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Opinion | Features
Q&A with Adshel's Rob Atkinson
Online trading is the next big thing says Rob Atkinson in a piece that first appeared in Encore. Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Harold Mitchell because of his influence and the footprint he has left. He’s built a huge brand in Mitchells, offloaded it into Aegis, Aegis has obviously done extremely well to be then sold on to Dentsu. So if you think about it, he is very much a father figure of the industry.
Making it overseas
Is the best way of being successful in Australia not be here at all? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Lee Zachariah speaks to Aussies making it big abroad.I always wanted to work in New York,” says Julian Cole. “I thought it was the number one place to work in advertising; a lot of the best campaigns were coming out of there. So I moved over and was lucky enough to have a couple of interviews in the first couple of weeks.”
Cole’s story is indicative of the somewhat contentious idea that the best way to be successful in Australia is to not be in Australia any more.
Got a book in you?
From journos to ad execs and PRs, these days everyone seems to have a book in them. But what does it take to get published and will you actually make any money? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Brooke Hemphill finds out.Attention wannabe authors. Forget big fat advance cheques and living off royalties. The reality of having a book published today is another story altogether. There are only two reasons you should even consider sitting down at your computer to bash out a manuscript – passion or profile.
Savage counsel
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly advice column.Hi Chris,
My clients seem to be demanding more and more from us. At the same time, it seems many of the younger people in our industry simply don’t have the client servicing skills my generation grew up with. How do we instill in our executives some of the good old-fashioned behaviours that would keep a client happy and loyal?
Fake it til' you make it... as an ad agency receptionist
From dressing the part to playing the gatekeeper, Leo Burnett Sydney’s Susie Henry tells us how to make it as the face of adland in a piece that first appeared in Encore.What does a receptionist in an ad agency actually do?
Well, there’s the frantic every-day, all-day stuff of deliveries, courier bookings, doing expenses for directors – always challenging – plus arranging all the travel. But one of my main jobs is counselling the account service people. I also keep up with all sports information to discuss with our sports-loving clients – because who wants to be bored while they’re waiting? And I know how they like their coffee. You need to know everyone – from accounting to HR. I’m also the go-to for all catering and sending flowers.
Whose views skew the news? Media chiefs ready to vote out Labor, while reporters lean left
Most journalists lean left-of-centre, says Folker Hanusch of the University of the Sunshine Coast, in a post first published on The Conversation.Most Australian journalists describe themselves as left-wing, yet amongst those who wield the real power in the country’s newsrooms, the Coalition holds a winning lead.
But while the media’s political leanings will no doubt be debated in the lead-up to September’s federal election, our study has also found other largely unscrutinised biases remain – particularly whose views disproportionately shape the news.
It's time for a new New Wave in the film world
Government funding bodies are lazy and decadent, says industry veteran Michael Thornhill but in a piece that first appeared in Encore, Ed Gibbs begs to differ.I vividly remember the time I first saw Animal Kingdom, David Michod’s breathtaking labour-of-love feature debut. The press screening was half empty, despite the film winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance just months earlier, in 2010. Yet its superb performances, stylistic flourishes and overall polish left me speechless. Could this really be a feature debut, an Australian one at that, I wondered, almost out loud? It seemed too good to be true.
Going cold turkey on an agency addiction
Life is sweet for freelance writer Max Kitchen, but in a feature that first appeared in Encore, he admits his struggle against returning to the agency fold.I’ve never taken heroin. But I suspect if I had, the temptation to try it again would not be too dissimilar to the lure of returning to agency life.
Can sport save Ten?
First there was the Grand Prix. Next came the reported $500m bid for cricket rights, then Ten secured the 2014 winter Olympics. So, can sport save the ailing network? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.The television sports rights bidding process is a bit like a game of poker.
Check, fold or bet. Those were the options for the Ten Network last week when it had to finalise its bid for the cricket rights.
Andy Lark: good for the marketing of marketing
I can still remember the first story I wrote about Andy Lark, when it emerged that he was to be the new chief marketing officer of CommBank.
It was immediately clear that Australia was about to meet an interesting marketer, one who blogged and tweeted and thanks to his time at Dell in the US was digitally savvy. Even two years ago, that was a big deal. The fact that he also had a stint in public relations gave him an absolutely intriguing background before he even arrived.
Storming the media barricades - advice for young journalists
This week Mumbrella’s Nic Christensen, who began his career four years ago, gave the keynote address to would-be journalists at the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s Student Day. This is an edited version of his speech.Good afternoon, I can remember distinctly the last time I was in this room.
It was 2009 and I was sitting where you are. I’d come to this event, a friend and myself — from memory we sat up the back — and I can remember at the time wondering if I’d ever get a job as a journalist.
It was only four years ago and then as now getting a job was ultra competitive but I’m not sure there was quite as much media ‘doom and gloom’ as there is now…
Paywalls will help fund campaigning journalism
In this guest post, News Limited’s group editorial director Campbell Reid responds to the views of ninemsn’s Hal Crawford that the company’s push into metered paywalls is about data rather than dollars.Hal Crawford is both right and wrong in his article which argued that our digital subscription plans are all about the data.
Fake it 'til you make it... as a features editor
Cosmo’s Kate Leaver tells us how to bluff it in her job in a feature that first appeared in Encore.What do you do, as a features editor?
Really, play with words and ideas all day. At any one time, we’re working across three issues of the mag – getting one on its way to the printers, pooling all the words together for another, and planning the issue after that. It’s busy but it’s a pretty magnificent process.
Savage counsel - JFDI
Hi Chris,I run a medium-sized agency that is doing pretty well. As the leader, I am finding my workload just seems to go up and up. I am struggling to stay motivated and particularly to tackle the bigger and tougher challenges I have to face every day. How do I keep up the energy when there just seems so much to do? How do you do it?
Productive, successful executives are those able to consistently tackle difficult and big challenges. It’s a constant struggle for me so I know how you feel. How do the successful leaders do it?
Q&A with Brett Clegg
Brett Clegg, group director – business media, Fairfax Media, in a Q&A that first appeared in Encore, on the journo who refuses to work with him – his wife.Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Hard to go past Rupert Murdoch. He controls the single largest and most diverse portfolio and is intent on leveraging its scale (and, of course, influence). He’s an innovator and his will to win is obvious to all.
Woolies launches own-label ad offensive, Droga5 makes Woolies debut
Woolworths has upped the ante in the supermarket own label war with a new campaign to spruik its own label range Select.
The campaign is the first made by Woolies’ new ad agency Droga5, Mumbrella can reveal.
UPDATE April 12: Video removed at request of Droga5 on copyright grounds
The campaign launched this week to take on Coles, which has been aggressively pushing its own label products through its ‘No artifical colours’ and ‘No added MSG’ Curtis Stone-fronted campaigns that broke in February.
The focus of the campaign will initially be on Woolies’ Select Strawberry Jam, Select Tomato Sauce and Select Deli Style Chips. Woolworths also produces own label brands Macro and Homebrand, which are not part of this campaign.
The company’s head of own brand, Gordon Duncan told Mumbrella in a statement: “The tag line for the campaign says it all – “If it’s not selected by you, it’s not selected by us.” With Select Strawberry Jam, viewers will hear how this product has been tested and retested by our customers to ensure it gives a great eating performance every time.”
He added: “Our own brand ranges provide consumers with a strong alternative on quality and price to the national brands and encouraged competition within these categories. As well, our private label brands have given small to medium Australian manufacturers, who supply the lines, the opportunity to grow their businesses.”
Coles is currently ahead of Woolies in the race to expand its range of private label products.
Coles took 23% of its sales from own label products last year, while Woolworths took 18%, an article in The Australian reported this week.
The Woolies business moved from M&C Saatchi to Droga5 after a protracted marketing review in March this year.
Droga5 informed Mumbrella the tactical own-label campaign is not part of the major brand campaign which will be launching in the next few months.
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Comments
11 Apr 12
1:15 pm
A watchable ad from a supermarket chain.
Forgot what they looked like.
11 Apr 12
1:16 pm
Hope Droga takes the Woolies business a little more seriously than they do Telstra’s. I doubt Woolies would be pleased if half their ads just never run because Droga don’t bother sending them, but I guess that’s fine for Telstra?
11 Apr 12
1:20 pm
Horrid
11 Apr 12
1:21 pm
Refreshingly non-generic and somewhat amusing TVC for a supermarket. Wonder if Droga will do to supermarket ads what Goodby Silverstein did for Comm Bank…
11 Apr 12
1:32 pm
This looks like a Coles or Aldi ad. Cheap.
Ahhhhhh. I remember the feel good Woolworths ads (we’re Woolworths the Fresh Food People with fresh ideas for you………………..). But now Coles has spooked out Woolworths I suppose lookalike ads are all we can expect.
C’mon Woolies – you own the word ‘Fresh” – make use of it!
Great product as I love their supermarkets. Poor ads.
11 Apr 12
1:33 pm
Very ‘Droga’. Very good.
Look forward to seeing what else these rock stars come up with!
11 Apr 12
1:34 pm
smart
11 Apr 12
1:37 pm
The brands will be shaking in their boots
11 Apr 12
1:38 pm
Nice.
But when Woollies and Coles deny me a choice and ONLY stock their own brand in a category, I down my basket and head to ALDI where they do it too, but for half the price.
11 Apr 12
1:39 pm
This ad sucks. I know it’s part of the feel of it, but the woman looks like a freak, she sounds bossy and annoying and I’m too distracted by her stare to be listening to what she’s saying. This will just alienate average families, not draw them in to their brand.
11 Apr 12
1:40 pm
I don’t like her at all. Terrible casting and positioning, not all Woolworths shoppers are dowdy housewives. What ever happened to being inspirational!
Come on brands, stand up and be counted or these guys will ruin competition for all of us!!!!!!!
11 Apr 12
1:42 pm
‘a great eating performance’………wow…….that’s advertising jargon at its best!
11 Apr 12
1:46 pm
Simple, clean, single-minded … and doesn’t rely on production values as the ‘idea’!
11 Apr 12
1:48 pm
Painful. My initial reaction it to want to slap the main character silly. Certainly doesn’t make me want to run out and buy their crap.
11 Apr 12
1:50 pm
Terrible cheap advert. Copying acting skills from Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory.
ZzzzzzzzZzzzzzzzz
Not catchy or memorable.
11 Apr 12
2:01 pm
looks like advertising to the industry to me.
for an ad that is supposed to talk to a quality message and build values into it’s premium own label offering, the casting, production values and tonality are all down market and distracting.
11 Apr 12
2:10 pm
ad offensive.
oh.
and brand tone of voice?? consistency? what? who are woolworth’s?
oh dear.
ad. offensive
11 Apr 12
2:34 pm
unadulterated crap…does an audience actually want to watch this stuff…No!
11 Apr 12
2:48 pm
A subtle slap in the face of screaming Curtis and his old hack crooners and dancing monkeys. Great delivery by talent. Nice.
Still hate Woolies though but at least that’s just about what they are doing to my brands not their ads.
11 Apr 12
2:48 pm
That’s it??? No need for any creatives on this one.
11 Apr 12
2:50 pm
Typical strategy of focusing on its Select Range. Unique but typical… if you know what I mean.
11 Apr 12
2:52 pm
Every creative in the world must be bashing their heads they didn’t come up with that genius idea. It should get every advertising award there is out there, it’s Droga5 so that’s 90% of the way.
11 Apr 12
3:26 pm
I am holidaying in the country and saw the ad. First I thought there was no way that is the Woollies brand – I thought maybe the local TV station had mocked up an ad. Anyway, it is consistant with country TV ads – pretty bad. There goes the brand and high standards. Maybe it should have been in black and white too LOL
I am sure the next ads would have to be better from Droga?
11 Apr 12
3:33 pm
my god you lot are in a bad meed today
11 Apr 12
3:46 pm
Oh such a disappointment. That woman is horrible. I wanted it to be so different considering it was Droga 5. Now it’s just a big humph!!
11 Apr 12
3:54 pm
God, back to work after my Easter holidays, I hate being here, let’s knock the crap out of this ad. Most of the comments have actually missed the point. This is purely tactical, not for the brand. The Aldi affect is finally striking home. As a project I think it is well executed and believable. Quite rare these days.
11 Apr 12
4:34 pm
I imagine the brief was pretty dam product focused. I think they’re very different and as a result, I like. As for mum, I know lots like her.
11 Apr 12
4:50 pm
Wonder if they’re using co-op dollars to pay for this one?
11 Apr 12
5:04 pm
Patronising crap… Clearly written by young gun creatives on the cutting edge…
Keep up the good work.
11 Apr 12
5:19 pm
Re-laaaax everyone. It’s an ad for jam, and no doubt a ‘soft launch’ for D5 and Woollies. It was probably even presented in the pitch, and Woollies wanted to get something out to market while they’re producing the bigger work.
Feel free to praise/tear strips off the first brand campaign when that launches.
11 Apr 12
6:52 pm
This is poor..
She sounds mentally unhinged, which makes the ad slightly disturbing.
Lazy self-indulgent tripe.
11 Apr 12
7:17 pm
In reality there is no need for Coles or Woolworths to advertise with the duopoly and price cuts they could go back to Dollar Dazzlers and we’d be none the wiser.
It’s interesting that our business survives on brands, and brands being built, and we tell our client’s we will make audiences ‘love your brand’. When generic brands take over the shelves it will and, already does impact our business.
Personally think the ad is ok. But Woolworths being different doesn’t mean you’re ‘fresh’.
The most informative ad bites that Woolies do or did were the market updates….I actually kinda liked them. Learnt how to choose a melon properly from those little babies.
Good luck whoever has the business…just remember we rely on brands in this business….so sell your select sox off cause I won’t be buying into it.
11 Apr 12
8:49 pm
Is the vintage feel intentional or accidental? The art direction feels very dated and not very fresh. Like the humour though.
11 Apr 12
10:02 pm
a poor mans Aldi but sadly not as funny
Aldi Granny ad – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoBN_5JIe_M
11 Apr 12
11:54 pm
The best part is the tag line for the campaign – “If it’s not selected by you, it’s not selected by us.” As Gordon Duncan points out,… – but how could he agree to such low food values. I buy select Apricot jam at Wollies in Northbridge,… and it looks a lot better than how they show it here. Is this meant to be un appealingly fashionable like the beer ads,… (they are usually funny!) this is just poor looking food matched with annoying woman. i am sure this was just a starting glitch to the campaign.
12 Apr 12
8:40 am
I see lynchy hasn’t put this on the blog. I wonder why. Some droga 4.99′s best work
12 Apr 12
9:07 am
I can only assume that D5 have no FMCG clients. Everyone knows the supermarkets plan is to drive out / screw the brands that have been supporting them for years, replacing them with private label. “Select” crosses many categories, and if I was a FMCG client, I would be asking questions about how long it will be before they are in my space…
12 Apr 12
9:18 am
The non-appearance of the first work by Droga5 on their newest and biggest client on Campaign Brief is revealing. For me it confirms CB’s oft suspected bias. Shame, Lynchy, Shame!
12 Apr 12
9:42 am
…bring back Maria and Stavros
12 Apr 12
10:31 am
This is a wind up isn’t it?
I mean really, no client/agency team would seriously do this for a major brand would they?
12 Apr 12
10:34 am
Please Woolworths stop trying to be Aldi and stop trying to be Coles.
You are the market leader.
You act like a follower.
12 Apr 12
10:51 am
When I saw it on TV I actually thought it was a good ad. It’s different, and made me listen. But trying to actually sell home brand ads at a time like this (when all the brands are complaining) just reminded me of the issue, and made me hate Woolworths even more than I did before. I’d rather buy crazy Dick Smith’s pretend St Dalfours instead. Or actually, just St Dalfours.
12 Apr 12
12:25 pm
Go Spirko. Jam it.
12 Apr 12
12:33 pm
Money for jam. Nice work if you can get it.
12 Apr 12
12:35 pm
I question the strategy of advertising these products – consumers won’t change supermarkets for a home brand in my opinion, but they are a captive audience once they get in the store so Woollies can promote the crap out of these products while punters cruise the aisles, generally in the only way they know how, via price.
And with Coles and Woollies already on the nose with farmers, consumers, media and brand suppliers, why remind us of all that is bad via advertising generics? Better to promote an aspect of your business (Fresh food, hello!) that takes our attention away from what you are doing to the community around you.
12 Apr 12
2:33 pm
Droga dross.
Awful.
12 Apr 12
2:34 pm
You know what isn’t “selected” by me? These vile homebrands taking away my choice and making things harder for our farmers. This ad is insulting and only makes me angrier about the homebrand strategies.
I’ve never bought them and never will. This ad has only strengthened my position.
12 Apr 12
6:34 pm
The whole ad has a grimy unwashed feel…
And if you’re trying to sell me on the quality of your home brands, a grimy unwashed look, is not the way to do it.
13 Apr 12
7:48 am
so this is the result of lifting the creative bar in retail advertising … forgive us for not noticing the nice wallpaper Woolworths
13 Apr 12
9:32 am
Droga 4.99
13 Apr 12
10:50 am
Could you please explain the copyright issue?
Be general rather than specific if that helps.
13 Apr 12
10:55 am
Hi Legal eagle,
According to Droga5, “the talent in our Select TVCs are not cleared for internet usage”. Which is why we’ve had to remove the video. Sorry about that. We’ll re-post the video as soon as we get rights cleared.
Cheers,
Robin – Mumbrella
13 Apr 12
12:12 pm
Not like Droga to pull anything of the net. Very curious.
13 Apr 12
1:27 pm
Bet they wouldn’t have pulled it if it was getting positive comment. Rock and a hard place really, surely the client will see through the ‘cleared for internet’ explanation just like the rest of us.
13 Apr 12
1:51 pm
Does mumbrella require notification that all talent appearing in TVC are approved for internet use before they are put on your site?
13 Apr 12
3:20 pm
Hi Legal eagle,
Not usually, no. But we usually source an ad from the agency that made it. In this instance we sourced the ad from a third party (Ebiquity) and were unaware of any rights restrictions.
The Woolies Select commercial was not press released to us by Droga5, we found out about it via another source.
Cheers,
Robin – Mumbrella
13 Apr 12
5:48 pm
Robin
If mumbrella sources an ad from a third party, shouldn’t you seek clarification as to whether talent rights extend to the internet. But, and perhaps more importantly, if Ebiquity charge for the ad aren’t they making commercial gain from the talent’s performance without the talent’s approval and for a medium the talent has not approved?
14 Apr 12
6:33 pm
Forget your industry opinions
My wife, mother of two young boys saw the ad, looked at me and came out with an unprovoked ‘that is so bad’ And she never comments on ads!
15 Apr 12
12:38 pm
Hate this ad with horrible drone of a woman subjugated by her smug offspring. So dreadful it makes me cringe. Not fresh, not engaging. Sorry, just my opinion as a mother who would certainly not want to be viewed as a slave to her children.
16 Apr 12
10:16 am
I have a problem with the fact that the talent says ‘…I dont work for Woolworths…’
I’m pretty sure they do! I doubt they did the ad for free. That is blatant false advertising. And it’s a pretty average ad.
16 Apr 12
2:26 pm
Hi Legal eagle,
Sorry for the late response.
You certainly have a point. We should check about rights for the web more thoroughly.
Although on this occasion I did give Droga5 a heads up that we were running the story on the new Woolies ad. I also sent them a link to the commercial on our YouTube channel – and received no objection at this point from Droga that the talent rights had not been cleared for the internet.
It was more than a day later that I was told by the agency that the rights had not been cleared, and subsequently took the ad down.
Ebiquity didn’t charge us to use the ad.
Cheers,
Robin – Mumbrella
17 Apr 12
2:18 pm
Quirky used to mean put damaged looking people in your ads. That was a long time ago. You gotta be smarter than that now. And anyway, mainstream Australia hates quirky shit. Big mainstream brands are hard because firstly, the creatives have to give up their egos. There goes most of the “top” agencies. This stuff should be left with the likes of Big Red.
3 May 12
7:51 pm
Why are people using the word “talent” in reference to this ad!!!
3 May 12
9:19 pm
i have to agree with the sentiment of droga’s ‘creative ego’ taking reign here. It has more of droga’s mood and tone rather than woolies’s brand tone. But i guess it’s why a client would buy droga in the first place.