Archive for March, 2007
March 30, 2007 at 2:27 pm · Filed under Learning to Blog
I’ve been blogging since October. Lots of lessons learned and lots of posts. Now I’m moving into my on Web 2.0 - how do I increase the profile of my blog?
As a first step I’m laying claim!
This is a service offered through Technorati. This service tracks the tens of millions of blogs currently out there. Apparently by laying claim and linking to Technorati I open my blog to an infestation of spiders. Creepy sounding but innocent (I believe). These spiders are short spurts of code that trawl the web and look for places to link - they link and link and link and before long they’ve woven (are you ready for it?) a web!
Here we go - any other advice for a guy just learning how to promote his blog?
March 30, 2007 at 12:54 pm · Filed under Australia
I can’t quite explain Australian humour. Words I might use include cynical, deadpan, iconoclastic. You can’t take yourself too seriously in Australia and survive.
Humour permeates all aspects of life. It’s especially prevalent in work. Australians heading to America are advised to leave their sense of humour at the departure lounge. Yanks just don’t get it and are likely to be offended.
Our client Jim Beam recently introduced ads that parody what men may want in a woman. This ad is called “The Girlfriend”.
Whaddyasayhuh?
March 28, 2007 at 5:15 pm · Filed under Australia, Social Media
Federal Opposition leader Kevin Rudd announced his intention to invest $2.7 billion from the Future Fund to build a national broadband network. (Future Fund holds final shares in Telstra and was established to cover unfunded federal pension liabilities.) Of course any Opposition policy announcements immediately draw the ire of sitting governments. This one is no exception.
Limited availability of broadband can be a major impediment to business growth. We met today with a new business prospect. This company is an Internet-only operation that owes its future growth to the continued take-up of its services on-line. For people in major cities with broadband or DSL options this isn’t an issue. Yet too many Australians are outside the reach of these big Internet pipes.
So a short term boost to on-line commerce is one guaranteed outcome. What have other countries experienced? It’s interesting to forecast the unintended consequence of strategic action. More on-line romance? Avatars with an Aussie twang? Add movies to your iTune collection? What else?
What awaits a well-wired Australia?
March 26, 2007 at 9:00 am · Filed under Australia
Australia isn’t overly religious. The world’s major religions are all represented. And there’s a clear pattern of decline in attendance at traditional churches and a growth of Christian, evangelical churches.
But that doesn’t stop Easter.
In America the pumpkins aren’t even carved when Christmas decorations appear. Here in Australia you can be buying the finishing touches for your Christmas dinner when Easter chocolates appear near the cash register. By late February every retail store has a massive display of chocolates.
Not ordinary chocolates - here the emphasis is on varietals. M&M Easter eggs. Tim Tam collector sets. The Simpson’s have an egg out. Rocky Road, Violet Crumble, Dark, White, Milk, Butter crunch, Marzipan - every type, variety, shape and size is available.
The weekend of Easter includes two public holidays - Good Friday and Easter Monday. On the Friday it’s hard to find a chemist or grocer open. It is the quietest day of the entire year.
I’m not sure shy the nation goes goo-goo for Easter. Ideas? Historic rationale? Insights? Help me crack this egg….
March 23, 2007 at 6:13 pm · Filed under Workplace
We’ve changed the way we manage performance reviews - instead of an end of year formal review we’ve shifted to ongoing
March 23, 2007 at 9:20 am · Filed under Australia
Having presented to Burson-Marsteller staff in Washington DC and New York City, I returned to my home in Australia and told staff what the meetings were like (see post for 2 March ‘07). Wednesday I presented to the Sydney team and the next day to colleagues in Melbourne.
(In Australia B-M has two offices and yet it is run as one business - I spend time between each city trying to create ‘one culture.’ It ain’t easy!)
There’s an opening slide in my presentation to the Americans where I ask - “When I say Australia, what do you think about?” The folks in Melbourne were aghast to hear people immediately said kangaroos, Steve Irwin, Opera House, Fosters and that big rock (aka Uluru).
“People didn’t really say that,” exclaimed one.
“Surely they know more than that about Australia,” said another.
I was saddened to report that was all. Americans have caricature versions of Australia firmly embedded in their minds. But then in discussions we realised we’re guilty of our own propaganda campaigns. Look at our cultural exports - Lantana, Jindabyne, Priscilla, The Castle, Steve Irwin, Crocodile Dundee. All promote a rough, desolate continent peopled with swarthy land-locked Australians. 
Yet in reality 85% of Australians live in urban centres. We’ve got innovative, fresh cuisine. Australia is predominantly a services-based economy. We travel constantly.
And no, we don’t secretly wear Akubras and strap large knives to our shins.
Well, not always….
March 19, 2007 at 1:10 pm · Filed under Public Relations
Berkley scientist George Lakoff introduced the concept of message framing - when word combinations are so potent they become “hard wired” to our brain and make it impossible to counter. A recent business trip to the USA had me thinking about these “framed messages” in politics. Below is the start of a list of these message pairs. Can anyone add to the list?
- Patriot Act - How could anyone vote against this one?
- Healthy Forests - Allows logging in old growth forests
- Clean Air Act - Decides how much pollution is allowable
- Partial Birth Abortion - Meant to stop late term abortions
- Tax Relief - Great way to ensure no one challenges
- Freedom of Information - A way to get to the heart of all these issues
What else might be added to the list?
March 16, 2007 at 6:44 pm · Filed under Workplace, Public Relations
It’s a hard work, no play kind of industry - most times. The stress of life at a public relations agency can be formidable. There are multiple clients, competing demands on time and then the high profile issues that break on short notice. It’s a perfect role for the adrenalin junkie or those with some forms of ADHD - you get to swap back and forth across a wide range of subjects daily.
But there are rewards. This week we paid local staff bonuses in Australia. This is the second year in a row and comes after a year of incredible change. Throughout the team focused and delivered. And tonight after work we had a drinks celebration to honour the accomplishment.
March 15, 2007 at 3:03 pm · Filed under Public Relations, Australia
Yesterday client Influenza Specialist Group (ISG) launched an economic impact report highlighting the annual cost of flu to the Australian economy. Held in the centre of Aussie Stadium, the impact was spelled out - in beds. Each year some 18,000 hospitalisations are required by flu patients.
Given the visual element the event attracted widespread attention on television news.
The primary goal is to ensure Australians demand flu vaccines - before it’s too late!
March 7, 2007 at 3:05 am · Filed under Public Relations, Australia
This morning I gave a presentation to Burson-Marsteller New York colleagues. It was so, so cold this morning that I downloaded a heap of photos to showcase Sydney in summer. Before I began there was a slide show with Chicane “Behind the Sun” playing over loudspeakers. It really set the mood - the group was hostile at the outset!
Why do I say hostile? Extreme jealousy. Today it is 19 below zero outside with the wind chill. It is one of the coldest days on record. And here I was showing beach scenes and talking about my weekend plans to play in the ocean. It was a great way to warm up a crowd.
Well the hostility didn’t last (or maybe I’m just kidding - they were all lovely). After the presentation there were two questions.
What is Australia’s view of America today? I said Australians love Americans but hate America. The personal connection is still as strong but there’s a groundswell of resentment against the political approaches. Australians love traveling yet hate being fingerprinted and being treated like a threat when they enter the country. It’s a sad strain on a long term friendship.
Next question centred on last year’s race riots in Cronulla. I said Australia was a melting pot that hadn’t quite melted - people maintained strong connections to their ethnic homelands. This lower level of integration has led to flash points - especially against a backdrop of global conflict in the Middle East. It’s another sad state of affairs that seems to be increasing.
The whole New York team was very welcoming and gracious. There was a lot of interest in Australia. One team member won AU$20 by naming nearly every state and territory! It’s great to see a passion to better understand Australia.
Thank you everyone for your wonderful hospitality.
I leave you with one more gratuitous beach scene!
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