Judging the big hitters: Faming and shaming how parents and children are targeted by advertising

On November 27, 2013   /   Marketing and advertising   /   Leave a comment
Judging the big hitters: Faming and shaming how parents and children are targeted by advertising

I like to think of myself as reasonably media literate with a pretty good bullsh!t detector for marketing ploys.  I mean, I have a Master of Public Health and I watch the Gruen Transfer every week, that pretty much makes me an expert right? This year I was honoured to be invited on the judging panel of The Parents’ Jury Fame and Shame Awards.  I have followed the Fame and Shame Awards for several years, voted and keenly interested in the ‘winners’.  I also refer to the apps nominated in the ‘Digital Ninja’ category as the very reason health promotion

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A new meaning to ‘going viral’ in public health and health promotion

On August 1, 2013   /   Social media   /   Leave a comment

At one of my first speaking engagements on social media and health promotion I was asked this question: So, how can we make something go viral? Even the concept of making something go viral makes me chuckle when thinking about social media and health promotion as previously working in the blood borne virus field we were trying so hard to not make viruses, er, go viral.  Geeky virus joke. Sorry. Back to the question: “How can we make something go viral?” This person worked in local community setting, that is, in. a particular geographical area.  She was organising a local

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Report from the 2013 Australian Health Promotion Association Conference

On July 4, 2013   /   Health promotion   /   Leave a comment

Without a doubt it is a tough time to be a health promoter in Australia.  Several states have severely cut their workforces.  Following reviews in SA Health, my entire work unit including my position has been lost.  It stings. For this reason, it is crucial to keep professional practice and networking alive.  The Australian Health Promotion Association 2013 Conference brought together 450 health promotion professionals from across sectors to discuss, debate and stimulate action on contemporary health promotion issues. This conference had a strong focus on workplaces, early childhood settings, schools, and community-based interventions.  This is reflective of where the

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What health promotion can learn from GovHack

On June 30, 2013   /   Open data   /   Leave a comment

The Zockmelon team are big fans of The Apprentice UK, the version with the gruff-but-with-a-heart-of-gold Lord Alan Sugar. On the reality show, contestants work in teams bickering and sorting out their pecking orders in order to achieve something that would normally take months of work in an ordinary business environment. The closest thing to this for us was Unleashed Adelaide, the South Australian event for GovHack 2013. We had under 48 hours to complete a technical solution (such as an app or website) using data ‘unleashed’ by Government departments. However, GovHack represents far more than a competition. For people working

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How Zockmelon was born

On May 5, 2013   /   Health promotion   /   3 Comments
How Zockmelon was born

Imagine a leisurely drive through the winding Adelaide Hills in Autumn.  A couple chatting together with no distractions, as their baby sleeps peacefully in the back seat.  This was the scene when James and I first started talking about how much potential there was for apps to be used in health promotion and public health. Granted, not all couples would have conversations like this.  But this was a conversation between a health promotion practitioner and a software developer.   I imagine the conversations between a butcher and a teacher, or an artist and a mechanic would be quite different.  I digress.

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