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Opinion | Features
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The Scam Lions? Count me out
Mumbrella will no longer attend the Cannes Lions. Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes argues that the scam in Cannes has become too much...
I love everything about the Cannes Lions experience. So I'm sad that I'm probably never going to get to do it again. -
Brandis' leaked copyright proposals are unrealistic
In this cross-posting from The Conversation Nicolas Suzor and Alex Button-Sloan from the Queensland University of Technology look at why the leaked plans to change copyright laws could lead to a lot of unintended problems for consumers.
The Australian Government has proposed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) monitor and punish Australians who download and infringe copyright.
In a discussion paper circulated by Attorney-General George Brandis, and leaked by Crikey last Friday, the government proposes a sweeping change to Australian copyright law. If implemented, it would force ISPs to take steps to prevent Australians from infringing copyright. -
Why Nine's investment in Quickflix makes it tougher for Netflix to launch in Australia
Last week Nine Entertainment Co made a $1m investment to buy eight per cent of streaming company Quickflix, whilst preparing to launch its own operation StreamCo. Here Nic Christensen looks at the underlying reasons for Nine buying into a rival.
In the world of video streaming last week's investment by Nine into rival Quickflix did not go unnoticed, but as always with these deals the devil is in the detail. In this case, a series of warrants and covenants that came with this batch of shares.
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With awards the more you get, the more you get
Following recent controversy surrounding entries to the Cannes Lions awards Eaon Pritchard argues until we have a better way to evaluate the merits of agencies than awards all agencies will be highly incentivised to do whatever it takes to win .
Advertising's outcomes are notoriously hard to measure. Which is why in advertising agencies, we love to measure outputs instead. -
Why aren't more media companies offering job sharing to get experience back in the door?
With the media industry churn and talent drain a constant issue Lucy Formosa Morgan asks why more companies aren't open to job sharing.
There’s rarely a shortage of applicants for coordinator positions however when it comes to recruiting experienced middle / senior level people, the talent bank seems to dry up. Agencies can struggle to fill vacancies for months or end up having to recruit from overseas. So if we have plenty of juniors that we’re devoting time and money to training up, where are they going? Why is there such a shortage of good talent out there? -
Marketers are the ones whose reputations are most at risk if they are complicit in scam advertising
With questions being raised over the integrity of some awards entries in recent weeks, former creative director Darren Woolley says scam can be as damaging for marketers as the agencies involved.
Scam awards entries have come to industry attention again, following the most recent Cannes Lions Awards. In the process, several high profile advertisers have been associated with their agencies’ entries. But what are the implications for the advertiser?
It is a standard response that advertisers are not really interested in creative awards. But the fact is that marketers are human and those that have healthy and close working relationships with their agencies actually enjoy seeing them being recognised, especially for work they may have created together. -
Terry Savage defends debated Cannes Lions entries saying 'Super Bowl ads run once'
In a Q&A conducted by email, Terry Savage, chairman of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, defends the integrity of the competition and answers questions around scam ads following an investigation by Mumbrella into a series of ads from Australia entered into the Press category which ran just once in regional media.
What is your definition of scam?
"We require the work to have been approved by the client and to have used paid Media in the execution, if there is a query we get validation via the agency the client and the Media schedule that the work has run and complied within our entry rules. In the case of self promotion and NGO that is not the case." -
Australian Women's Weekly editor on how its latest cover has changed industry attitudes
The cover of the July edition of the Australian Women's Weekly features the image of ultra-marathon bushfire survivor Turia Pitt, a move which surprised many in an industry driven by image. Editor-in-chief Helen McCabe spoke to Miranda Ward about how the cover came about, and its effect not only on the public, but also the beauty and fashion industries as we.
The July cover of the Australian's Women's Weekly has done more to market "what the heart and soul of the magazine is" than anything else the magazine's editor-in-chief Helen McCabe has done in her five years at the helm.
Speaking to Mumbrella about the July edition which featured Turia Pitt, a survivor of the bushfire that swept through an ultra-marathon in Western Australia's Kimberly region in September 2011, McCabe said the cover is "a really strong signal to market that this magazine is committed to Australian women, quality stories, independent journalism, long-form story telling and quality writing. -
If you don't want to enter real work into awards, then fuck off and be an artist
In this guest post, awards jury veteran Matt Batten, a former ECD of Wunderman Australia, argues that the practice of scam advertising - raised by Mumbrella in recent days - hurts the whole industry.
Reading from 10,553 miles away – that's 16,983km in the metric – I'd like to commend you on your dogged determination to find answers to the burning questions surrounding some of Australia's most intriguing Cannes Lions winners this year.
Some say that this is the way of the world (at least our small part in it) and that creativity should be let free upon the award shows regardless of whether or not it was a legitimate response to a brief or a proactive project to help solve a genuine business problem for a real client – or a made-up ad for a brand that had no idea of its existence. -
Does culture really eat strategy for breakfast?
Good startups often point to their culture as a driver of their success, but Eaon Pritchard asks whether that culture can be derived without a clear strategy?
Culture, in an organisational sense, is usually interpreted as the collective behaviours, attitudes and beliefs that — when mixed together — create a particular set of norms within said organisation.
Obviously there can be ‘good’ culture and ‘bad’ culture. -
Five things Wicked Campers needs to do online right now
Wicked Campers has been in the midst of a media controversy over the last few days. Sebastian Vasta takes a look at how the brand could better manage the online and media crisis.
The latest cry to end Wicked Campers’ misogynist toilet humour is certainly not the first time the budget backpacker van company has been in trouble.
But it’s certainly the loudest the online outrage has ever been. -
Cut here: Reshaping the ABC
After the ABC unveiled its first round of cuts after having its funding cut in the last budget Ben Goldsmith of the Queensland University of Technology looks at how it might look in the future, in this cross-posting from The Conversation.
Monday’s announcement that the ABC will make 80 positions redundant is just the latest move in an enforced process of change to the public service broadcaster. It has a long way yet to run.
The announcement finally put the lie to Tony Abbott’s election eve pledge, live on national television, that there would be “no cuts to the ABC or SBS”. In concert with other recent announcements, it seems clear that public broadcasting – and in particular the ABC – is squarely in the government’s sights. -
Lost dog - can you help us find him?
Adland is an industry that likes to give back. Today, we're asking you to help us find this dog.
You can find out more about Windblown Dog's history below: -
The future of Facebook is forensic
Marketers should stop using Facebook as a mass reach tool and start thinking about conversions not conversations argues Jack Smyth. Forget conversations – the future of Facebook is forensic By now you’re probably sick of the same articles recycling the same Facebook statistics. Over 12 million Australian users, spending on average 8.5 hours every week and so on. We all know Facebook offers massive reach. -
Two stats about Netflix that should scare Foxtel and Quickflix
With US streaming site Netflix poised to enter the Australian market next year Andrianes Pinantoan from Pocketbook crunched some numbers to see try and ascertain what the local pay-TV market already looks like now.
Netflix is set to enter the Australian market, but that doesn’t stop a few enterprising Australians from accessing it now. Actually, it’s more than a few.
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Plain and simple
The best pieces of marketing make a case so well, it feels like there can be no further argument.
Like this piece for Cancer Research UK making the case for plain packaging for cigarettes.
Case closed.
(Hat-tip: TP)
Tim Burrowes
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Comments
28 May 12
10:11 am
As you say ‘Case Closed’
Can’t wait for the tobacco companies to lose their case against the government.
28 May 12
10:25 am
wonderful
28 May 12
10:26 am
Take a bow clever ad company working for Cancer Research UK. I don’t think I’ve seen something as effective since the Grim Reaper.
28 May 12
10:29 am
This is bullsh!t, I don’t smoke, I don’t like people smoking, but give a bunch of middle-upperclass kids some packages and they will say that!! It’s the lower class who has trouble with smoking. Their parents smoke and it’s so normal to them. Changing the outside isnt what’s going to change whats inside… Ever heard of the saying lipstick on a pig??? It’s just a big fat waste of time and money. There are fundamental flaws with our society regarding cigarets. And making the pack they come in a simple colour will not fix those problems.
28 May 12
11:02 am
Just compelling.
28 May 12
12:07 pm
It’s clever. Perhaps it appeals to us as middle-upper class individuals, but smoking isn’t simply limited to the ‘lower class’. It’s prolific and if this change in packaging, and supporting ad campaign, can make a difference by reducing some of that dependancy, then it’s a good thing.
28 May 12
1:48 pm
Brilliant
28 May 12
1:51 pm
For this ad to work, you need to first be displaying the cigarettes to kids, which is already unlawful in the only Plain Pack jurisditcion.
Additionally, is no one going to point out that Cancer UK gave cigarettes to kids in order to make an ad?
As Nick Naylor says, the anti-smoking lobby want cancer boy to die.
28 May 12
3:24 pm
Adam Ferrier tweeted this some time ago.
It would have been interesting to do the same exercise with pharmacist-only medicine packaging and the colourful pills. In fact you could put anything in front of them.
When asked to say something about anything, people will say something. Even kids. In fact, especially kids. This is a known flaw of focus groups.
Plain packaging is simply fucking about, avoiding prohibiting it.
But then prohibition doesn’t work terribly well, either.
Price the stuff to the wazoo and tell people it’ll kill you is about as good as it’ll get.
Informed choice means that some will still make a poor choice.
That’s the price for personal liberty I’m afraid – some will accept the risk of killing themselves in the pursuit of their happiness.
28 May 12
4:26 pm
Here in Australia the tobacco companies launched a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to fight plain packaging.
Proof positive that it’s a VERY effective tactic.
28 May 12
4:57 pm
After seeing this, how would you sleep at night arguing against plain packaging? Bloody good job AMV BBDO.
28 May 12
9:10 pm
You guys have not obviously read the many complaints about this advert and the activities of a once respected research charity – in the UK. … showing cigarette packets to kids. Really?
Had you shown kids packets of condoms they would have said same thing – would the hysterical cry be “condom manufacturers target kids” – of course not.. Classist claptrap.
29 May 12
3:01 pm
Condoms do not kill people @Sara B. The more colourful the better if it got peeps to use condoms rather than not…
29 May 12
3:29 pm
To the naysayers,
As you’re reading this article, I’m assuming you either work directly for a marketing company or work for a company that services them. So, with your rationale that the packaging has no effect, could you please explain why you either spend or charge (depending on you aforementioned role) large amounts of money designing it?
Thank you, and good night.
29 May 12
11:10 pm
Ronnie,
As you said something so ridiculous about packaging, I assume you don’t work in marketing or brand design.
If your assertions had merit, then illicit drugs would have no appeal, as they have no packaging whatsoever.
Yet they do. One for you to ponder tonight.
Sleep tight.
30 May 12
2:57 pm
Adgrunt,
I noticed that you failed to address the question I posed.
However, if you want to compare the marketing strategies of illicit drugs with legally marketed products, so be it. Once again, I’ll use your rationale.
I can’t exactly recall ever seeing an ad selling the virtues of heroin, or a bus-side telling you where you can get a good deal on some. Therefore, using your own logic, advertising in these mediums must be an entire waste of time. Hmmm.
30 May 12
5:59 pm
Ronnie,
I didn’t answer your question as the fallacy you propose is what is comprehended in Marketing – broadly in lesson 1 or 2. That’s what marked you out as having little grasp of the overall concepts of marketing, influence, etc.
You’re also not very good at parsing “rationales” or logic – I was suggesting that perhaps advertising isn’t some amazing mesmer machine. That there is some rational and emotional thought and filtering process occurring in the viewer. Otherwise every anti-smoking ad that has run for 30 years would have stopped smoking in its tracks.
Do you mindlessly go out and buy nappies because you’ve seen an ad for them?
So, some homework for you.
Read this lot http://tiny.cc/lm23ew (it’s a link to Mumbrella) – it should cover most questions.
Do come back and ask any questions it doesn’t answer. Which should be very few.
Don’t let the bed bugs bite.
31 May 12
3:42 pm
Yeah, I started smoking at age ten because I loved my father’s Viscount pack design. It was all red and gold with a seductive burred silver paper liner that you pulled out to see the fags.
No, I fucking didn’t. And what’s more, in those days I actually bought his cigarettes for him. He’d give me fifty cents to go around the shop and get him a packet of Viscount and a box of matches while he listened to the races on 3UZ in his workshop. Why? Because it wasn’t illegal for one, and for two he didn’t jump to the stupid conclusion that just because I’d seen/handled a box of cigarettes I’d immediately want to start smoking the things.
The premise of the commercial is completely wrong. Children take up smoking because their peers do it, or their parents disapprove, or they are just contrary little bastards. Plain packaging won’t stop any of that and neither will anti-smoking lobby commercials with cute imagery and no logic.
31 May 12
6:36 pm
BTW – This http://bit.ly/myquitbuddy seems a more worthwhile effort than plain packaging.
1 Jun 12
4:34 pm
What a result! Produced, directed and heavily edited (not suggesting scripted) footage endorsing that packaging and branding works! Hope every packaging and branding agency includes this video in their value proposition.
One question before I go… Why do so many take illicit drugs? Do they also come with a royal crest?
4 Jun 12
9:45 am
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that packaging design is the sole influence in any purchase decision, but whether you like to acknowledge it or not, it is one of the influencers.
4 Jun 12
12:09 pm
Ronnie,
You didn’t read that thread, did you.
In order for it to influence you, you’d need an established need or desire in the first place. Brand is about a choice.
Do you really believe people start smoking because they see a pretty packet?
The evidence from Canada cited by even the Cancer Council suggested that price and education are the strongest influences. Or just ban it.
Dont’ be lulled by the belief that doing anything, is doing something. Sometimes it’s just rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic.
12 Jun 12
3:29 pm
Any of this ‘evidence’ to ban fancy packaging for filthy tobacco is worthwhile.
The twits who oppose attempts to get rid of tobacco are just that — twits.
Surely they must be aware of the dishonest and devious tactics of big toboacco?? or are they just showing how they too have been conned?