July 2024
- Opinion
- Venture capital
‘Declined to comment’: three words destroying millions in VC brand equity
There has been plenty of hand-wringing over the “negative coverage” the tech industry has copped in the past couple of years, but operators should speak up.
- Updated
- Jessy Wu
April 2024
Why Ita Buttrose used to spy on ABC hosts’ Twitter posts
The former ABC chairwoman has strong views on lots of topics, but social media use by journalists is a particular bugbear.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
August 2023
- Opinion
- Cybersecurity
Optus hack secrecy leaves questions of competence hanging
It is almost a year since Optus’ big data breach. The telco has decided to keep secret the findings of the independent review it said would help rebuild customers’ trust.
- Paul Smith
- Analysis
- Government Observed
Government websites are unintelligible. It’s not just you
Poor writing and turgid government speak leaves citizens unable to engage with government.
- Tom Burton
February 2023
How authentic is your (expensive) pinot noir?
The 10th biennial Australian celebration of the wine divided the room this year, with opinions on the virtues or otherwise of luxury branding.
- Max Allen
Minters cuts ties with Adelaide Festival over Palestinian writers
Australia’s largest law firm has withdrawn its support over the inclusion of two writers with a track record of hostility against Jewish people and Ukraine.
- Michael Pelly
January 2023
Tudge called for files of all public robo-debt complainants
Former human services minister Alan Tudge wanted individuals’ details to fight adverse coverage from “left-wing media”.
- Tom Burton
How the sudden rise of AI is shaking your white-collar world
Generative AI has caused a storm by automating high-paying professional skills. Now Aussie businesses are trying to determine how to get the best out of it.
- Paul Smith
AI will give office workers more time to ‘create, dream and innovate’
The rapid emergence of generative AI like ChatGPT is being touted as a threat to white-collar work, but early adopters are using it to change their jobs, and even start new companies.
- Paul Smith
All eyes on Zhang Shuai as Chinese audiences switch on to the Open
The Australian Open has more than 3.2 million followers on Weibo, WeChat, Douyin, and The Red, which compares to 1.7 million followers on Twitter and 2.2 million on Instagram.
- Gus McCubbing and Sam Buckingham-Jones
Indie PR firm Sefiani acquired by Clarity Global
In one of the first media and communications deals of 2023, global communications firm Clarity Global has acquired local PR outfit Sefiani.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
October 2022
- Opinion
- Tech Observed
How Medibank managed to spin a cyber crisis
First Optus and then Medibank fluffed their lines when responding to cyber disasters, but Medibank’s early PR “win” could backfire spectacularly.
- Updated
- Ayesha de Kretser
July 2022
- Exclusive
- Media & marketing
‘Can’t keep up’: PR industry wants to import foreign flacks
The public relations industry says the domestic supply of talent is not coping with demands from the corporate world and needs migration reform to attract skilled professionals from overseas.
- Miranda Ward
June 2022
Five V-backed Automic Group buys investor relations firm Market Eye
Automic Group and Market Eye are collectively expected to have a value between $350 million to $400 million.
- Yolanda Redrup
The meme that derailed an executive’s career
John Demsey made diversity Estée Lauder’s corporate pitch. An Instagram post with a racial epithet cost him his job.
- Jacob Bernstein
May 2022
- Opinion
- Workplace culture
The cold call is back and worse than ever
We all had a break from nuisance calls during the pandemic. Now they seem even more intrusive.
- Pilita Clark
Gucci and adidas’ leaky $2346 umbrella is facing a backlash in China
The parasol is being slammed by the online masses because it does not stop rain. Never mind that the brands say that is not what it was designed to do.
- Low De Wei
The five ways boards go wrong with their customer strategies
It is all too easy for executives to lose their way when it comes to acquiring and keeping consumers, says marketing and communications specialist Justin Papps.
- Sally Patten
March 2022
She was a candidate to lead Levi’s (but then she started tweeting)
Before 2020, Jennifer Sey, a top executive at Levi Strauss & Co, barely used social media. Two years later, she was out of a job.
- Sapna Maheshwari
Companies tweeted for Women’s Day. A bot replied with their pay gaps.
The @PayGapApp account went viral after its creators used government data on businesses to reveal the truth behind their platitudes.
- Julianne McShane