tent embassy protest, will receive the “standard entitlements accruing to anyone who resigns”….
http://www.theaustralian.com.a.....6264128968
12 Feb 12
11:03 am
Martin,
Given that is shouting and banging on windows, fists and words, an offer to talk would have been a reasonable start, particularly given the police presence.
It took 20 minutes to decide to run, negotiation could have stopped that poor decision and clarified the story immediately and defused the decision.
Earlier politicians – Howard on guns, Cairns on Vietnam, as immediate examples, showed courage, regardless of the advice of a security team.
We individually can show the same and certainly any who lead or aspire to lead, need to – or be shown as diminished and weak.