Photo from Flickr, taken by Glebkach

As another year draws to a close, it’s time for television shows, their makers and their hosts to ask themselves the big question: will I stay or will I go?

Last Sunday Rove McManus invited everyone over for a barbecue and announced his plans to retire after 10 years on television – first on Channel 31, then on 9 and finally on 10. Of course Twitter was a flutter with discussion, everyone wondering what was next for the vertically challenged funny man. While the jury is still out on whether or not he’ll head to America, there’s plenty to keep him busy at home, with a number of projects coming out of the Roving Enterprise offices including The 7pm Project.

Of course it would be remiss of us to blog about the changing television landscape without mentioning Oprah’s big news! No she’s not pregnant and she’s not starring in the sequel to A Colour Purple! She’s moving on. But before she had a chance to shed a tear on national television (and shed them she did) Twitter, magazines, blogs and television stations were madly reporting the fact she was ending ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’, in two years time!

Oprah is the woman with the golden touch – products she endorse sell like hot cakes and there are many people waiting at this very moment to find out what to put under their Christmas tree. Never fear, we’re sure she’ll be around for plenty of time to come, just on a different network – her OWN if you must know: OWN – The Oprah Winfrey Network! I suppose why have a cake when you can own the bakery!

The New York Times wondered who would lead the airwaves in the post-Oprah world, and again asked who would wake up at some ungodly hour to fill Dianne Sawyer’s shoes on Good Morning America. After the announcement earlier this year that Sawyers would become the host of ABC’s World News – meaning two of the three anchors on US nightly news are women – there has been no word on who will fill her GMA spot.

Back home and the changes keep coming. Adam Boland has been tweeting about the freshen up they’re giving Sunrise – a new set and all! Unfortunately for the set designer behind shows like Martha, The Daily Show and CBS Early Show, there’s not as much room to play with in the studio that used to be a bank. It’s good news however for Channel 7’s The Morning Show which will get a facelift at the same time – no handme downs for this younger sibling.

Over at the Chapel Street studios of 9am with David and Kim there are no new blinds being fitted. Months after David Rein told the world he wouldn’t be returning to 9am in ’10, no body is any the wiser as to what will happen with this slot or in fact Kim.

Sadly we bid adieu to Sunday arts – to be replaced in 2010 with a snappier half hour arts program and expanded online content.

We wait with bated breath to see what morsels will be served up to us in the new year! It will hopefully be an exciting year with all the new channels – I wonder though what they’ll dish up to us on Go, 72, ABC2, ABC3?

All we ask is that the landscape doesn’t include Hey Hey It’s Saturday … haven’t we all been punished enough?

Happy television viewing,

the c word

PS. We thought we’d sign off with a favourite TV theme song of ours – and thank YOU for being a reader!

Julie and Julia publicity image

I thought we’d finish the week with food glorious food. It seems appropriate given the age (melbourne) magazine’s food issue hit news stands today *turn page*, Julie & Julia is about to hit our screens *claps hands*, and the team has indulged a little ourselves – starting with breakfast at Leroy’s, indoor picnicking with Andrew’s Hamburgers and a finale of French fair on Greville Street *mmm*.

With a belly full of food, I thought I’d share some gems of communication with classic quotes about food as our guide.

Let them eat cake

Piece #1: “Let them eat cake” - attributed to Marie Antoinette but as we’ll never know for sure so for the time being we’ll leave it as the lines last uttered (on film at least) by Spiderman’s Kirsten Dunst.

But seriously how could we go past this c-word? Even though we’re hard pressed to link it to communication – hang on a second, I think we just have. Reputation 101. Remember that everything you say will live on and on and on … even if you didn’t say it. Think about what you’re saying and how people will interpret it. Of course you could also use the advice if you’re ever in a pickle with a party and just “let them eat cake”!

Piece #2: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” – Chinese Proverb

Think about this from a communication perspective. If you simply push your message out there without giving people the appropriate amount of information and instruction in delivery of that information they will only be able to talk about it for a day or so. If you spend time educating and working with your audience, you will have people who are able to talk about your brand for a lifetime. We have this proverb in the back of our mind everytime we have a meeting with a client. We want to educate our client’s so they can share information about their brands for the rest of their lives!

Miss Piggy

Piece #3: “Never eat more than you can lift.” – Miss Piggy

Think about what resources you have on hand or can secure in your planning. You can have the most wonderful ideas but if you’re not careful you can take on too much in any one campaign. Save some things for later and lead with the best.

And as Julia Child said “Bon appétit!”.

Have a scrumptious weekend,

the c word

September 11 Memorial lights

It is hard to believe that eight years have passed since terrorists attacked the World Trade Centre and forever changed society.

I don’t think any of us will ever forget where we were as the tragedy unfolded. I can still remember crowding around the TV with family and friends, listening to the horror in the voices of the American broadcasters as well the people on the streets who were – unbeknown to anyone – emerging as a new breed of citizen journalists.

Since the attacks on September 11, we’ve seen a rise in citizen journalism. Everyone with an iPhone, Blackberry, or camera phone can disseminate information about a major event within minutes if not seconds.

While our thoughts are with the families and friends of the people who lost their lives, we’ve been talking about how communication has changed in the past eight years, particularly, the abundance of information we now demand and expect.

It’s remarkable how quickly news travelled in the hours following the attacks on the World Trade Centre. Within minutes, people around the world were watching the tragedy unfold. In Australia, even though it was late at night in this globally connected world we all knew in an instant.

Imagine what would have happened if Twitter was around eight years ago. How quickly the news and heart-wrenching stories would have spread, given the size of people’s social media networks nowadays.

In the months following the attack, there were many articles about how people communicated on the day including an interesting article about the use of BlackBerry messages. One couple’s emails provide a glimpse of what Twitter may have looked like.

All this talk of Twitter has made us question whether constant access to information has changed the way we deal with situations like 9/11. Had 9/11 happened today, would we have talked about the attacks for so long? The answer is probably yes, as this tragic event had major and long lasting repercussions such as renewed air travel regulation.

On a slightly different tangent – but one we just couldn’t leave alone – we’ve been talking about the campaigns about national security that followed 9/11. Surely you remember those advertisements with Steve Liebmann encouraging us to “be alert, but not alarmed”. Some could argue there was a bit of paranoia mongering going on, but has this made society better informed about the world around them?

The other interesting thought is around the role of communication in the healing process following events like 9/11. Communication, particularly social media networks like Twitter, will continue to play an important role in rebuilding communities following tragedy. One way communication and the internet can play a role is by allowing people to express their feelings through online condolence books.

In a review essay, Journalism After 9/11, Andria Dunkin described journalism’s role in the months and years after the attacks.

“Journalism created a strong sense of community in the immediate aftermath of September 11, with headlines encouraging the nation to unite against the terrorists and never to allow another attack to take place,” she wrote.

“Unification and community were very important factors in the healing process, and journalism produced news articles and broadcasts that emphasized those themes.”

Have a lovely weekend,
the c word

In recent weeks, quite a few tourism campaigns have been released across the country – from Hey Hey this is Queensland starring the Best Job in the World candidates to the next installment of I still call Australia home from Qantas and of course Tourism Victoria’s Lead a Double Life.

Publicis Mojo, the creative agency responsible for Tourism Victoria’s campaigns, haven’t disappointed, with another quirky and beautiful advertisement Lead a Double Life starring Isabel Lucas of Home and Away fame. Ok, she’s done plenty more since she first graced our television screens talking in unrecognisable codes and clicks as Tash, the wild girl raised by survivalists, including getting arrested for anti-whaling demonstrations in Japan, but I’ll always remember her as the stunning girl who sounded like the very dolphins and whales she later stood up for in Japan. ☺

My chuckle at Home and Away screenwriters over, let’s look at the ad.

I’m sure film buffs would agree, this is a rip off of the Cohen Brother’s film O Brother, Where Art Thou? … a modern take on Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Set in the Deep South during the 1930s, it follows three escaped convicts searching for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. Take a look for yourself.

Not only does the ad look and feel almost exactly the same, they’ve even used the same music, with an ethereal version of Down by the River to Pray.

Tourism Victoria’s campaigns have always been a little left-of-centre but always have a strong aesthetic. Remember the red ball of string and Run Rabbit Run campaigns? In this ad Lucas indulges in a decadent soiree, sampling local produce, then recovers the following day with a quiet stroll through the country and a dip in the natural springs. There’s no denying that Lead a Double Life is stunningly beautiful and evocative visually, but combined with the music and natural springs, it also stirs up images of religious ceremonies. And as the sun kissed Lucas in her virginal white dress takes a quiet stroll we are reminded of Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Are we supposed to be reading more into the subtext of this ad like those films it imitates? Possibly. With the obscure, quirky campaigns that Tourism Victoria leans towards, it’s clear there is a level sophistication to the target audience they are appealing to.

According to Tourism Victoria chief executive Greg Hywood, Victoria offers intimate, village experiences due to its size.

“Baby Boomers who are attracted to Melbourne for its romance and style are growing more interested in their health”, Mr Hywood said.

But is Isabel Lucas the perfect choice to attract the Baby Boomers and their high disposable income? I would not have thought so. Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa general manager Kim Whitehouse believes Lucas appeals to over 25s and the Baby Boomer market as well as young men.

“She certainly appeals to young men who are booking a lot of the weekend escapes”, Ms Whitehouse said.

I’m not completely convinced. I think she’s far too young to appeal to a Baby Boomer market–and perhaps even unknown to it-and would struggle to be an aspirational figure for older women. As for men booking these trips, I’d like to see the figures please. I’m almost certain that women would be pulling the strings in that choice anyway. Despite this, I don’t think the success of the ad hangs on Isabel Lucas.

After all, ‘The Run Rabbit Run’ campaign promoting the Yarra Valley, which began in 2004, led to an 18 per cent jump in visitors to the region in the first year. And now with Melbourne being the number one destination for Australians, who am I to argue with success?

Have a great week,
the c word