Why is everyone hooting about cartoon apes?
Bored Apes are 2022’s hottest thing in crypto - but what are they, and why are they selling for millions of dollars? Sometime around April last year, a series of gaudily illustrated anthropomorphic monkeys started creating something of a buzz on social media. As we lurch towards the midway point of 2022, it’s fair to say that buzz has amplified into a virtual cacophonic rumble, as Bored Apes have swiftly become some of the most sought after - and most valuable - forms of modern art. At launch, owning a Bored Ape would have set you back just less than $US200. Not that
Embracing the spotlight: how to make an interview your own
With consumption of news at an all time high in Australia, there would be few in business that underestimate the importance of a positive interaction with the media. But at the same time, news organisations and journalists remain in the unenviable ranks of the most untrusted professions in the country, making those media interactions even more crucial when it comes to a maintaining a company’s good reputation. Some would say the media mistrust is simply a by-product of the age of social media and self-publishing, where false information is often weaponised as ‘fake news’, and opposing viewpoints are easily dismissed as political
Think your brand is ready for TikTok?
TikTok is much more than a dancing app for Gen Z’ers. The Chinese social media platform, developed from popular lip-syncing app Music.ly, has captured the hearts and minds of over one billion monthly users and become a must-have platform for businesses striving for the attention of the younger market. TikTok is a treasure trove of bite-sized content which, thanks to its clever algorithm, is tailored to you and your interests. Who’s using it? With people locked inside their homes, TikTok became the behemoth it is today, providing much needed reprieve from the pandemic and making those living in isolation feel less alone. Despite TikTok openly
Uh oh, hot mic — six times ‘experts’ slipped up on camera
With smartphone technology now a ubiquitous part of modern life, it can be easy to forget that everyone is carrying a camera and a microphone. And as our reliance on smartphones has grown, it has become even easier to forget when it might be operating, and who might be listening. It is a phenomenon that can catch out even the savviest media professionals and politicians with their droves of media advisors; despite all their experience and knowledge, sometimes they are still exposed by what is known in the industry as a ‘hot mic’. What is a hot mic? Hot mic moments occur when a device captures statements, often offensive or insensitive, which are not intended to be recorded or broadcast. Add in a camera and there is no hiding; a minor slip-up or
Interviewing online: the future of recruitment?
Even in the most positive jobs market in memory, attending a job interview can be a daunting experience. You enter an unfamiliar environment, unclear about what you might be asked, who you’ll be facing or how long you might be there. You need to prepare for a grilling in case there’s little time between questions for reflection. It’s a high-stress environment, where every mistake or slip-up counts, with performance anxiety getting in the way of what you really have to offer. Is there a better way? Well, the pandemic suggests that might be the case. Reinventing the interview process Back in 2018, LinkedIn looked at
A year in the making
Cannings Purple had a big year in 2021; helping hundreds of clients achieve their strategic goals, welcoming many new members to our team, and even gaining international recognition at the 2021 Asia-Pacific SABRE awards. Tune in as a few of our team members reflect on their favourite projects from the last 12 months. Getting WA to the moon Our incoming Director of Corporate Affairs, Carina Tan-Van Baren, found it difficult to narrow it down to one project, but as a bit of a space-nerd, she couldn’t help but settle on working with Curtin University’s Space Science and Technology Centre to send WA's first
How a fake death gave a real brand a heart attack
And just like that, the fake world causes a brand crisis in the real world and maybe another small step into the Metaverse. On December 9, the first episodes of Sex and the City reboot “And Just Like That…” were released on HBO, and ranked as HBO Max’s best debut day of any series. The show was another in a series of reboots of much-loved TV programs that have come back to life … often with mixed results. Still, the incredible ratings were great news for HBO but unfortunate for popular high-end indoor exercise bike company, Peloton. What does a fitness company have to
Branding for the rest of us: B2C vs B2B
Almost all the branding talks, books and experts cover business-to-consumer (B2C) branding. It’s sometimes difficult to look at the preferred examples from brands like Apple, Google, Hertz, Nike and the like – and work out how to apply the ideas and principles from a global consumer audience into a business-to-business (B2B) company. What makes B2C branding different? So, aside from the enormous budget, the scale of their advertising and access to the world’s leading design and advertising agencies – what makes B2C brands different from B2B brands? Branding is about an experience, and I would argue that what makes one brand different from the
Getting your communications right this Christmas
For most companies, Christmas can feel like the final sprint to a well-deserved break. But don’t be fooled into thinking your communications can take a holiday over Christmas – clear and frequent communication over the break can lead to some jolly results in the new year. We called upon a few of our experts to share their top tips and tricks for handling the lead up to the festive season, and to discuss how you and your team can maximise your engagement over the break. Spreading Christmas C.H.E.E.R Digital Account Manager, Cameron Wong says the secret to successful Christmas content being clear in your messaging and communicating often with your audience. “The Christmas period is all about spreading C.H.E.E.R – Clear messaging, Helpful
Rebranding pitfalls and how to avoid them
Branding and rebranding is often thought of as a sale-driving or marketing objective. But it’s so much more than that. Branding is communication, and communication is about people. Rebrand inside out Creating a new logo and visual identity can attract attention and create interest but unless you have a clear reason why you’re rebranding, your brand won’t feel authentic or cohesive. For example, when someone around you changes abruptly without telling you why – it feels jarring, and can build distrust: “I thought I knew this brand! Now I’m not sure”. A new name alone is definitely not going to help Facebook fix its
Life After 80: A Guide To Post-COVID Australia
The WA Government has confirmed it will have one of the broadest vaccine mandates in the country, covering an estimated million workers and building on earlier requirements for all health, hotel quarantine, aged care and port workers to be vaccinated. The new measures identify two groups of employees and industries that will need to be vaccinated to ensure critical services can be delivered. The first group — high risk occupations — includes healthcare workers, emergency services personnel, mine site workers and pharmacists, dentists and meat workers, among others, who now have a range of deadlines for double vaccination, all by January 1 next year. The second group — critical occupations — with a double-vax deadline
Should design agencies be more transparent about their work?
Are some design agencies living solely on the reputation of their past work, or are they who they say they are? If you go to any agency's website and view their portfolio, you will see a blast of their creativity with an array of their best, cutting-edge designs. We have to ask, how many of these are still their clients? At the end of the day, an agency's client list is a big part of choosing an agency for your business. We rarely see endorsements alongside work, so how do we know they had happy clients? After all, we can only take
Brand activism: The positives and pitfalls of taking a stance
Meaningful brand activism is no longer a nice-to-have, it is a must-have. The Year That Shall Not Be Named set this in stone as some brands were celebrated for making a difference while others floundered. One of the most pivotal events was the tragic death of George Floyd, a cataclysmic event that prompted weeks of protests and civil unrest across the United States. It started a long overdue conversation about police brutality and racial injustice around the world, including in Australia. It sparked discussions around dinner tables, on the floor of parliament, and in office lunchrooms. 2020 marked the end of staying silent. No comment
A digital approach to stakeholder engagement
Over the past decade, the way we communicate has changed to adapt to the advancements of technology and the digital era. Previously, stakeholder practitioners relied on traditional methods of hard copy collateral and face-to-face meetings; however, with the introduction of digital methods, practitioners are encouraged to consider innovation in their engagement. Timeliness A digital approach to stakeholder engagement opens the opportunity of multi-channel and cross-channel methods. With artificial intelligence (AI) systems, stakeholders' digital interactions and activities can be tracked to determine stakeholder's preferences and predictive behaviours. The analytics provided by AI can assist in personalising concise communications aligned to the individual and grouped stakeholder.
How to make your website more accessible
1 in 6 Australians have a disability. The figure, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, means that approximately 4.4 million Aussies, or 18% of the population, benefit from accessible design and thinking. One area that is often overlooked is the accessibility of digital platforms, including websites. For people with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical or visual needs, a badly designed website can be a real barrier to engaging with the world. To assist people with disabilities navigate websites, technologies such as screen readers to vocalise the text on each page are used, as well as speech recognition software that converts speech into text. This means
Cannings Purple takes home gold at the 2021 SABRE Awards
Cannings Purple have been announced a winner in the Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards for the work we’ve done with Hyzon Motors, a global supplier of hydrogen-fuel- cell-powered commercial vehicles. Established by leading international public relations expert, Paul Holmes, the Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards recognise superior achievement in brand, reputation and engagement. The award judges said they would be recognising bold, creative and brave communications, things which have been the hallmark of our work with Hyzon Motors. In August 2020, Hyzon Motors hired Cannings Purple in anticipation of speeding up the deployment of its vehicles around the world and preparing for a major transformation – a listing on the NASDAQ. Cannings Purple built the Hyzon Motors story and brand, helping commercialise almost two decades of hydrogen technology development
High Court rules media companies responsible for comments on their Facebook pages
The High Court has dismissed an appeal by some of Australia's biggest media outlets - including the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian, concluding that they are legally responsible as 'publishers' for third parties' comments on their facebook pages. This comes after a four-year battle between media outlets and Dylan Voller, a Northern Territory youth detainee whose experience in the Don Dale youth detention centre led to a 2016 royal commission. The case may involve some of Australia's biggest media organisations, but the consequences reach far beyond Australia's newsrooms. If you're the admin of your local community Facebook page; the local netball
Key takeaways from the latest Notifiable Data Breach Scheme stats
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) recently released its Notifiable Data Breaches Report for the period from January to June 2021. The Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme was established in February 2018 to improve consumer protection and drive better security standards for protecting personal information. Just 446 data breaches were notified to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) under notifiable data breach (NDB) laws between January and June, a 16% decrease compared to the previous reporting period. With a reduced number of malicious data attacks and data breaches compared to the previous 6-month reporting period, the numbers are looking positive. Health sector
The State of Local Social Report 2021
Social media might connect you with the world, but it works best when it is local. Whether it is keeping you in touch with your neighbourhood, a way to find or promote local events or just a place to share a favourite café or walk in the park, social channels have become the public noticeboards and community groups of generations past. But they are also the first place people turn for fast-moving issues and changing information, making them an important channel for agencies needing to speak to and mobilise a local community. It’s because of these trends that local governments have moved into social media in a big way — with varying degrees of success. At Cannings Purple, we are always looking
Cyber criminals have targeted the property sector – but are gearing up for the rest of us
A new scam has triggered alarm bells for the property industry, but all businesses should heed the warning, writes Fran Lawrence. The property sector is the latest to come under fire from organised cyber criminals, with a new warning that real estate agents could be at heightened risk. The Australian Cyber Security Centre has urged the industry to be on guard after detecting a growing trend of cyber criminals trying to compromise corporate emails — what is known a business email compromise (BEC) scam. Under the scam, criminals impersonate parties in a property transaction — such as a real estate agent, conveyancer or party to
Why a cyber attack crisis requires a different comms response
Most crises centre around a distinct or discrete event. An accident. A fatality. A failure of critical infrastructure. And although the details of the issue may not be immediately apparent, there is usually clarity around what has happened, or at least, the immediate impact of what has happened. In most cases then, managing a crisis, particularly the communications aspect, centres on what has happened, what is known, what happens next. It is stressful, and it can put severe pressure on teams, but usually the interest and engagement about the issue tends to die down after a day or two. There’s reputation rebuilding, and
Showing to tell – visual storytelling and The Gibb Challenge
Show don’t tell is often cited as the ‘golden rule’ of writing. Whether using active voice over passive, expressing emotion through action, or practicing economical writing, a good writer employs a carefully honed bag of tricks to help you ‘see’ what you read. When creating visual content, the medium changes. Images, footage and sound replace words as the message’s primary courier. In essence, it is all show. The challenge becomes – how to tell the story. Some quick facts: 6 out of 10 people would rather watch online videos than television. Mobile video consumption rises by 100% every year. By 2022, online videos
What makes a good designer in 2021?
It’s not enough to be a graphic designer who only knows print or digital design anymore. In fact, you could say even the term ‘graphic designer’ is obsolete. A designer must know all the disciplines of design, from print and digital, to video and animation – and all of these to a high level if they want to thrive in the creative industry. Traditional print design is still relevant as the fundamental basis of a designer’s knowledge and skill, even if it’s something they may not use anymore. There is no room for error in print; you can’t just undo or
A cash free society – making sense of GovCoin
Splitting the bill isn’t what it used to be. Not so long ago, the end of a dinner out with friends would be a cue to scramble for an ATM, dig deep for notes and coins, and write an IOU to settle the evening’s expenses. Now it is more likely one person will pay the bill and the rest will send their share through an online banking transaction that might land with the payer in a few days. And it’s not just restaurants. Australians are well versed with electronic money, with most people familiar with online banking, e-commerce and tap-and-go – and thanks to COVID-19, many of us don’t carry any physical cash at all. So what if we did away
What skills are needed to work in Public Relations in 2021?
For an industry that has been around for roughly a century, defining “public relations” can be tricky, especially in a rapidly changing digital climate and amid evolving practices in the industry. Cannings Purple’s People and Culture Manager, Bri Kent says that as an industry, there’s more to do in how we talk about our industry, especially when it comes to attracting the next generation. "We really need to work on communicating what the industry looks like," Bri said. After all, a career in public relations is usually nothing like Sex and the City where Samantha, Carrie and the gang strut from New
Why your business needs to start the conversation about digital accessibility today
Never have we had so much knowledge available at our fingertips. The web provides unprecedented access to information, goods and services and a virtual platform for networking and socialising with others. However, many digital platforms are developed with accessibility barriers, making them difficult and frustrating for people with disabilities and impairments to use. If you communicate with customers, you need to know about web accessibility. It is beneficial for your customers, and in turn, your organisation to remove barriers to access that may exist within your digital products and public facing platforms. The most common disabilities and impairments that can impact a
Gen Z: the young and daring consumers with a conscience
Traditionally, brands have stayed neutral when it comes to politics and social issues. It’s generally been felt that taking sides risks alienating a large proportion of a customer base. But in today’s increasingly polarised climate, staying neutral can actually be riskier. As consumers look for ways to support the world’s most pressing issues, including the present threat of climate change, and fighting social and racial injustice, many see their wallets as a way to do so. Social analysts, McCrindle, found that this approach was particularly prevalent among Gen Z consumers who want to know exactly where brands stand on complex issues before investing. COVID-19
Amplify your content with content stacking
The benefits of content marketing are well documented. It enables brands to break through the noise and connect with their target audience by providing information and experience that adds value. Developing quality content is time consuming, therefore it makes sense to get the greatest mileage possible from your content investment. What is content stacking? At its heart, content stacking is about taking a chunky piece of content like a blog post, video, interview or presentation and splitting this down into snackable, bite-size pieces of information. For example, an original long-form video you spent time and effort producing is well suited to Youtube, but with some
Cannings Purple Help Hyzon Take Hydrogen To The World
Perth in Western Australia might not be the first place you’d expect to be the home of a global communications campaign for a hydrogen fuel cell business based in America. But Cannings Purple has always done things differently, and Hyzon Motors recognised that when it selected us in a competitive process as its global communications provider. In August 2020, Hyzon Motors, a US- headquartered global supplier of hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles, hired Cannings Purple in anticipation of speeding up the deployment of its vehicles around the world and preparing for a major transformation – a listing on the NASDAQ. Cannings Purple built the Hyzon Motors story and brand, helping
Is Australia’s COVID vaccine messaging off?
The most popular overseas COVID-19 vaccination campaigns have included comedy skits, well-liked celebrities, and catchy music, all using creative out-of-the-box thinking to encourage their citizens to get the jab. New Zealand, U.K and Singapore get creative In New Zealand, their positive ‘Ka Kite, COVID’ campaign became an online favourite. It’s warm and funny, and incorporates the Maori language, declaring ‘Ka kite, COVID’, meaning ‘see you, COVID’ in the Maori language. This ad clearly targets different audiences and promotes the message that "vaccination is for the community not just the individual". In the U.K, Sir Elton John and Sir Michael Caine help the NHS promote COVID jabs in a humorous 90-second ad. Singapore’s quirky ‘Get Your Shot, Steady Pom Pi Pi’ is something else entirely. A disco-themed