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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.
Unbranded ads featuring a frog on a goat unveiled as new Trading Post campaign
An unbranded outdoor teaser campaign featuring a frog and a goat which dominated several Australian cities last week has been unveiled as a repositioning of Telstra’s classified brand Trading Post.
A new TV ad went to air last night to support the launch of a new logo across tradingpost.com and Trading Post Mobile late last year. It also follows Telstra’s decision to scrap its printed edition.
Justin Milne, Telstra’s group managing director, PSTN, Fixed Broadband, BigPond and Media, said: “With a long history as the trusted place for Australians to buy and sell, it was important the new creative approach for the Trading Post brand engaged our traditional customers, while appealing to a new group of buyers and sellers.”
The campaign for the first time introduces the two animals and a new catch phrase – with the goat saying “Bargain” and the frog saying “Reckon” whenever they see the Trading Post.
The campaign, created by BWM, also includes cinema, radio, outdoor, online and mobile, with media booked by OMD.
A ‘Bargain! Reckon!’ dance track, mixed by Sydney DJ Peewee Ferris, also formed part of the teaser campaign and is available on the Trading Post website as a ringtone and callertone for Telstra Next G customers with compatible mobile phones.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:10 am
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Comments
18 Jan 10
11:21 am
I think the goat came up with the campaign.
18 Jan 10
11:40 am
What a waste of some great artwork.
18 Jan 10
11:49 am
Seeing this ad around town has been bugging me not knowing what it was for. Now I feel a little let down
18 Jan 10
11:49 am
Heh.. a ‘teaser’ campaign.. isn’t this what you do when you can’t get the final ad ready in time for the media plan? Or vice versa?
By the way – this campaign really smells. It would do a better job selling soap in Poland than making me want to use Trading Post.
18 Jan 10
11:52 am
GABBO GABBO GABBO
18 Jan 10
12:21 pm
A load of MEH!
18 Jan 10
12:49 pm
A teaser is only as good as the reveal which follows. Sure, it got my interest… just enough to be disappointed in it.
Yes, tt’s got people talking about it. Tick off ‘buzz’, ‘social media engagement’ etc on the list, but leave ‘useful, meaningful brand communication’ unchecked.
18 Jan 10
2:19 pm
Just had the H&K ‘social media policies’ cross my in-box – so before I voice an opinion I need to let you all know about them at http://www.hillandknowlton.com/principles.
And to avoid any confusion – these are my personal opinions:
1. – Seems like the media buyers did well out of this one!
2. – Given the campaign culminated in a TVC, should the creative of the TVC not be so compelling that it cuts through on its own? (rather than needing a costly build up of teasers)
3. – Given Trading Post is now only on-line – should the ‘promotion’ not target the on-line community exclusively?
4. – ROI on advertising…. can’t see this one doing the sector any favours – hope I’ll be proven wrong though.
5. – The goat saying “Bargain” and the frog saying “Reckon” – was the coffee machine broken when that idea was tabled? What else was broken when that idea was approved?
I’m always learning so keen to be informed if I’m unnecessarily cynical.
18 Jan 10
3:27 pm
Great. Unfortunately though, another example of marketing that only marketers are vaguely interested in…..consumers? Couldn’t give a croak or a bleet I’d imagine.
18 Jan 10
3:28 pm
One of the worst adverts of all time…how could Telstra/Sensis pay one cent let alone tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars for this pile of goat drippings?
18 Jan 10
3:31 pm
Maybe we’ll get lucky and the goat will eat the toad and the whole campaign will die…
18 Jan 10
3:32 pm
It is kinda sad to see an icon brand go out this way. This as well as their past campaigns remind me of the scene where Homer Simpson falls off the cliff
18 Jan 10
3:34 pm
“Ribbet”
18 Jan 10
3:38 pm
Really? Seriously? Did the intern come up with this tripe?
18 Jan 10
3:39 pm
Oh dear…sorry, but there’s a little bit of me that just really enjoyed this. It’s very single minded, beautifully executed (casting, script etc.), and I believe has the potential to raise Trading Post brand awareness …maybe not to top of mind, but certainly back onto the agenda.
I will make a gross unfounded assumption that there’s a large audience out there who will have had little or no exposure to the Trading Post product or brand as they have only ever used ebay when shopping for 2nd hand stuff. So to generate awareness, to get it typed into a search engine or as a direct URL, TP has selected irreverence over rational to reach this younger target. There’s not a necessity to build a brand here per se – there is a necessity to get a generation of online shoppers used to typing in tradingpost.com.au.
That said, the whole unbranded teaser thing is dangerous way to spend money. Popping a URL on there would have made it no less unusual.
18 Jan 10
3:39 pm
chk chk boom.
18 Jan 10
3:44 pm
I’ll be honest, this non-branded teaser campaign caught my attention over the weekend and created some curious ‘car discussion’ with my flatmate. We then awaited the arrival of the full-blown branded campaign with eager anticipation. By 10pm that night my flatmate run into my room almost in tears. Her anticipation had quickly turned into bitter disappointment (and utter confusion).
I think she felt rather cheated in the end and so did I? What the blahhhhhddy hell is that all about???!!!
18 Jan 10
4:04 pm
I wonder if the disappointment about finding out the brand misses the point a little.
Remember – the starting point for the agency is the brand. They can’t ask the client to work with something more interesting instead please.
I reckon BWM deserve a fair bit of credit for creating anticipation with a campaign that clearly cut through.
I was never a fan, for instance, of their work for Telstra NextG with (shudder) Brad & Emma. But I think this one may have some legs.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
18 Jan 10
4:05 pm
Online ads are here also. Pee Wee Ferris remix song! Should have been Dj Bobo
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/n.....ad_ads.php
18 Jan 10
4:09 pm
Agree with Ed and parts of Lee. Let’s not get too artsie fartsie about it all. While I don’t believe in teaser campaigns unless it is for a once in a blue moon type of product to purchase, this will work to raise the profile of the Trading Post. It’s random, but I think they need to be to get some discussion good or indifferent. We’re not talking iSnack bad here.
Take a chill pill people.
18 Jan 10
4:13 pm
They must be dreamin!!! Sorry but it misses for me
18 Jan 10
4:25 pm
Unbelievably, Sensis (Telstra) paid more than 600 million dollars for the Trading Post. a few years ago.
Now that they have junked the classified newspaper, all they have left is a very ordinary website that could have been built for less than fifty grand.
i guess they must have a bottomless barrel of money somewhere, if they can waste it on a Frog & Goat ad.
18 Jan 10
4:27 pm
BWM did well with the teasers. The best thing about the reveal is that it is Trading Post, as it made me remember them. So much so I had a conversation about how much i uesd to wait for thursday mornings (or was it tuesdays) for the paper to come out.
However get a new director for the TVC’s. It was so much like watching a regular Telstra ad that I was bored half way through. My mum told me she got a quick laugh though she had no idea what the ad was for.
Trading-post isnt telstra, people have forgotten it. If they showed what trading post was good for in the TVC it would have done much more for the client.. look at ebays ads and tell me which works better for the product.
18 Jan 10
4:29 pm
What a load of rubbish. It should have been a lizard on the goat, not a frog. Didn’t they put this into research first? Every creative worth their salt knows that you only ever put lizards on goats.
18 Jan 10
4:32 pm
I’m not saying it was the brand that was a disappointment (I’ve marketed some pretty ‘yawn-worthy’ brands myself over the years). No, it was the ‘scratch your head’ confusion that caused the disappointment.
As marketers we can sometimes think that these campaigns are single-minded and attention grabbing – but the reality is that my friend is now confused why a father bought his daughter a goat and a frog. Maybe she will get it the 2nd time round.
18 Jan 10
4:55 pm
I wonder if the negative sentiment of the comments on here are for the actual campaign or rather ad peoples dislike of Telstra as a whole?
18 Jan 10
4:59 pm
Surely it should be a sheep saying ‘BAAArgain’ not a Goat. Jeez. Do I have to do everything myself?
18 Jan 10
5:00 pm
Lets get a goat and a frog in here to provide clarity
18 Jan 10
5:13 pm
I have to say i thought it was an extension of the ANZ ad it was next on the panel I saw it on. The colours matched exactly. It worked better as part of the ANZ ad.
18 Jan 10
5:16 pm
I was going to trade the frog in for something else, but I was tied to a post and got hungry, so eat the frog! I hope it isnt poisonous!?!I I just ‘Googled’ “2nd hand fridge freezers” and couldnt see the Trading Post anywhere..? I might eat my leg next!
18 Jan 10
5:37 pm
Crimany Anonymous Goat. That’s a really good point…a spot of SEO expenditure to support the ATL would be sensible.
18 Jan 10
5:38 pm
i’m thinking this is just the introduction of the goat and frog and the story will continue?
if so, then i like it – i think the JCdecaux panels worked well in a “GABBO GABBO GABBO” kind of strategy (to quote mr Vandelay). it could be a nice way to build “BAAAAARGIAN” and ‘reckon’ into the vanacular for trading 2nd hand goods (a bit like michael katon in ‘The Castle’).
but if this tvc is the extent of the campaign then its not so good…
18 Jan 10
5:58 pm
I invested all my time trying to find out what this campaign meant. When I found out it was the trading post i felt so cheated that I launched a missile into space with nanobots. These nanobots will at some point attach to all the satellites spinning around our globe and download a virus into their central computer systems that will transmit a signal to everyone’s tv to show the X Factor 24 hours a day.
That’s what you all deserve.
18 Jan 10
5:58 pm
@tbone,
I ‘reckon’ you’re spot on… if there’s more, it could turn out to be a good campaign. If not, then it’s crap.
18 Jan 10
7:14 pm
I think the great Darryl Kerrigan would say it best. “They paid some wankers millions of dollars to come up with a frog sitting on a goat? And they call that advertising? Tell ‘em they’re dreamin’!”
18 Jan 10
7:41 pm
I work for TPOL, go you good thing!!
18 Jan 10
8:03 pm
Who came up with the actual idea?
18 Jan 10
8:05 pm
Also I agree with JACK above – creating cut thru for cut thru,s sake is not advertising even if it gets noticed. However will wait to see if there is more!
18 Jan 10
9:28 pm
A teaser campaign!?!!
Wow what a step forward for the new decade!!
18 Jan 10
9:29 pm
Hmmmmm. There’s a lot of jealous people making comments here. As an old creative (now retired) it’s all too familiar young creatives and infant marketers jumping online slamming other people’s work. Jealousy is a very ugly thing! We’ve all done it but hey grow up kids.
Whoever created this deserves a lot of credit. It’s certainly very different to most of the stuff that is out there. Half the online stuff doesn’t manage to get more than a few thousand people interested. I like the campaign. It’s fully integrated. Good use of a teaser (it worked!!). I’d like to see where it goes.
18 Jan 10
9:32 pm
I have been wondering what this ad is for for days. Not as mysterious as I thought…. or as funny.
18 Jan 10
9:34 pm
Creative Critic — love your comment about the lizard! Definitely need more lizards in ads.
18 Jan 10
10:38 pm
The only way this idea has a chance of working is through high frequency of TV reveal ad via a $3-$5m media buy.
Will this deliver a reasonable ROI to Trading Post online?
Unlikely.
19 Jan 10
9:50 am
When I saw the outdoor ads I thought/hoped it might be some play on an aesop fable … nope, not that clever.
19 Jan 10
10:24 am
Awesome posts everyone,
Not having seen OMD’s media schedule, I would hope they went to town on digital media planning as well as all the nice expensive outdoor and TV.
Given they need to change the behaviour of people who are looking for second hand goods and wanting to sell, and they have ditched the printed version, it will need more than TV to achieve.
The Goat and Frog is memorable, for the right or wrong reasons, (as debated in the posts here) i am just wondering if this will translate to recall that drives a change in behaviour.
I also hope the display media BWM have created arent just about how to talk like a goat, and substantiate why listing or purchasing from trading post is better than ebay, gumtree or all the others.
With any luck the sales of goat and all things french skyrockets and it will all be worth it.
Robbo
19 Jan 10
1:36 pm
Two things: “Goatize” is way too close to “Goatse” for my liking (NSWF) – http://bit.ly/8qk3Ph – and; the premise of the goat and frog only taking in front of the guy (in the ad) possibly inspired by the Loony Tunes cartoon “One Froggy Evening” – http://bit.ly/8xjqLQ – yeah?
19 Jan 10
5:47 pm
I liked this.
I actually wondered was it was for. I discussed it with friends.
-So yeah. It worked.
Im sure the agency is very upset they did not please a bunch a whining c***t at this blog.
20 Jan 10
2:19 pm
Being in adworld I noticed it.
Entire weekend spent with 3 adults walking and driving around the City and northern beaches. Within a metre of the ad on several occassions.
I prompted a conversation about it and none of them had noticed the image prior to me mentioning it.
21 Jan 10
1:13 pm
I just Googled: “2nd Hand Furniture” – no sign of trading post anywhere… I also completed some traffic comparison tests for tradingpostdotcomdotau v gumtreedotcomdotau on a few traffic comparison tools. Gumtree smoke Trading Post(.)
Fish where there are fish guys. If your product is online – surely you would fish hard online to get people grazing your product first, before backing it up with branding? Why be excessive first?
Oh, sorry this is adland – agencies make far bigger profits out of the production costs from a massive TV campaign than they do a digital keyword campaigns… Doh?!!
24 Jan 10
1:27 am
I worked there for 7 years in print. Unfortunately, when I saw this ad, I really didn’t know what it was for. I know a goiat & frog will be memorable, but does this really include their traditional user base? I think it really says they are confused with their own identity. As for the outdoor, a goat and a big orange T tells me there’s something to do with telstra, but that’s it. Unfortunatley, for me, it’s Ebay all the way. I think this is a last bid attempt to relaunch the bad press of a very bad business decision to ditch print. It seems the print competitors have it nailed now.
24 Jan 10
9:41 am
Have Ebay ever advertised on TV?
Shopping dot com ad’s on TV?
Has anyone ever seen a Gumtree ad on TV?
This Trading Post campaign smells like a typical fail from one of the big powerhouses, rather like how the True Local product has failed. Throw all of the money at marketing when they should be throwing it all at the product(.) This isnt a foul tasting beer – this is an online product that gets USED…
When building a business online, if the product is good it will sell itself (anyone heard of social networking…?) If something flies and is easy to use and wait for it is ‘very useful’ it is valuable and your business will excel. UX is key and if you do not have that down pat – then you can kiss your traffic goodbye.
Hey ho – watch a lot of big companies die a slow and painful death over the next decade. A lot of agencies will also suffer enormously if they continue to reap the rewards from excessive ‘branding’ campaigns on big traditional platforms… Instead of offering smart online solutions and web consultation regarding user experience. We will see.
28 Jan 10
5:10 pm
Saw the teaser ads around town and thought they were brilliiant. Then saw the TVCs and was completley dispointed. They should have left them as is, perhaps with a logo later. Keep ‘em guessing.
29 Jan 10
12:32 am
I dont know what every one is complaining about, The ad gets peoples attention doesnt it? Exactly what it is supposed to do. I do believe people should lighten up a bit and reclaim a sense of humour
8 Feb 10
11:34 pm
Surely its not that bad a campaign – its a unique answer to a very hard challenge:
Getting people to use trading post to shop will be nearly as hard as getting people to use trading post to sell. And unfortunately one requires the other in order to work.
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