14 May 2008

Dear Joseph Jaffe,

If you can challenge Barack Obama to reply to a blog post of yours I don’t think its unreasonable for me to do the same thing to you.

On recent podcasts, you’ve been asking what have we, the listeners, have done for you lately. You asked us to recommend your podcast to friends, family and co workers assuming we had done nothing for you already.

Well the fact is we don’t owe you anything. Just like a consumer owes nothing to a brand. Even if you provide a weekly podcast for free, you can’t expect your customers to do anything for you. In fact, shouldn’t you be greatful you have our loyalty?

This is not to say I haven’t done anything for you. You appear on my blogroll, I’ve linked to you before and even recommended your podcast and blog to others. If you were to ignore that, aren’t I at least partly responsible for both your Apple iPhone and Dell Notebook which you received through sponsorship?

So Joseph, I challenge you to reply to this blog post and tell me why I owe you anything. In a time where consumers have never been so powerful, we could go one step further and ask, in the words of Eddie Murphy; What have you done for me lately?

Kind regards,

Zac Martin

Posted by Zac Martin

12 May 2008

Last post on the Logies, promise.

It’s not often that Youtube lets me down. But this time, I can’t find a single example of what I want to talk about so I’ll have to describe it the best I can.

Basically, when an award is announced the winner arrives on stage and makes a quick thank you speech. During this, they often hold their trophy and move their arm up and down, almost raising their prize above their head. This year, I noticed the TV Week logo cleverly placed on the bottom of each trophy whereas previously I cannot remember seeing it there.

This sneaky addition placed their logo on screen at least ten times more that night. A clever way to integrate your brand and get some screen time.

Too bad the logo is such an eye sore.

Posted by Zac Martin

08 May 2008

I’ve been having some issues with my bank lately. Which Bank? The one that’s Determined To Be Different; The Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

I discovered yesterday I’ve been charged fees for the last six months that I should be exempt from. I’ve been into my local bank numerous times, and while I’ve since rectified the problem so I don’t receive future fees, each time I’ve been told I cannot be refunded.

Today I called Commonwealth and spoke to a lovely man named Rod. Rod cared. We spoke for about twenty minutes and Rod told me he would happily refund the money. He also helped me change accounts and gave me some really useful advice.

Rod then gave me his direct number and asked me to call him in a week to close my current account, transfer my debit card details and make sure it all goes smoothly.

I will be giving him a call and after that conversation I’m going to ask him about the investment options they offer.

If only all Customer Service Officers could be more like Rod.

Posted by Zac Martin

07 May 2008

Julian Cole told me about The Gruen Transfer, a series about advertising soon to appear on ABC.

Looks really interesting, particularly after they’ve released some “commercials” for fake products promoting the show like this one…

 

 

Particularly on a channel that does not run TVCs, they seem to have gained a few bit of attention. Even more interestingly, during the Logies every time Andrew Denton was shown he was holding a beer. Turns out he is the show’s producer and I managed to capture some shots from the event…
Is that… Gruen beer?

 

For a brand that rarely advertises, the ABC does a fucking good job of marketing.

Posted by Zac Martin

05 May 2008

I find tools like Google Trends and the recently launched Facebook Lexicon interesting.

They’re cool for a about twenty seconds while you run some quick searches but I have to wonder how useful they are? Sure, it tells you how much buzz is being generated around your keyword search but you can’t tell if it’s good or bad. There’s no context what so ever around the results therefore making these tools rather useless.

Unless someone can think of a practical application for them?

Posted by Zac Martin

05 May 2008

…Not Chris Lilley. Some actress picked it up instead.

In what was an incredibly long event, filled with shameless plugs by Nine Network, the biggest disappointment in Australian television history occurred when Chris Lilley was denied the Gold Logie for Summer Height’s High.

Even Hamish and Andy, comedic gold, seemed to swing and miss tonight. Perhaps they need to stick with their powerhouse radio show? The highlight was, lo and behold, Chris Lilley’s Mr G performance. At least they recognised him (and good quality television) by awarding him the Most Popular Actor and Most Outstanding Comedy.

Can’t wait to see what he does next.

Posted by Zac Martin

04 May 2008

My most anticipated movie of 2008 is The Dark Knight. I cannot wait to see it. What I’ve really enjoyed is the marketing strategy that’s been used to promote the film, particularly their successful use of viral campaigning. The latest is a reel of footage given to contest winners that has been “vandalised” by the Joker. The Dork Knight immediately found its way onto YouTube here…

 

 

These guys sure do know how to generate buzz. However, I would have seen the movie anyway and bought the DVD, even without this. I wonder at what point does a campaign become pointless in terms of ROI for something already this big?
Posted by Zac Martin

26 April 2008

I’ve spoken previously about how much I disliked the anti piracy campaign. Here it is…

 

 

And here is the new one. Unfortunately its not anywhere on Youtube (sigh) but you click on the link and scroll down to watch it.

The first essentially calls me a criminal while the second effectively raises awareness and gets you thinking. Now tell me, which do you prefer?

Posted by Zac Martin