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Opinion
The keyboard warrior of Twitter
In this guest post, NBN staffer Scott Rhodie writes an unofficial, personal view on his experience with a hostile Twitter critic.Last night I had a strange incident. While on Twitter I noticed someone saying that Australia’s NBN is already outdated. I wrote a small note back explaining they were incorrect.
And their response? The lovely gentleman (whose Twitter profile says: ‘Father of 5 kids, Loving Grandfather of 10 Grandchildren,and 2 Great Granddaughters. love to give heaps to Pollies and Poofters’) said to me: “Go and lick Gillards C*** out U commie Prick”
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 marketingEmail 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.
Kogan launches video attacks on rival retailer Harvey Norman
Online electronics retailer Kogan has launched an online and TV attack on Harvey Norman in what has become an escalating PR battle between the two brands.
Kogan – created by Ruslan Kogan – has created the video suggesting that Harvey Norman has only one line: “Stick with the big brands”.
And it will also run an ad to be screened during the second part of Seven’s Ben Cousins documentary on Thursday. The ad is a pastiche of the Harvey Norman retail ads, claiming that the cost of TV advertising makes the products more expensive. After running in Melbourne and Sydney during the Cousins programme, it will also run on Friday and Saturday.
The video comes after the PR battle between the two brands was featured on Seven’s Today Tonight.
Kogan has since accused Harvey Norman boss Gerry Harvey boss of “chickening out” of a debate.
August 24 update: Kogan said in a blog posting this morning:
“In the interest of the Australian consumer electronics industry moving forward, I proposed a debate between myself and Gerry Harvey on the issues faced by the industry.
“He has chickened out of this debate.
“A national TV broadcaster was very keen on running the debate. I agreed to the debate with no conditions other than it be live and uncut. Gerry Harvey took a while to respond, and then declined.”
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:30 pm
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Comments
23 Aug 10
9:52 pm
As much as I like what Kogan is doing, and even plan on buying one of their TV’s. It’s a bit rich to suggest Gerry is’ chickening out’, of a debate that no station in the country would carry. Do you really think a Ch 7 or 9 would be interested in offending one of their biggest advertisers and suppliers of content for their 30 minute advertorials at 6:30?
24 Aug 10
8:58 am
ACA had much the same story last year on ACA, and Dave was the presenter for that one to. The difference, Kogan has now launched LED side lit tvs. When i was intereviewed for that i pointed out a number of picture quality differences to Dave, all of which ended up on the cutting room floor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIzc6nvn7pg
24 Aug 10
9:48 am
Brave of Seven to run it considering how much Harvey Norman must spend with them.
Expect an angry phone call to James Warburton …
24 Aug 10
9:54 am
When I was last shopping for an LCD TV I would have loved to have got a Kogan TV, unfortunately when compared to something like the Sony Bravia, the aesthetics of Kogan are just appalling. I could have designed something better in my Year 10 Technical Drawing class, and from memory I got a C in that class.
24 Aug 10
10:11 am
You get what you pay for though yeah? Good on Kogan, about time someone shook up the oligopolistic state of the white goods market. Australia is operating in the dark ages when it comes to buying cheaply online. Manufacturers take the michael with prices simply because they can and the Aussie public pays it. Honestly, it’s a joke compared to the rest of the world and what you can buy, and still we get fed the rubbish about ‘buy from trusted brands’, ‘buy in store with confidence’… seriously get with the programme so to speak…
24 Aug 10
10:46 am
When will ads stop shouting at us!
24 Aug 10
11:13 am
I have never liked investing a lot of money in new technology since before the warranty, is up it has most likely become redundant. I will be looking into Kogan for sure – I love the ads they are running!
24 Aug 10
11:22 am
@ lounge addict – when they stop working.
As annoying as most consumers find Harvey Norman’s ads, along with JB HiFi, these are two of the most successful retailing stories in Australia.
24 Aug 10
3:53 pm
the ads are great!
24 Aug 10
4:36 pm
I actually purchased a Kogan LCD for my bedroom to test it out like 2 years ago, It has been great the only thing which I found a lil dodgy was the remote it just stopped working and new batteries didn’t fix it haha…But other then that the screen quality and every thing is similar to my Samsung 40 inch LCD.
I think what they are doing is great for the little guy, but I can not see the big stations or agencies taking on this guys ads LOL…But yeah I think they should hit them hard via the internet as thats where his key target market is.
24 Aug 10
4:48 pm
Funny! Did anyone notice Mr Kogan was wearing a t-shirt from the biggest brand in tennis….???
24 Aug 10
4:58 pm
He’s had a very sweary reply from Mr Harvey. I’d say mission accomplished. I had no idea who he was this morning. I do now.
24 Aug 10
5:13 pm
I agree with James Norquay, above, and the sentiment echoed by a number of others. Digital is the place for Kogan – he’s likely to have an instant cult following. I don’t know that it’s Harvey Norman’s effective campaigns that keep people shopping there or just stupidity. It’s so expensive!
24 Aug 10
6:24 pm
The thing is in the digital space and the Social Media space Kogan already plays in this space quite strongly, I noticed Kogan also have a similar campaign to the Doritos JWT one where you have to make your Youtube commercial for the brand interesting.
Really I think this is great what Kogan is doing but they already have the cult followers and the digital savvy followers hence their PR push to target a more main stream presence.
24 Aug 10
11:10 pm
REALLY NOW. IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE HAS HIS EYE POKED OUT. HOW ABOUT A LITTLE RESPECT? I’VE BEEN IN BIZ FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS AND I EXPECT TO BE AROUND FOR ANOTHER 80 AT LEAST. AS IF A COMPANY LIKE THIS IS GOING TO KEEP ME AWAKE. SHIT, I’VE HAD BIGGER $%&# THAN KOGAN.
I TELL YOU WHAT THOUGH. THAT AD IS LOUD. SOMEONE SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
FGH
8 Sep 10
9:42 pm
When Kogan start selling 18 inch double ended black dildos, I will be making a beeline to the onsite secure ordering form. Pardon me while I untie that politician who came around door knocking this morning. Caught me in a skimpy pink lace neglige, in a very compromising position. The hide of them.
9 Sep 10
10:07 am
Kogan is a tactical marketing guru, good on him for taking ti to the big guy’s, anyone who thinks they can compete in the retail sector with franchise set-up’s is totally kidding themselves!
Anyone remember the Kevin 37? Absolutely brilliant thinking! The government stimulated his back pocket!
The older generation may like to purchase in-store, once they all die off it’s online all the way! Kogan is not new to the “ripping off game” he also owns and operated another business called milandirect.com.au, they have voided international patents on some of the worlds best designed furniture for years! Good stuff too!
Pending he sticks to his guns and never sells out to the “big boys” he’s got my vote and money!
9 Sep 10
1:55 pm
i bet the ‘booked and paid for’ slot in the Cousins’ documentary is utter tosh. The whole thing is a beautiful PR stunt and they never had any intention of using ‘paid’ media. A Current Affair, marketing blogs and social media have done the job for them.
9 Sep 10
4:22 pm
Let’s see.
Kogan or Samsung?
Kogan or Panasonic?
Kogan or Sony?
Yep, I’ll stick with the big brands.
10 Sep 10
1:40 am
How may features have Today Tonight run on Gerry Harvey & Harvey Norman over the past couple of years?
There must certainly be a lot of action between the sheets to get all of the ‘FREE’ publicity.