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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.
Vice team launches youth-focused online ad network Populace
Australia’s competitive online advertising market has seen the arrival of another significant player with the creation of Populace, which is backed by Vice publisher Michael Slonim.
Populace claims to reach half a million 16 to 29 yr olds with local sites in the network including Sneaker Freaker, Tone Deaf, The Enthusiast and UnseenTV, along with Australian views of global youth sites Hypebeast, Lookbook, Resident Advisor and Chictopia.
Sarah Jane Owen has been appointed Digital Sales Manager for Populace. Owen previously worked at MTV Australia and OMD, is the founder of online boutique Dirty Rich and a Reebok evangelist.
Populace’s launch advertiser list includes Adidas, Panasonic, Lynx, Bonds, Nike, Samsung, VISA, Converse, Mentos and Rockstar Games.
Populace was founded by Vice’s digital media director Remi Carette. He said: “It’s undeniable that a shift to content-focused marketing is taking place, and for this reason we’ve specifically invited publishers to our network who are generating original content. We’re then placed in a position to bring an advertiser’s message to life in an authentic, integrated fashion.”
Slonim said: “We have the people, content and ideas.”
August 25th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
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Comments
25 Aug 10
2:33 pm
Um, given that we’re in the Populace network, I can tell you on good authority that Remi is a dude.
25 Aug 10
2:35 pm
What has this video got to do with the story? The ‘Sales Manager’ talking about her shoe collection. Thrilling…..no really
25 Aug 10
2:37 pm
Oops – Sorry, Remi.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
25 Aug 10
2:37 pm
Indeed, Remi is a top bloke.
25 Aug 10
2:38 pm
Hi Alex,
Living the brand?
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
25 Aug 10
2:41 pm
Remi’s a girl.
I took her out last week. She loves her yum cha.
(Call me, Remi)
x
25 Aug 10
2:46 pm
Congrats, Remi. One of the few great men.
25 Aug 10
2:59 pm
love the concept but wonder what the source is on that user figure … doesn’t seem to be verified/referenced.
25 Aug 10
3:04 pm
SJOwen is to Reeboks what Bob Katter is to suit + cowboy hat combo.
25 Aug 10
3:04 pm
500K uniques
Is that really worth announcing?
25 Aug 10
3:08 pm
Remi is the name of my 8 year old daughter.
Remi from Vice and I did have words about this by email a while ago – good name for both genders it seems.
Populace is also a good name and a strong idea. Seems they have attracted solid early support and I look forward to watching their progress.
25 Aug 10
3:15 pm
Depends on the audience, This Is Old Skool.
500,000 hard-t0 reach uniques. Yes please.
And Really – good question. The number will only have credibility once it’s audited.
25 Aug 10
3:29 pm
@occasional media buyer
Hard to reach? really?
There are lots of publishers and networks or hybrid publisher/networks in the youth space offering the same service
25 Aug 10
4:42 pm
Great to see commenters questioning credibility of home-cooked figures that aren’t audited! (it wasn’t me, I promise).
500k (if real) is a strong figure, considering if a network is much larger you could argue that it stops targeting trendsetters and starts branching into the mainstream .. or broader niches.
Quick analysis of other networks would suggest reach of 100-500k is typical for sub-niche networks, 1-2M for niche networks …
26 Aug 10
10:05 am
un-substantiated sub sites aggregated under one unsubstantiated umbrella. Sounds elusive indeed.
26 Aug 10
12:06 pm
These sites may not be audited, but there is no denying their cultural popularity for youth audiences overseas, which inherently means there would be youth audience locally in Australian finding & using these sites.
Australians, in particular the 13-35yo demo, crave content about fashion, trends, music and lifestyle from our UK & American Friends.
I am actually a supporter of auditing, however if Populace or other youth networks can deliver a good media deal, deliver your campaign and get results. Then its ultimately down to that particular agency/client to decide what works & fits for them, regardless of what the audited traffic figures.
A questions for Alex from the ABA, is there a way international websites can be audited for AU traffic numbers?
26 Aug 10
12:37 pm
The least the sites can do is go on Nielsen MI. The audit process may be difficult for a big network without monster rev. expectations
The excuse for most of these yoof sites is that they’re such a “great fit” they don’t need to be measured by an external … problem then is how can you trust the numbers?
no one is disputing the fit of the sites … it’s moreso the accuracy of the number claims. site side numbers generally don’t exclude bots, non human traffic etc etc so the figure is always inflated.
26 Aug 10
1:07 pm
To audit, or not to audit? Any figures that are used to evaluate or promote websites for display advertising should be audited. Being audited is a prerequisite to trade in any other media and the same standard now applies in the online marketplace.
Of course, there are certain media-transactions (like performance buys) where having an audited figure is not as critical, but if a publisher is using figures for any promotional or competitve comparisons, then it needs to be audited to ensure there is a level playing field and to protect media-buyers from wasted buys. If no one was audited than it’s every man for himself, using their unverified home-cooked figures to report they are all #1 in reaching their target audience.
Relying on unaudited figures just leads to confusion and uncertainty – this recent comment thread is a case in point: http://bit.ly/bqCPau
Yes, international sites can be audited for AU traffic numbers. The most common and elegant solution is to geo-target the tracking tag to AU-users only. The same ABA audit rules apply – no publisher-generated traffic can be counted.
27 Aug 10
12:36 am
Dear Sara Jane Owen
I am terrified of female media sales reps.
You know what they can be like: so sleek, so glossy, so urgent, so hungry, so calculated, so polished, so buoyant; so much hard work. It’s terrifying. You know the type. You worked at OMD, you know exactly what I’m talking about. They’re scary.
Do these people have successful relationships? I’d like that ‘audited’. Are there numbers on this?
I think the only women that scare trannies are media women.
But you are fab. I love you.
You will be amazing in this job – put one of those glossy media women in your role and it would never work. You know why. You are perfect for this.
Using your ‘Freestyle Forever’ video thing for the Mumbrella PR thing was genius. It says ‘we understand this stuff’.
Anyone who ‘gets’ the ‘market’ will know this is important. ‘Alex’ doesn’t. Ignore Alex. Alex doesn’t know anything.
You rock, you are my new favorite media person. And you love shoes – I love shoes, do you need a PA?. I’m at the ‘Taxi’ on Friday and Nevermind on Saturday. I can bring references.
X
Lavinia
27 Aug 10
3:06 pm
I think this idea has merit but I’d also question the numbers behind the claims. A quick peruse of the website showed huge disparities in their claimed numbers. The homepage states boldy “500,000 unique visitors” but on this page http://populacemedia.com.au/advertisers/ it lists each site and it’s traffic. Problem is the combined total is 324,000 and that’s with duplication. Which is it I wonder?
If you are going to throw out un-verified numbers at least get the story straight on your own website.
27 Aug 10
3:34 pm
Thanks for your feedback Alex.
@Hipsters don’t Audit I agree, there are some contradictions out there. Some of the other “cool” publishers who push very hard on the audit bandwagon ( fair enough too). But what is the perspective from people if said “cool” publishers are claiming total traffic figures that are purely aimed at grabbing ad $$$, yet their domestic traffic numbers have actually decreased by up to 25%
Is there any point in making the “larger” claim, since we are buying and selling AU eyeballs? and what is the ABA doing about such claims when its irrelevant to the market.
The point of auditing is having transparent domestic figures. Why are said “cool” publishers allowed to make claims especially if they are the ones pushing for better auditing across the board?
Some of these publishers even represent 3rd party international sites. In some cases i have noticed that even though these “cool” publishers are massive audit supporters, Do they roll this out for all the 3rd party sites they represent. Seems like a contradiction??
Do they even have MI on those 3rd party international sites, hmmm i don’t think so.
27 Aug 10
3:49 pm
@To Audit, or not to Audit?
The ABA by default only reports AU traffic figures except in cases where the website is clearly intending to sell only international eyeballs to advertisers. E.g. (Pipelines International is for international workers in that industry, not just AU). I hope that answers your question in regards to how irrelevant traffic is removed from the ABA reported figures. Not sure where the ‘larger claims’ are being made … ?
Some international sites can’t be easily audited due to difficulty deploying tags but it shouldnt be a show-stopper. No reason any Intnl site vying for AU advertising dollars shouldn’t be providing audited figures. Who are you referring to … ?