Broede Carmody 22 July 2015 SmartCompany Dettol is Australia’s most trusted brand, according to a survey conducted by Reader’s Digest. Long-established companies such as Colgate, Dyson and Panadol also topped this year’s list of brands Australians associate with premium quality and affordability. Aussie consumers also place a lot of trust in their tea, with both Twinings and Lipton coming in as the ninth and tenth most trusted brands. Independent brand analyst Michel Hogan told SmartCompany all the companies on this year’s list make products and are not services based. “We really trust stuff we can hold in our hands, but we don’t trust people or the people that sell them,” Hogan says. “That’s the really interesting thing for me. What’s going on in Australia with our relationship with companies that provide services that we don’t put them on our trust radar? We trust the colour on our walls and the…

JULY 22, 2015 News.com.au A DISTURBING thing happened in America last week and it parallels a fight bubbling away in Australia too. The US House of Representatives effectively said you can’t ban the sale of bottled water in certain areas. Several major US National Parks introduced a ban on bottled water sales in 2011 in an effort to cut waste. But a body called the International Bottled Water Association wasn’t impressed. Dubbed “Big Water” by the US media, it lobbied for change and on July 7 an amendment was approved that would allow water to be sold in National Parks again. Big Water’s tactics were clever, bordering on very sneaky. It argued National Park visitors could be put at risk of dehydration and would buy more sugary drinks if they couldn’t buy water. Never mind that the National Parks had installed free, fresh water tanks at all major tourist spots.…

Nick Toscano July 23, 2015 The Age National burger chain Grill’d is underpaying hundreds of young workers by hiring staff on compulsory traineeships and outdated employment agreements. An analysis of Grill’d workplace deals across the country shows many employees, often teenagers, are being paid less than the award, the basic wages safety net. It comes as the company is embroiled in a legal dispute with ex-employee Kahlani Pyrah. She alleges she was sacked for challenging the below-award wages at an outlet in Camberwell. Employees at dozens of company-run Australian outlets and franchises that opened before or during the WorkChoices era are paid flat hourly rates with no extra entitlements, meaning their overall pay is often less than the award. Staff members are paid hourly rates of between $9.50 at the age of 16 to $17.70 as adults over 21, which are similar to those in the fast food industry award.…

Andrew Hughes July 23, 2015 The Age Authenticity is just so powerful in marketing right now. The more natural you can make what you do in marketing, the more chance there is the consumer will let down their defences just enough to let that message sink into their memory and change their behaviour. The theory behind this is called the differential threshold or “just noticeable difference” (JND). If the consumer notices the marketing your campaign goes from natural to manufactured very quickly and loses its impact and effectiveness. Similarly if a consumer doesn’t notice the difference, then it’s hello to viral distribution and huge impact and engagement. However creating that natural and authentic feel can be easier said than done. Sometimes it’s through some great design and creative thinking such as that seen recently in the late Neil Lawrence’s Qantas “Feel like home” campaign, or by how we’ve taken to…

Sarah Halzack July 21 The Washington Post After months of testing and tweaking, the e-commerce start-up Jet.com opened its digital storefront on Tuesday, marking the official kickoff of the company’s ambitious effort to battle Amazon and Wal-Mart for budget-conscious customers. Jet is taking a new approach to pricing. Its algorithm doesn’t simply look at the price of each individual item in your online shopping cart. It looks at all the items you want to buy, as well as your Zip code, to determine which retailer or warehouse can ship that unique combination of items to you the cheapest. Shoppers can only buy things on Jet if they’ve signed up for a $49-per-year membership. While there are plenty of nascent e-commerce businesses making lofty pledges to disrupt the shopping landscape, the retail industry and Silicon Valley are watching Jet particularly closely because of the brains and the money behind it. Jet’s…