I recently read an article in Fast Company entitled ‘Customers don't want ads, they want a conversation’ (http://www.fastcompany.com/3007362/customers-dont-want-ads-they-want-conversation).  One of the key points of the article was that "Customers are simply too fragmented, too overstimulated and have too many distractions for conventional marketing strategies to maintain their effectiveness."  



 

The early giants of the advertising industry were renowned for their ‘big ideas’ – a truly great campaign could help to sell millions of units and sometimes even shaped modern culture. 




 

Our Co-founder and MD, Craig Flanders, shares some thinking about the value of corporate culture and where it comes from. 
 

Barney Flanders (our office pooch) featured in mumbrella.com.au recently, the intro below is taken from the article.




This is probably the fluffiest article ever on Mumbrella.

Office dogs.

What, if anything, does having a pooch on the premises add to company culture? Does man’s best friend contribute to the creative process? Or do they, much like procurement types, tend to bark at people and shit on everything?

Like graffiti on office walls, a dog in the agency is one thing I’ve noticed a lot lately on my travels around adland. I wondered if lap dogs in hospital wards help the healing process, what role do they perform in an ad agency?

The first agency I noticed for its canine credentials was Spinach Advertising, an agency in Melbourne, a city where I’ve noticed plenty of dogs in agencies.

 

At long last, the extraordinary spectacle that is the US Presidential Election is drawing to an end.

Looking back, it's brought some fantastic moments: Clint Eastwood talking to furniture, Chuck Norris afraid and holding hands, Samuel L Jackson telling bedtime stories, Big Bird on a rampage – it seems every week a new square is added to this crazy-quilt for the Internet to rub against its cheek.


Fig 1. Splitting hairs – just one of many, many election memes.


 

Frank Morabito picks his top 5 Australian Ads of all time in today's AdNews.



Check out his picks here and vote for yours (bottom of the article).

 

In the short-term, said Ben Willee, general manager of Spinach advertising agency, the big brands have little choice but to distance themselves. "Advertisers are very savvy. They have their people go on social media to say 'We're pulling our advertising' but that's code for 'We're pulling our advertising until this blows over — and then we'll go back to chasing ratings'."

Mr Willee added that the brands "have to be seen to be doing it because of the social media storm that would blow up if they didn't. I'd be surprised if any of these advertisers are away for more than two months, and most likely it will only be about a month."

But Ben Willee points out that many advertisers have 12-month contracts, and are likely to fulfil them once the fuss has died down. "Media buyers need to follow big audiences so they'll be back," he says. "There's a very real chance that over the course of the year the impact on 2GB's bottom line could be negligible."

Quotes pulled from this mornings article from theage.com.au - read more here...  

1. What is your favourite advertising idea?

There are so many. But one that makes me smile is The Old Spice commercial.



What I love about it is that it was not only an entertaining ad that had a lot of social media share, it was most importantly successful in driving up sales and bringing an outdated grandfather brand back into fashion.

 

1. Which medium do you like working in most?



 

Spinach got out-and-about all over Melbourne last weekend for Saturday in Design. For any lover of design, interiors and architecture, this event is a great one for the calendar.



The day began a little past midday at the delightful Great Dane furniture showroom in Johnston Street with a cocktail courtesy of their pop-up whiskey bar.