ANZ is pitching its creative account after three years with Special Group, Mediaweek can reveal.

The Big 4 bank’s general manager, marketing Sian Chadwick said the bank will hunt for an “alliance” of agencies.

“We’re constantly reviewing the ways in which we work with our Australian agency partners. As part of this, we are building an alliance of trusted agency partners which will allow us to achieve the best creative outcome for each campaign,” Chadwick told Mediaweek.

ANZ called the pitch on Thursday 16 May, beginning a tender process that will consider existing, previous, and new agencies. The RFP will focus on creative strategy and development – ANZ’s media contract with PHD Melbourne, worth a reported $50+ million, was extended in February.

The banking group appointed a new CMO, Astrud Burgess, last July. Mediaweek understands the search for a differently-shaped model is designed to meet the bank’s “evolving and complex” needs.

Special won the account in 2021, emerging victorious in a four way shoot-out against CHEP, Hero, and incumbent TBWA\Melbourne. TBWA had held the ANZ account for 10 years – creating work like the Cannes-winning GAYTMs – but went on to fill the gap with fellow Big 4 bank, NAB.

Westpac works with DDB Sydney. Commonwealth Bank sits with M&C Saatchi, but has recently engaged indie shop Supermassive to create the Truyu brand and launch the digital protection tool, as Mediaweek exclusively reported this month.

ANZ’s search for an updated model comes as Honda creates an in-house agency to work hand-in-hand with a sole agency partner, Howatson+Co, Tourism Australia looks to appoint a panel of agencies in its ongoing pitch, and clients experiment with bespoke agencies like +61 for Telstra and Smith St for Coles.

Special Group declined to comment. Last month, the agency launched DoppelFalcons for ANZ, featuring the return of the ANZ falcon, first launched locally in 2006. The campaign, designed to spotlight the bank’s upgraded fraud protection technology, features customers and their falcon lookalikes to show how ANZ’s tech can distinguish between legitimate customer activity and fraud.

Recently, Special has also won Cricket Australia and Employment Hero, and launched work for BONDS, Pepsi, Gippsland Dairy, plus the next iteration of Virgin’s Bring on Wonderful brand platform.

PHD has appointed Brendan Hewitt as its new Sydney head of strategy, replacing the outgoing Remi Baker.

Baker has spent 11 years all up at PHD, joining in 2013 in the UK. She had a brief stint at Bauer Media in London in 2016, before relocating to Sydney in 2017 and rejoining PHD. In 2021, she was promoted to head of strategy.

Hewitt, who begins in the role on 17 June, is an internal promotion. He has spent almost 15 years at the Omnicom media agency, working in strategy and innovation roles across New Zealand, and the UK, and with clients such as ANZ, Diageo, Volkswagen Group, and Unilever.

Pia Coyle, PHD Australia Sydney managing director, said: “We are so happy to welcome Brendan to the PHD Sydney team. It’s an exciting new era at PHD, as we explore what it means to be at the cutting edge of where our smart and experienced people meet the world of assisted intelligence.

“Brendan’s experience in a wide range of categories across many markets will really help drive our best thinking for our current and future clients.”

Most recently group strategy director at PHD in Auckland, Hewitt said he was “chuffed” about the new role.

“They’re a talented bunch, great people, and have a fantastic set of clients. It’s a dynamic time in the world of media and advertising, I’m excited to get stuck in and help take the agency and our partners forward.”

Coyle also thanked Baker for her contributions to PHD.

“I wanted to thank Remi on behalf of PHD, she has been a core part of the strategy team and wider agency. Her tenure speaks to her dedication and passion for what PHD does differently as an agency and we wish her well with her next opportunity.”

Baker said of her time at PHD: “After 11 incredible years of growth, learning, and innovation at PHD, the time has come to embark on the next chapter of my career.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, having learnt so much from some of the best and brightest in the industry and having made friendships that will truly last a lifetime. I’m excited for what’s next and wish PHD all the best for the future – I have no doubt Brendan will smash it.”

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Top image: Brendan Hewitt

The Department of Social Services has launched a national behaviour change campaign, Consent Can’t Wait, via creative agency BMF, urging older Australians – the influencers of young people – to check their own understanding of sexual consent.

With the tagline, “If we don’t understand consent, how will our kids?”, the campaign centres on the importance of learning, understanding, and talking about consent amongst the older generations as a pivotal step in educating younger Australians.

The hero films directed by Revolver’s Dani Pearce feature a diverse range of real Australian couples, highlighting the internal thoughts and questions many Australians silently hold about consent.

By posing a number of questions that need to be talked about, and answered, prior to consensual intimacy, Consent Can’t Wait demonstrates the necessity for older Australians to update their understanding of sexual consent to ensure it can be passed onto the next generation.

“Consent is a culturally loaded word, fraught with connotations, systemic inconsistencies, and media rhetoric. It’s also a personal and private topic, so people don’t talk about it unless they ‘need’ to,” said BMF’s chief strategy officer, Christina Aventi.

“But all across Australia, people are engaging in consent-relevant moments. Studies show that one in two of them are confused about consent and harbour questions about the topic that they keep to themselves. And, as long as we continue to hold our questions about consent silent – as long as we don’t know the answers – the next generation will too.

“We know consent is hard to define, but kids are learning more than we think, and we can’t leave it to chance and hope for the best. So, the first step is to educate ourselves and get to a shared understanding. Because before we can teach young people what’s right and wrong about consent, we need to get clearer ourselves.”

The campaign is supported by a national rollout including TV, cinema, online video, social, and OOH. In addition, the Department of Social Services and BMF have launched a website where Australians can assess their understanding of sexual consent, which also provides resources and conversation guides.

Kiah Nicholas, associate creative director at BMF, described how “from casting real couples to an intimacy coordinator on set, to wardrobe autonomy, to consent over how the scenes were set, consent was integrated into every facet of the campaign process. It was critical to us that our campaign didn’t just talk the consensual talk but walked the consensual walk.

“We hope this campaign inspires all Australians to take action and help make change possible by getting up-to-speed on, and improving their understanding of, consent. We can’t hold our questions about consent silent a second longer. Because if we don’t know the answers, how will our kids? – Learning, understanding, and talking about consent can’t wait.”

See also: BMF promotes Tom Hoskins and Dave Roberts to GCDs

Credits: 

Client: Department of Social Services
Branch manager, campaigns and strategic communication: Mardi Stewart
Director, campaigns: Turong Francis
Co-campaign manager: Nicole Bell
Co-campaign manager: Lauren Jeffrey
Campaign officer: Laura Griffin

Creative Agency: BMF
Chief creative officer: Alex Derwin
Chief innovation officer: Tara McKenty
Group creative director: Tom Hoskins
Associate creative director: Kiah Nicholas
Senior creative: Nathan Pashley
Head of art and design: Lincoln Grice
Chief strategy officer: Christina Aventi
Planning director: Jess Sutanto
Chief executive officer: Stephen McArdle 
General manager: Richard Woods
Group account director: Victoria Vernardos
Senior account manager: Anja Cherry
Head of TV: Jenny Lee-Archer
Agency producer: Honae MacNeill
Finished artist: Jayde Chan
Creative services director: Clare Yardley
Digital lead: Sam Elliott
Digital producer: Haydon Fanning
UI/UX designer: Janet Tyler
Production director: Karen Liddle
Integrated producer: Simone Plaza

Digital Agency: Orchard

Production Company: Revolver
Director: Dani Pearce
Executive producer: Pip Smart

Post Production: ARC Edit
Editor: Phoebe Taylor
Sound production: Cam Milne/Squeak E Clean
Music: Lydia Davies/Squeak E Clean
DOP: Jeremy Rouse
Production director: Sarah Nichols

Ogilvy Network has announced the appointment of BMF’s Lisa Down and Leila Cranswick as joint creative directors for its Sydney office.

Down and Cranswick have been working at competitor BMF for several years as joint associate creative directors and innovation leads across a range of brands including ALDI, Tourism Tasmania, TAL, the Federal Government, and Insuranceline. 

The duo will work closely with Ogilvy AUNZ chief creative officer Toby Talbot and the Ogilvy Sydney creative leaders. Last May, the agency shifted to a joint ECD structure, with Clark Edwards joining Bridget Jung to lead creative across the Sydney business units.

“To say I’m excited that Lisa and Leila are joining Ogilvy would be something of an understatement. The strength and depth of their work at BMF really impresses,” said Talbot.

“The Tourism Tasmania Off Season. Divine. One Talk at a Time for New South Wales Government. Deftly handled. I can’t wait to see what they do for us as newly minted CDs.”

See also: BMF leads Tourism Tasmania’s biggest Off Season campaign yet

Jung added: “Bringing a team of this calibre to Ogilvy is truly exciting and speaks volumes about our continued commitment to investing in the best creative talent. Beyond the work, they’re smart, nice and rock a great line in alliterated first names.

At BMF, Down led a range of projects from ALDI retail copy to integrated campaigns across most of its clients. She has tutored at AWARD School and presented at D&AD Shift Sydney.

Prior to turning her hand to art direction, Cranswick spent close to eight years working abroad in the photographic industry. She has nearly a decade of advertising under her belt, and as won joint AWARD School Tutor of the Year in 2020.

The pair jointly said: “The enthusiasm about Ogilvy from Toby, Bridget and the rest of the team was palpable from the start, and clearly it became pretty infectious. We’re excited to move into the next phase of our careers with great agency leaders and clients.”

Down and Cranswick’s hire follows a string of creative appointments across the Ogilvy network, including Special’s Chris Andrews and Ant Simmons as group CDs in Melbourne.

In April, the agency confirmed Fran Clayton will be joining as chief strategy officer in July, after Mediaweek broke the news. Clayton joins the agency after almost 10 years at DDB Sydney. 

See also: Ogilvy Melbourne snags Special’s Chris Andrews as group CD

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Top Image: Leila Cranswick and Lisa Down

In the world of architecture, Anthony Burke is something of a giant.

As an academic, he led the department of architecture at UTS for seven years from 2027. His role now is Professor of Architecture at UTS. He also leads tour groups to examine the best buildings here and globally, has edited books and has written a long list of journals and articles on architecture.

The ABC first harnessed his talents for hosting duties on Restoration Australia. While The Block and Grand Designs might be the best-known TV formats about homes, ABC audiences know what an addictive format Restoration Australia is.

The sixth series doesn’t have the 7.30pm Sunday slot (Thursdays 8.30pm this year), but the growing iview audience will no doubt want to consume these episodes as soon as they are made available.

The Brisbane home featured in Episode 1, Season 6 of Restoration Australia

The broadcaster has put Burke’s admirable work ethic to good use. He’s already hosted a series of Grand Designs Transformations this year, alongside his co-host Yasmine Ghoniem. Still to come later in 2024 is a series of Grand Designs Australia at its new home – ABC TV and iview.

All shows are made by the Fremantle for ABC. The two organisations aren’t scared of a challenge. Remember the Escape from the City format which delivered 60 very watchable episodes a few years ago.

The sixth season of Restoration Australia starts off with what Burke described as the biggest restoration project ever undertaken on the show. The Highgate Hill house in Brisbane doesn’t go close to the epic Pinnaroo build undertaken by Carolyn and Campbell last series in terms of length (they worked on their old church for seven years!).

Burke explained to Mediaweek this new season starts with the most expensive restoration project ever on the show. “The home sits on Kangaroo Point which is on the Brisbane River and looks straight down the guts of Brisbane City,” Burke told Mediaweek. “It’s a landmark building and most of Brisbane drives past to go to work in the morning.”

Restoration Australia host Anthony Burke with homeowner Gordon on King Island in episode 2 of Season 6

Show me the money

Many of the restorers on the series are sheepish when it comes to how much they have actually spent on their builds. That doesn’t stop Burke from charging in with that hard question. On the first episode, he asks Brisbane “power couple” Steve and Jane Wilson gently if they would get much change from $20m? Doctor Jane Wilson shakes her head sideways, financier Steve Wilson pipes in with “it didn’t quite cost that much”.

As Burke details the craftsmen employed to reproduce 19th century property, it’s easy to see where the money went. Brisbane locals it was known as the Lamb House, while the house is actually called Home.

Time management

When we spoke to Burke earlier this year he detailed his ambitious TV schedule for 2024. Here we are with the second series and it’s going to plan.

“The idea is still to have one series of Grand Designs Restoration, Restoration Australia and Grand Designs Australia each calendar year. The ABC is thinking let’s see how it goes. We might go to two series if necessary in future years and skip one format each year maybe.

“So far we’ve got the three in this year, this calendar year. It feels like we could manage it, but let’s see how it goes.”

When asked how Burke was going with his time management, he replied: “It’s super busy. Not very well is probably the short answer. [Laughs]”

The audience reaction to Grand Designs Restorations was all Burke, ABC and Fremantle needed to keep more coming. “The response to that first season indicated we’re on to something,” he said. “We’ve got to keep this stuff coming. We’re just getting into filming now for the next two seasons.”

The third offering in 2024 will be Grand Designs Australia later this year. As we spoke in late May, Burke explained all the houses but two had finished their builds. “We think they will be OK for this series. But they’re getting close to the line now.”

Without wanting to give away too much at this stage of the year, Burke admitted Grand Designs Australia will have a slightly different tone at its new home.

“We’re not going to break too much from what everyone expects. I would say it’s probably focusing on grand ideas, probably more than grand big houses. There will be some big houses too though!”

Grand Designs Restoration hosts Yasmine Ghoniem and Anthony Burke

Take the professor’s advice

Burke gives a lot of advice to people working on their properties across the various series. They don’t always listen. He thinks they should.

“People often ignore the advice to their peril. Does that pattern keep repeating this year? Yes. Yes.

“There’s right advice at the right time. If a big mistake, like a floor plan type error has occurred, I kind of figure it’s not much point me walking on site when it’s already happened.

“It’s best to try and keep ahead of the homeowners and give them something they can work on. Half the time, they do. They’ll listen to the advice and they’ll really try hard to action it or respond to it in some way.

“The other half of the time, not so much. And, of course, at the end, they love what they’ve done.

“But I think the viewer and I can see that maybe they could have ended up with a slightly better result if they had followed a bit more professional advice.”

The new season of Restoration Australia sees Burke sharing his storytelling and building skills in Brisbane, King Island, Adelaide Hills, Manly (NSW), South Melbourne and Wee Jasper in the ACT.

 See also: Grand Designs is back: But with a new name, new channel, new hosts and new format

As the government continues to consider the details of an updated anti-siphoning scheme, Free TV Australia has warned that Australians are facing annual payments of up to $2,000 a year to watch free sports. 

The industry body has called on the government to “urgently reconsider its approach to anti-siphoning legislation” following revelations that consumers in the US are facing paying up to $2,400 each to watch the 2024 NFL season.  

“This is a clear signal of what we will face in Australia if we don’t future-proof new laws to protect Australians’ right to free sport on TV, however they access it,” said Free TV CEO Bridget Fair. 

“With the current cost of living pressures Australians are facing, it is hard to understand why the government is not stepping in to stop this from happening.”

Australians increasingly watch free TV via BVOD apps like 7Plus, 9Now, or 10Play. Almost 40% of Australians do not have access to an aerial right now, and it is predicted that more than half of all viewing of free TV services will be via the internet by the end of the decade.

The Communications Legislation Amendment (Prominence and Anti-Siphoning) Bill 2024 will be considered by the Senate in June. Free TV has said that unless it is amended, “it will be outdated before the opening siren” due to the fact that it currently only guarantees free sport being watched via broadcast TV with an aerial, not free TV services using free streaming apps. 

The Bill prevents subscription streaming services such as Amazon, Apple and Disney from buying exclusive terrestrial broadcast rights to iconic sporting events like the Olympics, AFL, NRL and cricket, but they can still acquire exclusive digital rights. Free TV said this would lock out the millions of Australians who watch free sport on services such as 7plus, 9Now and 10Play. 

“If we don’t fix this glaring omission, it is a certainty that Australians will have to pay to watch the sports they currently get for free. And that’s just not right,” Fair concluded.

Earlier this month, the FTA networks launched a new campaign as part of their lobbying efforts around the anti-siphoning legislation. The Free Sport Is On The Line ads are running across print, online, and social media. 

“It’s very simple: the new Bill only guarantees free sports for Australians who have an aerial,” said Seven CEO Jeff Howard.

“It does not guarantee people will get free sport if they choose to stream it over the internet or don’t have an aerial. No aerial is going to mean no access to free sport in the future.

“Under the current proposed rules, Australians who don’t use an aerial will not have guaranteed access to free sport. The clock is ticking: as people increasingly use the internet to watch sport, they are going to have to pay unless the government acts now.”

See Also: ‘Major missed opportunity’: Industry reacts to prominence and anti-siphoning findings

“Podcast advertising delivers results for brands,” Spotify AU/NZ podcast account director, Sam Moles, told Mediaweek. 

Spotify has launched its first Global Podcast Trends Tour, diving into the way that people around the world interact with podcasts on the platform. 

The yearly report works to provide key insights from around the globe on how people are listening to podcasts on Spotify, with Moles saying there is “a particular focus on cultural trends.”

“Each year has really told a story of the year in culture, through the lens of podcast content.”

One of the biggest stories told this year comes in the form of what the report calls podfluencers – 63% of people said they trust their favourite host more than their favourite social media influencer. 

This goes hand in hand with a stat Moles points to: 62% of respondents took an action after hearing an ad during a podcast show – like searching for the product, purchasing the product, or simply talking about it.

“Brands should remember that listeners tune into Spotify to become informed and learn something new as it is their trusted source of discovery. Podcast hosts build trust with their audience, and they’ve become highly influential,” Moles said.

This is one of the big three takeaways that Moles said the research reveals for brands. The other two are recognising that podcasting transcends borders, and finally that there needs to be a “shift” in campaign planning. 

“When considering their key audience segments, brands should note the clear trend towards consumption of international podcasts. 50% of podcast streams listened to by Gen Z were from shows originating in another country. We’ve seen this consistently across all audience segments.

“Meanwhile, we’ve seen that in both the most popular and fastest-growing content genres there’s not just one podcast title that delivers the sort of reach brands desire. This means a shift in how campaigns are planned is required to ensure they include content, context and audiences, to best take advantage of the opportunity podcasts offer as a channel,” Moles said.

Although the research is global, there are some uniquely Australian stats among them. In Australia, the most popular categories are comedy, health and fitness, society and culture, true crime, and sports.

The fastest-growing categories down under are religion and spirituality (75.2%), business and technology (70.7%), society and culture (60.5%), and science (60%). Australia is the only country among those analysed that has science in its fastest-growing categories.

“Australian listeners are looking to podcasts to be inspired, informed, educated and much more, which in turn provides a highly engaged and responsive audience for advertisers,” Moles concluded.

See Also: Spotify spotlights effective ads with new initiative, Spotify Hits

To amplify its latest Share My Date app feature, which lets users share their date plans directly with family and friends, Tinder, in collaboration with independent comms agency alt/shift/, has launched a local influencer campaign.

By engaging Australian TikTok creators such as Latisha, Kat Clark, and Sasha Morpeth, the initiative aims to leverage the popular #GirlTok trend to generate awareness for the feature.

The campaign will also roll out in paid placements across TikTok, Meta, Snapchat, YouTube and Spotify, plus sponsorship of Abbie Chatfield’s It’s A Lot podcast.

@sashamorpeth Keep your girls in the loop, with Tinder’s new Share My Date feature #ShareMyDate #TinderPartner @Tinder ‘Straya ♬ original sound – Sasha Morpeth

“To launch the Share My Date campaign in Australia, we wanted to keep Tinder front of mind for our #GirlTok lovers by weaving ourselves into the content they already know, love and relate to,” said Tinder country director Kristen Hardeman.

According to a Tinder report from 2023, half of singles (51%) under 30 let their friends know the details of their dates, and according to in-app polling data, one in five Tinder users (18%) share their date plans with their mum. 

@katclark Love that my daughter feels comfortable enough to tell me who she’s dating and now it’s even easier to share with @Tinder ‘Straya new feature Share My Date #ShareMyDate #TinderPartner #dating ♬ original sound – Kat Clark

“Discussing plans with friends and family is a time-honoured dating ritual. Share My Date streamlines this info-sharing so singles can jump right to the exciting part, from figuring out what to wear to prepping conversation topics,” she said.

Hardeman said the launch of new features was part of Tinder’s ongoing goal to “create a fun, safe, and respectful experience.”

Earlier this month, Bumble, the women-first dating app, unveiled a brand identity overhaul, including a new app identity, to herald in its second decade, promising a new era of better dating for women. The campaign and app refresh were both led by Bumble’s in-house creative studio.

Part of the rebrand was an expansion of the app’s Make The First Move functionality with the launch of Opening Moves – an option for users to set a question that their matches can respond to. 

One of the OOH billboards associated with the rebrand that read ‘a vow of celibacy is not the answer’ received major backlash. The brand issued on an apology on 14 May via its Instagram, stating: “Our ads referencing celibacy were an attempt to lean into a community frustrated by modern dating, and instead of bringing joy and humour, we unintentionally did the opposite.”

The ad has subsequently been removed.

See also: Bumble rebrand the first step to make dating better for women: APAC’s Lucille McCart

Credits:

Marketing and Communications: Tinder
Brand, influencer and creative strategy: Amplify 
Creative: Akcelo
Media: Alley
PR: alt/shift/

Integrated marketing and communications agency, Bastion, together with NSW State Emergency Services (SES) and the NSW Reconstruction Authority, has developed the Future Flood project to raise awareness of flood risks.

In simulating flood events for residents in at-risk areas, the project aimed to address the key challenges for emergency services and government agencies working in disaster risk: making flood risks real and increasing awareness of the need to act.

The initiative follows research undertaken after recent floods in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley, which revealed 70% of people disregarded evacuation warnings during floods in 2021-22.

The Future Flood project identified four residents who had not evacuated. Using 3D modelling, their homes, including their vehicles, possessions and children’s toys, were simulated to show what a flood would look like at accurate flood heights.

“Making flood risk relatable can be challenging – we often refer to probability and complex details relating to when and where floods will hit – this campaign taps into the way people’s decisions are influenced and highlights how past floods are not a reliable indicator of what a future flood may look like,” said a spokesperson from the NSW Reconstruction Authority.

Bastion group chief creative officer, Simon Langley, said that “with the climate becoming increasingly unpredictable in Australia, following the advice of emergency authorities is more important than ever. It was a privilege to work alongside NSW SES, the Reconstruction Authority and simulation experts to create this data driven campaign with a powerful message we believe will resonate and change behaviour.”

The work follows Bastion’s recent appointment of Samantha Hansen as partnerships marketing director, who came to the role a freelance capacity as an FMCG marketer, with previous experience leading partnership leveraging strategies for brands including Coca-Cola, Mount Franklin, Powerade, and Chupa Chups.  

See also: Bastion appoints Samantha Hansen partnerships marketing director

Credits:

Client: NSW SES & NSW Reconstruction Authority
NSW RA Flood Risk Management Division

Agency: Bastion 
Group chief creative officer: Simon Langley  
Senior creative: Harry Roth  
Senior creative: Chris Searle
National chief Strategy officer: Angela Morris  
Group client director: Harry Mountier   
Client manager: Josh Staras  
Senior producer: Angelita Gandakusuma  
Producer: Raquel Abi Ghosn  
Shooter/editor: Ryan Kermond   
Senior designer: Matt Gould
Integrated Studio director: Sean Davitt

3D Production: Spatial Media 
Sound: Rumble Studios 
Media: OMD

Enigma has appointed the experienced Chris Stobbs as its new head of performance across Sydney, Newcastle, and Brisbane.

Stobbs brings more than two decades of experience in digital, marketing, and performance media and will lead the independent agency’s client media strategy and business growth.

He was previously the director of digital performance and ad-technology at News Corp, where he led teams across performance media, customer success, ad operations, advertising product, and technology.

Stobbs was also responsible for transforming the organisation’s commercial model through the smart use of technology, data, platforms, and partners.

Prior to this, he held leadership roles at News Xtend, where he managed multiple digital, data, and customer success teams, and at 1000heads, where he was the APAC head of social and content strategy, delivering social strategies for leading global clients including Samsung, Optus, Microsoft, Cleanaway, UNIQLO, and Komatsu. 

Stobbs will work closely with Enigma’s newly appointed executive director of digital, data, and technology, Ren Frise. The agency said its next generation digital services offering will launch in July.

Lisa Sutton Gardner, founder of Enigma, said Stobbs brings a wealth of experience in the digital and performance media sector.

“He is well-known for his ability to lead at a high level and deliver results and outcomes for clients and we are delighted to have someone of his calibre on the Enigma team.

“I’m confident that Chris will significantly enhance our digital media operations. His knack for advanced ad tech and strategic planning will kick our growth into gear, sharpen our media strategies, and expand our industry connections. And with Chris leading the charge of our performance media offering, we’re set to attract new clients, and boost results for existing clients, all while ramping up our team’s expertise. 

“Chris’ hire really underscores Enigma’s commitment to leading the industry in performance media solutions. It’s an exciting time for the business as we push the boundaries of media, creativity and technology with a results-focused lens across the agency.”

Stobbs said of his new role: “Joining the Enigma team was a no-brainer. As someone who thrives in highly innovative, customer-centric environments, Enigma’s dedication to ground-breaking work and driving results for its clients makes it a good fit. I’m looking forward to working closely with the digital teams across the business to develop new strategies, and to look at ways to grow Enigma’s performance media solutions.”

Stobbs’ appointment follows several significant hires for Enigma in recent months, including Ciaran Miller-Stubbs as executive creative director and Matt Ennis as creative director.

See also: Ciaran Miller-Stubbs and Matt Ennis join Enigma

Social Soup has promoted Cara Norris to the newly-created role of head of growth and partnerships and recruited Carolyne Gowen as client partnerships director.

Norris joined the influencer agency from Pacific Magazines in 2018 as Victorian sales director and has spent the past six years growing the business out of Melbourne, as well as building valuable strategic solutions for clients with Social Soup’s suite of services.

In her new role, working nationally out of Melbourne, she will be responsible for driving business growth strategies and working to build strong client partnerships.

Sharyn Smith, Social Soup founder and chief executive officer, said: “Cara has been a key member of our team for several years now and I’m delighted she is taking on this new national role. As the head of growth and partnerships, Cara will be leading the team to better service client needs and will build out our strategic approach to growth with commercial and marketing responsibility.

“And a big welcome to Carolyne, who is already proving herself as an incredibly valuable team member. We look forward to having her alongside us in this new stage of innovation and growth.”

Norris added: “I am thrilled to be heading up growth in this new leadership role, educating the market on what we do and how we can help clients achieve their goals. Over the past six years in the business I have seen how much our client offering has evolved. We have become much more sophisticated in influencer marketing and I think that’s what makes us stand out.”

Gowen joins Social Soup from WOM Network, where she was partnerships manager for almost three years. She also founded and led the mindful leadership company Still Your Mind part time. In her new role at Social Soup, Gowen will be responsible for identifying and building partnerships nationally as the business continues to expand.
 
“Social Soup is at the forefront of influencer marketing and I’m excited to be working with them to really drive growth,” Gowen said.

“It’s an exciting time for the business and what we can offer clients. I look forward to making sure the market really knows how smart our capabilities are.”
 
The two appointments follow Social Soup’s second Influence Upfronts – the bi-annual influencer marketing industry update – in mid-May.
 
See also: 40% of people care most about relatable content: Social Soup
 
–
 
Top image: Carolyne Gowen and Cara Norris

Luma, an Australian women’s health and wellbeing non-profit, has launched a new sponsorship-based fundraising initiative, HER Board, via VML Perth, to help combat the prevalence of domestic violence in Australia.

The initiative is designed to support and empower women facing domestic violence. It comes in response to alarming statistics: one woman loses her life to domestic violence every week in Australia, and one in four women face abuse from their partner.

The website, online video, and other media touch points have been launched during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in May.

Melanie Wiese, Luma deputy chair, said she hopes to generate support from the professional sector, leveraging LinkedIn as a primary fundraising channel.

“We’re appealing to  executives in Australia to sponsor a woman through fixed-term tenure funding, with all an individual board members’ funds flowing to one woman,” she said. 

“We hope our members proudly share our progress and nominate their network to join.” 

The launching film asset was shot by a predominantly female team and led by Perth director, Melle Branson.

Branson, a survivor of abuse, described reading the “harrowing and uncomfortably real” scripts for the film as “confronting to face”.

“Yet, I know that mine is not an uncommon experience, so I was all in in supporting the HER Board initiative,” said Branson.

“My priority was to build a predominantly female identifying crew for this project, because I firmly believe that women should be telling women’s stories. Everyone involved in this project brought their absolute best in executing this poignant idea – from the highly nuanced sets, meticulous sound design, restrained music composition and the compelling voice performance.”

HER Board asks for a $99 per month donation over a 12 month “board” term, which goes towards essential services including relocation, counselling, transport, legal aid, security, healthcare, employment assistance, and childcare.

Female leaders in adland have already thrown their support behind the cause, including WPP’s Rose Herceg and Katie Rigg-Smith.

Felicite Black, CEO at Luma, said HER Board was created to re-empower women, “and break the victim-and-saviour approach to family and domestic violence funding that only operates in crisis.”

“A woman experiencing domestic violence loses her connections, voice, confidence and strength. Bit by bit, she loses her power. To move on, she needs to find that power again and HER Board is an essential service that  will help in giving her power back,” she said.  

Earlier this month, The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) appointed VML to create a future-focused, connected marketing and customer experience strategy for the organisation.

Credits:

Client: Luma 
CEO: Felicite Black 
Chief operating officer: Huyen Tran 
Executive manager finance and contract management: Sofia Erhard 
Brand and marketing Officer: Sarah Allen 
Fundraising and events specialist: Georgina Westgarth 

Agency: VML Perth 
Chief strategy officer: Melanie Wiese 
Account manager: Emily Hooper 
National executive creative director: Stu Turner 
Creative lead: Paula Keamy 
Creative lead: Tim Newton 
Creative: Brendan Morrow 
Creative: Meg Watson 
Design Director: Melissa Radman

See also: National Breast Cancer Foundation appoints VML

MFA NGEN took to the dodgeball courts across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne for the 10th annual NGEN Charity Cup Dodgeball Tournament and raised $37,428 for UnLtd charity partner Bravehearts.

More than 400 members of the NGEN community got involved by selling raffle tickets for prizes generously donated by industry supporters, including a 15,000 feet tandem skydive donated by Skydive Australia, MCG Medallion in-season tickets from NOVA Entertainment, a 12-month Paramount+ subscription, tickets to Australia vs West Indies at the Gabba by the Seven Network, and many more.

The Charity Cup aims to raise much-needed funds for youth charities and provide an opportunity for members of NGEN—a community for those with less than five years of experience in the media industry—to come together and live up to the industry’s We Are The Changers purpose.

Team Melbourne

This year’s NGEN Charity Cup was made possible thanks to the support of MFA member agencies, which contributed financially towards the events: Atomic 212, Bohemia, dentsu, EssenceMediacom, Foundations, GroupM, Havas Media, Initiative, iProspect, Match & Wood, OMD, PHD, Slingshot, Mindshare, Spark Foundry, This is Flow, and Wavemaker.

Teams from both media agencies and media owners battled it out for the top spot in three categories – Dodgeball Champs, Best Dressed, and Most Money Raised.

Bravehearts, founded in 1997, is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse. A $12 donation educates a child through Bravehearts’ education programme, Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure Show, and $150 provides a counselling session to a child affected by sexual abuse.

Kylie Hewitt, Bravehearts national partnerships manager, said: “Bravehearts are incredibly grateful for the $37,453 raised at the NGEN Dodgeball Charity Cup. This generous contribution will significantly support our efforts to educate, empower and protect Australian children from sexual abuse.

“With these funds, we can provide 250 counselling sessions, or educate over 3,000 children about personal safety, or assist callers who need information and support when navigating child sexual abuse in their family for 37 weeks. Thank you to the MFA and NGEN, everyone who fundraised, participated and donated; your support makes a real difference.”

Melanie Aslanidis, MFA’s head of NGEN, said: “Once again, NGENers brought enormous enthusiasm and commitment to the task of fundraising for the NGEN Charity Cup, organising raffles, cake sales and office pyjama days, all before even stepping onto the dodgeball courts and putting their bodies on the line.

“Being able to have a meaningful impact on our chosen charity is incredibly rewarding for NGENers and the NGEN team, and I’m so proud to be supporting Bravehearts to help continue their vital work. A heartfelt thank you to everyone for their amazing efforts.”

Team Brisbane

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Top image: Team Sydney

News Corp’s taste.com.au has unveiled Taste Healthy, a platform working to help consumers achieve their health goals. Content will run across digital, print, video, and social.

The launch comes in response to recent research from The Growth Distillery which showed 96% of Australians are looking to ‘better’ their lives, with 9 in 10 Australians identifying food as the key.

Editorial director Brodee Myers-Cooke said taste.com.au’s content “is evolving because consumer needs are changing and we want to remove those perceived barriers around making healthy easier.”

“We have already seen a dramatic uplift in engagement and traffic to healthy content on our platforms and we expect to see even more with Taste Healthy,” she said.

“For example, Taste’s healthy newsletter has exploded by 456% since 2021 and now reaches 689,000 subscribers, while Taste’s audience of health-conscious foodies has grown 39% to 2.6 million in the last five years.” 

Taste Healthy includes:

• New recipe content – Aligned to emerging dietary needs including eating for longevity, the Mediterranean diet, healthy meal prep, reducetarian eating and protein-rich recipes  
• Enhanced recipe template – A new template across more than 50,000 recipes, working to improve discoverability and optimisation of nutritional panels
• Redesigned ‘Better for You’ module – Offers users healthier alternatives to the recipe they are currently viewing
• Taste Health Score – Displayed across key recipes, designed to show users the balance of macronutrients and micronutrients in a dish. The score is calculated based on global standard recommendations for a healthy diet
• Dedicated topic pages – Curated healthy content hubs, pulling in the latest recipes and nutritional guidance, to meet the demand for content around emerging areas of dietary interest
• Refreshed healthy newsletter – More recipes, menu plans, inspiration and expert advice specifically targeted at health-conscious consumers  

Taste Healthy content can be found via taste.com.au as well as part of a Body+Soul collaboration with healthy recipes appearing weekly in News Corp Australia’s Sunday mastheads.

• This weekend, the Australian box office made $8,471,326, up +4% from last week’s $8,123,851.

TOP 5

1. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – $3,332,727 (debut) 

Warner Bros. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is its newest entry into the Australian set, post-apocalyptic franchise. Directed by George Miller, the film is a prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, a film that was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won 6 of them. In a running theme for the 2024 box office, this film was also partially shot in Australia, with some filming taking place in the small NSW towns of Hay and Silverton. Coming in first place this week, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took $3,332,727 in its first week, averaging $5,290 over 630 screens.

Synopsis:  Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe. As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home.

2. IF – $1,748,092 (2)

Actor and Director John Krasinski is taking off his horror (A Quiet Place) directing cap and putting on his family/comedic directing cap with Paramount’s IF. The film took $1,748,092 in its second week, averaging $4,306 over 406 screens.

Total Australian Box Office Gross to date: $5,177,089

Synopsis: After discovering she can see everyone’s imaginary friends, a girl embarks on an adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.

3. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – $1,185,027 (1)

Disney’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the brand new entry in the Apes franchise. While set 300 years after the reboot trilogy and featuring an entirely new cast of characters, the film is set in the same universe and references old characters from the trilogy. Similar to The Fall Guy, some filming took place at Disney Studios in Sydney and also in the Illawarra. Coming in third place this week, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes took $1,185,027 in its third week, averaging $3,118 over 380 screens.

Total Australian Box Office Gross to date: $9,159,140

Synopsis: Under the direction of Wes Ball, the global franchise breathes new life into a future era post-Caesar, where apes reign in harmony while humans exist in the shadows.

4. The Fall Guy – $665,072 (3)

Universal’s The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is the latest film from Bullet Train director David Leitch. It was mostly shot in Sydney at Disney Studios, located near Centennial Park and even shut down the Sydney Harbour Bridge to film an adrenaline-pumping chase scene. Dropping to fourth place this week, The Fall Guy took $665,072 in its fifth week, averaging $2,254 over 295 screens.

Total Australian Box Office Gross to date: $12,460,814

Synopsis: After leaving the business one year earlier, stuntman Colt Seavers springs back into action when the star of a big studio movie suddenly disappears.

5. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled in – $229,136 (debut) 

Magnum’s newest film is directed by Soi Cheang and is a Hong Kong neo-noir martial arts crime action flick. It is based on the Chinese comic City of Darkness by Andy Seto. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled in took $229,136 in its first week, averaging $6,547 over 35 screens.

Synopsis: In the 1980s, troubled youth Chan Lok Kwun (Raymond Lam) accidentally enters the Walled City, discovers the order amidst its chaos, and learns important life lessons along the way. 

Top 6 – 10

6. The Strangers: Chapter 1
7. Challengers
8. The Way, My Way
9. Kung Fu Panda 4
10. Turbo

Scroll Media has hired Costa Panagos as digital sales manager to strengthen its Scroll Gaming capability.

Panagos brings his experience in gaming advertising and media sales to the digital publisher network. He joins after almost two years with Amazon as an account executive at Twitch, and three years in media sales at News Corp. He also recently completed a Twitch Gameplan certification.

“I am really impressed with the enormous reach of Scroll Media’s gaming network and our ability to reach gamers across all aspects of the gaming funnel from streaming, influencers, integration and gamification,” Panagos said.

Scroll Media Australia is headed up by Adam DeRoma, who sits on the IAB Australia Gaming Council. He said the company is committed to growing the share of in-game advertising revenue spend with continued education and global case studies.

“With our exclusive partnership of four years with Gameloft plus partnering with Player Media and more broadly iion, Scroll Media is able to showcase the best of the in-game advertising best practice and champion the growth of the category,” DeRoma said.

Gameloft and Scroll Media produce several branded mini games for Australian brands such as Universal Pictures and McDonald’s.

Scroll Media’s GM Scott Hughes said: “Advances in game advertising continue to grow with new innovative ways for brands to be involved alongside streaming, so we are delighted to have game advertising expert Costa Panagos join our team.”

Scroll Gaming is the largest division of Scroll Media, which also represents the advertising sales for over 20 premium publishers in Australia and NZ with proprietary tech and exclusive data. Scroll Media reaches over 9 million monthly unique users in Australia, including mastheads such as The Roar, Supercars, Healthline, and Cnet, according to Ipsos’ December 2023 results.

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Top image: Costa Panagos

Vistar Media is expanding its global programmatic marketplace into mainland China in a strategic partnership with OOH marketing solutions company, ChinaDOOH.

The partnership connects local media owners with global advertisers and provides new opportunities in digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising. Vistar Media said it is committed to serving all markets in the APAC region, with offices already in Sydney and Singapore.

Ben Baker, managing director – APAC at Vistar Media, said: “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ChinaDOOH, as it marks a significant step in expanding our programmatic reach to create a truly global marketplace.

“This collaboration underscores Vistar’s dedication to growth and excellence in the APAC region, enabling us to better serve our clients across all major markets. By combining ChinaDOOH’s local market knowledge with Vistar’s cutting-edge technology, we are poised to unlock new opportunities and drive innovation in the digital out-of-home sector.

“This partnership will provide unparalleled access and value to media owners and advertisers worldwide.”

In 2021, Vistar and ChinaDOOH forged a strategic partnership to launch and grow programmatic DOOH advertising in China.

After enabling Chinese brands such as OnePlus and Tencent to activate and launch overseas DOOH campaigns, the two companies will now aim to help media owners across mainland China access new demand from advertisers around the world.

Eugenie Chen, SVP, strategy and partnerships at Vistar Media, said: “Through our partnership with ChinaDOOH, we’ve already seen success enabling Chinese advertisers to reach global consumers through the Vistar platform.

“The ChinaDOOH team has successfully introduced Vistar’s advanced programmatic capabilities, alongside our existing overseas inventory, to advertisers in China in a way that demonstrated the power and effectiveness of the channel when activating with the right tools. This has inspired even more excitement extending our DOOH capabilities to media owners in China helping them monetise their signage networks while opening up new demand that wasn’t previously accessible.”

Victor Minyue Zhang, CEO of ChinaDOOH, added it was an “exciting moment”.

“Our joint expertise and capabilities will make more and more high-quality OOH media resources available to global buyers,” Zhang said.

“We look forward to driving substantial growth of programmatic out-of-home in China through this partnership with Vistar.”

TV Report 27 May 2024:

Nine TV Report

A Current Affair

Nine‘s A Current Affair looked into the new plan by Akubra to streamline its operations, and spoke to the regional store owner who has been told he can’t sell the iconic hats anymore.

The Summit

It was an elimination episode on The Summit, and Sam‘s decision to get rid of Bali Bombings survivor, Phil, saw Mat swearing to get revenge.

Seven TV Report

Home & Away

Stevie and Remi reunited last night, while the entire Bay prepared for Tane’s trial to begin.

Dream Home

On the second episode of Seven‘s new renovation show Dream Home, Jacinta and Jordan’s kitchen measurements didn’t add up, while Lara and Peter’s living room footprint continued to shrink before their eyes.

10 TV Report

MasterChef Australia

A mystery box challenge saw the cooks using at least one of six Asian sauces, with the bottom four headed for tonight’s pressure test.

Have You Been Paying Attention?

Urzila Carlson, Lloyd Langford, Alex Ward, Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang joined host Tom Gleisner on the iconic quiz show. 

ABC

Australian Story

Kylie Kwong has been at the top of the Australian food scene for three decades, telling Australian Story about her decision to step away from her restaurant and the business.

Four Corners

The show dug into questions surrounding Boeing’s 737 Max, the fastest-selling jet in the company’s history, after a door plug blew out earlier this year.

SBS

Tony Robinson’s Marvellous Machines

Tony Robinson searches for machines inspired by the animal kingdom – including an excavator that walks like a spider, and a live-saving mechanical octopus.

Secrets of The Tower of London

It’s March 2022 and the Tower is continuing to work on the transformation of the moat into a floral display to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The installation has taken three years of planning, and is the most complex operation the Tower has ever undertaken.

Sunday 26th May 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

The launch of Dream Home on Seven recorded a total TV national reach of 2,253,000, a total TV national audience of 950,000 and a BVOD audience of 64,000.

Nine’s Travel Guides recorded a total TV national reach of 2,154,000 a total TV national audience of 1,100,000, and a BVOD audience of 80,000.

Seven’s Farmer Wants A Wife Reunion recorded a total TV national reach of 1,665,000, a total TV national audience of 1,049,000, and a BVOD audience of 87,000.

Nine’s 60 Minutes recorded a total TV national reach of 1,580,000, a total TV national audience of 624,000, and a BVOD audience of 46,000.

10’s MasterChef Australia recorded a total TV national reach of 1,137,000, a total TV national audience of 614,000 and a BVOD audience of 50,000.

People 25-54

Seven’s Dream Home – launch:
• Total TV National Reach: 677,000
• National Audience: 308,000
• BVOD Audience: 35,000

Nine’s Travel Guides:
• Total TV National Reach: 764,000
• National Audience: 417,000
• BVOD Audience: 45,000

Seven’s Farmer Wants A Wife Reunion:
• Total TV National Reach: 501,000
• National Audience: 296,000 
• BVOD Audience: 46,000

Nine’s 60 Minutes:
• Total TV National Reach: 586,000
• National Audience: 237,000 
• BVOD Audience: 26,000

10’s MasterChef Australia
• Total TV National Reach: 437,000
• National Audience: 225,000
• BVOD Audience: 29,000

People 16-39

Seven’s Dream Home – launch:
• Total TV National Reach: 283,000
• National Audience: 129,000
• BVOD Audience: 18,000

Nine’s Travel Guides:
• Total TV National Reach: 278,000
• National Audience: 133,000
• BVOD Audience: 21,000

Seven’s Farmer Wants A Wife Reunion:
• Total TV National Reach: 212,000
• National Audience: 115,000 
• BVOD Audience: 24,000

Nine’s 60 Minutes:
• Total TV National Reach: 191,000
• National Audience: 78,000
• BVOD Audience: 11,000

10’s MasterChef Australia
• Total TV National Reach: 182,000
• National Audience: 97,000
• BVOD Audience: 16,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+

Seven’s Dream Home – launch:
• Total TV National Reach: 1,748,000
• National Audience: 734,000
• BVOD Audience: 52,000

Nine’s Travel Guides:
• Total TV National Reach: 1,630,000
• National Audience: 837,000
• BVOD Audience: 64,000

Seven’s Farmer Wants A Wife Reunion:
• Total TV National Reach: 357,000
• National Audience: 136,000 
• BVOD Audience: 9,000

Nine’s 60 Minutes:
• Total TV National Reach: 1,231,000
• National Audience: 488,000
• BVOD Audience: 37,000

10’s MasterChef Australia
• Total TV National Reach: 886,000
• National Audience: 480,000
• BVOD Audience: 41,000

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.