-
Opinion
The keyboard warrior of Twitter
In this guest post, NBN staffer Scott Rhodie writes an unofficial, personal view on his experience with a hostile Twitter critic.Last night I had a strange incident. While on Twitter I noticed someone saying that Australia’s NBN is already outdated. I wrote a small note back explaining they were incorrect.
And their response? The lovely gentleman (whose Twitter profile says: ‘Father of 5 kids, Loving Grandfather of 10 Grandchildren,and 2 Great Granddaughters. love to give heaps to Pollies and Poofters’) said to me: “Go and lick Gillards C*** out U commie Prick”
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 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.
PR agency to offer online press release writing
A PR agency has launched a low cost model of outsourced public relations help in what it claims is a new business model.
Melbourne agency JMM Communications is behind the service , which it calls PR Guru.
It offers online help in writing press releases and also rents out databases of journalists based on the subject area.
Julie Morgan director of JMM Communications, said in a press release: “Our dedicated team of PR professionals and journalists can turn around a press release within 24 hours or four days if you’ve got more time to spare. And, a fresh pair of eyes or new perspective to craft a press release can be invaluable.
“We are often asked for our media database lists which have been built up over 25 years, used extensively and updated regularly.”
The PR Guru media lists are priced from $40.
The service is not the only cut down PR offering launching on the market.
Last month PR company The Wilkinson Group launched what it describes as Kick Start. It offers a one-month or three-month consultancy with small businesses to help them get PR efforts started. The service can include stakeholder audits, competitor analysis, business plan strategy development, government lobbying, collateral development, copy writing, digital and media engagement.
July 8th, 2010 at 8:32 am
-
Follow Us
-
Email Newsletter
Latest Jobs- Digital Online Copy Writter and content producer - North Shore
- Digital Creative Director - Sydney
- Senior Account Executive - Pyrmont
- Social Media Manager - Leading Creative/Digital Agency - Sydney
- Digital Project Manager - Melbourne
- FREELANCE Senior digital producer - 3/4 weeks - Sydney
- Digital Project Manager - Melbourne
- Marketing Manager – Optus - North Ryde, Sydney
- Film Services Coordinator - South Yarra VIC
- Marketing Specialist - Sydney
Comments
8 Jul 10
10:17 am
Pay peanuts. Get monkeys.
8 Jul 10
10:27 am
Bring it on! The more services offering affordable marketing for small businesses, the better. Wonder where they got the idea?!
8 Jul 10
10:28 am
Is this worth reporting on? Seriously. These sorts of things are so 1999. Real public relations and communications consultancies have nothing in common with these hacks.
8 Jul 10
10:54 am
My experience of PR is that it tends to be a highly leveraged exercise. Sometimes, with little effort you can get an amazing result. But when it goes wrong it can go horribly wrong. The problem with this type of offering is that it ignores the ‘relations’ part of public relations. You can’t cut-price your way to a trusting, reciprocal relationship – be it with the media, government or your customers. That’s the value of high quality, professional PR.
8 Jul 10
10:55 am
Public relations like many things in Australia has been overpriced for so long… good on PR Guru.
I specialise in economical public relations for Asian businesses across Asia and I can’t keep up with the demand. I don’t even advertise either… as you may know it is all word or mouth across Asia…. you need to be good at what you do, have valuable business contacts across Asia and most of all know the culture…not to mention the language…. that helps too. Keep smiling.
8 Jul 10
10:57 am
Maybe the same concept for marketing instead of PR would be more effective. However I think its a good idea. Although this is just providing the first level of PR, when PR agencies offer the entire range, just having the first level is a major jump up from nothing.
It wont impact big businesses, but with so many struggling small business’s out there, these options might be the different in keeping them afloat for minimum cost
8 Jul 10
11:30 am
I know this is going to make me sound old… but one of these ‘renta-PR’ services gets launched every few years. Funny that few hang around for long – but good luck to ‘em.
8 Jul 10
11:56 am
A PR agency offering a press release writing service – D’Oh – really!
8 Jul 10
12:06 pm
New Business Model?
I set up the exact same thing in the UK to pay my way through Uni in 2001! I just did it so I didn’t have to get a bar job.
8 Jul 10
12:54 pm
$1250 for a 24-hour turnaround – and all via the wonders of an emailed questionnaire that YOU get to complete yourself without talking to a real person…
As the Glenne Headly character says to Michael Caine and Steve Martin in the final line of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: “Are you ready? Then let’s go get ‘em!”
8 Jul 10
1:00 pm
I am the Marketing Coordinator for a SME that is big enough to write regular press releases, but too small to warrant a PR agency. From a client’s perspective, I have to say that this is incredibly expensive for a Press Release that you basically have to write yourself (via questionnaire). Also, a 24 hour turnaround isn’t that “express” in my world. I think I’ll keep writing them myself for the time being
.
8 Jul 10
2:06 pm
With all releases the trick is getting the column centimetres printed. And that comes down to relationships. A release in one thing, getting it on the page/site is another.
8 Jul 10
3:00 pm
I disagree that it’s all about relationships. It’s about the quality of the story or product you are telling the media about! if they get hold of a good story they don’t mind where it has come from. We have customers who have bought media contact lists from us on http://www.handleyourownpr.com.au (I’m one of the owners) who have got 4-8 articles in targeted media, about their business – and they have no prior relationships.
Having said that, I do concede that having relationships with the medai smooths the way, but it only take you so far. The journalist/producer won’t get the story past the editor/EP if it is not worthwhile.
8 Jul 10
3:14 pm
And if itt is badly written and waffles on, the journalist or editor will not use it. Back to square one.
8 Jul 10
3:53 pm
I am a small PR agency – read one man band – and that price is expensive for a small business not to mention the fact that by the time the release is done it may no longer be timely.
Quite frankly I don’t cut my own hair and I would hope that my hairdresser would not attempt her own media releases.
SME’s can get good PR services from small PR agencies. There are a number of them like mine out there and we are happy to work with other small businesses.
This one size fits all is just the lazy McDonald’s drive through version of PR.
8 Jul 10
4:24 pm
For all of you small businesses out there in Vic , I teach courses on writing media releases and PR for small business plus a lot of journalism courses.
http://www.cae.edu.au/web/?course=HAV164
http://www.holmesglen.edu.au/p.....l_business
9 Jul 10
1:31 pm
I run a financial services PR firm and I believe the ability to pick the story is really the most valuable services PR people can deliver to the clients. Anyone can write a press release – it is the results it achieves that matters. 24 hours and $1,250 – that’s pretty standard really. Even on the expensive side if they are writing it themselves.
13 Jul 10
10:49 am
I think it is hilarious when other PR’s laugh at concepts like this. The truth is – there is a market for it. The business model suits a certain type of client who have proven to get results for their spend – so why mock when it works for them?
There is a market for businesses to spend big $$ on bigger PR companies. Each has their own target market and work. Clients who invest in DIY PR tools such as this know what they are buying (as it is clearly stated before they purchase). Some small businesses can’t financially commit to long contracts. Some businesses actually like this model as they have a greater input and can control part of the process. At the end of the day, if the purchased press release or media list is the winning tool that puts the client’s business/ product in front of the right journalist at the right time – what is the problem?
I agree building relationships is important and PR Companies pride themselves on this – however it is not the be all and end all for some. Good PR/Media relationships are gold and can take both parties a long way for many years.
At the other end of the scale, some PR’s think they have great ‘relationships’ with media but really they are just being ‘endured’ so the journo can access the info/product/talent. If the journo needs the story – they will go wherever the info is.
There is a market for both and there are enough variations of client to suit each model. Yes, businesses like this come and go, so do they in many industries. I think you will find though, previous failures were not as a result of lack of demand, perhaps more in a failed business model, appropriate planning, marketing or resources. This DIY PR and ‘buy-as- you need it’ model is on the rise due to the amount of start-ups, mumpreneurs, solopreneurs, online and work-from home business models which often need short publicity boosts rather than long term campaigns.
13 Jul 10
10:54 am
Peta, I couldn’t agree with you more!