The US Presidential race is well and truly under way, with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigning relentlessly for support. Rather than yet another discussion of politics, today the team took a closer look at the marketing strategies of each candidate. Sarah Mitchell was re … | Continue reading
There’s no Trade Practices Act for politics. And that’s a shame. We now live, or so we’re told, in an era of “post-truth politics”: A time when politicians can literally say anything and, if they’re called out on it, are not only unrepentant but go on to repeat the lie as if it w … | Continue reading
What’s the difference between pitching a story to a commercial broadcaster and a public one? Today Nic Hayes plays mediator between two experienced broadcasters — one from the publicly-owned ABC (our own James Lush) and the other fresh from a long and distinguished career with co … | Continue reading
What does a quality brand publication look like? When you consider how much ‘content’ is spewed onto the buying public, getting it right isn’t that easy. Project of the Year is being announced at the Content Marketing Awards in Cleveland, Ohio, this week. My pet project, Traction … | Continue reading
Does your strategy prioritise lead nurturing or lead generation? A key difference in the approach of content marketing compared to traditional marketing is the emphasis placed on lead nurturing over lead generation. And for good reason, too. Studies have found companies that exce … | Continue reading
Today the Brand Newsroom team looks at how brands use humour to interact with their customers on social media. Is it ever a good idea? Or can it spectacularly backfire? And, sometimes, are brands perhaps using humour in the hope they will “go viral”, rather than focusing on first … | Continue reading
Check your privilege. It’s a phrase you’ve probably heard over the past few years. According to the website Know Your Meme, it is most commonly used ‘by social justice bloggers to remind others that the body and life they are born into comes with specific privileges that do not a … | Continue reading
We are going through massive disruption in the media world. From my perspective there has never been a more exciting time to be involved in this space. Traditional media is under threat. Newspapers are laying off teams of journalists, advertisers are reallocating budgets and the … | Continue reading
Brands can’t afford to be “faceless” organisations. They need to interact with their customers, engage with them, gauge their reactions and get their feedback. In-Person events are a great way to do that. This week’s guest, Meesha Stacker, has been working in events for a decade. … | Continue reading
Many marketers will know that when it comes to deciding who’s going to speak on camera in an organisation, it’s not always the ones you’d hope for that are put forward. By “hope for” I mean the ones that aren’t necessarily the chief executive or managing director, but the team me … | Continue reading
If the US election were decided based on who was the better marketer, who would win? It’s a question I started asking myself after I bought merchandise from both the Trump and Clinton campaigns recently — something I did at the request of a work colleague who knew I was visiting … | Continue reading
After a week in which Rio Olympics diving pool turning green, the Australian Census website crashed and Donald Trump suggested the Second Amendment might provide a way to deal with Hillary Clinton, the Brand Newsroom team takes deep dive into PR disasters. Here are some key take- … | Continue reading
We recently wrote about how blogging can seem like a very simple thing to do. We also talked about how the reality can take people by surprise, because there are so many other facets to consider to produce a blog that really sparkles. You can read Part 1 of the article here. In P … | Continue reading
Through my work as a senior producer, I get to work with all kinds of different on-screen talent. I am amazed — on an almost daily basis — at how different people react when faced with the prospect of being in front of the camera. It can be a daunting task standing in front of,.. … | Continue reading
In the 100th episode of Brand Newsroom the team takes a look back at some of the biggest lessons learned across almost two years of the podcast. Here are some key take-outs: Publish consistently. Your audience expects it. That might mean allotting regular time in your diary to … | Continue reading
As one of the Gen-Y employees at Lush Digital Media, from time to time I get asked about my views on new social media platforms. Often I can be pretty unhelpful when it comes to the latest trends — things like Periscope never grabbed me, and to my knowledge none of my peers ever … | Continue reading
I’ve just returned from America, exhausted by the news cycle and completely drained from the constant hyperbole present in media, advertising and marketing. The din is so loud people shut off. It presents a strong opportunity for brands willing to provide a voice of reason. Whe … | Continue reading
Of the top ten most trusted people in America, five of them are actors — and most are celebrities. That’s according to a Reader’s Digest poll. Why, in 2016, are entertainers (who spend their lives pretending to be someone else) trusted more than politicians and policy-makers or i … | Continue reading
Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth. You’ve got your questions, you know the information you need to get out of the person sitting opposite you, but you just can’t quite extract it. Over my career as a journalist, I’ve probably interviewed tens of thousands of people. I’ve had them … | Continue reading
Today, I want to talk about something very different. I am not going to hit you with yet more reasons to journey down the content marketing trail, discover more about the virtues of an animated video or enrol on some media or presentation skills training session. No, you’ve heard … | Continue reading
Audiences aren’t what they used to be — and nor are demographics. This week one of Australia’s major banks, the Commonwealth, released a report showing just how different the Australian population looks today compared to the past. It tells us that traditional assumptions about de … | Continue reading
Blogging seems easy on the face of it. After all, we can all write to some extent, and many blogs are written from an opinion standpoint, so it seems like something you just need sit down and donate an hour or so to doing. This, as many people discover the hard way, is not an... | Continue reading
Do you struggle to explain content marketing to your colleagues? Although many content marketers have a clear understanding in their mind of what it is they do, they find it difficult to explain to clients, colleagues and other marketing professionals. In 2008, The Journal of Mar … | Continue reading
The news been really depressing lately, with so much death, destruction, doom and gloom. Why is it that the news always seems to focus on the negative? And is there room for more positive news? James and Nic take a look at good news versus bad news and the opportunity that create … | Continue reading
Lighting, especially in corporate films, is a part of the filmmaking process that, if skipped, really stands out. Badly lit interviews can cause the viewer to completely switch off from the conversation they are watching because subconsciously their brain is trying to right the w … | Continue reading
OK, I know what you’re thinking: journalists don’t always have the best reputation. People love to whinge about the profession. Sometimes it’s from the people we give a hard time, like politicians who are angry they’re not getting an easy ride. Sometimes it’s because of our own b … | Continue reading
Public speaking is a vital skill for anyone in business, yet so many of us are bad at it. The Brand Newsroom team has been delivering presentations for years. Today they swap notes and share advice to help you make your presentations the engaging, lead-generating business tools y … | Continue reading
‘It’s not you, it’s me’. Those five little words have the power to stop a person in their tracks and rain on anyone’s parade. Deep down you know the other person believes it’s ‘you’ and no amount of spin will change that. Relationships in the real world can be hard work. They’re … | Continue reading
If your office is anything like ours, lunchtime conversations over the past month have been consumed by Game Of Thrones reactions, discussions and fan theories. The television series has achieved record-breaking international success and the high production values, symbolic creat … | Continue reading
One of the most common questions journalists get asked is ‘where do you get all your stories from?’ Generating story ideas is a reporter’s bread and butter and these days it’s also an essential skill for the content marketer. Today, the Brand Newsroom chats with longtime reporter … | Continue reading
We all know the values of a company often define what an organisation stands for, and are usually at the core of its culture. When we speak about values though, frequently we associate it with human resources and the people we want to hire. This is great, but do you take the extr … | Continue reading
Britain has voted the leave the European Union. It’s one of the biggest global political shake-ups since the fall of the Berlin Wall, precipitating a huge fall on stock markets and the value of the British Pound. With many British voters already experiencing “Regrexit” after choo … | Continue reading
My name is Ian and I have a confession to make: It wasn’t that long ago that I viewed the whole content marketing space with a fair degree of scepticism*. (*Full disclosure: I honestly thought it was marketing claptrap.) This tale starts not long after I joined Lush back in 2012. … | Continue reading
It could be considered a weird quirk of English that “to dabble” means literally “in with both feet”, and yet figuratively it means the complete opposite of the phrase “jump in feet first”. I first learnt the meaning of “dabble” from Ratty in Wind and the Willows and thus wheneve … | Continue reading
Ninety-eight million people in the US listen to podcasts every year, with an average listening time of more than four hours per week. Podcasting has finally arrived as a mainstream medium. The Brand Newsroom team shares their secrets to success: Here are some key take-outs: Pod … | Continue reading
Attracting an audience is a key principle of content marketing. But you have to know what kind of information is going to resonate with your customers and prospects to find and keep the people you want. Too often content marketers operate on a basis of blind faith – or blissful i … | Continue reading
If you’re anything like me, you probably receive an avalanche of emails and e-newsletters each week. And, if you’re anything like me, you probably don’t open a large proportion of those. Industry e-newsletter heavyweight Mailchimp sees billions of messages sent through their serv … | Continue reading
There are plenty of websites out there happy to share your content for you, but are they worth the effort? Are they actually helping you get your content to a new audience that will be interested in your brand? Or are they taking advantage of all your hard work — and your willing … | Continue reading
How are you speaking about content marketing to colleagues, friends and clients? If you’re someone who knows anything about content marketing, you’ll know effective content marketing hinges on authenticity and aims to make genuine, valuable connections with your audience. So why … | Continue reading
Have you ever watched a film, music video or high-end television drama and noticed all the little things? Actually you probably haven’t — that’s what sets a high-budget video production apart. Now, I’m not talking large sets or high-end composites. It’s the little things that “se … | Continue reading
Have you ever sat there staring at your computer screen, totally stuck? You know want you want to say, but you have no idea how to say it. The words just aren’t coming. It doesn’t matter that your deadline is looming, you’ve drawn a total blank. Today, the Brand Newsroom team loo … | Continue reading
Here’s something that’s probably missing from your editorial calendar: Adrenalin. In a traditional newsroom, adrenalin is a part of daily life. It’s one reason why the news game is so addictive. Journalists love rushing around, interviewing people, getting all the facts, filing a … | Continue reading
I get to see a lot of people present. I get to see a lot of people present badly. And my guess is that you do too! Last week I finished a series of presentation training sessions with a large organisation here in Western Australia. They were big group sessions so we weren’t able … | Continue reading
Have marketers been too seduced by creativity and forgotten why we’re here? That is, have we forgotten our purpose is to answer the question, ‘how can I help you?’ Starcom strategy director Sergio Brodsky thinks we have. He joins James, Sarah and Nic this week to talk about urban … | Continue reading
Candace Payne has redefined viral. Creating a viral video is easier than you think but most brands don’t have the guts to do what she did. This post analyses the elements leading to her sensational success. If you want more eyes on your videos, here’s what you can do to increase … | Continue reading
Everyone writes, but how good are you at getting your point across? Are you finding and telling the right stories for your business? Do words flow out of your fingers and onto your keyboard, or is it one big struggle? Are you happy with the finished product? Do you spend a lot o … | Continue reading
The secrets of search engine optimisation are 2000 years old. It was in the spring of 216 BCE that Hannibal Barca used the predictability of the Roman Army’s war tactics to defeat them. The Romans were known for their front-on assault, and Hannibal used this unimaginative move to … | Continue reading
This week, a video of a woman trying on a Star Wars Chewbacca mask took the internet by storm. With almost 140 million views at last count, Candace Payne’s Facebook video has become the most popular Facebook Live video of all time. In an equally impressive feat, the brand Kohl’ … | Continue reading