Mamamia revealed it is shifting its strategy from a “branded house” to a “house of brands” model in 2026 at the NSW State Library on Tuesday.
Media buyers from holding companies and indies are on board with the investments the independent publisher is making in the year ahead, and Mediaweek caught up with several to get their thoughts on the presentation and what stood out to them.
Sharyn Keller
Sharyn Keller, Client Partner at UM, said the biggest selling point for her was Mamamia’s research and deep understanding of its audience base, built over 18 years.
“Mamamia have literally written the rulebook for relevance, creating a playbook for brands to tap into culture, capture attention through connection and foster community.”
She called the publisher’s partnership with Vudoo and investment in video-first content and shoppable ad products “a natural evolution” as they “meet audiences where they are and turn its connections into conversions.”
Keller pointed out the notable absence of Squad, Mamamia’s in-house branded content agency, as the publisher’s partnership with Fabulate appears to signal a new direction for creator partnerships and amplification.
She called the announcements an attractive investment for media buyers as brands look for avenues to stand-out and win attention.
“‘Encore’ sessions open the door for media buyers to leverage Mamamia’s rich audience understanding to engage with audiences authentically, beyond the upfront.
“Growth in social amplification via video-first content and the undisputed influence of women on purchasing decisions deliver a powerful brand-safe proposition.
“Brands that embrace the rules for relevance, or build vibrancy as we call it at UM, in alignment with their brand values, will reap the rewards,” she added.
Sarah Keith
For Sarah Keith, Managing Director of independent media agency Involved Media, the Mamamia upfront was “not your average media presentation.”
“Nat Harvey, Zara Curtis, and Georgie Nicholls brought full TV event energy, fast-paced, high-impact, and loaded with insight.”
Among the key takeaways for Keith was, “Relevance = Culture + Connection + Community (underlined or divided by…not too sure about the maths here) Trust. That’s the formula. Simple, but powerful. Brands that miss the trust factor? Irrelevant.”
She noted that Harvey was clear to define Mamamia as a “house of brands” rather than a branded house. Keith said: “Yes, Mia is still present (e.g. the Mamamia Out Loud podcast segment), but Mamamia has clearly shifted into ecosystem mode. You’re not buying a name; you’re entering a network.”
The Involved Media MD noted that the content is no longer one- dimensional and said: “With formats like Parenting Out Loud and the expansion of The Spill, creators and audiences are building content ecosystems, not just one-off shows.”
Keith said: “Ultimately, women are the economic engine and marketers still underestimate them. Mamamia reaches 7.5M+ women monthly. Her purchasing power? Equivalent to four men. She controls up to 90% of household spend. Ignore her at your brand’s peril.
“Video gets serious and seriously shoppable. Think pods with vods. Think brand-led storytelling where commerce meets culture, especially with Gen Z, by Gen Z.”
“Final thought? This felt more like an AI-age TV upfront than a traditional media pitch. And honestly, that’s exactly what it needed to be.”
Ray Ly
Ray Ly, Business Director at This is Flow, called Mamamia’s presentation a reminder of the publisher’s ability to “re-calibrate and reload their offering every year on their continued quest to connect with Women through” which what he coined “vigorous relevance.”
For Ly, Mamamia nailed the hyper topical nature with its new slate of products but was most excited for the shoppable social video format.
“With their ability to inspire and heavily influence women’s behaviour that’s unrivalled, adding a shop for product capability within the same ecosystem is a through the line experience I’m keen to witness.”
Amy Dascanio
Enigma Media’s Managing Director Amy Dascanio described Mamamia’s upfront solid, intimate and stylish, “but not flashy.”
“They didn’t need to be. By placing trust, relevance, and attention at the core, they reminded me how Mamamia has built a brand for all women.”
Dascanio highlighted the focus on how brands now need to show up differently and embed themselves in the lives of the women in their communities and networks.
She applauded the publisher for backing themselves with its house of brands strategy and called it “a smart move to diversify into new audiences, and double down on what current works well for them.”
Dascanio called the new podcast launches and insights from their State of Women Survey “a particularly powerful statement.”
She also called the Vudoo partnership a highlight and a “natural extension of the brand, rather another forced tech partnership.”
Dascanio also said the content and influencer partnership with Fabulate indicated to her how the publisher is “thinking more holistically around how brands can fit into the Mamamia ecosystem and tap into the trust developed by the brand over the years.”
“It was made very clear, that if women trust you, they’ll buy from you,” she added.
Megan McMurdo
Megan McMurdo, Associate Account Director at Havas Play, called the clear link between content and commerce as the biggest selling point from Mamamia’s presentation.
She called that defined link proof that “influence drives measurable brand growth”
“By positioning themselves as relevant and trusted through culture, community, and connection, they can take listeners from a podcast, straight through to a shoppable experience that converts.”
She called Mamamia’s investment in relevance, by doubling down on diversifying its content, and technology with its Vudoo partnership as attractive in offering reach and results.
“These investments show they’re serious about building a modern performance layer on top of their storytelling strength, something many publishers talk about, but few execute.
“Buyers get trusted, engaged audiences alongside tools that prove ROI, which is exactly what the market is demanding.”
McMurdo said Mamamia is “future-proofing by blending authenticity with measurable outcomes. They’re acknowledging how fragmented attention is, then leaning into formats people already live in (short-form video, podcasts, and social commerce).
“The real test will be seamless integration of these tech offerings, but if they deliver, Mamamia will be one of the few Australian publishers truly bridging storytelling with commerce at scale.”
Orna Flanagan
Orna Flanagan, Senior Performance Manager at Bench Media, said Mamamia’s strength in is that 74% of its audience trusts its talent recommendations, and 63% act on them.
“That’s a conversion engine most publishers can only dream of,” Flanagan said.
She added that the economic weight of women in the market of one woman carrying the shopping influence of four men is influence that goes beyond traditional ‘female’ categories like beauty or fashion, but drive purchasing decisions across finance, tech, and even automotive.
“The expansion into shoppable formats and video-on-demand podcasts is a smart play. It aligns with how women are already engaging, multitasking, discovering, and buying in the same breath.
“For advertisers, the takeaway is simple: in an era of fragmented consumption, trust-led environments like Mamamia don’t just capture attention, they convert it.”
Nick Murdoch, Managing Partner at Yango for you for Mamamia highlighted the publisher double downing on the simple truths that make them a great business.
“They know who they are and where their strengths lie,” he said.
Murdoch’s highlights included:
1. They are excellent content makers, they understand their audience and are on the cutting edge of culture and trends that affect them. They remain relevant.
2. They are a safe and trusted publisher, they have the runs on the board and credibility in a fragmented marketplace where AI looms large and trust is currency.
3. The female audience has four times the buyer power of males; women are the household buyers, always have been, always will be. This is super important.
4. Ecommerce and shoppable ad units seem made for this audience , if they can make it user friendly and a generally a good UX, it could be huge for them.
He said: “Overall the presentation was really enjoyable, they pushed their strengths without going over the top. It made sense.”
Top image, left to right: Sharyn Keller, Sarah Keith, Ray Ly, Amy Dascanio, Megan McMurdo and Orna Flanagan