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Opinion
Video: How to win new business
Mumbrella Question Time saw the panel asked the secrets of winning new business. Read more »
Let’s stop the anonymous vitriol
In this guest posting, Peter Bray, boss of The Brand Shop, takes issue with negative comments from anonymous posters on Mumbrella and elsewhere.
There are very few ads that I vehemently dislike. There are also very few ads that I really love. But most ads I see on Mumbrella and other blogs I can usually take something from, whether it is information about the brand, a bit of inspiration or a “watch out”. I’m open to learning as much as I can from others, and encourage those around me to do the same.
My basic assumption, however, is that because an ad has been produced by a professional agency, and had the approval from the client, then the end result must be doing something right. Therefore, without knowing the practical rationale behind the ad, for me to have a strong opinion about whether it is great advertising would be kind of arrogant. There is a reason that awards shows ask for information about why an ad was created: they are rarely judged on end product alone.
So as someone who enjoys watching the work that our industry creates, I am stunned at the level of vitriol stemming from some people’s comments in both this blog and others. Read more »
Read his lips
This is several weeks old, but worth a look. It’s certainly an original way to deal with media criticism.It features Air NZ boss Rob Fyfe responding to weekly current affairs magazine The Listener using the medium of sign language. Read more »
Let’s not be too positive just yet – the nail is still there
It’s more than a year since News Ltd’s marketing boss Joe Talcott used the memorable analogy of a dog whimpering on a nail to describe the structural change the industry needs to go through. Read more »
The AdNews numbers that mislead the market
It’s always a tad tawdry when competitors attack each other, but I hope you’ll bear with me…
Whether cynically or through incompetence, AdNews has been misleading its advertisers by providing them with data that seems to suggest they have six times their true online audience.
Allow me to present the evidence. Read more »
Technology will help us own the agenda – all day, every day
In this opening speech to the Future Forum of the Newspaper Publishers Association, News Ltd CEO John Hartigan argued that news organisations have the opportunity to become more rather than less relevant.
Today I want to talk about a tipping point that heralds the most exciting era for journalism. The most exciting era ever.
This tipping point is already upon us. It has arrived at lightning speed, with the explosion in demand for mobile devices.
I am not consigning newspapers to the scrapheap. Not by a long shot.
But this tipping point is going to change journalism forever. In my opinion, very much for the better. Read more »
The real time shit sandwich detector
In this guest post, Clive Burcham of The Conscience Organisation, relishes the instant feedback of social media.
I’ve been making brand driven content since 1996 and often I’ve been so close to the work that I couldn’t tell the difference between if we were chomping on a shit sandwich or savouring the crème de la creme. From an audience perspective, we wouldn’t know the difference for weeks or months. What excites me most now is that we know within 24 hours if we’ve developed shit or cream. Read more »
SMH shows how to make a home page takeover work
When you’re a commercial organisation, balancing the needs of consumers with the need to make money through ads is tricky.
Among the organisations that sometimes goes the wrong way in my view is Fairfax, with its autostart video ads, for instance.
But today, a bit of unreserved praise Read more »
Inside the Foxtel factory
Having been at the launch of Foxtel’s new season the other night, nine points occur… Read more »
ABC News 24 – a handy service for niche journalists
It may not have many viewers yet, but ABC News 24 saves specialist journos having to leave their desks, argues Delimiter’s Renai LeMay
When media commentators discuss the future of journalism, they usually agree on at least one thing: It will involve much fewer generalists and more reporters dedicated to exhaustively covering niche fields. Read more »
The seven ages of Carlton Draught’s Made From Beer
Today sees the launch of “Slow Mo”, the latest instalment of Carlton Draught’s irreverent Made From Beer series.
It’s been quite a run – from the highly awarded Big Ad, to the comedy of Flash Beer, to the debacle of the abortive banned Tingle campaign. These are the seven ages of Made From Beer… Read more »
Real consumers don’t have ‘brand conversations’. They use search
In this guest posting, Simon van Wyk argues that much as marketers might wish otherwise, most consumers don’t have emotional connections with brands
I have a background in marketing, but my understanding of branding seems at odds with the 2010 opinions I see from social media commentators, marketing and advertising agencies. Read more »
Hot, censoring atheists: Google’s insight into what punters think about pollies and journos
One of the charms of Google is autocomplete, where it takes a punt on what you’re going to ask, based on what the rest of the world has been wondering previously.
And it certainly gives a few insights into the high quality of political debate about the Labor leaders in the run up to the election.
Take NSW premiere Kristina Keneally… Read more »
The copyright-busting election
This is rapidly turning into the copyright-infringing election. Read more »
Digital Fail: The gaping void in digital training is failing our industry
In this guest post, Amnesia Razorfish’s Iain McDonald warns that the industry has fallen badly behind on digital training.
Before I get accused of trolling with that headline, I’ll state what I think is obvious: The current education system isn’t producing or nurturing enough ‘digitally skilled’ individuals to sustain a growing a digital economy. Read more »
Watchdog bans Red Bull TV ad for ’sexualising children’
An animated TV ad for Red Bull featuring a young boy who convinces his mother to let him go to a strip club has been banned by the Advertising Standards Bureau because it “normalises sexualising children”.
The ad shows a boy feeding Red Bull to his pigs. He then asks his mother if he can visit a strip club, to which she responds, “when pigs fly”. When she looks out the window she sees pigs flying – a reference to the brand’s long running tagline “Red Bull gives you wings”.
The final scene of the ad shows the boy at a strip club sitting infront of the stage looking up at a stripper. She removes a boa she is wearing and throws it to him.
Despite the ad being aired after 8:30pm, the ASB said that depicting a child in a strip club was “inappropriate, even if viewed only by adults, as it normalises sexualising children”.
The ASB also found that although the mother allowing her child to go to the strip club was intended to be amusing, “it normalised inappropriate and illegal behaviour”.
While Red Bull agreed to pull the ad, the company said it was “disappointed” by the ASB’s findings.
In a statement Red Bull said:
The Red Bull Energy Drink television advertisements demonstrate the energising effects of Red Bull on body and mind in a spirited, fresh and cheeky way via cartoons portraying witty stories that are targeted towards an adult audience. The stories are imaginary and are not intended to be taken literally or too seriously.
We are disappointed that the Advertising Standards Bureau does not see the copy in this light.
Whilst we acknowledge that some members of the public may be offended by the humour portrayed in this TVC, it is Red Bull Australia’s opinion that as the Flying Pigs TVC was placed during adult programming only, the TVC was not insensitive towards the majority of the intended adult audience and we are therefore disappointed with the Board’s findings.”
April 14th, 2010 at 11:45 am
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Comments
14 Apr 10
11:53 am
And yet the Red Bull nudist colony spot is okay?
14 Apr 10
11:59 am
This ad is ridiculous
14 Apr 10
12:24 pm
Obvioulsy no-one involved has children of their own. What is most disturbing however is that those involved believe this could be an effective ad. Even seeing it in the intended context , the ad is spectacularly unfunny and lacking imagination. Is it possible this ad is a re-run originally intended for Europe. I suspect Germans may find this kind of thing funny.
14 Apr 10
12:47 pm
Put aside whether you like the ad or not.
Add this banning to the “let’s censor the internet” debate, and it’s clear we’re in a very Puritanical cultural phase. Can’t wait for it to end.
14 Apr 10
1:19 pm
This spot is just plain weird.
14 Apr 10
1:20 pm
Isn’t it just an animated pisstake? I didn’t think it was hilarious, but mildly amusing.
To quote another Red Bull property, Mark Webber – “we live in a nanny state”
14 Apr 10
1:20 pm
just unbelievably not funny….. written by a very old german no doubt
14 Apr 10
1:23 pm
I’m with @Eccles9, the nudist colony ad is just as bad, if not worse. If the dude’s erection isn’t bad enough, what about the kid who runs through the scene? It disturbs me a little.
Off on a tangent slightly, I often wonder what committed nudists/naturists make of that ad? They must struggle already to ‘de-sexualise’ their pursuits in the eyes of the ‘public’.
14 Apr 10
1:41 pm
I also believe it’s mildly amusing, but the end scene is not needed.
If the end scene was cut, I believe the ad would be less “offensive”.
14 Apr 10
1:47 pm
It doesn’t appear to be any more inappropriate than the episode of the Simpsons where Bart does odd jobs in a brothel …. and that runs (ad nauseum) in a very child friendly time slot.
It appears to be no more than a clever continuation of the advertising theme that helps position the brand. On brief, I should imagine.
PS: Can anyone help me understand how it is the child being sexualised in this instance – clearly it’s the stripper who’s getting her gear off, not the average, red blooded pubescent teen.
14 Apr 10
2:04 pm
Pigs don’t fly.
14 Apr 10
4:11 pm
@ A Loaded Gun
The Simpsons comes with an appropriate classification and warning. I agree that the ad is a continuation of their advertising theme but don’t see how its clever.
The flying pigs is a clever concept, the strip club is very poor execution.
14 Apr 10
4:13 pm
Ok ! I’ll go to the strip club instead of the kid.
14 Apr 10
4:14 pm
The biggest mistake in Red Bull Aus’ statement was their reference to the spot as “witty”.
14 Apr 10
4:18 pm
Geeza – It’s not ok to “normalise sexualising children” but there’s nothing wrong with suggesting “germans may find this kind of thing funny”?
ALL politically incorrect jokes / commercials / movies / whatever, by there very nature, offend at least one group of people but are hilarious to any number of other groups.
And good on you, Richard, too. let’s blame Ze Germans…
14 Apr 10
4:18 pm
@loaded gun. Guessing by the VO talent I would say the child depicted is around 8-10 yrs old and definately not a “red blooded teenager”.
I think this is the problem, ne c’est pas?
14 Apr 10
4:18 pm
Isn’t the whole point of this entire series of ads to get a reaction via inappropriate and illegal behaviour?
If I remember, there is one based around a couple of mafia goomba’s dropping a dude in cement shoes off a wharf, only for him to fly away on Red Bull wings.
Yet the Advertising Standards Bureau singles this one out. Kids + strippers = bad, gangland executions = ok?
14 Apr 10
4:20 pm
@Jooja, it is a well established convention that racism does not apply to Germans, frogs and poms – oh and Argies and Ities when it comes to football. Do I need to go on?
14 Apr 10
4:20 pm
This is funny because it’s so bad. All the red bull ads are bad. How could they possibly think this would be an effective advertisment?
14 Apr 10
4:21 pm
What are most kids asking for these days that they shouldn’t have? Should have shown him asking for an iPhone or a drive of grandpas car.
I’m with The Original “Amused” … flying pigs is a good concept that could be used in a whole string…this one isn’t quite right though.
14 Apr 10
4:27 pm
Yet it’s ok to run a prime time TVC showing a character sporting a boner at a nude beach?
14 Apr 10
4:29 pm
it disturbs me that people think this should be removed….Mark Webber is right…we are becoming a nanny state.Have people really lost their sense of humor so much now.I remember Siimon Reynolds once saying that we will return to Victoria values, I thought nonsense at the time, but he seems to be right…again !
14 Apr 10
4:34 pm
Isnt it time that Red Bull consider refreshing their TV ads?
For a product that promotes energising the mind, the ads over the years have become tiresome with the same approach/concept and now they are obviously resorting to shock value (be it cheeky/tongue and cheek). Their TV ads may be effective in what they are trying to do, but still, a new approach would be refreshing.
In other words, I’m bored with these ads and I wonder if the agency that creates them are too…
14 Apr 10
4:35 pm
is too… oops
15 Apr 10
9:30 am
I love Red Bull BUT hate the ads.
What a strange relationship…
I agree the ads are tired and have never really been witty. In fact I have never heard over the zillion years these illustrated ads have run someone say they appreciate them. The efforts to breath life into something dead by taking this risk is just ridiculous – clearly it wasn’t made for this market. Not surprising for a brand that has laced their product with Cocaine in the past and shipped it to countries where the penalty for dealing in narcotics is death…
15 Apr 10
9:32 am
I reckon they thought it was his mum in the end shot…
15 Apr 10
9:44 am
not funny, not well thought out, not unique in the slightest, this would go right under the radar if it didnt have something offensive. So bored.
15 Apr 10
11:16 am
@Gezza, I’m sure it’s “n’est-ce pas”, isn’t it?
15 Apr 10
12:58 pm
I find it odd that all these hard nuts that drink Red Bull, also wear fairy wings, like little girls.
Red Bull gives you wings. But you look like a little fairy mate!
15 Apr 10
1:35 pm
@love+hate – I’m with you. Red Bull have so many outstanding properties from the sport and extreme world that would encapsulate the company’s ethos in a 30 second spot, yet they continue with this obscure animated creative.
Imagine the cut through – from an Australian perspective – if they used the sporting properties that I can think of instantly from the top of my head:
-Mark Webber (RBR F1)
-Robbie Maddison (Extreme Motocross/stunt man)
-Rick Kelly (V8 Supercars)
-Matt Hall (Red Bull Air Race)
That’s not to mention what they could do internationally (plus the other Aussies that I have missed out here).
@Zac Martin – nice cross promo
15 Apr 10
2:50 pm
Soooo…. if the kid’s old man had been doing the washing up and they had gone to the strip club together the advert would have been OK?
15 Apr 10
4:42 pm
Apparently red bull doesn’t give you wings!!!
http://www.dailytelegraph.com......5854148345
15 Apr 10
11:03 pm
More Australian public servants interfering with freedom of speech, wake up Australia, you’re being conned, but I must say, it is easy to con you people….. why do you need bureaucrats to tell you what you can and can’t watch…..
16 Apr 10
12:16 pm
NY Nemisis. – “You People”
NY- What is that – New York?
Are you in the US? Sorry for my wild stab, but if you are then you are delusional… take a look at your own back yard.
If not, my apologies – let us know where you are from…
16 Apr 10
1:55 pm
@NY – ‘why do you need bureaucrats to tell you what you can and can’t watch’?
Because if you don’t, you end up with crap like what Red Bull have dished up!
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