TrinityP3 Blog

"Film is dead"

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:50:30 +1000

So says Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the writers and directors for Crank. Check out the comments on high definition digital video using the Red One camera by some of the world's leading film directors here So why do so many commercial film directors still insist on shooting on expensive and outdated film?

Advertiser’s Carbon Footprint equivalent to 380,000,000 cars!

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:41:20 +1000

According to our calculations marketing communication globally is responsible for over 500 million tonnes of CO2-e per year and is forecast to grow by over 5 percent every year thereafter. To get this into some prospective, this is the equivalent amount CO2-e generated in the same period by over 380,000,000 average fuel-efficient cars. This is more than half the total number of cars on the road today!

Why do agencies cringe and marketers laugh when they are confronted with truth in advertising?

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:36:00 +1000

One of the best films made on advertising is "Truth in Advertising" and available on DVD from Amazon. In this satirical take on the advertising process, the agency and client personnel say what they are thinking. If you have not seen it, it is well worth taking the time. But when we have played this video to an audience of advertising agency people and marketers, the agency people cringe and their clients laugh. Why?

Why service level agreements ( SLAs ) are not relevant to marketing services contracts

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:21:43 +1000

Wikipedia says an SLA is a formally negotiated agreement between two parties. It is a contract that exists between customers and their service provider, client or between service providers. It records the common understanding about services, priorities, responsibilities, guarantee, and such — collectively, the level of service. For example, it may specify the levels of availability, serviceability, performance, operation, or other attributes of the service. SLAs were first introduced in the 1980s in the telecommunications industry, but are now wide spread throughout business. But in our experience, traditional SLA formats are not relevant in advertising and marketing, where the level of service delivery is directly influenced and impacted by the behaviour and actions of the buyer. In these circumstances, we recommend an engagement agreement, defining requirements of both parties.

Changing the name from P3 to TrinityP3

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:53:03 +1000

On July 1 this year we announced the change in name of the company I started eight and a half years ago from P3 to TrinityP3. The reaction and comments have been incredibly positive, but the number one question is "why?" Why did we feel compelled to change the brand name that we had spent eight years in time, effort and money developing? The pragmatic answer is, "To avoid the confusion with our competitors in Asia who have a very similar name to ours". The more significant answer is "Why not?" P3 has developed significantly since its inception and grown in size, from a one person operation to now more than sixteen industry consultants in Australia and New Zealand and now five people in Asia.

Film versus digital video - the war is over and film is dead

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:50:29 +1000

For all those production companies and agency creative people who still insist on shooting 35 mm film or 16 mm film instead of high definition digital video, this latest posting on YouTube from AH Films puts another nail in your coffin. Holding on to out-dated practices long after the rest of the industry moves on is not innovative, is not leading edge and is not creative.

Big Brother's shrinking carbon footprint from it's rating demise.

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:51:40 +1000

As the station bosses worried themselves, then the show into an early grave, there is some good news. Big Brother was contributing over 1.5 tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere for each 30 seconds of viewing during the peak of the latest series. This national audience was very attractive to any would be advertiser wishing to promote their goods and services during the show. Unfortunately as the shows popularly waned so did the advertisers enthusiasm. As the ratings tumbled so did Big Brothers massive carbon footprint. He finally got his marching orders when during it's lowest ratings period it could only claim responsibility for just over half a tonne of carbon for each 30 second spot. So having failed to attract the necessary number of carbon eating plasma watching consumers he was finally laid to rest. Look on the bright side, the show was so boring that the carbon emissions were reduced by over a tonne! Let's just hope that all those viewers turned their TV's off and had a game of cards under their energy saving light bulbs.

The carbon impact of printing. A simple guide

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:23:56 +1000

1. Paper. Manufacturing of paper stock is the biggest cause of carbon in the supply chain. It accounts for over 70% of the footprint in most printing processes. Reviewing your paper stock specifications to a lower carbon emitting paper is the quickest way to reduce your footprint. Do not be misled by the carbon neutral label. Ask about the energy source.

IT industry's carbon footprint equal to aviation's

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:58:01 +1000

The lack of comment from the IT industry on the new Carbon Age has been suspicious in it's absence. And for good reason. Those good people at Carbon Trust in the UK have just announced a new programme to help companies understand the energy use within data centres. You can read the release for yourself below but it is interesting to note that the 2% of world wide energy consumption that is being used to power the IT industry is equivalent to aviation industry. So if you are a lover of carbon offsetting your interstate flights you may want to start considering planting a couple of trees after you have read this blog.

Carbon emission reduction NOT Carbon neutral

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:59:44 +1000

Having just returned from the UK it is interesting to reflect on the differences between the approaches to carbon emissions. In the UK they have had a government who recognized the issue of climate change earlier and therefore legislated to force behavioral change. While not way ahead of Australia, one of the things that I noticed, and liked, was the growing skepticism towards the carbon neutral claim. The focus is now on standards for product labeling of emissions. Consumers can make a choice not only on price and quality but also the amount of emissions the product produces.

Advertising agency remuneration problems - Retainers

Wed, 28 May 2008 19:46:59 +1000

Many advertisers have moved from the old fashion media commission and service fee to retainers based on retaining a set resource, the cost of which is calculated based on the direct salary costs of those resources, multiplied by the overhead cost of the company and then multiplied by the profit margin. Retainers are generally considered to be easy to manage as for most advertisers they are set and forget. But two recent case studies highlight why retainers are not the ideal remuneration model for many advertisers and that the best remuneration model depends on their needs and circumstances.

The Hidden Carbon Culprit

Thu, 22 May 2008 19:27:25 +1000

The paper industry continues to cop the brunt of the environmentalist anger when it comes to the evils of carbon emissions. Some of this is justified. But there is another CO2 monster lurking in the office. Marketers tend have a simplistic catch-cry of ‘move away from paper based communications and go on-line’. So let’s have a look at some basic facts and figures about on-line.

Beware of the carbon neutral lure

Fri, 16 May 2008 17:27:47 +1000

In Australia there has been a rapid growth of marketing services companies claiming ‘carbon neutrality’, and built-in offsets’. Also some of these suppliers are now indicating offsets as a loading (some TV production estimates are starting to have an 0.8% carbon offset fee as a line item) or claiming, either with accreditation or on their own calculations, to be ‘carbon neutral’. So is it a case of business as usual and charge the end consumer for planting a tree? In my option advertisers should take ownership of any offsetting they wish to buy. This will ensure that is compliant and also lines up with the company's environmental strategy. Regardless of how many trees you pay to plant the point is the emissions are still occurring in the first place.

The perils of claiming the Green high ground

Fri, 16 May 2008 17:20:22 +1000

Slowly but surely examples of bad luck or bad management of a company’s environmental positioning are creeping into the media. The resent classic was Sir Paul McCartney’s gift for helping the planet, the eco-friendly Hybrid Lexus, being delivered by jet from Japan! In the rush to measure these offset emissions, care must be taken before using this ‘carbon neutrality’ and putting your company’s flag on the moral high ground.

Green-washers beware: Tesco show the the correct way to market their eco direction

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:38:41 +1000

I have just read with interest the news from Tesco where they are showing the amount of carbon that is being generated between 'seed and store' on 20 of their items. Yes they are maximizing the marketing mileage of this by telling everyone that they are acting in an environmentally responsible way. To me this transparency is to be applauded. They are talking about the good things they are doing and at the same time not being afraid to show the world the amount of carbon they are putting out in the process. Let's hope this lead is followed. Too many companies are waving their 'carbon neutral' accreditation flags out of their windows without telling us the contribution they are making to climate change. While Tesco have a long way to go, I for one think it is a great example for all those Green-washers out their on how correctly to position their environmental credentials. Who's next? And do not forget about measuring the amount of carbon that is generated from telling us what a great green job you are doing.