Our Articles
The World Cup is here. No, not for rugby. Or cricket. We mean the Beautiful Game, football (or as Australians like to call it, ‘soccer’), a game watched and beloved by millions around the globe but which inexplicably has a smaller presence in Australia, even though Australia tends to qualify into the playoffs. Having grown […]
Read MoreI’m on my way home, compressed among the masses in a train heading into Richmond Station. Some tall American guy is getting into his sales pitch on the phone close by. In the train carriage, there’s no escape. “I’ve been in the marketing business for decades, working with firms like X, Y, and Z,” he […]
Read MoreIt’s Monday afternoon. After lunch. There’s a discussion in the marketing half of the office, which ends with the youngest (millennial) member of Starship asking, “Who still watches TV anyway?” Making my afternoon cuppa tea in the kitchen, I thought back. When was the last time I watched TV? That’s right. Masterchef Australia’s 2017 finals, […]
Read MoreYou’re reading the newspaper. Maybe checking the stock market. You see yet another article talking about “blockchain”, “bitcoin”, or “cryptocurrency”. Depending on what you’re reading, the article’s either telling you how you can make ridiculous money through bitcoin, or predicting the bubble bursting. You probably know someone who knows someone who once bought bitcoin for […]
Read MoreYou’re browsing Facebook. Or the news. You see a dense, defensive paragraph that may or may not be apologetic, followed by a statement that runs something like “SmartyPantsCompany stands for diversity, inclusivity, friendship, everyone, bears, puppies, and world peace”. You think: now what? Some piece of tone-deaf advertising’s gone viral? CEO said something he shouldn’t? […]
Read MoreOn Tuesday, a complaint from the marketing strategist: “The dog gets more attention than I do!” Of course. In this agency our office dog Dakota, a Groenendael rescue, is probably the most popular employee. The most popular client-facing employee, even. It’s good to be a dog. Even–or especially–a giant fluffy wolf-shaped dog. Office pets are […]
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It’s a new retail world out there. When was the last time you went to a mall? Not just popping through to catch a movie, pick up some sushi or grab something from Coles, but to actually shop? That’s right. You have to have an actual think about it, don’t you? The days when people […]
Read MoreA passing browse of any media or marketing magazines might make you think that ad agencies are in some kind of death spiral. Are we though? For an industry that is supposedly dead, there sure are a lot of us still out there. Rigor adtis, maybe. Apparently, the ad agency is going the way of […]
Read MoreIf you are a medico, read this and get ready for unemployment. You might even want to cancel your new Maserati. Medical Doctors are no doubt one of the most vulnerable professions during the rise of the robots. All your usual diagnostic methods, like temperature, heart, blood checks, eye and skin observations, all could be […]
Read MoreStorytelling is a bit of a fad concept in adland. The fact that adland people like to call themselves storytellers isn’t surprising. We love our fancy titles. Solutions architects? Yeah mate, why not. Strategic Visualiser? That meant to be literal or what? Cat herder? Sure. And now there’s ‘storyteller’, which I hope was meant ironically […]
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