Follow the brand

Brands which struggle to connect with younger generations through traditional advertising are increasingly tempted to take social stands to sell themselves but these cynical tactics can backfire, not least in the sorely divided USA.

Why you need adblock

The Australian Ad Observatory project is recording thousands of harmful or illegal adverts on Facebook promoting scams, gambling, alcohol and unhealthy food.

Guilt tripping motherhood

New mums face a relentless barrage of advertising but many of these products lack scientific backing and some may even damage their physical and mental well-being.

Apple crush

Apple sparked outrage across the internet after releasing an advert for its new iPad Pro which unintentionally served as a dystopian vision for AI and big tech crushing, absorbing and appropriating human creativity.

How green was my advertising?

A study of more than 8,000 ads served more than 20,000 times in people’s Facebook feeds found that many green claims are vague, meaningless or unsubstantiated and that consumers are potentially being deceived.

The rise of the ‘virtual influencer’

Just when you thought the world couldn’t possibly get any stupider, AI generated ‘influencers’ are now being used to peddle products to unsuspecting or uncaring social media fans.

Game, set and greenwash

Australian sport is propped up by gambling, junk food and fossil fuel companies looking to peddle their ways or “greenwash” their image.

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.