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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.
Most powerful ad of the year? Maybe
Sometimes the link between brilliant ads and their return on investment is a little too vague – but not so for this amazing ad.
Created by UK agency Adam & Eve for department store John Lewis, the retailer says that the ad – which features a reworking of Billy Joel’s Always A Woman To Me soundtracking a woman’s life story – has resulted in an astonishing 39.7% leap in sales.
It’s certainly capturing the public’s imagination in the UK. Several mainstream British papers have written about it, and I think it’s the first time my parents have ever emailed me about an ad. As The Observer puts it:
“All over Britain, women are kneeling in front of their tellies, heads low, shoulders shaking, tears and mucus dripping from their reddened faces like rain from a suburban gutter.”
I can’t think of another ad, which has such a positive response from the mainstream press so quickly:
- John Lewis ‘Spend it before you die’ ad puts sales up 40% – Observer
- Genius of John Lewis’s everywoman ad wins female vote – Guardian
- She’s ad us all in tears – The Sun
- John Lewis advert prompts iTunes release of Billy Joel cover – Telegraph
- John Lewis’ £6m advert becomes a YouTube hit - Metro
- The £6m ad that’s got Britain talking – and sobbing – Daily Mail
Mind you, at a reported $10m, it had better shift some units.
And as the News Of The World has also pointed out today, it does have some similarities to an Italian work from three years ago.
Despite that, I think this one will be very much troubling the international awards juries.
And as John Lewis isn’t in Australia, if I was Myer or David Jones, I’d be looking at the possibilities of licencing it for this market before my rival does.
Tim Burrowes
May 2nd, 2010 at 5:12 pm
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Comments
2 May 10
5:28 pm
Both versions are crazy middle-of-the-road… of course. But still, isn’t the Italian one much sexier? Even though makes you feel a bit weird when it cuts from the young kids’ scene, then 5″ later you’re looking at a fella’s hand slide up the heroine’s leg: “Hang on, just a moment ago she was in a kiddy ballet class… and now she’s shagging?”
Can’t wait to see what Myer’s does with it; I’m betting ugg boots, track-suit pants preceded by a midori vomit in the teenage years.
2 May 10
5:58 pm
Beautiful ad. Wonderful positioning for John Lewis, they must be stoked.
2 May 10
8:19 pm
I agree Chris , beautiful ad, very middle of the road but spot on for a department store
I would pay to be a fly on a wall if an agency for Myers or DJs ever pitched the idea of a $10m ad, the client response would be priceless.
3 May 10
9:43 am
It reminds me very much of the animated Lloyds TSB For The Journey ads that ran in the UK a few years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/results.....&aq=f
Specifically:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3xe9dSY7zM
/y0z
3 May 10
9:56 am
This is an excellent piece of advertising. What a shame we seldom see the likes of it in Australia.
3 May 10
10:22 am
God, that’s hilarious, Fergus! I for one, can’t wait to see that Myer Ad!!
3 May 10
10:42 am
I do think it’s beautiful….but it coul be for any one.
Change that end frame and it’s an ad for Nike Woman, or Dove or Bonds undies
Rob Campbell keeps saying this: Yes the John Lewis ad is beautiful, but it doesn’t really say anything unique, not even emotionally. Unlike http://tinyurl.com/27fx4co
3 May 10
11:07 am
I’m sorry, are you all debating about whether or not this is a good ad when it’s reportedly seen an almost 40% increase in sales? I’m pretty sure that fact alone makes it a good ad.
3 May 10
11:25 am
@OtherAndrew: +1.
3 May 10
11:34 am
Powerful? Phht, derivative and uninspired. I’ve seen the whole “lifetime compressed into a minute or two” shtick done dozens of times in ads, movies, even comics, infact, I can’t name a media or genre where it hasn’t been done in various forms and ways… I’m quite sure I’ve probably even seen it in a sit-com.
Anyone who is actually “moved” by this ham-fisted attempt at emotional manipulation would probably be just as “moved” when an orange puppet gets taken away by the “alien task-force” in the final episode of ALF.
And I’d like to know the name of the person signed over TEN MILLION Dollars for this schlock, I’ve many many “ideas” to pitch to this gullible person.
3 May 10
11:59 am
Those who saw ART & COPY recently will see some similarity to Hal Riney’s great bank ad – but hey, isn;’t it good to see a good ol’ fashioned ad aimed at the heart rather than the head.
Emotion still sells!
3 May 10
12:03 pm
It’s undeniably an emotionaly-engaging ad (even though I’m sure I’m not in their core target audience) and you can’t argue with the *claimed* ROMI numbers.
But I totally agree with @Katie Chatfield here. This ad could just as well be for the Royal Mail (UK) or for AustraliaPost.
A few cunningly inserted mail props e.g. birthday parcel, exam results, postcards from travels, congrats cars (new home, new baby etc) and voila.
Ironically, it seems this ad is being “knowingly oversold” by the UK media.
3 May 10
1:38 pm
two things:
- anyone else find the lyrics disparaging?
- she married a ranga
3 May 10
1:44 pm
This ad made me feel really home sick for Blighty – why is it that generally speaking UK TV advertising is of a much higher standard than the rest of the world? Please enlighten us Tim
3 May 10
1:46 pm
Hi Jayne,
I’d argue that every market had roughly the same percentage of great and awful ads. But because the UK’s a bigger market, numerically it has more of both.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
3 May 10
1:48 pm
I rather think this is similar to the current insurance ad on TV where two years of a girls life is compressed, cleverly and succinctly. I love that ad, it tugs my heart strings because it speaks to me demographically, all those experiences are things I have had in short spaces of time. So it sells to me. There was another series, from Commbank I think that made the emotional link between the potential of a child today and their future ambitions and dreams. Yes, of course emotion sells. Perhaps it’s just the dream of a life so uninterrupted with any hint of sadness or tragedy that is making this cut through so well in the UK where, lets face it, life for many has been and will continue to be cruddy for a long while.
3 May 10
1:57 pm
@Nate Are you seriously telling me that ALF was a puppet???
3 May 10
2:25 pm
Nice short film, sponsored by John Lewis.
I think if more brands thought about spending their marketing money in this way (i.e. make nice content that people want to watch), they’d get a much better product from their agencies.
3 May 10
3:02 pm
Not a patch on the KFC sizzler bucket ad for mine.
3 May 10
3:37 pm
Could the increase in sales be to do with ecomonic recovery and consumer confidence? After all, John Lewis is unaffordable to most and somewhat of a luxury shop.
3 May 10
3:48 pm
You know what – am in the target market but this is not a tear jerker for me…music of course good (classic) but has’nt this ‘journey through life’ stuff been done enough before. If I was the client and seen the storyboards I would not think original….esp for the cost!! Also isn’t the standard ad in the UK 20 sec’s – trying cutting that back and acheive the same effect…
3 May 10
3:51 pm
“Sometimes the link between brilliant ads and their return on investment is a little too vague – but not so for this amazing ad”
Hang on a sec, the link between this ad and a “39.7% leap in sales” is still a bit “vague” to me.
What’s the evidence for this extraordinary claim? If it exists then this ad is more than just the “most powerful ad of the year” – regardless of its creative merits.
3 May 10
4:52 pm
If it doesn’t trouble the award juries, there’s a pretty obvious conclusion to be drawn.
This one should clean up at the effectiveness shows though—which are the ones that smart clients pay most attention to.
3 May 10
6:30 pm
Who said John(ny) Lewis isn’t in Australia? Didn’t he train Jeff (I Love Youse All) Fenech and Kostya Tszyu?. Now if only he had trained Aussie Joe Bugner we’d all be winners!
3 May 10
6:48 pm
I agree with Cheerio.
3 May 10
7:07 pm
Hi DFC,
If you click on the link , it takes you to the interview with the marketing director of the brand. I suspect that a few days into the campaign he won’t have his Effies entry written just yet, but the client isn’t a bad starting point for that info.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
3 May 10
7:30 pm
I wonder how much of the $10 million was spent on media.
Anything, at the right time, right place, aimed at right people can do ok. That is media (engagement) planning – not necessarily the result of good creative
I’m known to believe in fairytales…like “good” creative work and awards are won with an ownable insight. Tim’s notion that this ad could effectively be licensed for Australia might work against that….
other wise it’s ‘nice’ creative and either loads of media dollar or a great media planner….
Might I also suggest that the 40% raise in sales might be um….”a great story”. As the TVC has only be on air a week (which is what it says on the Sun piece) it could be a little hard to verify…
3 May 10
9:17 pm
John Lewis seem to have a bit of a habit of making good ads – they did one a few years ago about being a child at christmas that was quite good too
4 May 10
1:43 am
Hey Tim,
Which link takes you to the interview with the marketing director? I’ve checked the links above to the various articles – but cant seem to find the specific interview with the Marketing Director (but it’s late and I might be missing the obvious!). A couple of the articles mention the TVC and the 39.7% sales increase in the same paragraph or headline – and imply a direct link.
Just interested as John Lewis was reporting a 6.5% year-on-year sales lift at January 2010. And various UK retailers are reporting up to 20% to 30% sales bounce-backs attributed to the easing of the GFC.
Clearly this TVC has been a huge hit with 300,000+ YouTube hits, massive emotional impact etc – and undoubtedly a very positive sales impact.
But I’d still like to see the (not vague) evidence that this ad “has resulted in an astonishing 39.7% leap in sales”. I’ll be interested to read that Effies entry when it’s written
4 May 10
8:52 am
Hi DFC,
Apologies – you were clicking on the correct link. I’m now doubting myself slightly, but I think the Guardian/ Observer story has changed a little (when I linked to it over the weekend, it would have been overnight first edition time in the UK) and lost the quote from the marketing director I think I remember seeing.
Digging around a bit this morning, John Lewis have posted some figures on their website (I’ve also included a sales graph in the copy, above): http://www.johnlewispartnershi.....ionId=1782
The 40% uplift is in sales on johnlewis.com, which is of course the url at the end of the ad. There is also data for individual stores, none of which is as high as the 40% figure.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
4 May 10
9:12 am
I’m starting to detect some serious ‘spin’ here by the John Lewis marketing team … how much of that claimed growth was organic rather than TVC-related?
After all, John Lewis sales are claimed go up by 16% when the sun shines for farks sake (although admitedly that is once every 123 days in the UK)
http://www.stockwatch.in/sunny.....fits-24979
And John Lewis has only recently celebrated “record sales” for Christmas 2009, which I assume all happened pre-TVC from general economic recovery:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8440511.stm
4 May 10
9:22 am
I’m beginning to think that all you ‘advertising’ types don’t actually believe in the power of advertising…
Why would we dispute the results, especially when it only serves as a great case study for all of us to champion the medium of advertising and it’s power to influence the bottom-line?
4 May 10
9:39 am
Alison, I think we all believe in the power of advertising as we have collectively seen the great brands it builds.
However, I think we are all equally wary of claims that are based on thin slices of data that do not represent the whole picture. I am not saying that is the case with this campaign, but we have seen it all too often in the past and realise that such poor ‘analysis’ will upset the apple-cart for everyone and give our industry a bad name.
4 May 10
9:52 am
Hey thanks for the clarification Tim – it did look like the article might have been changed to me too.
I did note the 40% figure for Johnlewis.com – which, as you say, is on the end of the TVC – but, so far as I can tell this is 40% up on year prior. How long has the TVC been on air?
Overall the link between this TVC and a 40% sales “leap” remains “a little to vague” to me – but I’ll park the scepticism there for now!
Hey – while I’m at it – is that a cough at the 39 second mark in the Billy Joel re-record? If so, I’d be wanting some of my £6 Million back!
4 May 10
12:13 pm
When you see advertising such as this – well thought out, beautifully created – it reminds you why you are in this field. Maximum kudos.
4 May 10
8:11 pm
Didn’t we have a dairy add with Cindi Lauper’s “Time after Time” which was virtually the same type of add, but 5 years ago?
4 May 10
9:21 pm
agree it’s an old concept. personally i prefer the xbox life is short spot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afLYBScd5do
5 May 10
1:59 am
I’ve always loved that song. Couldn’t tell what they were advertising, though, so the ad must not have been aimed at me. Perhaps sales would have jumped 57 percent if the ad had been more clear?
5 May 10
1:50 pm
A really nice emotive piece, not particularly original, but really well done. Can’t see it as an award piece myself but that doesn’t really matter. It clearly resonates with the audience.
As far as ‘if you change the last frame for it, it could be for anyone argument’
That’s a tired argument..
The fact is, there is a last frame and I’m sure people have noticed it.
Yes another retailer could have done it BUT they didn’t
I would suggest any tangible, functional difference between John Lewis and its competitors would be negligible. By emotionally connecting with their audience, the brand has done a great job.
5 May 10
2:31 pm
I thought they were all shit
5 May 10
3:07 pm
Can 1 tv ad really be the sole cause in 40% increase in sales?
5 May 10
6:46 pm
Back in the 80s, Clemenger produced the first Tim Tam ‘Genie’ spot (though many of you are too young recall it… sigh; it starred a just-out-of-NIDA Cate Blanchette) for a campaign that ran for almost 20 years. From memory, sales went up around 46% within a month or two of the ad going to air – this for a brand that had 96% awareness.
Of course, a good part of the reason wasn’t so much that it was a phenomenally brilliant ad, but that Arnott’s previous creative work had been so dire anything new and original that actually contained an insight was bound to get noticed. And I guess people liked it. So Dan, it IS possible.
But in one week? Hmmm.
7 May 10
11:10 am
I wonder what their YoY growth was before pre-GFC?
I wonder if the UK retail spend figures follow a similar trend of increasing growth.
An inflated result due to a bounce off a low base?
08-09 – A bad time for retail (GFC)
09-10 – small growth (Green Shoots of recovery)
10-11 – recovery in full swing
Really interesting, I wish more economic support was given with these types of claims.
7 May 10
1:23 pm
I love how all you “marketers” are judging an ad’s effectiveness by your personal reaction to it. Especially when your names show you are male.
The real genius was finding what makes the client special as a brand to its customers, and making sure it aligned with that. Otherwise people will be let down when they go to the store. The hard work is then keeping the promise the ad makes. The ad itself is the writing on the icing on the cake.
7 May 10
3:27 pm
If i may quote Bill Bernbach (and Paul Jones),
“EXECUTION IN THE HANDS OF GENIUS BECOMES CONTENT”
This is a great example of his quote.
The spot seems to be a recycled idea, but gee it’s beautifully created.
8 May 10
12:43 am
@Nate — get serious Alf was no puppet, he was a real alien!
certainly the Italian version is sexier, but slapped together — there is no subtle, carefully-considered transition between stages.
I found the English version emotionally engaging, and I can see how it could be put to use for any number of business marketing efforts, but it’s not clear from this what they are selling; and like many of us here, I have no idea who the company is either.
bothering me more so was the absence of time — every scene is contemporary, only the central characters change.
11 May 10
10:08 pm
great track that sparked an idea – subsequently ripped off by some scouser pom. the rest is congrats to a post house. in terms of the 40% increase, likely working off a low base – I’ve never heard of them…
13 May 10
12:56 pm
Funny how the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s all look the same in John Lewis’ world. I didn’t feel that time passed, and realised the homogenous style was to blame
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