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Opinion | Features
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.
TV audience measurement – why big isn’t always beautiful
In this guest post, Chris Walton argues that the media industry needs to take a new approach to TV tradingThere has been a significant amount of coverage recently about how successful The Voice has been. Indeed, audience figures of 2.6m+ people are very impressive these days. Based on reports, this is apparently double the size of audience that Nine was hoping for in the lead up to the programme launching.
NAB – brave, ambitious and aggressive
I’ve already written about NAB’s Twitter stunt.
But as the campaign continues to unfold, my jaw continues to drop.
The stunt videos of ambushes on other banks (which look fake as hell to me by the way) take it to another level.
This is going to be talked about for months.
It’s one of the bravest, most ambitious, most aggressive campaigns I can remember.
And it’s for a bank.
Tim Burrowes
February 15th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
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Comments
15 Feb 11
3:31 pm
love it. a bank actually showing some originality. heck – ANYONE showing some originality these days is a surprise!!!
15 Feb 11
4:39 pm
errrr…in the print ads they’re admitting collusion with the other banks so it could be a PR fail
15 Feb 11
4:59 pm
It just keeps getting better. Impressive stuff! Creativity…always so nice to see where you least expect it.
15 Feb 11
5:02 pm
Yes, I like the boldness of it. I just hope the product supports the hype.
15 Feb 11
5:03 pm
@tim “But as the campaign continues to unfold, my jaw continues to drop” couldn’t agree more!
@KA Same!
15 Feb 11
5:07 pm
I have to agree Tim. I am a little awestruck by the scale of the attack (it is everywhere), and it’s boldness (its bloody brave to pick a fight this big).
Well done to all involved – particularly the brave client.
15 Feb 11
5:14 pm
Yes, hats off. Big plums.
15 Feb 11
9:41 pm
any estimates on how much it would have cost?
16 Feb 11
9:03 am
Good on them for being provocative. Of course they would have anticipated the cynical response from many quarters, but at least it’s cutting through and challenging people and their competitors to think differently or respond. They took a lead with their products last year, maybe now their advertising has at least caught up.
16 Feb 11
9:15 am
i love this because if a bank can be this bold- then anyone can (and should).
What rules? What sensitivities?
That said, it’s still a bank, and maybe you can’t out lipstick on a pig.
But if you’re gonna have a crack- then go all in!
16 Feb 11
9:23 am
A great concept and thought out attack! Good work to the agency responsibile for all of this talk!
16 Feb 11
1:11 pm
Hats off indeed to NAB and big ups to Cameron Clyne and his team who have shown the requistie plums to launch this attack.
Good to see that its not just rhetoric and hype for a change.
They acted first to get their products in order, made it a strategic pilar to become more customer focussed and then started the sell.
This is the right way to go about it.
A big win in my humble view and I expect they will get the results this sort of bravery deserves.
16 Feb 11
3:34 pm
very good indeed, great use of media
16 Feb 11
4:14 pm
Wolves in sheeps clothing? – according to Ross Greenwood, none of the four big banks have a top 5 product in home loans and credit cards – I reckon this is about posturing in the face of the fed govt statements of late, not about any real customer focus
16 Feb 11
10:15 pm
Any advert that gets the public talking is successful. There was news stories about the whole campaign. I believe that if people are talking then the brand is out there. Its like the old flash mob wether you like it or not it gets you talking!
17 Feb 11
4:23 pm
Hats off to Zenith Opti and also Clemenger for what looks like a sensational campaign. It is everywhere and they seem to have nailed it from every angle. Sure it would have taken a lot of hard work and team effort to pull this off!
For the flack that ZO have copped about PHD taking the nab business, it seems as though they have made a pretty big statement with this campaign about what they are capable of. Credit where credits due!
17 Feb 11
4:41 pm
Hate it – am an NAB customer. It feels smug, fake and cringeworthy. It’s the creative not the execution that gets me – feel the need to avert my eyes when ever I encounter this campaign.
17 Feb 11
10:06 pm
It’s quality. Cuts through. Something your parents would remark on. Well done them.
18 Feb 11
6:36 pm
They’ve thrown their first punch [a bloody big one] and the leather just keeps on coming. But then again, George Foreman made a lot of contact early on in the Rumble in The Jungle and look what happened to him. So, let’s just wait and see before we rush to judgement..They could end up champs, or just as easily end up chumps. Only time will tell.
19 Feb 11
9:03 am
Re – my previous reference to the Rumble in the Jungle, I recommend you read ‘Hunter NAB becomes hunted in bank wars’ in the business section of the Saturday’s Australian.
20 Feb 11
11:21 am
Brave. Ambitious.Calm down Tim. You know as well as I, the easiest way for Sir Humphrey to put an end to one of the PM’s ideas was to simply say, “Brave/courageous decision Prime Minister”. NAB may very well win something out of this battle. [They're entitled to claim a victory here and there just for being 'brave/courageous' enough to 'take 'em on']. But, this is not a battle that will be won by advertising. This will be won with products and services and NAB haven’t got much to say at present other than we’ll pay your switching fees. In yesterday’s Daily Telegraph there was an article on the bank battle and it stated that NAB have the most unhappy business customers of any bank. This was opposite a Westpac ad aimed straight at NAB business customers.Then there’s the CommBank directly targeting NAB home loan customers with some pretty attractive incentives to dump the NAB and switch to them. Add to that that the revelation in Saturday’s Australian that NAB still requires customers to pay breaking-up fees on 35 of their 40 home loans. Ouch! A few more articles like that and all the upside from your advertising goes straight out the window. No brand wants to be fighting battles on different fronts against bigger competitors. But that’s exactly what’s happening to NAB now. They’re fighting CommBank [and Westpac] on home loans and Westpac for their business customers.The scary bit for NAB management is that if they lose, they could end up with a lot less than they started out with. It reminds me of something another old hack was want to say about brands battling it out, “It’s not much use going into a gun battle carrying a knife”. Only time will tell.
22 Feb 11
4:19 pm
What a fabulous brave client to be willing to state their differentiation from a mountaintop. I can’t count the number of times a client has briefed me to create an ad around such a bold claim, then pulled out from fear of retaliation.
Well done NAB. Hopefully other clients will admire their bravery too.
24 Feb 11
9:22 am
I continue to be amazed at the congratulatory fervour amongst the ad company types in this forum. Maybe I shouldn’t be – as the campaign is certainly different, bold for the sector and everywhere. But so what? Campaigns should form a logical and supportive role for a broader, intelligent marketing strategy. We’re yet to see the real results, but the results so far:
- a growing disbelief by existing NAB customers who know the claims are mostly baseless. Potential churn by those customers, and WOM that negates the campaign’s message.
- an aggressive price war that will see net interest margins hit and acquisition costs increase (CBA’s offer to pay break fees).
Nice for consumers – but from a NAB marketing strategy perspective a highly questionable, and potentially disasterous play. Perhaps the architect of this campaign should keep in mind what happened to the ANZ marketing exec who conceived the shitty Barbara campaign – oh that’s right: fired.
24 Feb 11
10:39 am
But is this campaign successful? That won’t be known for weeks or months.
In other words, will this campaign net NAB more customers/revenue?
If not, it’s a waste of time and money.
26 Feb 11
8:00 am
In today’s Australian, under the headline ‘Strategists at NAB win first round in war’ NAB CEO Cameron Clyne claims all’s going according to plan with their ‘breaking up’ campaign. His comments are revealing. But are they more self-serving? Only time will tell.
7 Mar 11
9:29 pm
See NAB is claiming the breaking-up campaign has had 11 x more online hits than any previous campaign. Now we wait to see if that’s translates to sales. Good result on face value.
8 Mar 11
10:20 pm
@Hack – it’s all the existing NAB customers wondering ‘WTF’?
9 Mar 11
10:25 pm
Dear CA unimpressed.
You may be right, but time will tell [as will the official data]. What’s your prediction?
10 Mar 11
10:08 am
@old hack – you’re right of course, time will tell. I’m a NAB customer and can tell you not much has changed. However from a marketing professional perspective, I come back to the bigger questions concerning this campaign as a strategy that will ultimately add value to the company. It would be interesting to see the ROMI on this – i.e. not just be impressed by a spike in site visits which you’d expect with the kind of media spend, but considering the discounting response by the competitors and balancing out the net churn value, whether it’s been an effective strategy.
Coming back to core brand management principles – its a short road if your brand talks one talk, but walks an entirely different one – i.e. if customers realise that its mostly marketing BS and not real, valuable underlying differentiation that’s been created, then I suspect their ROMI calcs will suddenly appear less attractive.