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Opinion | Features
How bosses can build trust by baring themselves to staff
In this guest post, Simon Rutherford, CEO of Slingshot Media, argues that bosses should be vulnerable in front of their staff.
Winston Churchill once said: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
Fake it til you make it...as a radio newsreader
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Emily Hoskins from ARN tells us how to do her job.
What does a radio newsreader actually do?
A radio newsreader has to be switched on from the moment they sit at their desk. At the Australian Radio Network each journalist writes, researches, edits and reads their own news bulletins under tight deadlines – every 30 minutes during the breakfast shift and every hour after 9am.
Keith Reinhard on freedom to fail, winning back Maccas and how agencies can survive
In an exclusive interview in Cannes today, advertising icon Keith Reinhard, one of the founding fathers of what is now DDB Worldwide, talked to Mumbrella’s Robin Hicks about freedom from fear, his favourite ads of all time, winning back McDonald’s and why the most important thing in advertising is passion.Savage counsel - little white lies
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas. This week, he talks about when it’s okay to lie to clients.
Hi Chris,
I often find myself telling little white lies at work – I tell people on the phone that I don’t want to speak to I’m about to duck into meetings. I told my colleague her new haircut was great when really it wasn’t and I praised someone’s work when actually it was kind of shit. After each of these occasions, I felt pretty terrible and wonder if you could tell me how can I speak with candour in the future – for my sake and others.
How to build a culture
How important is a company’s culture and how do you ensure you are breeding a good one? Matt Smith investigates, in a piece that first appeared in Encore.When production companies Cordell Jigsaw and Zapruder’s Other Films merged early last year, bringing the staff together within the walls of the Zapruder building proved to be something of a challenge. While the two companies weren’t strangers to each other due to six months of talks and negotiations, working together on a full-time basis was a different story.
Q&A Damian Keogh
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Val Morgan CEO Damian Keogh reveals his potential alternate career.
Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
I’d say Kerry Stokes, slightly ahead of Harold Mitchell and Kim Williams. He controls the entity with the largest revenue across free-to-air, online, magazines and newspapers. On pure size alone, his influence and leverage over advertisers, media agencies and consumers is unmatched. Harold is still the king in media, slightly ahead of John Steedman, but Henry Tajer and Leigh Terry are the heirs apparent. Kim Williams controls News and that’s a big base to work from.
If a violent game is okay, then so is using a violent ad to promote it
An ad for video game Dead Island Riptide was banned by the ad watchdog. James Whitehead of online entertainment publisher IGN argues that it was the wrong call.A fortnight ago, it emerged that the Ad Standards Board had banned a television commercial for the video game Dead Island: Riptide, due to its depiction of violence – specifically suicide.
Why content makers are leaving our shores
In a piece that first featured in Encore, Craig Anderson says there simply isn’t enough opportunity for content makers in Australia, especially for those making comedy.Last year I had multiple meetings with production companies in Australia and discovered that apart from the odd commercial campaign, there’s no proliferation of paying platforms for comedy. From my own experience there’s iView, which will buy content once it’s already been made (though I live in hope that it will one day be granted the financial power to commission content). I’ve also had the odd informal commission from the SMH iPad consisting of two narrative series and a comical review show. But none of these endeavours were financially viable.
Managing your management style
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Stephanie Brown says the advertising industry often leaves people ill-equipped when it comes to managing staff, especially when they’re promoted into management roles.Managing people is hard. In fact, I actually think it’s the hardest job in the world. With no disrespect intended, I often joke that if my job didn’t involve other people to manage, it would be a walk in the park. I could get about my day’s work in a nice, linear fashion, happily checking off my to-do list as I go. I’m a process-orientated person. I get a kick out of getting things done.
Why the Facebook chase is making brands treat consumers like morons
You know how we look back at quaintly patronising ads from the 1950s and wonder what on earth the advertisers were thinking?
I’ve got a feeling that in a few years time, we’ll be looking at the behaviour of big brands on Facebook the same way.
An entire generation of marketers – or at least a sizeable proportion of them – have lost their minds.
So many have become so obsessed with generating user interactions at all costs, that all thoughts about overall brand perceptions or long term marketing goals have vanished. All that counts now, is generating likes and comments at all costs.
Blog this!
Paid content, sponsored posts and brand ambassadorships – in theory, today’s blogger can be just as valuable to brands as mainstream media. But does blogger outreach actually work? In an article that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.“I get approaches from PR companies constantly,” says blogger and author Kerri Sackville, with more than a hint of exasperation. “I have never done a sponsored blog, on my own site, but that doesn’t stop them from asking.”
McLennan right man for job
It’s all change at troubled broadcaster Channel Ten with new directions, new executives and a brand new CEO. Managing director of Adstream Peter Miller says Hamish McLennan is the right man for the job, in an article that first appeared in Encore.I am a bit of a schmuck when it comes to movies. I love romantic comedies. My favourite is One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney.
Q&A with Richard Herring
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, CEO of APN Outdoor Richard Herring talks media.Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
I don’t know if there is one person in particular. The fragmentation of traditional media and new entrants has made it a more level playing field with regards to major influencers. As was demonstrated with the recent media reform recommendations, together, the broader media community still has a very influential and powerful voice.
What one medium could you not live without?
Outdoor – clean, entertaining, evocative and informative.
Q&A with screenwriter Craig Pearce
Craig Pearce, screenwriter for The Great Gatsby, spoke to Encore about working with Baz and writing for 3D.
How did you get into script writing?
I always loved stories and acting and dressing up and being anything but myself and I never realised that was not something other people did. After leaving high school, I did a three year acting course at NIDA but always thought I would one day write. Baz was a good friend and he had a theatre company. He wanted to extend a 20 minute version of Strictly Ballroom. We got it to 45 minutes then he was approached by producers to turn it into a feature film. I started helping him out on the film while they were looking for a real writer but eventually Baz had to go to the producers and say, “There’s this guy who’s my best friend and he is a really good writer”. To the producers’ credit, they believed in Baz so we had two weeks to re-write it.
Savage Counsel - winning pitches
Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly Encore advice column.
Hi Chris,
It seems we have to increasingly pitch for everything. Even with existing clients, we’re now expected to pitch ideas, competitively, for every project. We’re winning about two out of five of what we’re pitching for. It’s a huge burden on our time and budgets. What is your secret to winning a pitch presentation? How do we make sure our presentations are a knockout?
The new Westpac ad may be great – but you’ll have to take their word for it
Westpac is VERY proud of its new marketing postitioning. And achingly modern with its PR too.
So modern in fact, that it’s issued an Interactive Media Release – one of the first that Dr Mumbo has been sent
They’ve got all of their social media bases covered.
There’s even You Tube video of marketing manager Andrew Seagar talking about how great the ad is…
… and brand director Jee Moon agreeing with him…
… and Group Executive Peter Hanlon agreeing with both of them.
You can even read their bios (or two of them, anyway).
Sadly, there’s some kind of rights problem, so they can’t actually show the ad online, which is something of a pity for an interactive press release about an advertisement. So we’ll have to take their word for it on what a jolly good job they’ve done.
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Comments
8 May 09
4:11 pm
That is too funny…
8 May 09
4:19 pm
But the press release doesn’t mention anything about the videos being made in the 80′s…
8 May 09
4:23 pm
lets hope the production values of the ads are a bit better than these vids. not overly impressed with lamo tagline “the bank you can bank on”…..hope they didn’t pay to much for that little gem of thinking
good on ‘em for trying something new with interactive release, pity execution not thought through
8 May 09
4:27 pm
the only thing better than a carefully curated, legally approved, non offensive to anyone quote is a carefully curated, legally approved, non offensive to anyone quote filmed on a cheap handycam and put online.
look out youtube servers
8 May 09
4:37 pm
At least they’re not pretending to be different
8 May 09
5:14 pm
This is hilarious…
I particularly love the part of their interactive media release where they say ‘The campaign re-introduces the phrase ‘We’re a bank you can bank on,’ providing a subtle nod…’. I don’t really see what part of that phrase is meant to be ‘subtle’.
I also agree with Zac, what a great return to the 80′s!
8 May 09
5:34 pm
I am amazed that they chose an out-of-date technology- the incandescent lightbulb, as a symbol of their NEW campaign which is outlawed now by even the Australian government?
8 May 09
5:38 pm
maverickwoman not to mention how hackneyed the light bulb is in the first place
8 May 09
6:45 pm
Couple of quick tweaks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1VdASGXFAU
Now Westpac, you’re using the power of the internets.
8 May 09
7:51 pm
Marklen – I salute you…
9 May 09
7:34 am
Oh dear…
9 May 09
1:22 pm
Always happy to see another major corporation embrace online.
But are they taking the piss with those YouTube videos? Fake digital wallpaper by Target, badly chroma keyed behind handycam talking heads, foreheads shining in desperate need of makeup. Did they want it to look like the office junior shot them in-house?
Is it some subtle satire? Westpac marketing during the GFC? A dig at YouTube UGC? Some kind of nefarious experiment in hypno-marketing?
10 May 09
12:37 pm
Who was responsible?
10 May 09
8:59 pm
awful, absolutely awful, and I’m talking about the clips not the ad which I have just seen on their website and which does nothing for me.
Last time you told me ‘my future was your future’ but I take it now you think my future is so worthless you no longer want to be associated with it?
A bank you can bank on. Great, thanks, really means something to me that. I presume we will be subjected to more inane commercials showing how we can bank on them to not follow the RBA rates down, give us such great credit card rates, etc etc.
Please please please though, whatever ads you release next, can we not have these awfully produced clips from undoubtedly overpaid and underworked marketing people trying to pretend they are so cool and clever.
What’s funny is that presumbably there is a hierachy thing happenning here anyway and so one of the three will not be there for the next ad, that one being the one whose daft idea the clips were – my moneys on the bald ugly one, at least the other two made some sense!
11 May 09
1:53 pm
Can anyone remember Westpac’s “Who can you bank on?” campaign?
All singing, jingling, elbows and knees acting and dancing.
Glad to see the palace re-cycling old junk. Quite green of them really.
11 May 09
2:09 pm
Just watched the ad… so can anyone else see the irony in Westpac being;
The “Bank you can bank on.”
The “Jumper in case” –
The “Safety bar… not the rollercoaster”
While at the same time….
Being at the forefront of online social media…
First to market.. in their online strategy…
Telling you… (Before you can actually see it televised) that they are Great… and Revolutionary marketers…
while at the same time being;
“Factor 50” (more like aged 50) … that “stick to the path”
I think the line that sold me was
“The Iron that is definitely switched off”
… In other words not switched on??
11 May 09
2:12 pm
Marklen, I’m with Tim….bloody genius!!!
11 May 09
2:34 pm
I just thought in the first clip that there was this spooky ghosting Christ-like halo around that blokes head! Maybe this is the second coming for Westpac!
Speaking of financial institutions – and I can’t remember which brand it is – there is an ad floating around where they talk about how times are tough and how they recognise how important our dwindling savings are, followed by the tag-line “We want what you want”.
Damn right they do. I want my money … and quite clearly they want my money as well !
11 May 09
3:15 pm
westpac, putting the “W” in bank
11 May 09
5:57 pm
Great to see a bank telling us how great it is…sure, great bank, love some of what you do – but can someone ring me from Westpac so I can share my customer service feedback about the disastrous experience we had with a branch when we got our $500K worth of home loan?
Consultant had no interpersonal skills, left other customers’ personal details on the screen (which we could see!), had snot hanging out of his nose, his phone rang constantly (which he ignored), insisted on us completing a credit card application (which we told him we didn’t want) and an inflatable Santa next to his desk was so loud we could barely hear what he was saying…
Can’t help but feel cynical about the ads as a result.. consistency in your customer service would be a great start before splashing about ad dollars!
11 May 09
6:00 pm
In addition, if a bank thinks that if it tells us how great it is often enough and loud enough, do they truly believe we will all start to believe it?
12 May 09
12:35 pm
But enough about me, let’s talk about what you think about me. Signed W.
13 May 09
2:10 pm
This is pretty hilarious.
How anyone could ever have thought putting the exectuive team into a video press release was a good idea!
Did I just walk into a heavy carpeted 1980s community branch building society?
And you can totally imagine the politics around each person being involved. Why do all 3 of them need to be in their own video?!
Stupid waste of money that damages the brand not builds it.
17 May 09
7:08 pm
Westpac add: “We’re factor 50″
What the hell is that suposed to mean?
Is it in relation to the sunscreen index or someother finance world crap?
17 May 09
7:11 pm
the new west pac commercial.
“the bank you can bank on”.
I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what they are suggesting when they say ‘we are not on a first date’.
thanks.