12 December, 2007

Christmas Book List

Some suggested reading for office and home – please share your favourite with us:

‘Advance Australia…Where?’  – Hugh Mackay.
Best remembered for his forensic analysis of what’s happening to our society ‘Reinventing Australia’ fifteen years ago, this is probably his last book of this genre. The distinguished psychologist, social researcher, and author steps down from his part-time research role at Ipsos-Mackay next year.  

‘Observations of a Very Short Man’ – Nigel Marsh.
More from the chairman of Leo Burnett and a worthy successor to ‘Fat, Fired and Forty.’ It reminds us that cats, dogs and children are as important as clients and deadlines are not death threatening. If life-balance is your goal this is for you, or your partner. An excruciatingly honest, but very funny read.

‘Change the World 9 to 5’
The follow-up to the best-selling ‘Change the World for Ten Bucks’ this wonderful book gives you 50 simple actions to change your world at work. 30,000 sold in Australia and counting – a Dymocks ‘Critics Choice’ selection. Some of the foremost creatives in UK and Australia have contributed to this publication.

‘Perfect Pitch’ – Jon Steel
For anyone wanting to sharpen their new business and selling ideas skills. This man has worked with the very best and delivers great anecdotes from Boase Massimi Pollit, Goodby, Berlin & Silverstein, Berlin Cameron United, and now WPP which gave him a brand new Blackberry. An essential for the agency library.


12 December, 2007

Crackdown on Astroturfing

Astroturfing is advertising, or PR, seeks to create the impression of being spontaneous grassroots, often green, behaviour. Hence the reference to the artificial grass: AstroTurf.

During September, the Advertising Standards Authority (the UK equivalent of our Advertising Standards Bureau) received 93 complaints regarding environmentally friendly claims in 40 different ads. The organisation says more and more companies are creating unproven impressions of environmental sustainability and other green claims before the science is completely developed.

Our colleagues at The St James Ethics Centre alerted us to this checklist:

  • Get your facts right.
  • Don’t exaggerate the environmental benefits of your product: advertising claims should be backed up with documentary evidence.
  • Scientific knowledge is developing all the time.
  • Don’t present claims as being universally accepted if the science is inconclusive.
  • Don’t use pseudo-science or terms that will not be generally understood by the readers of your ad.
  • Avoid sweeping or absolute claims such as ‘environmentally friendly’ or ‘wholly biodegradable.’ It’s unlikely you’ll be able to prove your product has no environmental impact.


New Branding For Upgraded Afa Adschool

AFA AdSchool’s new higher education status will be highlighted with new branding that clearly promotes the four core strands of the program:

AdSchool of Connection

AdSchool of Strategy

AdSchool of Management

AdSchool of Creativity


3 December, 2007

Afa Adschool Achieves Higher Education Status

The Advertising Federation of Australia has been registered as a ‘Higher Education Institution’, by the NSW Department of Education, in a move that lifts the status of AFA AdSchool and awards further value to the education profile of graduates.


27 November, 2007

Commercial Radio And Afa Run Free Creative Workshop In Sydney

Commercial Radio Australia and the Advertising Federation of Australia (AFA) are running the last in a series of national, free, radio creative workshops in Sydney later this week, hosted by the creative director of Eardrum Australia, Ralph van Dijk, a 2007 Cannes Radio Lions judge and the creator of the award-winning radio brand campaign.

The workshop, targeted towards creative writers for radio ads in advertising agencies will be held at Southern Cross studios in Greenwich on Thursday 29 November.


23 November, 2007

The Xmas Party: Responsible Serving &Amp; Safe Consumption Of Alcohol Policy

To outline processes that support the safe consumption of alcohol at work functions held by Company. Under the OHS Act 2000, your Company has a duty of care to protect health, safety & welfare of all staff, including company’s approved work functions where alcohol is served.

COMPANY WORK FUNCTION: RESPONSIBLE SERVING & SAFE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL POLICY

PURPOSE
To outline processes that support the safe consumption of alcohol at work functions held by Company.

DEFINITIONS
Function organiser: Person who is responsible for holding and managing the approved company function where alcohol is to be served.
Work function: Staff, or staff and third party work function at which alcohol will be served.

COMPANY OHS DUTY OF CARE

  • Under the OHS Act 2000, Company has a duty of care to protect health, safety & welfare of all people at our places of work including company’s approved work functions where alcohol is served.
  • While everyone in the workplace has a role to play in occupational health and safety including at work functions, ultimate responsibility for providing a safe work function rests with the employer.

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Nothing in these procedures is intended to take away any individual’s own responsibility with regard to the use of alcohol.
  • Company encourages personal and social responsibility in the serving and consumption of alcohol.
  • Company does not condone the use of alcohol in any manner, which is unsafe, illegal or fails to respect cultural differences and the rights of others.

WORK FUNCTION RISK ASSESSMENT, CONSULTATION & COMMUNICATION

Prior to conducting the function the responsible manager may undertake a risk assessment entailing the nature of the event, people attending, alcohol being served, venue etc in consultation with employees & other parties to:

  • Identify foreseeable hazards
  • Assess the risks 
  • Undertake required elimination and/or control measures.

Relevant safety information regarding the work function including any venue rules need to be communicated to relevant parties and appropriate supervision maintained at the work function, including:

  •  Emergency evacuation procedures
  • Restricted areas
  • First aid
  • Toilets
  • Non-smoking
  • Responsible serving policy
  • Checking condition of venue during function
  • Transport arrangements & advice regarding ‘drinking & driving’ legal requirements

Ensure that procedures are in place to reduce:

  • Slip/trip/falls from spillages, cables & cords, props, etc.
  • Cuts, lacerations from broken glass, bottles etc
  • Dehydration
  • Nausea
  • Appropriate access & egress lighting
  • Car accidents from drinking & driving
  • Security

RESPONSIBLE SERVING OF ALCOHOL

  • At least one person managing and serving at the function should have undertaken training in the responsible serving of alcohol prior to the Function. Alternatively professional servers with this training must be hired for the Function.
  • All Functions must comply where relevant with the following guidelines in particular, but not confined to:
    • the signs of intoxication will be recognised and individuals will not be served alcohol to or beyond the point of intoxication; and
    • Admittance to venue or the service or supply of alcohol to anyone who appears intoxicated is prohibited.
  •  All persons managing the function, serving the alcohol or monitoring the consumption of alcohol should not themselves consume alcohol immediately prior to or at all during the function.
  • It is illegal to serve alcohol to anyone under the age of 18. Organisers must ensure that there is a system in place to check identity, age and status of personnel attending where relevant. 

FUNCTION CONDUCT

Function Organiser is responsible for ensuring that the conduct of any Function adheres to the following:

  • Alcohol must only be consumed in the area designated for the function.
  • Functions should not include any activity that encourages the excessive consumption of alcohol – drinking contests and/or drinking games are not permitted at any time.
  • No one may be pressured to drink, or feel compelled to drink alcohol because no reasonable attractive alternative is offered.
  • Food (i.e. substantial snacks or hot meals) should   be provided at all licensed functions. This should not be limited to salty snack foods such as chips or salted nuts, which encourage drinking.
  • Alternatives to full-strength alcoholic drinks must be offered:
    • Non-alcoholic drinks must be available and displayed as prominently as alcoholic ones.
    • Low-alcohol drinks should be served in preference to full strength alcoholic drinks and any differences in cost should be clearly displayed.
  • Plain water should be freely available throughout the function.
  • Where possible non-glass drinking containers should be used to minimize exposure to potential cuts etc.
  • An appropriate standard of conduct must be maintained to ensure the safety and peaceful enjoyment of those attending the function and of anyone who may be affected in consequence of the function. This includes the impact of the behaviour of people who have left the function. Organisers are expected to monitor this and to take action if necessary.
  • Offensive behaviour resulting from the excessive consumption of alcohol, which causes disturbance or annoyance, as this behaviour is unacceptable. This includes physical or verbal abuse, harassment, including sexual harassment, damage to property, both personal and company/venue property and noise, which disturbs the rights of others.
  • Where a person is or appears intoxicated at a function, it is the responsibility of those managing the function to provide that person with appropriate assistance to ensure their safety and the safety of others.
  • Smoking is not permitted inside the work function venue. An appropriate outside designated smoking area will be made available as determined by the nature of the venue and location.

INCIDENT REPORTING

  • Any incident involving personal injury or damage to property must be reported immediately to the Function Manager for action.
  • Failure to adhere to the conditions of this procedure:
    • May render the event organisers and participants open to civil or other action by the Liquor Licensing authority or other third party(s); and
    • Will render the event organisers and participants open to action, including disciplinary action, by Company.

AFTER THE FUNCTION

  • Function Organiser is responsible for seeing that the venue is returned to its original state after the event is finished. This includes arranging for any cleaning and/or the removal of rubbish etc.

DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES

  •  Workers whose behaviour has placed the safety of themselves and others at risk at the company approved work function may be subject to disciplinary procedures in accordance with Company’s policy.

For further information please contact Peter Wasson at OHS Media Services:

Mob. 0438 382 070, Ph/Fax: 02 9516 0127
Email: ohsmedia@tpg.com.au


20 November 2007

AFA Effectiveness Award Winners Enter Asia Pacific Effies

Nine winning entries of the 9th AFA Advertising Effectiveness Award have been entered into the inaugural Asia Pacific Effie Awards to be launched at the World Effie Festival in Singapore next February.


15 November, 2007

AFA Survey Reveals Agency Growth

The 2007 Advertising Federation of Australia Salary Survey released to participating agencies this week confirms the number of people employed in agencies is growing nationally, in particular in the smaller states.

In the 12 months to July 2007, the number of staff employed in agencies in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania increased by a massive 20%. The survey does not separate out these states, but it is believed the major growth has been in Western Australia and Queensland.


13 November, 2007

New Member Services Manager To Focus On Value For Afa Members

The AFA has appointed a highly experienced agency account director, Fiona Reeves as its new Member Services Manager, to commenced on 12 November.

Fiona brings over ten years of local and international advertising agency account management experience to her AFA role.

The focus of Fiona’s role will be on delivering value to AFA members through managing and building AFA membership and overseeing services such as the benchmark surveys on salaries and agency income and costs; business, legal, HR and talent advice and managing the various AFA committees. Fiona will also work close with the AFA Agency Accreditation team to further develop this important program.


Kylie Minogue And the Four-Letter Word

Is this a misleading headline? Well no, not really. As Kylie our beloved singing budgie sang, “This is the feeling I want for always. Free, so free. It’s special, the feeling, it`s really nice…”

‘Free’ is simple little four-letter word – but it can get agencies and your clients into trouble with the Trade Practices Act, meaning the use of this word is a frequently asked question by members.

In the past the ACCC has taken action involving the use of the word ‘free’. Try this simple test…is the product or service really free or is there a hidden condition? If in doubt check with us. The AFA operate a Free Advice Service (not really ‘free’ because you pay for it through membership).

The idea of getting goods or services without charge is a powerful consumer trigger. Consumers will usually think ‘free’ means absolutely free. When the costs of a free offer are recouped by means of price rises elsewhere, it’s not truly free. For example a business that makes a ‘buy one get one free’ offer, but raises the price of the first item to cover the cost of the second (free) item.
Whilst use of the word ‘free’ in marketing and advertising is lawful, the law doesn’t allow a business to make a free offer and at the same time finance it from the pockets of consumers. To do so is to mislead consumers, who may not expect (unless they are explicitly told) that ‘free’ does not really mean free.

The word ‘free’ is also popular in the marketing of products to indicate they don’t contain a particular attribute or ingredient. The most obvious example is food and beverages. If the product does in fact contain – say fat, sugar or salt – that it claims to be ‘free’ from (even 0.1%) the marketer should consider a claim that more accurately describes the product. Otherwise the claim in advertising and labelling using the word ‘free’ may be found to be misleading or deceptive. The word ‘free’ is absolute.

In summary, Section 52 of the Trade Practices Act provides that a Corporation shall not engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive. This section has successfully been used by the ACCC to prosecute traders misusing the word ‘free’.

We thank our good friends at Stephen von Muenster, Solicitors and Attorneys for their assistance in compiling this article. Watch for the next newsletter when we examine the three-letter word: ‘New.’

Advice provided by von Muenster Solicitors & Attorneys
www.vmsolicitors.com.au


9 October, 2007

Chocolate makers see red over the colour purple …

Marketers and advertisers have long been aware of the power of colour in triggering consumer recognition and response to a brand. It seems the law may be catching up with marketers, after Cadbury recently won an appeal against Darrell Lea over the use of the colour purple.

In the original case, Cadbury accused Darrell Lea of misleading and deceptive conduct (under the Trade Practices Act) and passing off (under the general law) by using a shade of purple that closely resembled its own “Cadbury Purple”. Cadbury alleged that it had “substantial, exclusive and valuable goodwill” in its chocolate business, with all its variants branded in purple, and that Darrell Lea should not be entitled to use the same colour to promote its company.

The Federal Court dismissed Cadbury’s claim, finding that Cadbury did not own the colour purple and that Darrell Lea was entitled to use the colour as long as it didn’t convey to the reasonable consumer that it had some connection with Cadbury. The Court was satisfied that a consumer seeing a Darrell Lea chocolate would be unlikely to confuse it with a Cadbury chocolate.

Darrell Lea’s success however was bittersweet, because in May 2007, the Court allowed an appeal by Cadbury. Pivotal to the appeal was the question of whether the original judge was incorrect in refusing to admit evidence from marketing experts regarding the importance of colour in marketing activities. The evidence suggested that Darrell Lea’s use of the colour purple allowed it to take advantage of the positive associations that Cadbury had attached to the colour and that this would undoubtedly weaken Cadbury’s marketing position.

In the original case, the judge concluded that the expert evidence was inadmissible because expert evidence is only allowable if it provides the court with information that is outside the experience and knowledge of a judge or jury. He held that the issues in this case concerned the ordinary human behaviour involved in buying chocolate – something most of us do. On appeal, the Court found that the original judge was incorrect, because an expert may still be of assistance to the Court in an area in which most people have some knowledge. Accordingly, the Court allowed Cadbury’s appeal and ordered a new trial.

Businesses have previously sought exclusive use of colours to promote their brands. For example, the Court has recognised that customers identify BP’s service stations by the colour green, and has upheld BP’s trademark registration for green as the dominant colour for petrol stations. However, the BP case was based on trademark law, not trade practices law, which is the basis for the Cadbury case.

As such, it’s difficult to predict how the Court will rule in the new Cadbury trial. Given the press coverage the case has generated, it’s clear we’ll all be hungrily waiting to hear the Court’s next decision.

In the meantime, where a marketer’s brand has a strong reputation associated with a colour, advertisers must ensure that competing products are not marketed in a way that may confuse the ordinary consumer. Even under the original judge’s approach, this may result in misleading or deceptive conduct.

Article by Debbie Marczak, Solicitor, and Stephen von Muenster, Principal, von Muenster Solicitors & Attorneys, www.vmsolicitors.com.au, (02) 8221 0933. von Muenster Solicitors & Attorneys is an associate member of the AFA.


4 Oct 2007

AFA launches “Field Guide” to market AFA Accreditation

Following the overwhelming success of the AFA Accreditation program, the AFA launched a marketing campaign to marketers and the broader business community today.

Created by M&C Saatchi/Mark, the direct marketing campaign is in the form of a “Field Guide” for marketers highlighting the laws, codes and regulations that advertisers must be aware of and drawing attention to the training of staff in accredited agencies.

AFA Executive Director Lesley Brydon said “we have been delighted with the success of the Accreditation program in its first year. With 127 agencies now enrolled in the program it is time to promote AFA Accreditation more broadly to the business community”


21 Sept 2007

AFA Appoints New Executive Director

The AFA has appointed a new Executive Director, Mark Champion currently CEO of the Communications Agencies Association of New Zealand (CAANZ) and Chairman of the New Zealand Advertising Standards Authority.

Mr Champion would take over the role from retiring AFA Executive Director, Lesley Brydon, on 3 December.


Tara Lordsmith and Ant Shannon

There’s a big difference between a one-off ad and an enduring campaign. The same goes for relationships, as Ant Shannon, Executive Creative Director of Grey Worldwide, and Tara Lordsmith, Group Marketing Manager of John West & Leggo’s, explain to Gawen Rudder.


Andrew Foote, Anthea Pritchard and Adam Francis

More like power of three this month, as Gawen Rudder talks relationships with Anthea Pritchard, Marketing Manager Of J.Boag & Son, and the two creative “AJFs”: Adam Francis And Andrew Foote.


AFA Submission to ACMA – Review of Childrens Television Standards

Download the AFA’s submission and Media Release …


19 July 2007

AFA Accreditation Signs Up New Members

With the start of the new financial year, The AFA has announced it will re-commence enrolments in the AFA Accreditation program.

The AFA placed a temporary freeze on accepting new members into the program late last year in order to focus efforts on helping agencies complete their accreditation requirements. Of the 124 agencies enrolled by January 2007, 112 achieved full AFA Accreditation by 30 June, with an additional 6 at Interim Compliance. Over the past 12 months, the AFA has delivered 119 Trade Practices workshops and 102 Ethics workshops as part of the program.


AFA Supports Food Advertising Debate

At today’s ‘Go for your life’ Think Tank hosted by the Victorian Government, Paul Gardner Group Chairman Grey Worldwide spoke from his perspective as a longstanding advertising industry leader on the topic of  “Healthy food and beverage choices for children – the influence of advertising and marketing”.


27 June, 2007

Black Night – Oasis Ball 2007

Sydney is preparing to host one of the most exciting charity events on the calendar – the 15th annual Oasis Ball.

Taking place on Saturday 25th August 2007 in the Grand Harbour Ballroom, Star City, the charity ball provides major support for the Oasis Youth Support Network; helping Sydney street kids get their lives back on track.

Through the provision of outreach services, refuge and innovative support programs, Oasis provides a hand up to those in need.

Reserve your tickets now and be a part of this great night. Visit www.twodeforce.com.au or call 02 9281 8788 for more information.


30 May, 2007

Belinda Rowe Elected AFA National Chair

At its 32nd Annual General Meeting today, the Advertising Federation of Australia elected the CEO of ZenithOptimedia and a Director of Publicis Mojo, Belinda Rowe as National Chair.

Ms Rowe takes over from Russel Howcroft Chairman and Managing Director of George Patterson Y&R Victoria, who steps down after three years in the Chairman’s role. Mr Howcroft will stay on as a director.


30 May, 2007

MO & JO Awarded The Afa Medallion

At the AFA Annual Luncheon following the Advertising Federation of Australia’s Annual General Meeting, the AFA Medallion was awarded to Mo and Jo.

Over the years the AFA Medallion has been awarded to leaders and influencers of our industry, like Peter Clemenger, Alex Hamill, John Bevins, Reg Bryson and Colin Wilson-Brown. But 2007 will mark the first time the Medallion has been awarded to a creative team.


30 May, 2007

112 Agencies Achieve Full AFA Accreditation

The AFA Accreditation Advisory Board’s first annual report, released at the AFA Annual General Meeting on 29 May, lists 112 AFA members that have achieved full accreditation in the AFA’s Accreditation Program, launched last year.

A total of 124 agencies with over 3800 staff are enrolled in the program. This represents over 85% of membership and demonstrates overwhelming support for the program.


5 April , 2007

A Picture Tells A Thousand Dollars…

Australia’s first decision on the failure to attribute the author of an artistic work was handed down last year and offers some instructive lessons for agencies.

On 14 August 2006 the Federal Magistrates Court handed down Australia’s first decision concerning moral rights.

The Australian Financial Review identified the case’s significance in reporting that for the first time an Australian court has considered how much an artist’s moral rights are worth.

What are moral rights?

Moral rights protect an author’s or creator’s right not to have their work subjected to derogatory treatment. “Derogatory treatment” means anything that results in the material distortion, destruction, mutilation or material alteration of the work in a way prejudicial to the author’s honour or reputation.

A claim that an artist’s moral rights have been infringed can be defended if it is shown that the derogatory treatment made of the work was “reasonable” the circumstances. The Copyright Act identifies the factors to look at in determining what was “reasonable”; these include: the nature of the work, the use to which the work was put, and the manner and context in which the work is used.

Facts of the Case

The case concerned an artist, Mr Meskenas, who sued ACP for copyright infringement in respect of his portrait of the late Dr. Victor Chang when Woman’s Day published, without his licence or approval, a photograph of the Crown Princess of Denmark standing beside his portrait.

Meskenas also sought damages for the infringement of his moral rights resulting from the incorrect caption attached to the photograph and which incorrectly attributed the portrait to another artist.

Under the Copyright Act, an author is entitled to not just attribution, but also to not having authorship falsely attributed.

Meskenas additionally sought an apology from ACP for incorrect attribution, but when one was not forthcoming, he commenced proceedings. The publisher accepted that an apology was appropriate but as Raphael FM noted, “no apology was provided, notwithstanding that Eugene Meskenas made approximately 90 telephone calls in total to the magazine”.

Breach of Moral Rights

The Court held that the claim for copyright infringement failed because the artist did not own the copyright which was owned by the estate of Dr Chang who commissioned Meskenas to paint the portrait as.

However, the artist was successful is his claim for infringement of his moral rights because ACP had no available defence.

The Court held that there was no “reasonable” reason why Mr Meskenas could not have been identified by ACP as the artist. That Woman’s Day in fact both misidentified the photographer and had no policy in place to deal with such misidentification was telling against it.

The court rejected ACP’s contention that “intention” must be shown to found a claim for infringement of moral rights, stating that for a claim of “false” attribution to succeed need one need only show it is “objectively incorrect” (ie the intention in the false attribution is irrelevant).

Award of Damages

Finding that a breach had occurred, the court looked to the remedies available and awarded $9,100 in damages, constituted by:

$1,100 for general damages for the wrongful attribution and distress caused to the artist, and
$8,000 for aggravated damages caused by ACP’s failure to apologise to the artist once put on notice of the infringement of the artist’s moral rights. In making this award his Honour expressly dismissed the applicant’s claim that it represented and form of “exemplary” or “special” damages because ACP’s actions were “flagrant”.

However, and perhaps surprising to come, in explaining how it determined the sum awarded, the Court drew an analogy between the amount of damages for a breach of copyright and the amount of damages that would be award for infringement of moral rights. On this key point the Court said:

“the primary damages for the infringement of moral rights in this case should reflect those which I would have awarded if I had believed that there was an infringement of the applicant’s copyright. I say this because there has been no commercial dealing with the right.”

In other words, where there is no commercial dealing, a breach of moral rights is worth at least the same as a breach of copyright. It is not clear whether this is a universal principle, or whether different considerations apply in assessing these damages where there has been a commercial dealing (which may lead to higher damages).

To add insult to injury, Federal Magistrate Raphael recently awarded costs against ACP in the sum of $10,000.

For Further Information Contact

Michael Napthali of Swaab Attorneys


5 April, 2007

He Made A Difference

1 April, 10:40pm: Alan Morris – the ‘Mo’ of Mojo – left us after a long battle with cancer.

Mojo (now Publicis Mojo) was formed back in the seventies by two Als, both copywriters, both short and fat, both with beards. To save any confusion when answering the ‘phone at the fledgling consultancy, they shortened Morris to ‘Mo’ and Allan Johnston to ‘Jo.’ For over two decades the Mojo brand became shorthand for Australian popular culture.

In the days before strategic planning the boys tapped into the essence of the people producing and inspiring such Mojo classics as ‘C’mon Aussie, c’mon’ for World Series Cricket, ‘You ought to be congratulated’ for Meadow Lea, “I still call Australia home’ for Qantas, ‘I feel like a Tooheys’, ‘I’m as Australian as Ampol’, ‘Every body loves Speedo’ and the classic ‘Slip another shrimp on the barbie’ with Paul Hogan for the then Australian Tourist Commission.

In last years AFA celebration of 50 Years of Television Mo and Jo’s distinctive style of advertising was evident. It was always more than a jingle; it was all about the brand and creating an on-going campaign rather than a one-off ad. To take the case of Tooheys: the brand was repeated over a dozen times in 30 seconds and imprinted on the mind of every drinker, what’s more the campaign ran for 15 years. (Sadly this was before the days of the AFA Effectiveness Awards it turned the brand around from 13 per cent share up to 48 percent).

Mo was 64. Together with Jo, he left an indelible mark on the advertising landscape. He made a difference. He will be missed and remembered.

Gawen Rudder – 5 April


14 March , 2007

Golden Award Of Montreux

9th International Advertising and Multimedia Competition

Awards are a currency, the more you win…

Have you already submitted your best works to the Golden Award? Improve your position in the Ranking Reports and improve your visibility! Take advantage of this great opportunity to evaluate your performance.

If you haven’t yet submitted your works, the deadline is not so far away. So hurry up, only 9 days remain! Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this global advertising competition, which pays tribute to one of the most interesting and influential art forms in modern culture.

Entries + Info: www.goldenaward.com


14 March , 2007

New Members News

Industry awards Clear Blue Day Best Interactive Advertising and Marketing, and Best Retail Awards

New and innovative digital agency member Clear Blue Day has picked up two awards at the digital industry’s longest running and most prestigious awards, the AIMIAs.

For their groundbreaking work for Pioneer, Clear Blue Day won Best Interactive Advertising and Marketing, beating out other finalists including Coca Cola, Telstra, and Absolut.

Clear Blue Day also won Best Retail site, again for their work for Pioneer.


19 Feb , 2007

Graduates Hit The Ground Running

This year the AFA’s Graduate Trainee Program attracted a record number of participating agencies and a higher overall standard of applicants.

2007, the 25th year of the AFA’s Graduate Trainee Program, attracted a record number of participating agencies. By the end of January, 28 of the best and brightest graduates were placed in Sydney and Melbourne with AFA-Accredited members.


16 Feb, 2007

‘The internet, infinity and beyond’

Dr Vinton Cerf –The co-founder of the internet, Google Vice President is delivering a keynote speach on the internet and how it relates to business around the world today…where it is headed…and what opportunities this will create.

Tickets strictly limited to 1000. All proceeds of the event go to The Hear & Say Centre www.hearandsaycentre.com.au .


5 Feb , 2007

AWARD & Kodak Gongs Merge

SYDNEY February 5th, 2007 — After two, successful years, and in a move designed to further strengthen the TV Commercial Production Industry’s support of AWARD, The Kodak Gongs organising committee and AWARD have agreed to merge resources.

The agreement will ensure maximum effort is applied to create a single, more powerful and effective regional organisation. As a result, The Kodak Gongs will be discontinued and AWARD will embrace and build upon the Gongs intended charter.

www.awardonline.com