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Opinion | Features
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.
Savage counsel - JFDI
Hi Chris,I run a medium-sized agency that is doing pretty well. As the leader, I am finding my workload just seems to go up and up. I am struggling to stay motivated and particularly to tackle the bigger and tougher challenges I have to face every day. How do I keep up the energy when there just seems so much to do? How do you do it?
Productive, successful executives are those able to consistently tackle difficult and big challenges. It’s a constant struggle for me so I know how you feel. How do the successful leaders do it?
Q&A with Brett Clegg
Brett Clegg, group director – business media, Fairfax Media, in a Q&A that first appeared in Encore, on the journo who refuses to work with him – his wife.Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Hard to go past Rupert Murdoch. He controls the single largest and most diverse portfolio and is intent on leveraging its scale (and, of course, influence). He’s an innovator and his will to win is obvious to all.
The experiential experience
Anyone can throw up a tent in a high-traffic area and harass the general public, but what does it take to pull off an effective experiential event? In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Matt Smith investigates.A television commercial can easily be muted and ignored, but try ignoring a purring, squirming cat in your arms. That was the experience awaiting passers by in Sydney’s Martin Place in October last year when Mars Petcare built Whiskas Kitten Palace.
The News Limited paywall isn't about revenue. It's about data
In this guest post, ninemsn’s editor in chief Hal Crawford argues Fairfax Media and News Limited’s new paywalls won’t draw much revenue, but will generate data. And they’re late to the data party.When I first learned that ninemsn’s major digital competitors Fairfax and News Ltd were going to introduce paywalls across their mainstream properties, I was excited.
Every obstacle thrown in the way of their audiences is an opportunity. People hate friction and anything that makes life difficult on a rival site is a chance to get them on yours.
New Idea ad draws complaints for religious insensitivity
An ad for women’s magazine New Idea has received 40 complaints to the advertising watchdog for inappropriately depicting a religious group.
The ad for New Idea, which is running on TV and in cinemas, appears to feature an Amish woman who discovers a copy of New Idea. The magazine is blamed for a woman revealing her thigh to her friends, and is tossed into a river.
The ad was launched at the end of July to mark a redesign and the PacMags title’s 110th birthday.
The ASB board is yet to discuss the ad.
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Comments
8 Aug 12
1:55 pm
seems to be just a take on Tim Allen’s For Richer or Poorer http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119142/ Can’t see a problem with it – actually thought it was fun, but I’m not the demographic.
8 Aug 12
2:03 pm
Subtle humour, smart and relevant. Nice work. Pity the religious zealots.
8 Aug 12
2:17 pm
what are the Amish doing watching TV anyway?
8 Aug 12
2:18 pm
Why use american style “amish” characters to promote an australian magazine??
8 Aug 12
2:31 pm
I found the whole premise of women policing other women’s behavior much more disturbing.
8 Aug 12
2:32 pm
I never knew that the Amish were such a large and seemingly vocal lobby group here in Australia. Maybe the 40 complainants were in fact, all 40 of ‘em.
Personally I thought that the ad was actually quite well executed, lovingly shot and nicely paced, although a bit on the trite side, and even a little benign if you think about it.
Another storm in broth cup.
8 Aug 12
2:51 pm
Doesn’t really seem to fit the brand.
Surely with the budget they had they could have made an ad that spoke to the readers better.
All a little bit pleased with itself isn’t it?
8 Aug 12
3:14 pm
Being the devil’s advocate, if you were to create the exact same ad, same content, same outcome but featured a group of Muslim women in Burkas rather than Amish women in bonnets, would the reaction to the ad be the same? Would there be a difference and what would it be? I see how this ad has received complaints based on religious inaccuracies and/or insensitivity. Am I personally offended? Not really. Do I think the ad oversteps, though, in how it depicts the Amish faith? Yep.
8 Aug 12
3:27 pm
it’s bloody fabulous and IMHO one of the best Australian ads we’ve seen for years – quirky, original, arresting, fitting soundtrack, well paced, beautifully shot
the inanity of some of the comments above really make me wonder about the quality of the people in our industry – Crizza, Sailor Gal, Lola and Mike C are you recent grads, recently unemployed?
8 Aug 12
3:45 pm
Did she get a littering fine?
8 Aug 12
4:38 pm
Sorry, but I have to agree with Dawn. There’d be hell to pay if this depicted Muslim faith.
But 40 complaints? Sheesh, people need to get over themselves.
8 Aug 12
6:04 pm
Archie – no-one’s questioning how it’s been made. In fact it’s clearly executed very well. My point was does it talk to its customers? Will they buy the magazine because of it? Will sales go up because of this ad. My guess is no.
If you miss the point of comments so easily it makes me question your credentials…
8 Aug 12
7:43 pm
I’ve worked in the advertising industry for over 15 years and I will submitting complaint No 41. This ad actually breaks Australian law and should be pulled straight away. It is well executed ad of poor taste.
8 Aug 12
10:39 pm
Despite the claims of those here trying to discredit those who have lodged complaints against this ad as just “religious zealots” who are complaining about this ad, I know of substantial numbers of people who are not religious but who have found the ad inappropriate or offensive and lodged complaints directly with Pacific Magazines. The fact is for the 40 complaints received by ASB, there will have been hundreds of complaints forwarded directly to the magazines publisher.
Pacific Magazines, publisher of New Idea magazine have made a major blunder with this ad. Sure the ad has done its job in focusing attention on a supposedly revamped New Idea magazine [sales of which has been steadily declining for a long time now] but for the wrong reason. If Pacific Magazines were hoping the ad would bring them increased sales of New Idea I think they’ll be sadly mistaken. What I think will happen is that because of the nature of the ad, they’ll actually lose sales. And if ASB do fine Pacific Magazines which is highly likely given the volume of complaints received, then this ad campaign along with lost sales is going to be a financial disaster for them. And in my view, rightly so.
8 Aug 12
10:58 pm
crizza, spagoni, archie
Publicly displaying your pig ignorance of the Amish people and their way of life and implying that those making the complaints must be the entire 40 Amish who live in Australia, only shows the level of your own intelligence [clearly not much]
My advise to all three of you: Don’t bother applying for jobs as creative directors in advertising. Any client of a company that did take on you as such, certainly wouldn’t be getting good value for their money
9 Aug 12
7:18 am
I’ll be 42. Has anyone asked Kim Wilson, the Editor, to explain herself? I’d love to hear the reason they went with this treatment. Strange decision.
9 Aug 12
1:52 pm
I always thought the ad was a bit of an “own goal” – the concept that New Idea is exciting and interesting to some women who are effectively living in the 18th century only serves to remind modern women how tired and boring it is.
9 Aug 12
2:26 pm
Archie
Tell me how my initial reaction to this ad (being in the NI target demographic may I add) lacks meaning or does not have a point?
Look, as it’s an ad, I am more focussed on the message, you know the stuff the client wants us audience members to know about and connect with.
I do not like it for the reasons stated, and can I also add it’s full of unimaginitive, stereotypical imiges (yes beautifully shot) and doesn’t speak to it’s target audience well. Re branding NI as “forbidden fruit” when the target audience are more likley reading 50 shades of Grey?? Seroiusly??? I would alos like to know the reasoning behind this particular choice of treatment.
10 Aug 12
10:50 am
Anyone who calls it “treatment” obviously doesn’t work in advertising. It’s called an idea, and Conor/Sailor Gal, you clearly don’t have one.
10 Aug 12
5:57 pm
reality
Whether it’s called an idea or treatment is irrelevant.
The only “reality” that matters is that this campaign from day one of its inception was intended to deliberately create controversy from the start. I call that deliberately cynical and manipulative advertising and something which only reinforces the particularly poor perception that the wider community already has of the advertising industry as a whole.
23 Aug 12
8:38 pm
I just saw the advert and logged in to my laptop to complain to New Idea. Making fun of someone’s religious beliefs is not funny and not something to be used in this way.
24 Aug 12
10:48 am
give us a break Annalisa – I’m a Catholic and we’ve been having fun made of us for centuries (well, not during the inquisition, obviously, but after that). And I’ll apologise in advance for old Archie for being flippant.
24 Aug 12
10:53 am
I mean I’ll apologise in advance TO old Archie for being flippant.
24 Aug 12
11:13 am
Difference is, the Amish aren’t exactly a controversial group, and people aren’t generally discriminative or hostile towards them, as they are towards Muslims!
25 Aug 12
7:55 pm
What I didn’t like it that it seems to be making judgements that our way of life (the one portrayed in NI) is better than theirs.
That’s what I find offensive about the ad (and I’m not religious). Who is to say that one person’s way of life is better than anyone else’s.
29 Aug 12
11:33 am
“Thus far, most of the complaints regarding the advertisement have been because of its religious insensitivity. Whilst true, I think we can dig a bit deeper and recognise that New Idea’s notion of feminism is sketchier than career advice from Delta Goodrem. ”
I’ve written about it here if anyone is interested: http://bit.ly/PMUFYM