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Opinion | Features
Disclosure in Social Media: How transparent should bloggers be?
In this guest post, blogger and digital creative Laura McWhinnie argues for more disclosure in the bloggersphere.
The bloggersphere has always been a bit like the Wild West. Bloggers could post about products to their heart’s content without having to disclose their relationship with the brand. This meant that consumers had no idea who was behind the marketing messages influencing their purchasing decisions. But in 2009 that all changed
Liars, cheats and thieves
Is our industry full of cheats and liars or do people of honour who stand by their word still exist in business? In an article that first appeared in Encore, Cameron Boon investigates. The recent court case involving Paul Fishlock suing his former employer The Campaign Palace brought into focus more than just the struggle of one man. It highlighted that there are some in adland whose word cannot always be relied upon.
Q&A with Adshel's Rob Atkinson
Online trading is the next big thing says Rob Atkinson in a piece that first appeared in Encore. Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Harold Mitchell because of his influence and the footprint he has left. He’s built a huge brand in Mitchells, offloaded it into Aegis, Aegis has obviously done extremely well to be then sold on to Dentsu. So if you think about it, he is very much a father figure of the industry.
Making it overseas
Is the best way of being successful in Australia not be here at all? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Lee Zachariah speaks to Aussies making it big abroad.I always wanted to work in New York,” says Julian Cole. “I thought it was the number one place to work in advertising; a lot of the best campaigns were coming out of there. So I moved over and was lucky enough to have a couple of interviews in the first couple of weeks.”
Cole’s story is indicative of the somewhat contentious idea that the best way to be successful in Australia is to not be in Australia any more.
Got a book in you?
From journos to ad execs and PRs, these days everyone seems to have a book in them. But what does it take to get published and will you actually make any money? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Brooke Hemphill finds out.Attention wannabe authors. Forget big fat advance cheques and living off royalties. The reality of having a book published today is another story altogether. There are only two reasons you should even consider sitting down at your computer to bash out a manuscript – passion or profile.
Savage counsel
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly advice column.Hi Chris,
My clients seem to be demanding more and more from us. At the same time, it seems many of the younger people in our industry simply don’t have the client servicing skills my generation grew up with. How do we instill in our executives some of the good old-fashioned behaviours that would keep a client happy and loyal?
Fake it til' you make it... as an ad agency receptionist
From dressing the part to playing the gatekeeper, Leo Burnett Sydney’s Susie Henry tells us how to make it as the face of adland in a piece that first appeared in Encore.What does a receptionist in an ad agency actually do?
Well, there’s the frantic every-day, all-day stuff of deliveries, courier bookings, doing expenses for directors – always challenging – plus arranging all the travel. But one of my main jobs is counselling the account service people. I also keep up with all sports information to discuss with our sports-loving clients – because who wants to be bored while they’re waiting? And I know how they like their coffee. You need to know everyone – from accounting to HR. I’m also the go-to for all catering and sending flowers.
Whose views skew the news? Media chiefs ready to vote out Labor, while reporters lean left
Most journalists lean left-of-centre, says Folker Hanusch of the University of the Sunshine Coast, in a post first published on The Conversation.Most Australian journalists describe themselves as left-wing, yet amongst those who wield the real power in the country’s newsrooms, the Coalition holds a winning lead.
But while the media’s political leanings will no doubt be debated in the lead-up to September’s federal election, our study has also found other largely unscrutinised biases remain – particularly whose views disproportionately shape the news.
It's time for a new New Wave in the film world
Government funding bodies are lazy and decadent, says industry veteran Michael Thornhill but in a piece that first appeared in Encore, Ed Gibbs begs to differ.I vividly remember the time I first saw Animal Kingdom, David Michod’s breathtaking labour-of-love feature debut. The press screening was half empty, despite the film winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance just months earlier, in 2010. Yet its superb performances, stylistic flourishes and overall polish left me speechless. Could this really be a feature debut, an Australian one at that, I wondered, almost out loud? It seemed too good to be true.
Going cold turkey on an agency addiction
Life is sweet for freelance writer Max Kitchen, but in a feature that first appeared in Encore, he admits his struggle against returning to the agency fold.I’ve never taken heroin. But I suspect if I had, the temptation to try it again would not be too dissimilar to the lure of returning to agency life.
Can sport save Ten?
First there was the Grand Prix. Next came the reported $500m bid for cricket rights, then Ten secured the 2014 winter Olympics. So, can sport save the ailing network? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.The television sports rights bidding process is a bit like a game of poker.
Check, fold or bet. Those were the options for the Ten Network last week when it had to finalise its bid for the cricket rights.
Andy Lark: good for the marketing of marketing
I can still remember the first story I wrote about Andy Lark, when it emerged that he was to be the new chief marketing officer of CommBank.
It was immediately clear that Australia was about to meet an interesting marketer, one who blogged and tweeted and thanks to his time at Dell in the US was digitally savvy. Even two years ago, that was a big deal. The fact that he also had a stint in public relations gave him an absolutely intriguing background before he even arrived.
Storming the media barricades - advice for young journalists
This week Mumbrella’s Nic Christensen, who began his career four years ago, gave the keynote address to would-be journalists at the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s Student Day. This is an edited version of his speech.Good afternoon, I can remember distinctly the last time I was in this room.
It was 2009 and I was sitting where you are. I’d come to this event, a friend and myself — from memory we sat up the back — and I can remember at the time wondering if I’d ever get a job as a journalist.
It was only four years ago and then as now getting a job was ultra competitive but I’m not sure there was quite as much media ‘doom and gloom’ as there is now…
Paywalls will help fund campaigning journalism
In this guest post, News Limited’s group editorial director Campbell Reid responds to the views of ninemsn’s Hal Crawford that the company’s push into metered paywalls is about data rather than dollars.Hal Crawford is both right and wrong in his article which argued that our digital subscription plans are all about the data.
Fake it 'til you make it... as a features editor
Cosmo’s Kate Leaver tells us how to bluff it in her job in a feature that first appeared in Encore.What do you do, as a features editor?
Really, play with words and ideas all day. At any one time, we’re working across three issues of the mag – getting one on its way to the printers, pooling all the words together for another, and planning the issue after that. It’s busy but it’s a pretty magnificent process.
Metro Trains ‘Dumb ways to die’ video goes viral
A safety video for Melbourne’s Metro Trains has gone viral.
The three-minute musical cartoon, which is designed to curb preventable train-related deaths, has amassed 2.3m views on YouTube in 48 hours – with no media spend. (9.30am November 19 update: 4.7m views now)
Since it launched at the end of last week, ‘Dumb ways to die’ has been ‘liked’ on YouTube 42,000 times – more than double that of another popular Australian ad to go viral, ‘Beer chase’ for Carlton Draught.
The song, sung by an unknown Melbourne artist, is currently ranked fifth in the singer/songwriter category of iTunes.
The video was on the front page of Reddit for six hours, and “has gone nuts on Tumblr”, according to the man who wrote the ad, McCann ECD John Mescall.
He told Mumbrella on Sunday: “Of course, we wanted it to go viral, but it’s rare that all the elements you need fit into place. Just one thing could kill it.”
“If it wasn’t catchy enough, or the safety message had come at the beginning and not the end, it wouldn’t have worked,” he said.
“People don’t want to share advertising. They want to share stories and content. Dumb ways to die is very likeable. And if you really like something, you want to share it.”
Media spend on the campaign kicks off next week.
At the time of posting, Dumb Ways To Die had just moved to number one on the Viral Video Chart, ahead of Rihanna.
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Comments
18 Nov 12
11:07 am
My kids are loving this, have been playing and singing it in the car all weekend here in Auckland.
18 Nov 12
11:38 am
The tune is awesome. But I would be pretty offended if I had lost one of my loved ones who has fallen onto the tracks… not only are they now a jelly bean but they are also “dumb”. Maybe a bit insensitive?
18 Nov 12
1:56 pm
I dont know if they have any proper video analytics around this, but i’d be interested to see how many of the 2.3 million video viewers actually viewed it until the end. Considering the key message is in the last 10-15 seconds of the video, it could seriously dilute the amount of people actually seeing the message…..
If it was me, i would’ve spread the train-related ‘ways to die’ throughout the video rather than at the end. Still well done though….. Kudos to all involved….
18 Nov 12
2:39 pm
Just saw on viral video chart that it’s currently the most shared video in the world right now. Ahead of Rihanna’s new single.
Not bad for a rail safety message.
19 Nov 12
12:37 am
I think people are probably watching the video all the way to the end, judging purely from it being shared widely. If it was disengaging people halfway through, people wouldn’t spread it.
19 Nov 12
3:50 am
Here in the US, it’s all over the place and everyone is watching to the end. Simple, clever, catchy tune and funny animation. Can be easily broken into shorter spots. Should be a win-win for Metro trains and the agency.
19 Nov 12
10:04 am
The artist is Tangerine Kitty: https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/tangerine-kitty/id575962251
19 Nov 12
10:15 am
I’m curious about the international tone of the item from Grizzly Bear to Rattlesnakes and even the voiceover and vocal style. Still great idea and cool execution. It will be interesting to see how this viral launch plays into the broader local campaign.
19 Nov 12
10:31 am
AWESOME! What a great piece of entertainment… Congratulations to everyone involved… Amazing use of musical comedy, and awesome way to get the important message across without needing it to take up too much screen time, or distracting from the comedy. Yeeeeeeeeow!… Stoked for all who had a part in it.
19 Nov 12
10:31 am
let’s not get confused here.
# of views/virality simply means great reach and presumably engagement because the viewer activated the ad, but not great effectiveness because that depends also on exactly what’s being viewed.
it’s brilliant and I love it as entertainment but not sure of its effectiveness as advertising because the message is only at the very end. Hopefully people will watch the whole thing but was it a necessary risk to take? why not sprinkle the train references throughout the full 3 minutes?
the trend to only message and brand in the last 10 seconds of ads is understandable from agencies who fear disconnection if these are introduced too early – but there’s also such a thing as introducing it too late
..and C Croom, it’s kind of you to speak on behalf of the 280 million people in the US. Did you sit beside them as they pressed play? something tells me you work for the agency. Maybe it was the patently absurd claim and the use of ‘win win’
19 Nov 12
10:46 am
Perhaps the Darwin Awards can adopt this as their new jingle? For the record, its catchy!
19 Nov 12
10:55 am
Even if people don’t get the message by viewing it all the way through they will get the message from the media coverage it has created from getting so many views. I had to skip back to get the 3 train references at the end (brain wandered just at the crucial time) but hey I skipped back so I got it… and they got me. We can all be critics, we could have said that the 3 train messages could have been worked in to the chorus to create repetition, but then it might not have been so catchy. Great work on this. A shining star.
19 Nov 12
10:59 am
It’s lovely and creative and catchy, but as someone who lost a close family friend to a train line suicide 5 years ago, I’m not sure what this is actually trying to achieve. From what I learned afterwards, the vast majority of train-related incidents are intentional, not ‘accidents’. And even when the cause is ambiguous, authorities openly admit many are likely to have been suicides. Given this, who is the target audience? Dumb way to die? Geez, if anything it provides ideas for vulnerable people on ways to kill themselves, doesn’t it?
19 Nov 12
11:02 am
people were singing this in the pub on sat night!
19 Nov 12
11:07 am
Aaron and Nell, the ad is aimed at people in Melbourne and you’re debating how many people watched it in the U.S.? Who cares? The fact is it’s a cool piece of work. One of the rare ones that has enough charm to break all the rules. That’s it. Job done. And well done. I wish I’d made it up.
19 Nov 12
11:08 am
There’s always a ‘nell_schofield’ in the comments …
19 Nov 12
11:09 am
C’mon C Croom, you can do better than that…
“everyone is watching to the end.” What an intelligent statement that is….
19 Nov 12
11:20 am
well done!
19 Nov 12
11:21 am
Anyone who comments negatively on this campaign is a bum.
19 Nov 12
11:27 am
The message is great but i think the success of this is the backend spreading through popular social news websites like buzzfeed or gizmodo or any of the many other influential distributors. If any of you want to give virility a little nudge it’s best to contact all of these and boost the awareness as he who controls the media controls the world.
19 Nov 12
11:48 am
I feel like I have viewed it 4.7M times already & cannot get it out of my head. Brilliant work!!!
19 Nov 12
11:57 am
There’s only one thing wrong with your theory Martin – 99.99% of Metro rail commuters don’t read ad/mkting trade websites or other trade media. Any piece of communication needs to stand on its own two feet to claim effectiveness. The fact that you completely missed the message and had to rewatch it proves my earlier point. That a trade insider has to rewatch the video to get the message indicates that a campaign may not be an effective mass communication, no matter how cute, entertaining, catchy and well-produced it may be.
Branded content is a delightfully shiny new thing for many people, but dont let it’s novelty distract you from the task at hand.
i despair at how often this seems to happen in advertising/comms.
19 Nov 12
12:21 pm
Brilliant work !
19 Nov 12
12:43 pm
Excellent! May I suggest as others have, the catchy tune, the clever animation but also good storytelling (beginning middle and end) and references to a safe time (childlike repetition) and importantly rhyme all go to the tremendous relate-ability of this piece. Very well done to the writers of both the ad and the song and the team who put it all together.
19 Nov 12
1:21 pm
Wow! Great fun AND catchy!
Wanted to switch off after 2 minutes…but wanted to watch how it ended…figured I’d made it that far..so I kept viewing. Sweet. Humming the tune now!
19 Nov 12
2:05 pm
Good point Nell on the content but news.com.au SMH and Herald Sun would have a good % of commuters. It’s a pandemic! :0)
19 Nov 12
2:08 pm
Dear mumbrella your video links are not mobile friendly. Please fix asap. Thanking you kindly. J
19 Nov 12
2:10 pm
Congratulations to the team behind the campaign, but I can only echo what other commentators have said, will it be effective?
What has driven me to comment is that I have recently spoken to my younger cousin, who has seen the YouTube video – but has no idea that the song was produced for Metro or even was intended as a train safety message (I’m not even sure if he made it to the end).
For the record, we are in Queensland.
So you have Queenslanders/Australians/Americans watching this video, with from what I can only judge by the comments, some are – while some aren’t – understanding the train safety message behind it.
How does this help Melbourne Metro improve their safety figures? (assuming thats the objective)
While view counts are impressive and there is little doubt this video has gone viral, are the right people watching it?
If you click on the Statistics button underneath the video on YouTube, you will see that the “Top Demographics” of this video are: Male, 25-34 years – Male, 35-44 years – Male, 45-54 years. Is this truly who they want or need watching the video the most?
Again, it is a nice piece of creative work – but it is unclear whether it is a great piece of advertising.
19 Nov 12
2:14 pm
I love the spot. I love the track. But that doesn’t make it effective, yet. So fingers crossed it’s as effective as it is popular. In the meantime, congrats all round.
19 Nov 12
3:08 pm
@Aaron and others talking about the effectiveness and spreading the train message, i don’t think this could be better constructed.
This video was “quietly released” on Youtube and grown very quickly. I think a large part of that is people don’t feel like a message is being rammed down their throat.
My first watch of this i thought it was just an amusing video, until i noticed the 3 train messages crammed together, complemented by the unobtrusive Metro reference at the end. I find the subtleties exceptionally elegant.
Yes the direct message will be lost on a lot of people, but subconsciously it associates unnecessary dangerous behaviors with being dumb. The message should get to enough people to turn to an idiot on the tracks and call him/her dumb.
Finally, I like the fact it is encouraging accountability for ones own behavior. You shouldn’t have to rely on signage to say “dont cross the tracks”, its just DUMB!
19 Nov 12
3:21 pm
perhaps people need to remember that this video is just one part of an integrated campaign, most of which hasn’t been seen yet. the paid media component hasn’t even started.
why don’t you wait until the campaign has actually run in it’s entirety, and the results have been measured, before complaining that it doesn’t work?
19 Nov 12
3:59 pm
Neither I have, nor has Nell appeared to, complained that this message doesn’t work. We have both said it is entertaining, well-made, and well deserved of credit and for going viral.
Criticism is not complaining.
We are yet to know if this is effective advertising, hence I said “unclear”. I have little doubt Victorians/Melbournites will probably be seeing 15 or 30 second spots in the near future, apart of a larger campaign that will probably include print.
And this video might bring some welcome PR in Melbourne (and Nationally, which will feed back to Melbourne), but you need to remember this video is commissioned by the Melbourne Metro for their purposes, and while no doubt a PSA that goes viral helps everybody – in terms of advertising – communication with objectives – one cannot say its a success merely because of a viewcount buffed by international audiences as well as Australians nowhere near Victoria (who may or may not understand the message at all).
Waiting until the results have been measured was my exact point. Until then, questioning whether it does work is healthy academic and industry discussion.
19 Nov 12
4:04 pm
In the TAC ads, the key line isn’t generally until the end either, and, as shown on Mumbrella recently, they have been reasonably effective over their time.
19 Nov 12
4:24 pm
lovely piece of work….don’t think it’d really change my behaviour around trains, but if I did get chopped in half trying to cross a track I’d like to think I’d be singing the song as I wheeled into the ambulance
19 Nov 12
6:30 pm
I think the point some have made about the ‘line’ being at the end is simply an observation about having to wait for nearly 3 mins to get the Metro message.
However, I’m sure when the 30′s run the ‘line’ being at the end will feel just right.
Time will tell how successful it is in reducing train related deaths and accidents.
In the meantime we should all just sit back, sing along and enjoy.
19 Nov 12
8:59 pm
Legend! Top job to all involved.
21 Nov 12
6:42 pm
Get real – if this gets kids (and clearly adult males OMG are we suprised?) thinking that maybe something could be a dumb thing to do I don’t care where in the world its being viewed – its’ a goddam success and well done to the team and the client for going for it.
25 Nov 12
9:29 am
Brilliant and I love it! Well done McCann’s Team. I can undwestand the critiques – well there are always those – but this is a good stand alone piece of the bigger picture yet to be launched!! It’s catchy, colourful,attractive to all age groups I’m sure and memorable – I’m humming it as I write! I’m sure the message will be heard and received and ahve impact!! Like it, sing it and keep sharings it! It’s happily now floating around England!!
25 Nov 12
9:33 am
Sorry a few typo errors in there !! Like undwestand = understand; ahve = have