Whether you’re Right brained (probably), Left brained (possibly) or both sides (extraordinary) you’ll find something of interest in this months newsletter…

Get Your Effie In

There's still time, but you've only got two more weeks left to submit your entries.

Entries close at 5pm,
Friday, 4 May 2012.

Click here to go through to the
submissions page.

Telstra Talks

Great customer insights - it's about the relationships, not just the psychology.

Behind every great campaign sits the ‘customer insight’. The golden nugget of information about your customer and their behaviour or mindset which enables you to connect to your target market.

You can employ sophisticated mining exploration techniques, or you can simply watch your customer use your product or service.  But what will fuel this process and speed up the insight creation is a productive, mutually respectful relationship with your research partners - whether they be the internal team or an external partner.

Taking the time to develop a truly collaborative partnership between marketer and researcher results in better insights, better tracking and measurement of work and a better result in the marketplace.

The most powerful technique for getting the most out of research is a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine) with your research partner.

Liz Moore, Head of Research Insights Analytics, Telstra

AdSchool Update

Queensland:

Four part-time short courses kick-off 6 June:

Media Mechanics            
Mondays from 18 June - 20 August 6-9pm
Art Direction Principles   
Tuesdays from 19 June - 21 August 6-9pm
Account Management    
Wednesdays from 20 June - 29 August 6-9pm
Strategic Planning Principles   
Thursdays from 21 June - 23 August 6-9pm

Upcoming Workshops

Inspirational Marketing Plans            
Wednesday 9 May 9am-1pm
Critical Legal & Regulatory Issues in a Digital Age      
Wednesday 6 June 9am-1pm
Digital Production & Project Management
Wednesday 4 July 9am-5pm

Full details for all Queensland courses and workshops can be found here.

If you have any specific training or development needs not currently offered, or if you’d like to arrange tailored and customised in-house training for multiple staff, please contact Hanns Bergs in Queensland by email; or 0438 806 195. 

Full AdSchool details and further information can be found at our website.

ACCC Eyes Adland

Article by Von Muenster Solicitors and Attorneys

Last month our consumer and competition watchdog, the ACCC, put the advertising industry on notice that it will be more aggressive in pursuing misleading ads.

In her speech at the Australian Association of National Advertisers annual Congress (for a full copy, go here), ACCC commissioner Sarah Court flagged three big ticket items:

• fine print qualifications and disclaimers;

• credence claims; and

• the use of testimonials.

Download the full overview here.

Wozniak Give-away

The late Steve Jobs' legacy as a creative innovator has been discussed and admired by corporate chiefs and cultural historians worldwide.

In May, you’ll have the unique opportunity to meet
the co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak. During a half day workshop, he will share their business philosophy, touch on Jobs’ legacy and share his suggestions on encouraging innovation.

We will be giving away one seat in respectively Sydney, Perth and Melbourne to catch Wozniak, the first to send linde@communicationscouncil.org.au will be given the spot.

And if you miss out, there is an affiliate rate  for Comms Council Members of $895 inc GST for an individual booking or $8500 inc GST for a Corporate Table of 10.  Click here to download the codes you’ll need to make your booking.

Book here.

Young Lions 2012

This is News Limited’s fourth year as the Official Representative of Cannes and the international Cannes Young Lions program.

News has launched the 2012 Young Lions competition, and we’re looking for assistance in promoting this fantastic program within the creative community and most importantly to younger creatives.

Through the Young Lions Competition, News Limited challenges young creative professionals at the start of their careers, rewarding outstanding individuals with the chance to participate in the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2012.  We’re searching for the industry’s best up and coming creative talent, with the competition being a great development opportunity for everyone who enters.

Find out more here.

This was Circus

Despite a challenging business environment, with continual pitches and increasing workloads, Circus 2012 saw 1800 people descend on CarriageWorks to reflect on commercial creativity.

9 international and local keynotes,
15 big thinkers, 800+ AWARD Awards attendees and hundreds of tweets later we have a better gauge of today’s state of play and the industry challenges ahead.

Thank you to all that attended, find the Circus highlights here, and pictures of the event here and stay tuned for the Circus presentations DVD, appearing at the end of the month.

Circus 2013 is set for March 19-21 and should you have suggestions for that event, complete our survey here.

From The AWARD Judges

The culmination of the Circus festival, the AWARD Awards concluded last month. The AWARD compendium of the best work will be released in the annual however for those wanting a little more insight on the judging process, find some of our jury member discussing the entries and winners here.

April 2012

links

In this issue

Get your Effie in

Wanted
Telstra talks

AdSchool update

Dig deep for Danielle and Tarang

ACCC Eye's Adland
APMA Star Awards 2012
Wozniak Give away
Young Lions
This was Circus 2012

Carlos Y Laura Y Dos Graduatos
From the AWARD Judges

Account Executive Wanted

Our busy office in Sydney’s Surry Hills needs a bright young person interested in working at the intersection between digital and creative advertising.

A Little About Sputnik
We believe that in today’s digital age, it’s not about telling consumers how to perceive a brand. And it’s not about telling them a story. It’s about creating destinations that allow the audience to engage, and building experiences that become world-class campaigns.

Interested or know someone who may be … read on

Dig Deep For Danielle
and Tarang

Danielle Before

Danielle After

Back Story

Danielle Norrish our enthusiastic

Education and Member Services Manager in WA, turned up to the big local event - think 800 plus industry folk - last month to discover she has been nominated, amongst other local luminaries, as a finalist in the Campaign Brief, Ad Person of the Year, along with 303Lowe’s Al Taylor, Chairman of The Comms Council. Big honour.

Big Story
Only weeks before the remarkable Danielle participated in the World’s Greatest Shave. 5-year-old Leukaemia patient and great friend
of her kids, Jasper started the big shave. Amongst the grape vines in the Swan Valley, kids from pre-primary, year 1 & 2 all had a go
removing her hair – a great experience and such a great way to raise awareness. Her target is
$5,000 and she’s pretty close now so dig deep and donate - click here.

But Wait, There’s More
One of this year’s Graduate Trainees at AJF Partnership in Melbourne, Tarang Chawla, also joined the Leukaemia Foundation’s shave and shed his lustrous dark locks – that’s him below with his team at the Summer AdSchool earlier this year. Click here to add to Tarang's effort.

So spare a dime, better still a dollar or more, to donate to the cause.
Go to The World's Greatest Shave site.

APMA Star Awards- get your table

The Star Awards entries have now closed. Finalists will be announced in late May, following the judging by more tham 40 industry experts.

The announcement of all category winners and the overall Grand Prix winner will take place at the Star Awards event to be held at the Ivy on the 28th of June.

Book here to get your table.

And here for an individual ticket.

Carlos Y Laura Y Los Graduatos

BMF turned on a Tex-Mex-Spanish evening earlier this month for our graduates with a presentation on idea generation - make that ‘generación de ideas’ - with recently arrived Executive Creative Directors, husband and wife team Carlos Alija and Laura Sampedro.

Most recently, the pair was at Señora Rushmore, Madrid - currently Agency of the Decade in Spain, and ranked No.1 in creativity for the last four years.

Burritos, quesadillas y salsa followed by the creative couple who finish each others sentences, but have their own opinions on gender diversity. Good to have a female ECD/planner in our midst!