Dave Cameron, SCA’s chief content officer, has said that the idea of the network replacing any of its strong FM breakfast shows – particularly when they’re on long-term arrangements – “is just category categorically untrue and fundamentally bonkers”.

Speaking to Mediaweek after the news that Kyle and Jackie O’s Melbourne expansion plan was hatched after SCA offered the duo a national breakfast show, Cameron suggested it was Sandilands and Henderson who attempted to broker competitor deals: “It’s not uncommon for any competitive talent to proactively approach other parties and try to leverage a better deal from their incumbent employer – that’s just what happens.

“There was a set of financial conditions that they put forward to many parties, including us. I have no idea of the conversations they had with their existing employer, but I can fundamentally say that our Melbourne breakfast talent – and talent across the country – are on long-term agreements, and they have been for a while.”

‘Completely underestimated’: The Fox as ‘strongest and best-programmed station in Australia’

“Fifi is absolutely at the top of her game as a broadcaster, Fev has really risen to be a brutally honest performer who is loved by Melbourne, and then you’ve got Nick who’s the razor-sharp comedian. The combination is unbeatable,” Cameron says, describing The Fox’s Melbourne breakfast team of Fifi, Fev and Nick. Yesterday, the show launched a multi-million dollar campaign fighting to keep and attract listeners on the same day Kyle and Jackie O began broadcasting in Melbourne.

Fifi, Fev and Nick

In the most recent radio ratings survey, the trio landed back in the #1 FM breakfast spot, jumping ahead of ARN’s GOLD FM. Their 11.2% breakfast share is the best in a decade or more. 

“This is a show that is completely underestimated in terms of the strength of what it can do, and it’s doing some of its best work and achieving its best results,” Cameron said.

Being underestimated isn’t a bad thing, with Cameron saying it’s actually the show’s  “biggest superpower,” because it lets the show “keep surprising our audience time and time again.”

“There’s a certain power in continuing to be underestimated – it’s not a show that comes with all of the hyperbole of other shows. 

“The Fox is, in my mind, the strongest and best-programmed station in Australia.”

As Kyle and Jackie O ramp up their national expansion plans, confirming to Mediaweek that Melbourne will be just the first cab off the rank, Cameron was asked if Fifi, Fev and Nick would be heard on airwaves outside of Melbourne at some point.

“That’s a hard one to answer,” he began.

“Our really clear competitive advantage right now is making sure that we engage at a at a community level. When you take away that opportunity, I think to some degree, you start to homogenise your content. What I would rather focus on at the moment is making sure that we deliver the most entertaining content for the audience in Melbourne, as it relates to them.”

The locality of the show, reflected both through its content and initiatives such as Brekky in the Burbs, is a core part of the appeal.

“We don’t use BS phrases like live and local, we live it and we deliver it. We don’t just say it, we get involved deep down in our communities. The scoreboard speaks for itself.”

–

Top image: Dave Cameron

Seven has promoted Anthony De Ceglie to director of news and current affairs and editor-in-chief following the departure of Craig McPherson. He becomes the first major appointment since new CEO Jeff Howard began in the role on 19 April.

De Ceglie is currently editor-in-chief of Seven’s recently-launched digital newspaper The Nightly, plus The West Australian, The Sunday Times, PerthNow plus its suburban newspapers, and 19 regional newspapers.

He has been with SWM since early 2019, based in Perth, and will relocate to Sydney for this role. Before SWM, he spent more than 11 years in various roles at News Corp Australia.

In his new role, which he will start from tomorrow, De Ceglie will be responsible for 7NEWS, Sunrise, The Morning Show and 7NEWS Spotlight, and 7NEWS.com.au.

“It’s an absolute privilege and honour to step into one of the most important roles in news in the country, and to do such at such a pivotal and important time for our industry,” De Ceglie said.

“I can’t wait to work with the many, many brilliant creative people across the network who put all our products to air.”

Howard, SWM’s new managing director and chief executive officer, added of De Ceglie’s promotion: “Anthony brings a compelling vision to the director of news and current affairs and editor-in-chief of Seven West Media role. His absolute focus on news gathering and storytelling will underpin his approach, while his knowledge of digital and his innovative mindset will be just what SWM needs as we continue to build a better media business.

“This appointment reflects our ambition to think differently about the future of media in Australia. I look forward to working with Anthony in his new role.”

McPherson, Seven Network’s director of news and public affairs has stepped down after Seven’s Spotlight program became embroiled in Bruce Lehrmann‘s failed defamation battle against 10 and Lisa Wilkinson. In the wake of ex-Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach‘s evidence, EP Mark Llewellyn also left the network.

Howard thanked McPherson, saying: “Craig has been one of Australia’s preeminent news leaders and we wish him all the best for the future.”

McPherson also thanked Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes AC, CEOs past and present, and Seven staff for their support, saying, “It’s a decision I have been considering for a while and believe now is a good time for all to have a fresh start.”

“To the hundreds of staff who represent the 7NEWS brand across Australia and the globe, you bring it all to our viewers’ homes every day and night,” he added.

“As for me, I’ll be taking a long break to spend time with all my family and wish everyone at the network continued success.”

While Seven hunts for De Ceglie’s successor – the business said his replacement will be announced in due course – Chris Dore, former editor-in-chief of The Australian and The Nightly contributor, will be acting editor of The West Australian and other West Australian newspaper titles.

The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick are inviting listeners to join Melbourne’s biggest party in a new multi-million dollar campaign, attempting to hold onto their breakfast share as rivals Kyle and Jackie O enter the Melbourne market on KIIS.

The ‘Melbourne’s Biggest Party’ campaign aims to show the trio’s connection with Melburnians, and the high energy listeners can tap into by listening to Fifi, Fev & Nick. It features a stretch limo, motorbikes, a party bus, and an ice sculpture, as well as real listeners.

“Fifi, Fev & Nick for breakfast,” the hero film’s final shot reads.

The campaign will run across TV, BVOD, cinema, socials, digital audio, and out-of-home.

The commercial was filmed across multiple locations in Melbourne and is soundtracked by the ARIA-nominated dance track People Happy by Aussie producers KLP and Stace Cadet.

This year, Fifi, Fev & Nick are continuing to take the show around Melbourne with the ‘Brekky in the Burbs’ initiative, bringing stars to the suburbs – from Steven Sanchez live from Sunbury, Delta Goodrem in Pakenham, Amy Shark in Mornington, The Wiggles in Epping, and Guy Sebastian in Ringwood.

In the most recent radio ratings survey, Fifi, Fev & Nick scraped back ahead of Gold to get the #1 FM breakfast spot, after losing it in Survey One – their 11.2% breakfast share is the best in a decade or more.

Kyle & Jackie O have inherited a 6.4% share in breakfast.

On Monday, Mediaweek reported on how the plan for Kyle & Jackie O‘s expansion to Melbourne was hatched in response to the duo’s former employer, SCA, promising them a national show if they defected from ARN to return.

In a statement to Mediaweek, SCA chief content officer, Dave Cameron, said that while, “we never discuss the nature of any talent contractual conversations”, the breakfast team on Fox “are on long-term Melbourne breakfast show agreements that have been in place for a while, and our ongoing firm commitment to this show has always been and remains unwavering.”

SCA head of Hit metro content and The Fox content director, Amanda Lee, said: “Fifi, Fev & Nick have such a strong heritage in Melbourne and a deep connection and love for their audience. ‘Brekky in the Burbs’ has been the perfect way to further connect with their audiences on the ground. The team is Melbourne through and through and we know our listeners love the energy and fun they bring to Breakfast and this campaign reinforces our strong position here.”

SCA head of consumer marketing, Naomi Gorringe, added: “Fifi, Fev & Nick on The Fox is the antidote to the daily grind and seriousness of the world. For three hours every weekday morning, listeners can escape the mundane and their worries and jump into a place where it’s pure fun and frivolity.

“This campaign brings that energy to life with Melbourne’s biggest party and a soundtrack to match. It is a great way to celebrate Melbourne’s most listened to radio show.”

Streaming services commissioning series based on video game IP – such as Fallout, Halo, and The Last of Us – is a “complete no-brainer”, according to Luke Haynes, strategy director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment. Yet marketers still largely misunderstand and underestimate the power of gaming audiences.

Australia’s gaming market is worth $4.21 billion – up from $2.67 billion in 2021 – yet it is a widely shared opinion that the market remains niche for advertisers.

Haynes told Mediaweek that gaming is both the most overlooked and misunderstood part of culture by brand marketers in Australia.

“When talking about games culture with our client partners, we emphasise the fact that games culture is exactly that – an entire cultural ecosystem that is more than just the game itself,” he said.

“So many brands talk about struggling to connect to young audiences, or finding it hard to cut through the clutter in sport, and here’s a part of the cultural landscape that does both and is crying out for investment.”

The sheer size of the audience and the depth of engagement with the story and characters more or less guarantees success for shows based on video games, he argued.

“It’s low risk from an investment point of view, you’re buying a proven winner, with years worth of sales data to prove it,” he said.

“The Halo franchise has accrued 81m sales since its inception in 2001, the Fallout franchise has seen 55m sales to date and The Last of Us has sold 40m copies to date. It’s perfectly set up for success and just requires high-quality production to make it a slam dunk.

“It’s also about the level of engagement that the audience has with the story – by the time they complete the main story, each player has likely spent 15 hours or more with the characters, immersed in a deeply rich story that has all the character development of a conventional film or TV series.”

Luke Haynes, strategy director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment

Before streaming services, most media produced from gaming IP was written off as cheesy and a cash grab, feeding off gaming fans’ appetite for something that isn’t just the Pokemon animated TV show from the late 1990s.

Enter Prime Video, Netflix, HBO and Paramount+, all of which now have a flagship show based on existing gaming IP.

Prime Video is the newest kid on the block in the space, with a high-budget adaptation of the Fallout franchise, which has been met with glowing acclaim from critics and fans.

Netflix has animated show, Arcane, based on League of Legends, HBO is in the middle of filming The Last of Us Season 2, based on the second game in the franchise, and Halo launched its second season in February on Paramount+.

While these shows have had major success critically and commercially, Fallout and Halo have also had a particularly large marketing push attached to their launches, both locally and globally.

In Australia, Halo had a large presence at the Australian Grand Prix in March, connected to Paramount+’s global F1 sponsorship deal, with advertising along the length of pit lane, and a giant Master Chief helmet available for fans to see the action up close. Globally, the Master Chief himself was at San Siro Stadium in February to welcome the players from the Italian football team, Inter Milan, onto the field.

A report from gaming agency Livewire in March revealed that gaming is the entertainment channel of choice across Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and millennials. Haynes believes that this is being  taken into account when streamers start to market these shows.

“We have to also remember that the mean age of a gamer in Australia is 35,” he said.

“Gaming isn’t a new thing, the Super Nintendo – likely the first console for a lot of readers – came out in 1992. If you played that as a teenager, you’re well into your 40s now and many of those people have retained a love of video games.

“All that said, the explosion of gaming is down to its mainstreaming with younger audiences and in particular non-male gamers. That goes a long way to explaining why the value of the video game industry in 2024 is expected to be double what it was in 2018.

“Uniting young Australians’ love of games and their adoption of streaming services is a recipe for success.”

This recipe seems to have been followed by Prime Video, who with the help of JCDecaux, took over Sydney’s Wynyard Station with an out of home campaign for Fallout.

Essie Wake, CMO at JCDecaux Australia, told Mediaweek that the takeover demonstrates the powerful convergence of gaming, streaming, and OOH advertising.

Wynyard Station

“The rise of streaming companies creating programming based on popular gaming franchises, such as Fallout, is a testament to the evolving entertainment landscape and the fact that the prime consumer audiences of today are a generation raised playing video games,” she said.

“Out-of-home is adept at generating the type of shareable moments that align perfectly with the social media-driven lives of the key 18-34 demographic – millennials and Gen Z – encouraging organic sharing across social platforms and further amplifying reach and impact through earned media.”

To pair with the takeover of Wynyard Station, Prime Video also created three bus shelter immersions in Melbourne, and Sydney got its very own Vault 33, located under the foundations of Sydney’s CBD and inspired by the vault of the same name that features in Fallout.

Presented by real estate agency Gavin Rubinstein of TRG, best known for his role on Luxe Listings Sydney, Vault 33 was open for public inspections and cheekily marketed as a solution to housing undersupply.

The Recognition Group has launched Sovereign, an integrated agency focused on serving Australia’s defence and aerospace industry sectors.

This comes after the tender for the Department of Defence’s creative and digital account, currently held by VML, went live in February.

Sovereign will target brands in the defence and aerospace sector that sell technical, high-value products and services.

The defence and aerospace-focused agency builds on The Recognition Group’s portfolio of marketing and PR agencies – Recognition PR, Write Away Communication, and Outsource – each of which has operated for more than 30 years.

Sovereign will offer integrated marketing communication and PR services, including digital marketing, brand and lead generation programs, media relations and thought leadership, media training, web development, and graphic and digital design with AI capabilities. 

Adam Benson, CEO of Sovereign, said: “Sovereign fills a significant gap in the market. Its comprehensive marketing solutions stand alone as required or integrate into PR programs, giving organisations scalable resources to deliver high-quality marketing campaigns and materials at pace.”

He explained that the agency’s launch is the sector was in response to the “pace and urgency with which the Australian government is assessing, funding, and developing our warfighting readiness.”
 
Benson noted that there is an “intense government focus on building our sovereign industrial capabilities.”
 
“That means making sure Australia has the tools, people, and processes required to achieve its defence objectives without relying solely on complex international supply chains, which can be disrupted easily,” he said.
 
“The role of our new agency is ensuring local and international members of the Australian defence and aerospace industry can present their offerings in a compelling way to government and supply chain peers.
 
“It’s more important than ever that suppliers in the defence and aerospace sector communicate their value clearly, particularly if they’re not already well known. Their solutions could prove critical in the coming months and years.
 
“You only have to look at the impact low-cost air and maritime drones are having on battlefields right now as one simple example of how fast and significantly new technologies and military doctrine can change strategic outcomes.”
 
The Department of Defence‘s lengthy creative and digital pitch is currently underway. The tender documents confirmed the pitch will run until September, with a shortlist announced by May. The second stage for shortlisted agencies will run from May to August, followed by a negotiation period across August and September for the winning agency.
 
Once a pitch winner is announced, the contract will commence on 1 April 2025 for a period of four years, with the option to extend the partnership for a further two years.
 
VML won the account in 2018 after previously losing it to Host/Havas in 2013. At the time Host/Havas lost the 2018 pitch – which culminated in a shoot-out between VML, TBWA Melbourne, Clemenger BBDO, and the incumbent Host/Havas – the ADF was its biggest client, and the loss resulted in dozens of redundancies.

“At Sovereign, we understand the gravitas of the subject matter we’re dealing with, the importance of delivering our services in a time of great and confronting change, and how to work with complex B2B organisations,” Benson added.

See also: Defence Force takes creative and digital account to pitch

The Stan original documentary How to Poison A Planet investigates the use of a product as seemingly harmless as firefighting foam. It begins with the impact at a small NSW coastal community. As the story unfolds the film explores a wider international scandal around toxic PFAS chemicals.

The promo tells how this is a scandal that has worldwide ramifications for everybody. Watching the documentary, you start to realise that is no marketing hype.

Stan commissioned the production from Janine Hosking’s iKandy Films. In a streaming world where premium drama is king, docos like How to Poison a Planet deserve an audience. If you only have room for the occasional documentary in your life, make this the next one.

iKandy’s Hosking told Mediaweek this project was originally developed as a smaller look at a deadly chemical causing havoc for the Wreck Bay community south of Sydney. “It just grew from there and became an epic story.”

Janine Hosking

Key to the whole project was How to Poison a Planet director Katrina McGowan. She was mentored by Screen Australia and iKandy Films. “She had worked for me on a number of projects and her wish was to become a director,” said Hosking. “During that two-year mentoring period she came to me with the story of Wreck Bay. She went and immersed herself in the community, building trust. We had some development money from Screen Australia and Screen NSW. Then started some filming with people we thought should be in it.

“We wanted to make the issue bigger because we didn’t want it to disappear. To go from development to full production funding you need to have something pretty special.

“One of our researchers suggested reaching out to Carrie Fellner who was doing a lot of work on PFAS [chemicals] at The Sydney Morning Herald.

“We pitched the idea to Stan and they were very interested. The concept of involving actor Mark Ruffalo and the US legal challenges to chemical contamination was on our wish list. When Stan said yes, we realised we had to follow through on that wish list.

“The missing piece of the[funding] jigsaw puzzle was the Shark Island Foundation and they help fund documentaries.” The private philanthropic group has worked with an impressive list of Australian documentary filmmakers.

Mark Ruffalo in How to Poison a Planet

Mark Ruffalo and How to Poison a Planet

In the movie Dark Waters, Mark Ruffalo played Rob Bilott, one of the environmental lawyers involved in the PFAS legal action in the US. Hosking said Ruffalo was aware of the PFAS problems and he followed the US cases.

The filmmakers asked the US PFAS activists if it would be possible to reach out to Mark Ruffalo. “He said yes, and we were given two weeks’ notice to get Katrina on a plane to LA to film where Mark was staying. We just had one day with Mark and Rob Bilott. But they were wonderful to give us that time to film them which you see in the documentary.”

Sydney Morning Herald partnership

The partnership with The Sydney Morning Herald involves journalist Carried Fellner in the telling of the story. In one scene in the documentary, she is seen updating SMH editor Bevan Shields and investigations editor Michael Evans.

Hosking: “Carrie and Katrina were awarded a Walkley for their research on Carrie’s Poison Paradise feature in the newspaper. That happened before the release of the documentary.” Mathew Cornwell and Rhett Wyman were also part of the Walkley-winning team.

“They are now calling for a Royal Commission into this issue.”

The newsbrand’s support of the documentary has seen the trailer getting a run on the SMH website. “Their commitment has given the film a profile that not many Australian documentaries get.” See below for details about an SMH reader event just held in Sydney.

One interesting part of the documentary is when McGowan has Justice Michael Lee deliver a verdict in the appeal for the Wreck Bay compensation case. “We had him before he was famous,” said Hosking about the judge who sat on the recent Bruce Lehrmann defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson.

One of the key segments of the How to Poison a Planet shows a settlement made with the 3M company and communities in the US seeking redress for PFAS damage. That case ended some time ago. Hosking noted the final settlement only happened about a month ago. “There were a number of parties involved in what was a complex case. It took them a while to sign off on the settlement. We had agreed we would not screen the film until all the issues were ironed out post-settlement.”

Streamers and documentaries

With Stan commissioning Poison, Hosking commented on how the growth of streaming had impacted documentary filmmaking.

“It depends on who you talk to. Some producers are having a wonderful experience [with streaming platforms]. But not many of them. There have been some great documentaries commissioned by Stan and Amazon Prime. Netflix makes quite a few acquisitions in the documentary space.

“It’s a very tough, competitive environment. Stan has done a lot. They have been prolific commissioners. They gave us a big opportunity and we would love to do more with them. Stan’s head of originals Amanda Duthie is a great champion of documentaries.”

There is a chance for back-catalogue sales to various streamers. While happy that could happen, Hosking noted, “It isn’t particularly lucrative. It also doesn’t help get films made as so much relies on the pre-sale money.”

With a focus until now on the Australian release, Hosking will next look to international sales. “It feels to me like it should get a home in the US,” she said. “We have had some initial interest.”

See also: Aussie content blitz – Showcase event details 25 new and returning Stan Originals

Documentary success powering the sector

Hosking mentioned that the success of major documentaries like the John Farnham project Finding The Voice help keep documentary film on the radar. “The Farnham documentary took many by surprise. It probably shouldn’t have when you look at it. He’s very popular. It’s great people go to something like that which helps convince cinemas there is a market for documentaries.”

Betting funding needed

There is much noise surrounding the call for better drama funding and the need for quotas. Hosking noted that sometimes documentary-making gets pushed to one side in those debates. “Most documentary makers would like to see a quota for Australian documentaries. People are working behind the scenes on that with the streamers. That would help a lot.”

Developing on a hunch

Hosking admitted she is a bit silly when it comes to development. iKandy doesn’t always wait for funding to arrive. “If I am drawn by something we just start filming. Having a comprehensive selection of footage to pitch with helps. It’s tough to convince potential broadcasters to invest. We like to have content to show people what they should have. You can talk it up all you like, but people really need to see proof you have what you are promising and know you know how to execute.”

Coming soon from iKandy

Another project that should generate box office is the iKandy documentary A Horse Named Winx. Due in cinemas later this year, the project is being released by independent film distributor Transmission.

An unnamed project also sounds interesting. Hosking: “We have had a crime series in the making behind the scenes for the past four years. It has an epic storyline that makes it a contender for a high-profile release one day.” It is a project Katrina McGowan is working on too.

Stan and SMH reader event

Investigative reporter Carrie Fellner and Katrina McGowan were the guests at a Sydney Morning Herald reader event last night in Sydney (April 29).

They discussed their work on the new Stan Original Documentary Revealed: How to Poison a Planet at a special screening and Q&A event.

Herald subscribers had the exclusive opportunity to attend this event for free, with 250 tickets available. Herald subscribers attending also received a complimentary one-month Stan subscription.

Following the screening, Herald editor Bevan Shields hosted a discussion with Fellner, director and producer McGowan plus members of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community.

16.6% of VoD households are choosing a cheaper ad-support plan, compared to 9.2% a year ago, according to Kantar’s latest Entertainment on Demand (EoD) data on the Australian video streaming market.

The report stated this is due to consumers fighting high-interest rates by looking to trim their discretionary spending on services such as video streaming. 

The report also revealed that 7.8 million Australian households now subscribe to at least one VoD service, with penetration increasing from 74.3% in the previous quarter to 75.2% in Q1. 

Net satisfaction with value for money for the whole VoD category fell from 27% a year ago to 21% in Q1 2024, as every major provider enforced some form of price increase over the last 12 months. 

Average household spending on VoD has risen for the third quarter in a row, now hitting $45 a month across an average of three services. The need to save money remains the top reason for cancellation at 42% of churners, but other value-related cancellation reasons have seen a large increase in Q1, such as not being willing to pay a higher price and not wanting to pay after a free trial. 

Boy Swallows Universe

Netflix’s take on Trent Dalton’s semi-biographical book Boy Swallows Universe holds the top spot for most viewed and enjoyed title in Q1.

The show boasts an Australian cast and local production in Brisbane, helping Netflix improve its net satisfaction rating for local content, which is timely ahead of the government’s minimum local content quotas for streaming companies due to be introduced later this year.

Local content, and non-US content in general, has been growing in popularity among all VoD streamers – five out of the top 10 most enjoyed titles originated from outside of the US in Q1, up from four the previous quarter, while last year in Q1 the US accounted for all top 10 titles.

Kayo surges for Foxtel and Hubbl

Kayo has seen its highest-ever share of new VoD subscribers (10%) following the release of Foxtel’s new streaming aggregation platform Hubbl in March. 

Those signing up primarily for AFL (24%) just beat NRL fans (18%), while those wanting to watch motorsport also increased in Q1, as the Australian F1 Grand Prix in March experienced record crowds. 

The variety of sport on offer at the start of the year also proved a hit with existing Kayo customers, with retention rates rising from 84% last quarter to 88% in Q1, well above that of rivals Stan Sport (77%) and Optus Sport (81%).

Foxtel’s other major service Binge, however, suffered a drop in both new subscribers and retention this quarter, with the Black Friday $2 per month for three months offer ending in February/March, causing a hangover effect as churn increased by 2 percentage points to 20%.

See also: Hubbl in market: Is the ‘quantum leap in entertainment tech’ living up to the hype?

Indie agency Special has made a series of group creative director appointments, promoting Max McKeon, Sian Binder, Lea Egan, Nils Eberhardt and Simon Gibson to the position.

Tom Martin, partner and CCO, said, “we couldn’t be more fortunate to not have to look overseas or even across Australia, but simply stand up and look across our old warehouse to find five amazing creative leaders.”

Binder and Egan joined the agency in 2020, Binder from her post as creative director at Clemenger BBDO, and Egan from DDB Group Australia where she was stationed as creative director across the McDonald’s account. Special won the competitive pitch for Bonds under their creative leadership.

They pair have since gone onto produce multiple campaigns for Bonds, including the Total Package campaign, as well as work for Mutti, and most recently, eBay Australia.

Eberhardt and Gibson joined Special three years ago. Eberhardt moved from Leo Burnett where he was as senior art director, and Gibson from 72andSunny in New York, first coming on board as senior copywriter. 

The pair have helped launch Get Almost Almost Anything for Uber Eats,  Kathmandu’s We’re Out There platform, as well as work for Pepsi Max and  Virgin Australia.

Eberhardt was part of the team responsible for getting Sharon Strzlecki and Kim Kardashian together for Uber Eats, as well as Tourism New Zealand’s Good Morning World.

McKeon joined in 2021 as creative director, moving from Colenso BBDO in Auckland, New Zealand. During his time at the agency, he’s worked across Uber’s Grey Wiggle, Choose Your Own AO, and Get Almost Almost Anything campaigns, as well as Pepsi’s Tastes Better With… platform.

Prior to Special, McKeon made Tide’s It’s a Tide Ad’ campaign for the Super Bowl, DB Export’s I’m Drinking it for you, as well as Pedigree’s Take a Baby Step into Parenting, earning a D&AD Black Pencil, Cannes Titanium Lions, and an Emmy nomination.

Special partner and CCO, Jules Schreiber, added: “This crew is some of the best and brightest that our industry has to offer, so we are damn proud to be able to offer them the opportunity to not only do great work, but to lead and let others at Special learn from their creative leadership.”

Last week, Special rolled out the latest phase of Virgin Australia’s Bring on Wonderful brand platform, first introduced by the agency in 2022.

See also: Virgin and Special launch next chapter of ‘Bring on Wonderful’

–

Top Image (L-R): Sian Binder, Max McKeon, Nils Ederhardt, Lea Egan and Simon Gibson

Mutinex has launched DataOS, a companion product to its GrowthOS market mix modelling tool. 

The introduction of DataOS acts as a solution to simplify a space that has traditionally been plagued with complexity.

Mutinex co-founder and CEO Henry Innis said: “Data provisioning for MMM is one of the most challenging aspects for customers moving to an ‘always on’ insight cadence. But we don’t want timely insights to come with a high operational cost. That’s why we think DataOS is a critical piece of the data provisioning process.

“Most vendors today are working with a simple API layer, but we found extracting data simply from APIs only gave top-level channel reads.

“To truly have a layered, complex model that predicted growth in a granular way across channels, from multiple agency partners and across complex enterprise product sets we needed an intelligent, smart data management tool that went far beyond simply importing data.

DataOS has been designed to reduce data provisioning for a range of marketing projects by providing a space for marketers to store and clean their data. It has been designed with a user-friendly interface and built-in workflows, meaning that data scientists are not required to “clean” and manage data in order for it to be processed into advanced MMM systems. 

“The product fundamentally solves the problem of generating high-quality data for modelling, by putting every marketer in control of how their data is structured in seconds,” Innis added.

“For many companies, this will unlock the structured workflows they need to ensure consistently high-quality data is delivered to their market mix model.”

Mutinex has been testing the product with all of its existing customers, with the company stating that in some cases, customers have been able to cut the time to build an optimised data warehouse by 70%.

Innis stated that DataOS is the only system of its kind designed to be used by marketers to deliver higher-quality data at scale. 

“As the MMM landscape becomes more competitive, we’re seeing a fundamental shift towards faster modelling and a high demand for data. That’s why we’ve decided to get ahead of this problem for our customers,” he said.

See also: Former Nine director of effectiveness, Jonathan Fox, joins Mutinex

Tex-Mex-style food brand Old El Paso has announced its team of home star athletes with the Make Some Noise campaign via M&C Saatchi ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

As the official meal kit partner of the Australian Olympic Team, the campaign aims to capture the Olympic spirit with its star-studded lineup, while connecting food and sport as key elements of Aussie culture.

The ambassadors include professional Freestyle BMX star Logan Martin, who won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, two-time Olympian and team captain Mackenzie Arnold, who is also the goalkeeper for Women’s Super League club West Ham United, and Patty Mills, the Australian Team flag bearer and bronze medalist with the Boomers at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, currently playing for the Miami Heat in the NBA.

As part of the campaign, the General Mills-owned label has also launched limited edition Australian Olympic Team themed versions across six of their key products featuring the “Home Team” athletes. 

Bronwyn Cheng, head of world foods (Old El Paso) for Australia and New Zealand at General Mills, said the brand was proud to be the meal kit partner of choice for Team Australia in Paris this year.

“At the heart of every great meal is a great team, and Old El Paso is helping create authentic and meaningful connections to support athletes in the lead-up, during and post the Olympics.

“We’re excited to cheer on the home team along with the millions of Australians watching throughout July and August,  encouraging everyone to get together and share our Old El Paso mealtime moments and making some noise whilst  supporting the pinnacle of sporting talent.”

Commenting on the campaign, Martin said that “for a lot of athletes needing to refuel and reset after a long day of intense training, mealtimes are for families to come together and enjoy sharing vibrant flavours and connect over fun stories around the dinner table.” 

Arnold added that “nothing unites the squad like the hard graft of training for big matches as a team. We also share the love of gathering to enjoy delicious home cooked meals with everyone bringing their own flavour to the table.”

Mills agreed: “As I’m mentally getting in the zone for Paris, uniting over fun flavours at the dinner table with my  home team, combined with the ease of rustling up some Old El Paso speedy Mexican style food makes for the perfect  pre-game mealtime choice.”

Logan Martin and Patty Mills

M&C Saatchi has also just unveiled its new campaign for Australian Retirement Trust (ART), urging Australians to Awaken Your Super, in partnership with its media agency, Bohemia Group.

See also: M&C Saatchi and Bohemia unveil Awaken Your Super for Australian Retirement Trust

–

Top Image: Mackenzie Arnold

Australian Retirement Trust (ART) is urging Australians to Awaken Your Super in a new campaign developed with M&C Saatchi and its media agency, Bohemia Group.

In the midst of challenging economic conditions, many Australians have placed their superannuation on the back burner, struggling to envision their retirement amidst immediate financial pressures.

The campaign encourages Australians to recognise the “monstrous” potential of their superannuation. It aims to dispel the notion held by many Australians that their superannuation is less interesting or relevant than their other financial assets.

Using a visual metaphor of a monster, brought to life by The Glue Society, the campaign invites people to reassess their relationship with their super, empowering them to take control of their “monster” through ART.

ART’s executive general manager for marketing and digital, Simonne Burnett, said the young brand wants to rapidly build awareness and trust with Australians in order to grow.

“The creation of a campaign that gets people thinking differently about the relationship they have with their super, in a compelling and distinctive way, is fundamental to us achieving this ambition,” she said.

M&C Saatchi’s chief executive officer, Michael McEwan, said the work “assumes a leadership stance and invites Australians to awaken their super and see what it’s capable of with ART.”

“Superannuation is the largest financial asset for many Australians after the family home, yet the powerful role it can play in our lives is too often overlooked,” he said

Bohemia’s chief executive officer Paul Hutchison added: “Working as a fully integrated media and advertising team has given us the perfect opportunity to harness the combined power of creativity and media to hand select monstrous media placements that enhance the ‘awaken your super’ message.”

The campaign launch is complemented by a suite of OOH placements, social, and bespoke integrations.

Earlier this month, M&C Saatchi Group appointed Rob Doubal and Laurence Thomson as global joint chief creative officers, set to assume their newly-created roles later this year. The duo, known in the industry as Rob and Lolly, move from their previous roles as joint CCOs and co-presidents at McCann London.

M&C Saatchi group CEO for Australia and New Zealand, Justin Graham, said the appointment was “a powerful announcement.”

See also: M&C Saatchi’s Justin Graham welcomes global CCOs, Rob Doubal and Laurence Thomson

Credits: 

Australian Retirement Trust 
Simonne Burnett: Executive general manager, marketing and digital 
Dave Woodall: Chief commercial officer 
Rob Harris: Head of brand and growth marketing 
Khim Perdomo: Senior manager, brand 
Hanna Vallely: Marketing manager, brand 
Bec Kirk: Brand specialist 
Chris Pyra: Customer research specialist 
Rachael Bradley: Marketing manager, content 

Bohemia 
Paul Hutchison: Chief executive officer 
Max Broer: National strategy director
Caitlin West: Strategy director 
Natasha Young: Business director 
Kimberly Stafford: National client partner
Georgia Green: Media manager 
Hana Purvis: Media executive 

M&C Saatchi 
Michael McEwan: Chief executive officer
Nick Jacobs: Chief strategy officer 
Sharon Edmondston: Group creative director
Tristan Cornelius: Associate creative director
Jason Leigh: Senior copywriter 
Am Lall: Group account director 
Molly McAleavey: Senior account manager
Loren August: Head of production 
Gemma Heyes: Head of integrated production 

Revolver 
The Glue Society: Director 
Michael Ritchie: Managing director/co-owner
Pip Smart: Executive producer/partner
Jasmin Helliar: Executive producer 
Max Horn: Producer 
Geoffrey Simpson: DOP 
Sam Lukins: Production Designer 
Model Makers: MEG 
Post production/editorial: The Glue Society Studios
Luke Crethar: Editor 
Grade/online/VFX: Blockhead 
Nigel Mortimer: VFX Supervisor 
Scott Stirling: Colourist 
Briohny Aldersea: Producer 

Stills Production: The Pool Collective 

Music and Sound: Mosaic Music & Sound

Competitive social experiences company Funlab has partnered with brand design agency, FutureBrand Australia, to rejuvenate its Strike bowling brand.

Funlab first appointed FutureBrand Australia in 2021 to reimagine the Funlab’s masterbrand and its portfolio of experience brands, including Strike, Holey Moley, Hijinx Hotel, La Di Darts, Archie Bros. and B. Lucky & Sons.

The new brand strategy, identity, and experience for Strike aims to evoke a wonder-filled world where nothing is spared. Its modernised, shape-shifting logo and tone of voice seek to energise the brand, while an experience strategy aims to bring the “brand magic” to life in the real world.

Funlab’s chief marketing officer, Oonagh Flanagan, described Strike’s brand refresh as bright, vibrant, fun, and inclusive.

“All of the things we know and love about this wonderful brand. I am excited to see how guests old and new react,” she said.

“It has been an honour to work with FutureBrand to reinvigorate our oldest and best loved brand. Strike has been a stalwart for over two decades and the work that has been done will ensure that it remains so for decades to come.”

FutureBrand Australia’s chief executive officer, Rich Curtis described the process of future-proofing the Strike brand and working with Funlab: “Our research and immersion surfaced how there’s always more than you expect at Strike, and so the brand strategy had set the platform for not only a rejuvenated, expressive brand identity but also an all-the-more wonder-filled experience.”

Since first opening its doors on Chapel Street, Strike has expanded to over 20 venues, with an offering that now goes beyond bowling alleys, to now include laser tag, karaoke, virtual darts, and escape rooms.

In December last year, Funlab’s minigolf division, Holey Moley, introduced its latest campaign, A fun way to test friendships, via  Dentsu Creative. 

See also: Holey Moley launches playful campaign via Dentsu Creative

National independent public relations and creative agency Keep Left has revealed a number of key appointments to its strategy team, including Laura Agricola as strategy director.

Agricola steps into the director position following three years with the agency as a senior brand strategist. Prior to Keep Left, Agricola was stationed as senior brand and comms strategist at Sidedoor Brand Agency. She has also held posts at Saatchi & Saatchi in Australia, as well as Crispin Porter + Bogusky in the United States. 

“I‘m not interested in being an armchair expert,” said Agricola regarding her appointment. “I want the support of brains that are always plugged in to give us a complete picture of what sits at the intersection of brand, people and culture.

“Effective strategy demands a deep understanding of exactly how brands need to show up to be chosen. Psychology and culture underpin that. They are co-dependent, yet each is a niche.”

Harris Galloway has also been appointed as behavioural strategist and Zach Edwards as comms and culture strategist.

Galloway joined Keep Left in 2021 while completing a Masters of Applied Psychology. Edwards also joined in 2021 as digital planner.

Galloway said the agency has “shifted our mindset to embrace the proposition Ideas People Choose, constantly asking, ‘Would our audience willingly choose this, or would we have to force them to pay attention?'”

“It’s a high bar. To reach it, we have to know the people we are talking to intimately which is where the role of behavioural strategist comes in,” he said

Edwards added that “strategies immersed in culture – whether digital, physical, or social – make people move.

“They change how we think, feel, or behave. We all crave belonging and life experiences. Only by delving deep into what motivates our audiences, what shapes their views, and who they admire, can we craft compelling work that resonates.”

The trio will work with the agency’s clients across Melbourne and Sydney.

Earlier this month, Keep Left partnered with Australian Midnight Health to grow the audience and market share of the digital healthcare provider‘s  product offering. 

See also: Midnight Health appoints PR and creative agency Keep Left to grow market share

–

Top Image (L-R): Zach Edwards, Laura Agricola and Harris Galloway

By Gavin Lockhart, managing director at TRKKN

Third-party cookies have been a cornerstone of the web for decades, underpinning online personalisation and helping marketers deliver and measure relevant and engaging advertising at scale.

With the recent update from Google to postpone the deprecation of third party cookies again, we’ve seen a flood of comedic responses and some frustration from marketers and technologists alike. There are many reasons for Google’s decision to delay, but the most prominent seems to be the concerns of regulators in the UK, the readiness of the industry, and Google’s Privacy Sandbox needing more work.

When the Google Chrome browser stops supporting third-party cookies in 2025, the online industry is set to change forever. The extended deadline gives marketers, developers, and publishers much needed time to prepare for the future of the internet, with less dependency on third party cookies.

The shift has already begun and will continue, with Google rolling out Privacy Sandbox Tracking Protection to 1% of Chrome users globally in January, a key milestone in its push to phase out third party cookies.

Following in the footsteps of Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox, Google’s changes to Chrome will be the final nail in the coffin for third-party tracking cookies. Marketers who aren’t prepared risk flying blind.

Although Google’s deadline has been delayed, the awareness and concern amongst the marketing community to take action is disturbingly low, according to an Adobe study which found marketers are still highly reliant on third-party cookies. Someone isn’t going to swoop in and solve the problem for them at the last minute.

Some people perhaps assume that giants like Google and Meta will step in with a solution, so everyone can continue business as usual. Others might see it as simply a tech challenge for their ad vendor or IT team, without appreciating that it is a business issue rather than just a technical issue.

Becoming a privacy-focused, data-driven organisation touches every aspect of the business, meaning it must be addressed at the highest levels rather than handled in a piecemeal way. This is why a growing number of organisations are appointing a chief privacy officer to coordinate their efforts.

So rather than go right down to the line and scramble to implement half-baked workarounds which will only get blocked, Australian organisations need to get on the front foot. They need to change the narrative and drive the change themselves, taking a proactive approach to becoming privacy-focussed.

For example, it’s possible some brands might have consent to use first-party data for campaign measurement but not for targeting. This would mean they could pass a customer’s data into a platform to measure the outcome of a campaign, but not use that data to actively target that customer.

This shows the necessity of businesses driving a first-party data strategy, and focusing on advanced personalisation and customer experience, while keeping privacy at the forefront.

It’s a winning strategy: businesses which leverage personalisation generate 40% more revenue than those which don’t, according to McKinsey. Personalisation can also reduce customer acquisition cost by up to 50%, while increasing marketing spend efficiency by up to 30%.

For marketers to thrive in a cookieless future, it’s not just about adapting to the technical challenges of Google deprecating third-party cookies. It is about being part of a data-driven, privacy-first business that delivers experiences which keep customers coming back.

—

Top image: Lockhart

Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has marked the success of its trade credit insurance group deal, which offers industry-best insurance rates, as it prepares to launch additional deals for members in May.

The next phase of the industry body’s group deals will take its total member deals to 60, including savings on industry reporting tools, HR, management, data, and out-of-home verification.

The trade credit insurance deal, introduced in 2021, protects independent media agencies from bad debts. Since the program’s inception, more than 40 agencies have signed up, offering the cheapest insurance rates industry-wide.

Under the agreement, IMAA members currently save up to 78% on their trade credit insurance policies, with an industry-best rate and an excess of $2,500.

The IMAA now offers a variety of heavily reduced insurance policies for members, including professional indemnity, cyber insurance, directors and management liability, public and product liability, property damage and loss of revenue/profits, and corporate travel. 

Sam Buchanan, CEO of IMAA, said the trade credit insurance group deal has fundamentally changed the credit insurance landscape. He noted that the deal has made it an even playing field for Australian independent media agencies and saved them thousands in insurance every year.

“Since its 2021 inception, the deal has gone from strength-to-strength – not only does it now offer the cheapest industry rates for IMAA members, but it has also driven down insurance rates across the broader media industry.
 
“It’s an astonishing result in just three years, particularly in the current business environment. Insurance is a hefty ongoing cost for agencies but it’s a critical part of business – this program has made a huge difference to agencies’ budgets and given them peace-of-mind as they operate in an ever-changing world.”

–

Top image: Sam Buchanan

• This weekend, the Australian box office made $10,079,809, down +13% from last week’s $8,948,965.

TOP 5

1. The Fall Guy – $3,691,679 (debut)

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. Debuting in first place this week, The Fall Guy took $3,691,679 in its first week, averaging $6,499 over 568 screens.

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. 

2. Kung Fu Panda 4 – $1,594,905 (1)

Jack Black returns to voice Po, the Dragon Warrior in Universal’s fourth outing of martial arts madness. The film has already made $132.9 million domestically in the US. Kung Fu Panda 4 took $1,594,905 in its fifth week, averaging $4,299 over 371 screens.

Synopsis: Po goes on a thrilling journey as he dives into the wonders of ancient China. His passion for martial arts and insatiable appetite collide in the most unexpected ways.

3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $818,855 (2)

In the latest entry to Warner Bros.’ Monsterverse, Godzilla and King Kong have decided to put aside their differences from their last battle to team up to take on an undiscovered threat. It hasn’t been too favourable with critics, currently holding a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but on the flip side, it holds a strong 93% audience score. The film took $818,855 in its fifth week, averaging $3,055 over 268 screens.

Synopsis:The almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla confront a colossal, undiscovered threat that challenges their very existence and ours.

4. Challengers – $731,332 (3)

As Zendaya’s Dune: Part Two exits the top five, she’s straight back into it with her new film, Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino, staying in the top five this week. Similar to Dune, Challengers was supposed to be released in the back half of 2023 but was delayed to 2024 because of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. The film took $731,332 in its second week, averaging $2,513 over 291 screens.

Synopsis: Tashi, once a tennis player herself, has taken her husband, Art, and transformed him from an average player to a globally renowned Grand Slam champion. 

5. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – $545,090 (4)

The film is a sequel to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and serves as a continuation of the 80s films, featuring the return of the original Ghostbusters from the 1984 film. The film took $545,090 in its sixth week, averaging $1,867 over 292 screens.

Synopsis:The Spengler family and the original team are back at the iconic NYC firehouse, unveiling a cutting-edge lab to kick ghost-busting up a notch. 

Top 6 – 10

6. Abigail
7. Civil War
8. Dune: Part Two
9. Back to Black
10. The Roundup: Punishment

TV Report 29 April 2024:

Nine TV Report

LEGO Masters

Nine’s evening began with the eighth episode of LEGO Masters.

The LEGO Masters teams helped Hamish pitch brand-new sports to be included in the Olympic Games by building visual representations of the wacky new Olympic sports.

Ben and Eric were given Jet Pack Hockey and took the build to the next level building not only a diorama but a life-sized hockey stick and puck too. The hockey stick impressed Brickman the most – and scored them the win. 

A Current Affair

Over on A Current Affair, the program looked into the cancer-causing chemical in almost every Aussie’s bloodstream and spoke to a struggling Sydney family who got the keys to a waterfront mansion. 

Seven TV Report

Farmer Wants a Wife

On Seven, Farmer Wants a Wife saw emotions intensified to breaking point as farm farewells raised some uncomfortable truths. 

The farmers eagerly anticipated the opportunity to explore deeper connections during their all-important one-on-one dates: “It’s hard to get to know any of the girls in the group setting,” said Farmer Tom ahead of his date with Sarah C.

After a day of fun and romance, the farmers and their ladies returned home for the next farm farewell.

Flying high with confidence after her date with Joe, Calya drew battle lines during the dinner when she called out Keely and Claire for not being honest about their feelings: “How do you find connection if they’re not being honest? Farmer Joe deserves to hear the truth.”

At the end of the dinner, Farmer Dustin bid goodbye to Chloe. Farmers Bert, Joe and Tom did not send anyone home. 

Home and Away

Before FWAW was Home and Away as Theo made a sacrifice and Roo followed her new calling.

10 TV Report

The Project

The Project on 10 looked into Aussies bracing for a possible rate rise and spoke to Deborah Frances-White. 

MasterChef Australia

On 10’s MasterChef Australia, the cooks were set the challenge of making a dish from Mystery Box ingredients chosen by Jamie Oliver’s parents, with the makers of the four weakest dishes sent straight into Tuesday night’s elimination episode. 

ABC

7:30

On 7:30, the program spoke to the parents of the teenager who stabbed a bishop at a Sydney church and there is anger and despair about the rising death toll of Australian women which has spilled onto the streets.

SBS

Tony Robinson’s Marvellous Machines

Tony Robinson uncovered machines that are the world’s unsung heroes. From a vehicle that makes airport runways safe for landing, to the atomic clocks keeping humankind on time.