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Opinion | Features
Why is advertising so much better in New Zealand than Australia?
Ok, so this isn’t a new observation.
But it really hit home after I watched some TV ads for a kiwi supermarket yesterday that advertising in New Zealand is so much better than much of the crap that is being served up in this country at the moment.
Why is it that Colenso BBDO Auckland can turn something as bland as a supermarket chain into a brand I almost like, while Australian agencies succeed only in either irritating me (Coles) or passing me by unnoticed (Woolies) because the ads are so average?
My memo to your boss
So let me guess?
You really want to come to Mumbrella360, but you’ve got to justify the time and cost to your boss?
Good news! I think I can help.
Woz not great
In this guest post Tony Prysten argues that the thousand dollar price of seeing out-of-touch Apple co-founder Steve Wozniack on his Australian tour was a waste of money.
This week, for the cost of two iPads (yep, two) I went to the Woz Live conference in Melbourne. I was not impressed.
What the hell is transmedia?
From advertising campaigns to online video series, the term ‘transmedia’ gets quite the work out. But what does it actually mean? Cathie McGinn trawls the media landscape for a definitive definition.
Transmedia, all media and multiplatform are terms often used interchangeably when referencing modern storytelling techniques. Yet, depending who you speak to, there are distinct differences between them.
According to industry experts Encore spoke to, the key elements that define transmedia can be summarised as follows: platform, time, audience, adaptation, and creative collaboration.
Innovation is the remedy for the ailing magazine industry
With magazine circulations plummeting, FHM closing and rumours rife on future ownership of ACP Magazines, Paul Merrill says the only way forward is launching new titles.Eight years ago in the UK, nearly a quarter of all magazine sales came from magazines that were less than four years old. In Australia, the figure was slightly lower, but still significant. Today, the situation is very different. For a start there are so few new magazines. Yes, Masterchef briefly flared, and Top Gear made an initial impact. But Grazia and Alpha fizzled, and now ACP has shelved their plans to launch Elle.
More than a game: broadcasting the Olympics
The 2012 London Olympics will be the biggest televised sporting event of our time. Brooke Hemphill discovers the logistical challenges and technical requirements of producing the event.
From July 27 to August 12, the Australian media will go sport crazy as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, aka the 2012 London Summer Olympics, unfold. The games will be the most televised sporting event of our time as broadcasters look to master every manner of technology at their disposal.
The Voice - Australia's best example yet of social TV
In this guest post, Sputnik’s Rodd Messent has a theory on why audiences have taken to The Voice .I am an addict of Channel Nine’s hit show The Voice. Such is the extent of my addiction I seriously think my housemate might kick me out of our apartment for the semi-frenzied yelling and tweeting that ensues in our lounge room each time the show airs.It’s the first time in almost three years that such disagreement has resulted in less than civil behaviour towards one another, and it’s made me think it might be a microcosm of the large volume of online debate about the show and, correspondingly, an explanation for its success as a social TV experience.Why brands are the US Army - and culture jammers are the Viet Cong
In this guest posting, Dave Burgess, who painted ‘No War’ on the Sydney Opera House, claims that ‘amoral’ advertisers have copied his idea.
Culture jamming is a 28-year-old term coined by the San Francisco-based band Negativland, who declared that the ‘Studio for the cultural jammer is the world at large’.
Branded content is dead. Long live branded content
In this guest posting, Anthony Freedman argues why branded content is making a comeback.
A few short years ago, probably concurrent with the advent of the PVR, a new term emerged within the marketing communications industry; branded content. This was really synonymous with advertiser funded TV shows where programming was created by brands and deals struck with networks to broadcast them.
There were varying degrees of success with this model.
Shock advertising: 30 ads that would give Australia's ad watchdog a coronary
Is shock an underused weapon in Australian advertising, asks Robin HicksToday, Sydney agency The Cabana Boys used an image of a mouth sewn together to shock people with the idea that problem gamblers lie to conceal their habit. Is it the most disturbing image ever? No. Will it get banned by the Advertising Standards Bureau? No. But it did make me wonder why shock is not used more often in Australia – and not just by charities and government bodies. (WARNING: NSFW)
The making of ratings blockbuster The Voice
Jason Mountney goes on the set of Channel Nine’s talent search series, The Voice, to see how the format, based on an international franchise, has come together. What ingredients have gone into making this certified hit that’s rated more than two million viewers on three consecutive nights?
Mike Goldman has one of the toughest jobs on the set of the Nine network’s new talent show, The Voice. He not only has to narrate the show, but also keep the audience from losing their enthusiasm as they realise shooting TV programs takes a lot longer than the one-hour bursts they see in their lounge rooms. A lot longer.
Nine problems stopping The Global Mail from getting an audience
While it’s a shame The Global Mail has failed to make an impact on the media landscape, the signs have been there for some time.I love the concept of a well resourced, philanthropically-funded independent news site. Anywhere in the world, that’s a rare and wonderful thing. In Australia even more so. So I hope that Grame Wood gets to see his investment make a difference.
And I have no inside info on whether Monica Attard’s sudden departure is linked to the site’s failure to find an audience so far.
Regardless, here are nine areas they can easily start to address:
Journalism’s new model?
Does the launch of philanthropically funded news site The Global Mail signal a new era for journalism or is the model destined to be a passing fad, asks Cathie McGinn in this article first published in Encore magazine.With little fanfare, philanthropically funded news site The Global Mail launched in February this year.
The online-only title received a generous five-year funding commitment from businessman Graeme Wood, founder of accommodation website wotif.com, who donated $15million.
Five things that make a great suit
In this guest posting, Gareth Collins argues that the role of a great account manager is to make the work betterI’m surprised at how many suits I meet who don’t know their role in the advertising business. The question ‘what does an advertising account manager or director do?’ is frequently met with answers such as project manager, relationship manager, plate spinner or go between … and those are the nice ones.
Success is judged on the ability to manage a process, be strong administratively and get stuff done. And while a good suit needs to do all of these things brilliantly, if these are the traits that define a great suit, then I’m in the wrong job.
What the hell is transmedia?
From advertising campaigns to online video series, the term ‘transmedia’ gets quite the work out. But what does it actually mean? Cathie McGinn trawls the media landscape for a definitive definition.
Transmedia, all media and multiplatform are terms often used interchangeably when referencing modern storytelling techniques. Yet, depending who you speak to, there are distinct differences between them.
State of Origin dominates ratings while Chaser generates more controversy than viewers
Queensland’s riveting victory over NSW in State of Origin pulled in Nine an average audience of nearly 2.3m on Wednesday night – the highest in the game’s history.
The audience peaked at nearly 2.7m, according to preliminary ratings from OzTam.
In Brisbane, the audience share was an extraordinary 56.4%, while in Sydney it was 40.5%.
Nine’s network share for the night was 35.4%, well ahead of Seven’s 22.2% and Ten’s 21.5.%.
Meanwhile, the second edition of The Chaser’s War on Everything averaged nearly 1.2m for ABC1- more than 300,000 viewers down on the season opening. After being the third biggest show of Wednesday night last week, yesterday it was tenth.
Last night’s edition of The Chaser has already generated controversy over a “Make A Realistic Wish Foundation” sketch which has been accused of mocking dying children.
Wednesday’s top ten shows:
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State of Origin – Nine 2.3m
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Seven News Seven 1.7m
- Masterchef Ten 1.5m
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State of Origin I – Pre-Match Nine 1.4m
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Today Tonight Seven 1.4m
- Nine News Nine 1.3m
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A Current Affair Nine 1.3m
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Two and a Half Men Nine 1.3m
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Home and Away Seven 1.2m
- The Chaser’s War on Everything ABC 1.2m
Nine’s large share last night has pulled it into a narrow ratings lead for the week, of 27.7%, to Seven’s 25.8% and Ten’s 25.5%.
Update: The ABC has pulled the sketch from tonight’s repeat on ABC2.
June 4th, 2009 at 11:08 am
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Comments
4 Jun 09
11:32 am
Not surprised Origin pulled the largest audience. I think there was also a massive value add for Tweeters – #origin and #origincliches – as the side commentary was gold! Another great example of Twitter adding to the amusement factor of live events.
It’s a shame Chaser has lost its intelligence factor behind stunts. Seems the boys have reverted to dirty tactics and just saying what other people are thinking for shock value. There’s a reason other people are just thinking and not saying… think about it.
4 Jun 09
11:35 am
There’s humour in taking the piss out of people that are big enough to defend themselves – and deserve it. The Catholic Church, The Melbourne Club etc
But there’s nothing funny in mocking terminally ill children, who can’t stick up for themselves, and do not deserve it in the slightest.
Absolute fucking disgrace.
4 Jun 09
12:01 pm
I think we have a solution to the survival of league. Just schedule a state of origin every week. They could then forget about the poor ratings and crowds week in, week out.
As for Chaser, a disgrace, but an amusing disgrace. You cringe because there’s something truthful in what they say.
4 Jun 09
12:19 pm
As a professional Corporate Comedian & Hoax Speaker, I know how hard it is to come up with new material, and to ‘go one better’ than you did last time. Quite clearly the Chasers are continuing to push the envelope. And the easiest thing to do when you’re struggling for new material is to go for shock value.
The question the Chasers and the folk who pay them may wish to ask is, ‘How far is too far?’ Is it just ‘anything for a laugh’, regardless of who it offends, or should their be a limit? And I’m talking here about self-imposed limits, not external censorship.
We are all happy to laugh at an arrogant tall poppy being cut down to size, society’s double standards being exposed, or our own shortcomings being shown up, but every comedian needs to answer a basic question before running with a particular comic concept: What’s my aim here – to make people laugh and feel good, or to make them upset and angry?
If your audience is deeply upset by something you do, I don’t think it’s good enough for the comedian to just say, ‘Oh well, that’s YOUR problem; if you can’t see the funny side of it, then there’s something wrong with YOU.’ It seems to be very fashionable these days to ‘blame’ the audience or brand them as narrow minded when they don’t respond favourably to even the most tasteless concept.
While some of the great satirical work done by the Chasers can be seen as a continuation of the path laid down by Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl & George Carlin, etc, there’s a slight chance that even they would have though twice before running with the dying cancer kids sketch. If I went anyway near that type of ‘humour’ in my corporate comedy performances, I’d never work again.
So, friendly memo to Chasers: It’s not all about you. We LIKE you, but we LOVE our kids. Especially when they’re about to leave us. Forever.
4 Jun 09
12:28 pm
If anybody felt the same way as I did every time Phil Gould said something like ‘that’s an Origin tackle’, you’d be reporting on 2.3m people murdering a has-been rugby league player. Commentary left lots to be desired. As for the Chaser boys, they’ve obviously run out of ideas.
4 Jun 09
12:29 pm
Very poor taste even for the Chaser boys
4 Jun 09
12:33 pm
Not a very original skit anyway…
http://www.theonion.com/conten.....e_a_wish_0
Admit that Chaser version is in poorer taste though
4 Jun 09
12:48 pm
Can anyone please explain why the powers that be at the ABC pulled the Adam Hunt anti-discrimination ad from The Gruen Transfer, but let The Chaser piece go to air last night?
4 Jun 09
1:10 pm
Just seen release from ABC…editing segment ourt of re-run on ABC2 tonight & crisis meetings deciding how else to respond. Something about gates shutting & horses bolted…….
Perhaps a generous donation to the Make a Wish & Starlight Foundations from The Chaser teams’ undoubtedly impressive salary pool….?
Imagine if it had been a Footy Show skit……..
4 Jun 09
1:11 pm
“Dear ABC!…”
4 Jun 09
1:19 pm
Maybe the Chaser should pop down and visit the 7-year old with the terminal disease whose dad was quoted in this SMH article and see how funny it is then:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/ent.....44308.html
4 Jun 09
1:43 pm
That is absolutely disgusting.
If I ever met that guy, I’d politely ask if I can shove that pencil case, up his arse.
There is absolutely no comedic value in this, what so ever.
- Paul.
4 Jun 09
2:52 pm
The State of Origin pulled the most viewers because there was ****ing nothing else on including cable!!!!
4 Jun 09
5:07 pm
When does OzTam start recording the % of people who watched a DVD, Didn’t bother watching anything at all or went to the movies?
4 Jun 09
6:48 pm
That is absolutely disgusting.
I have only seen what was on the news as I do not watch the show..
I can not believe that anybody, any show can get away with this, why can’t they just be sacked?
I agree about what was said about the footie show, they have to be very careful but never would say anything like these idiots..
What about big brother taken off air and that was very mild compared to this rubbish..
Who do they think they are, maybe one day they will go through what Parents of ill Children are going through, but I hope not as I could not wish that on anybody..
SACK THEM, GET RID OF THAT SHOW..
Jewel
4 Jun 09
7:29 pm
Campbell and Mr…you are hereby wed
4 Jun 09
8:33 pm
People may not realize this but Rugby League wins the pay TV ratings hands down nearly every week so this free to air figure and the 50 000 plus crowd in Melbourne in winter on a Wednesday night is an added bonus i would say.
5 Jun 09
1:04 pm
I agree that the Chaser stunt was in the worst taste, but I also think they would be better to explain what they meant by it that just clamming up and letting the media think what they like
What I took from it is that there is a revolting sentimentalism in the media that makes fodder of sick kids for their piss weak current affairs programming, to me it is exploitative of the children, the pain of their parents, and the sentiments of the viewers (who of course have only themselves to blame for watching A Current Affair in the first place). Of course any skit on the subject is going to be rubbing more salt into those wounds, so hard to justify, but is there something in holding the media to account for their actions?
I might be wrong, it might just be the worst possible taste and a genuine attack on Make A Wish, in which case shame on them, but if they were trying to highlight the unhealthy media interest in turning misery into advertising dollars, perhaps they have a point.
5 Jun 09
2:26 pm
Maybe they were just making fun of the people who *actually* think that way?
There may be a ton of outrage over this, but that doesn’t hide the fact that there really are people out there callous enough to think these things.
Unfortunately, those opinions are behind closed doors and might need to be outed in order to deal with them.
5 Jun 09
2:39 pm
Some clarification for OPM. My understanding is that OzTAM meters are designed to capture everything that happens on a TV – watching FTA, wathcing STV, watching DVDs, playing games, video from other sources (laptops etc). The system is meant to measure television viewing though – not to measure who went to cinema! Unfortunately the “non-television” usage of television data is not regularly reported. I’d also take a rough stab that those who didn’t watch were the ones who didn’t turn the TV on, or weren’t in the room if the TV was on, both of which OzTAM account for in the ratings.
5 Jun 09
8:18 pm
i thought the chaser thing was funny. take it as how it was intended. in this time of ecconomic downturn, some of us need a distraction and the chasers offer that. people need to stop thinking everything is out to hurt the world. toughen up