Where next for advertising?

An interesting development from Australia recently has highlighted how cluttered the world has become of advertising these days. Is there any room or new spaces left?

A rugby league player, Gold Coast Titans hooker Nathan Friend, was busted by the sport’s governing body for his very own version of ambush marketing. Friend wore headgear that was branded with the logo of his own personal training company in a game against the Brisbane Broncos. The National Rugby League quickly fined Friend for breaking sponsorship rules.

Now sports stars wearing logos and branding is nothing new, and in truth this incident is a far cry from what the myriad of dramas that Australian rugby league as brand is currently dealing with (don't ask). In boxing you often see fighters battling it out with ugly ads on their backs. But headgear? Where to next? We already have ads in toilets, on coffee cups, taxis, trains, bar mats, mobile phones, blimps, hangers and everything else.

What’s left?

Will we start to see ads on things like ties, belts and prams? Will tattoo advertisements for brands on bodies become the norm?

Everything in life seems branded one way or another. Have we gone too far in the pursuit to break through the clutter, or does the consumer even care anymore?

Inspiration or imitation?

While it’s difficult to take anything away from an ad which inspired a nation to discuss a particularly sensitive topic, it’s equally as hard to ignore some of the negative feedback which it also garnered.

The ‘Funeral’ TVC, created by Leo Burnett and directed by Yasmin Ahmad for MCYS, has been picked up by a number of bloggers who the claim it is a blatant rip-off of a scene out of Good Will Hunting.

In the ‘Funeral’ ad, a widow speaks of her dead husband’s imperfections at his funeral. In the scene out of Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams’ character talks of the ‘little things’ he remembers about his wife.

Bloggers have been quick to draw similarities between the two films, questioning the originality of the Funeral TVC.

For those who don’t want to sit through the entire Good Will Hunting scene, skip through to about the 1min 40 mark.



This similarity raises a larger issue for the creative industry around the world. Creatives get inspiration for their work from a variety of sources. But when does this cross the line? Is there such a thing as a truly original idea anymore?

Have bloggers been correct in labeling the MCYS ad a rip-off of Good Will Hunting or are they reading too much into it? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Coke’s brilliant ad

Sometimes you see a piece of advertising that you enjoy so much you just have to pass it on.

This ad for Coke from Mother in the UK certainly fits the bill. It’s funny, quite out there and just plain weird but wonderful. Check it out.

The Pitch: Tourism marketing continues to innovate

Following the lead of Tourism Queensland and the hugely successful ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign, Tourism New Zealand is also leveraging the power of user generated content to market the Land of the Long White Cloud.

A mobile recording studio has been set up to collect footage of what visitors to New Zealand have to say about the country, with the short interviews then loaded up onto YouTube.

Over 32,000 people have already checked out the videos, which now number close to 1500, on Tourism New Zealand’s ‘Have Your Say’ YouTube Channel.

It’s the latest example of national tourism bodies using real stories from real people – all giving personal recommendations – a marketing tool which is continuing to grow in power.

Tourism Malaysia has a similar component on its website with ‘My Discoveries’ – where visitors share their unique experiences through videos, photos and stories.

The ‘Best Job in the World’ initiative remains the poster campaign for innovative tourism marketing that channels the power of social media, with Tourism Queensland still creaming it in international publicity. Video applications for the job garnered huge worldwide interest, and the winner of the contest will be announced today.

The 16 finalists arrived on Hamilton Island for the final round of interviews this week and were immediately surrounded by international media crews, including the BBC which is shooting an hour-long documentary.

According to the Tourism Queensland CEO Anthony Hayes, they’ve already calculated over $100 million in publicity and expect another $20 or $30 million to roll in before the week closes – a sound return for what Hayes says came to around $1 million.