Since the departure of James Warburton from Seven earlier this year, new chief executive officer Jeff Howard has been familiarising himself with all parts of the business.

Any honeymoon he might have had in the new role ended this month with the Olympics screening on the opposition, and a Four Corners investigation highlighting culture problems at Seven.

Then this week the full-year results didn’t paint a rosy financial picture.

Since moving into the top job, Howard has visited all metro offices at least once to meet as many people as he can. He also recently held a virtual town hall meeting with over 800 people dialling in. He is writing to all staff once a fortnight with company updates.

Jeff Howard

Before Howard’s Q&A session with Mediaweek, he wanted to provide corrections to a few fake news narratives being spread.

“Some people have been describing our audiences as collapsing,” said Howard. “That’s not the case. In FY24 our broadcast audience was up 0.5% and our BVOD audience was up 39%. YTD calendar year to date, pre-Olympics, we were down less than 1%.”

He was keen to emphasise Seven’s small revenue share lift. “We have delivered a total TV revenue share of 40.2%, which is up 1.7 points YOY. We delivered a 41% share in Q4 FY2024 which was a massive quarter.”

That indicates Seven is doing well, but in a sector that is going backwards. Just how much? Howard explained: “We are seeing the decline moderate. The -8% market drop for the full year impacts us by $100m.”

See also: Total TV ad market records $3.3bn in ad revenue for FY24 – down 8%

Cost-cutting hunting saving over $100m

In light of the poor performance, Seven has been aggressive in finding more cost savings. Howard: “Costs were down 4% in the second half after we announced the first round of costs out at the AGM last November. We have expanded the program into FY25. We said initially we would find $35m of benefits in FY25. We have increased that to $108m.”

A new target cost-saving of $108m in FY 2025 doesn’t mean that costs will decrease by that much YOY. Because of some increased costs already committed to, like the new AFL deal, Seven West Media’s overall net costs will be down by $20m.

Seven content pipleline ‘strong’

“We have some great brands and the content pipeline is pretty strong,” said Howard. When asked about the ability to maintain quality by spending less, he noted, “That’s something we spend a lot of time thinking about. It’s not going to be an easy slam dunk. We make sure wherever costs are being taken out we understand the impact on the quality and also the revenue impact.”

As to any further staff cuts, Howard wasn’t able to discuss the number of staff impacted so far. While some reported the number around 150, it’s thought the job losses were closer to 100. Staff were impacted at all levels and included chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette, chief marketing officer Melissa Hopkins and head of sport and MD Melbourne Lewis Martin.

Howard was able to say: “We had to look at how this organisation needs to be structured to fit the strategy. The organisation restructure and the move to a profit centre model meant that some of our previous senior leaders didn’t have roles in the new structure.”

Howard said he was pleased with how the new structure was performing initially. “We will constantly review to make sure it’s fit for purpose and delivering what we need to deliver.”

Jeff Howard discussed how Nine’s Tipping Point has impacted early evening viewing

Curtailing growth of 9News

Is the battle between Nine’s Tipping Point and Seven’s The Chase Australia impacting Seven’s primetime performance? Particularly the news hour at 6pm? “We spend a lot of time looking at the 5pm hour and then later timeslots as they attract premium ad dollars. As we look at The Chase this year, our audiences have held up pretty well. What it seems the Tipping Point did was re-energise people who might have stopped watching the previous show [Millionaire Hot Seat]. What that means for our news is that we need to continue to look at options for driving news audiences as hard as possible. And making some changes to attract new audiences.”

Is FTA giving up on long-form drama?

Apart from Home and Away, Seven doesn’t have much to offer viewers in terms of Australian drama. Howard alluded to the success of Mr Bates vs the Post Office in his presentation, so why doesn’t Seven strive for more Aussie drama hits?

“We launched RFDS and we’ve been very happy with how that has gone. It’s not a long series though. We did a short special series The Claremont Murders which also performed very well. When we plan a content slate we are always considering all the genres that might work and deliver a return on investment.”

RFDS has screened in 2021 and 2023. More might be coming in 2025.

AFL: 7Plus and Saturday games

“AFL and cricket have never been available for free on a digital platform in this country before,” said Howard about a potentially game-changing move. “We expect to see a substantial uplift in audiences once people work out it is available for free. We therefore expect a meaningful improvement in 7Plus revenue as a result of live sport. We feel it will also drive the audience into our other live or VOD content on 7Plus.”

Seven is giving up Saturday night for part of 2025 giving exclusivity of the day to Fox Footy and its homes on Foxtel and Kayo. Given what happened on Nine with the NRL some time ago, isn’t the commercial return from a Thursday match better than Saturday night? “We haven’t talked around the specifics which nights are better. However, when we went into that contract we were very conscious of the structure that we needed to maximise the opportunity for us.”

Progress of Phoenix and its impact

“We’re getting really close,” said Howard to a question about finishing the build of Seven’s total TV trading system Project Phoenix. “We are at the very pointy end of that project. All going well it will be live at the end of calendar 2024 or early in 2025. It will take a little time to get everybody up to speed with the opportunity that Phoenix provides. We are hoping for a [financial] benefit in FY25, but we are expecting the bulk of the benefits to kick in during FY26.”

How big can The Nightly be?

Although the financial performance of The Nightly sits inside The West division in the new structure, Howard noted people across the wider Seven West Media group are involved. “People right around the country contribute to content. We think of it as a national business. From a revenue perspective we are talking to national clients in all markets.”

Seven noted The Nightly should become EBITDA positive during FY25. When asked if it could become a significant contributor, Howard said: “We are close in size of audience to The AFR and The Australian. We are pretty happy with that after five months. To have a start-up washing its face in such a short period is a fantastic result.”

Seven’s director of news and current affairs, Anthony De Ceglie, still has a role at the digital publication he founded. “There are a lot of people also involved in how it performs,” explained Howard. “Anthony loves getting involved in storytelling and there are others in the news department who are also active contributors.”

Investigating new revenue streams

Regarding Seven launching its own subscription TV service, Howard admitted it was something the broadcaster is not actively pursuing. “Building a non-ad-based revenue stream though is something that’s high on the list. If we can diversify away from ad models that would be a good thing. The West is doing that already so we will continue to examine that.

“The new management team has been in place for five weeks. It is bedding down the restructure and focussing on making sure we have the plan in place to deliver to FY25 expectations. Once we do that, we can turn our minds to other things.”

Howard said the 7Plus platform doesn’t have the capability to host pay-per-view offerings. “We don’t have the technology at present and we would have to look at the rights we have on content that we are not manufacturing ourselves.”

Accenture boss Mark Green convinced Tourism Australia CMO Susan Coghill to chip in to boost the production budget for Play it Safe – the Cannes Grand Prix-winning, Tim Minchin-fronted film created for the Sydney Opera House’s 50th birthday.

Michael Ritchie is the managing director and co-owner at Revolver, the production company behind the work. Speaking at This Way Up, the Advertising Council of Australia’s festival of creativity, Ritchie said the team knew it needed an eight day shoot for a film of its scale and ambition, but the budget wouldn’t support it. “No offence, but the budget wasn’t very big,” Ritchie said.

As it was, director Kim Gehrig had flown herself out. Revolver had invested all its fees “plus some to actually make it happen … And I’m not advocating, by the way, for production companies always doing this, because we’d be super out of business.”

He said of the shoot conundrum: “It was an eight day shoot. We thought we could probably do seven. And then, of course, we could only afford two for the budget. So we thought, ‘Okay, go to three’. And it was at that point that we kind of knew, we just didn’t think we could do it.

“Then Mark Green, to his credit, said, ‘Look, I can get you a little bit more money.’ So he went and talked to Susan Coghill at Tourism Australia, and just said, ‘Can we have a little bit of money, just to help us get across the line?’ And Susan, to her credit, which I think it’s a smart move to back something like that, because I think it’s a great thing for the country, she put in this little bit of money that just got us across the line to do a four day shoot.”

The Monkeys’ executive creative director Barbara Humphries joked that while Green was hunting for the extra cash – secured with the pitch that the film didn’t just do a brand-building job for the Opera House, but for the whole country – he was also warning her that she needed to work on a plan B. 

“We just stopped going into the kitchen because if we didn’t see him, we couldn’t work on that,” Humphries quipped.

Play it Safe launched last October, and this July, Coghill awarded Tourism Australia’s creative and digital account to an Accenture village made up of Song, The Monkeys and Droga5.

But well before then, when The Monkeys first approached Revolver for Play it Safe, Ritchie said yes without thinking. “Barb was on the phone and said, ‘Look, we’ve got a project for the Sydney Opera House 50th birthday.’ And I said, ‘Yep, we’re doing it. That’s it.’ And no idea of budget, no idea of any sort of parameters on the thing at all, and that was it.”

The next step was convincing director Gehrig. Humphries “really wanted to work with her, but Michael was completely honest about it. We knew it was a long shot.”

“Kim is one of those people, by the way, that you walk down the Croissette in Cannes and people ask her for her autograph,” Ritchie explained.

“She’s one of those directors that gets 10 to 12 scripts every day from around the world. She can work every day of the year, but she only chooses to do about five projects a year. She’s just one of those special directors. And so for her to take what we felt was going to be three months out of her year to do this project was an enormous thing.”

Humphries added: “She’s a force. She just brings so much to an idea. She interrogates it, she pushes it, she pushes us. And she’s really, really gifted with music and choreography.”

As Ritchie told it, Gehrig agreed, but said she’d have to listen to Minchin’s song first. “If the song’s not up to scratch, maybe I can’t do it,” he recalled her saying. “Of course, she loved the song.”

After Minchin said yes to working on the brief, he went quiet for a nerve-wracking six weeks before sending a demo late on a Friday in May last year. Humphries thought he might “write a song and kind of help us make it, and then not really be that involved. But he got really, really involved.

“He was starting to suggest camera angles … he was a collaborator. He was all in from day one, all the way down to our final sound mixes and stuff.”

Ritchie said: “He’d do 40 takes, and just keep it going.”

The shoot was complex, and the four days finished with the shot of Minchin running down the forecourt. Thousands of people gathered to watch it being filmed, Ritchie remembered. Humphries was on such “a high after that shoot” that she was worried “we’ll never make anything that exciting again.”

The final product won a Cannes Lions Grand Prix. Jury president Tor Myhren said it was “the best film of the year and makes you proud to be in the industry.” Ritchie is especially proud of that; he said “hopefully it’s great for all of us” as a creative community. And beyond industry accolades, Minchin is now ending his shows by playing the song.

“73% of people who weren’t already Sydney Opera House visitors said they had a better opinion of the House after watching the film,” Humphries said of the results.

“And then 49% of people said that they intended or would intend to visit having seen it.”

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Top image: Ritchie and Humphries presenting at This Way Up

Enero Group has reported a 7% like-for-like increase in net profit to $10.3 million for the 12 months ending 30 June 2024 (FY24), attributing this growth to the double-digit expansion of its Australian-based agencies.

Net revenue declined by 6% on a like-for-like basis to $189.7 million in FY24.

Enero Group owns a portfolio of marketing, technology, and communications businesses, including creative agency BMF, PR and integrated communications agencies under the Hotwire Group (Hotwire, ROI DNA), digital and experiential agency Orchard, and adtech platform OBMedia.

According to the Group, the results were driven by lower interest expenses and higher profits in wholly owned businesses, partially offset by lower profits from non-wholly owned OBMedia, which faced challenges in the international technology and ad tech markets. The US-led Hotwire Group “continued to navigate technology headwinds.”

The strong performance of Australian-based agencies BMF and Orchard helped mitigate some of these challenges, delivering double-digit revenue growth with expanding margins.

The Technology, Healthcare, and Consumer Practice (THC Practice) agencies also made significant progress, with 66% of the group’s revenue now coming from clients engaged with more than one THC Practice brand or country.

By the end of FY24, THC Practice had 34 clients with annual revenue greater than $1 million, up from 27 in FY23.

“Throughout FY24, our Australian-based agencies, BMF and Orchard, repeatedly proved their ability to drive substantial growth and deliver-market leading outcomes for a roster of blue-chip clients,” said Enero Group CEO, Brent Scrimshaw.

“This success is driven by our ongoing dedication to our operating strategy, world-class talent, best-in-class capabilities, and renowned work.

“Despite the tough trading conditions in the technology sector, our teams at Hotwire have continued to integrate their client offerings into a global, market-leading suite of services that can uniquely drive reputation, relationships and revenue for clients. When the technology sector recovers, we are in a very strong position to benefit from it.”

See also: Enero predicts 5-7% revenue decline, but Australian agencies grow in tough market

Top image: Brent Scrimshaw, Enero Group chief executive officer

News Corp Australia has officially launched its State and Communities Mastheads division, led by managing director and publisher, Mark Reinke.

Reinke has appointed John Lehmann to the newly-created role of commercial director of the State and Communities Mastheads, which includes the Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, The Advertiser as well as regional, rural and community titles. 

In this expanded role, Lehmann remains in his existing role of managing director, NSW.

“Our audiences are the millions of aspiring Australians who want the best for their families and their communities,” Lehmann said.

“They are highly engaged and motivated and our state mastheads offer clients the ability to reach consumers who are making important purchasing decisions every week. By focusing on each state and its unique needs, there is a real opportunity for business growth and differentiates us from other media in the market.”  

Laura Maxwell has been appointed managing director, Queensland. She was most recently the CEO of Stuff Group, New Zealand’s largest news publisher. Maxwell will join News Corp Australia in November and replaces Jason Scott who has been appointed executive editor, sport network.

Agostino Giramondo takes on the role of managing director, Victoria and Tasmania. He replaces Peter Zavecz who recently retired. Prior to this role, Giramondo was general manager of The Weekly Times, and will retain oversight of the title.

Melissa Librandi remains in her role as managing director, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia. She was first appointed to the position in 2022. 

“We know our audiences want specific content that’s relevant to them and we know clients increasingly want to execute state-by-state in a targeted manner,” Reinke said.

“Combining this new leadership structure with some of Australia’s best Editors working on some of the nation’s most trusted mastheads means we are uniquely placed to meet the needs of our audience and our clients in specific markets or as part of a network.”

The newly-formed group – created as part of the News Corp restructure which split its publishing arm into three divisions – will work to connect brands with the more than 10 million Australians who engage with News Corp’s regional news brands’ across digital and print.

This is the second major structural announcement from News Corp this week, having previously brought eight sales functions under the new client partnerships team.

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Top image: Mark Reinke

Bridget Brennan will be the new co-host of morning TV program ABC News Breakfast, replacing Lisa Millar who resigned from the show in July.

“I’m really honoured and excited to be taking up this spot on the couch, alongside our amazing team at News Breakfast,” Brennan said.

“I’m so grateful to Lisa and Michael [Rowland] for showing me the ropes and being wonderful mentors while I’ve adjusted to early starts and all the twists and turns that live television throws at you.

“I love the interaction with our wonderful audience and the News Breakfast team is so hard working and good fun. I can’t wait to get stuck in. 

“I didn’t grow up watching Aboriginal women on the news, so it’s really an important moment for my mob as well.”

Millar is leaving the show after five years on the couch but will continue to work on projects across the ABC. Her last brekky show will be on Friday 23 August.

“Bridget is such a delightful friend and workmate – smart, intuitive and kind,” Millar said. “I can’t wait to see the impact she’ll have in this role, especially with our audience, who have already enthusiastically embraced her as a familiar part of their morning.”

Rowland, Brennan’s co-host, said: “Bridget has been such a breath of fresh air since joining the show and I am delighted she’ll now be my main co-presenter. Bridget brings to the job enormous news heft, but also a love of music, film, food and bad jokes – mine, mostly. All the things that make News Breakfast tick.”

Brennan, a Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta woman, first joined the ABC as a cadet journalist in 2010. She has previously been the ABC’s Indigenous affairs editor, Europe correspondent, and national Indigenous affairs correspondent.

She has worked on News Breakfast since late last year as newsreader and co-presenter after returning from London and helping lead the ABC’s coverage of the Voice to Parliament Referendum.

Tanya Vragalis has returned to M&C Saatchi to become managing director, seven years after she left the agency to join TBWA.

Vragalis led CommBank as group account director and group head at M&C from 2015 to 2017, before she moved to TBWA. In April, she left the Omnicom agency when it made the MD position redundant.

Rejoining M&C, Vragalis will become part of the executive leadership team, and be tasked with leading the agency’s client delivery model with Woolworths’ bespoke agency, Greenhouse Collective.

At the end of 2022, M&C elevated co-MD Michael McEwan to CEO, as Justin Graham moved into a bigger role. Sian Cook, who McEwan shared the role with, relocated to the UK.

“We’ve built a fantastic working model with the Woolworths Group that’s currently evolving, and we’re taking on the challenge of expanding our capabilities in digital and data-first brand experiences,” Graham, the CEO of M&C Saatchi APAC, said.

“Tanya is an integral part of this plan. She brings a passion for innovation and a strategic mindset to the ever-evolving creative landscape.”

Vragalis’ category experience spans telco, tourism, financial services, and retail. She said it’s an “exciting new era” for M&C Saatchi.

“There’s significant momentum and transformation in progress so it’s a great time to join,” she added.

“I’m particularly excited to collaborate with Steve Coll, our clients and the talented team that form part of the Greenhouse Collective to help drive growth for the Woolworths Group.”

Coll joined as chief creative officer following Cam Blackley‘s exit. Former chief strategist Emily Taylor departed after Blackley, and the pair launched their own creative shop, Bureau of Everything.

In May, Mediaweek revealed Nick Jacobs had been promoted to CSO, three months after Taylor left the post. That same month, group CD Sharon Edmondston left amidst a creative restructure.

Scott Dettrick joined as national ECD in March.

The lines between where gaming audiences start and end are getting blurry, so brands that “bet on gaming are betting on the future” according to speakers at IAB’s 2024 Game Advertising Summit.

Speaking at the event, Google’s Rebecca Holmes and Rebecca Conrad, who manage strategy and insights, said there’s really no end to how gaming permeates all other types of culture, including traditional media. 

On the basis of time spent on apps, The New York Times is now a gaming company. People are spending more time in the NYT gaming app than they do their news app or any of their other owned properties. This is thanks to the company acquiring the word game Wordle in January 2022. It reportedly paid its creator, software engineer Josh Wardle “in the low seven figures” for the game and now has a player base of “tens of millions.”

The New York Times is now a gaming company on the basis of customer time spent

(From ValueAct, Data estimated by Yipit, Source: https://t.co/hdSkS5oF25) pic.twitter.com/vEfickAyup

— Matthew Ball (@ballmatthew) March 31, 2024

Holmes and Conrad’s research at Google found that different genres of games attract different audiences. For example, people interested in the lifestyle simulator, The Sims, are more likely to be in the market for makeup, while people interested in the racing series Gran Turismo are more likely to be in the market for a luxury vehicle. 

See also: ‘Perfectly set up for success’: Video game adaptations surge, but marketers still ‘misunderstand’ audience

“Because of the variety of games and gaming content, it’s really easy for brands to find a link to a gaming audience,” Holmes said.

Unexpected brands are also finding a gaming audience, including Louis Vuitton. 

In 2019, the French luxury clothing brand partnered with League of Legends, a game popularly played professionally at e-sports events. The brand ran a full game integration, including a line of clothing that was in theme with the game, and created a bespoke Louis Vuitton trophy box called the ‘Summoner’s Cup’. It was awarded to the winners of the 2019 League of Legends World Championship. 

According to Holmes and Conrad, Commonwealth Bank’s bet on the Matildas is an example of investing in an underinvested industry. That investment is paying dividends. 

“In 2016, CommBank stopped sponsoring the Australian male cricket team and instead decided to sponsor the Matildas, which was a huge risk because at the time, the team only had about 2,000 people come and watch their games,” Conrad said.

“In this instance, CommBank was really forward-looking. It saw the cultural change coming, and it jumped on this movement early. Not only did they get a really good deal as an early sponsor, but it helped CommBank become a globally recognised brand. 

“We’ve heard a number of times that gaming is underinvested as an industry in Australia, but the Matildas proved there’s a lot of opportunity to grow in a low-investment area. Brands can remain relevant by tapping into this cultural shift.”

Spotify Australia and New Zealand has launched its latest brand campaign, Connected By Spotify, featuring the new in-app experience, What’s Your Music Generation, which analyses a person’s Top 50 listened to tracks across the last 12 months to show their true listening generation.

With other recent feature releases including Daylist, Niche Mixes, and AI Playlists, Spotify’s head of marketing, Rosie Rothery, told Mediaweek the brand’s next challenge was working out “how to highlight the breadth of product innovations to local audiences across generations.” 

See also: Spotify introduces features to help creators ‘build powerful communities’

“To ensure the work resonates across demographics, we used these product innovations as the creative centre point to express how different generations are connected via Spotify,” Rothery said.

“Spotify’s passionate user base is made up of so many different demographics who listen in such unique ways, and we know through experiences like Wrapped that building our users’ surprising experiences inspired by their listening data is a unique gift that only Spotify can provide, so we created something for users across generations to talk about with each other.”

The campaign has been supported by a range of social assets developed by well known Australian influencers, with names like Kat and Deja Clark (@katclark, @more.dejankat), Ross Andrewartha (@rossandrewartha), and Tim Collins (@100percentthattim) on board.

“We looked for Australian trending cultural leaders across a range of demographics and niches, matching them to a juxtaposing influencer from a different demographic,” said Rothery.

“We have a mother/daughter duo, a new millennial dad matched with GenZ party girls, and an iconic comedic Australian social skit creator playing the role of multiple generations all in one asset. Creators’ creative flair and talent, audience size and engagement, diverse representation across a variety of demographics, and niche communities all played a role.”

Coca-Cola and OREO have launched their first brand collaboration, introducing two limited-edition products: the Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie and the Coca-Cola OREO Zero Sugar Limited Edition.

The launch campaign, created by creative network Ogilvy in partnership with Spotify, includes the Bestie Mode Digital Experience platform, which allows Australian and New Zealand fans to merge music tastes and enjoy a unique musical experience together. The platform invites fans to activate ‘Bestie Mode.’

“Coca-Cola Creations is all about infusing the iconic Coca-Cola® brand with new expressions of creativity, allowing Australian and New Zealand fans to experience the ‘Real Magic’ of Coca-Cola,” said Kate Miller, senior marketing director at Coca-Cola South Pacific.

“Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar Limited Edition perfectly aligns with this, tapping into emerging technologies, collaborating with brands, artists and designers to create new flavours, designs and unexpected experiences.”

The products will be available in Australia from 9 September and in New Zealand from September across major and independent retailers. A frozen version of the Coca-Cola Oreo Limited Edition will also be available in Australia at participating McDonald‘s restaurants via the MyMacca’s app later this year, for a limited time.

“At Oreo, we pride ourselves on taking our customers on a delightful journey by bringing innovation and playfulness into our delicious cookies,” added Ben Wicks, vice president marketing – Australia New Zealand at Mondelēz.

“We are excited to unveil our latest innovation, Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie, which is the result of an exciting collaboration that pushes the boundaries of flavour innovation to captivate consumers’ taste buds and imagination.”

The campaign follows Ogilvy’s recent work for AAMI, which highlights the quirks and challenges faced by both professional and community footy players. The campaign marked the third iteration of AAMI’s new brand platform, positioning the insurer as the go-to for coverage when Australian life happens.

See also: AAMI and Ogilvy launch ‘When our game has its moments’

Pringles has introduced its Spicy range with a campaign dubbed Feed Your Spicy Side via the Kellanova brand‘s creative agency of record, Thinkerbell.

The campaign encourages people to embrace the ‘mildly indecent’ aspects of their personality with Pringles, showcasing playful scenarios where the new flavours are considered ‘too spicy’, leading to the cans being censored from view.

“The Spicy range is incredibly important to Pringles as its bold taste profile takes Aussies to an edgier, more playful place with every crunch,” said senior brand manager for salty snacks at Kellanova in ANZ, Ileana Andrei.

“The creative work Feed Your Spicy Side embodies this wonderfully. We couldn’t be happier with the result.”

The Spicy range is now available at major retailers across Australia and New Zealand, with the campaign launching on social media and YouTube in 15 and six-second cutdowns.

“The launch of the new Pringles Spicy range demanded equally fiery content,” said executive creative Tinker, Sesh Moodley.

“Our team had a blast creating these ads. The casting and shoot were handled with a spicy yet deft hand by Hotel Bell.”

Thinkerbell was appointed Pringles’ local content and earned media agency in December last year, debuting with the Shoot From The Chip digital platform, developed in partnership with the Sydney Kings basketball team.

TKB x Pringles “Trickshot” from Thinkerbell on Vimeo.

The campaign follows recent news that GWM Australia and New Zealand appointed Thinkerbell as its agency partner after a competitive pitch. Starting 1 October 2024, Thinkerbell will handle strategy and creative for the Chinese-owned ute and SUV manufacturer across brand, retail, dealer, and sponsorships.

See also: GWM appoints Thinkerbell following split with The Hallway

Credits:
Client: Pringles (Kellanova)
Creative & Earned: Thinkerbell 
Production: Hotel Bell, via Thinkerbell

Australia’s newest university, Adelaide University, has appointed an agency village made of four creative and two media buying partners following a tender process. The move comes as the university gears up to launch in January 2026.

The agency village includes lead creative agency Richards Rose, alongside FULLER, WDM Studio, and Rodeo Creative. Wavemaker will manage Adelaide University’s media buying in Australia, with Hybrid handling international media buying.

According to the university, this year it will focus on brand storytelling and international student recruitment, launching its first global campaign: A new university with a rich history.

Domestic student recruitment is set to commence in 2025.

Adelaide University was formed through the merger of South Australia’s two largest universities, the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide.

University of Adelaide chief marketing officer Dr Benjamin Grindlay and University of South Australia chief marketing and communications officer Sarah Cutbush said: “it’s a rare scenario for two universities that were previously fierce rivals to come together to create a new university, and it’s a massive undertaking.

“The way that our teams and agency partners have worked together, and the positive response to the campaign so far, has been a career highlight.”

“We’ve come from a scenario where the two existing institutions were very well known and successful, to one where we are launching a brand-new entity, with a new strategy and brand.”

Grindlay and Cutbush added: “We are very aware of the range of audiences, from potential students and partners; to existing students, staff and partners; as well as our large and engaged alumni communities and all of the people who interact with universities. 

“It’s a pivotal moment for our new University, and it’s wonderful to see our new brand come to life through this initial campaign.”

See also: Mindshare retains University of Melbourne

Ryvalmedia has won multiple clients over the past six months, and across its Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane offices: Millbrook Group, Machines4U, Fixed Teeth Australia, Narellan Pools, Aletek, and The Jungle Tribe.

In addition to the wins, the agency has retained Hisense, and iextended the global remit for ergoPouch to include the US and UK, and added New Zealand to its remit for Specialized.

“Our approach to growth is relentless; as the macro-economic conditions shift in Australia and abroad, client retention, results and winning for our clients is our focus,” Simon Ryan, RyanCap’s CEO, said.

“Great to see the team led by Joseph Pardillo, Bianca Falloon and Mark Power continue to deliver in challenging market conditions.”

Ryan recently spoke to Mediaweek about leading three companies and the challenges that come with that.

“Managing three companies across the three eastern seaboard markets is a good sweet spot for me,” he said.
 
“Having previously managed over 23 entities across five markets and having a line of sight into Asia, the RyanCap portfolio of companies and geographic split is not complicated. Balance is achieved by having great management across the portfolio and forward-thinking clients.
 
“This enables me to focus on the overall growth of the business and brand extensions to ensure relevance and opportunities for our brands.”
 
Ryan noted that challenges will always exist in the market. The changing landscape and economic fluctuations mean “a strong plan and an unrelenting approach to growth are the focus,” he said.
 
“The unique challenge is that with our alignment with Labelium, we are now competing with global competitors while also manoeuvring like an independent business, a great challenge to have.”
 
See also: ‘Change is good, and progress is even better’: Leadership lessons from RyanCap CEO Simon Ryan
 
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Top image: Simon Ryan

The season one 2023 premiere of Last King of the Cross was preceded by one of the last big TV parties. Paramount+ took over a multi-storey nightclub in Kings Cross as guests celebrated the series about underworld figure John Ibrahim. Joining cast and crew, Helium Pictures producer Mark Fennessy, and Paramount ANZ chief Bev McGarvey at that launch, was Ibrahim himself.

Some of Ibrahim’s crew were there too, including friend Kyle Sandilands.

See also: Paramount+ launches Last King of the Cross with glitter in seedy suburb

It seems like there will be less hype around the release of season two on Paramount+. That is now just two weeks away on Friday 30 August.

The publicity reminds us that this is a fictional series. Okay. The new episodes tell the story of Ibrahim and his mission to capture Oxford Street’s late-night empire after crowds moved on from the Cross.

Two episodes will be available initially on Paramount+, with one then dropping each week.

Internationally, Last King of The Cross season two will also premiere on Paramount+ Canada on 30 August.

The press kit details the series synopsis:

Having fled to Ibiza to escape his past, John finally returns to Sydney – only to find it’s not quite how he left it. The two younger Ibrahim brothers, Fadi (Alex Kaan) and Michael (Dave Hoey) have grown up, while older brother Sam (Claude Jabbour) remains in prison – steadily growing a following as he attempts to establish his own Black Flags chapter.

With Kings Cross all but dead in the wake of the Royal Commission, John tails a group of colourful partygoers to Oxford Street – the seductive, ecstasy-fuelled new centre of Sydney nightlife. John wants in, but it’s not going to be easy. Nightclub owner Ray Kinnock (Naveen Andrews – Lost, The Dropout, The English Patient) employs every trick in his well-connected arsenal to challenge John’s crown, while Dean Taylor (Luke Arnold) and Benny Vasquez (Matuse) emerge as new threats.

With Senior Sergeant Elizabeth Doyle (Tess Haubrich) following John’s every move and his own brothers causing chaos, John’s separate worlds of business, family, and crime, will collide across a spectacular and explosive eight episodes.

Last King of the Cross production notes

Last King of The Cross is a Helium Pictures production for Paramount+ Australia with Cineflix Rights as the exclusive international distribution partner.

The series has received production investment from Paramount Australia in association with Screen Australia and is financed with support from Screen NSW through the Made in NSW fund and Fulcrum Media Finance. Post, digital and visual effects supported by Screen NSW and Screen Queensland.

Top photo: Claude Jabbour as Sam Ibrahim & Lincoln Younes as John Ibrahim – Last King Of The Cross – Season 2. Photo Daniel Asher Smith

9Podcasts’ Stories of Origin: Alfie awarded the Best Sports Podcast at the 2024 Australia New Zealand Podcast Awards.

The third season of the Stories of Origin podcast series delves into stories behind the career legendary NRL player Allan ‘Alfie’ Langer.

Hosted by Nine’s Wide World of Sports’ Mat Thompson, executive produced by Matty White and produced by Jordan Weir, Stories of Origin has become a favourite among sports fans. 

Nine’s head of podcasts, social and digital, Mia Stern said: We couldn’t be prouder of the team on their much deserved award win. Their unwavering commitment to crafting compelling narratives and their innovative approach has been pivotal in making Stories of Origin: Alfie such an engaging and memorable audio experience and we’re incredibly grateful to our listeners for their continued support.”

Listen to Stories of Origin: Alfie

Cricket Unfiltered wins Radio Today Award for Best Sports Podcast

The longest-running cricket podcast in Australia, Cricket Unfiltered was founded by Piccolo Podcasts’ director Andrew Menczel.

The podcast has worked to set the standard in delivering cricket coverage for over 10 years, providing insightful analysis and in-depth interviews with some of the sport’s biggest names.

Listen to Cricket Unfiltered

Chelsea Morley joins Arielle Thomas to discuss the challenges of creative rivalry on Process the Podcast

Process the Podcast host Arielle Thomas welcomes fellow creative director Chelsea Morely as they explore creative competition, the consequences of working in a demanding industry and the unique obstacles faced by women. 

Morley shares her career trajectory from working in TV to co-founding Tiny Disco while conversing with Thomas about the personal and professional toll of running a business in the creative industry, the struggles of burnout, and the pursuit of success while emphasising the importance of self-care. The two further delve into the creative process, the future of the industry and the delicate balance between maintaining creative integrity and meeting the demands of the business world.

Thomas says: “My conversation with Chelsea Morley is a powerful exploration of the challenges and triumphs of running a business, the importance of self-care, and the need to stay true to our creative visions.”

Listen to Process the Podcast

Domenica Calarco and Ella Ding cancel their podcast, Sit With Us, after two years.

Domenica Calarco announced the news on the podcast’s Facebook group, saying “Ella and I have come to a joint decision: it is the right time for Sit With Us to come to an end.”

Calarco and Ding started Sit With Us in June 2022 shortly after the airing of the 2022 season of reality TV show Married at First Sight, of which both were contestants. Calarco praised fans for the growth of their community, saying “each episode, each discussion, each shared story has been a labour of love, and knowing that our content has resonated with people from all corners of the world has been beyond rewarding.”

While not providing specific reasons for the cancellation, the podcast recently received backlash for hosting controversial 2024 Married at First Sight contestant Jack Dunkley on an episode in May.

Podcast Ranker July 2024: Hamish & Andy on top, Olympics drives sport rise

LiSTNR’s Hamish & Andy has again taken the top spot in Commercial Radio and Audio (CRA) and Triton Digital‘s July Australian Podcast Ranker.

Last month, Hamish & Andy recorded 862,794 monthly listeners and 1,788,786 monthly downloads.

Following Hamish & Andy are ABC News Top Stories, Casefile True Crime, Mamamia Out Loud, and News Corp’s Bronwyn.

Read more

Toni and Ryan move from Spotify to Acast: Hit podcast duo change channels

Australian podcast duo Toni Lodge and Ryan Jon are the hosts of the hit podcast Toni and Ryan. This month, they are celebrating three years of content, laughs, and chaos, plus a new multi-year, multi-channel partnership with global audio giant Acast.

The move was announced by Toni and Ryan on their Tuesday podcast this week. Jon explained because of the switch to a new platform, they cannot post new episodes between Wednesday and next Monday. Could the hosts also be using the break to travel to the destination of their mystery third birthday party?

Read more

Hybrid creative agency and production company Jack Nimble has consolidated its social-first capabilities to launch Nimble Creators, an end-to-end influencer service designed to empower brands within the creator economy.

“At Jack Nimble, we’re creators, too,” said head of digital, James McInnes.

“But we also have an innate understanding of our clients’ business objectives and brands. We use this expertise and knowledge to partner with creators in different ways throughout the creative and production process.

“For instance, with some creators we’ll lean more into developing ideas with them, whereas with others we’ll lean more into being on set with them. It’s a bespoke model, which ultimately leads to better social content for both the creator and the brand.”

Over the past year, Jack Nimble has moonlighted as Nimble Creators to collaborate with brands like Spotify, Domino’s, American Express, LinkedIn, Netflix, eBay, SBS, and Bubs Australia on over 100 creator partnerships. Prominent influencers involved include Indy Clinton, Millie Ford, Jeremy Franco, Ash Wicks, Froomes, Swag on the Beat, and the Fitzy Twins.

Recently, Nimble Creators helped Domino’s Australia launch its MOREMenu range on social media with a micro-content creator-led approach.

The strategy, which tested mobile-first content alongside high-production-value content, resulted in a 265% increase in engagements, a 167% increase in click-through rates, and a 128% return on ad spend. The approach is now being replicated for Domino’s Japan.

Angus Mullane, Jack Nimble’s executive producer and co-founder, pointed to a recent Facebook study, noting that self-recorded, mobile-shot content is 84% more likely to outperform studio-shot creative among “perfection-fatigued” younger audiences.

“We’ve seen firsthand the power of thinking social-first on social – that’s why we started Jack Nimble seven years ago,” said Mullane.

“Today, creators are a big part of thinking social-first, and Nimble Creators is all about putting them at the forefront of our thinking because when you do it right, it delivers exceptional results for clients.”

See also: LinkedIn launches TikTok campaign to curb Tall Poppy Syndrome via Jack Nimble

Stan is reporting that the streamer has broken numerous viewing and subscriber records with its Paris 2024 Olympics coverage on Stan Sport.

The platform recorded its highest viewing day ever on Stan Sport, exceeding its pre-Olympic record by over 60%.

Martin Kugeler, Stan’s chief executive officer, said: “Australia’s response to our groundbreaking Olympic viewing experience has exceeded all our expectations. With the most comprehensive offering in Australia’s Olympic history, we achieved a record breaking Stan Sport subscriber growth of over 50% – surpassing forecasts, making the Olympics a great success for Stan.”

Stan Sport viewers were able to access coverage of 329 events across a range of channels, including an Australian first international and multi-language offering.

Mediaweek previously reported on eight exclusive international, multi-language Olympic broadcast channels offered by Stan.

Kugeler added: “We set out to raise the bar for Olympics coverage in this country by introducing Australian firsts including 4K and exclusive international multi-language channels, and we are enormously proud to have delivered on this vision. Stan’s record breaking achievement is a testament to the team’s tremendous dedication and passion to providing subscribers with a world class experience.”

Subscribers used Stan Sport’s upgraded interface to overcome the challenges of international time zones, with on-demand content to catch up on overnight activity. This proved a popular choice for 40% of Olympics viewing with Stan Sport viewers watching over 2,600 hours of replays, highlights and exclusive minis available for all events.

Accompanied by the coverage of the sport was Stan’s daily shows, Olympics Daily and Paris Preview, the shows informing viewers of Olympic highlights.

The shows were hosted by Tara Rushton and Adam Peacock, with a lineup of Australian sports stars including Ash Barty, Grant Hackett, Michael Hooper, Stephanie Rice and John Steffensen. 

Stan Sport will provide coverage of upcoming events including the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (August 28 – September 8), UEFA Super Cup (August 15), US Open Tennis (August 27 – September 9) and UEFA Champions League. 

oOh!media has appointed Emmalee Crellin to the newly-created role of head of data sales.  

Crellin will be responsible for leading the company’s data-led campaign solutions, managing client interactions with the network, and helping brands achieve advertising objectives. 

Working within the sales support team and reporting to Ivan Gridchin, group director – product, data sales, and solutions, Crellin will be in-market championing oOh!’s exclusive out of home data agreement with Unpacked by Flybuys, as well as the partnership with Westpac DataX.  

Paul Sigaloff, chief revenue and growth officer at oOh!, said Crellin’s appointment “reinforces our leadership position in delivering measurable, data-led campaigns” as well as “our ongoing commitment to ensure advertising and agency partners have access to the most premium audience spending data and insights.”

Crellin joins the company after more than five years at Yahoo, where she worked as a senior data and insights strategist, overseeing the commercial data strategy and key growth drivers for this business across Australia and New Zealand.  

“She brings a wealth of knowledge from her previous data strategy roles, and working collaboratively with our sales team, will guide clients towards effective, sophisticated, data-driven buying practices,” Sigaloff added. 

Speaking about her new role, Crellin said: “The opportunity to transform and simplify OOH campaign planning and measurement by leveraging oOh!’s industry leading data suite is incredibly exciting. By utilising our exclusive data agreements, we can deliver targeted and effective campaigns that enhance advertising strategies and higher ROI for our clients.” 

This week, oOh!media announced the addition of 12 shopping centres across Australia to its retail media portfolio.

This expansion coincided with the outdoor advertising company‘s acquisition of Adelaide-based Blue Tongue Outdoor, adding a further 23 retail centre sites to oOh!’s portfolio. The deal extends oOh!’s long-term partnership with Blue Tongue Outdoor and brings its owner, David Widdop, into the oOh! team to implement the commercial network strategy across South Australia.

See also: oOh!media acquires Blue Tongue Outdoor, adds 35 sites to retail portfolio

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Top image: Emmalee Crellin

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has appointed Lachlan Brahe, the general manager of retail media at Cashrewards, as the inaugural chair of its Retail Media Council, effective immediately.

Founded in 2023, the Council helps set standards, educates, and drives collaboration across the retail media industry.

Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia, said: “The growth and energy of our expanding Retail Media Council matches the development of the retail media market itself. Lachlan has been selected by his peers to play a leadership role for the Council and I look forward to working with him to continue to drive important initiatives for the market.”

Over the last year, the Retail Media Council released a range of resources to help support the evolution of the local industry, including launching its Foundations of Retail Media e-learning program, releasing the first wave of Retail Media State of the Nation research, and delivering a definitive Retail Media Glossary of Terms.

The Council is currently working on a range of new resources that will be released over the next few months, including local measurement guidelines, the second wave of the State of the Nation research, and a range of additional educational resources.

Brahe said: “The media community in Australia is fortunate to have such a diverse, experienced and passionate group such as the Retail Media Council. The perspectives on retail media that this group will bring to market will drive awareness, education and growth. I look forward to being able to share the collective wisdom of this council with IAB members and the wider industry.”

IAB’s Retail Media Council includes representatives from Adobe, Afterpay, Amazon, Bench, Broadsign, Cashrewards, Cartology, Cirtus Ad, Coles360, Criteo, David Jones, Diageo, Endeavour Group, Google, GroupM, Hatched, Hearts & Science, Kinesso, Mars United, Microsoft, OMD, oOh!Media, Publicis, Pubmatic, Scentre Group, Terry White Chemmart, The Trade Desk, Uber Advertising, Vudoo, WooliesX, Yahoo, Zenith and Zitcha.

Brahe’s appointment comes a week after Vanya Mariani was appointed chair of the IAB Board. 

ARN will continue its exclusive radio partnership for this year’s 64th TV WEEK Logie Awards.

The partnership will include an integrated campaign spread across the KIIS Network, ARN Regional stations, and iHeart, featuring celebrity interviews, VIP experience giveaways and access to the red-carpet event on Australian TV’s night of nights.

In the lead up to the event, KIIS will run giveaways in August across the Kyle & Jackie O Show, The Night Show, Robin & Kip and KIIS Weekends, along with Will & Woody’s Showstopper national promotion, to give listeners the chance to win the money-can’t-buy experience.

Lauren Joyce, ARN’s chief strategy and communications officer, said: “As Australia’s leading audio network, we are dedicated to providing unforgettable entertainment experiences to our listeners, and this partnership is a perfect fit for that mission.”

As part of the collaboration, KIIS’ Kyle & Jackie O will capture all the buzz leading up to the awards with a special Pre-Logies Party with the stars, along with interviews with Gold Logie nominees.

On the night of the event, all KIIS Network shows will be front and centre on the red carpet. Meanwhile, Mitch Churi from The Night Show will host his show live from the red carpet, broadcasting across the KIIS Network and on iHeart. KIIS will cover all the behind-the-scenes action, interviewing winners in the media room.
 
The following morning, the best interviews and unforgettable moments will be recapped on-air and online, along with a special weekend breakfast show with KIIS’ Chris Page and Amy Gerard.
 
The 64th TV WEEK Logie Awards will take place live at The Star Sydney and air on Seven and 7plus on Sunday 18 August from 7pm.

MiQ has appointed Aaron Macarthur to the newly-created role of director of business development for Australia and New Zealand.

In the role, Macarthur will focus on developing commercial growth opportunities across the company in Australia and New Zealand, reporting to MiQ ANZ commercial director Stuart Parker.

Macarthur brings 15 years of experience in strategy, media and commercial experience to the global programmatic media partner.

He also has significant media technology and product expertise across a range of verticals, including government, banking, technology, entertainment, automotive, and travel.

He was most recently the founder of Convo Ink, a programmatic content business based in Sydney. Macarthur also has a background in sales with Southern Cross Austereo and News Corp Australia and has worked with Verizon and Allure Media.

Parker said: “Aaron is a welcome addition to the MiQ ANZ senior commercial team. He is well-known to the business, having worked closely with our ANZ team for the past few months in a contracting role.

“During that time, he quickly became a highly valued member of our ANZ operation, impressing with his commitment to innovation and performance, and his wide-scale industry partnerships.
 
“Aaron brings a track record for securing long-term client relationships and I am confident he will leverage his expertise to identify new growth opportunities, platforms and clients that align with our strategic objectives.”
 
Macarthur said of his appointment: “I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside the MiQ ANZ team, and watching the business make significant plans to grow its client base and channel offering. It’s an exciting time to be officially joining the organisation, as it looks to deepen its client relationships in Australia and New Zealand and explore new growth opportunities.
 
“Having worked in the Australian media landscape for nearly two decades, I have a strong insight into the evolving advertising needs of clients, along with a commitment to driving performance and results. I’m excited to hit the ground running on building new partnerships and revenue streams for MiQ in Australia and New Zealand.”
 
–
 
Top image: Aaron Macarthur

Fitness & Lifestyle Group has partnered with impact.com to launch an affiliate partnership marketing program in Australia in collaboration with the partnership management platform.

The program is focused on the health and wellbeing company’s Australian gym brands, Fitness First and Goodlife Health Clubs, and will aim to reach potential clients by working with a diverse range of partners outside the typical health and fitness sector.

Since the program’s launch in March 2024, Fitness & Lifestyle Group has entered into several partnerships with brands such as Compare Club, content sites such as The Urban List, and traditional discount and cashback affiliates like UNiDAYS, Shopback, and Cashrewards, which have seen an uptick in new members from the partnership activity.

Sara Dunseath, executive general manager, marketing and PR ANZ, at Fitness & Lifestyle Group, said the ability to automate all aspects of a partnership program across multiple brands from impact.com’s single platform means the programs launched with just one dedicated resource.

“Partnership marketing has evolved into a full-funnel customer acquisition channel that can drive brand awareness and equity,” Dunseath said.

“With impact.com’s automated partnership management platform, we realised it was possible to effectively scale a partnership program to drive incremental revenue, awareness and consideration. We’re already tapping into a wider network of customers via the impact.com platform and are excited about the possibilities ahead as our programs continue to mature.”

The partnership management platform allows brands and its agencies to automate the entire lifecycle of a partnership program from recruitment, contracting, onboarding, optimisation, payment and reporting across multiple brands, currencies, and languages.
 
Adam Furness, APAC managing director at impact.com, said more brands like FLG are realising the value a modern partnership program can create.
 
“Increasingly, purchasing decisions are being driven by other people talking about a brand versus how a brand talks about itself. Consequently, partnerships are becoming more important to brands as both a customer acquisition channel and a driver of long-term growth.”
 
–
 
Top image: Sara Dunseath and Adam Furness

Tuesday 13 August 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s The Block recorded a total TV national reach of 2,025,000, a total TV national audience of 1,005,000, and a BVOD audience of 134,000.

Nine’s 9News recorded a total TV national reach of 2,199,000, a total TV national audience of 1,310,000, and a BVOD audience of 105,000.

Also on Seven, Home & Away recorded a total TV national reach of 1,356,000, a total TV national audience of 913,000, and a BVOD audience of 137,000.

10’s airing of Hunted recorded a total TV national reach of 1,021,000, a total TV national audience of 487,000, and a BVOD audience of 30,000.

10’s airing of The Cheap Seats recorded a total TV national reach of 878,000, a total TV national audience of 466,000, and a BVOD audience of 14,000.

People 25-54

Nine’s The Block:
• Total TV nation reach: 818,000
• National Audience: 453,000
• BVOD Audience: 82,000

10’s Hunted:
• Total TV nation reach: 443,000
• National Audience: 230,000 
• BVOD Audience: 18,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 425,000
• National Audience: 295,000
• BVOD Audience: 78,000

10’s The Cheap Seats:
• Total TV nation reach: 389,000
• National Audience: 228,000 
• BVOD Audience: 9,000

People 16-39

Nine’s The Block:
• Total TV nation reach: 389,000
• National Audience: 228,000
• BVOD Audience: 51,000

10’s Hunted:
• Total TV nation reach: 180,000
• National Audience: 100,000 
• BVOD Audience: 10,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 171,000
• National Audience: 126,000
• BVOD Audience: 48,000

10’s The Cheap Seats:
• Total TV nation reach: 151,000
• National Audience: 87,000 
• BVOD Audience: 4,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+ TV Ratings

Nine’s The Block:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,584,000
• National Audience: 786,000
• BVOD Audience: 107,000

10’s Hunted:
• Total TV nation reach: 778,000
• National Audience: 364,000 
• BVOD Audience: 24,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,085,000
• National Audience: 732,000
• BVOD Audience: 110,000

10’s The Cheap Seats:
• Total TV nation reach: 674,000
• National Audience: 360,000 
• BVOD Audience: 11,000

Data © OzTAM and Regional TAM 2024. Not to be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without prior written consent of OzTAM and Regional TAM.