It’s “My Idea”, as long as it’s American

Microsoft’s latest multi-million dollar global ad campaign pushing its new operating system, Windows 7, almost passed us by.   Read more »

Even the Best Idea can fail

“So, why did the ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign win all those awards, when there appears to be no benefit for the rest of the Whitsundays, and probably Queensland?”

Whitsundays Online on falling tourist numbers

Announcing the Mumbrella Readers’ Choice Awards

One of the questions I’ve been most asked a fair bit over the last few months is: Will you do a Mumbrella Awards? To which my answer has always been: only if there’s an opportunity to create something with a genuine point of difference.

The last thing this industry needs is another me-too award.

Well, I think we’ve fallen upon that point of difference.   Read more »

Claiming to be unbiased is a patronising fairytale, so let’s just own up to our agendas

In this guest posting from Sydney’s media 140 conference Cathie McGinn argues there’s no such thing as total objectivity, so better to disclose your agenda.

Thankfully, at least some of the debate at this week’s Media 140 moved on from fixating upon the rather tired blogger vs. journalist issue.   Read more »

20 of the best ads ever from the George Patterson agency

In an industry where new people arrive every day, the greats are sometimes quickly forgotten.

For some, the name GPY&R is these days more associated with WPP’s legal squabble with Pacific Equity Partners. But George Patterson is arguably Australia’s greatest agency ever.

And as next week’s 75th anniversary party approaches next week, the agency has put some of its greatest moments up on YouTube. It’s worth the time checking out this top 20, I promise. They don’t make ‘em like that any more… Read more »

Tele is making it too easy for the privacy law campaigners to make a case

I did not, I must admit, feel a great deal of sympathy for former Prime Minister Paul Keating’s demand that privacy laws be rewritten before photographs of people can be published in newspapers.   Read more »

No TV happy ending?

“It is hard to see how either of these deals can end well.”

Elizabeth Knight on growing debt mountains for the owners of Seven and Nine

Public figures want it both ways

“Why turn up at a VIP party, sponsored by a vodka company, dressed as Amy Winehouse, if you don’t want to be papped by photographers?”

Tracey Spicer on the Katherine Keating snapper row

Gabfest in need of grenades

“More concerning for the future of the advertising industry, what was also missing was impassioned debate about the state of the industry and the direction it needs to take.”

Simon Canning on a quiet Caxtons

Time to regulate paid Aussie blog comment – and to penalise the offenders

In this guest post, Daniel Young of PR agency Burson-Marsteller Australia argues that marketers and bloggers who make undisclosed paid comments should be fined

From December 1, bloggers in North America will be required to disclose ‘important connections’ with advertisers as a result of new guidelines governing ‘endorsements’ and ‘testimonials’.   Read more »

Darwinian ad ideas

Sometimes you don’t need a big budget to create a memorable campaign – just a nice idea, as these ads for ABC1’s coming series on Charles Darwin demonstrate.   Read more »

Stop pretending PR is worth the same as advertising space

In this guest posting, Millward Brown’s Sarah Emerson says the old-fashioned PR formula of adding up column inches and equating it to what the ad space would have cost needs to be killed off.

Last Sunday’s ‘Crave Sydney’ Breakfast on the Bridge event in Sydney was supposedly worth up to “$10 million in overseas publicity” according to media reports quoting the NSW Premier Nathan Rees.    Read more »

Why isn’t WPP scary in Australia?

I try and avoid the “Everything was better in London,” anecdotes if I can.  

For one thing, it’s getting on for five years since I was there now, and for another, I can remember how irritating I used to find it when my Aussie colleague on Media Week in the UK used to tell me that everything was better in Sydney.   Read more »

The PR revolution will be televised

So far today, we’ve posted six news stories, a Dr Mumbo article and an opinion piece (or two if you count this one).  

And the thought occurs. Excluding this piece, every item was supported with either video Read more »

Bing – official search engine of the dark side

It would seem that with Halloween approaching, Bing is the vampire’s search engine of choice. Read more »

It’s “My Idea”, as long as it’s American

Microsoft’s latest multi-million dollar global ad campaign pushing its new operating system, Windows 7, almost passed us by.   Read more »

Even the Best Idea can fail

“So, why did the ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign win all those awards, when there appears to be no benefit for the rest of the Whitsundays, and probably Queensland?”

Whitsundays Online on falling tourist numbers

Announcing the Mumbrella Readers’ Choice Awards

One of the questions I’ve been most asked a fair bit over the last few months is: Will you do a Mumbrella Awards? To which my answer has always been: only if there’s an opportunity to create something with a genuine point of difference.

The last thing this industry needs is another me-too award.

Well, I think we’ve fallen upon that point of difference.   Read more »

Claiming to be unbiased is a patronising fairytale, so let’s just own up to our agendas

In this guest posting from Sydney’s media 140 conference Cathie McGinn argues there’s no such thing as total objectivity, so better to disclose your agenda.

Thankfully, at least some of the debate at this week’s Media 140 moved on from fixating upon the rather tired blogger vs. journalist issue.   Read more »

20 of the best ads ever from the George Patterson agency

In an industry where new people arrive every day, the greats are sometimes quickly forgotten.

For some, the name GPY&R is these days more associated with WPP’s legal squabble with Pacific Equity Partners. But George Patterson is arguably Australia’s greatest agency ever.

And as next week’s 75th anniversary party approaches next week, the agency has put some of its greatest moments up on YouTube. It’s worth the time checking out this top 20, I promise. They don’t make ‘em like that any more… Read more »

Tele is making it too easy for the privacy law campaigners to make a case

I did not, I must admit, feel a great deal of sympathy for former Prime Minister Paul Keating’s demand that privacy laws be rewritten before photographs of people can be published in newspapers.   Read more »

No TV happy ending?

“It is hard to see how either of these deals can end well.”

Elizabeth Knight on growing debt mountains for the owners of Seven and Nine

Public figures want it both ways

“Why turn up at a VIP party, sponsored by a vodka company, dressed as Amy Winehouse, if you don’t want to be papped by photographers?”

Tracey Spicer on the Katherine Keating snapper row

Gabfest in need of grenades

“More concerning for the future of the advertising industry, what was also missing was impassioned debate about the state of the industry and the direction it needs to take.”

Simon Canning on a quiet Caxtons

Time to regulate paid Aussie blog comment – and to penalise the offenders

In this guest post, Daniel Young of PR agency Burson-Marsteller Australia argues that marketers and bloggers who make undisclosed paid comments should be fined

From December 1, bloggers in North America will be required to disclose ‘important connections’ with advertisers as a result of new guidelines governing ‘endorsements’ and ‘testimonials’.   Read more »

Darwinian ad ideas

Sometimes you don’t need a big budget to create a memorable campaign – just a nice idea, as these ads for ABC1’s coming series on Charles Darwin demonstrate.   Read more »

Stop pretending PR is worth the same as advertising space

In this guest posting, Millward Brown’s Sarah Emerson says the old-fashioned PR formula of adding up column inches and equating it to what the ad space would have cost needs to be killed off.

Last Sunday’s ‘Crave Sydney’ Breakfast on the Bridge event in Sydney was supposedly worth up to “$10 million in overseas publicity” according to media reports quoting the NSW Premier Nathan Rees.    Read more »

Why isn’t WPP scary in Australia?

I try and avoid the “Everything was better in London,” anecdotes if I can.  

For one thing, it’s getting on for five years since I was there now, and for another, I can remember how irritating I used to find it when my Aussie colleague on Media Week in the UK used to tell me that everything was better in Sydney.   Read more »

The PR revolution will be televised

So far today, we’ve posted six news stories, a Dr Mumbo article and an opinion piece (or two if you count this one).  

And the thought occurs. Excluding this piece, every item was supported with either video Read more »

Bing – official search engine of the dark side

It would seem that with Halloween approaching, Bing is the vampire’s search engine of choice. Read more »