On New Years day, as the Victorian and Northern Territory governments followed NSW, WA and the ACT by implementing laws preventing cigarettes from being put on display to the public, the Australian Medical Association called for a $25 million TV and newspaper advertising campaign showing “damaged vital organs or people drinking liquefied body fat” to shock Australians into giving […]
Author Archives: Paul Harrison
So, Christmas Eve wasn’t the saviour that the retailers expected. In conversations with retailers, it seems that even Christmas Eve sales were down. As one said to me, “This is the quietest Christmas Eve that I can remember.” That said, it seems that grocery sales were up leading up to Christmas. Gluttony takes another […]
Are the days of the traditional bricks and mortar store numbered? Probably not. What we do know is that the internet and online shopping has meant that consumers have access to more information, which is a good thing. At least for the near future (probably until we get flying cars and jetpacks), there will […]
You may get a lump of coal in your stocking if you buy the Christmas cards being sold by Typo, which feature the slogans "Merry F—ing Christmas" and "Happy Christmas D—head". The Geelong Advertiser, along with news.com.au are reporting that the national clothing chain is selling the cards as part of the franchise’s Typo […]
An advertisement created by The Precinct studio highlights the debate about whether shock ads actually change behaviour. The viral execution features a mother preparing to inject her son with heroin before the scene changes to show him eating a hamburger. The caption reads: ”You wouldn’t inject your children with junk so why are you […]
A new advertisement to be shown in Washington DC (US) made by the health lobby group, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) shows an overweight, middle aged man lying in the morgue, with a half-eaten hamburger in his hand. Some lame acting by a weeping woman (the assumption is that she is related to him) […]
There’s a lot more to the success of Masterchef than the cooking. During the first series of Masterchef, I remember watching a repeat episode on a Sunday afternoon, and thinking that this was going to be a runaway success. I even wrote a letter to the Green Guide editor (which was published) saying that […]
Ask any good salesman the key to making a sale, and they will tell you that there are two parts to a successful sales pitch. The first step is to create or highlight a problem in the mind of the customer. The second step is to provide a “logical” solution to the problem, thus dissipating […]
It’s an appealing ad, but will the rest of the world get it? The latest salvo from the Australian Tourism Commission, a tongue-in-cheek pastiche of everything Australia, is reminiscent of the original “Come on, Aussie, Come On” campaign from the 70s (and it looks a little like the Discovery Channel ad, and sounds a […]
There is a perception that in past two years or so, there has been an increase in sales. Some media outlets are even suggesting that sales are the new norm. What we can see, though, is that in late 2007, when it looked like the economy might take a nosedive, retailers started to ramp […]