ICANN has agreed to introduce new generic top level domains (gTLDs). The names will be almost without restriction. The new domains ain’t cheap. When applications open in January, you’ll fork out $185,000 to apply. And then you’ll go through 9… Continue Reading
Man on Mars? A visit to an asteroid? Actually a Woman on Mars would be a better proposition; would generate more public discussion. I kind of doubt those projects will generate massive public interest. Anyway, what about some other options?… Continue Reading
I can’t help but think you people have missed the point. My project was not about American leadership in the world. America is not the big picture. Consider these consequences: 1. You met the objectives. And they were very big… Continue Reading
Excuse the crappy photo but it did occur to me that the ANZ Bank may have some security concerns about customers taking photos of their teller area. So I was quick. The photo is quite flattering compared to the actual… Continue Reading
Here’s a brilliant television commercial. Except it’s not on television. It’s a T-Mobile ad showing exclusively on the Internet – 13 million views so far. This is not a small scale viral campaign; it’s a big-budget commercial that will not… Continue Reading
I only get it for the ads. They’re shiny and interactive. Multi-page video. Some ads have a Download App button at the bottom of the screen. Where the advertiser has bothered, the ad format is compelling and it’s more accessible… Continue Reading
Here’s a clever ad for the SBS movie channel. Unfortunately, it appeared in a brochure promoting the French Film Festival in Perth. You’d have to assume that people who’ve sought out that publication are already reasonably positively disposed to foreign… Continue Reading
“We chased the consumer with aggressive discounting in November and December . . . so when we got to the stocktake sale consumers didn’t need to purchase,” – Bernie Brookes, Myer Chief Executive, Feb 7, 2011. Well there you have… Continue Reading
I don’t get it. Why aren’t newspapers more excited about QR codes? These are codes you can scan with a smart phone to directly access a web page. Within a couple of years over 50% of all phones will have… Continue Reading
Wasted over two hours booking accomodation online through Virgin Blue. A slew of bugs (see above) that rejected my card, then didn’t, then did and an alternative payment system that did not work. It’s not just the bugs; the User… Continue Reading
A. These guys are going out of business. B. They deserve it. Publisher Henry Rosenbloom and bookseller Mark Rubbo on Late Night Live talked about the fragile state of the industry and blamed the Internet, the Aussie dollar, the GST… Continue Reading
Umpiring changes in the game of cricket have been pretty much uniformly praised. The field umpires can refer decisions to a third umpire, who is off the field and has the luxury of watching television replays. Teams can now challenge… Continue Reading
In 2009, HBF moved their advertising to hot shop Meerkats. This year the agency killed the pig at the PADC Awards, mostly due to some terrific TV and radio work for HBF. Smart cookies. But I drove past their prosaic… Continue Reading
In the mid 1990s I spoke to the first organised meeting of Olive Oil growers in the Gingin region about marketing. There were some small farmers and there was a clutch of Managed Investment Schemes all offering “tax effective” investments… Continue Reading
The iPad’s about to become the most quickly adopted electronic device of all time. And it’s throttled the growth of netbooks, notebooks and netwooks. Netwooks have not been invented yet; full marks if you noticed that. It’s a great marketing… Continue Reading
Have a look at this official promotional video for Western Australia and then we’ll talk. When I say ‘talk’ I mean ‘rant’. Tourism marketing in Western Australia is famously abysmal. Look critically at this from the viewpoint of international tourism… Continue Reading
