Advertising & Promotion Campaigns

Big stick waved at 'black balloon' use

The Age
Page: B1 : 20 June 2008
Original article by Leonie Wood

LexisNexis Summary: Advertising & Promotion Campaigns

A small environmental engineering company faces legal action from the Victorian Government over a trademark. Synergetics registered a trademark that includes the words "black balloons". The Government wants to protect its very successful taxpayer-funded climate change awareness campaign that used images of black balloons. It wants Synergetics to withdraw the trademark, as it could lead the public to think that the Government sanctioned Synergetic's operations. Synergetics said that it could not afford to defend the action and would be forced to shut down its community service web site

Products & Services

TV launch free-for-all

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 52 : 20 June 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Products & Services

The free-to-air TV channels in Australia will all launch their digital channels in 2009. The exact date is the subject of controversy, because executives from the Ten and Nine Networks want all these TV stations to launch their new channels on the same date. They are arguing that a common launch date would provide a boost for FreeView, the brand and marketing campaign that the free-to-air TV industry will unveil in 2008 to advertise its new channels. Some insiders speculate that the Seven Network may be too competitive to stick to a common launch date. Some in the free-to-air TV world believe that the new digital channels will give pay TV a good run for its money and outclass it

EzyDVD sews up ReelTime asset deal

The Age
Page: 3 : 20 June 2008
Original article by Jesse Hogan

LexisNexis Summary: Products & Services

Australian movie retailer, EzyDVD, has bought part of the business of ReelTime Media. EzyDVD and ReelTime had been negotiating a deal but subsidiary, ReelTime Infotainment, and then parent company, ReelTime Media, were placed in administration. In June 2008, EzyDVD has paid less than $A200,000 for ReelTime's movie download equipment and systems. It plans to launch a new movie download service under its own brand by September

Telstra belatedly joining the iPhone circus

The Australian
Page: 21 : 20 June 2008
Original article by Michael Sainsbury and Stuart Kennedy

LexisNexis Summary: Products & Services

Telstra will support the Apple iPhone but will be two weeks later than competitors with the handsets. The Apple store opened in Sydney on 19 June 2008 with some people travelling from San Francisco for the event. The iPhone will be available through Optus and Vodafone from 11 July. Telstra will stock it from 22 July. The iPhone is generating considerable excitement in the mobile telephone sector with consumers and retailers

Macquarie launches new listed protected loan series

Money Management
Page: 8 : 12 June 2008

LexisNexis Summary: Products & Services

Macquarie Securities Group has released its June 2008 offering of listed protected loan (LPLs). There are 51 different LPLs within the June 2008 MQ LPL series, which follows on from the successful launch of its first LPL series in May 2008. Pia Cooke, associate director at Macquarie Securities Group, says that listed protected loans combine capital protection with tax efficiencies, and that Macquarie Securities Group eventually hopes to issue a new MQ LPL series every three months

Magazine round-up

Mediaweek
Page: 8 : 9 June 2008

LexisNexis Summary: Products & Services

"OK!" has been successful on the Australian market. The weekday edition of the magazine was released in 2006 and has achieved a circulation of 142,000. Advertising revenues last year reached roughly $A7 million. Andrew Cornell has resigned as CEO of Northern & Shell Pacific as "OK!" becomes part of ACP Magazines. Elsewhere, ACP has obtained the Australian licence for Topgear.com and intends to launch the site in spring 2008. A new men's magazine is due to be launched by publisher John Southam and WW Media's Marijcke Thomson later in 2008

E-Business

Facebook frolics can burn a hole in your office kudos

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 3 : 20 June 2008
Original article by Emma Connors

LexisNexis Summary: E-Business

Employers are becoming familiar with the use of social networking sites. Human resource professionals advise that users of sites such as Facebook and MySpace need to be aware that information that is publicly accessible can also be viewed by their employers. Areas of concern may be when an employee is on sick leave and still active on the network, or they are discussing their future careers perhaps outside their current employer. The listed associates may also raise concerns with an employer. IT analysts continue to have concerns about the integrity of privacy settings on the social networks

Marketing Strategy

Libs' wheat backdown

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 14 : 20 June 2008
Original article by Sophie Morris

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

In one of his last weeks in federal parliament, Liberal Senator Ross Lightfoot voted against his party in opposing the Wheat Export Marketing Bill. The bill was passed, meaning that multiple wheat exporters will be accredited before the next harvest, ending AWB's stronghold. An earlier proposal from Liberal Party leader Brendan Nelson to ease regulation of port terminals, which are operated by join grain handlers and exporters, was abandoned following lobbying from AWB

Consumer Behaviour

Job trend defies slowdown

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 10 : 20 June 2008
Original article by Adrian Rollins

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

A new survey in Australia suggests that the economy is slowing. The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) and Westpac Bank survey found that despite the slowdown, the demand for staff has moderated only slightly, so workers will continue to be in demand for some time. The tight labour market will have the Reserve Bank of Australia board alert for signs of wage pressures. Other surveys have found that more householders in Australia plan to use any extra money to repay their mortgage, while credit card purchases slowed markedly in April 2008

FuelWatch perverts petrol pricing by shifting the focus to loyalty schemes

The Australian
Page: 28 : 20 June 2008
Original article by Sinclair Davidson

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission's (ACCC) FuelWatch scheme will restrict price competition in the retail petrol market. Petrol pricing is likely to become less transparent as the focus of comeptition shifts from price to promotions. There are also likely to be greater transactions costs and higher prices for people unable to fully participate in promotions. As promotions become a more effective method of competing, current docket schemes could be expanded into full loyalty programs. Under such programs richer consumers would obtain cheaper petrol at the expense of low-income earners, because they spend more. Such schemes would also link consumers even more closely to specific retailers, increasing their market power

Luck's a fortune

BRW
Page: 20 : 19 June 2008
Original article by Chris Richardson

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

Australia now has the fifth highest standard of living of any country in the OECD. Its position, up from 15th place as recently as 1983, can be attributed to a range of factors, including the ongoing commodities boom, increased productivity and reduced unemployment. Some of the reforms that led to increased productivity have arguably stalled in recent years, but Australia's prosperity continues to rise, largely as a result of the biggest rise in commodity prices in over 50 years

The home stretch

BRW
Page: 66-67 : 19 June 2008
Original article by Jane Searle

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

Matthew Hassan is sceptical about the strategies that governments are adopting in an attempt to help first-home buyers. Hassan, a economist at Westpac, believes that improving supply, rather than measures like cutting stamp duty, is the best way to help first-home buyers. Hassan does not believe that the environment for first-home buyers will improve until 2010, a view shared by Housing Industry Association chief economist Harley Dale. BIS Shrapnel's Angie Zigomanis says that some first-home buyers are opting to go for cheaper properties rather than waiting to see if conditions will improve