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Opinion
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 marketingEmail 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?
One-eyed Willy’s rich stuff: brands as movie heroes
I have just spent an entire day on a plane. I can’t sleep on flights, even after heavy sedation. So I watched seven films, back to back. Most of the new ones were truly awful and I couldn’t finish them. So I watched an old favourite, The Goonies. I have probably watched this film more than 200 times since I was a kid. But this time, with work in the back of my mind, one thing stuck out – how much brands were the stars of the film.The gospel of participation is making brands forget about mass reach
In this guest post, Simon Lawson argues that brands are becoming obsessed with getting consumers to participate, rather than remembering to deliver mass exposure.I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but a lot of brands are wasting significant amounts of time and money on ineffective marketing. Large sums are being put behind tactics which end up being too small to have much chance of influencing total brand preference.
Old Spice calls a halt
The Old Spice YouTube adventure has ended - for now at least.
Earlier today, the following video was posted on the Old Spice YouTube channel calling a halt:
During the last 48 hours, since Old Spice front man Isaiah Mustafa started talking back to the social media world, the campaign has become one of the most talked-about of the year.
The Old Spice YouTube channel has become the third most viewed and fourth most subscribed YouTube sponsor channel of all time. It is also the most viewed sponsor channel this month.
Old Spice videos (some of which appeared before this week’s ground-breaking social media drive) have been viewed more than 53m times.
July 15th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
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Comments
15 Jul 10
9:26 pm
Impressive figures – looks like we know who will be willing any and all of the Social Media awards for 2010. Deserving and something others can learn from and no doubt will attempt to mimic. Now excuse me while I crack walnuts with my man mind… http://oldspicevoicemail.com/male.html
15 Jul 10
10:32 pm
I love this creative, and even nostaligically the brand, but with luxury perfume pour homme now available for $30 or so I can’t see a massive shift happening in sales here. I would love to be proven wrong.
So, Awards for capturing attention and entertaining us they deserve, but it would be cooler still if they sold some grandpa stink
15 Jul 10
11:22 pm
Swan dive!
16 Jul 10
7:05 am
I loved this campaign and everything about it, but as I flicked through Facebook this morning I started to worry that maybe we’ve overestimated the reach of Old Spice man. Of my FB friends, about 10-20% are in digital/marketing and I realised this morning that there wasn’t a hint of Old Spice talk amongst the rest of them. Only one non-digital friend was a fan of the FB page. No sharing of the vids or talk in status updates.
Have we done it again? Will Old Spice be the scent of social media peeps while the ordinary man stays oblivious and wrapped in Lynx?
Obviously my measurement methods are very rough but the FB impact is usually a good indication for me. Can anyone else shed some light on their perceived impact on the mainstream audience?
16 Jul 10
7:50 am
I’m with Mandi – I loved it in Feb, thoguht well done at Cannes and enjoyed the Gruen spot.
I however follow this stuff.
Cut to friends in other industries and they haven’t heard a thing about the campaign and had no idea as to what Old Spice was.
Are we preaching to the converted?
16 Jul 10
8:22 am
@OtherTim
I take it you’re not big on Twitter or Facebook or YouTube etc
Oh, and it was front page of the SMH website too for a day.
/cheers
16 Jul 10
8:50 am
mandi, it made it on to the front page of SMH.com.au and theage.com.au
and in the states the guy was featured on oprah. try that media buy.
plus, i was in a focus group on tuesday for housewives from the ‘burbs and they mentioned it.
in australia many agencies make ads for awards because they can’t win or lose the business due to global alignments. i bet if the campaign doesn’t work wieden won’t have the business for long. they don’t make art for arts sake – they make stuff they believe people will love.
where was old spice a year ago? i bet spending a similar amount on wall paper that sadly most clients feel comfortable with.
we should all be grateful this campaign exists – hopefully it will make going to work a little more rewarding.
16 Jul 10
9:14 am
Sales are down 7% since the campaign started
16 Jul 10
9:22 am
Andrew as I said, I’m going by my own, tried and tested focus group of my FB friends. Everyone I ask keeps throwing back the channels it has been played on but no one is telling me “yes my non marketing friends are buzzing about it!” I can see from the stats that it has had amazing success and I love the campaign. And as I think you may have said on the other thread, it is a great example of how TV and online can combine to do great things. I’m just disappointed that despite this groundswell of momentum, exposure on the SMH, The Age and Opes, none of my friends seem to have heard of it.
Maybe it was up to us to share it. Trying that out for size now.
16 Jul 10
9:24 am
Sorry, some context, when I say everyone I mean the people I’m asking on Twitter, at work, industry friends etc, not just the comments in this thread.
16 Jul 10
9:50 am
“Silver Fish Hand Catch”
16 Jul 10
10:08 am
Really Paul? What’s your source?
I’m not entirely sure you’ll have access to up to date sales figures for US-wide retail outlets for the last 48 hours (sounds like a great service though – where can we subscribe?)
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
16 Jul 10
10:41 am
‘Silverfish Hand Catch’ – Absolutely Brilliant !
16 Jul 10
11:06 am
FYI Tim
Similarly, Procter & Gamble picked up the Film Grand Prix at Cannes 2010 for Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” execution from Wieden & Kennedy.
While there is little doubt about the viral hit’s popularity – the official version has racked up 12.2 million impressions on YouTube – sales of Red Zone After Hours Body Wash have fallen by 7%.
Data sourced from Brandweek; additional content by Warc staff, 14 July 2010
16 Jul 10
11:23 am
Is this campaign now finished?!
What seems a shame that just as the campaign has generated incredible momentum, they put a cap on it all, without any reference to ‘watch this space’.
This seems like an odd thing to do. Most brands would kill to be in this position.
“Monocle smile”
16 Jul 10
11:34 am
…but has anyone of us actually bought any old spice yet?
16 Jul 10
11:53 am
My American (non-marketing but meme-aware) friends are buzzing about it, which might be more important in consumer terms than what a bunch of Australians think? The fact that it’s a SuperBowl ad would already have guaranteed a massive audience in the US, regardless of other channels. Plenty of non-marketing types share the “best” ads like crazy every year post-SuperBowl.
Maybe it’s just not for us.
16 Jul 10
12:06 pm
just wondering, was this campaign even meant for australia, was there any money put behind it here, or is it just spill over from a great campaign? i see it’s referenced again today on the front page of the age website.
paul, that result tracks 52 weeks of sales and excludes walmart. was it a long term downward trend?
i can’t imagine if you did use it you would stop because of this ad. is that what you think?
be interesting to see the bigger picture in a few months.
stephen, how many times have you changed deodorant in the last decade?
i bet there’s a new generation of stinky lads coming through who will be fans.
16 Jul 10
12:28 pm
Tim,
I know this is not independent data, but here is Old Spice’s response to my question (via W+K creative directors Eric Baldwin and Jason Bagley) about U.S. sales since the campaign began in February:
“Old Spice is now the number one male body wash and deodorant in both dollar and volume share. While we can’t disclose specific sales data, we can tell you we are very happy with the positive business growth that has been a result of the campaign.”
16 Jul 10
12:41 pm
Ta, Lynchy
16 Jul 10
12:55 pm
It’s the copy that makes it gold. Long live copywriters!
16 Jul 10
1:25 pm
Very true @Stuart Sheridan. Good point.
16 Jul 10
1:40 pm
I can envision the next meeting with a client wanting to become active in SM.
Client: We want to do social media?
Agency: What are your goals?
Client: We loved the Old Spice stuff? How much to do that?
Agency: How much do you have?
Client: $5000
Agency: Excuse me, my wife is calling.
16 Jul 10
1:48 pm
Lame closing line.
16 Jul 10
1:59 pm
World Vision have done their own “old Spice’ video featuring Rev Tim Costello.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....e=youtu.be
Clever response…we’re not ready for this campaign to end!
16 Jul 10
2:00 pm
Chris – quick Q for you – did you understand any of the jokes? Or did you just like the man in the towel? Chuck Norris would be proud of that closing line!
16 Jul 10
2:03 pm
I think it’s entirely possible that it will simply have it’s longevity as a meme on the internet. While it’s had a huge number of views in the past week – I think the character and quotes will live on for a while yet.
16 Jul 10
2:06 pm
The talent is gleaming gold too!
16 Jul 10
2:13 pm
Thanks for the link, Amanda. I’ve used it: http://mumbrella.com.au/world-.....cess-29936
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
16 Jul 10
3:32 pm
don’t judge it yet. the aftershocks will come. we are just over the early adopters stage. it will still be going round in a few months i believe
16 Jul 10
3:57 pm
remix:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENHYjW83Oxs
16 Jul 10
6:01 pm
Lynchy, I found this on Brandweek (July 11, 2010).
“For instance, it was none other than P&G that picked up the Film Grand Prix this year for Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” TV spot from Wieden + Kennedy. There is little doubt about the viral hit’s popularity. Launched in February, the official version has racked up nearly 12.2 million YouTube views. But sales of the featured product—Red Zone After Hours Body Wash—aren’t necessarily tracking with that consumer appeal: In the 52 weeks ended June 13, sales of the brand have dropped 7 percent according to SymphonyIRI. (That amount excludes those rung up at Walmart.) P&G execs were not available to comment.”
Given the launch was in February, and taking into account the long repeat purchase cycle, and that the data to the week-ended June 13 (prior to the YouTube explosion of views, sales down 7% on year ago indicates that the TV-only element didn’t set the cash registers ringing.
What will be extremely illuminating will be 52-week sales ended August or September, which will factor in the five-fold increase in views to 60m. If there is no blip then, it will mean that a campaign that built huge awareness (at least in our circles around the world) still couldn’t sell a pretty tired old product.
And to add some perspective, while the 60m views (channel and upload) since February is darned impressive, I happened to be doing an analysis on the aggregate TV news audience here in Australia. When you add up the audiences for all the TV news programmes broadcast for just last week in just the Metro TV markets it comes to 87m. Remember Australia is also around 0.3% of the world’s population. Sobering statistic eh!
16 Jul 10
6:04 pm
When you hear about it from retired relatives in the outback (as I have) then you can be sure it has shifted from viral to pandemic.
18 Jul 10
7:47 am
John, I contacted Old Spice in the States and included your comment. This is what came back:
If you have access to Nielsen numbers, check out the total overall sales for the last 3-6 months as well as the 52 week period and that should give you a better picture. For the article you referenced (it’s actually from an AdWeek not Brandweek article), it’s important to note that the figures quoted pertain to just one scent of bodywash and aren’t representative of total bodywash sales. The overall Smell Like A Man, Man campaign isn’t specific to one scent, rather focuses on the entire portfolio of Old Spice bodywashes so you’ll want to look at overall bodywash sales not just one scent.
If you want to link or reference another article that references bodywash data overall, you can check out this Forbes.com article.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/.....ising.html
The relevant paragraph in the Forbes.com states: Total sales for Old Spice body wash at supermarkets, drugstores and mass market retailers excluding Wal-Mart were up 16.7% in the 52-week period ending June 13, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm.
18 Jul 10
10:52 am
Thanks Lynchy. That data makes MUCH more sense. Clearly there HAS been a large “blip”. I worked at Nielsen on such shipment and POS data systems before I moved into audience measurement research, so have spent many years chewing over this sort of data and something just didn’t gel but that was the only data I could track down. You must have good contacts at the client!
I was worried about the single SKU aspect as well. 16.7% MAT to June 13 suggests that the original TV ad HAS worked extremely well across the brand, but that RedZone as an item hasn’t benefitted (which is odd). I wonder what proportion of total Old Spice sales Red Zone represents and who/why the person reporting the data (Brandweek must have lifted the AdWeek article) just plucked that single SKU out.
It would also be interesting to see what trade support and/or price support was happening during the same period as this data. Once we see the results including this month we’ll see what impact the viral online campaign has had. Of course …. the most important thing will be what the base line sales are after the campaign is over.
18 Jul 10
2:51 pm
This article states it’s at number one in sales.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories.....5808.shtml
18 Jul 10
3:52 pm
Good find Anonymous.
However, given that the the 180 (?? CBS report) Internet ads went up just this week, that #1 in sales must have occurred on the back of the prior campaign work – i.e. the TV ad and it’s subsequent online viewing, and not the swathe of ads we’ve seen posted in the past week. It bodes well for the next set of numbers though !!