Who’s afraid of the big bad advert?

Advertising which plays to our fears is a favourite of public health agencies as well as politicians, but how effective are hard hitting campaigns in changing public behaviour?

We care – about profits

Companies looking to jump on the brand activism bandwagon to sell their goods and services to otherwise hard to reach socially conscious consumers need to at least appear authentic in their advertising to avoid the risk of consumer backlash.

No holds barred in Australian political advertising

Australia is awash with political advertising, from the Coalition’s use of ‘government information’ to Clive Palmer’s banana coloured blitz, but its contribution to debate is doubtful.

How Facebook controls the ads you see

Personal data is a goldmine for advertisers and Facebook may be making the most of it via dark ads that tap into your ethnicity, gender, income, age, political interests and more. QUT and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society have launched the Australian Ad Observatory and need participants to find out how they are being targeted.

You are the product

A recent expose by the investigative journalists at The Markup revealed how Facebook uses detailed information about what people do online – the websites they visit and the search terms they use – to allow pharmaceutical companies to target people regarding medical conditions in which they’ve shown an interest.

Time to kick alcohol adverts into touch

Australian sports are gearing up for action, but while the crowds will be limited, there will certainly be a new avalanche of alcohol adverts at every game and in the media, raising concerns about its effects on young people.

Advertisers wake up to a ‘woke’ nightmare

Advertisers jump on every bandwagon to peddle other people’s wares, but latching onto the coat-tails of social justice warriors may have brought more grief than extra sales.

It’s not cricket – How the alcohol industry targets children watching sport on TV

Children are exposed to repeated advertisements for alcohol during sports coverage on television, with adverse affects on their future drinking habits, and its time the rules were tightened.

Australia’s rules on alcohol advertising aren’t protecting our children

Regulations introduced to restrict the placement of alcohol advertising are unlikely to reduce young people’s exposure to alcohol marketing in Australia, according to new research led by Curtin University.

Alcohol firms try advertising booze as a health drink

Australian alcohol companies are now promoting their products as ‘pure’, ‘fresh’, ‘natural’ and ‘sugar-free’ to encourage more health conscious Australians to purchase them, new research led by Curtin University has found.

Is “low carb” beer really better for you?

“Low carb” beer is widely advertised but its implied health claims are smoke and mirrors. Health groups are calling for nutrition info panels on alcohol to help make the public make more informed consumption choices.