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Opinion
Video: How to win new business
Mumbrella Question Time saw the panel asked the secrets of winning new business. Read more »
Let’s stop the anonymous vitriol
In this guest posting, Peter Bray, boss of The Brand Shop, takes issue with negative comments from anonymous posters on Mumbrella and elsewhere.
There are very few ads that I vehemently dislike. There are also very few ads that I really love. But most ads I see on Mumbrella and other blogs I can usually take something from, whether it is information about the brand, a bit of inspiration or a “watch out”. I’m open to learning as much as I can from others, and encourage those around me to do the same.
My basic assumption, however, is that because an ad has been produced by a professional agency, and had the approval from the client, then the end result must be doing something right. Therefore, without knowing the practical rationale behind the ad, for me to have a strong opinion about whether it is great advertising would be kind of arrogant. There is a reason that awards shows ask for information about why an ad was created: they are rarely judged on end product alone.
So as someone who enjoys watching the work that our industry creates, I am stunned at the level of vitriol stemming from some people’s comments in both this blog and others. Read more »
Read his lips
This is several weeks old, but worth a look. It’s certainly an original way to deal with media criticism.It features Air NZ boss Rob Fyfe responding to weekly current affairs magazine The Listener using the medium of sign language. Read more »
Let’s not be too positive just yet – the nail is still there
It’s more than a year since News Ltd’s marketing boss Joe Talcott used the memorable analogy of a dog whimpering on a nail to describe the structural change the industry needs to go through. Read more »
The AdNews numbers that mislead the market
It’s always a tad tawdry when competitors attack each other, but I hope you’ll bear with me…
Whether cynically or through incompetence, AdNews has been misleading its advertisers by providing them with data that seems to suggest they have six times their true online audience.
Allow me to present the evidence. Read more »
Technology will help us own the agenda – all day, every day
In this opening speech to the Future Forum of the Newspaper Publishers Association, News Ltd CEO John Hartigan argued that news organisations have the opportunity to become more rather than less relevant.
Today I want to talk about a tipping point that heralds the most exciting era for journalism. The most exciting era ever.
This tipping point is already upon us. It has arrived at lightning speed, with the explosion in demand for mobile devices.
I am not consigning newspapers to the scrapheap. Not by a long shot.
But this tipping point is going to change journalism forever. In my opinion, very much for the better. Read more »
The real time shit sandwich detector
In this guest post, Clive Burcham of The Conscience Organisation, relishes the instant feedback of social media.
I’ve been making brand driven content since 1996 and often I’ve been so close to the work that I couldn’t tell the difference between if we were chomping on a shit sandwich or savouring the crème de la creme. From an audience perspective, we wouldn’t know the difference for weeks or months. What excites me most now is that we know within 24 hours if we’ve developed shit or cream. Read more »
SMH shows how to make a home page takeover work
When you’re a commercial organisation, balancing the needs of consumers with the need to make money through ads is tricky.
Among the organisations that sometimes goes the wrong way in my view is Fairfax, with its autostart video ads, for instance.
But today, a bit of unreserved praise Read more »
Inside the Foxtel factory
Having been at the launch of Foxtel’s new season the other night, nine points occur… Read more »
ABC News 24 – a handy service for niche journalists
It may not have many viewers yet, but ABC News 24 saves specialist journos having to leave their desks, argues Delimiter’s Renai LeMay
When media commentators discuss the future of journalism, they usually agree on at least one thing: It will involve much fewer generalists and more reporters dedicated to exhaustively covering niche fields. Read more »
The seven ages of Carlton Draught’s Made From Beer
Today sees the launch of “Slow Mo”, the latest instalment of Carlton Draught’s irreverent Made From Beer series.
It’s been quite a run – from the highly awarded Big Ad, to the comedy of Flash Beer, to the debacle of the abortive banned Tingle campaign. These are the seven ages of Made From Beer… Read more »
Real consumers don’t have ‘brand conversations’. They use search
In this guest posting, Simon van Wyk argues that much as marketers might wish otherwise, most consumers don’t have emotional connections with brands
I have a background in marketing, but my understanding of branding seems at odds with the 2010 opinions I see from social media commentators, marketing and advertising agencies. Read more »
Hot, censoring atheists: Google’s insight into what punters think about pollies and journos
One of the charms of Google is autocomplete, where it takes a punt on what you’re going to ask, based on what the rest of the world has been wondering previously.
And it certainly gives a few insights into the high quality of political debate about the Labor leaders in the run up to the election.
Take NSW premiere Kristina Keneally… Read more »
The copyright-busting election
This is rapidly turning into the copyright-infringing election. Read more »
Digital Fail: The gaping void in digital training is failing our industry
In this guest post, Amnesia Razorfish’s Iain McDonald warns that the industry has fallen badly behind on digital training.
Before I get accused of trolling with that headline, I’ll state what I think is obvious: The current education system isn’t producing or nurturing enough ‘digitally skilled’ individuals to sustain a growing a digital economy. Read more »
Hitwise: Witchery doubled traffic with hoax video
Web monitoring firm Hitwise says that Witchery, the brand at the centre of the girl-in-the-jacket controversy, more than doubled traffic to its site in the week that the row took place.
A new posting on the Hitwise blog says: “The Witchery website increased its market share within the Shopping and Classifieds – Apparel and Accessories industry – by 120% for the week ending 17/01/2009, the same week that the clip was released on You Tube. The website was also ranked the second most popular downstream website within the Shopping and Classifieds – Apparel and Accessories industry, to receive traffic from You Tube that week.”
February 11th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
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Comments
11 Feb 09
2:33 pm
Controversy?
I’d say it was more of a storm in a teacup.
Let’s get some perspective. Please.
11 Feb 09
2:43 pm
What was the volume of traffic to the site?. If 120% increase only actually equates to 1000 visitors or so then…oh you get the idea…i won’t continue. Next topic please.
11 Feb 09
3:16 pm
I agree with Mr Corbett that this is pretty meaningless without knowing the real numbers.
Also – how much of that traffic came from YouTube?
I’ve run a lot of web video campaigns and it’s really hard to get a viral video to drive traffic as most people just view the video and move on. Likewise, Mainstream Media exposure doesn’t often equate to a big traffic bump – too much happens between the MSM site/hard copy and the visit to the site.
I think you’d be more likely to see online advertising in the market, possible email blasts and other traffic driving strategies.
On top of all that, raw traffic means little if it’s not converting.
11 Feb 09
3:22 pm
tim you’ve gotta stop using hitwise data … it doesn’t mean anything!
11 Feb 09
3:31 pm
I’ll let you into a secret, Stan/ Mr C/ Paull… there are some giveaway signs about how excited we are by a story.
1. Have we Tweeted it? Not in this case? 2. Have we done a long piece, with lots of reaction? Again, I’m afraid not. 3. Is it top item on the site? Nope.
But it’s a small, additional piece of data that may be useful in the debate – certainly worth two paragraphs and a link.
Stan, I don’t agree that the orginal issue was not controversial. In our small corner of the marketing world it certainly was. Of course, whether it should have been is another question altogether.
And you may not have noticed as it happened last night, but the boss of the agency involved is no longer in his job. While there is no evidence it was linked to this, the timing at least invites speculation.
And Mr C, your wish is my command. You’ll find the next topic is already there for you to get your teeth into… what’ve you got to say about the Taronga platypus then?
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
11 Feb 09
3:34 pm
Oh, and Ben, I fully accept that Hitwise has limitations, as does Nielsen, the Roy Morgan black box or any other metric/ currency.
I see it a bit like an ocean map from the 18th century. It wasn’t entirely accurate, but if I’d been sailing a ship, I’d have rather had it than not…
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
11 Feb 09
3:40 pm
good analogy – will let it slide
11 Feb 09
4:06 pm
twice as many deceived people as before
cool
j
11 Feb 09
4:45 pm
I like that analogy too.
And I like the platypus. I saw one a couple of weeks ago in Kangaroo Valley and they look cute…but they’re odd looking and a little unsettling…Just like that girl in the Witchery video…boom boom!
No more I promise.
11 Feb 09
11:22 pm
HELP ME.
I……can’t……..stop…….talking………about……..Witchery.