Business of Media
Changing minds or preaching to the converted? Ad gurus weigh in on Yes ad
The campaign for a Voice to parliament has kicked into overdrive after the release of the Yes campaign’s You’re the Voice advertisement, reports Nine Publishing’s Thomas Mitchell.
John Farnham’s hit 1986 song features heavily in the two-minute video against a backdrop of transformative moments from Australia’s history, including the 1967 referendum, the Mabo decision, Australia’s win in the America’s Cup, Cathy Freeman’s gold medal, gun reform and the marriage equality plebiscite.
The ad was developed by Sydney-based advertising agency The Monkeys, and directed by film director Warwick Thornton (Samson and Delilah, Sweet Country). The Yes campaign will be banking on public adoration of Farnham, and the impact of You’re The Voice to help give the campaign a push in the final month before the referendum.
But will the emotion and familiarity be enough to move the needle, or is the campaign just preaching to the converted? We asked a range of advertising experts about how effective the ad might be.
Atomic 212° growing steadily in a challenging environment
The nation’s largest independent media agency says it has been largely immune from the budget cuts by advertisers which have hit the local sector hard in recent months, recording annual billings of $300m, up $100m over the past year, reports The Australian’s Damon Kitney.
Since 2019, Atomic 212° has grown steadily with its headcount nearly doubling to 175 staff across offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin and Brisbane.
Rory Heffernan, who was the firm’s first employee back in 2007, when it was a small search performance agency called Atomic Search, is now national managing director and in March, former managing director Claire Fenner became national CEO.
“Every organisation and every media agency I know is worried about already seeing budget cuts from advertisers,” Fenner said.
Laurie Oakes calls out boycott of Walkley awards, saying it will further undermine journalism
The call to boycott the Walkley Awards because of the event’s links to petroleum company Ampol has been branded as “dangerous” by legendary political correspondent Laurie Oakes, reports The Australian’s Stephen Rice.
“Journalism in Australia is already in trouble in terms of losing public trust and this is likely to make that worse,” Oakes said.
“We shouldn’t undermine something as important as the Walkley Awards. They have done a lot to encourage good journalism, important journalism, and they shouldn’t just be pulled down.”
See Also: Walkleys announce “revised sponsorship policy” in light of climate protests
Television
Fans point out change in My Kitchen Rules
Eagle-eyed fans of reality television cooking show My Kitchen Rules (MKR) have noticed that long-time sponsor, Coles, has been replaced by rival Woolworths, reports News Corp’s Adrienne Tam.
The Channel Seven series, which began in 2010, has primarily featured Coles products in the contestants’ kitchens as well as Coles advertisements during the ad breaks.
However, this year the contestants are shopping at Woolies.
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong reveals answer to whether Kendall Roy’s name was crossed out or underlined
Jesse Armstrong has settled the debate over whether Logan Roy crossed out or underlined Kendall’s name in the fourth and final season of Succession, reports Variety Australia’s Michaela Zee.
While speaking at a Financial Times event in London on Saturday, recorded by journalist Cassam Looch, Armstrong revealed the true meaning behind the line on what is seemingly Logan Roy’s last will and testament.
“If you were crossing something out, you wouldn’t start underneath, would you?” Armstrong asked the audience rhetorically. According to Looch, the Succession creator physically drew the line himself.
Transgender content creator Grace Hyland says Channel Seven implied that she ‘regrets transitioning’
Australian transgender content creator Grace Hyland has responded swiftly on her social media accounts after she saw a Channel Seven preview video, which included two photographs of her from before and after she transitioned at the age of 13, without her consent, reports the ABC’s Megan Macdonald.
“Channel Seven kind of made it look like I regret transitioning,” Hyland says at the start of the clip she posted on her social media, which has now gained nearly 400,000 combined views.
Hyland was not featured in the Spotlight episode.
Sports Media
AFL Grand Final 2023: KISS confirmed as MCG entertainment in Melbourne
KISS have officially been announced as the headline act to rock this month’s AFL Grand Final, reports News Corp’s Peter Rolfe.
With excitement building ahead of Collingwood and Melbourne starting the footy finals at the MCG on Thursday night, the AFL has unveiled The Rock N Roll Hall of Famers as pre-match grand final entertainment.
Getting into the footy theme, KISS members posed with a Sherrin before stepping onto stage for a concert at Crandon International Raceway in the US on Saturday night.