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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.
The banned Gruen Transfer anti-discrimination ad
This ad – which the ABC banned from airing within The Gruen Transfer – is well on the way to becoming the most controversial unaired TV ad of all time.
- The story of the anti fat discrimination ad’s ban from Gruen is here.
- Adam Hunt, the creative behind it, tells his story here.
- And Mumbrella’s views on what it does to Gruen’s relationship with the industry is here.
May 14th, 2009 at 11:43 am
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Comments
14 May 09
11:49 am
Wonder why they didn’t stick it on youtube as well last night – massive hang problems with the http://www.antiprejudicead.net website they set up getting pounded all at once. You would think that Google’s server resources behind Youtube could have helped the ABC avoid that problem.
14 May 09
11:55 am
Now that I’ve seen it, I think it is really effective. Reading the jokes on one of Mumbrella’s last posts didn’t really impact me but seeing these “normal” people say them made me feel physically ill.
As controversial as this is, I think if it were broadcast it would be undeniably effective.
14 May 09
12:14 pm
As, I think, Todd Sampson, said in the online debate, the casting was very important. None of the joke-tellers are likeable.
This is definitely something that absolutely wouldn’t have worked if the execution hadn’t been as good.
Cheers,
Tim
14 May 09
12:29 pm
I agree with Tim (and Todd!) about the importance of execution.
The ad was brilliantly cast by Toni Higginbotham & Kari Harris, and The Kamen Bros tight direction coaxed magnificent performances out of them.
14 May 09
12:52 pm
Why on earth did they ban this advert? It’s stunningly effectively. The ABC really let itself down this time.
14 May 09
1:23 pm
Hi Adam Hunt,
Your ad was BRILLIANT….I am mildly obese. I have been spat at in the street by a young teen who looked much like your young actors in the ad…he went on to call me “fat cunt”….it just happened randomly. The irony is, my weight is barely noticeable upon my already large frame….imagine what he’d do to someone who was morbidly obese.
Personally I’m strong enough not to give a fuck what he thought…but my immediate emotional response was shock and shame.
Thanks for confronting this issue with exact sensitivity …u hit the nail DIRECTLY on the head.
14 May 09
2:56 pm
That’s a bloody shocking ad.
For once, it was intended to be so.
Truly great work, IMHO…
14 May 09
11:14 pm
I can see why the ABC didn’t screen this ad. The kind of people who decided to watch it online would obviously of had a different opinion then the ones who decided not to. I imagine the hate mail would of far out gunned the support had things of been different. Eating un-healthily and not exercizing is as anti-social and dangerous as smoking in the long run. Get over your self, fat pride is a joke. This guy is on the wrong track with the ad anyway
14 May 09
11:31 pm
And yes I am a smoker and yes I get discrimnated against every day. Its a lifestyle choice, just like stuffing your face with donuts and playing computer games all day. The tax payer will have to pay for the cancer suffer and the heart attack case both. Using racial and ethnic conotations to defend a lifestyle choice is just arrogant. I have to put up with only getting half a seat on a plane because I’m sitting next to some fat guy. However I can’t smoke in a pub because people don’t like to sit near a dirty smoker. I was offended by the knob whi made this ad. Stop whinig and eat a sald you fat bastards
15 May 09
9:58 am
Gilbert, that’s extremely narrow minded of you to believe that the only obese people are those that “stuff their faces with donuts”. While everyone else is being open minded and mature about this ad, you’ve decided to be, quite frankly, a dick about it.
That aside, I agree 100% with the ABC’s decision not to broadcast the ad. I also agree 100% with the strategy and execution and think it is a fantastic advertisement and answers the brief perfectly. I think this is a prime example of why youtube is so important these days. Sometimes we have a really strong message but can’t align it to a brand for fear of complaints. If this ad had of been aired only on youtube, however, rather than TV, just as many people would have seen it and it would have had just as much opportunity to change people’s perceptions of discrimination against fat people.
Well done I think.
15 May 09
12:19 pm
It’s gotten plenty of exposure from things such as Facebook (Wil Anderson’s page)..etc as well as the interview with Adam on mUmBRELLA…
15 May 09
12:24 pm
Honestly, and I know I’ll probably get shot down on this forum about it, but now that I’ve seen the ad I don’t think that it is that effective at all – and I can see why it was banned.
Regardless of the execution, the ad seems more of an excuse to tell offensive jokes than anything else. It reminds me of comedians who go on rants about specific stereotypes then justify them by saying “im allowed to say that because I am Jewish”.
There are more creative ways to highlight the issue of discrimination, in a shocking manner, without becoming a part of the problem.
The ad was bad form Adam, and not one of your best pieces of work.
The ad is going to be popular online, but it will be more popular for the fact that it was banned than for anything else.
15 May 09
12:30 pm
When I read the script on Mumbrella, I thought it was a joke too far. But having seen the ad, I found it very powerful, and think it works.
It would seem to be one of the only times the Pitch segment has sparked a genuinely effective and emotive piece of advertising. I’m glad Adam chose to take the brief seriously. It’s a serious discrimination.
If it’s deemed too shocking, this seems to be a step towards the American, puritanical attitude towards reality in advertising. Try the British Anti Domestic Violence ad with Keira Knightley if you want genuinely shocking.
But the thing is – it works. To cut through all the shite we see on television, you have to stand out with a thought provoking and honest ad. One would have hoped the ABC, bastions of great broadcasting, would see that.
15 May 09
12:43 pm
Adam Hunt placing himself on that high a moral plane wants to be careful that he doesn’t get a nosebleed… One could be forgiven for thinking that he had cracked the code for world peace with the parsimonious rationale of what was a pretty dumb execution and even dumber strategy… The net result of using this approach would be to provide currency to some bad and offensive jokes that may have been previously unheard… breathtakingly smug and naive
15 May 09
1:10 pm
The ad made me look at my own attitude and i think this is an effective ad for ME. While I would have been shocked and offended had someone around me made racist and sexist jokes, I probably would have laughed at jokes targeting fat people because it’s not politically incorrect to do so.
This made me think and I would like to thank Adam for this…
15 May 09
1:32 pm
I’s a great ad, but its not effective in it’s objectives. I can’t see how this would make anyone proud to be fat. It was designed to be shocking.
It was an ad about discrimination, with nothing in there about fat people feeling proud.
Nothing worse than an agency that doesn’t follow its breif but tries to get clever.
15 May 09
1:44 pm
Todd and Rusell obviously had conflicting perspectives on the matter, but each made a point that I found resonated clearly.
Todd made the point that the ad was so shocking from the beginning that he couldn’t process it. Russell concurred with Adam that the strategy to fulfil the brief was bang on.
To Todd’s point, had the ad prefaced the shock factor (something like ‘Viewers WILL be offended by the following content’), then the viewer is prepared for what comes next, and has that morbid fascination to continue viewing, similar to what most of us experience when we pass by an accident and look even though we don’t want to.
To Russell’s point, the ad is shocking, controversial, and generating a huge amount of debate. It’s lifted the profile of the issue and therefore has succeeded.
I’ve always enjoyed watching the Pitch so I can have a good laugh at some clever humour, but I have enjoyed this chapter so much more, for the content and the ensuing debate.
15 May 09
2:03 pm
I think it is clear why the video was not shown on the ABC’s Gruen Transfer. The ABC is a publicly funded broadcaster and therefore has strict editorial and broadcast guidelines (lest funding be cut off). Needless to say it doesn’t carry paid advertising as part of its charter.
To ask “why didn’t the ABC screen this ad” is naive and the answers are simple. First, they don’t show ads – they show video content. Second, this content breached their broadcast guidelines under their charter.
Like many others when I read the script excerpts I wasn’t sure. When I saw the video I understood where the script was coming from. I agree that it was well cast and shot – but I still wouldn’t rate it as a brilliant or truly great work, even after subequent viewings.
The beauty of advertising – everyone has an opinion.
15 May 09
2:31 pm
All this proved to me was the power of the media, the effectiveness of PR both offline and online. The ad provided proof and that the articles were genuine… That’s about it.
Adam stirred up unnecessary racism remarks for the sake of publicity for people who are slightly prejudice over weight issues.
And no Adam that’s not a good thing!!!
15 May 09
3:13 pm
The banning of this ad has certainly got a lot of press – certainly a good PR stunt if the ABC were savy enough?
16 May 09
12:06 am
Nikki, the guy who made this ad is obviosly retarded. He is a snobby, left wing maxist. Racial and ethnic backgrounds are not the same as weight issues. He is the one being narrow minded, as are you. The idea that somebody being self conscious about their weight is the same as somebody being jewish is a huge over generlzation. He should of done a puff peice like everyone else dose in that particular segment. The only funny part was watching him try to defend his thoughtless effort. It’s not ok to be overweight, as it is bad for me to be a smoker. Obesity kills
16 May 09
12:08 am
and you can call me Gil
16 May 09
12:14 am
And fat jokes are funny, as can jew jokes (Borat). Tell me you didn’t laugh when you watched that, and I won’r believe you
18 May 09
12:49 pm
So this is your best shot? heavy handed prejudice to do what? make it almost fashionable to hate? guys, maybe your heart was in the right place but was your head? I’m hardly the shrinking violet, but i felt this to be a tad offensive i caught myself leaning back looking for a hole to hide in (for the creators) and can i say, are we as a society beyond this type of advertising?
18 May 09
2:29 pm
Gilbert can I just say you’re an idiot. There was a time when a racist, Jew or joke against someone’s sexual orientation would have been completely sociably acceptable, not deemed to be in the same category as whatever was taboo at the time. It is only through bringing the issues to light have the prejudice against these groups become taboo.
As for your “do a puff piece like everyone else” call is concerned, a call like this leads me to believe you’re a man with little imagination, who conforms because he is terrified of what people think of him. But from what I’ve read above it’s safe to say they probably think very little of you. So grow a pair of nuts and think outside your conformist box every now and again!
21 May 09
12:49 am
Conformist box? I’m the odd one out as far as opinions go in the above posts, you retard. Having the balls to go against the grain is exactly what I do all the time, as demonstrated. Matt, if you decided to use your biggest organ every now and again, you would realize that you are the conformist. I rest my case. Grow a pair of nuts and come up with your own opinion