Public relations
Exclusive
Media & marketing
Telstra’s ad campaign celebrates Australia. It was made in Poland
A series of new ads for Telstra features Australian voices and remote Australian locations. But it was made in Eastern Europe – and local creatives are angry.
- by Karl Quinn
Latest
Opinion
Federal budget
Australia’s caught in a spin cycle. Thank goodness you’ve got me to slow it down
Politicians like to deploy spin doctors, and economists, to give you a version of the truth. It’s my job to make sure you’re not led astray, but it’s getting harder.
- by Ross Gittins
From love-to-hate to hot property: Why Collingwood players are so marketable
After winning the premiership, Collingwood players are on a ticket to ride. And no red carpet seems complete without them.
- by Danny Russell and Stephen Brook
Walkley Awards organiser condemns racist comments of its founder
The Walkley Foundation expressed deep regret for the racist views expressed by Sir William Gaston Walkley in a 1960s column.
- by Calum Jaspan and Alex Crowe
Analysis
Government
‘Get the facts out’: How Palaszczuk spends millions on messaging
The premier’s office, and department, rely heavily on taxpayer-funded media, marketing and public relations staff to promote the government’s work.
- by Josh Bavas
Mercedes swept up in China internet furore over model’s ‘slanted eyes’
Mercedes-Benz removed an ad from a Chinese social media website, state media said, amid a charged national debate over depictions of Asian-looking features by foreign companies.
Consulting giant McKinsey tries courting a new audience: kids
The management-consulting giant has created four editions of McKinsey for Kids. Topics include workforce automation (cool, robots!) and reducing food waste (ew, cabbage!). It’s a hard sell.
- by Matthew Boyle
‘Totally illegal’: Italy’s Uffizi Galleries take action after Pornhub uses their art
An initiative by the online porn giant to bring to life, with the help of pornographic stars, a collection of celebrated artworks has provoked the ire of museums around the world.
- by Nick Squires
Opinion
Superpower showdown
Beijing played a good hand as COVID supercharged the China-US image war
Even though the first known COVID-19 outbreak originated in Wuhan, China has leveraged the pandemic to bolster its global reputation.
- by Louisa Lim
Maker of Dove soap vows to drop the word ‘normal’ from beauty products
Unilever, which owns brands like Dove and Sunsilk, said a study had found that the word ‘normal’ makes most people feel excluded. A spokeswoman said it would remove it from more than 200 products.
- by Derrick Bryson Taylor