Wednesday March 25, 2026
MAFS expert Mel Schilling dies aged 54 after cancer battle
Mel Schilling, relationship expert on Married at First Sight, has died aged 54 following a battle with cancer, prompting tributes from Nine, Endemol Shine Australia and colleagues across the industry.
Her husband, Gareth Brisbane, confirmed the news in an Instagram post on Tuesday night, sharing details of her final moments and reflecting on her life and legacy.
“In her final moments, when I thought cancer had taken away her ability to speak, she ushered me closer and whispered a message for Maddie and me that will sustain me for the rest of my life,” he wrote.
“It took all of her remaining strength, and that gesture summed up our wee Melsie perfectly. Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me.”
View this post on Instagram
A decade on MAFS and a late career rise
Schilling had been a central figure on Married at First Sight for the past decade, becoming one of the show’s most recognisable experts and a key part of its format and success.
Her husband described her as someone who balanced motherhood and a demanding television career later in life.
Schilling became a new mum and a TV star at 42, he said, adding: “This is a woman who, through two years of chemotherapy, when she could barely lift her head from the pillow, never complained and never stopped showing courage, grace, compassion and empathy, and never missed a day of filming.”
She stepped away from the show in February after 10 years on the program to focus on her health and family.
Mel Schilling, alongside her fellow MAFS experts John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla.
Final months and public diagnosis
Schilling was first diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023.
In March, she revealed her condition had become terminal after the cancer spread to her brain, sharing that her oncology team had told her “there’s nothing further they can do”.
Her health had deteriorated over Christmas, when she began experiencing “blinding headaches and numbness” down one side of her body.
“I honestly don’t know how long I have left, but I do know I will fight to my last breath and will be surrounded by the love and support of my people,” she said at the time.
In a message shared after her passing, her husband added: “Live life to the full, love your people well, and try not to sweat the small stuff.
“I had 15 wonderful years with my soulmate, and it was the privilege of my life to be by her side. For that, I will be forever thankful.”
Industry tributes from Nine and Endemol Shine
Tributes from across the television industry followed, reflecting Schilling’s role both on-screen and behind the scenes.
Michael Healy, Nine’s Executive Director, Entertainment, Streaming & Broadcasting, said: “All of us at Nine are deeply saddened by the loss of Mel.”
“Mel was a wonderful colleague and friend. She had a gift for connecting with people and helping them navigate life’s challenges. For years, she guided us through the complexities of the human heart with wisdom, honesty, and kindness.
“Mel was a big part of our family, and she will be greatly missed. Our hearts and deepest sympathies are with her husband Gareth, their daughter Maddie and her entire family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Tara McWilliams, Director of Content at Endemol Shine Australia, added:
“We are beyond heartbroken to say goodbye to our beloved Mel. In this moment of deep sadness, there are no words that really feel like enough, only a huge sense of loss for a beautiful woman who meant so much to so many of us here at ESA.
Mel was deeply loved for her kindness, warmth, honesty, sparkle, and the way she made everyone around her feel seen and understood. She had a rare and beautiful way of connecting with people; being in her presence was something truly special.
We’re holding Gareth, Maddie, and Mel’s family and friends in our hearts and sending all of our thoughts during this unimaginable time.
For the past 10 years we were privileged to work alongside you. We will miss you more than words can say”.
Schilling leaves behind her husband, Gareth, and their daughter, Maddie.
'My partner in crime': John Aiken talks about Mel Schilling on 'Today'
Mel Schilling, relationship expert on Nine’s Married at First Sight, has died aged 54 following a battle with cancer.
Schilling’s husband, Gareth Brisbane, confirmed the news in an Instagram post on Tuesday night, sharing details of her final moments and reflecting on her life and legacy.
This morning on Nine’s Today, her MAFS co-expert, John Aitken, spoke emotionally about his former colleague.
“It’s a very sad day for me and everyone in the MAFS family and her nearest and dearest. It’s tragic and it happened very quickly,” Aiken began in his interview.
“[She] lights up a room. She was a real role model for for young women. I felt on that show. You know, very ambitious, a fantastic wife to Gareth. So just admired her. And, you know, I got a front row seat to her.
“[We] connected on the show 10 years ago… we held on and just went for the ride. She was my partner in crime through all of this. So, you know, I couldn’t have done it without her. It won’t be the same now.
“We had a lot of fun off set and she was always someone who made things a lot lighter. She was very much a glass half full person. We loved her.”
He added, “She, she loved love. She was completely committed to the participants – she wanted everyone to get the fairy tale.
“I remember this particularly; there was moment where one of the grooms decided to leave the experiment and abandon his wife on the couch. Mel got up and [sat] beside her and cuddled her – the compassion that you know, the care and that she really felt for all the participants.
Aiken concluded, “She was dealing with a lot in terms of this very aggressive cancer, and yet you would have never known it. She just kept just pushing forward.”
Aiken also shared a heartbreaking post on Instagram last night, saying in part, “I am heartbroken, devastated and finding it hard to breathe.
“She came into my life 10 years ago and together we rode this MAFS juggernaut, being there for one another through it all.
“Nothing could prepare us for what lay ahead, but she was always in the fox hole with me.”
View this post on Instagram
MAFS expert Mel Schilling dies aged 54 after cancer battle
Schilling had been a central figure on Married at First Sight for the past decade, becoming one of the show’s most recognisable experts and a key part of its format and success.
She stepped away from the show in February after 10 years on the program to focus on her health and family.
Schilling was first diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023. In March 2026, she revealed her condition had become terminal after the cancer spread to her brain, sharing that her oncology team had told her “there’s nothing further they can do”.
Her health had deteriorated over Christmas, when she began experiencing “blinding headaches and numbness” down one side of her body.
“I honestly don’t know how long I have left, but I do know I will fight to my last breath and will be surrounded by the love and support of my people,” she said at the time.
Top image: Mel Schilling with John Aiken. Image: Instagram
EXCLUSIVE: The deal, the room, the name: Inside Tapt Media’s Vegas origin
It turns out one of the most consequential rebrands in Australian media did not emerge from a fluorescent-lit boardroom, but from a meeting room tucked inside the Wynn Encore in Las Vegas.
There, amid the buzz of the NRL’s opening round and a gathering of the Laundy family, the name that will soon sit above some of the country’s most powerful talk radio assets was decided.
From Eardrum to Encore
The process itself, however, was anything but casual.
As Nine Radio’s Managing Director Tom Malone told Mediaweek, the groundwork had been extensive, involving both internal leadership and creative agency Eardrum.
“Along with the team at Nine, we engaged a lot with Eardrum, and they came back with a whole bunch of ways we could attack the rebrand,” he said.
For Malone, the brief was not simply about a new name; it was about defining what the business would become next.
“The three territories that were explored were, do you pursue a name that speaks to the benefit, like something that talks about the unique attributes of the business? Do you explore the territory of heritage, as if to leverage legacy? Or do you look for something that’s unexpected, like a unique name that’s going to gain meaning over time? And we wanted it to be unique, relevant, and flexible,” he said.
That third path, unexpected and ownable, ultimately won out.
Nine Radio’s Managing Director, Tom Malone
The Vegas moment
By the time Malone and Nine’s Commercial Director – Audio Brian Gallagher flew to Las Vegas, the options had been narrowed.
What happened next was serendipitous to say the least, as the Laundy family was already in town. So, a meeting was organised.
“We had this great meeting in one of the meeting rooms at Wynn Encore Casino in Vegas,” Melone explained.
Everyone was there: Patriarch Arthur and his children, Craig, Stu, and Danielle.
What followed was swift.
“We got them all around the table and said, ‘ This is where we’ve got to, here’s the final few, and it was unanimous. Everyone loved Tapt Media because it spoke to being tapped into your community, being tapped into knowledge.”
A name, chosen in a single sitting, is now set to anchor a national media strategy.
More than just a name
The meaning behind Tapt Media is deliberately layered, and not just a nod to pubs and pouring beer.
“The beer element was just a fortuitous thing,” Malone said, adding that its origins were more centred around things like “tapping into an app on your phone”.
“You’re tapping in, if you like. It’s got a youthful energy, it’s distinctive, it’s going to stand out, and it’s really modern.”
That direction aligns with the Laundy family’s broader strategy, which centres on expanding beyond traditional talk radio into live streaming, podcasting and data-led advertising.
The Laundy family.
What changes and what doesn’t
For audiences, the shift will be gradual, almost invisible at first.
“We don’t change ownership and name until May 1, and that’s subject to completion, but we fully expect the sale to complete,” Malone said.
Crucially, the heritage brands remain untouched.
“I don’t think you’ll hear a big change on air for the next 6 to 12 months, and we’ll always be 6PR, 3AW, 2GB and 4BC. None of the station names will change. There’s a huge equity and heritage in those names.”
Instead, the new identity will sit above them, introduced over time as a national digital layer.
“But we will be building a national digital platform that will be known as Tapt Media, and so once that is established, and we’re ready to promote that, that’s when you’ll start to hear that on our radio stations.”
Where listeners will notice change sooner is in the details, particularly audio branding.
“There will be new intros and outros; they will be modern and contemporary,” he said.
In other words, the DNA stays intact. The wrapper changes.
Main image: Arthur Laundy
ABC strike: reruns, BBC content to replace flagship shows
The ABC’s flagship news programs, including 7.30, will be replaced by the BBC World Service today, as ABC staff begin a 24-hour strike at 11am.
Thousands of ABC journalists and other employees will strike for the first time in two decades, after 60 per cent of staff rejected the broadcaster’s latest pay offer of a 10 per cent pay rise over three years, and $1000 signing bonus.
Guardian Australia reports that the directors of news and radio, Justin Stevens and Ben Latimer, emailed staff reminding them to comply with the ABC code of conduct and to “avoid making statements that could be interpreted as compromising impartiality on future matters you may be asked to report on”.
Changes to ABC programming due to strike
ABC’s 7.30 with Sarah Ferguson will be cancelled on Wednesday evening, and ABC News Breakfast has not aired.
Triple J and ABC Classic will be play pre-programmed music without presenters.
Sources told Guardian Australia Radio National programming will be replaced by a BBC World Service simulcast, pre-recorded shows and repeats.
Radio current affairs program AM with Melissa Clarke will be broadcast on Wednesday before the strike, but not on Thursday as staff will not return until 11am. Late Night Live with David Marr will be off air on Wednesday.
ABC News Breakfast hosted by Bridget Brennan and James Glenday is not expected to air on Thursday, as the three-hour program needs studio crew and directors, who will most likely still be on strike.
Hugh Marks. Image: ABC
‘No evidence staff paid less’: ABC’s Hugh Marks responds to strike
Hugh Marks, ABC Managing Director, released a statement on Monday to Mediaweek, in response to the failed pay negotiations.
Marks responded to a request for comment Monday afternoon, addressing concerns about job security, automatic salary progression, and pay levels.
He also confirmed the ABC will be asking The Fair Work Commission (FWC) for support: “We have reached a point that we can’t get agreement. Without an agreement on a way forward with staff, we have no choice but to approach the FWC for assistance to resolve bargaining.”
You can read Marks’ full statement here.
ABC staff strike over pay
The ABC’s chief people officer, Deena Amorelli, informed staff on Monday morning that the proposal of a 10 per cent pay rise over three years and $1000 signing bonus was rejected by 395 votes.
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) confirmed that more than 75 per cent of staff participated in the vote, which took place after months of negotiations between ABC management and unions.
Omnicom orders Trade Desk audit after Publicis review
Omnicom has commissioned a third-party audit of The Trade Desk, telling clients it wants to review the platform’s billing practices after rival holdco Publicis raised concerns about hidden fees.
According to an Ad Age report, the move follows Publicis’ recent audit of the demand-side platform, which the French holding company said uncovered charges tied to features and services it had not approved.
Omnicom says initial review found no client impact
In a memo to clients, Omnicom said the audit formed part of an added diligence process in light of Publicis’ findings. The company also said it had already completed an initial contractual review that did not identify any negative impact on clients from its dealings with The Trade Desk.
Omnicom declined to comment publicly, according to the report.
The Trade Desk confirmed that Omnicom was reviewing its contracts and described the process as part of routine oversight.
“The Trade Desk has a successful and long-standing relationship with Omnicom, that continues to go from strength to strength based on mutual goals of transparency, innovation and performance,” a representative for The Trade Desk said in a statement to Ad Age.
“Omnicom has a rigorous and detailed approach to managing their contracts, governing campaigns and evaluating performance. They routinely monitor all campaign activity on TTD. As outlined in Omnicom’s email to clients, Omnicom Media’s analysis and reviews have not uncovered any issues whatsoever.”
Big Four firm to lead review
Omnicom told clients that the auditor would be one of the Big Four accounting firms, although the firm’s identity was not disclosed publicly, according to Ad Age.
That detail is notable because Publicis used FirmDecisions for its audit. The Trade Desk later criticised that appointment, arguing the consultancy was not among the most widely recognised audit firms.
Why it matters for ad tech transparency
The dispute has intensified debate around transparency in programmatic advertising, particularly how agencies and clients are charged for ad tech services.
Publicis advised clients last week to refrain from using The Trade Desk’s ad tech, saying its audit found hidden fees linked to services the holdco had not sanctioned.
The Trade Desk rejected those findings and said some of the information Publicis wanted could not be shared because it involved confidential agreements with other holding companies and third parties.
Broader pressure on The Trade Desk
The disagreement comes as The Trade Desk faces growing pressure from multiple sides of the market. Agencies are increasingly seeking lower-cost programmatic buying options, while larger platforms such as Amazon and Google can reduce fees in ways that independent ad tech businesses cannot easily match.
The Trade Desk has argued that its value lies in operating as a neutral demand-side platform, unlike Amazon and Google, which also own media inventory and compete for advertiser spend.
At the same time, agencies are placing greater focus on the supply side of the market, including direct relationships with supply-side platforms, publishers, and connected TV providers.
Tensions with agencies have been building
Tensions between The Trade Desk and major agencies have been rising for more than a year. That friction escalated after the company said it would increasingly pitch directly to brands for advertising budgets.
Jeff Green, chief executive of The Trade Desk, has also publicly criticised agency practices such as principal media buying, where inventory is resold at a markup.
Defending the company last week, Green wrote on LinkedIn that some industry players “want to wave the flag of transparency publicly, but run from it in practice as they arbitrage in the inefficiencies of programmatic”.
The Omnicom review now adds another layer of scrutiny for The Trade Desk, as holding companies reassess how ad tech partners charge for services and how much visibility clients have over those costs.
Ogilvy report flags ‘human premium’ as AI reshapes marketing in 2026
Ogilvy has released its latest Futures report, highlighting a growing tension between the rise of AI-generated content and the increasing demand for authentic human connection in marketing.
Titled The Human Premium, the ninth annual report outlines 14 key trends shaping communications and consumer behaviour in 2026, pointing to a fundamental shift in how audiences engage with brands.
AI overload meets human demand
Richard Brett
Richard Brett, Chief Executive Officer at Ogilvy PR ANZ, said marketers are navigating two opposing forces: the explosion of AI content and a renewed appetite for realness.
“Creators are becoming the new dominant voices in culture as the purveyors of relatability and real connection, yet AI is flooding the internet with slop,” Brett said.
He added that audiences are increasingly sceptical of digital content.
“When everything can be faked, reality becomes a luxury.”
From algorithms to authenticity
The report identifies a shift away from algorithm-driven feeds toward more intentional, human-led experiences.
Consumers are gravitating toward smaller communities, creator-led commerce and serialised content formats that offer deeper connection and continuity.
Trends such as “Internet Intimacy” and “The Human Algorithm” point to growing trust in curators, niche communities and authentic storytelling over polished, large-scale campaigns.
Creators drive the next phase
The report also highlights the evolving role of creators, with influencer marketing moving beyond awareness into commerce and long-term partnerships.
Creator-led ecosystems, including live shopping and “merchant-entertainer” models, are becoming increasingly central to how brands drive measurable outcomes.
At the same time, AI is expected to play a growing role in scaling performance and automation, particularly in lower-funnel activity.
Craft as a signal of trust
Bridget Jung, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Sydney, said audiences are increasingly seeking tangible proof of human involvement.
“When machines can do almost anything instantly and perfectly, humans are reaching for proof that something was made by someone. That’s craft. That’s sensory experience.”
A critical moment for brands
Brett said the findings signal a pivotal moment for marketers, with relevance increasingly tied to authenticity and cultural resonance.
“Futures 9 highlights a range of trends that brands need to not just take note of, but act on. Those that don’t may find themselves scrambling to understand these movements at a time when remaining relevant has never been more important.”
Top Image: Ogilvy
Leadership in motion: MettleLab launches producer training
This week, MettleLab officially launched as Australia’s first dedicated training program built specifically for modern producers working in in-house teams, production houses, and creative agencies.
Co-founders Sara Pethybridge and Izzy Watts saw a fracture in the industry and built a commercial solution to fix it.
Their new venture illustrates the type of leadership in motion that the evolved Mediaweek Next of the Best Awards looks to champion.
The Entrepreneur, People & Culture Leadership, and Change Maker categories are designed to acknowledge these sorts of ventures. And MettleLab embodies operational leadership taking action at the commercial core of the industry.
The end of sink or swim
Despite the critical role producers play in advertising, Australia has never had a dedicated, in-person training pathway.
As the industry evolves, the pressure is mounting. Around 78% of marketers now produce content internally, meaning producers are doing more with less. Throw in regulatory complexity and AI-driven workflows, and the demands on the role have never been higher.
“Building MettleLab was less of a ‘lightbulb moment’ and more of a response to a decade of seeing the same cracks in the industry,” Pethybridge said. “Starting a business from scratch is exhilarating and terrifying, but when you’re solving a problem you’ve lived personally, the conviction doesn’t waver.”
Pethybridge noted the team spent 12 months talking to heavyweights across production houses, agencies, and in-house teams.
“Every conversation pointed to the same truth: producers aren’t trained,” she said. “They learn on the job, through baptism by fire and a sink or swim mentality that the industry has never questioned. Being an entrepreneur in this space means having the stomach to tell the industry that the way we’ve been doing this isn’t sustainable anymore, and then providing the solution.”
MettleLab co-founders, Izzy-Watts and Sara Pethybridge demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit. Image: supplied
Redefining the entrepreneurial spirit
Moving beyond creative theory, MettleLab delivers the technical rigor required to lead high-stakes content teams.
The business offers a two-day in-person producer masterclass, personalised one-on-one mentorships, and bespoke in-house consultancy.
Watts, a trauma-informed producer and director, noted that true innovation often happens in the operational backbone.
“The ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ in the ad world is often talked about in terms of creative campaigns, but we saw a massive opportunity for innovation in the operational backbone, production,” Watts said. “Stepping out to launch MettleLab was about acknowledging that our industry needs a professional benchmark that simply hasn’t existed until now.”
Watts has built a career on the belief that how the industry makes things matters just as much as what it makes.
“We don’t need to reinvent how production works; we just need to stop pretending that ‘figure it out as you go’ is a professional standard,” Watts added. “MettleLab is about giving producers the formal tools and systems that, frankly, should have been there from the start.”
Setting a new benchmark
The industry is already responding to the shift.
Michael Ciccone, head of production at Truce Production Co., called the masterclass a much-needed initiative to equip emerging producers for a complex landscape.
Applications for the inaugural intake are open now, with the first workshops commencing on 25 and 26 May 2026.
It takes a specific type of leader to look at a broken system and build a business to fix it. MettleLab’s Pethybridge and Watts are doing just that.
Feature image- MettleLab Co-founders Sara Pethybridge and Izzy Watts.
Meliora acquires Backchat Media to expand APAC footprint
Meliora Company has expanded its Asia-Pacific footprint with the acquisition of Backchat Media, marking its entry into the New Zealand market.
The deal will see Mel Lee, Founder of Backchat Media, join Meliora as Partner, bringing the agency’s strategy, performance and content capabilities into the broader Meliora offering.
Expanding APAC capabilities
Founded in Auckland in 2015, Backchat Media has delivered digital strategy and content work for clients including Seven West Media, Singtel Optus, Mediaworks NZ, the New Zealand Government, Les Mills International and NBCUniversal.
The acquisition strengthens Meliora’s ability to deliver integrated advisory, creative and product development services for organisations navigating media, technology and digital transformation in an AI-driven economy.
Lee comments
Mel Lee
Lee said the move represents a natural evolution.
“Backchat has always focused on helping brands and organisations navigate the fast-moving digital landscape with smart strategy, strong storytelling and measurable outcomes.
“Joining Meliora allows us to scale that philosophy with an international team that sits at the intersection of technology, creativity and product thinking.”
Building an international network
Clive Dickens, Managing Partner at Meliora, said the acquisition adds to the company’s growing regional and global capabilities.
“Meliora was built to help ambitious companies navigate the intersection of AI technology, creativity and human intelligence.
“Mel has built a fantastic business with Backchat, and bringing that strategy and digital performance capability into Meliora further strengthens what we can offer clients across APAC and beyond.”
Backed by AI investment strategy
The move follows the recent launch of Meliora Ventures Fund One (MVF1), an AI-focused investment fund targeting CTO-led startups building practical applications of artificial intelligence.
The fund has already backed companies including IV.AI, Relevance AI and Source, with additional investments in Springboards.AI and StoryDesk.AI.
Strategic advisors to the fund include Chris Barton, Co-Founder of Shazam, and William Hedberg, former executive at Singtel Optus and Seven West Media.
With hubs in Sydney, Los Angeles, London and now Auckland, Meliora continues to expand its international network as it looks to scale its advisory, venture and creative capabilities globally.
Top Image: Jack Lonergan, Clive Dickens, Mel Lee
Fred Media hires Amazon MGM exec Jamie I for APAC sales role
Fred Media has appointed Jamie I as APAC Sales Manager, as part of a broader restructure of its sales team.
Jamie’s past experiences
Jamie I joins from Amazon MGM, where she spent four years as Vice President, Asia Pacific for MGM International Television Distribution.
With more than 20 years’ experience in content sales, Jamie I has also held senior roles at ABC Australia and Red Arrow International, now known as Seven. One Studios International is based in Hong Kong.
She replaces Jimmy Elkington, who had represented Fred Media’s catalogue across APAC, the Middle East, Africa and inflight markets, and is stepping away from the industry temporarily.
CCO comments
Derek Dyson
Derek Dyson, WTFN Chief Commercial Officer, said the appointment strengthens the company’s regional growth ambitions.
“We are excited to welcome Jamie to the Fred Media team. She joins us with more than 20 years’ experience in the business and has an impeccable knowledge of APAC territories.”
New acquisitions and FAST role
As part of the restructure, Anna Wooley has been appointed Acquisitions & FAST Lead at Fred Media.
In the role, Wooley will focus on acquiring content for both linear distribution and Radar, WTFN’s fast-growing digital distribution arm.
Dyson said the changes reflect the company’s evolving distribution strategy.
“Distribution remains core to our business, with our unscripted catalogue expanding with premium titles from WTFN Entertainment as well as third-party partners from around the world.
“Since launching our Total Distribution strategy, we have seen three years of growth, powered by Radar’s rapid evolution, a growing FAST business and strong results from linear sales.”
The restructure comes as Fred Media continues to expand its international footprint and content offering, supported by its Total Distribution strategy across linear and digital platforms.
Top Image: Jamie I
Narelda Jacobs returns to Perth as Network 10 reinstates local weekend bulletin
Network 10 has reinstated its local 10 News weekend bulletin in Perth, with Narelda Jacobs set to return to Western Australia to front the revived service from April.
The move marks a return home for Jacobs, who has spent recent years presenting national bulletins from Sydney and has been on parental leave following the arrival of her daughter with wife Karina.
A familiar face for Western Australian audiences, Jacobs brings more than two decades of experience with Network 10, including more than ten years as a presenter on 10 News First Perth.
Most recently, she anchored the national 10 News First Midday bulletin.
Local news push returns to weekends
The reinstatement of the weekend bulletin signals a renewed focus on local news coverage for Perth audiences, with Jacobs leading the Saturday and Sunday broadcasts.
“After six years presenting national news from Sydney, I’m excited to be coming home with my family. News doesn’t stop breaking over the weekend, and I’m thrilled to be able to deliver it live and local, to the west from the west,” Jacobs said.
The weekend expansion complements the existing weekday offering, with Natalie Forrest continuing as weekday presenter of 10 News Perth.
Network 10 doubles down on local connection
Network executives positioned the move as part of a broader commitment to local storytelling and audience relevance in Western Australia.
Lachlan Reid, executive editor, Perth, said: “We are excited to have Narelda back home and most importantly back in the newsroom. 10 News is dedicated to serving the Perth community, and Narelda is the perfect fit to give us a live and local feel over the weekend.”
Martin White, VP news, Paramount Australia, added: “Narelda is one of the best journos and presenters around and is a trusted local voice in Perth. She’s perfect to front our live and local WA weekend bulletin, to give people the news they need about their local community.”
Why marketers only need one strategy to drive business growth
Giorgia Butler, chief strategy officer, INNOCEAN
How many strategies do you need? TL;DR: the answer is one. Just one.
I know, I know. Strategists love to strategise. We’ve got ideas rolling around in our heads like pebbles in a creek, each one a little treasure polished by the gentle ebb and flow of our ever-firing neurons. We thrive in curiosity, always trying to crack a new insight, parse it perfectly, find a new “way in”.
Our thoughts are our currency. Let’s face it, that’s our contribution to this game. So more is better right? Wrong. Sorry to my brethren. We don’t need more strategy. We need much, much less.
The power of a straight line
One strategy connects your business goals to your audience priorities, which then directs your media plan, which in turn informs your communications content. You don’t need a media strategy and a creative strategy. You need one strategy that does it all.
The most effective strategy is a straight line. It has a clear starting point and an inspiring destination that your whole team understands, and is excited to reach.
If this sounds like crazy talk, or naive idealism, then maybe you’re already in the weeds. But you’re not alone. For most modern marketers, a clear, linear strategy is about as elusive as a MAFS contestant who’s “in it for the right reasons”.
The cold hard truth
You only need one strategy; any more than that will cost you much more than agency fees.
Between managing in-house resources, creative agencies, media and performance agencies, and reporting up on business planning and results, marketers spend too much precious time untangling mismatched strategic directives. Too many cooks rarely make a good thing, but in marketing, it’s a recipe for disastrous wastage and utter confusion.
You literally pay twice for strategy, sometimes three times. You pay the creative agency to think, and the media agency to think, and then you pay yourself (in time) to fix the fact that they thought differently.
And if they were thinking holistically and clearly, they would agree with me. Less navel-gazing, more discipline. And yes, it’s more work upfront, but surely that’s what you pay for.
The puzzle piece trap
At the risk of taking us all back to COVID days, I’ll use an analogy that might evoke the scent of fresh-baked banana bread and sourdough starter, but neatly illustrates my point. Picture your mid-2020 lockdown puzzle shelf, and give it a quick dusting off.
You’ve got a 5,000-piece landscape of a mountain, a 1,000-piece neon cityscape, and a circular puzzle of a cat. Now open all three boxes, dump everything on the floor and get to work. How do you feel?
Most marketers work with at least three different puzzles at a time. The business strategy might be a landscape, the media agency handed you a cityscape, and the creative agency then chucks you a circular cat. You are then tasked to “make it work” by Monday.
Making the pieces fit
You spend your life trying to jam the “cat” pieces into the “mountain” slots. Meanwhile, the team assigns 80% of your budget to the cityscape.
Each puzzle on its own is a complete, well-considered set. It slots together into a lovely end-game image. But when you try to make one puzzle out of three sets of pieces, inevitably, you get a FrankenMonster that works as badly as it looks.
The pieces don’t fit because the creators never designed them to fit. You waste weeks in meetings trying to shave the edges off a creative concept so it doesn’t break the media budget. When you force a creative idea into a media slot it wasn’t built for, you get a compromised product.
It’s “fine”, but “fine” doesn’t break through the noise. Even if you get the pieces to stay together, the final image confuses the consumer. Every hour you spend trying to “align” each agency’s clever thinking is an hour not spent optimising the actual work. It’s a dog’s breakfast.
From puzzle to pathway
A singular strategy isn’t a puzzle at all; it’s an architectural blueprint. Anything less wastes your time and money.
A 2025 ANA (Association of National Advertisers) report found that 86% of advertisers report a lack of synchronisation between their creative and media distribution. The fact that 82% of ANA members have also moved functions in-house is the ultimate proof of this frustration; they do it specifically to reclaim the time lost to managing the “pieces of the puzzle” that don’t fit.
The shift successful marketers make in 2026 moves toward a single, clear strategic pathway, removing the need for constant mediation.
Stop managing and start leading
When you clearly translate the business goal into a focused audience and communication directive that drives every brief toward a common goal, your business grows and you spend your time on the right things.
The creative team knows exactly what they need to make and why, because the media strategy has already defined the “where” and “who”. Short-term and long-term objectives can co-exist in harmony. Instead of choosing between a “sales” ad and a “brand” ad, the strategy dictates how a variety of executions will work together to serve both masters.
This is how you stop being a project manager and start being a leader. Execution happens faster because the team settled the “why” and “how” before anyone wrote the first brief. And now you can work on making the work brilliant.
The bottom line
Marketers shouldn’t be puzzle-solvers; they should be architects. And it’s incumbent on their agency strategy teams to deliver singularity and clarity of vision, not confusion. Fewer thoughts, more thinking.
When you have one strategy that aligns all your activity to one intended outcome, you stop fighting the friction of your own ecosystem and start driving the business forward. One puzzle. One set of pieces. One outcome.
All it takes is one strategy.
Feature image- Giorgia Butler, chief strategy officer, INNOCEAN.