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Opinion | Features
Q&A with Adshel's Rob Atkinson
Online trading is the next big thing says Rob Atkinson in a piece that first appeared in Encore. Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Harold Mitchell because of his influence and the footprint he has left. He’s built a huge brand in Mitchells, offloaded it into Aegis, Aegis has obviously done extremely well to be then sold on to Dentsu. So if you think about it, he is very much a father figure of the industry.
Making it overseas
Is the best way of being successful in Australia not be here at all? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Lee Zachariah speaks to Aussies making it big abroad.I always wanted to work in New York,” says Julian Cole. “I thought it was the number one place to work in advertising; a lot of the best campaigns were coming out of there. So I moved over and was lucky enough to have a couple of interviews in the first couple of weeks.”
Cole’s story is indicative of the somewhat contentious idea that the best way to be successful in Australia is to not be in Australia any more.
Got a book in you?
From journos to ad execs and PRs, these days everyone seems to have a book in them. But what does it take to get published and will you actually make any money? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Brooke Hemphill finds out.Attention wannabe authors. Forget big fat advance cheques and living off royalties. The reality of having a book published today is another story altogether. There are only two reasons you should even consider sitting down at your computer to bash out a manuscript – passion or profile.
Savage counsel
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly advice column.Hi Chris,
My clients seem to be demanding more and more from us. At the same time, it seems many of the younger people in our industry simply don’t have the client servicing skills my generation grew up with. How do we instill in our executives some of the good old-fashioned behaviours that would keep a client happy and loyal?
Fake it til' you make it... as an ad agency receptionist
From dressing the part to playing the gatekeeper, Leo Burnett Sydney’s Susie Henry tells us how to make it as the face of adland in a piece that first appeared in Encore.What does a receptionist in an ad agency actually do?
Well, there’s the frantic every-day, all-day stuff of deliveries, courier bookings, doing expenses for directors – always challenging – plus arranging all the travel. But one of my main jobs is counselling the account service people. I also keep up with all sports information to discuss with our sports-loving clients – because who wants to be bored while they’re waiting? And I know how they like their coffee. You need to know everyone – from accounting to HR. I’m also the go-to for all catering and sending flowers.
Whose views skew the news? Media chiefs ready to vote out Labor, while reporters lean left
Most journalists lean left-of-centre, says Folker Hanusch of the University of the Sunshine Coast, in a post first published on The Conversation.Most Australian journalists describe themselves as left-wing, yet amongst those who wield the real power in the country’s newsrooms, the Coalition holds a winning lead.
But while the media’s political leanings will no doubt be debated in the lead-up to September’s federal election, our study has also found other largely unscrutinised biases remain – particularly whose views disproportionately shape the news.
It's time for a new New Wave in the film world
Government funding bodies are lazy and decadent, says industry veteran Michael Thornhill but in a piece that first appeared in Encore, Ed Gibbs begs to differ.I vividly remember the time I first saw Animal Kingdom, David Michod’s breathtaking labour-of-love feature debut. The press screening was half empty, despite the film winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance just months earlier, in 2010. Yet its superb performances, stylistic flourishes and overall polish left me speechless. Could this really be a feature debut, an Australian one at that, I wondered, almost out loud? It seemed too good to be true.
Going cold turkey on an agency addiction
Life is sweet for freelance writer Max Kitchen, but in a feature that first appeared in Encore, he admits his struggle against returning to the agency fold.I’ve never taken heroin. But I suspect if I had, the temptation to try it again would not be too dissimilar to the lure of returning to agency life.
Can sport save Ten?
First there was the Grand Prix. Next came the reported $500m bid for cricket rights, then Ten secured the 2014 winter Olympics. So, can sport save the ailing network? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.The television sports rights bidding process is a bit like a game of poker.
Check, fold or bet. Those were the options for the Ten Network last week when it had to finalise its bid for the cricket rights.
Andy Lark: good for the marketing of marketing
I can still remember the first story I wrote about Andy Lark, when it emerged that he was to be the new chief marketing officer of CommBank.
It was immediately clear that Australia was about to meet an interesting marketer, one who blogged and tweeted and thanks to his time at Dell in the US was digitally savvy. Even two years ago, that was a big deal. The fact that he also had a stint in public relations gave him an absolutely intriguing background before he even arrived.
Storming the media barricades - advice for young journalists
This week Mumbrella’s Nic Christensen, who began his career four years ago, gave the keynote address to would-be journalists at the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s Student Day. This is an edited version of his speech.Good afternoon, I can remember distinctly the last time I was in this room.
It was 2009 and I was sitting where you are. I’d come to this event, a friend and myself — from memory we sat up the back — and I can remember at the time wondering if I’d ever get a job as a journalist.
It was only four years ago and then as now getting a job was ultra competitive but I’m not sure there was quite as much media ‘doom and gloom’ as there is now…
Paywalls will help fund campaigning journalism
In this guest post, News Limited’s group editorial director Campbell Reid responds to the views of ninemsn’s Hal Crawford that the company’s push into metered paywalls is about data rather than dollars.Hal Crawford is both right and wrong in his article which argued that our digital subscription plans are all about the data.
Fake it 'til you make it... as a features editor
Cosmo’s Kate Leaver tells us how to bluff it in her job in a feature that first appeared in Encore.What do you do, as a features editor?
Really, play with words and ideas all day. At any one time, we’re working across three issues of the mag – getting one on its way to the printers, pooling all the words together for another, and planning the issue after that. It’s busy but it’s a pretty magnificent process.
Savage counsel - JFDI
Hi Chris,I run a medium-sized agency that is doing pretty well. As the leader, I am finding my workload just seems to go up and up. I am struggling to stay motivated and particularly to tackle the bigger and tougher challenges I have to face every day. How do I keep up the energy when there just seems so much to do? How do you do it?
Productive, successful executives are those able to consistently tackle difficult and big challenges. It’s a constant struggle for me so I know how you feel. How do the successful leaders do it?
Q&A with Brett Clegg
Brett Clegg, group director – business media, Fairfax Media, in a Q&A that first appeared in Encore, on the journo who refuses to work with him – his wife.Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Hard to go past Rupert Murdoch. He controls the single largest and most diverse portfolio and is intent on leveraging its scale (and, of course, influence). He’s an innovator and his will to win is obvious to all.
Talking ape replaces Billy Connolly in ING ad
Comedian Billy Connolly has been swapped for a talking orangutan called Charles as the spokesman for ING Direct.
The new campaign, created by Jack Watts Currie, begins today.
Christian Bohlke, ING Direct’s head of branding and communications, said: “Billy has been essential in building ING Direct to become a household brand, through Charles – who will be a customer of ING Direct – we will be able to get more specific about our offers and build on the full range of products and services we have to offer.”
During his association with the brand, Connolly was resistant to directly endorsing ING in the ads, preferring to make comical observations.
Jack Watts Currie MD Rob Currie said: “in Charles we have a distinctive and consistent brand ambassador who certainly can’t be ignored. It’s brave work for a major financial brand and I applaud ING Direct for backing the new direction.”
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Comments
27 Sep 10
4:24 pm
What a bizarre ad! But all the same creative.
A little bit off putting the naked part at the end! – that’s the only part I’ve remembered!
27 Sep 10
4:32 pm
Blimey. Makes me want to start bulk-ordering palm oil from Borneo.
27 Sep 10
4:37 pm
The simian makes me feel uncomfortable.
27 Sep 10
5:01 pm
I like it – very refreshing. Endless possibilites too. Mr Darwin would also be impressed.
27 Sep 10
5:11 pm
Makes me wonder if the client said: Can we have one of these but in our brand colour? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
I still likes it tho. Nicely done
27 Sep 10
5:15 pm
Billy was good initially – putting the ING back into Fucking Great.
27 Sep 10
5:17 pm
My partner and I saw it last night and looked at each other with a ‘WTF!?’ expression on our faces. I did remember the brand this morning though – so, effective?
27 Sep 10
5:20 pm
It will be interesting to see how long this lasts? But in general a change in “face” of a brand – can either make a great impact or a poor one, lets hope it is the former of these.
27 Sep 10
5:47 pm
Funny ad, sounds a little like they replaced Billy because he wouldn’t say what they wanted though and i think that was the strength of his endorsment to begin with, he has a bit of a reputation. I don’t think a pompous monkey will be as effective.
27 Sep 10
6:49 pm
bankwest has a quirky talking horse et al so glad they thought different and went with an orangutan.
27 Sep 10
7:00 pm
He looks like Alf!
27 Sep 10
8:23 pm
Nice work. I like it and well done for taking a risk, doing something that stands out, and is on brand. Also creates a device for him to talk about lots of offers which Im sure he will. Really really good.
27 Sep 10
9:51 pm
Initially when I saw these, I definitely took notice bu had a bit of wtf factor going on.
But when I saw them in a later ad break, I pissed myself laughing.
I like it. Better than any other bank ad around these days.
28 Sep 10
8:51 am
Let me guess the brief (and it’s one we’ve all heard too often in recent times): “We want something that cuts through like the Cadbury’s gorilla”.
So they got the ING orangutan.
Kind of cheeky! Worth a shot.
The other brief going around is “we don’t have much money so we want to do something viral like the Old Spice ad…” Doh!
28 Sep 10
9:00 am
Probably a more accurate headline would be “Orangutan replaces talking ape in ING ads”.
28 Sep 10
9:37 am
When I first saw the ad I gave it the benefit of the doubt due to the shameless product placement of the Apple logo on the laptop… Then I realised it had nothing to do with Apple at all!
Do we think Apple paid for that prominent placement or is it just confusingly bad art direction?
28 Sep 10
11:10 am
Did this get researched I wonder? It might be salient, but not sure if it contributes well to the brands desired image, although not sure what image they are trying to build with this one….
28 Sep 10
11:27 am
Billy would have got naked I’m sure!
I would rather trust my money to boy from the docsk come millionaire than a friggin ape.
28 Sep 10
12:50 pm
Not connecting with this at all and I’m a brand advocate.
“We will be able to get more specific about our offers and build on the full range of products and services we have to offer.”
Hopefully you can, because the ad above doesn’t feature any specific products or services or even a basic call to action. Just something about being “fair”.
“in Charles we have a distinctive and consistent brand ambassador who certainly can’t be ignored.”
Swap the word Charles with Billy Connolly and you could have released this same piece of PR 9 years ago.
28 Sep 10
5:14 pm
Disturbed me so much I would now turn the TV off if it came on. Sure that’s not what ING want. I got a paedophile vibe from him…
http://www.TwoCentsGroup.com.au
28 Sep 10
5:35 pm
Spotted. Last night. OrINGutan Adverpithecus. Believed to be descended from slightly hairier and less intelligible Billius Connopithecus.
29 Sep 10
1:02 pm
i prefer the bundy bear
29 Sep 10
4:04 pm
Bundy Bear has just been retrenched. Tell him to send me his CV.
30 Sep 10
11:26 am
@Alison F – Apple never pays for product placement.
This is one strange campaign – definitely has cut-through but at the expense of being a bit confusing as the message isn’t clear besides introducing cognitive dissonance (WTF was that a bank ad?). It seems to have a multi product strategy in that they have bus shelter ads saying “I’m getting a lot of interest right now” so I guess it makes sense they will be loading up new messages into the same campaign.
30 Sep 10
1:48 pm
I wouldn’t expect this creative to have the longevity of the Billy campaign.
And as an eloquent, red-haired (or “ranga-ed”) young man, with a penchant for nudity and the Christian name “Charles”, Jack Watts Currie can expect my law suit for royalties to arrive shortly.
30 Sep 10
3:56 pm
One word: Terrible.
30 Sep 10
3:56 pm
One word: Terrible!
30 Sep 10
4:42 pm
It gives me the creeps! Maybe Billy had done his dash, but this strange orange thing is not the answer.
1 Oct 10
11:56 pm
Creepy ad. Creeeeppy not funny
2 Oct 10
11:04 am
Oh lighten up.
At least there’s a bank actually doing something different rather than determined to be different.
If you think this is creepy you should check your sexual preference. Maybe think about moving to New Zealand.
4 Oct 10
1:00 am
Weird ad. Odd people discussing it. I was told the actor is the same guy in uwi insurance ads. Is that a linked company. Keep checking that orange hairy face and eyes look the same. Why would they pick that actor in such a big ad campaign to be the face of ing.
4 Oct 10
10:37 am
I thought it was Mike Myers on first viewing? Any idea who the actor is?
5 Oct 10
7:26 pm
No guys =_= that is Billy Conolly …
Its a wierd ad…. And a little bit scary… If it was a relativly real looking ape with an animated mouth it would look heaps better…
6 Oct 10
2:11 pm
This ad gives me the creeps!
6 Oct 10
8:25 pm
I dunno Charles the Orangutan has grown on me since my first feeling of creepiness. My 12 yo son and I saw the first version when naked Charles provocatively closes his laptop with one finger tracing the edge, We looked at each other (the WTF moment), burst out laughing and couldn’t help closing our laptops this way since. He’s a bit weird, and seems like an English eccentric, but I think Aussies like these kind of characters. Won’t buy ING but Charles had me interested enough to google him.
9 Oct 10
2:47 am
Weird ad, makes no sense whatsoever.
11 Oct 10
1:15 pm
It’s absolute shite!
14 Oct 10
12:55 am
I can get over the fact he’s funnier than me, but hairier?
HOW. DARE. HE!
15 Oct 10
1:48 pm
Whether it is clever or not is a moot point.
The ad doesn’t tell me to park my reddies into ING Direct.
Certainly not give it to some pompous primate with questionable sexual habits!
Maybe these ad people have unconsciously used this campaign to highlight the plight that both orangutans and ING Direct are endangered species !!!
Bring bank the Big Yin!!
23 Oct 10
8:59 am
Great Ad.
Interesting how the Orang-utan is called Charles and sounds like a certain Prince. Was this intentional?… I wonder!
25 Oct 10
10:41 am
Hmm…the mind boggles. So ING sees its customers as orangutans? I find it insulting. Why not use a Lion instead? I thought they have a lion in their logo, wait, maybe they’re changing the logo – replacing the lion with the orangutan.
Did Apple Computer pay a royalty each time the ad is shown?
The new ads have certainly become a talking point and working to raise awareness of the brand. There is an unwritten rule that consumers will remember the great ads or the really bad ones, especially when it has either a memorable jingle, catchphrase or character.
25 Oct 10
11:06 am
Brilliantly targeted this campaign. Clearly the people without imagination, without a sense of fun, the boring , the negatives are not attracted to the brand by its advertising. The customers, the place and the brand will become moaner and groaner free attracting new, fresh and worthwhile customers, and keep the ones worth having.
25 Oct 10
10:26 pm
dreadful- i saw the ad in the paper and thought, seriously- wtf? the orangatang looks plain wrong and made me feel a bit sick- then i read the text above which says the “customer is the orangatang” – seriously? you want to sell us a product by saying we are monkeys? some advertising ad exec is out of his tree and person who approved it at ing is off their rocker- get this sick shit off the tv!
25 Oct 10
10:31 pm
you got rid of billy because he wouldn’t say “ing is the best and i personally love them and i recommend you bank with them” – and you bring in a monkey, so you can say what you want- and what do you have the monkey say? “im a naked monkey”. really. you get him to say “im a naked monkey”. jesus christ save us- someone needs to be let go for this one-
26 Oct 10
8:42 am
Hmm, some people take their advertising a little too seriously?
Have a life much?
It’s funny and memorable, got my attention right at the time I’m thinking of switching banks.