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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 While on Twitter I noticed someone saying that Australia’s NBN is already outdated.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.
Starburst drops colour from packing in charity initiative
Starburst is dropping most of the colour from its packaging as part of a message that it is giving colour to sick children’s lives.
The campaign, created by Clemenger BBDO, is backed by an ad featuring kids enjoying a paint fight.
The unusual strategy is part of a tie-up between Starburst and Camp Quality, which helps Australian families affected by cancer. Teens from Camp Quality feature in the “Colour Fight” commercial.
The three month campaign will run across TV, online and point of sale until April.
Credits:
- Marketing Director: Andrew Leakey, The Wrigley Company
- Account Management- Peter Randeria, Anna Holmes, Rekishia Jessup
- Copywriter- Alex Derwin
- Art Director- Heather Sheen
- Executive Creative Director – Richard Maddocks
- Media- OMD (Alex Houghton, Ben Sjogren, Andrew Mulrenan)
- Print production- Melissa Scurry
- TV producer- Laura O’Connor
- Account Planner – Al Crawford, Ryan O’Connell
- PRODUCTION HOUSE: Photoplay
- DIRECTOR: Husein Alicajic
- PHOTOGRAPHER: Danny Eastwood
February 16th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
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Comments
16 Feb 10
3:26 pm
Nice idea.
It has cut through and relevance to the brand – harder to achieve than most people think.
16 Feb 10
3:28 pm
Damn that is good.
16 Feb 10
4:07 pm
The cynic in me says that Starburst have now joined the ranks of Evil Mastermind Corporations:
They’ve created an ad out of making cancer riddled children fight eachother, backed by sweets, the consumption of which, could give them diabetes if the cancer doesn’t kill them first…
*Slow clap*
16 Feb 10
6:29 pm
This is no different to McDonalds sponsoring little athletics. Fail.
16 Feb 10
6:35 pm
What, you mean apart from the joyous ad, and brave move with the packaging? A bit harsh, Foobar…
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
16 Feb 10
6:45 pm
If they were doing purely as a rebrand – without the association to Camp Quality, then yeah, I’d dig it. But honestly, how can you endorse this in good conscience? I don’t wanna sound like Mia Freedman, but this is one of those “if you had kids you’d understand” things… I’m assuming you don’t have kids Tim?
16 Feb 10
6:45 pm
Yikes, no wonder it is getting harder and harder to engage corporates in mutually beneficial CRM activity for NFPs. The comments by Foobar and Snoop are probably why corporates are shying away from actually doing anything meaningful, publicly.
How cynical we have become, eh?
Love the campaign. Brave and upbeat.
16 Feb 10
7:40 pm
I’m with you Karalee. The plain facts are that NFPs need corporate sponsorship/patronage to run a business. It’s up to the NFP to decide what is a good fit and I reckon Camp Quality have a really good thing going on here. As for Starbust, yeah it makes them look warm and fuzzy, but then it’s better their ad dollar goes to Camp Quality than blow $100k on yet another TV station or print publication.
17 Feb 10
12:37 am
Yellow snakes are the worst colour/taste anyway.
Initially I thought “oh why show off the fact you donated be humble” but then realised it also helps raise awareness of the charity and that in itself is worth more than the $100,000 also.
I have had little experience with charity promotions/campaigns due to the fact brands have been reluctant to get involved with any cause marketing. Their holding companies have done something wrong somewhere in the world and they know people are out there waiting to rub their noses in it. It’s sad when local charities miss out due to global politics.
17 Feb 10
9:01 am
It’s not a re-brand, it’s a campaign. If they took away the association to the Charity there would be no relevance, so not entirely sure what you would ‘dig’? So what they’re getting some promotion from the campaign, that’s Clemenger BBDO’s brief. And if a charity is going to gain some funding in the mist of it, are those against this type of campaign, against the idea of corporates supporting charities – where would most charities be without corporate sponsorship?
Apologies for the rant, just feel some people will always try to bag a good thing.
17 Feb 10
9:14 am
@Nick I have a problem with a company that produces *confectionery* sponsoring a children’s cancer ward.
17 Feb 10
10:58 am
@Foobar, fair enough, I’m not here to convince you otherwise. I don’t I have problem. Its confectionary, not cigarettes. Kids eat sweets, I did, you did, I’m sure your kids do. As long as parents are responsible enough to ensure they are consumed in proportion, as with everything else in life, they are not going to do any lasting damage. And if they are going to throw a few dollars to a cancer ward, well I wouldn’t sign the petition stopping them.
17 Feb 10
10:59 am
I have a problem with the amount of money they donated.
To change the packaging, redesign, shoot the commercial, pay the agency and then buy the media it surely would cost a great deal more.
I think if they really felt so warm and cuddly they would spend more on the charity and less on telling people about it.
17 Feb 10
1:38 pm
I have to say that I really like it, I think it is a great ad/idea and well executed.
I think that there should be a tie in moving forward rather than a 100k donation, along the lines of “For every packet purchased we’ll give all the profit to the charity for 3 months” or something similar. It would hopefully take away some of the (rather harsh) cynicism that is out there.
17 Feb 10
1:56 pm
Sometimes Fionn, in CRM it’s better to take a designated cash amount than a percentage of sales/profits or an ‘open’ amount. The NFP can then budget the money straight away rather than relying on product sales/performance with an unknown dollar amount. And, in most times both parties will do the maths and the set amount will exceed the products’ minimum sales targets.
I do agree with you that in circumstances such as this one, the call to action with the change in packaging is a little lost. But for the NFP, it’s equally about the positive brand exposure they’re receiving from the campaign and packaging, as it is about the cash.
17 Feb 10
2:26 pm
Good on them, I’ll buy a packet or two on the way home!
17 Feb 10
2:40 pm
Karalee – understood and obviously the NFP wants the cash and a set amount up-front. I was speaking about this in conjunction with an initial lump of cash.
Just a thought as a way to make it look like a more long term tie-up as opposed to a publicity grabbing stunt and using sick kids to their advantage. That way the original benefit is there for both parties and the brand benefits from a longer term approach and less cynicism.
17 Feb 10
2:47 pm
To all the wet blankets who have a problem with this campaign: if you can help Camp Quality gain an instant $100,000 please give them a call.
Most NFPs would hang the chairman for that amount.
Camp Quality wins. And (of course) so do Wrigleys and the Starburst brand.
17 Feb 10
3:13 pm
I would like to know a. if Snoop and Foobar actually donate to charity themselves and b. where they derive the income to do so?
18 Feb 10
11:49 am
Better than not doing anything at all FOOBAR, perhaps complaining on the internet will halp the kids though, you never know.