Opinion
- 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 marketing
  
  Email 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.
- How reliable are radio ratings?
  
  In this guest posting, Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis wonders how accurate radio ratings can be, since the data is collated from handwritten diaries.
  
  So, the radio ratings season gets underway tomorrow. After a well-earned break, Australia’s commercial radio stations will renew their obsession with figures to see how many of us are listening. Are they winning or losing the ratings war?
  
  The much feared radio survey is the only way to measure the success or failure of a station’s playlist, talent, promotions or even good old Black Thunder crosses. With six-figure salaries riding on the make-or-break nature of ratings, just how accurate are Australia’s radio survey results?

Mumbo Report: Clive Burcham on The Global Poverty Project; Ray Martin on why Val Kilmer is hard work

In today’s Mumbo Report from Studio 33:

The Conscience Organisation’s Clive Burcham on the Global Poverty Project and going viral;
Ray Martin on why Val Kilmer was his worst interview ever;
Ever noticed how men in impotence ads always have their hands stuck to their heads?
Top five ads of the week

You can also subscribe to Mumbrella’s Mumbo Report YouTube channel

With the support of:

November 24th, 2009 at 1:52 pm

Comments

Mungo
24 Nov 09
4:16 pm

I’m intrigued, Tim – what is that brightly coloured pen on your desk?

Jojo
24 Nov 09
4:18 pm

Is it just me or is there new instrumental music playing in the background?

Gezza
24 Nov 09
4:46 pm

Again 2 out 3 times Tim pronounced the T in Report. Why not go for the whole trifecta the next time.

When Clive talks about a paradigm, do you think he really meant to say paradox?

Pete Zerhut
24 Nov 09
5:16 pm

@Gezza. I think he might have yeah. Could kind of blag it either way though.

@jojo – another thing on the opening credits, I have also often wonderd whether Tim is indulging in an ‘air sip’ from an actually empty mug, or if indeed there is fluid in the vessel, when he sips on his beverage in the titles

Jules
25 Nov 09
9:36 am

Hahaha I liked watching Tim’s body language as he tried to deal with that twat.

You can see the resentment bubbling up to the surface around the time Clivey Baby steps off his gimp box to check that Tim is still following – ‘do you get the paradigm’.

His opening about the attractive model revealed his spectacular expertise as a douche. I’m surprised he didn’t do the interview in an Ed Hardy t-shirt.

Actually if he ever comes back – can I put in a request that you wear an Ed Hardy t-shirt while interviewing him Tim?

mumbrella
25 Nov 09
10:23 am

Hi Jules,

You may need to go back to body language school.

Clieve is spectacularly hard work to interview because his mind is working in a million different directions at once. But that’s what makes him interesting.

And the Global Poverty Project is an amazing idea which is undoubtedly benefitting from his energy. When that starts to get international attention in the following months (which I’m pretty sure it will), just remember that you saw Clive talk about it here first!

Cheers,

Tim – Mumbrella

gezza
25 Nov 09
10:44 am

Jules: Yes he revealed himself to be something of an insecure and vain self important misogynist. That does not disqualify him from being a very succesful advertising practioner – far from it.

Let’s give his project and motivation the B of the D, and hope it doesn’t turn out to be another vehicle for self promotion and media self congratulation – ie Earth Hour 2.

Rachael Lonergan
25 Nov 09
11:04 am

@gezza @Jules

Obviously you’ve never met Clive or you’d know he is one of the most spectacularly decent human beings in this industry. Your comments could not be further from the truth.

And he puts his name to the things he is passionate about and believes in. It would certainly never be his style to hide behind anonymity so as to rip apart someone he doesn’t know, on an industry based forum.

gezza
25 Nov 09
11:40 am

Rachael – I said we should give him the benefit of the doubt – maybe you missed that. I do however think that comparing his motivation to end world poverty with being dumped by a supermodel rather crass.

Rachael Lonergan
25 Nov 09
1:05 pm

@gezza

You also said “he revealed himself to be something of an insecure and vain self-important misogynist “. Where exactly is the benefit of the doubt in that? Anyone who knows Clive knows how much BS that is.

I don’t know you @gezza. But because you are hidden behind a pseudonym I’m going to assume you’re not prepared to publicly stand up for yourself which I do believe says something beyond doubt about your character.

Rachael Lonergan
25 Nov 09
1:14 pm

Tim, I know this has been said before but I’ll say it again.

Criticism of work, systems, ideas etc. Fair game.

Petty or defamatory personal comments on people or personalities within the industry, especially by people not prepared to go on record…how is this not subject to moderation?

Cheers, Rachael

gezza
25 Nov 09
1:18 pm

Rachel. I said B of the D on the project – not on his attitudes to supermodels and women. It could well be I’m being unfair but men who place too much social status on the attractiveness of their female partner and who also dismiss an entire profession or group on the basis of the behavior of one person I would say do clearly have some issues.

If he’d said he once went out with a one legged nurse but got dumped and will never go out with another one again you may take a different view. It would be quite funny though.

And to your other point – anonymity. Is’nt that a significant benefit of these blog forums that people can give an opinion with fear of the usual cosnequence. As long as we dont revert to personal abuse – which I dont believe I did. But I respect your opinion to differ and the fact that you obviously know and respect this guy.

Chrs

The Accountant
25 Nov 09
1:51 pm

Clive has the most stunning combover I have ever seen.

mumbrella
25 Nov 09
2:14 pm

Hi Rachael,,

I personally disagree with those comments and was close to moderarting them. However, they are comment/ reaction to something Clive said in the video so from that point of view it is (just) legitimate comment.

Cheers,

Tim – Mumbrella

hank
25 Nov 09
6:15 pm

Rachael, I take it you’re not a model then.

Anon
26 Nov 09
3:36 pm

Rachael do you work on Clive’s PR team?

JamesWelch
27 Nov 09
6:18 pm

I met Clive a couple of years ago when he brought Joe Jaffe into Sydney to speak about “life beyond the 30 second spot”. Clive might be a curious character, but he’s a man with a great mission and doing very well.

At the time he recounted a story about the start of TCO, when all he had was a three point plan: 1) Make more than we spend. 2) Give a little bit back. 3) Don’t work with arseholes. A good ethos for life, I’ve thought ever-since.

And whatever you might think of the individual, the work TCO is producing is worth taking a look at.

Another interesting Mumbo report.

Ta.

Arran
3 Dec 09
3:23 pm

@Mungo…if I had to guess, I’d say that pen was the P142 pen at http://www.promogallery.com.au. I’d further guess that it was decorated with http://www.extremeinfo.com.au but it’s hard to be certain. Perhaps extremeinfo ought to provide Tim with some larger promotions? Wouldn’t be hard to outshine the dull Adstream mug.