Principals loathes fakes. We despise frauds. On this blog we’ll weed
them out. Brands, celebrities, politicians, nothing will escape us. On the flip
side, we’ll praise anything or anyone real, authentic and true. Bookmark it.
What’s the rush... and where are we going?
I was recently perusing the Queensland Government website (don’t ask why) but found myself reading a text about ‘why business innovation is important’ – a given, right? I mean you’d be hard pressed to find a set of corporate values that don’t incorporate some variation on the word ‘innovative’ ( ‘...
Contemporary-Art-Themed Pub
The Museum of Contemporary Art has finished its $15 million renovation project and delivers what I like to professionally term as a ‘themed pub’.
That’s to say, I doubt any self-respecting pub in Ireland would decorate its interiors with neon shamrocks yet that has become the defining identifier for Irish pu...
The games that people play
When incorporating gaming mechanics into your overall brand experience, communication campaign, loyalty program etc. It is essential, to understand the types of games that will resonate with your targeted customer segment. As uncovered in our most recent Digital Pulse study, most Australians have played some sort of...
Authentically Italian… service?
“I never wear T shirts. Ever. I only wear shirts, even to the beach”.
I am not sure when we think of service that Italians come to mind, do they? I normally associate discount offers with an absence of service, or in the case of airlines, what I call anti-service.
But here I am, enjoying the frankly, up...
Is Jetstar’s new electronic self-service an improved service or anti service?
“Dealing with humans to cost extra as Jetstar goes self-service”. So claimed The Australian on May 25th 2011.
Jetstar is going ‘self-service’ and is now going to charge for any form of human contact we have with them. What’s more, Jetstar apparently now earns more money from ‘ancillary revenues’ (c...
Branding old as new
It was recently announced that “a new bank for Victorians” will launch in August: the Bank of Melbourne. “Finally a Bank for Victorians” states the new website. Wasn’t this what the Bank of Melbourne was - before it was axed by Westpac in 2004?
Living in Melbourne in 2004, I was rather distressed w...
If this is quack, then I'm hooked
Marcello Costa thinks chiropractic is quackery - one of the so-called alternative complementary medicines, based on superstition, not medical science.
He got me thinking - are alternative medicines pseudo-science at best? 'Kumbaya', instead of cold hard facts?
Well, in my experiences, they've felt very real....
Blow off smoke and be counted
I think we all remember when the multi-million dollar Alliance of Australian Retailers’ campaign against plain packaging failed to gain traction last year (..it seems some small detail about the ‘alliance’ being set up and funded by the world’s top three cigarette manufacturers tainted the credibility of th...
Who moved my cheese?
TV lied. (It won't be raising MY children!).
It told us, in 2008, Bega was famous for Bega. A half truth it seems, since, as Richard Farmer from Crikey tells us, only the Vintage Cheddars are made there. The rest of the Bega range is making another town famous.
Bega isn't alone.
National Foods recently consol...
...NAB Social Media Review
I am absolutely fascinated by how the digital marketing world works and news spreads. I can't believe how far the digital world has come, considering that the first email was sent in 1997, the first online purchase was a pizza from Pizza Hut in 1994 and the first social media networking site was launched in the s...
Julia Gillard might be human after all
So, I know I'll cop it for this, but how come pollies aren't allowed to change their minds?
We are...
You promise the kids pizza, but, after a quiet natter with your wife, decide Sumo Salad might be better...
Isn't that just good parenting? Or are you a liar - an inauthentic fake, who can't be trusted!
Alan...
Shopping my way
Dear Gerry, DJs, Myer and other retail dinosaurs,
I love living in the 21 Century. I love shopping online.
And I think you’re missing the point of the shift to online shopping. It’s not always about the price. And it’s not about the tax.
For me it’s about convenience. Shopping when it suits me. Doing it my w...
If happiness results from living authentically, are you authentic if you’re happy?
I’m advised by a host of new age self help manuals that happiness is “neither an end nor a means, but rather a product of living an authentic, wise and outgoing life.” This quote comes from a review of 3 said manuals, so for the purpose of establishing a starting point, let’s say this is the summarized secret t...
When everything’s negotiable, how do you negotiate generosity?
The smh reported yesterday that Bing Lee was facing a backlash to its social media donation campaign for the Queensland floods. Bing Lee promised to donate $1 to the Queensland flood appeal for every person that ‘likes’ its company facebook page (up to 10,000 people/$).
On the face of it, Bing Lee are offering t...
Vodafone or Vodafail
“VODAFONE faces compensation payments to up to 4 million customers after confirming it is investigating a security breach that has put billing and call records on a publicly accessible website protected only by passwords that change monthly.” The Sydney Morning Herald – Vodafone liable for privacy brea...
Mr President, please practice what you preach
Our recent digital pulse survey ‘privacy issue’ found the majority of Australians are comfortable actively sharing personal opinions and attributed commentary online - and this should be celebrated as a good thing! I’m personally reinforcing this by expressing my opinion in this blog.
As the US on Tuesday anno...
Enough about me..
As noted in this quarter’s digital pulse survey, Australians are growing increasingly comfortable with sharing personal information online. And frankly, even if they weren’t, their behaviour is being secretly tracked anyway so the result is a mass of data about your personal life floating in the ether.
This ...
Bags of truthiness
I was to lunch on the controversial ban of ‘those’ Louis Vuitton ads.
Apparently, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) in France has ruled they mislead customers because they imply L.V’s products are completely hand made.
Pffffttt…not sure about that…
The campaign is a series of what appears to be ...
Getting your online up to speed
I once wrote a guide to speed dating (I know, but it was a living) which involved interviewing a life coach and relationship specialist on the most effective way to be attractive in a limited timeframe. This was many years ago when the phenomenon was still fairly new but it all jumped back to mind when I read the d...
The Hal-O effect
Has anyone else been affected by the gold dust floating around Sydney the past few days? I am usually a fairly cynical person but there’s something about Oprah that just makes me feel like hugging someone. And spending money.
I’m sure our friends at Tourism Australia will be celebrating Christmas twice this ...
Bringing home the Facon
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Carting through woolies on my way to our weekly packet of Tassal salmon I pass the ‘Facons’ - several shelves of vegetarian ‘meats’.
Casserole ‘Mince’, BBQ Soya ‘Sausages’, Tender Chickpea ‘Schnitzels’, Indian Kumera & Spinach ‘Kebabs’, the list goes on.
I’ve always found these a gig...
Money can buy you happiness it seems
I read an article on the SMH site a little while ago about a jackpot winning family in the UK who were ditching the mansion they had bought in favour of a smaller home. The Chester family’s decision stemmed, it seems, from a sense of disconnect – from their children ("In a small house you are always all toget...
Bracing for the fight to bland out cigarettes
Greens Senator Rachel Siewart posted a note on her facebook page last month indicating the tobacco industry is gathering ammunition for their next assault against government measures to curb smoking. Grand. I for one am getting the popcorn ready with anticipation as I’m reminded of the “Alliance of Australian Reta...
Blurred lines in Marlboro advertising
The furor surrounding claims that Marlboro were subliminally advertising their logo on the rear of Formula One cars is a great example of how the tobacco industry will seek to communicate their brands in the face of ever tightening regulations.
The debate here should not be whether or not Ferrari were advertising th...
In defense of slactivists
Armchair activism needn’t be ‘slactivism’. Real activism gets results. If you can get results in your pyjamas then big ups to you!
Take the well-documented example of the fight against Nestle this year.
‘Using facebook and youtube, Greenpeace stared down Nestle and Nestle blinked’.
Nestle ‘had bee...
Waterless or less water?
What’s one of the least ‘sustainable’ products in your home? Is your washing machine, your dishwasher? Would you be surprised to learn it’s your jeans? Yes, that wardrobe staple uses 11,000 L of ‘embedded water’ to create 1kg of jeans. According to waterfootprint.org that’s more than twice the amount of w...
An earful
Apparently, Mike Tyson’s going vegan.
The man who famously told Lennox Lewis “I’m coming for you man ….I want your heart, I want to eat your children”, now prefers tofu and lentils.
Yeah right.
You mean you’re never going to enjoy children again? And what about raw earlobe Mike? Never again?
Wha...
Nudie has always been a pin-up brand
You’ve got to admire the bravery of a brand who declares product ‘monogamy’ with “nothing but fruit, two servings of fruit in every bottle, made using Australian fruit where possible”.
Not many ‘earthy’, ‘pure’ brands have ever been brave enough to be that niche from the get go.
Innocent for ins...
