Thursday March 12, 2026
EXCLUSIVE: ‘I’m just one person’: Inside designer Katie Perry’s battle with Katy Perry
An Australian fashion designer has won a trademark case against pop star Katy Perry.
The case was about who has the right to sell clothes bearing the Katie Perry, or Katy Perry name.
Katy Perry, the singer, was born Kathryn Elizabeth Hudson but adopted her stage name in about 2001. Katie Perry, the designer, was born with that name, but changed to other names, including Katie Taylor.
The court heard the designer did not know about the singer when she first sought a trademark, although by the time it was registered, she had become aware of her after hearing the song “I Kissed A Girl”.
Katie Perry took the singer to the Federal Court in 2019, saying her trademark had been infringed. She won in the first instance, but lost on appeal.
Finally, yesterday, March 11 2026, after battling for years, the High Court found that the use of the designer’s name on clothing was unlikely to deceive or cause confusion, and was not in breach of the law.
Aussie designer Katie Perry speaks
Speaking directly with Mediaweek on Thursday morning, Katie Perry said of her victory, “It’s just a reminder to stick with it, keep believing in yourself, and anything is possible.”
But she admits that it was a long, challenging journey.
“Obviously, there were times when I [wasn’t sure]…I can remember saying to my mum, this is so big.
“Like, I’m just one person, it’s too big. This is just so hard.
“But I would always touch base with myself and say, ‘Okay, what would your 80-year-old self say to yourself?’ My 80-year-old self would say, keep going.”
Being a mum of two boys also motivated Perry to keep up the good fight.
“Both of my kids kept on saying you’ve got this, you’re so brave, you’re courageous,” she said.
“I think if they had said, or it had really negatively impacted them, or if they had said, oh, my friends at school are teasing me, or anything like that, I would have stopped it.
“But they were so proud of me. And even today they’re like, mum, you’re amazing. I saw you on TV and you’re so brave. As a mum, that’s what matters. I know that I’ve been a positive role model for them.”
Perry was able to share this perspective after the long journey: “In this world that is all negative and chaos…The morning of the news coming out, I was like – I just want this to be a positive story. We could all do with something positive and you know this is like David and Goliath. That was it.”
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Katy Perry responds to trademark verdict
In a statement given to Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Katy Perry’s representatives said the singer did offer ‘coexistence’ in 2019, which the designer did not accept – instead, filing a lawsuit a decade later.
“Katy Perry has never sought to close down Ms Taylor’s business or stop her from selling clothes under the KATIE PERRY label,” the representatives said.
“Today, by a 3:2 decision, the High Court determined that Ms Taylor’s trademark can remain on the register. The Court sent the case back to the Full Federal Court to determine issues raised by Katy Perry, including Ms Taylor’s 10-year delay in bringing her case against Katy Perry.”
Katie Perry said in a public statement following the verdict:
“This has been an incredibly long and difficult journey. But today confirms what I always believed – that trademarks should protect businesses of all sizes.
“This case has never just been about a name. It has been about protecting small businesses in Australia, for standing up for what is right and showing that we all matter.”
Top Image: Australian Katie Perry has won her trademark battle with pop singer Katy Perry. Image: Instagram
'He made a mistake': Ben Fordham weighs in on Kyle and Jackie O drama
2GB Breakfast host Ben Fordham has weighed into the escalating fallout between Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, declaring the shock jock made a critical error by airing his frustrations with his longtime co-host live on radio.
Speaking on the Behind the Mic with Mike E podcast, Fordham told host Michael Etheridge the moment that triggered the crisis inside ARN’s biggest radio show should never have played out in public.
“It shouldn’t have happened on air. It should not have happened on air. If Kyle had said to Jackie off air, ‘Babe, your interest in astrology is driving me nuts’, I reckon Jackie probably would have said ‘oh right’.”
The comments follow a dramatic on-air clash last month during which Henderson, 51, was left in tears after Sandilands accused her of letting her interest in astrology interfere with her work.
During the broadcast, Sandilands lashed out: “It’s affecting other things, like your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable. You’re off with the fairies with this s***. It’s mental.”
Ben Fordham and Michael Etheridge. Source: Supplied
‘He just steamrolled over the top of her’
Fordham said the issue itself was not the real problem; it was the way it unfolded.
“She’s not a difficult person to work with. But it’s the way he did it. Listening to that 13 minutes of audio, she was begging him to stop – saying ‘this isn’t fair, I would never do this to you’ – and he was already so far into it that he just steamrolled over the top of her. That’s where the mistake was made.”
Fordham also addressed the saga on his own top-rated 2GB Breakfast program, telling listeners Sandilands now appears to be fighting to keep his role.
“He knows he’s cooked, so he’s fighting for his job, hoping he can whip up support from listeners and the public,” Fordham said, referring to a WhatsApp message he sent to his team after Sandilands released a public statement defending himself.
The 49-year-old radio host then offered a blunt prediction about what lies ahead for the once-dominant KIIS FM duo.
“My gut tells me the Kyle and Jackie O show is finished on ARN,” he said.
“I think Jackie will be offered another role, Kyle probably not.”
Fordham went on to tell Etheridge that the network faces a difficult commercial and legal calculation if the standoff escalates.
“Lawyers will have to decide if they’re confident they can beat him in an unfair dismissal case. And Kyle should feel confident he can win that case.”
He said ARN must now decide whether bringing Sandilands back risks further reputational damage – or whether the alternative could involve a costly legal battle.
“They’ve got to weigh up whether they invite him back and take another hit to revenue, or risk blowing potentially tens of millions of dollars on lawyers at an unfair dismissal payout.”
Despite Sandilands publicly stating that he wants to return to the microphone, Fordham doubts that will happen.
“Kyle is fighting to keep his job; he wants his job back. I don’t think he’s going to get it.”
Contract standoff brewing
The dispute intensified after ARN described Sandilands’ behaviour as “an act of serious misconduct”, suspending the star and giving him fourteen days to address what the network says is a breach of his contract.
In a statement released shortly after, Sandilands pushed back.
“I have a contract with ARN that runs until 2034. I am committed to that contract. Despite what ARN says, I am not in breach of that contract.”
A ratings rivalry – and a long memory
Fordham has long been one of Sandilands’ fiercest radio competitors, regularly battling the KIIS FM juggernaut in the Sydney breakfast ratings.
He believes ARN’s decision to expand the show into Melbourne may have ultimately weakened its Sydney dominance.
“When you’re focusing on Melbourne, that means you’re taking the eye off the ball in Sydney, and that’s probably partly why we beat them seven out of eight surveys last year.”
Fordham also suggested the program had lost some of the spark that once made it such a ratings force.
“When you throw enough cash in front of people’s faces, their vision can be blurred. They can’t see what the rest of us can see.”
The rivalry between the two broadcasters stretches back years. In 2021, Fordham jokingly announced on air that it was Sandilands’ 60th birthday, not his actual 50th.
Sandilands later fired back during a ratings victory in 2023.
“If you want to know what happened to Ben Fordham, he is underneath us,” Sandilands said at the time.
“It’s like having sex with someone, and they die. That’s Ben. Ben is the dead person.”
‘The biggest court case of 2026’
Fordham believes the dispute could soon move from the airwaves to the courtroom.
“Oh, it’s going to court, I mean, this will be the biggest court case of 2026. If you have a look back over recent years, we’ve had Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann, Ben Roberts-Smith, Antoinette Lattouf and the ABC. This is the biggest court case of 2026. Who the players are in court, I don’t know. Will it be Kyle? Will it be Jackie? Will it be both? It’s going to be fascinating to watch.”
Seven presenter Mel McLaughlin shares cancer battle
Seven presenter Mel McLaughlin revealed her battle with lung cancer on Wednesday night. The popular host and presenter has not been seen on air since the Sydney Ashes cricket Test at the start of January.
On Wednesday night’s 7News bulletin, McLaughlin, 46, bravely shared her experience.
“I was diagnosed with lung cancer in December,” she said. “So that led to surgery. I’ve had half my lung cut out.
“It’s very traumatic. It’s very triggering. It’s a lot of emotions. Obviously, you don’t want to worry anyone. In our family I didn’t want anyone to think lung cancer meant death, we had one example and we lost her.”
McLaughlin explained that her diagnosis was especially tough for her family, as they lost her older sister, Tara, to lung cancer a decade ago.
After months away from the newsroom and growing questions about her absence, Mel McLaughlin is now ready to break her silence and share her story. pic.twitter.com/75UhM52ZcB
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) March 11, 2026
Mel McLaughlin’s lung cancer diagnosis
McLaughlin said she delayed getting the surgery because she wanted to work the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the pink Sydney Test.
“I did the pre-game (in Sydney), went out to a pathology centre. I then came back and took the lunch break. And then I had major surgery the next day,” she said. “The intention was good. It probably sounds a bit crazy.”
McLaughlin is keen to return to TV screens for the Commonwealth Games and Rugby League World Cup later this year, when she’ll head up Channel 7’s coverage. “Recovery is slow, but good,” she said. “The reason why I wanted to talk about it now is awareness. It’s the biggest cancer killer in the country.”
Lung cancer is commonly associated with smoking, but McLaughlin is a non-smoker. “It’s got a terrible stigma,” she said. “I feel like I owe it to my sister, and I owe it to people who could get something out of this.”
Ray Kuka, Channel 7’s Director of News and Current Affairs, said in a statement: “When she revealed the news about her battle, we were in shock. I am so proud of how she’s handled the toughest weeks of her life and relieved we could support her in private to get to this incredible outcome where she is on the mend and tackling treatment with her classic Mel McLaughlin resolve.”
Top image: Mel McLaughlin reveals cancer diagnosis. Image: Twitter
MFA names Aimee Buchanan chair and Imogen Hewitt deputy chair
Two of Australia’s most senior media agency leaders have been appointed to steer the strategic direction of the country’s peak media body, as the Media Federation of Australia reshapes its leadership for the next phase of industry change.
The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) has appointed Aimee Buchanan, CEO of WPP Media ANZ, as Chair, and Imogen Hewitt, CEO of Spark Foundry ANZ and Chief Media Officer at Publicis Groupe, as Deputy Chair.
Both executives step into the roles after six years on the MFA Board and will now help guide the organisation’s strategy and priorities as it continues to represent the interests of Australia’s media agency sector.
Buchanan succeeds Mark Coad, while Hewitt replaces Virginia Hyland, following the departures of both leaders from their respective agency groups.
Steering the industry’s next chapter
As Chair and Deputy Chair, Buchanan and Hewitt will play a central role in shaping the MFA’s agenda, including talent development, industry standards, innovation and demonstrating the value media agencies deliver to clients and the broader economy.
The MFA represents more than 90% of media billings placed by agencies in Australia, making the leadership transition a significant moment for the sector as it navigates rapid technological, cultural and economic shifts.
MFA CEO Sophie Madden said the appointments recognise two leaders who have consistently helped push the industry forward.
“Aimee and Imogen are not just exceptional leaders – they are passionate champions for our industry,” Madden said.
“Both have spent years stepping up: mentoring talent, pushing for progress and helping shape a stronger, more inclusive media community. They bring energy, vision and deep industry respect to these roles. I couldn’t be more excited to work alongside them on the Board as we tackle the challenges ahead and keep building an industry we’re proud of as Changers.
“I’d also like to thank Coady and Virginia for their outstanding leadership and the lasting contribution they’ve made to both the MFA and the broader industry. Their impact has been significant, and I know they will continue to shape our industry in their next chapters.”
A focus on a sustainable media industry
For Buchanan, the role comes at a time when the media and marketing ecosystem continues to evolve rapidly – from AI and automation to shifting consumer behaviour and client expectations.
“The MFA continues to challenge, evolve and champion the kind of industry we’re proud to belong to – one that’s healthy, sustainable and centred on serving our clients and our people,” Buchanan said.
“That mission has never mattered more. I’m deeply honoured to partner with Sophie Madden, Imogen Hewitt and the rest of the Board to continue to improve and keep pushing for meaningful change that sets our industry up for the future.”
Hewitt echoed that sentiment, highlighting the strength and capability of the people working across the sector.
“This is such a vibrant industry, full of super-smart people doing sophisticated and effective work for clients every day,” she said.
“What excites me is how we keep raising the bar together. As Deputy Chair, I’m looking forward to working with Sophie, Aimee and the Board to keep strengthening our industry – not only the work we deliver, but the culture, trust and opportunity we create for our people.”
Board refresh continues
Alongside the leadership appointments, the MFA Board confirmed the addition of Chris Ernst, dentsu’s Chief Practice Officer – Media, who fills the Board seat vacated by Fiona Johnston.
The organisation has recently focused on strengthening the sector through research, education and industry guidelines. Initiatives include whitepapers on the future media workforce and Gen Z’s impact on work, as well as the expansion of the MFA Foundations e-learning program and the development of ethical AI guidelines for marketing, in partnership with the AANA and IAB Australia.
Together, the initiatives reflect the MFA’s broader focus on helping agencies adapt to changing technologies, shifting workforce expectations and increasing client demands.
The full MFA Board
Sophie Madden, CEO, MFA
Aimee Buchanan, CEO, GroupM ANZ – Chair
Imogen Hewitt, CEO, Spark Foundry & Chief Media Officer, Publicis Groupe – Deputy Chair
Megan Brownlow, Non-executive Director
Peter Vogel, CEO, Wavemaker ANZ
Christopher O’Keefe, COO, Match & Wood
Sarah Keith, Managing Director, Involved Media
Kristiaan Kroon, CEO, Omnicom Media Group
Mark Jarrett, CEO, PHD Australia
Michael Rebelo, CEO, Publicis Groupe ANZ
Chris Ernst, Chief Practice Officer – Media, dentsu Australia
Main image: L-R: Imogen Hewitt, Aimee Buchanan, and Sophie Madden.
Dentsu promotes Emily Cook to Queensland managing director
Dentsu has promoted Emily Cook to Managing Director of Queensland, following Chris Ernst’s earlier move into the role of Chief Practice Officer.
Cook takes on the role after serving as General Manager of dentsu Queensland, where she helped oversee growth and the simplification of the agency’s offer under the unified dentsu brand.
Cook’s promotion journey
Cook first joined the Queensland business in 2021 as Head of Client Partnerships for Carat before being promoted to General Manager in 2023.
During that period, dentsu says the Queensland operation delivered consecutive years of double-digit growth, while also earning recognition as an AFR Best Place to Work and securing finalist status in Agency of the Year awards.
The Queensland office was also recognised internally as one of the stronger performing markets across APAC for engagement.
External recognition and return from leave
Cook’s leadership was recognised externally through the 2024 Next of the Best Awards, where she won the People and Culture category, and through finalist recognition at the 2025 Campaign Asia Women Leading Change Awards.
She will formally return from parental leave and commence in the new role on 17 March.
Chris Ernst
Ernst, Chief Practice Officer at Dentsu, said Cook had been central to shaping the Queensland business.
“The past five years of partnership with Em, building the agency that is dentsu Queensland, has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. There is no one better placed to lead our Queensland business into its next chapter.
“Em brings unparallelled authenticity and an unwavering focus on what’s best for our people and our partners. The impact she’s had on both, and the broader industry is a testament to who she is as a person and a leader, and I’m excited to see her continue to grow and lead in this role.”
Cook comments
Cook said the appointment comes at a significant personal and professional moment.
“I returned to Brisbane five years ago and when I met Chris Ernst I knew it would be the start of something special. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together and the exceptional talent we have across our agency, clients and media partners in Queensland.
“Returning from parental leave and stepping into the role of Managing Director is wonderfully exciting, and I look forward to continuing to champion our client and media partnerships across the state working closely with Chris Ernst and Rob Harvey in this exciting new chapter for dentsu.”
Top Image: Dentsu
‘We felt it was time’: The Australian drops its paywall for the first time since 2011
For the first time since introducing digital subscriptions more than a decade ago, The Australian will lift its paywall – giving readers free access to its journalism for a limited time this weekend.
The rare move, which temporarily opens the national broadsheet’s entire digital archive and daily reporting to the public, comes as the masthead looks to convert growing audience curiosity into long-term subscribers.
“We’ve had really strong readership growth over the last 12 months in print and digital, we’re up 5%, there’s lots of people who are aware of our content, considering our content and we just felt that it was time to give them the opportunity to you know, sample it in detail,” Nicholas Gray, Managing Director and Publisher of The Australian told Mediaweek.
“So, this weekend we’re dropping the whole paywall, new content and archive, and it’s the first time since our paywall launched in 2011 that everything’s freely available to anyone.”
The initiative marks the first time the publication has opened its digital gates since launching its paid model in October 2011, when The Australian became the first general newspaper in Australia to introduce a digital subscription strategy.
Learning from global mastheads
The concept itself, Gray said, draws directly from experiments run by News Corp’s international titles.
He noted similar short-term paywall lifts have previously been trialled by The Times of London and The Wall Street Journal, giving prospective subscribers the chance to explore premium journalism before committing.
“I’d love to take credit for it as an original idea, but our colleagues at the Times of London have done it a few times,” Gray said, explaining that the local team drew on those examples when bringing the tactic to Australia.
“We’re really lucky to have colleagues at the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London from whom we can learn, and they’ve done it a few times with some success, and so we’ve brought it to Australia.”
For the promotion, readers will be able to access the full breadth of the publication’s journalism – spanning politics, business, culture, global affairs and lifestyle – without hitting the subscription barrier.
Turning curiosity into subscriptions
Behind the free-access weekend sits a clear commercial objective: attract new readers, then convert them.
Gray expects a noticeable spike in traffic from readers who would normally sit behind the paywall.
“We expect there to be an uplift in non-subscribers reading our content over the course of the weekend, and we expect a meaningful uplift,” he said.
“There’s obviously a huge news cycle at the moment, so we hadn’t planned it. We hadn’t planned it to be two weeks after the really unfortunate events in Iran, but given there’s a huge news agenda at the moment, we’ve got an engaged audience, so we expect our anonymous non-subscriber page to be up significantly.”
Once the promotional window closes, The Australian will follow up with a targeted digital subscription offer to convert those new readers.
Gray said the longer-term goal is simple: increase subscriber numbers and grow digital revenue.
“Our mantra is pay and stay,” he said.
“We want more Australian content, and once they start with us, we want them to stay with us, and so the short-term objective is more traffic and the longer-term objective is more subscribers and more digital revenue growth.”
Why paid journalism still matters
Despite opening access for the weekend, Gray made clear the masthead remains firmly committed to a paid model.
He argues subscriptions are now a fundamental pillar of the modern news business – alongside advertising and licensing revenue from technology platforms.
“There are two sets of benefits, right?” Grey said.
“There’s to the consumers who pay, they get access to exclusive high-quality content, whether it’s politics, business, culture, wealth, health and then there’s a broader point which is in a digital world, digital subscriptions are a really key part of the economic model along with advertising and content licensing from the tech platforms.”
Without that model, he says, maintaining high-quality journalism at scale would be far harder.
“I will say, though, as a company, we’re also committed to making sure that all Australians have access to news media,” he added, pointing to news.com.au as the country’s largest free commercial news brand.
“We recognise the importance of all Australians being able to access news media, but we certainly don’t apologise for having a paywall for The Australian.”
More than just a news product
While the masthead is synonymous with politics and business reporting, Gray said its broader lifestyle and cultural coverage – particularly on weekends – plays a major role in audience growth.
“The Weekend Australian, it’s our biggest readership product in print, it’s up year on year in print, and one of the reasons is the breadth as well as the depth,” he said.
The weekend edition combines news analysis with sections dedicated to culture, travel, luxury, sport and property.
“You’ve got business, you’ve got sport, you’ve got property, and The Weekend Australian is a compelling proposition in print and digital, both because it sums up the week and it also goes deeply into those other coverage areas.”
A national masthead with growing reach
The weekend activation comes as The Australian continues to expand its overall audience footprint.
According to the latest readership figures, the publication now reaches more than 4.9 million Australians each month across print and digital – representing a 5 per cent year-on-year increase.
That scale reinforces the masthead’s position as the country’s most-read national newspaper across platforms and underscores its strategic importance within News Corp Australia’s publishing portfolio.
For News Corp, the temporary removal of the paywall offers a rare opportunity: let readers roam freely through the product – and hope enough of them decide it’s worth paying for once the gates close again.
OMA names finalists for 2025 Creative Awards
The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has announced the finalists for its 2025 Creative Awards, recognising campaigns that stood out for creative use of out-of-home across Australia.
Now in its second year, the awards attracted a higher number of entries across six categories. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, 1 April, with the Grand Prix-winning campaign also to be revealed on the night.
What are the OMA Creative Awards?
The awards recognise innovation, execution and impact in out-of-home advertising. This year’s finalists span categories including classic, digital or programmatic, innovation or sustainability, small format, multi-format and special build.
All finalists will also be automatically entered into the World Out of Home Creative Awards. The lead creative team behind the Grand Prix winner will receive a trip to the 2026 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in June.
Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of the OMA, said the finalists reflected the continued momentum of the medium.
“The calibre and creativity of this year’s entries have been nothing short of remarkable. We have seen a significant lift not just in the number of submissions, but in the boldness of ideas and the inventive ways brands and agencies are using Out of Home. It’s a testament to the medium’s momentum and its ability to spark big ideas.”
McIntyre also thanked the judging panel for its role in selecting the shortlist.
The OMA Creative Awards Jury
“Our esteemed panel of judges once again brought immense expertise and generosity to the process. Their commitment continues to raise the benchmark for OOH in Australia, and we thank them for the rigorous debate, thoughtfulness and consideration that went into the judging process.”
She added: “The finalists have all been commended for their efforts in delivering well-executed, impactful campaigns that showcased the power of Out of Home. We look forward to announcing the winners of each category next month.”
2025 OMA Creative Awards finalists
Best Classic Campaign
- Hard to Spell — Advertiser: Department of Health WA; Agency: Rare
- The Hidden Eye Test — Advertiser: 1001 Optometry; Creative: VML Australia
Hard to Spell
Best Digital or Programmatic Campaign
- The Ashes ‘Unmissable First Ball’ — Advertiser: Cricket Australia; Creative: Special
- Lifeblood — Advertiser: Australian Red Cross Lifeblood; Creative: M+C Saatchi
Lifeblood
The Ashes ‘Unmissable First Ball’
Best Innovation or Sustainability Campaign
- The Hidden Eye Test — Advertiser: 1001 Optometry; Creative: VML Australia
- Transit Tales — Advertiser: Mastercard; Creative: Hero
The Hidden Eye Test
Transit Tales
Best Small Format Campaign
- Got You Looking — Advertiser: The Iconic; Creative: Dentsu Creative
- The Hidden Eye Test — Advertiser: 1001 Optometry; Creative: VML Australia
Got You Looking
Best Multi-Format Campaign
- Dirty Old Secrets — Advertiser: Seasol International; Creative: Howatson+Company
- Just Enough Bank — Advertiser: Bankwest; Creative: Bear Meets Eagle On Fire
Dirty Old Secrets
Just Enough Bank
Best Special Build Campaign
- If You Can Take It, It’s Yours — Advertiser: Selleys (Dulux Group); Creative: Howatson+Company
- It Happens on PS5 — Advertiser: Sony PlayStation; Creative: Apparition Media
If You Can Take it, It’s Yours
It Happens on PS5
The OMA is the peak industry body for the out-of-home sector in Australia, representing media owners, asset owners and service providers across the category.
Meta teams up with global police to dismantle scam networks targeting users worldwide
Meta has teamed up with global law enforcement agencies to launch a major crackdown on organised online fraud, dismantling scam networks across Southeast Asia and disabling more than 150,000 accounts linked to criminal operations.
The joint operation – involving authorities including the Royal Thai Police, the FBI, the US Department of Justice Scam Centre Strike Force and the Australian Federal Police – targeted large-scale scam centres responsible for defrauding victims across the United States, the United Kingdom and the Asia-Pacific region.
For the digital advertising ecosystem, the crackdown highlights a growing reality: protecting brands online increasingly requires collaboration between technology platforms and law enforcement to dismantle criminal networks operating inside the same digital environments where consumers – and advertisers – spend their time.
Australia joins international effort to disrupt scam syndicates
Australia played a role in the coordinated enforcement effort, with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) participating alongside cybercrime investigators and tech industry partners in what authorities described as a global disruption week targeting organised scam operations.
Kristie Cressy, Detective Superintendent and senior officer in Bangkok for the AFP, said international cooperation is critical in tackling online fraud networks that operate across multiple jurisdictions.
“The Australian Federal Police is proud to support and participate in the joint disruption week with Royal Thai Police, tech industry partners, and international law enforcement,” she said.
“Scam centres and criminal syndicates prey on victims around the world. We work tirelessly with our international partners to disrupt these groups. Success from the Joint Disruption Week is only achieved through strong partnerships with agencies around the world with a common goal, which is to prevent scammers from taking advantage of innocent people.”
Kristie Cressy, Detective Superintendent and senior officer in Bangkok for the AFP. Source: Facebook
Meta disables 150,000 accounts tied to scam centres
As part of the operation, Meta investigators disabled more than 150,000 accounts associated with scam centre networks, while the Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Center arrested 21 individuals suspected of involvement in the criminal activity.
The enforcement surge follows an earlier pilot operation in December that removed 59,000 scam-linked accounts, pages and groups across Meta’s platforms and resulted in multiple arrest warrants.
The coordinated effort was part of a broader international push involving agencies from the UK, Canada, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, reflecting the increasingly global nature of organised online fraud.
Authorities say criminal networks operating in Southeast Asia – particularly in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos – have built sophisticated operations that resemble legitimate business enterprises, targeting victims across multiple regions.
Platforms under pressure to protect users and brands
Chris Sonderby, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Meta, said the operation demonstrates how coordinated action between technology companies and law enforcement can disrupt organised criminal activity at scale.
“We are proud to partner with the Royal Thai Police, the FBI, the DOJ Scam Center Strike Force, and law enforcement agencies from around the world to combat these sophisticated scam networks,” he said.
“This operation is a testament to how sharing information and coordinating our efforts can make real progress in disrupting this criminal activity at its source. Our work to combat scams is never done, and we will continue to invest in technology and partnerships to stay ahead of these adversaries.”
For advertisers and agencies, the stakes extend beyond consumer protection.
Online scams have grown into a global industry that erodes trust in digital platforms – trust that underpins billions of dollars in brand advertising across social media ecosystems.
New tools to detect scams earlier
Alongside the enforcement action, Meta also announced a series of new safety features designed to help users detect and avoid scams across its platforms.
These include Facebook alerts about suspicious friend requests, WhatsApp warnings about suspicious device-linking attempts, and expanded AI-powered scam detection on Messenger that flags conversations with common fraud patterns and prompts users to take action.
As scammers continue to evolve their tactics, the company said it will continue working with governments and industry partners to disrupt criminal operations and strengthen protections across its platforms.
Nova Entertainment and BrandSpace strike retail media partnership
Nova Entertainment has announced a strategic partnership with BrandSpace, the retail media division of Scentre Group, giving advertisers a single commercial pathway to plan campaigns across Nova’s audio network and more than 40 Westfield retail destinations.
The alliance combines Nova’s national radio, podcast and digital audio assets with BrandSpace’s retail media network and in-centre activations across Westfield shopping centres.
The companies said the partnership is designed to simplify the planning and buying process for agencies and brands while enabling campaigns that link awareness with retail engagement.
“This partnership is a direct response to what our customers are asking us for: simpler, more connected solutions that deliver measurable results,” said Nicole Bence, chief commercial officer at Nova Entertainment.
“We want the case for investing with us to be easy and irrefutable. It’s certainly no secret that audio and retail media are powerfully complementary mediums from a performance perspective, so this is the natural next step for us.
“Now, a single brief can unlock the eyes and ears of over 4 million Australians, the influence of some of the country’s most trusted creators, and the impact of Australia’s #1 cultural, lifestyle and retail destinations.”
Integrated campaigns across audio and retail
Under the agreement, Nova and BrandSpace will collaborate on integrated campaigns spanning radio, music, podcasts, digital channels, retail media placements and in-centre activations.
The companies said the arrangement allows advertisers to plan and measure campaigns across both platforms through a unified commercial approach.
Adam Sadler, head of media sales Australia at BrandSpace, said the partnership connects brand storytelling with retail environments closer to the point of purchase.
“Retail environments are powerful because they represent intent and proximity to purchase,” Sadler said.
“When you combine that with Nova’s ability to create cultural momentum and trusted influence, the opportunity becomes significantly more impactful.
“This partnership allows us to answer more complex briefs with integrated thinking, making it simpler for brands to connect awareness with action.”
Expanding the retail media proposition
The partnership reflects growing advertiser interest in retail media networks, which allow brands to reach consumers in shopping environments where purchase decisions are made.
BrandSpace operates across Scentre Group’s Westfield portfolio of retail destinations in Australia and New Zealand, providing media placements, experiential activations and digital advertising opportunities inside shopping centres.
For Nova, the partnership expands its commercial offering beyond traditional audio inventory, positioning the company to deliver campaigns that combine cultural reach with physical retail environments.
The companies said the partnership will focus on delivering integrated solutions for agencies and advertisers seeking more measurable, cross-channel media strategies.
Has the ad industry stopped speaking up? Innocean launches Cost of Quiet audit
There’s a new question rippling through Australia’s advertising corridors – and it’s not about creative budgets or media inflation.
It’s about whether people in the industry still feel safe to speak up.
Innocean Australia has launched a new research initiative called the Cost of Quiet Audit, designed to investigate whether progress on diversity and inclusion across the sector is stalling – or even reversing.
The pilot study, created in partnership with FckTheCupcakes, launches this month to coincide with International Women’s Day and the latest data release from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. It will focus initially on Australia’s advertising and marketing workforce.
At the centre of the project is a simple but uncomfortable hypothesis: that professionals – particularly women and minority groups – may now feel less confident raising concerns about workplace culture or social issues than they did only a few years ago.
Innocean Australia CEO Jasmin Bedir. Source: Supplied
A “reality check” for the industry
Innocean Australia CEO Jasmin Bedir said the idea emerged from growing anecdotal feedback across the sector.
“We started FckTheCupcakes five years ago, and there was a feeling of slow but real progress in the industry on the topic of inclusion and diversity,” Bedir said.
“DE&I was a big agenda item. But all of a sudden, there is anecdotal feedback that the industry is returning very quickly to where we were 20 years ago and that we’re now entering a ‘post-woke’ period.
“I’ve noticed that it has gone really quiet and women are saying behind closed doors that it’s too risky to speak up anymore.”
The study will gather responses from professionals across agencies, brands and marketing teams to test whether this perception reflects a broader industry shift.
According to Bedir, the results are intended to act as a “reality check” for leadership teams.
“If our industry’s public-facing values are diverging from the lived experience of our talent, what are we doing to resolve the risk of progressive retention and overall reputational risk?” she said.
The ‘silence tax’
The research architecture will examine what organisers describe as a possible “silence tax” – the personal and professional cost individuals may pay for staying quiet about workplace issues.
While the survey is open to all genders, the analysis will examine whether certain groups feel less psychologically safe speaking out.
Innocean chief strategy officer Giorgia Butler said the findings could help determine whether concerns circulating across the industry reflect reality.
“We do hope that the study proves us wrong,” Butler said.
“But if not, we will be working to do something about it. So this is the start of a bigger conversation.”
Innocean chief strategy officer Giorgia Butler. Source: Supplied
A broader industry test
The study is currently open to participants across Australia’s marketing and advertising community throughout March.
If the results point to deeper structural issues, organisers say the research could expand in the coming years to explore how workplace silence intersects with race, religion and sexual orientation.
For now, the aim is straightforward: to measure whether the industry that prides itself on shaping culture is quietly changing its own.
The study can be accessed here, and it’s open for March.
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