Bloody hell, let’s have another go
7Feb08

Source: Lara Sinclair, The Australian 
TOURISM
Australia looks set to finally dump the controversial $180 million
"Where the bloody hell are you?" global advertising campaign starring
model Lara Bingle, after calling a review of its advertising agencies.

Tourism
sources said the authority began what will be one of the year’s
biggest, hardest-fought and most coveted pitches in December, less than
a month after Labor came to power, although existing contracts do not
expire until June.

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The year online meets the Olympics
31Jan08

Source: Sally Jackson, Lara Sinclair, Michael Bodey, Simon Canning and Jane Schulze, The Australian

Editors Note: A detailed look at forecasts for Search, Talent, Media Buying, Radio, Regulation, Community, Advertising, Magazines and Production in 2008.   

FROM web video to the writers’ strike fallout, industry heavyweights are saying 2008 will be big.

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On edge to see if party’s over
31Jan08

Source: Simon Canning, The Australian
AFTER
years of buoyancy and growth the media industry is viewing 2008 with a
sense of trepidation, watching warily to see if the sliding sharemarket
will finally bring an end to the advertising honeymoon.

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Nando’s ad draws most complaints
3Jan08

Source: The Australian

A
TV ad featuring a g-string clad pole dancer trying to cope with her
fast food cravings was the most complained about advertisement in 2007,
according to the Advertising Standards Bureau.

The
ad for Nando’s Restaurants attracted more than 300 complaints from the
public, largely because of the level of nudity of the pole-dancing
woman.

The ASB dismissed the complaints against the ad, after deciding it
did not contain sexual, nude or discriminating material that was
inappropriate during an M rated time zone.

Second on the list of most complained about ads was an advertisement
for Advanced Medical Institute which asked: "Want longer lasting sex?".

It received more than 140 complaints which were also dismissed.

Of the 10 ads which attracted the most criticism from the public,
the ASB only upheld complaints against three of them – two of which
were McDonald’s ads.

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Big TV ad rate increases tipped
11Oct07

Source: Lara Sinclair, The Australian   

MEDIA
buyers and the pay-television industry have attacked the $2.8 million
metropolitan TV sector over a bullish beginning to the annual
advertising rate negotiations, claiming the cost of free-to-air TV
advertising will rise by an average of 10 per cent next year.

The
increase relates to the average cost of reaching 1000 viewers in the
five capital cities in prime time, according to Anthony Fitzgerald,
chief executive of pay-TV sales company MCN.

It is pegged on the Seven Network’s opening gambit to increase its
rates for the key buying groups by 9 per cent to 11 per cent, but takes
into account a low expected claim of 3 per cent to 4 per cent from the
Nine Network. Ten is expected to slot in between the two.

Also included in the calculation, Mr Fitzgerald said, was a 5per
cent decline in the number of people watching prime-time free-to-air TV
on the three commercial networks during the present ratings year.

"In my view, advertisers should be outraged by this level of
increase in a marketplace where free-to-air audiences again in 2008
will decline," Mr Fitzgerald said. "The picture is significantly worse
in the Sydney market, where audience declines are even greater."

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Boom time for advertising
23Aug07

Source: Lara Sinclair, The Australian

ADVERTISING industry growth could approach 10 per cent this year, putting the sector firmly back into boom times.

According to recent revised forecasts the sector will push well above $11 billion.

Yesterday Fusion Strategy revised its 2007 growth forecast up from 8.43 per cent to 9.23 per cent, thanks to stronger-than-expected first-half spending on television, radio, outdoor and cinema advertising.

Forecaster Steve Allen said that while his initial forecast was greeted with mirth last year, consistent retail sales growth had created a strong marketing and advertising climate in the six months to June that would slow only marginally over the full year.

Citibank is understood to have predicted growth of 9.1 per cent.

WPP’s media-buying alliance GroupM has also revised its numbers strongly upwards to 6.9 per cent for the full year, while Mitchell & Partners is tipping 7 per cent to 8 per cent growth until the end of 2008, spurred by the Beijing Olympics.

"Radio and TV, and maybe even magazines, are stronger than we originally forecast and online slightly weaker," Mr Allen said. "We also hear that newspapers might be trending a bit ahead of (our unchanged 1.48 per cent forecast)."

Mr Allen commended newspaper publishers for their $10 million advertising campaign aimed at persuading advertisers to use the medium, but predicted it would take a year to be seen in the sector’s revenue numbers.

The metropolitan radio industry grew by 8.2 per cent in the seven months to July, while audited free-to-air revenue numbers showed growth of 6.6 per cent to June, both higher than Fusion’s predictions.

Mr Allen tipped that online spending would grow by 50.35 per cent, down from his initial forecast of 54.4 per cent, and that the $212 million pay-TV sector would slow from 32 per cent growth last year to 24.35 per cent.

GroupM is tipping slower but buoyant, growth of 36 per cent and 24 per cent respectively in online and pay-TV.

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