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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.
There’s nothing like… a copycat ad?
From the moment the new Tourism Australia ad broke earlier today, a refrain in the Mumbrella office has been “Doesn’t that remind you of something…?”
Happily the Mumbrella comment stream has answered it for us…
May 31st, 2010 at 2:15 pm
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Comments
31 May 10
2:27 pm
There is no similarity between these ads. The Discovery Channel one is actually bearable to watch.
31 May 10
2:30 pm
Everything is stolen nowadays. The fax machine is nothing but a waffle iron with a phone attached.
31 May 10
2:54 pm
Just adds to the embarrassment !
31 May 10
3:15 pm
Loose, but they have the same formula working for them.
Both catchy I reckon, and that’s a very good place to start.
31 May 10
3:34 pm
Copy cat ad – nonsense. Hardly copied, or even that hugely inspired by. As Paul has already stated, the Discovery channel is bearable to watch.
31 May 10
4:31 pm
it’s a shame that so much went into the production of Oz ad but little went into the song. It is such a let down. Flat and boring and sounds like something you would hear coming from a school assembly (complete with the tone of bored kids singing it). Boo!!
31 May 10
4:54 pm
Oztraalins are bloody full of caulcha – we’ve even got an fair dinkum original ad to prove it!
31 May 10
6:12 pm
or this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....r_embedded
1 Jun 10
8:54 am
@Hank just revealed the bigger story – that Singapore clip copied the phrase ‘Happy Feet’. Quick – stacks on, Singapore!
1 Jun 10
11:25 am
after reading the article about this ad on smh which seems to condemn it all i can say is that there is nothing wrong with this video and if anything only furthers my pride to be australian
1 Jun 10
12:50 pm
However people may be saying to each other . .
“Jeez have you seen that really cheezy old school Oztralia ad?”
Tourist peeps may come to Australia purely to go somewhere retro.
1 Jun 10
1:24 pm
The Oz ad is an outright copy – sprung – big time.
1 Jun 10
1:32 pm
i’m with alex.
also, i think something to QANTAS’ i still call Auatralia home would be the best (vanilla) tourism ad.
1 Jun 10
1:40 pm
Ditto @ Paul
1 Jun 10
1:40 pm
How well will it translate into other languages? And where exactly is it going to run?
1 Jun 10
1:41 pm
This new Tourism piece feels really dated – like something you would see in the 80′s.
What is next in the sing-along-stakes – a new version of an old classic like “I feel like a Tooheys or two”??
1 Jun 10
1:45 pm
How does that Mickey Mouse Club song go..?
1 Jun 10
1:47 pm
If it’s channeling anything, surely it’s The Galaxy Song from Monty Python’s Meaning of Life.
Because I think it’s got an ambiguous element of tongue in cheek, I like this ad.
If I took it as a straight play I’d probably be feeling a bit different, but what the hell – I’m in the ‘camp’ camp.
Three dolphins would have been better though.
1 Jun 10
1:54 pm
Hear hear Alex.
The Discovery Channel Ad is great and it’s quite obvious that the ‘Nothing like Australia’ ad is a rip off. I ask what’s so wrong with leveraging a good idea?
The simple truth is that there wouldn’t be so many people up in arms if the Australian version was made to the same standard as Discovery’s.
1 Jun 10
2:06 pm
Where the bloody hell’s Bingle?
1 Jun 10
2:09 pm
Well spotted Tim.
@ Katinka, that is true. So very, very true.
1 Jun 10
2:29 pm
Why does everyone love picking on Tourism Australia so much? They seem like a nice bunch of chaps doing it for the masses.
Three cheers for TA. Hazzah!!
1 Jun 10
2:34 pm
What happened to all the other ethnicities that live in Australia???
Well, there were at least a couple of the obligatory aboriginals in the ad……….
1 Jun 10
2:37 pm
This is my favourite ad from TA. My mate Trimble reckons also it doesn’t get much better than this. The only thing this ad is missing is an appearance from Little Sacajewea and the LMcFSM. I’m giving this 10 stars. Go TA!!!
1 Jun 10
2:42 pm
The people that approved this ad should be minced into little pieces and stuffed into a cannon and shot into the sun.
1 Jun 10
3:53 pm
Montages please committees. For Discovery that is a committee of rights owners. For TA it’s the excruciating hierarchy up to the PM.
I can see this construct has some wide mashup potential.
Well done, all things considered.
2 Jun 10
12:45 pm
All i could think of was Foxtel’s “Happy EOFS”
They’re both dodgy theme songs belted out by bogans with irritating occa vocals
3 Jun 10
11:57 am
Where’s Paul Hogan when you need him? Put a shrimp on the barbie, get a facelift, and try not to pay too much tax, mate. It’s all here.
3 Jun 10
3:12 pm
Seen it before? Add it to the list http://cliche.posterous.com/
I’m compiling the definitive list of advertising clichés for a little e-book. Any contributions?
3 Jun 10
3:16 pm
Advertising is nearly always derivative.
If it was truly original dumb consumers wouldn’t understand it.
But the real issue for Tourism is that Australia given the exchange rates, is
really expensive for what you get, relative to other destinations.
Herds of kangaroos, Boguns etc… Crikey!
Im off to NZ for some heliskiing.
PAUL
7 Jun 10
1:50 pm
As far as annoying songs/jingles go, the bloody AAMI “What about me” ads definitely win the grand prize!