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I’m in the snacks aisle of the Asian grocery in Melbourne Central. I love Asian groceries — the high-end Japanese ones, like the one on Smith Street, the Grand Central Station super-busy ones, like Great Eastern on Russell Street in Chinatown, even the dodgy dystopian car park vibe ones, like the no-name one on Little […]
Read MoreWant to escape this dreary winter and flee to an isolated tropical island? You’re not alone. I’ve been day dreaming about reclining on a beach lounger, sipping mango smoothies and napping under the afternoon sun since the first day of June. This is quite easy to do in 2018 – by simply browsing the world virtually: you […]
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You’re a 60-year-old much-loved American pancakes chain that happens to sell other stuff. This includes a new menu item, the steak burger, even though you’ve been serving classic burgers for a while. You decide to rebrand with a name and logo change, and that’s when the sh*t really hits the fan. Sounds familiar? You’ve probably […]
Read MoreThe 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 […]
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