Here’s what happened. Microsoft’s new agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, did some research that told them: 1. ‘Bill Gates is inextricably linked with Microsoft and he is perceived positively’ [If Robert Mugabe gave $37B to charity he would be seen… Continue Reading
I’ve seen two TV ads for the Carpenter Labor Government in Western Australia, both with low production values and I think strategically ineffective. The hero is the Premier, dressed in a smart suit and tie. In the first ad, he… Continue Reading
I was surprised to see an ad for Woolworths during the Network Seven Olympic coverage. You would have thought Coles’ position as major sponsor [see comments] would have given them some category exclusivity. Research has consistently shown that sponsorship is… Continue Reading
The ABC are advertising their Local Radio stations on the teev. Fair enough. The ad features snatches of audio from a range of different programs and a fairly static visual background. It’s dreadfully unappealing. When you watch television, and this… Continue Reading
“Each morning, the Maori people of New Zealand, which is part of Australia, rise at dawn, cook some eggs, put on their grass skirts and go out to the fields to make 42 below vodka.” It’s the start of a… Continue Reading
The ABC has always been Amateur Hour on grooming. Its station promotions are the other weakness; sickly imitations of the commercial networks’ urgent demands for attention. I’m not suggesting they get better at copying commercial style promotions. Quite the reverse.… Continue Reading
I saw a great use of the Telstra Phone Words product this week. Phone Words is the add-on service that lets you use a 13 or 1300 number in conjunction with a word. Makes it easy to remember a phone… Continue Reading
Henry Ford is credited with the insight “I know half of my advertising works really well. I just don’t know which half”. The success of Google, the leader in online advertising, is largely due to the impressive accountability that they… Continue Reading
Is that people insist on interacting with it. If you look at the Facebook applications generated by big business you see that Facebook spam is a major hurdle for corporates. Once again the battle between the old respectables and ambush… Continue Reading
Media Tonic is a new client, a media representation business based in Perth. My brother Mark works there. I’ve done them an e-newsletter and a blog aimed at entertaining their clients and agency contacts. ENTERTAINING? Yes, I’m working hard to… Continue Reading
Email is the fire that fans the internet. Hidden amongst untold millions of boring, static web pages are tiny pockets of original content. Yes, there are RSS feeds and sites which aggregate content but how do you find most of… Continue Reading
Clients are starting to ask their ad agencies and digital ad agencies about Second Life. Last week I did a series of presentations to Australian agencies about the virtual world, trying to explain it to people who in some cases… Continue Reading
The problem with smarty-pants headlines is that sometimes, just sometimes, they go awry. Generally calls for fancy footwork. Chrysler bought sponsorship of Time Magazine’s Person of the Year edition and a copywriter wrote a contextual ad: ‘You may not be… Continue Reading
If you’re like me you take it as read that blogs run by journalists follow the same standards of editorial independence common to good newspapers. However, I did some research into the number of references in body text to three… Continue Reading
All right. Having shown you some awful examples of outdoor advertising, here is probably the best use of outdoor advertising in the last 10 years in Australia. Yellowglen, by Mildara Blass (now Fosters). It showcases the simplicity of a great… Continue Reading
As is my wont, here are some more bad examples of outdoor advertising. These are bus shelter ads. It’s an unusual medium because some people will read them close up but the focus is really drive-by traffic. Why so small?… Continue Reading
