Year In Review: Best Mumbrella analysis pieces of 2016
Has Fairfax lost its voice? What does Bauer need to do to become a publishing powerhouse once again? How can a social media platform fail so quickly? Mumbrella looks back and analyses the biggest issues, stories and changes the industry experienced in 2016...
From launch to shutdown in less than one day – the rise and fall of celebrity chat app Sociabl
January saw the remarkable launch and folding of celebrity chat app Sociabl, following an on-air savaging from Nine’s Today Extra host David Campbell. Nic Christensen looked at what went wrong for two young entrepreneurs.
Six months on – How Woolworths screwed up a perfectly good loyalty card scheme
Woolworths copped a barrage of abuse for its decision to overhaul its loyalty card scheme, rendering it effectively pointless for a large number of customers. Tim Burrowes looked at the disastrous decision, which was reversed later in the year.
What does Bauer Media need to do to become a real force again?
It was a turbulent year for Bauer Media with a number of mag closures and a floundering digital strategy leading to redundancies, and questions over its relevance in the market. Miranda Ward spoke to a number of insiders to look at what had gone wrong, and how the publisher could turn things around.
Optus’ EPL plans will lead to short-term conversions and long-term resentment
In May Optus announced it was going to make English Premier League fans sign up for phone or internet plans in order to access the content. Alex Hayes said the move would make the telco a short-term buck, but cost it brand equity with those fans in the long-term.
In praise of Australian Survivor – Cast an introvert, get different television
Australian Survivor attracted a loyal band of followers for Channel Ten, with a blend of intriguing personalities hooking them into the game. Tim Burrowes praised producers for taking the unusual move of casting an introvert, who would eventually win the competition.
Howcroft’s shift to PwC a lightning strike at the heart of creative by the consultants
December brought the surprising news that industry stalwart Russel Howcroft had jumped ship from Network Ten to become the chief creative officer for PWC. Simon Canning looked at how attracting one of the biggest names in the industry would change the game for the consultancies.
Has Fairfax lost its voice in a race to the middle?
With Fairfax Media’s audited digital subscriber numbers falling Miranda Ward examined whether the race for online scale had seen the storied publisher lose its voice which had made its print products so popular, and on the way its raison d’etre.
Telstra’s lesson in marriage equality – corporate social responsibility is not to be toyed with
Telstra’s decision to pull its support for the marriage equality movement in the middle of the year saw the brand slammed for walking away from its publicly-stated position. Simon Canning argued the brand breached an important public trust.
‘Chooks come home to roost’: What happened to Australia’s biggest B2B publisher?
The company once known as Reed Business Information has sold off struggling titles and downsized significantly. Steve Jones took a deep-dive into what happened to Cirrus Media, and its fall from being Australia’s largest B2B publisher.
