Author: Alan Fitzpatrick

Playing on the public mind

The messages presented to us as we move through public spaces have traditionally conformed to certain semiotic norms and clearly demarcated spaces. A revolving tram shelter ad from a travel agent tells me I need a holiday on a tropical beach; a glowing sign suspended above a shop window claims I won’t find better dumplings; spray-painted nicknames and slogans jostle for space on a laneway wall.

Thoughts to live by

Thought leadership is a term that’s been overused to the point that our eyes may glaze over when we hear it, but we shouldn’t write it off yet. These days, stakeholders are increasingly looking to corporate leaders and business to have a strong position on issues that matter to the community

Information served with a smile

When it comes to consuming information we’ve never been so hungry, or so overfed. This voracity is matched only by the creativity of the packaging. For example what would you call what you’re reading now – a post, an article, a feature, a commentary, an essay or a story? What kind of mental container would you put it in?

The rising tide of gender equality

Last month, I attended Breakthrough, a two-day conference held by the Victorian Women’s Trust exploring issues of gender equality. This was the largest gender equality conference in Australia’s history with more than 100 speakers, and it delivered big ideas, leading thinkers and passionate change-makers, as promised.

What’s in a name?

Our name is who we are. It's a simple truth, but the art of naming or renaming an organisation is one of the more esoteric aspects of branding. Names dutifully carry the weight of meaning bestowed by their creators while bearing the extra load of words and actions that they become associated with.

The art and science of communicating with multicultural Victorians

It’s well understood that the key elements in any communications campaign are the audience, the message and the medium. While the same elements will guide decisions when communicating with multicultural communities, the complexity lies in the critical order of priority.

Video: the medium that moves with the times

A Cisco white paper predicts that by 2019, 80 per cent of all internet traffic will be video content. According to the paper, videos made up 64 per cent of internet traffic in 2014. By 2019 online video content will have increased by 16 per cent in just five years.

‘Sweet Kills’ – inducing fear or temptation?

The theme for this year’s World Health Day is ‘Beat Diabetes’. According to the World Health Organisation, diabetes is expected to be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030 unless lifestyles change significantly in the meantime.

The changing face of language

Language can almost be considered an organism because it is always changing. The evolution of mobile phones into smartphones has revolutionised the way we communicate in the 21st century. Using pictorial symbols for words or phrases has become second nature to new generations, with emojis centre-stage as the latest tech-driven leap in human expression

Diabetes care – can you prescribe cultural sensitivity?

We don’t think so, but we’re convinced that much could be done to share cultural knowledge among health professionals who work with people from diabetes from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.