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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 While on Twitter I noticed someone saying that Australia’s NBN is already outdated.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.
Telstra hopes Brad & Emma will be as popular as Patrick & Daniel
Tesltra and ad agency BWM have turned again to the strategy behind the “Rabbits” campaign with the hope of creating an ongoing comic couple in the guise of “Brad and Emma”.
The network launched a new campaign on Sunday featuring the bickering pair who first appeared in an ad espousing the usefulness of Telstra’s NextG service for mapping. This time round, the service is being spruiked for its speed of uploading images to social networking sites and downloading emails.
The strategy was first used by BWM and Telstra after the success of the 2005 BigPond “rabbits” ad, which has since seen characters Patrick and Daniel make several returns. Telstra even contemplated making a movie about the pair.
September 14th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
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Comments
14 Sep 09
2:10 pm
People complain about misogyny yet this kind of veiled misandry regular goes to air.
/sigh
14 Sep 09
2:30 pm
I don’t think they’ll cut as deep as the last series. They were cultural land marks. These are like Aussie ‘Friends’. So 90s.
14 Sep 09
2:47 pm
It makes a nice a nice change form 6 months of imploring to call your mum.
That’s where the goodness ends.
14 Sep 09
3:12 pm
For all those non-copywriters following at home, ‘misandry’ is the hatred of males. It’s certainly a safer route to portray the male as the idiot in these things, as most advertising will attest. Not that I personally find it offensive, though.
On the contrary, I actually find the first ad pretty amusing… look forward to seeing what else they come out with. Very difficult to top the ‘rabbit’ ads – although I was always worried by the age difference between those two.
14 Sep 09
3:45 pm
I really like it.
It’s nice to see a chick in an ad for once not trying to find “the confidence to be her true self” or to “connect with those who matter most” or all of that other crap.
She’s taking the piss & it works.
It’s not comedy brilliance, but it did make me smile.
14 Sep 09
4:02 pm
Hi,
The link to the movie telstra was going to make of their ads doesn’t seem to work- would you be able to send it through to me?
With thanks,
LUcy
14 Sep 09
4:04 pm
They gotta be kidding – its barely raised a smile,
I laughed out loud at the great wall of china one, – these just aren’t funny.
Also did anyone notice that our couple live in what appears to be a multi-million dollar huge apartment with breathtaking views?
They should bring back the one with the funny overweifght businessman who was tricking the big businesses into thinking he was a big business too..
14 Sep 09
5:20 pm
It must be me but I still don’t see what was so great about the first round of Telstra ads. The casting is woeful. That bloke is more ‘dirty-old-man’ than the kids father.
And as for this lot, when in doubt, rip off Seinfeld. And it’s not even a good rip off of good Seinfeld. FAIL!
Bring back Sol – now HE was funny! Probably the greatest gag ever done by a government over the voting population. Comedy brilliance.
14 Sep 09
5:22 pm
@Andrew 2065 – finally someone (other than myself it feels) has noticed the gaping age difference between the father and son…more like grandfather and son to me…
14 Sep 09
5:25 pm
Craig, I’m not saying it was the greatest creative work ever produced, but tell me you didn’t crack a smile at the ‘Happy Easter from Telstra’ press ad which featured thousands of little fluffy pink easter bunnies stranded on one side of the Great Wall?
The beauty of the whole thing was that it was campaignable – something which many ads lack.
As per my comment above though, I do agree with your concerns about the casting.
14 Sep 09
5:30 pm
@PR Chick: Thanks – it was the only thing which spoiled it for me… just felt somewhat jarring each time I saw the ads. Was it an ad for Telstra, or a message about the complications of leaving parenthood til too late in one’s life, ie you’ll never be able to keep up with what the ‘kids are into these days’?
14 Sep 09
9:49 pm
Can’t stand “Emma” however that doesn’t mean I have sympathy for Brad. Bad ads.
Wouldn’t mind throwing a Telstra phone/modem at both of them.
Reminds me a bit of the old AAMI ad with the girl and “Todd” (think he finally ran her over?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYCOARVJgGs
15 Sep 09
9:19 am
I seem to remember BWM’s Rob Belgiovane saying that Patrick’s back story – which explains the age difference – is that he’s on his second marriage or something like that.
It was a couple of years back that he mentioned it, when there was the talk about the film, but it was something along those lines.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
15 Sep 09
12:52 pm
Awww – I really like the Brad & Emma ad’s.
In fact… I have started using the “I’ll tell you where to go” line from the first one with my bf and we always laugh. (Oh that sounds so very sad – but it’s so very true).
Any way – it always makes me smile when I hear it on the tele. I like the new ads too – I think the casting is perfect.
15 Sep 09
12:53 pm
It’s the trend of misandry that’s the issue. It should be deemed no more acceptable in than misogyny is.
15 Sep 09
2:57 pm
Misandry? Really? Chill out people.
22 Sep 09
10:33 pm
It is irresponsible not funny. Hasn’t anyone learnt about uploading & circulating unwanted photos/videos. ‘Brad’ doesn’t want her to but ‘Emma’ does it anyway.
25 Sep 09
2:50 pm
Kylie is so right. This is making cyber bullying “funny” to sell phones. It is NOT ever ok to photograph and send images of anyone against their will, and then tease them about it. Emma may be pretty but she is also a bully. This ad should be pulled off the screens immediately.
3 Oct 09
7:15 pm
Yes, Emma’s a bit cruel at times, but I think she’s also quite likeable. The actress playing her does a good job.
4 Oct 09
6:39 am
Quite amusing. Keep em coming.
5 Oct 09
2:10 pm
Love the Brad & Emma ads…but mainly because I find “Brad” absolutely adorable…couldn’t care less about Telstra. Who is he any way ?