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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 While on Twitter I noticed someone saying that Australia’s NBN is already outdated.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.
The demise of Toyota’s werewolf?
It may be time to stop the contest for the great Toyota Yaris live social media pitch.
Unless the competing agencies have some special tricks up their sleeves, they may just have been beaten with the latest twist in the tale of An American Werewolf in Yaris from Host / One Green Bean.
Followers of his tweets will be aware that Wolfy’s last message yesterday was somewhat abrupt: “bleeding from the chest forgive her I don’t w”.
Fair to say that the video which has just been posted has a twist that Dr Mumbo didn’t see coming. So as not to spoil it, he won’t mention it just yet. Take a look:
(Declaration of interest: Wolfy gave Dr Mumbo a lift to the Opera House the other day)
December 1st, 2009 at 2:09 pm
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Comments
1 Dec 09
2:17 pm
Ahh geeze *slaps face*
1 Dec 09
2:21 pm
that was great! Where did the video go?
1 Dec 09
2:21 pm
video removed.
what a twist!
1 Dec 09
2:23 pm
Seriously? Aligning a brand with a known liar and attention whore who was nothing but a one note joke, a blip on the gimmick radar who’s “15 minutes of fame” have long since faded? SERIOUSLY? and your write “they may just have been beaten”?
I couldn’t think of anything lamer if I tried! … well maybe if they got the “where’s the beef” granny, or got that androgynous Brittany loving hack to ask people to “LEAVE THE YARRIS WAREWOLF ALOOONE!!!” while crying in a closet.
1 Dec 09
2:23 pm
Dammit – sorry about that. As i tweeted it, they took it down for some kind of technical glitch.
Video’ll go up again in half an hour or so I gather.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
1 Dec 09
2:25 pm
Video not working anymore – arrrrgh suspense!
1 Dec 09
2:32 pm
Way to ruin the surprise Ray
1 Dec 09
2:33 pm
Can’t see the video… talk about bad timing…
1 Dec 09
2:36 pm
Hi anonymous,
I’ve edited Ray’s comment for that reason.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
1 Dec 09
2:44 pm
Hey “Anonymous” Why even read commentary about something you haven’t seen if you’re worried about “spoilers”? seems pretty dumb to not expect discussion about what was reported in an area designed for precisely that purpose.
1 Dec 09
2:55 pm
I’d actually seen it Ray but others might not have been so lucky. No need to get cranky now fella
1 Dec 09
3:06 pm
Actually YouTube’s down for scheduled maintenance and doesn’t seem to be allowing uploads at present – I reckon it could be while before the video is back up.
My handy YouTube tip – unless you’re really, really sure you want to delete a video don’t do so, just chance the privacy setting….
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
1 Dec 09
3:11 pm
Thanks Tim – we’re doing everything we can to get this up asap, sorry!
1 Dec 09
3:22 pm
Ridiculous and fun. Really nice end to it I thought. Turning it into a bit of a story makes it more than just a conversation, and therefore more engaging. Neat.
1 Dec 09
4:32 pm
i’ve spoken to many people who aren’t in the industry and they haven’t even heard of these campaigns. Once again proves that PR is primarily written for the benefit of the media / marketing industry and NO relevance for Joe Public
1 Dec 09
5:08 pm
Talk about jumping the gun hey, this has now been released on B&T as well with a Vimeo link which says the video is in the queue waiting for conversion??! http://vimeo.com/7911470
1 Dec 09
5:09 pm
Yep, no relevance. A $15,000 idea pitch, which was clearly designed to show what kind of ideas the different agencies would use, had little relevance to Joe Public. Shocking.
Obviously none of them were likely to be a huge boost to sales on their own – but can we wait to see whichever agency does win does with the account before decrying public engagement.
Besides, despite what certain social media experts would like to tell you, not all social media experiences needs to be ongoing, long term conversations. Yes, that’s how the brand itself should behave, but individual project can just be one off, fun experiments.
Everyone I know, including myself, who had a ride with Wolfy, watched the Hot House’s lego video or had a look at the entries in Saatchi & Saatchi’s film comp at least enjoyed themselves for awhile.
Yes, it was the social media equivalent of a one night stand – but not everyone is looking to settle down with every brand.
1 Dec 09
5:09 pm
“makes it more than just a conversation, and therefore more engaging. Neat.”
What?
Dave, all this really shows is that some PR agencies still have little clue, and the only way they can think of to “go viral” is not to think creativity or be original but to simply copy, steal or repeat stuff that has ALREADY BEEN DONE and got popular/viral on it’s own, and doing so well after the shine has faded and gone from the original phenomenon.
All there is to see here is clear desperation and trying to trade on a has-been meme becasue the original plan gained so little traction.
I KNOW, they should have “the Fonz” jump the yarris on a motorbike in the followup!
1 Dec 09
5:18 pm
Video now live again.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
1 Dec 09
5:22 pm
@Warlach to be fair we don’t know what Toyota’s brief was to these agencies and I think it is possible to have a social media advertising campaign OR a social media PR campaign OR a social media communications campaign. As long as they work towards the objectives of an overall social media strategy and you don’t expect the outcomes for the three different campaigns to be the same. Advertising, PR and comms have all worked together before the web got social, why not after?
1 Dec 09
5:40 pm
Fair point, Ray. Could you post a link to your last viral work? Sounds like you really know how it works.
1 Dec 09
5:49 pm
@Ray if the fonz jumps the car on a bike, I’ll forward that shiz on for sure!
1 Dec 09
5:53 pm
Dave, I see what you’re trying to do… and it’s lame. you’re falling into the old trap of the stupidest of internet counterarguments, “well if you’re so clever why haven’t YOU done better?”
I can’t tap-dance, but that doesn’t automatically mean I can’t easily tell when someone else is shit at it too. and neither of those facts means I don’t understand what it takes to be considered good at tap-dancing.
1 Dec 09
5:56 pm
Oh I don’t know about that Ray. You should try it. I’m sure you’d be an great tap dancer.
1 Dec 09
5:58 pm
again with the assumptions Dave, what makes you think I haven’t tried?
1 Dec 09
6:16 pm
Ray, I don’t give a monkey’s whether you can tap dance or do great viral. Kind of irrelevant, as you point out. I would be interested in your idea of what has been good viral recently, though.
2 Dec 09
3:32 pm
I notice on youtube they’ve gone ahead and lied about their content by using tags like new moon, twilight, eclipse, true blood and vampires, none of which are descriptive of the content at all, and all of which are just trying to SCAM hits from people trying to search for content RELEVANT to those terms.
It’s crap like this that makes people’s lives HARDER when they actually try to find content they WANT, instead we get this kind of dodgy crap trying to SCAM people into watching.
2 Dec 09
3:40 pm
Why you decided to use that chk chk boom idiot is beyond me – she’s racist among many other things. Is that the Yaris demo?
2 Dec 09
4:08 pm
Ray you are funny but I kind of agree – interested to know how many regular people ie not media agency staff are Facebook friends/fans of Werewolf in Yaris.
Have there been any ‘regular person’ entries in Saatchi’s Clever film comp?
I can’t remember the other 2 ideas put forward – is that because they were aimed at the general public?
Vox pops in Pitt Street Mall to determine the winner I say.
2 Dec 09
4:32 pm
Candy, don’t know about the OGB fans, but a quick glance at the ol google Insights suggests there’s been a tiny uplift in ‘Yaris’ and ‘Toyota Yaris’ searches that coincides with the pitch period. the keywords don’t look pitch related. Maybe this all did have a tiny impact on Joe Public.
2 Dec 09
4:45 pm
Ray I noticed that the bootboxing vid used keywords from the stop motion campaign for their tags – underhanded spammy tactics or a fair SEO fight?
30 Dec 09
7:57 pm
Oh dear. This wolf shit is bad and has been done before.
There’s a thing called AWARD school, also RMIT and D&aD school.
Try it. Seriously.
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