Description http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx Fri, 18 May 2012 15:00:00 Fri, 18 May 2012 15:00:00 Danielle Ollett http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/may/stacking-up!.aspx Over the last few months RADAR has been working hard on a ‘co-contribution’ campaign for REST Industry Super, which will educate members on the benefits of the government co-contribution. The government co-contribution initiative is designed to help people earning under $61,920 a year save more money for their retirement, by matching after-tax contributions dollar for dollar up to $1,000 – tax free!   RADAR came up with the mouth-watering idea of using pancakes to show how your super can stack up with the headline “Sweeten your super”. Every time I worked on the creative I had a strong craving for pancakes, so strong I had to get my fiancée to make me some every couple of weeks! We developed online banners, EDMs, and a DM self-mailer, to direct members to the landing page for more information. We also designed posters and flyers for workplaces which also tied in to the pancake creative. I particularly love the DM mail out which unfolds to show the pancakes stacking up and the online landing page gradually increases the amount of pancakes to keep within the theme. The campaign is about to launch and looks amazing. Well done team! View the website here http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/may/stacking-up!.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/may/stacking-up!.aspx Fri, 18 May 2012 15:00:00 Sionen Cant http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/may/perpetual-women’s-insurance-forum-brings-back-some-balance.aspx Perpetual Private recently engaged RADAR to design an overarching concept and event material for their Women’s Insurance Forum. The event was targeted at professional working women and helping them assess whether they were at risk from underinsurance. With Mia Freedman booked as the keynote speaker it was set to bring a fresh and female perspective to a fairly dry topic.  RADAR developed the idea of “Protecting Life’s Balance” as the central theme.  We felt that busy women balancing their work, family and social life could relate to this idea and would want to protect themselves from vulnerability.  We also discovered that it’s more important than ever to make sure that there is an effective safety net in place in case things don’t go to plan. The event collateral rolled out to a wide range of applications including, high-end printed invitations, website, eDM and mobile site. This was a great opportunity to showcase not only Perpetual’s new branding and visual identity, but also explore RADAR’s digital capabilities utilising the online RSVP and mobile site. The event was booked out across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and was a resounding success! Some of the RADAR crew were lucky enough to attend and went along to the exclusive Ivy Room to experience the event first hand. It was really inspiring to see Mia Freedman talk confidently and effortlessly in front a big crowd, and provided lots of food for thought on life insurance. Here are a few snapshots from the day as well as the event creative! http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/may/perpetual-women’s-insurance-forum-brings-back-some-balance.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/may/perpetual-women’s-insurance-forum-brings-back-some-balance.aspx Tue, 01 May 2012 10:10:00 Sarah Gazzo http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/sweet-treat-thursday-lee's-chocolate-orange-eclairs.aspx Another outstanding treat from our very own! I think Thursday is quickly becoming my favourite day of the week! :) http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/sweet-treat-thursday-lee's-chocolate-orange-eclairs.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/sweet-treat-thursday-lee's-chocolate-orange-eclairs.aspx Thu, 19 April 2012 09:26:00 Reece Lawson http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/someplace,-somewhere,-somedays….aspx Based online and in store Melbourne and Sydney – Someplace, Somewhere and Somedays sells 'nice things, in a nice space to nice people' or so the motto goes. As well as providing great threads, the stores also showcase emerging artists with ever-changing gallery exhibitions. Currently showing at Somewhere (Melbourne) is work by local artist Marcus James Carne – an impressive exploration of media and techniques. So cool cats, get yourself online http://someplace.com.au/ or in store! http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/someplace,-somewhere,-somedays….aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/someplace,-somewhere,-somedays….aspx Wed, 18 April 2012 09:35:00 Sarah Gazzo http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/sweet-treat-thursday-adrian's-coles-resembling-muffins!.aspx Expecting an 'Epic RADAR Bake Off' this morning we were presented with one batch of treats from only one participant. Luckily, these treats were moist, flavoursome, and in the plentiful! So we soon forgot about the other missing batch. Funny though, it resembled the blueberry muffin I devoured last week from....COLES! Hmmm... http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/sweet-treat-thursday-adrian's-coles-resembling-muffins!.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/sweet-treat-thursday-adrian's-coles-resembling-muffins!.aspx Thu, 12 April 2012 10:18:00 Ashley Seddon http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/art-express-2012.aspx Art is something that is objective to most people. When you think of the term ‘Art’ what exactly do you think of? Do you instantly think of an oil painting? Perhaps an original Monet or Van Gogh masterpiece?  Or do you consider something like Patricia Piccinini’s ‘Prone’ sculpture to be that of a true artiste? Art Express is shown annually at the Art Gallery of NSW and showcases an array of extremely talented youngins (year 12 students) from schools all over the state. The talent here is rawer than the salmon you find in your bento box and is absolutely brimming with some of the most awe inspiring collection of works you’ve ever seen. It’s amazing how these young adults conceptualise their most inner thoughts and feelings through the use of sculpture, photo media, paint, ink, wood and every other kind of material imaginable. My pick of the day was an intricate sculpture by Grace Moylan, built entirely of tiny objects or ‘kit’ pieces which formed her interpretation of her medical condition; Narcolepsy. “This work is a reflection of my state of wakefulness during the day as a result of my medical condition, narcolepsy. It expresses the emotional turmoil in my transition from dreaming to waking as my subconscious mind interacts with my conscious mind. Found and created objects are used in varying scale to juxtapose the conscious and subconscious mind. My artmaking practice draws upon the work of Kris Kuksi and his 'kit-bashing’ technique in which parts of a model kit are not used for their intended purpose”.  Grace Moylan. Crestwood High School (My old high school… and no I’m not being biased!) I can’t image the blood, sweat and tears (not to mention the countless red-bull fuels hours working on school nights) that these kids, or more fittingly ‘young adults’ have dedicated to their works. These artists are the Brett Whiteleys and Andy Warhols of our generation. So if you have a chance, get down to the Gallery of NSW and take a look to see just how talented they truly are. For more info check out:  http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/artexpress-2012/ http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/art-express-2012.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/art-express-2012.aspx Wed, 11 April 2012 09:23:00 Sarah Gazzo http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/epic-bake-off!.aspx So, the staff member that was rostered on to bake something this week has shown up empty handed! And here at RADAR we don't take an absence of treats on Sweet Treat Thursday too well! This calls for an EPIC RADAR KITCHEN BATTLE! Stay tuned for the battle next week! In the meantime, check out these cool Easter themed treats! I think they're too cute to eat!  Happy Easter! :) http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/epic-bake-off!.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/april/epic-bake-off!.aspx Thu, 05 April 2012 10:08:00 Sarah Gazzo http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-patty's-choc-chip-banana-cupcakes.aspx Wow. These cupcakes were amazing! I might grab a second! The banana included makes it healthy...right? http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-patty's-choc-chip-banana-cupcakes.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-patty's-choc-chip-banana-cupcakes.aspx Thu, 29 March 2012 09:08:00 Helene Doukas http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/what-makes-a-marketing-campaign-successful.aspx When you procrastinate online, you come across some interesting bits and pieces. Last week I found an article (written by someone really important whose name I can’t find), who put it so simply – the top 10 ‘musts’ of a marketing campaign: Noticeable Insight-based Memorable Branded Campaignable Differentiated Motivating Ethical Financially sustainable Integrated It’s such an obvious list, and it’s something that we subconsciously adhere to everyday when working on an integrated campaign. It’s easy to get lost in the daily ins and outs of managing a campaign, but its always nice to come back to why, how, who and all those other ‘w’ words that fill in the gaps. My curiosity got the better of me, so I wanted to see what Google thought was the most successful campaign in history. Several sources pointed me to Volkswagen’s “Think Small” 1959 campaign.  Aimed at Americans, VW  wanted to highlight the benefits of having a small car at a time where American’s were being persuaded to think ‘big’. With a  direct and honest tone, and a lot of white space the campaign is still considered one of the most successful of our time. I think it’s safe to say it checks all the boxes above. I’m definitely not taking credit for the above list, but I have stuck it on my wall – sometimes it’s just nice to go back to the basics and remember why we do what we do. Happy campaigning! http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/what-makes-a-marketing-campaign-successful.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/what-makes-a-marketing-campaign-successful.aspx Wed, 28 March 2012 09:35:00 Ashley Seddon http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/club-med-app-launches-in-australia!.aspx A message to all you Apple addicts out there! RADAR is excited to announce that Club Med’s shiny new app has been launched in Australia! To celebrate the launch down under, Club Med is hosting a competition where you can tell them ‘your dream escape’ in 25 words or less and be in the draw to WIN $7,000 towards your next sun-soaked, fun-filled, all-inclusive Club Med holiday! I’ll have me one of those thanks! And that’s not all folks, enter the competition and you’ll instantly win a FREE night at one of their Asia Pacific resorts. Download to your iPhone or iPad (or if you’re a hardcore apple addict – both!) and start planning your next escape at one of their 80 resorts worldwide. So come on, get ‘appy! VISIT THE SITE & ENTER NOW http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/club-med-app-launches-in-australia!.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/club-med-app-launches-in-australia!.aspx Fri, 23 March 2012 09:19:00 Sarah Gazzo http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-emma's-caramel-lolly-pop-corn-sticks.aspx Emma adds a bit of 'pop' to our Thursday morning coffees! :) http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-emma's-caramel-lolly-pop-corn-sticks.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-emma's-caramel-lolly-pop-corn-sticks.aspx Thu, 22 March 2012 09:22:00 Danielle Ollett http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/can-you-find-the-golden-bunny.aspx Easter is approaching fast, chocolate eggs and bunnies are already hitting the shops and tempting all of us. I’ve been keeping my eye out for exciting new campaigns and have come across Lindt Chocolates’ new ‘find the golden bunny’ campaign. It’s a stunning illustrated map inspired by Where's Wally, which is full of interesting characters, 300 lindor eggs, 494 bugs and bees. And the objective - find the hidden golden bunny to win. They’ll also be donating $1 for the first 20,000 registered users to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Have a go at http://goldbunny.com.au/ The 855 hours of work to create it hasn’t gone un-noticed! http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/can-you-find-the-golden-bunny.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/can-you-find-the-golden-bunny.aspx Wed, 21 March 2012 10:44:00 Sarah Gazzo http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-ashleys.aspx These babies were off the plate within seconds! http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-ashleys.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-ashleys.aspx Thu, 15 March 2012 11:25:00 Patrick Nuijten http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/are-we-missing-something.aspx So you walk five days a week through Surry Hills to work. You pass boutiques, gourmet cafes and well-known restaurants…but do you actually notice them? I’m always bewildered by Sydney visitors who discover new and trendy spots along Crown Street. And even more surprised when they introduce me, a Surry Hills local , to a new wine bar somewhere in a laneway you wouldn’t even imagine walking through. Do we fail to see the real beauty of our own area simply because we are in the middle of it - every day? At RADAR we could spend hours flipping through countless design books or infusing ourselves in the latest online blogs to get inspired. But my new philosophy is: Walk outside and see what gems are literally around the corner waiting to be discovered! It’s such a great feeling that the Surry Hills community feeds off each other’s creativity. And here at RADAR, we’re happy to do our bit! Not sure where to start your encounter in Surry Hills? Try  http://urbanwalkabout.com/surryhills/ http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/are-we-missing-something.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/are-we-missing-something.aspx Wed, 14 March 2012 10:47:00 Sarah Gazzo http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-helene's-mars-bar-slices.aspx Helene delivers us a heavenly chocolate treat. Yum! http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-helene's-mars-bar-slices.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/sweet-treat-thursday-helene's-mars-bar-slices.aspx Thu, 08 March 2012 09:54:00 Lee Newton http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/the-circus-comes-to-town.aspx And so the time of year approaches when ‘Circus’, the 'Festival of Commercial Creativity' comes to town. The three-day Sydney festival highlights and celebrates the very best in commercial creativity and brings together a host of high profile keynote speakers sharing insights into market trends, changing consumer behaviours and emerging technologies in our industry. Taking a quick peek at the list of keynote speakers, it looks set to be an interesting, educational and most importantly inspiring three days for all who attend. Check out the Circus Festival website for full information and bios on this year's speakers to see what is in store. http://www.circusfestival.com.au/ http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/the-circus-comes-to-town.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/the-circus-comes-to-town.aspx Wed, 07 March 2012 12:27:00 Ashley Seddon http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/are-ya-achin’-for-some-bakin’.aspx Sweet treat Thursdays at RADAR are sure to tantalize even the sweetest of teeth! With an office brimming with avid bakers, we decided to take advantage of this and assigned each staff member a week to showcase their sugary delights. Pair this with a piping hot brew to wet our whistles and our Thursday mornings are off to a sweet start! Sarah kicks off this week with her Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry icing and crumbled Oreos. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/are-ya-achin’-for-some-bakin’.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/march/are-ya-achin’-for-some-bakin’.aspx Thu, 01 March 2012 08:58:00 Sionen Cant http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/february/a-renaissance-with-canberra.aspx The National Gallery of Australia is currently hosting an exhibition of Renaissance paintings from the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, which is closed for renovations. They have never lent so many Renaissance works outside Europe before let alone as far away as Australia!   So to have the chance to see it is a real treat. The exhibition promised painting from Masters including Raphael and Botticelli and did not disappoint.   Renaissance gives a glimpse into the 15th and 16th-century flowering of Italian art that would otherwise require an airfare to Europe to see. Among the 70 paintings are Raphael's St Sebastian, Botticelli's The Story of Virginia the Roman and Titian's Madonna and Child. The exhibition also includes altarpieces and domestic paintings. While there is no Michelangelo or Leonardo, the exhibition is a roll-call of great artists from the 15th and 16th centuries, including Giovanni Bellini, Mantegna, Lotto and Carpaccio.   It’s an inspiring and educational walk through the world of art history covering the end of the gothic period, through the invention of oil paints and perspective in painting. It’s interesting to see how emotive and relevant these paintings still are today.   The exhibition is showing at the National Gallery of Canberra until the 9th of April and is really worth the trip! http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/february/a-renaissance-with-canberra.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/february/a-renaissance-with-canberra.aspx Wed, 15 February 2012 17:19:00 Reece Lawson http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/february/byron,-beer-and-beastman.aspx Could you possibly ask for any more? Art Park gallery in Byron Bay played host to such an event where Sydney based artist 'Beastman' painted live and showcased his brilliance in capturing 'beastlike' yet beautiful artwork. Such depth and detail was created through smooth, organic and symmetrical lines with a limited colour palette. Check out beastman.com.au/ for inspiration and details. Also on show was the locally brewed 'Stone & Wood' beer which was a great compliment to the live gallery! Thanks to Craig and the team at Art Park for their hospitality. Check theartpark.com.au for upcoming events as well as amazing art zines and clothing. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/february/byron,-beer-and-beastman.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/february/byron,-beer-and-beastman.aspx Thu, 23 February 2012 17:11:00 Ashley Seddon http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/january/club-med.aspx Ever sat at your desk and looked out the window and dreamt of turquoise blue seas, spans of white sand and lapping up a few cheeky cocktails on an idyllic island paradise? I know we have! With Club Med’s new iPhone app soon to be available in Australia, you can daydream away about your next holiday and plot out where the best 18 holes are in Bali or where to score the best sunbed in Cancun. RADAR will be onboard to help with the launch of the app down under and entice all you eager holiday goers to jet off to one of their world wide resorts. Keep your eyes peeled for this on this one the app store over the next few weeks. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/january/club-med.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/january/club-med.aspx Mon, 16 January 2012 09:57:00 Reece Lawson http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/january/anyone-can-doodle.aspx RADAR says 'Pictionary is genius!' The exhilaration and pressure, the simplicity and the strategy… Your drawing skills could well be lackluster, but it is the visual communication that is key. I wonder how the 'creative' studio would fair against our 'clever' accounts team? Oh, can you guess what Lee, our Senior Creative has sketched up here? I believe he's gone all Mr. Squiggle on us so you might want to view upside-down-upside-down. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/january/anyone-can-doodle.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2012/january/anyone-can-doodle.aspx Wed, 18 January 2012 14:48:00 http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/king-kyle.aspx More and more we’ve seen the power and influence of public opinion on the way Brand’s behave. Tweeting, status updating, ‘liking’ and blogging by brands and consumers alike have meant the gap between the two are closing. While this has meant the brand and target can engage in a more intimate dialogue to derive unique consumer insights and instant campaign measurability, recent PR Twitterstorms have shown the implications of instantaneous and freely-flowing conversations between brand and audience. Take the recent public backlash against Kyle Sandilands’ slagging of reporter, Sarah Stevenson. This incident didn’t cause uproar because it was out-of-character, in fact it was completely on-brand for Kyle. Compared to some of his comments in the past there was no reason why his comments couldn’t have been forgotten after the chorus of the next song. However, the key differentiator in this episode was Twitter. As Tim Burrowes (mumbrella.com.au) so interestingly surmised: ‘If Twitter hadn’t allowed the public instant feedback to the show, Stephenson never would have written that story, without social media, information wouldn’t be shared that quickly and the blow torch would not have been applied as quickly and aggressively as it was onto the sponsors.’ When pressure came from campaigners bombarding Australia’s top brands to pull advertising from Austereo until Kyle was dumped, a deluge of big-name brands responded and demonstrated their ‘brand integrity’ by cancelling advertising with 2dayFM. By doing so they seemingly contradicted the very brand values they aligned themselves with by initially sponsoring the program. Could it be that we have undervalued the power of the tweeting demographic in determining the values of a brand? http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/king-kyle.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/king-kyle.aspx Thu, 01 December 2011 15:25:00 http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/do-you-really-want-to-know-my-name.aspx There is a certain obsession with anonymity in recent years that has led to a new trend online – the anonymous blogger. There is an obvious plus side to this – saying whatever, however, to whoever - without the concerns of a future employee, old school friend or even parents reading it. But is that a good thing? Unfortunately there’s been a recent backlash to anonymous blogging, due to an ongoing battle between industry leaders and smaller minority groups. These smaller groups, most likely on the inside of the advertising/marketing industry, write insulting, ruthless and at times heavily emotional comments usually at the expense of their competition.  The irony is that anonymous bloggers are now turning off their “hide my identity” button to participate in the debate. The Communications Council got the ball rolling by starting the conversation on anonymous blogging and trying to ban trade press from publishing such comments. The argument is that perhaps rather than banning, we should moderate what is considered appropriate or even enforce a type of registration. From a personal point of view, I think I sit on the fence on this issue. The argument of free speech is an obvious but boring one. More importantly I see it like this – if I asked for someone’s opinion (face to face) on a recent ad campaign that I worked on and they didn’t like it, it’s unlikely they would curse and shout profanities. So why do it online? From a professional point of view I think the more people who do it anonymously, the less credible each unconstructive comment becomes. So there aren’t any winners because the commentators are left anonymous and useless and those who the comments are directed to are left aggravated and annoyed. So what’s the outcome? I think there is a lot of work to do to find a happy medium between healthy constructive opinions and low blows to the competition. However the recent trend in the media appears to be pro-anonymous blogging. Let’s look at it this way – Julian Assange has a lot of supporters, especially within our industry, but where would he be if it wasn’t for his “anonymous” helpers? http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/do-you-really-want-to-know-my-name.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/do-you-really-want-to-know-my-name.aspx Tue, 06 December 2011 10:55:00 http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/death-by-design.aspx In case you're wondering, its a skull, covered in lady beetles, with a bird in its mouth. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/death-by-design.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/death-by-design.aspx Wed, 07 December 2011 15:06:00 http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/mona.aspx At RADAR we love EOFY. Not only for the pleasant surprise of a tax return (yay to unplanned savings) but also because it’s one of our biggest events on the RADAR social calendar. Like the X Factor, each year we try and make it bigger and better and with more surprises and twists than the year before. Last year we went to Byron Bay for a lazy seaside overnight break, which can be summarised in three words: dreadlocks, lighthouses and late night kebabs. This year, we wanted to do something totally different. So we went to Tasmania. Before you snicker sheepishly and ask if we visited the inbred bakery, let me tell you that Tasmania boasts something that none of our other states have: The Mona. If you haven’t heard about the MONA (museum of old and new art) – let me put it in a nutshell. Guy makes a mint from Casinos, has more money than he can spend so develops a thing for art, finds himself a pretty cool cliff-face in Tasmania, builds a forward-thinking gallery and makes it free for the public. No biggie. Fast forward taxi’s, magazine swaps on the planes, cheese and crackers, and another taxi headed deeper and deeper into dark clouds and we’re there. On first impression, the museum looks like an odd piece of architecture on a putt putt course on a cliff by the sea – not your traditional art gallery in a busy city centre. This set the theme for the whole experience: expect the unexpected. On arrival we’re handed touch-ipods to enable a sensory experience of all of the artworks inside: the ipod contained artist statements, auditory soundtracks, additional pictures and artists biographies. It even allowed you to ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ the artwork and then showed each artwork’s popularity based on these ratings. The interior of the museum is like a labyrinth. It’s dark, underground and seems to defy order – there’s no set direction or even defined levels. It could be the setting for Alice in Wonderland. We spent over 3 hours in there and still didn’t see everything. The artwork, photography, sculptures, installations, assemblages and video/audio expressions were curated with the underline theme of death and sex. A visual depiction of what we avoid and what we pursue. Although this sounds slightly dismissive, it was quite powerful and thought provoking. Most importantly, it made us think. You can see from the pictures what was inside but keywords describing what we saw include raining words, videos of self-mutilation, vaginas, mummies and found objects. It was cold, smelly, loud, quiet, busy, empty and felt like a black whole: time didn’t exist. After wondering around the gallery and casually bumping into our Director while he was admiring the mechanical faeces demonstration, we finished off the day in the very classy bar. Most of us kept our minds and mouths busy by guzzling a few too-many vino’s and some expensive cheese – perhaps to ease the awkwardness we all felt from what we just saw. Overall, it was an amazing experience and somewhere we definitely recommend you visit – even if it’s just for the vagina soap sculptures. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/mona.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/december/mona.aspx Wed, 14 December 2011 00:00:00 Helene http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/november/radar-loves.aspx We love our neighbourhood of Surry Hills! If it isn’t the eccentric fashion, quirky shops and famous restaurants that draw people in, then it’s definitely the galleries, street art and all round bohemian-amazing-ness that enthralls us. We spotted this cool graf the other day and HAD to share it. Whoever did this I wish to shake your hand, your anonymous brilliance has seriously impressed us all. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/november/radar-loves.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/november/radar-loves.aspx Wed, 30 November 2011 09:00:00 http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/november/here-we-go-again.aspx The race that stops a nation well and truly hit RADAR this year, beginning with an impromptu appearance from Channel 7’s cameras who came in to film our team drawing our $5 sweep. The fillies were dressed to the 9’s in gorgeous frocks and fascinators. The men all donned a suit and in true tradition, a yellow rose buttoner. Our stylish team were chauffeured to Woolloomooloo wharf where we dined in style at Manta Seafood Restaurant. A glass of French champagne commenced the day’s activities and our table was in front row to the big screen action. Those of us with the favourites from the sweep feeling very chuffed with our selection. For those that weren’t so lucky in the office sweep TAB slips were on our table for the once-a-year punters and the restaurant even lined up at the TAB to place the bets (we were late so Helene frantically chased and just crossed the line in getting these in – in record time). When it came time for the actual race it was loud screams and roars (from the usual suspects) until the finish line. Then the wharf went silent. For what seemed like hours, everyone was on edge - no one knew whether to throw their tickets or go running to the bar… a dead heat was on the cards. In the end it was a day for the bookies, Andrew and Adrian held the flag for winners being grinners even though no one came out in front in the RADAR crew. The team at RADAR bonded in their loss and continued on to the Tilbury where cocktails were consumed until it was time to call it a night (or afternoon for some). http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/november/here-we-go-again.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/november/here-we-go-again.aspx Wed, 02 November 2011 15:46:00 http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/september/mobile-consumer-evolution-australia.aspx Google interviewed over 30,000 people to survey the impact of smartphones on consumers in 30 countries. Here is some of what we discovered about Australia. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/september/mobile-consumer-evolution-australia.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/september/mobile-consumer-evolution-australia.aspx Mon, 12 September 2011 10:41:00 Daria http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/march/work-with-bite.aspx As the old saying goes, if you want really want to get people’s attention give them free food. So that’s exactly what we did. To promote CBA’s internal sweet treat for their staff ($0 annual fee on credit cards) we designed a custom-made chocolate bar wrapper. Our clever designers dreamed up a world made of chocolate and created this one-off CBA-branded chocolate bar so CBA staff could truly put money where their mouth is. It goes without saying that we weren’t short of staff willing to try these samples. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/march/work-with-bite.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/march/work-with-bite.aspx Tue, 15 March 2011 15:08:00 Daria http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/january/radar-loves.aspx Here at RADAR we decided to celebrate the Bank Holiday by eating. Perfect. Almost everyone contributed a plate of food, some even going as far as making their own ice-cream or buying up big at our favourite Christopher’s cake shop. Honorary mentions go out to Katie-Jane and the salmon sandwich trio. It was a fab idea and a great way to celebrate the phones not ringing off the hook for once. http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/january/radar-loves.aspx http://www.radarsydney.com/blog.aspx/blog/2011/january/radar-loves.aspx Sat, 01 January 2011 00:00:00