seems the ABC have banned Kram from Spiderbait's music video from being broadcast on the ABC due to the advertising sponsorships present in the background of the video.
the music video was shot in Melbourne at the Rod Laver arena whilst the Australian Open was on.

the music video sees advertising billboards found commonly at the Open featured in the background and apparently the ABC has banned the video due to these advertising images.

if we were to start banning all music videos due to images carrying advertising and sponsorship images, the ABC would not be airing almost any POP / RNB / HIP HOP/ or RAP music videos.

advertisers product place everything from  high end luxury cars ( Bentley / Mercedes / Lamboghini ) to mobile phones, clothes and accessories.
they do this to help create a culture for the product within the target audience of the video.
product placement gives the product itself more credibility, a celebrity endorsement and helps create desire by showcasing the item in a context that is very attractive.

RAGE on the ABC has and will continue to show music videos by artists who shamelessly have product placement in their videos.

following after the episode of Spicks and Specks - where we found out that the ABC banned the video -  was the Gruen Transfer - a program on the ABC that shows full length commercials and explores advertising campaigns!

so its okay apparently to have your tv commercials and advertising campaigns shown on a weekly spot, its okay to have products placed in your music video if you are a popular artist, but an australian musician who just so happens to have shot his music video in a location that has sponsorship signing.....thats a big NO NO!

sorry Kram, maybe next time you need to be standing next to a million dollar car ( did dig the old maserati at the beginning of the video but you may need something more bling!)  draped in bvlgari necklaces, texting on your new apple iphone while drinking moet and wearing a shirt that has FUBU written on it to get airplay on the ABC. 

ever sold media? we have.

every-time you sell media nowadays you feel like a pusher or a pimp.

this speak sound familiar?

"we have this special schedule, its flown in from the purest networks
 that other stuff you have - is rubbish compared to this schedule.
go on look at its programming choices - see the TARPS - baby you better believe
they're the audience numbers!
one taste of this and you'll be hooked - and the street value, the rate card is three times as much."

just felt like scarface has sold you an ounce?

don't worry you are not alone.

Its like this to the point where we think rate card prices have lost their meaning.
they once stood for prices that acted as a reasonable guide -
a price where if a  client went direct to a station they would just be treated as a punter off the streets.
clients couldn't justify going solo and would seek a media agent.
it gave us media agents the edge, 20-30% discount levels, better placement, bonuses and box seats to the AFL.  

somewhere as in all cases, someone thought:

"HEY NO ONE SEES THESE 'RATE CARD PRICES' SO WHY CAN'T I JUST MAKE ONE UP?"

so the evil plan became to tell the client some over inflated scary price - "hey this cost 5K a spot" - come in at 1K and BAM you are a GOD of media.

all the while the reality is the rate card price has been 1K all along and any decent media agency could have got you the space for $700.

BUT wheres the sex? wheres the thought for the client that they have fleeced a network or station? wheres the clients glee at thinking that their competition is paying through the nose for their media?

well those feelings are sitting at a desk with a name tag that reads 'false economy' - instead of saving 4K the client paid rate card price.

next time a media agent quotes you a figure thats too good to be real - smile and politely say  

"no thank you mr tambourine man, i can get my own supply. "

everyone puts off doing things that they find overwhelming - cleaning the garage, doing taxes, signing off on a media schedule...
everyone procrastinates - gets themselves distracted and everyone makes excuses!
blogging has been the same for us.

it's just one of those things that a few people here do for their own personal amusement - we all certainly read other peoples blogs - hell we even recommend them to every digital client we get!
and like almost every business we encounter we can sometimes not practice what we preach.

so after we've put the bins out, cleaned our rooms, catalogued the album art on our ipods and called our mums, we've taken a deep breath and here goes.

welcome to our first ever blog.