It seems that with Anthill moving away from its print origins, the mainstream print media has become less coy about including Anthill activities as part of newspaper content.
This weekend, Anthill made its News Ltd debut, appearing in the Herald Sun and its various ‘sister’ publications throughout our great nation. (It only took five years!)
So, following a week of critical opinion pieces on the establishment of a Commonwealth Commercialisation Institute and serious discussions over the loss of Australian-made IP to foreign owners, what thoughtful, probing item might you expect the News Ltd family to isolate for syndication?
The Top 10 Greatest Australian Commercials Ever, of course!
According to the Herald Sun:
“Australia’s TV ad kings have shown a knack for coming up with clever jingles, classic catchphrases, absurd plot lines and visual and sound feasts. Marketing website Anthill Magazine has put together a best of the best.”
I wasn’t aware that we are a ‘marketing website’? And there is something odd about a ‘website’ called a ‘magazine’.
We can’t obviously be critical of the coverage. As they say, any publicity is good publicity (except when it isn’t).
Plus, the coverage prompted Today Tonight to give us a call. (You can see me in all my ill-prepared glory at 6:30pm tonight.)
Despite the good exposure, the most valuable outcome, from our perspective, from these events is that they have forced us to start practising what we preach and get some clarity around our own branding.
This afternoon, the Anthill crew will be leaving early for another ‘strategy session’. However, if anyone else (dear readers) wants to have a crack at defining what Anthill now is, we’re all eyes, ears and antenna.
Can we be a ‘magazine’ without a regular print product? Are we a community, a channel, a media outlet? Perhaps we’re something else yet again?
If you have any views, we’re keen to hear them.
In fact, I’m willing to stump up a prize (yet to be determined… book or DVD perhaps?) for any tagline or description that we end up using.
Richard Wraith said on August 31, 2009
James, some random ideas:
* The Innovators Lightning Rod
* Aussie Entrepreneurs eZine
* The Start-ups Sage
* The Developers Diamond
Whatever the tag line, Anthill is a rare but very valuable commodity in Australia and deserves the attention you seem to finally be getting. The innovation community in Australia needs gathering point for news, views and an exchange of ideas and one that can shout loudly for us and Anthill seems to be doing an increasingly good job of doing that.
Aleem said on August 31, 2009
Don't buckle!
Why aren't you a magazine?
Do magazines cease to exist becuause they aren't printed? I don't think so.
A few of my magazine subscriptions are online.
Magazine means "storehouse of information"...
B.B. said on August 31, 2009
Why the questions? I always describe it like this -
Anthill - the online magazine for developing business
Antonio said on August 31, 2009
The fact you don't know what you ARE is probably a good thing.
Understanding, or thinking in terms of, what you DO and what value you do/can create will expand your views much better.
Clare Lancaster said on August 31, 2009
I don't think you have to be print to be a Magazine.
I think you're an online magazine with a thriving community that encourages interaction.
Lesley-Ann said on August 31, 2009
If it helps, I describe Anthill to my clients as the place to look for what's gonna happen next. As opposed to other prominent SME websites/magazines that mostly report and commentate on what already 'has' happened.
Entrepreneurs need your 'eyes on the horizon' approach. As necessary and functional as it may be - all the day in day out, engine room of business type stuff that's covered elsewhere is all a bit ho-hum to the entrepreneur in my experience. So perhaps you are a marketing site, only your product is entrepreneurship? Anyway, just thinking aloud.
James - I've also got 3 promo copies of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowicz if you want to add them to the prizes on offer. Be happy to mail them down - couldn't miss the opportunity
James Tuckerman said on September 1, 2009
Hilarious title! Please send them through (with soft copy of cover image) and we'll run them as a prize.
webguru said on August 31, 2009
My guess is they call you "marketing website" as any publicity for a magazine would actually promote a competition to their own printed products. People might even figure that there is a magazine not publishd by News Ltd
Peter Clutton said on September 1, 2009
I think Anthill is essentially a "meeting, listening and networking" point for people and businesses involved in innovation seeking information, communication and inspiration.
For someone who provides that,maybe the Anthill 'tag' should be ...the BRAIN of innovation". (Business Review And Innovation Network)
Whatever it is .. keep doing it.