Viscious on Branded Content

Marketing Director Teall Barnes discusses how branded content across differing channels is changing traditional production companies.

Digital technology has changed the state of play. Although this does not mean the television commercial is redundant. Instead it actually means it is more important then ever before. With more platforms to view content – it is increasingly important to get your brands commercial message right.

As Australian production companies scramble to produce more stories across more screens unfortunately not enough planning and collaboration is implemented.

We have clients come to us wanting viral campaigns. What people forget is just because a campaign is syndicated online does not make it viral. It has to be a good idea, integrate humor or intrigue and ideally offer interaction for it to be propelled into the viral realm.

Audiences today are clever – they see through branding jargon and expect intimate and targeted messages. Niche communities are popping up all over the web. It is the duty of good media planners and strategists to locate these audiences, research their needs and deliver relevant messages. Then it is the production company’s duty to develop and exploit these avenues for engagement to maximize brand representation and produce impactful messages with relevance to the clients needs.

The main issue facing the industry today is effective planning. With new and exciting channels for communication opening up everyday – the role of the planner has never been more crucial. The importance of reaching fragmented audiences in niche areas is crucial to the longevity and success of any marketing campaign. Also brands must remember that they do not have to be everywhere in order to achieve ROI. Not every product or service requires a microsite, iphone ap, twitter feed and TVC. The choices are vast but this doesn’t mean your commercial message should be diluted. Certain channels suit certain brands. Only the brands that maintain good planning and brand integrity will succeed.

Marketing Director - Teall Barnes

Viscious talks at Vibewire

On September 24th at 7:30am a blurry eyed Ant McPhail made his way down to the Boiler Room at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

The occasion for such an early rise was the 2010 fastBREAK innovation series.

An exciting addition to Sydney’s event calendar that has sent a buzz through local creative and entrepreneurial communities, injecting life, inspiration and a flurry of fastBREAKing conversation into the Powerhouse Museum’s best-kept secret, the Boiler room Mezzanine.

Ant McPhail one of 3 founding Viscious film directors took to the podium to discuss the topic of POWER.

At each fastBREAK session, on the last Friday of each month, five sharp young industry leaders from various sectors tackle big questions and topics with five-minute responses around themes of creativity, commercialisation, collaboration, connections and conversation.

Innovation is the staple of the fastBREAK menu.

The subject for discussion this time was POWER. Ant took to the stage in front of 100 or so creative minds to discuss power and how it translates, effects and drives his work.



Be sure to check out the vibewire series each month and stay up-to-date with latest news here


Teall Barnes - Marketing Director

An Incubator for Creative Minds

Last night the Viscious team got along to Film Incubator at the Oxford Arts Factory.

The night was a sell-out with capacity crowds and plenty of networking to be had!

Fashion Future made a impressive showing with their glamourous models striking some incredible poses to keep the crowd on their toes.

The Australian Cinematographers Society was also in full force showcasing the 2010 Award winners.

Film Incubator is a film market and licensing expo. It is a great event to meet people from the film, fashion, media and creative industries to explore new ventures and source creative talent.

The Organiser's did a top job on the night with live entertainment and hungry creatives mingling in sleek and electric surrounds.

Viscious Kitty

The Viscious team collaborated with Australian Fashion Designer Kit Willow to create this video showcasing her latest designs.

Six weeks shy of giving birth to her second baby, Kit Willow is sitting this New York fashion week out. Instead, she’s showcasing her collection first on Style.com with Lady Into Cat, a Sharif Hamza-directed, Laura Holmes Produced, Stefan Duscio DOP'd and Viscious production starring two fellow Aussies, the beautiful Emma Balfour and a wild cat to which they fed multiple chickens to get these shots.

This wild cat was the only demanding talent on set. The Director and DOP had to close off the set to capture the striking cat shots, allowing the model to safely interact with the wild cat and produce some stunning footage.

To see Willow's complete Spring 2011collection online visit her website http://www.willowltd.com

England & France

Some old travel pics
Photos - Ant

MOVIE - Stone

Did the late, great Heath Ledger borrow his classic line used in Dog Town: "Wear them with pride, man" from this classic Australian film?

Viscious bites into some Youngbloods

The Viscious collective headed down to Tattlers in Sydney's bustling Kings Cross on Thursday 12th August.
The occasion - the NSW Youngbloods winter party.

There were plenty of red wines, beers and tequila shots flowing which only made our humanly intake of vitamin water between chosen poisons sky rocket!

Although we were unlucky enough to not even get a look into the lucky door prize we were lucky enough to spin the vitamin Water prize wheel and bring up trumps with a case of vitamin water and some funky speakers.

In true Sydney style we ran into some familiar faces and managed to get the party started. Let's just say friday morning was a slow morning although vitamin water did soften the blow.... perhaps they should be endorsing us for this blog entry??

If you're wondering what Youngbloods is and what they do? well they're a body for young people (under 10 years advertising experience) in the advertising industry. They aim is to provide opportunities for young people to learn from business leaders, network with their peers and have a say on industry issues and future direction, all while supporting other young people though Australian charity 'Reach Out'.


Check out further details at http://www.communicationscouncil.org.au/public/content/ViewCategory.aspx?id=561