An altercation at Canberra Airport on Thursday evening has put Peter Costello in the spotlight, with a journalist from The Australian claiming he was pushed over by the Nine Entertainment chairman.

In a video published by News Corp, The Australian’s journalist Liam Mendes follows Costello through the airport, asking him about ­the allegations against Nine’s ex-news director Darren Wick, and whether Costello supports CEO Mike Sneesby.

The video shows Mendes falling to the ground, telling Costello: “You just assaulted me.”

Mendes recovers and continues to follow the Nine chair and former treasurer, accusing him of “quite violent behaviour”.

Costello was in Canberra for the opening of Nine’s new ‘super-bureau’, with new Nine News studios and offices.

Speaking to Nine reporters at Parliament House, Costello said: “I did not lay a finger or a fist or anything else on him,” claiming instead that Mendes was walking backwards and had tripped over.

“I have seen it happen a million times… reporters back into the bollards and fall over,” he said.

Costello’s own masthead, the Sydney Morning Herald, asked if the incident put his role at risk. “Costello gave a one-word answer: ‘rubbish,'” the Herald reported.

A Nine spokesperson added: “After arriving at Canberra Airport, the Chairman was confronted by a journalist from The Australian. In the course of filming the Chairman while walking backwards, the journalist collided with an advertising placard and fell. At no point did the chairman strike the journalist.” 

Mendes has rejected this explanation: “The video speaks for itself and you can see it on his face.

“While I was questioning Mr Costello, he started charging towards me, after which he made contact with me causing me to fall over. No journalist should ever be attacked for doing their job.”

Nine Entertainment is investigating its TV newsroom culture after multiple allegations of inappropriate behaviour were made against former national director of news and current affairs, Darren Wick.

Wick left the network in March after 29 years at the company, 13 years in the position, and more than a month away from the office. He announced his departure in a staff email seen by Mediaweek, writing: “After many long beach walks and even longer conversations, I know in my heart that this is the right time for me to step down and leave Nine.”

Wick held multiple roles over the course of his career at Nine, including executive producer of The Today Show and A Current Affair.

The allegations have put pressure on CEO Mike Sneesby, with questions raised about who – if anyone – in management knew of the complaints before Wick’s departure. 

Matt Holmes has left Emotive three months after starting as head of PR and earned creative on 4 March, Mediaweek can reveal.

He was set to boost Emotive’s fame offering, but Simon Joyce, Emotive’s founder and CEO, explained that he needed to make a quick but difficult decision because the agency needed strategic leadership, versus PR leadership.

Joyce said the fame offering was launched in February to unite five specialisms: social, talent, partnerships, brand experience, and PR. The goal was to position fame as “an essential, not just desirable part of the creative process.”

“Matt, as head of PR and earned creative, was an integral part of this launch,” Joyce told Mediaweek. “However, given the trailblazing nature of this structure and the impact it has on how we do both strategy and creative, we quickly realised that we needed greater senior leadership in the strategy unit, as opposed to senior PR skills.

“For that reason, we parted company, and as difficult as it was, as Matt is a terrific operator who brought wonderful energy and smarts to the business, we had to make a quick call which is essential for a tight knit business like Emotive.”

Emotive has restructured the fame division to be led by one person, a head of fame, across all five specialisms. Irnin Khan – who has worked at Leo Burnett and JOY – is currently in that role in an acting capacity.

Holmes was a high profile hire for the independent agency – he co-founded creative PR and social agency Poem with Rob Lowe, and announced his departure in October last year, selling his 50% stake in the business.

He told Mediaweek he is currently freelancing for a couple of agencies and having discussions about permanent roles. He is “as keen to make sure the next one is the right fit as much as you ever can!”

Head of social, talent, and partnerships Rhian Mason recently left Emotive after three years. Joyce confirmed that, in light of the restructure, the agency will replace Mason by hiring two social, talent, and partnership directors.

Meta has called Michael Miller’s claims that the tech giant doesn’t respect Australian laws or community standards “preposterous.”

On Wednesday, News Corp Australasia’s executive chairman told the National Press Club that global tech giants should be subject to a social licence that forces them to pay for news and invest in mental health – and face criminal penalties if they break that licence.

“In my view, the tech monopolies are also mining companies,” Miller said. “They don’t mine our minerals, they mine our lives.”

A Meta spokesperson responded to Miller’s claims by pointing to the company’s work with the Office of the eSafety Commissioner since it was established, and its frequent work with local regulators. 

“Over the years, we’ve restricted access to content out of respect for Australian laws, responded to thousands of requests from Australian law enforcement and worked constructively with them to prevent real world harm,” the statement read. 

“We’ve trained tens of thousands of young Australians in online safety, developed over 50 tools, features and resources to create safe, age-appropriate experiences, and have established a local Online Safety Advisory Group and a Combating Online Hate Advisory Group, consisting of Australian community organisations.”

The spokesperson added Meta has “driven significant economic activity for Australian communities and businesses” since it began operating in Australia 15 years ago, and that the company “look[s] forward to continuing to make a positive contribution in Australia by bringing people and communities together and creating opportunities for businesses to grow.” In March, Meta said it had driven $115 million in value to publishers.

Miller used his Press Club address – his first since 2019 – to raise concerns that we live in a world in which fines and regulations don’t work against tech giants like Meta.

“When the threat of regulation comes in their direction, the tech monopoly has a playbook. They declare that they want to be regulated but no solution is ever workable for them. Then they insist that regulation should be harmonised across jurisdictions.

“The tech monopolies love to use the law to protect their right to be above the law.”

Under his proposed social licence, Australia would introduce a package of laws and requirements that tech monopolies would need to meet if they want access to Australian consumers.

Under this licence, the Australian government would be able to make the platforms liable for all content that is amplified, curated, and controlled by their algorithms or recommender engines.

For now, News Corp Australia is an active supporter of 36 Months – the movement recently launched by Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli and Rob Galluzzo to raise the social media citizenship age from 13 to 16

See also: Wippa and Galluzzo say 36 Months ‘is not an attack on social media’

In March, Meta confirmed it would not renew its deals to pay Australian publishers for news content when the existing Media Code deals expire this year. The tech giant said the move was “part of an ongoing effort to better align our investments to our products and services people value the most.”

Meta also promised that “we will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in these countries and will not offer new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future.”

Last year, Canada introduced the Online News Act, which required social media companies to compensate media for content. Meta responded by pulling news from its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, in Canada.

If Meta does refuse to bargain, and pulls news off its platform like it did in Canada, the decision is likely to disproportionately impact smaller publishers.

“I don’t believe the Australian Government is holding back. If we go back to the News Media Bargaining Code, which had the support of the Greens, Labor, and Liberals, it was seen to be an important step in the right direction,” Miller said in a Q&A session after his Press Club address.

“There are other countries around the world where they have turned off social media. It happened in India. What we saw in India was that local innovators met that void, and for Indian businesses and consumers, it was actually made for their market with language changes and other local nuances. It was far better for the country, but it was locally grown and locally purposed. That’s what would happen here, no doubt.”

However, he said the social platforms are an “unavoidable trading partner.” Asked whether News Corp would consider pulling its masthead accounts off the platforms, Miller replied: 

“The ACCC found that [social media sites] were an unavoidable trading partner. In meetings I’ve had with politicians, they understand the damage that the platforms are causing, but they themselves can’t exit those platforms, because that’s where their voters and their local communities are. They’re unavoidable, and that’s why they do operate here, because they are so pervasive.”

Adam Hills is a familiar ABC face who is rarely out of the channels’ TV guide. Between his hosting of Spicks and Specks and The Last Leg there are at least a few outings most weeks of the year.

Spicks and Specks episodes recently have been repeats. But wait, there’s a new season of 14×30-minute episodes of the rowdy musical quiz show dropping from Sunday June 8.

Spicks and Specks started life in the old Elsternwick ABC studios. A location infamous for the weekly recordings of Countdown.

“That’s probably partly what gave Spicks and Specks some of its character,” Hills told Mediaweek. “We had people like Wilbur Wilde and Brian Mannix come in and go, ‘I remember these shows. And they’d look around the floor and go, I remember these cameramen.’”

As a tribute to the Elsternwick studios, Hills initially called his ABC tonight-style chat show In Gordon Street Tonight. It was later branded Adam Hills Tonight. Featured on that show was an exciting starting out in the business – Hannah Gadsby – and a seasoned older hand, even in his younger days – Dave O’Neil.

The new series of Spicks and Specks has the same host, same team captains (Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough) and same executive producer (Anthony Watt).

“He’s been in charge of the show since day one. He was the brains behind Spicks and Specks and he’s still here,” said Hills about Watt.

“Our talent booker, Sancia Robinson, is back. There were a few years where it wasn’t her, but she was there for the formative years. We’ve also got one of our music producers back from that first series.

“There has been change though. We’ve refreshed the researchers and the writers.

“Our first ever season was loose as. We were the loudest part of the office. We had to shut the doors to our office in the old ABC, because we kept annoying ABC Kids. Over the years we became a proper TV show.” [Laughs]

Home for the format these days is in the ABC Melbourne South Bank studios.

Alan Brough, Myf Warhurst and Adam Hills

Making loads of TV

Spicks and Specks has a library of over 300 episodes. “We always seem to be on through the great reruns,” said Hills.

He remembered back to when the team first realised they were onto something. “I vividly recall our first episode going to air. I was on a flight to Aspen to perform at the Aspen Comedy Festival.

“Then I remember coming back and our second episode went to air. To be honest, I think it wasn’t until the third episode I got feedback. I didn’t know you got ratings the next day!

“I had no idea how all of that stuff worked. It was after about episode three, our producer said, ‘We’ve had a lift in the ratings.’ I was like, what? [Laughs]

“Gradually we started to realise a growing number of people were watching.

“To be honest, for the first year we didn’t even think about being recommissioned. All we wanted out of that first year was to be able to make a Christmas special.

“I remember Wilbur Wilde saying at the end-of-year wrap party that we were now carrying the torch for Countdown. It felt like a real honour and a responsibility. We were more than just a fun music quiz show. We were a chance for younger people to celebrate older performers. To celebrate the history of Australian music, and also to show off younger performers as well.

“People like Sarah Blasko and Megan Washington would sing Substitute and then their album sales would go up the next day just because they sang out of a Toyota Corolla handbook.” [Laughs]

Several seasons of the show saw production of 40 episodes a year.

“We started off pretty much doing two episodes in a day. We would do two on a Thursday, two on a Friday. And that was killing us. So, we spaced that out, giving us a day in between.

“We got slicker at putting the show together. Eventually, we just became a really well-oiled machine.”

Favourite moments: The Elvis sandwich

“I realised as we went along, that creating a TV moment is more valuable sometimes than writing a joke. I remember the moment we were talking about the sandwiches that Elvis used to eat. Virtually a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of raspberry jam and a pound of bacon or something like that.

“We were trying to come up with a joke about it and then someone said, why don’t we just give Alan and Myf, like an Elvis sandwich to try?”

“Other favourite moments would include The Rocky Horror Show ending where we had Richard O’Brien singing Time Warp and I ended up dressed like Frank N Furter. Or when Frank Woodley tried to recreate a Little Nell Campbell’s accidental boob slipping out on television and he ended up with a testicle.”

The Last Leg: Adam Hills with Josh Widdicombe (left) and Alex Brooker

UK TV beckons

After a remarkable seven seasons, Spicks and Specks took a break and Hills got his own ABC series that lasted three seasons. It was during that time Hills’ TV career took off in the UK.

“I’d been on the ABC and covered the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. When London 2012 came around Channel 4 got the coverage for the Paralympics and they were looking for people with a disability who could present a TV – a very niche market. At that point, I had presented about 250-odd episodes of Spicks and Specks.

“The only difference was The Last Leg at the Paralympics was live. I thought to myself, I can do this. The feedback I was getting was like, Oh my God, who’s this new guy who knows how to host TV?

“Sometimes new people are quite green and a bit uncooked on television. But I kind of knew what I was doing.

“We just thought it was going to be 10 nights of covering the Paralympics. At the end of it, Channel 4 asked if I wanted to come back and do a weekly satirical comedy show.”

Hills has calculated he’s now hosted more episodes of The Last Leg than he has of Spicks and Specks. Combined he’s fronted over 600 episodes of those two shows.

Hills works closely with the writers and production team on the scripts for both series.

See also: Why Adam Hills says Spicks and Specks 2022 was “the hardest season” to make

Taking on board learnings from the best

Helping Hills into the art of comedy TV was the great Peter Faiman. The TV director helped guide the careers of Graham Kennedy, Don Lane, and Bert Newton among others. He also worked closely with Paul Hogan and directed Crocodile Dundee.

“I was lucky in that Peter was brought in to teach me how to host a TV show. He said, among other things, there can’t be any words in the script that you didn’t put there.

“Because when they come up on the autocue, you’re not going to know what you’re about to say. You need to know every single word that’s in that script and you need to underline the important words and you need to put the rules in bold. He taught me how to host a TV show. Because of him, I don’t like to turn up and just read whatever jokes have been thrown at me.”

At its most prolific, Channel 4 was commissioning 40 episodes of The Last Leg a year. They are currently making 20 a year and later this year the show will be covering the Paris Paralympics.

Hills is missing being away from the UK in June this year. “The problem with a show like ours is it is so topical. Rishi Sunak’s recently called a general election and we’re on a break. It’s devastating that we’re not going to be there. I’m hoping they might call us back for an election special.”

Adam Hills: Author

“I’ve got my third children’s book that’s coming out in July. We’ve set it at the Paralympics. The books all started with my daughter saying she didn’t know when she grew up whether she wanted to be a rock star or a detective. I went, well, you could do both. You could be a rock star by night and solve crimes by day.

“As it happened, a few weeks later, I was called into a publisher to see if I had any ideas for a kid’s book. And I went, rock star detective. That’s what my daughter wanted to be.”

Finding time for live comedy has been a challenge. “I’m writing kids’ books and making documentaries,” he said. There are plans for a major live tour…when Hills finds the time.

Aussie and UK management

In addition to wisdom from Peter Faiman, Hills has been lucky with his choice of management. At home in Australia, he is still with Kevin Whyte at Token Artists. In the UK he has a long-term relationship with manager Joe Norris.

“They have been invaluable. The role of a good manager is not just someone who puts work in your diary and takes a commission. It’s someone that, when an offer comes in, will sit down with you and have a good discussion and go, right, well, where do you want to be in your career?

“Both of them are fantastic to bounce ideas off.

“Joe is a West Ham season ticket holder, so we’ll go and watch West Ham play in London and we’ll have a business meeting at the same time.

“I reckon I would probably make some pretty rash and stupid decisions were I not able to bounce opinions off both of them.”

iProspect is focused on embedding a culture of effectiveness within the agency, winning clients and awards, growing sustainably, and raising its profile.

“Lots of people probably still think of us as a digital performance agency, which is what we were,” NSW managing director Marcelle Gomez tells Mediaweek.

“We’re very proud of that heritage, we don’t shy away from it. But probably about three and a half years ago, we merged Vizeum into iProspect globally. Australia was the first market to activate that and bring the new brand proposition to life. And that was around the time I joined the business. And that really gave us the platform to go to market with a full end-to-end media capability.”

Since Gomez joined, iProspect has tripled in headcount. Chief strategy officer Nick Kavanagh joined her leadership team a year ago. He had previously worked for Havas, McCann, OMD, and Naked, and “was looking for something different. I wasn’t sure what.”

“This shape of agency, with a heritage and a strength in performance and data and digital was really interesting to me,” he said.

“And the proposition of trying to scale that up and out through to brand, I think’s a really interesting juxtaposition. It’s been a really intellectual challenge.”

Gomez and Kavanagh both want to lift the profile of the agency, Kavanagh said, “because there’s a really interesting story to tell. And the category, the industry, at the moment feels right for something new and interesting. Hopefully, people are getting a sense of the momentum of the agency.”

In March, Jason Smith was promoted to head of client partnerships. In May, it named its 2024 Level Up Committee, a shadow executive management team that forms one of the eight pillars of the agency’s employee value proposition (EVP), ‘where the ambitious accelerate the possible.’ The agency also has a reverse mentoring program called Mentor Up.

Also in May, and as a result of those initiatives, it earned a coveted spot on the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list.

“What’s central to all of it is that the teams are empowered, they have a voice. It’s not a dictatorship,” Gomez said.

“We’re not going to tell you how things are going to be done here. Great ideas can come from anyone in the team regardless of tenure, experience, role.”

Kavanagh said it’s a priority that people feel psychologically safe at the agency, so they can do work that is “progressive and innovative and reflective of how things are changing, but not doing that at the expense of our people.”

“The next step for us is now the work,” he added, plus “awards recognition and new business wins.”

iProspect works with MOOD Tea – a new client win from April – Ferrero, Air New Zealand, MYOB, and Kathmandu. Some clients “use all of our services, some … are more brand leaning, some … are more performance leaning, and I think that’s the beauty of iPro, is that we flex to what our clients need,” Gomez said.

Its pitch to prospective clients is “predicated on the idea of change, and the pace of change, and the rate of change,” according to Kavanagh.

“In order to navigate that change, you need two things,” he continued: agility, dynamism, and flexibility; and a different perspective.

“The premise of our agency story is about accelerating growth with a performance mindset, so that we’re building brands and building businesses.”

Its holding company dentsu has been going through a period of change, including former media boss Danny Bass exiting as part of a restructure that divides the business into two divisions: client counsel and commercial, and product and practices.

Gomez said brands like iProspect are central to dentsu’s model, because “they’re generally how clients come into the business and what they connect with.” Brands across the holdco share dentsu’s values, but iProspect’s specific “special sauce” is its EVP.

“If you’re looking for a positioning in terms of what differentiates us versus Carat, generally we tend to work with ambitious brands,” Kavanagh added.

“They may be second, third, fourth in a category, maybe don’t have as much money to spend but want to out-think and are looking to do things differently, and to supercharge their growth. Because we have that mindset as a business, we’re looking to grow rapidly. And we’re tending to attract those businesses.”

The agency wants to keep doing better for its clients and people, Kavanagh reinforced – “How are we tracking our success? How do we optimise? How do we get better?” – and part of that is creating a culture of effectiveness.

“So that we are able to link brand and performance together seamlessly, that we are able to demonstrate to clients the impact that our work is having on the short term in terms of sales, but also the impact that our work’s having on their brand health too,” he said.

“I think in terms of the next 18 months, it’s going to be how we anchor performance effectiveness with media creativity.”

iProspect’s mission to build its brand and become renowned for an effectiveness culture comes amidst a shake up of the media agency landscape. Initiative is losing its three top leaders to Accenture Song, where Melissa Fein, Sam Geer, and Chris Colter will build a full-service media unit for the consultancy. Kavanagh’s former Naked colleague Mat Baxter is back in the country and running Mutinex, the market mix modelling platform with huge ambitions. And independent media agencies are enjoying momentum too.

Kavanagh thinks while the industry is always in flux, this period of change is unique. The industry “sits at the confluence of technology, and data, and commerce, and culture, and entertainment” and each of them “are being disrupted.”

“So many areas that touch what we do are being disrupted at the same time. And it’s going to be really interesting to see how the next two years, five years pans out. I think it’s unique. I think this instance is unique. But I think it’s going to be a better industry for it.”

Both Kavanagh and Gomez are ready to help clients navigate that disruption. They are also both cautious of the cultural risk that comes with continued growth, especially “when you need to fill lots of seats very quickly.”

“Managing that growth whilst maintaining our cultural integrity has been really important,” Gomez confirmed.

Kavanagh, a year into his role, is confident that they have the right leadership to manage that risk.

“We’re very supportive of one another,” he said, “and it flows down through the rest of the agency, right, they can see that we’re pushing each other and it’s all for the good, and we’re good friends, and we can do great work, but we can also have fun while we’re here.

“To be honest, that is probably a Naked thing for me, an echo of the past, that you can have a great agency culture, and be doing fab work, too. That’s where we want to be getting to.”

—

See also: Mediaweek Agency 50: iProspect’s Marcelle Gomez celebrates her team’s drive and growth journey

The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, has promoted Milla McPhee to chief strategy officer and Ben de Castella to head of planning, effective immediately.

McPhee expands on her Accenture Song remit as managing director of strategy for growth markets, to now lead strategy for The Monkeys.

Previously, she worked in strategy at Adam&eveDDB London and Droga5 New York and was also client side as head of brand and creative strategy at Amazon in the UK

McPhee succeeds Hugh Munro, who left The Monkeys to launch his own creative indie agency: Rick Barry. He founded the new shop with ex-BMF’s chief creative officer Alex Derwin.

See also: Alex Derwin and Hugh Munro unveil new shop, Rick Barry

Commenting on Munro’s departure, Accenture Song ANZ president and group CEO of The Monkeys, Mark Green said: “As part of this change, we are farewelling Hugh Munro who has been such a force within our strategy department for so long. He leaves with our heartfelt thanks and best wishes for his next adventure.”

Commenting on her new role, McPhee added: “What a privilege it is to lead strategy for Australia’s foremost creative business, inside the world’s most sophisticated technology powerhouse. Every day, we show brands how provocative thinking can transform their business, and it’s a joy to do so alongside the best in our business at The Monkeys/Song.”

De Castella has helped develop several recognised creative campaigns during his three years as business strategy director at The Monkeys, including Canadian Club’s Over Beer? and Telstra’s Footy Country.

His previous roles include group strategy director at VCCP London and strategic planning director at Digitas Hong Kong, where he worked on brands such as Transport for London, Compare the Market, and Nike. 

“When I joined The Monkeys, I knew it was home to some of Australia’s most iconic and effective campaigns,” he said.

“Over the past couple of years, I’ve found out what an incredible bunch it takes to make that happen – not least our tight-knit team of brilliant Planners. I couldn’t be more excited about the new role and what we’re going to achieve together next.”

Green added: “We are pleased to see both Milla and Ben continue to thrive and take on wider responsibilities. Both have an impressive record driving growth for some of the world’s leading brands and are perfect partners to help us lead our strategy department.”

Nova group programming director Brendan Taylor describes the radio ratings survey three results as “mixed” for the network, but there was one standout highlight: the smoothfm results.

In Sydney, smoothfm tied with KIIS in the last survey, but broke away in survey three to bring the station to top FM with a 10.7% share. In Melbourne, smoothfm came in second FM, beyond only Gold.

“It’s just a fantastic result for Peter Clay and the team,” Taylor told Mediaweek.

See also: ‘There must be something right’: smoothfm blows out 12 birthday candles

“Number one FM in Sydney, it’s such a competitive marketplace so it’s pleasing to see – Particularly up against a brand like KIIS and Kyle & Jackie O. And number two FM in Melbourne against the backdrop of the new competitive challenges in that market. It’s a pleasing day for the smooth team.”

When asked what it is that keeps people coming back to the smooth brand, Taylor said the consistency of the station means people know what they’re going to get when they tune in.

“For the smooth brand, we often talk about its consistency. They’ve got a consistent product and a consistent brand proposition, that’s one of the main focuses for the smooth team.”

Around the Nova network

In Melbourne, Jase & Lauren’s second survey since taking the breakfast reins saw the duo climb 0.4 percentage points in the breakfast slot to a 8.7% share.

“It’s a really pleasing result for them in the Melbourne market. To increase share to 8.7, from a Nova perspective, that’s one of our best results in breakfasts for about a year and a half,” Taylor said.

“It’s also pleasing to see that we’ve got this connection, they’re resonating with the audience in Melbourne. It’s such a competitive marketplace, all ears are going to be on that market, and to see the Jase, Lauren, & Clint team move forward means it’s progressing nicely.”

In Queensland, Nova 106.9 came in as the most listened to station in Brisbane with 691,000 cume.

“It’s always great to know that the foundations are there for the station, and likewise Ash, Luttsy, & Susie O’Neill are the most listened to breakfast show. It’s good to know that the audience figures are holding up,” said Taylor.

In Perth, Nova 93.7 came in as the city’s most listened to station in market with 704,000 cume, and Nathan, Nat, & Shaun topped breakfast with a 17.4% share.

“Nathan, Nat & Shaun, what a team. It’s the most listened to station and just 0.1 off number one from the share perspective. 

“As most listened to station, they’ve hit that for 40 in a row with us. It’s a testament to the team and credit to Dave McClung.”

Nova in H2

The middle of the survey year and the calendar year are both creeping up. Looking ahead, Taylor said: “We’re always looking to refine and connect with our audience across the year. It’s a long survey year, you ride the highs and the lows.

“It’s great that the radio is at the forefront, particularly in Melbourne with the competitive nature of that. For the Nova network, it’s just doubling down on what we do best – having that genuine connection with our audience.”

–

Top image: Brendan Taylor

Mediaweek’s Media Movers charts the biggest people moves in the industry over the past week.

This week:

Luke Girgis left The Brag Media as publisher and managing director, six months after he sold the business to Vinyl Group in a $10m deal.

DDB promoted its Melbourne MD, Mike Napolitano, to the newly-created role of Melbourne Group CEO.

Mediaweek revealed Vanessa Boueyres was appointed managing partner on the Westpac account at DDB Sydney, replacing Sasha Firth.
 
Former Meta Australia partner Liz Harper joined Australian startup Springboards.ai as director of agency partnerships. She was the creative agency partner at Meta Australia for just under five years.

Matt Kaufman joined Amazon Web Services as head of marketing across Australia and New Zealand after 11 years spent at Google, most recently as marketing director, global experiential marketing.

Alex Sol Watts joined independent communications agency Poem as executive director of social and strategy. He joins the agency after a recent stint freelancing. Last year, he was a partner at the creative agency Bullfrog, opening and leading its Sydney office.

News Corp Australia’s head of sales – NSW independent agencies and major direct, Michael Desiere, announced he was leaving the business after 22 years.

Michael Wilkins, managing director of national sport brands, and Marcus Hooke, general manager of print production, will also exit News Corp as part of its ongoing restructure.
 
Seven Network appointed Mark Mooney as 7NEWS Adelaide’s news director, replacing Chris Salter, who was recently appointed director of news in Seven Melbourne to fill the vacancy left by Shaun Menegola.

Apparent appointed Simon Pugh as chief media officer to lead and grow the independent agency’s media offering in Australia and around the world.
 
Yahoo hired Maddie Basso in the newly-created role of head of commercial. She joins after seven years at Captify, where she was head of sales.
 
Orchard promoted practice lead, Hannah Bissex, to the newly-created role of managing partner – health to support and strengthen its healthcare marketing division.
 
Channel Factory promoted Georgina Gellert to director of marketing and people strategy across AUNZ.
 
Starcom appointed Scott McCaffrey as chief client and growth officer and promoted Jacqui Purcell to national head of planning.
 
GumGum appointed Niall Hogan as general manager of JAPAC, as it plans to expand across the region.
 
Antony Catalano‘s View Media Group made five leadership appointments including Sian Rowlands as MD, financial services and Damon Pezaro as chief product officer. Jordy Catalano moved into the role of director of consumer services and markets, Barrie Bowles was appointed as digital and data director, and Emily Rayner hired as head of content.
 
Enthral appointed Mark Tompkins as its new creative director. Tompkins brings more than 20 years of experience to the agency, having worked in Australia and London with TBWA, DDB, Clemenger, and Ogilvy.
 
The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, nabbed Lennie Galloway and Thomas Gledhill from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners as associate creative directors. The duo return to Australia after a four-year stint at the San Fransisco full-service agency.

Four BBC channels – BBC Earth, BBC First, BBC News, and CBeebies – will leave Foxtel and Binge from 31 July. 

The new multi-year deal will see BBC UKTV on Foxtel however, meaning audiences will be able to access Midsomer Murders, Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and Father Brown on the streaming service.

A Foxtel Group spokesperson said the group “Regularly review the content mix across our platforms and work with our content partners to reduce content duplication and ensure we are providing our customers a selection of quality content across multiple genres based on their preferences.

“Audiences will still be able to access world-class British drama and entertainment through our partnerships with Sky Studios, ITV, NBC Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery and the ABC, while Sky News UK will continue to keep Australian audiences up to date with the latest from the region.”

A BBC Studios spokesperson said the network “has ambitious plans for its brands and content in Australia” and that “Australia is a growth region for BBC Studios with a large appetite for our content.

“BritBox and BBC.com give us our own platforms for growth. As we recently announced, BBC News livestream will be available on BBC.com shortly, showcasing the potential of our new digital products.”

The spokesperson added that BBC Studios will “continue to work with a number of broadcasters and platforms and are in discussions to bring our content to audiences in new ways.”

The news comes as Fetch TV and BBC Studios extend their channel partnership agreement covering six BBC channels.

The deal ensures Fetch subscribers’ ongoing access to BBC content available on any Australian aggregation platform covering existing brands BBC UKTV, BBC Earth, CBeebies, BBC Kids and BBC Brit, and BBC Drama.

The channels will sit alongside BBC News and Britbox which continue to be available on Fetch.

Sam Hall, chief content and commercial officer of Fetch TV, said: “We are excited to renew our long-standing channels partnership with BBC Studios and to introduce the new BBC Drama channel which, as a replacement for BBC First, will expand the line-up of premium drama programming available on Fetch.

“Iconic BBC channel brands, along with much loved shows including Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise and Silent Witness are important elements of the Fetch customer offering.

“This deal demonstrates that Fetch remains committed to offering a true aggregation model across a very broad range of content options including Free-to-Air, FAST and subscription channels, free and subscription streaming services, transactional video on-demand, and pay-per-view events.”    

BBC Drama, a new channel available only on Fetch, will be home to shows such as Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife and Silent Witness, BAFTA award-winning The Sixth Commandment, Happy Valley and Unforgotten.

Fetch subscribers can view the BBC channels on their TV or on the Fetch Mobi app, with a “start over” option available for the majority of programmes which enables viewers to join the channel at any point and watch from the start.

Subscribers can also access on-demand channel content from the Fetch Catch-Up menu.

“Australian audiences love our shows and with our BBC brands, they know exactly where to find the best British curated content, from drama, documentaries, entertainment and children’s programming to world-class independent journalism,” Fiona Lang, general manager, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand, said.

“Fetch is a long-standing and valuable partner and we are delighted to be able to deliver them a package of linear and virtual playlist channels that meets the demands of their audiences.”

The BBC channels are all available in the 46 channel Fetch Ultimate Pack for $20 per month, and also in the $6 per month Fetch Channel Packs.

Snap’s former head of agency development, Dina Bailey, has joined Time Out Australia as commercial director.

Based in Sydney and reporting to Kaylie Smith, Time Out APAC’s managing director, Bailey will lead Time Out’s commercial and partnership efforts across Australia.

Bailey has spent the past 13 years in big tech, holding leadership roles with Google, Meta, and most recently as Snap Inc.’s head of agency development.

“With a strong presence in Sydney and Melbourne since 2007 – and with these cities remaining just as important – we just recently announced that Time Out is expanding its coverage across Australia to reach a national audience through local content about the best things to do, see, eat and drink as well as travel news and recommendations,” Smith said.

“That means we are in a better position than ever to engage advertising clients with a national offering too and with Dina joining our fantastic Time Out team, we will further strengthen our creative capabilities and delivery on our clients’ goals.”

Previously, Bailey’s career focussed on leading client relationships and business growth at OMG and Dentsu Aegis.

Bailey said: “I’m excited to become part of this trusted, amazing brand and further build our relationships with a wide range of advertisers for which we develop and deliver local, national as well as global campaigns across our multiple platforms spanning digital and experiential elements.

“Our impactful, authentic and engaging creative solutions are bespoke for our clients to connect them with our unique content and experience-hungry audience.”

The publisher’s plans to expand coverage across Australia have coincided with an April consumer campaign with travel site Wotif as its launch partner.

Smith told Mediaweek that while the publication has worked hard at building a strong presence in Sydney and Melbourne since 2007, it will now curate content on the best of Australia to attract a wider national audience.

“The fact that in Australia, Time Out is already in the top 10 lifestyle digital platforms gives us the confidence to engage our audience and advertising clients now with a national offering too.”

The national expansion follows in the footsteps of similar expansions in the US and UK. “For advertisers and clients, this new national proposition means that we can offer them even more impactful advertising opportunities.”

The content will include the best things to do, see, eat and drink, plus focus on arts and culture, travel news and recommendations nationwide.

See also: Kaylie Smith on Time Out’s expansion across Australia and offering ‘impactful advertising opportunities’

Austin (Sunday on ABC, all episodes on iview) is a fantastic new Aussie comedy that nails it from the first episode. Whoever decided to centre a sitcom around Michael Theo, based on his work in Love On The Spectrum, is a deadset genius because he is more than a reality star, he is an actor with brilliant comedy chops. Let’s give credit to the team at Northern Pictures, also the home of Love on the Spectrum.

Theo plays Austin, an Autistic forklift driver who announces to visiting author Julian Hartswood (Ben Miller) that he is his long-lost son. The cast also includes Julian’s wife Ingrid (Sally Phillips), Austin’s mum (Gia Carides) and grandad (Roy Billing). And as a five-piece ensemble, they are perfection.

Filmed in the UK and Canberra (and who knew the nation’s capitol could deliver such a comedy gem), Austin is the latest in a long line of co-productions between the UK and Australia. Since the earliest days of TV, Australia has always put out a welcome mate for visiting English comedians.

See also: Mercado on TV – Colin From Accounts joins the ranks of iconic Australian TV comedies

Miriam Carlin became infamous for her militant catchphrase “Everybody out!” which she used in the UK sitcom The Rag Trade (1961) when ordering co-workers to strike. In 1966, she became a regular on The Mavis Bramston Show (Seven) despite the show poking fun at Australia’s worship of English stars. 

In 1972, Seven and the BBC teamed up to make a sitcom called Birds In The Bush, in which an Englishman (Hugh Lloyd) and his Aussie brother (Ron Frazer) inherited an outback property full of scantily clad young girls (Briony Behets, Ann Sidney, Elli Maclure etc).

Michael Theo is Austin

In the 80s, sitcoms like Are You Being Served? and Father Dear Father came down under to repeat the format in an Aussie setting. This phenomenon thankfully came to an end with Love Thy Neighbour in Australia, in which Jack Smethurst moaned about having to live in … wait for it … Blacktown. 

Nobody back then could have imagined a day when we would stop punching down at minorities and find a new way to make them the centre of the action. Austin’s neurodivergence isn’t milked for cheap laughs, because nobody needs to see that when his deadpan delivery is so brutally hilarious.

Bravo to ABC for not only commissioning a new Aussie comedy, but giving it a great lead-in on Sundays with Spicks and Specks. The quiz show now only runs for a tight 30 minutes, thereby allowing it to be paired with Austin as a must-see double bill. Austin is so good that I expect most of its audience to binge it all on iview.

TV Gold: Two new episodes of Mediaweek’s weekly TV podcast

Listen now on your favourite podcast platform for 30 minutes of TV reviews and recommendations every week from Mediaweek’s Mercado on TV columnist Andrew Mercado and editor-in-chief James Manning.

We want your comments, feedback and questions – [email protected].

This week on TV Gold: Austin, Eric, Colin From Accounts

Two Australian sitcoms and a major Netflix drama in this episode.

Eric (Netflix, series) stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a talented yet troubled New York kids TV guru in this crime thriller. A great supporting cast, New York in the 1980s and a brilliant soundtrack.

Colin From Accounts (Binge/Foxtel) continues the great work started by Harriet Dyer, Patrick Brammall and the talented creatives assembled by the Easy Tiger team.

Austin (ABC/iview) features the talented Michael Theo working with British actors Ben Miller and Sally Phillips with a great supporting cast including Gia Carides and Roy Billing.

TV Gold bonus episode: Inside Colin From Accounts

As the second series of the now iconic Australian comedy Colin From Accounts drops on Binge and Foxtel, TV Gold meets the makers. TV Gold hosts Andrew Mercado and James Manning talk with Easy Tiger producers Ian Collie and Rob Gibson about their first meeting with Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall and how together they turned their idea into a global hit. In addition to Colin From Accounts, we also get an update on Easy Tiger which is also home to other TV hits including One Night, Scrublands and The Twelve.

Listen online here, or on your favourite podcast platform.

While most people in Australia and New Zealand are optimistic about the benefits of AI (66%), 82% expressed concern that the content they consume online is vulnerable to being altered to fuel misinformation.

Adobe’s Future of Trust Study for Australia and New Zealand surveyed over 1,000 consumers in the two countries as part of a global study on encountering misinformation online and concerns about the impact of generative AI.

Misinformation online

Among the key findings of the study was that misinformation is one of the biggest threats society faces. The report found 96% of people said they consider the credibility of an online source before deciding to trust it or share it with others. 77% of ANZ consumers said it was becoming difficult to verify whether the content they were consuming online was trustworthy.

Misinformation was also found to be impacting how consumers use social media platforms. 32% of AUNZ respondents said they have stopped or limited their use of social media platform due to the amount of misinformation on it.

Protecting election integrity

Consumers surveyed also highlighted concern over protecting election integrity, particularly in a year when over 4 billion people globally are headed to the polls.

The study found 78% of people in AUNZ believe that misinformation and harmful deepfakes will impact future elections. It noted that 80% of people in AUNZ believe that election candidates should be prohibited from using generative AI in their promotional content.

Adobe’s study revealed that almost 9 out of 10 AUNZ consumers (87%) believe that governments and technology companies should work together to protect election integrity against the detrimental effects of deepfakes and misinformation.

Better tools and media literacy skills

The report also highlighted a strong desire from consumers to have tools to verify the trustworthiness of digital content and the urgent need for proactive measures to address misinformation’s potential impact on election integrity globally.

According to the study, most people consider the credibility of a source before sharing content. 87% of AUNZ respondents said that having the tools and media literacy skills to verify whether a content is true is important, while 81% believe it is important to know if the content they are consuming is generated using AI.

Adobe also found that 87% of AUNZ consumers believe children should be taught media literacy skills as part of their school curriculum in light of misinformation and its potential effect on children.

Jennifer Mulveny

Jennifer Mulveny, Asia Pacific director of government relations at Adobe, said: “Our research shows that consumers are optimistic about the benefits of generative AI with usage set to accelerate over the the next year. As a leader in developing AI technologies responsibly, we deeply consider the impact it has on users, consumers and society at large.

“Our Future of Trust Study underscores the importance of building media literacy among consumers, where they are not only alert to harmful deepfakes but have the tools to discern fact from fiction.

“As the Australian federal election looms, adopting protective technologies like Content Credentials will be crucial to help restore trust in the digital content we are consuming,” she added said.

Through its work on Responsible Innovation, Adobe has been working on building media literacy to help educate consumers, improve and evolve provenance technology to track authenticity, it said, and embed new behaviours such as producers turning on content credentials and consumers checking and verifying content.

Adobe also has a “two-pronged” approach to responsible AI innovation with the AI Ethics framework and Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), co-founded with the New York Times, to provide content credentials that provide a digital label of what technology was used throughout a piece of content’s journey including name, location, and edits made.

CAI partners include Microsoft, Publicis Groupe, Leica, NPR, Nikon, and Universal Music Group.

By Katie Clift, director of may:be agency

With the industry currently worth more than $600 million annually, demand for PR services across Australia is forecast to increase dramatically over the next five years.

To meet this demand, we as an industry need to counter what has become an outdated PR culture – a culture which leaves practitioners, clients, and the public confused about what PR is, what constitutes good PR, how to properly measure it, and its true ROI.

I believe it is not only possible to create an Australian benchmark and standard for PR, countering outdated approaches to the discipline for the sake of the future of the industry – but it is utterly necessary.

Research shows that since its inception in both private and public sector organisations (think back to the 60s and 70s…), the field of PR has remained misunderstood, under-applied, and under-researched for decades. In Australia, and globally.

The concept of PR, marketing, and communications was first introduced by Kotler in the Journal of Marketing around 60 years ago, with polling over the decades since and still today showing PR as an industry remaining controversial and confusing.

Looking simply at the research papers published to date on PR (in the likes of Public Relations Review, The Journal of Marketing, The Journal of Applied Communication Research, and more) – a clear understanding of what constitutes effective public relations in both private sector companies and nonprofits has not truly been established, despite the operation of the function within organisations for years, and increasingly at the executive leadership management levels.

In tandem, the latest research shows the Australian PR industry remains “highly fragmented,” with pressure on public affairs, social media, crisis, and B2B communications only set to grow.

In short – our overall approach to the PR industry is outdated and unsustainable.

Along with the confusion regarding consensus of a common definition of PR, there is also a global inconsistency in what constitutes effective PR strategy – in short, what the specific ‘key success factors’ (KSFs) are that can be used as a foundation and applied for organisations to secure competitive PR advantage across industries.

For example – identifying the common approaches that are more effective than others for PR campaigns. Determining what methods of pitching are still relevant. Understanding how much content should be centred in human stories and examples vs facts and figures, for maximum cut-through. Charting a course for the responsible integration of data and AI in PR.

There’s an outdated narrative that PR is somehow intangible – it cannot be easily measured, results cannot be predicted, progress is not easily understood – indeed, this is the same narrative that has clouded the industry since the 60s and 70s, where even advocates of PR within organisations weren’t entirely sure what specifically defines PR, let alone how to measure its effectiveness.

Only four years ago, research confirmed that PR is still misunderstood industry wide. A confused and outdated approach has almost reinforced ‘smoke and mirrors’ for the function of PR itself. In some cases, I have unfortunately witnessed practitioners first-hand putting a spin on results and media reports to make them seem more effective to clients, without understanding what made their campaigns perform in the ways that they did.

If the Australian industry continues to produce PR with such an outdated approach and embedded culture – where practitioners aren’t even clear about what constitutes success in PR, how to set or achieve relevant KPIs, or are unable to explain to clients what PR and communications can deliver, then we will never see the reputation and function of the industry change.

Identifying a standard of elements (KSFs) that ensure effective PR strategy in Australia is crucial to ensure the sustainability of the industry, and for all types of organisations to grow and maintain competitiveness.

This is how we will counter an outdated PR culture. As far as I see it, concrete next steps are:

More research

The available literature confirms that a clear standard for effective PR, across both private and nonprofit sectors, has not been researched or defined. Industry leaders stress the need for standards to be identified and incorporated into an organisation’s strategic communications planning – in order for institutions to compete in the future most effectively.

More commentary

More practitioners need to be talking about improvements we can collectively make to the function of PR, to ensure it stays relevant and a key pillar of corporate strategy for all types of organisations. Exploring ways we can collaborate to align on how we define, present, and measure PR is crucial.

More boldness

The research confirms an outdated approach to PR has not been addressed – and much confusion around the function persists. The industry needs bold, relentless leaders who are unafraid to challenge PR norms in their geographies, in order to pave new definitions, benchmarks and outcomes for the industry.

The future of PR, its impact and its ongoing relevance for organisations in Australia is exciting. But only if we as practitioners work together to change the way PR has been perceived, rolled out, and measured over decades.

The future is to counter the existing culture. And the potential is limitless.

Youi is the insurance brand that has spent the most on advertising in the last 12 months, according to the latest Nielsen Ad Intel insurance report.

Following Youi are Auto & General Holdings, AAMI, Medibank Private, and NRMA. 

According to the report, between May 2023 and April 2024, the Australian insurance sector invested more than $446 million in advertising – a 6% increase from the same time last year.

While their media mix was varied, metro TV dominated, comprising 42% of ad spend for the sector. This was followed by general display (20%), social media and outdoor (10% each), and radio (7%), with cinema and print making up the remaining 11%.

The report also highlighted the leading insurance categories by ad spend, with health insurance leading the sector at $122.3 million – also a 6% increase year-on-year.

Corporate insurance followed with a spend of $90.1 million, marking an increase of 4%. Automotive insurance was third, with $76.8 million – another 6% year-on-year increase.

While not in the top three, travel insurance saw the most dramatic growth, with a 120% year-on-year increase, jumping from $4.17 million in 2023 to $9.18 million in 2024.

Nielsen Ad Intel’s Australia commercial lead, Rose Lopreiato, said: “A series of recent natural disasters, coupled with Australians’ rekindled passion for travel, post-Covid, has driven insurance companies to vie more intensely for consumer reach.

“These figures reaffirm the overarching power of advertising as the most effective and economical method of engaging target audiences.”

In May, Youi launched its latest platform, Footy. Made by Fans, as part of its official insurance partnership with the NRL and AFL team Brisbane Lions.

Led by the national insurer‘s internal agency, the latest campaign is an ode to the unsung heroes of the game.

Youi has been an official partner of the NRL since 2017 and began its partnership with the Brisbane Lions’ AFL and AFLW teams in 2020.

“As the people’s champion, we wanted the platform to deliver something of real value to footy fans and tangibly demonstrate Youi’s connection to the game,” said Youi CMO, Angela Greenwood.

“This is just the beginning, and we’ll continue to walk the talk when it  comes to celebrating, supporting and rewarding fans.”

See also: NRL partner Youi launches platform, ‘Footy. Made by Fans.’

This week’s Meeting of the Minds sees Tegan Knight and Garry Dawson from independent creative agency Hopeful Monsters reveal their leadership heroes, current streaming binge, and career goals.

The Mediaweek series showcases their diverse perspectives, thoughts and opinions by bringing together two different points of view from an industry rookie and an experienced expert.

Tegan Knight, senior business director

Favourite podcast/read – The Joe Rogan Experience. The guest speakers are always different and interesting. I learn something new and come away with a different perspective after every episode. The latest was with Paul Stamets, a mycologist, author and advocate of bioremediation and medicinal fungi.

I also love that the show offers opposing points of view, which very few channels do these days.

Current streaming binge – I’m immersed in Shogun and Baby Reindeer at the minute. Highly recommend them both.

Guilty pleasure content – Kill Tony. An awesome live comedy podcast and YouTube show. Aspiring comedians get 60 seconds to make everyone laugh or silence the room. Always edgy, awkward and entertaining. I also love staring at a firepit, OG content…

What do you have on repeat – Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro. I also like the On Strategy Showcase podcast and The Future Of… a podcast by Ian Dejong.

Best career advice – “Be more Tegan”. Appreciate and build upon your uniqueness whilst absorbing good stuff from the world around you. Also, even at 42, pretty much anything my Dad tells me.

Leadership hero – Luke Mackay, now director, global PR and communications at Spotify. He was my manager at Activision Blizzard. A smart, funny, nurturing leader with a great ability to manage up and down within a large and complicated business. He’s the one who told me to “Be more Tegan”. I also enjoy Simon Sinek’s content.

Best training course/session – Having kids. Also, working in Korea for two years and throughout the wider APAC region. Experiencing different business cultures makes for incredible training.

I wish someone had told me – To put $1,000 on Leicester winning the Premier League in 2016. Also, invest time in understanding what you’re inherently good at and the things you’ve become good at over time. It’s the key to knowing what motivates you and how to build a really good development path for the future. Only worked that out within the last few years.

Favourite place to network – LinkedIn and then meet at a gig, a footy match, or for a walk in the sun. Anything but another coffee meeting.

Something that surprised you about the industry – Having returned to the agency side after a spell in-house, I’d forgotten how packed the industry is with creative and interesting people who are a ton of fun to spend time with.

What is your hot take on the industry – More brands will stop creating bland content focused on landing traditional advertising results that look good in a spreadsheet but do very little on a human level. Instead, they’ll start seizing the opportunity to drive greater business results by doing things that change things. Creating work that has a positive effect on culture.

Career goal for 2024 – Support Hopeful Monsters’ growth. Do great work with great brands. Be a good leader for my core team within the agency.

Garry Dawson, marketing manager

Favourite podcast/read – As much as I like podcasts that provide me with enriching wisdom, guidance and information, I’d be lying if I said they were my favourite. My favourite is The Peter Crouch Podcast which is all about football.. The podcast has now gotten so big that they annually sell out the O2 Arena in London for “Crouch Fest”.

Current streaming binge – I’m watching The Office US for the 7^th time. Everyone has that show that they just throw on while they are cooking, cleaning or pottering around the house. The Office has always been my go-to show.

Guilty pleasure content – GeoWizard on YouTube. Hear me out. He tries to walk across countries in a completely straight line. He has walked in a straight line across Wales, Scotland and Iceland and his England series drops this year!

What do you have on repeat – I chose sport over music. I’d rather go to the darts or the lawn bowls than go to a gig. However, I do make one exception. And that is for The Weeknd. He just cancelled his Australia Tour in 2024 but as soon as he reschedules, you can guarantee I will be in the front row.

Best career advice – In another life before advertising, I was a teacher. I taught international students living in Sydney. When I left my class to move into advertising, they gave me a leaving gift. A scrapbook of memories. They even found my previous students and asked them to contribute. It’s a rare thing to have a book of messages detailing the impact you have made to the lives of others. This book, although not necessarily career advice, is a constant reminder of how I should approach my work and my life.

Leadership hero – He hasn’t been my leader for a long time, but Tegan Knight (the other mind in this meeting of minds). Since coming on board at Hopeful Monsters, I have been inspired by his interest in my growth and development. He leads by example and I am grateful that we have someone like him on the team to lead the charge.

Best training course/session – AWARD School. I did this course last year and it helped me ground my understanding of what makes a good idea. You get coached by experienced creatives from some of the best agencies in Australia. It’s in-person, and it is very practical.

I wish someone had told me – It’s a lucky man who is happy with his place in life. It’s so easy to compare yourself to others and get yourself down. Especially in this industry. However, recently I have found solace in appreciating how lucky I am by appreciating all the wonderful things I have in my life. The people I love, my morning coffee, the progress I make in work.

Favourite place to network – The kitchen. I’m lucky to be in a coworking space in Sydney where I am surrounded by talented people from great companies. The world is increasingly networking online and as much as I know this is important, I try my best to meet people in person as often as I can. It’s amazing how many connections I have made starting with the sentence “what’s on the menu today?”

Something that’s surprised you about the industry – The emphasis on winning awards. I couldn’t believe how obsessed everyone was with trying to get their hands on them when I first started in the industry. The longer I have been in the industry, the more I see their importance and relevance for what we do. But for an outsider looking in, it really is a bizarre system we have created for ourselves.

What is your hot take on the industry – I think that some ads generate hype because marketers think they are great, not necessarily because the general population think they are great. It’s important to remind ourselves that we are not the audience.

Career goal for 2024 – Aside from all the goals I want to hit in my role as marketing manager for Hopeful Monsters, I am focused on revitalising some of my forgotten strengths. Sometimes we are so focused on new goals that we forget to perfect and tend to talents that are no longer required in our day-to-day work. In my case, the main one is public speaking. 

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To take part in future editions of Meeting of the Minds, please email: [email protected]

Past editions of Meeting of the Minds.

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Top image: Knight and Dawson

Drive TV has launched Business Drive, a program dedicated to helping small business owners and tradespeople understand what vehicles are right for their needs.

Business Drive will explore the technical side of vehicle financing and leasing as well as what new brands, technologies, and options are available in the Australian market.

It will also explore questions including ‘what business buyers need to know in 2024’, ‘what makes the perfect vehicle for tradies?’ and ownership advice including vehicle customisation and finance options.

The series features Scott Cam and Drive’s director of content, James Ward while presenter Kris Smith will host. The four-part 30-minute series will air this Saturday 8 June, at 12:30pm AEST on Nine and is available to stream on demand on 9Now.

According to Ward, there has never been a better time to consider purchasing a new business vehicle. 

“This is the best time of year to look at your business vehicle needs. For ABN holders, there are some great deals available in market to take advantage of,” he said.

“After years of supply issues, we’re now seeing an increase in vehicle stock with many brands keen to move cars off the dealership floor.

“Now is the perfect time to educate yourself on upgrading your vehicle, review your finance options, or even the benefit of making the switch to an electric or hybrid vehicle for your business.”

Business Drive will also feature as a 12-page limited edition print lift out published in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers on Saturday 15 June. Plus an all-new dedicated online Business Drive guide can be found on Drive.com.au.

Episode one of Drive TV’s Business Drive will air at 12:30pm this Saturday 8 June on Nine. The Business Drive series will run for four weeks on Nine, 9Rush and be available to stream on 9Now.

See also: Drive TV and Kia put EV9 electric car to the test in TV special

News Corp and News UK have united for an international investigation into the global cocaine trade to be revealed in a new podcast, video and editorial series, Cocaine Inc.

News Corp Australia reporter Stephen Drill, The Times chief reporter Fiona Hamilton, and The Sunday Times northern editor David Collins travelled 50,000 kilometres across six countries to lift the lid on the global cocaine industry, where profits are counted in billions and losses measured in murders.

News Corp Australia national editor, network news Lillian Saleh said: “This collaboration showcases our multiplatform storytelling allowing our consumers to read, watch and listen to the incredible content with bespoke video and online interactives. We have no doubt this will be the first of many international collaborations showcasing the breadth and depth of our journalism and storytelling.”

The investigation travels to England, Colombia, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. The reporters tracked the cocaine trade from the Colombian narco tunnels and the ports of Rotterdam, all the way to the streets of Melbourne.

Head of Times podcasts, Tim Levell, said: “This investigation and podcast series demonstrates the power of collaborative journalism. By combining our expertise and resources, we’ve shed light on the dark and often violent world of the global cocaine trade. With exclusive interviews and powerful audio, this unmissable series sets a new standard for investigating and addressing complex global issues.”

Coverage of the investigation will begin rolling out on 9 June with the launch of the podcast Cocaine Inc. as well as videos, digital interactives and editorial coverage in News’ Sunday mastheads including The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD), and Sunday Mail (SA).

Cocaine Inc. is being released under News Corp Australia’s True Crime Australia umbrella.

Sling & Stone has won the pitch to represent Domino’s Pizza in Australia and New Zealand. 

The PR agency will amplify product launches, occasions, and creative communications in the two territories. Domino’s is the largest pizza chain in Australia and New Zealand in terms of both network and sales.

Rhiannon Frater, Domino’s APAC chief communications and corporate affairs officer said: “Sling & Stone’s expertise with dynamic challenger brands, combined with their creativity, passion, and understanding of our unique brand communications, makes them the perfect ‘topping’ for our exceptional in-house PR team.”

The win adds to Sling & Stone’s track record working with food and beverage brands, including Krispy Kreme, Darrell Lea, Lifesavers and Waterdrop, and past clients Guzman Y Gomez, Uber Eats, and Halo Top Creamery.

Sling & Stone’s client roster also includes Boody, Stake, Nourish Ingredients, and Exceptional ALIEN. 

Kasi Talbot, global head of consumer at Sling & Stone, said: “Domino’s is a cult consumer brand that we’re extremely proud to add to our stable. Together we’ll be delivering trend-forward, fast-paced work that consumers love — just like a Domino’s pizza.

“After more than 40 years in Australia, Domino’s refuses to rest on its laurels and continues to reinvent and challenge the major QSR chains, making them a perfect fit for our agency.”

Domino’s was a founding client of Pete Bosilkovski‘s independent creative agency It’s Friday, but the agency lost the account in March 2023.

Domino’s moved its creative account to Elevencom, which previously worked with the company for over a decade before It’s Friday was appointed. 

Former CMO Adam Ballesty, who appointed It’s Friday, left the business last March before the account was moved. Former Domino’s marketer, Allan Collins, returned – he was CMO from 2007 to 2021.

“We are excited to welcome him back to the brand after his ‘first effort’ at retirement and can’t wait to see what his Domino’s sequel brings,” a Domino’s spokesperson said at the time.

The Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) AI Assistant, previewed at the Adobe Summit in March 2024, will be available for users across its applications, such as Real-Time Customer Data Platform, Journey Optimizer, and Customer Journey Analytics.

AEP allows organisations to build a single view of customers and engage them on every channel. With AEP AI Assistant, brands can now deliver value to their organisations through a conversational interface that provides a deeper understanding of data and an ability to streamline workflows.

 
Brands using the solution include The Coca-Cola Company, Major League Baseball, Marriott International, General Motors, TSB Bank, and Real Madrid.

AEP AI Assistant, which is embedded within Adobe Experience Cloud applications, can answer technical questions, automate tasks, simulate outcomes, and generate new audiences and journeys.
 
These capabilities are brought to life through generative experience models, which capture Adobe product knowledge and insights based on an organisation’s unique data, campaigns, audiences, and business goals.

Anjul Bhambhri, senior vice president, Adobe Experience Cloud, said: “AI assistants are driving a paradigm shift within enterprise software, dramatically lowering the barrier to entry for new use cases and also first-time users.

“Adobe is in a unique position to provide an out-of-the-box solution that can harness data to deliver insights and automation, given the scale of profiles, campaigns, and interactions already being processed through Adobe Experience Platform, including 40 petabytes of data and 5 billion edge interactions per day.”

With Content Generation and Automation, brands will be able to use AEP AI Assistant to generate everything from new customer experiences to audiences for personalisation campaigns and visualisations for data analysis.

This includes generating entire marketing assets such as emails and web pages with copy, design, and images via Adobe Firefly.
 
AEP AI Assistant will be able to deliver creative briefs that accelerate content production, auto-generated through existing assets such as PDFs, slide decks, and Word documents. It will also help teams bypass tedious tasks like organising data segments into folders or ensuring that AI-generated content meets brand-approved standards, the company said.
 
Adobe also said users will be able to access predictive insights that answer complex questions in seconds instead of days. AEP AI Assistant will also be able to recommend next-best actions such as a custom promotional offer for a specific set of customers, which can boost conversion as a result.

Wednesday 5 June 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s State of Origin – Game I recorded a total TV national reach of 5,306,000, a total TV national audience of 3,436,000, and a BVOD audience of 760,000.

Game I 2024 was the highest rating Game I since 2016.

Nine’s State of Origin – Post Match recorded a total TV national reach of 3,242,000, a total TV national audience of 1,135,000, and a BVOD audience of 261,000.

Seven’s The 1% Club recorded a total TV national reach of 1,290,000, a total TV national audience of 627,000, and a BVOD audience of 30,000.

Also on Seven, Home & Away recorded a total TV national reach of 1,294,000, a total TV national audience of 791,000, and a BVOD audience of 98,000.

10’s airing of MasterChef Australia recorded a total TV national reach of 1,140,000, a total TV national audience of 531,000, and a BVOD audience of 47,000.

See Also: TV Report 5 June 2024: Down bad Blues destroyed by Maroons in State of Origin Game I

People 25-54

Nine’s State of Origin Game I:
• Total TV nation reach: 2,284,000
• National Audience: 1,550,000
• BVOD Audience: 476,000

10’s MasterChef:
• Total TV nation reach: 414,000
• National Audience: 190,000 
• BVOD Audience: 26,000

Seven’s The 1% Club:
• Total TV nation reach: 406,000
• National Audience: 182,000
• BVOD Audience: 15,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 386,000
• National Audience: 243,000
• BVOD Audience: 54,000

People 16-39

Nine’s State of Origin Game I:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,346,000
• National Audience: 939,000
• BVOD Audience: 341,000

10’s MasterChef:
• Total TV nation reach: 179,000
• National Audience: 81,000 
• BVOD Audience: 15,000

Seven’s The 1% Club:
• Total TV nation reach: 160,000
• National Audience: 71,000
• BVOD Audience: 8,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 167,000
• National Audience: 104,000
• BVOD Audience: 32,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+ 

Nine’s State of Origin Game I:
• Total TV nation reach: 3,784,000
• National Audience: 2,433,000
• BVOD Audience: 578,000

10’s MasterChef:
• Total TV nation reach: 894,000
• National Audience: 423,000 
• BVOD Audience: 39,000

Seven’s The 1% Club:
• Total TV nation reach: 993,000
• National Audience: 499,000
• BVOD Audience: 24,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,019,000
• National Audience: 628,000
• BVOD Audience: 79,000

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.

TV Report 6 June 2024:

Nine TV Report

Women’s State of Origin – Game II

Nine’s draw for the evening was the Women’s State of Origin Game II which saw Queensland score a last-minute field goal to win the game 10-11. The series is now at 1-1 and will be decided in Townsville on June 27.

Seven TV Report

AFL – Adelaide v Richmond

On Seven, Adelaide went up against Richmond which saw Richmond take the win, beating the Crows 79-71 at Adelaide Oval.

Home & Away

Earlier in the night was Home & Away as Bree had to be honest with Nelson, Mali’s brother took shine to a Summer Bay local and Eden tried to broker peace between Cash and Remi.

10 TV Report

The Project

The Project on 10 reported young workers pushing for equal work and equal pay, looked into marathoner Liam Adams’ late Olympic call-up and spoke to Jon Bon Jovi.

MasterChef Australia

Last night’s challenge was to combine two nations’ cuisines into a tasty dish. The winning sauce from the challenge is set to be made available to buy in Coles stores around the country.

Taskmaster Australia

On 10’s Taskmaster Australia, contestants Josh Thomas, Jenny Tian, Lloyd Langford, Anne Edmonds and Wil Anderson took a bath and had to read unusual books in the live task.

ABC

7:30

7:30 investigated fears of another landslide in PNG’s remote highlands growing by the day and spoke to Louise, who fought for more than 25 years to keep her home, only to watch it be torn down.

Restoration Australia

Host Anthony Burke joined a dedicated couple doing all they can to preserve a variable slice of Australian history that would otherwise dissolve into the dirt and be lost forever.

SBS

DNA Family Secrets

Leigh only discovered that he might have a secret sister after his mum passed away, he is now wondering if his sister is still alive.