Day one of Advertising Week APAC kicked off with flocks of media, agency and adverting industry folk flocking to Sydney’s Luna Park on Sydney Harbour.

The event featured a range of interesting, informative, inspiring and thought-provoking sessions, and the Mediaweek team attended a number of sessions throughout the day.

Check out the recap of the sessions from day one below:

Power, Innovation and the Issues That Matter

In a free-flowing chat hosted by Mediaweek’s Greg Graham that brought together some of the top powerbrokers from the Agency 50 Power List. Aimee Buchanan, CEO, GroupM Australia & New Zealand, Mark Coad, CEO, Mediabrands Australia, and Melissa Fein, CEO, Initiative Australia had an inspiring conversation on what power really means, how they drive innovation and the big client issues that matter right now.

The conversation started with a literal tractor measuring contest with Buchanan’s three tractors beating out Coad’s one tractor and Fein’s zero.

The conversation then moved to a range of topics including how to get the right mix of what is driving sales growth and how CMOS can justify their ad spend more than ever.

The panel also discussed how the world has shifted and that middle Australia is struggling and the fragmented media market.

Greg Graham, Melissa Fein, Aimee Buchanan, Mark Coad

Growing Brands in the New Economy

The session started with Ryvalmedia’s Head of Product & Innovation, Jonathan Henshaw,discussing the strained global economic environment and how negative business results are no longer acceptable and how brands must deliver more with less. And how clients need to be brave and sign up to a new world media plan.

Henshaw presented his companies seven New Economy pillars:

– Embrace Digital Transformation
– Innovation & Flexibility Are Rewarded
– Adopt Customer Centric Approach
– Increase Corporate Responsibility
– Collaboration is a Must
– Skills & Training Are Key
– You Must Stay Ahead of Trends

The session then moved into a panel hosted by Natalie Stanbury, Director of Research, IAB with Henshaw, Ryan Gracie, Chief Marketing Officer, MyDeal.com.au and Stefanos Fernandez, Vice President, Digital, Live Nation Entertainment.

The panel discussed the real challenges facing and what tools and strategies should be leveraged to unlock transformative growth in the short term. As well as what metrics are most important and how do brands pivot and optimise for success in a volatile market.

The session also discussed the new economy and how brands rapidly transform with customer needs always evolving.

Natalie Stanbury, Ryan Gracie, Stefanos Fernandez, Jonathan Henshaw

WTF is Snapchat? “Inside the World’s Best Known, Least Understood Platform”

In the morning was a discussion about the social media platform, Snapchat, led by Haran Ramachandran, head of creative strategy ANZ Snap Inc. and featuring Uber ANZ’s head of marketing David Griffiths and Princess Polly’s global performance director Kim Zorn.

The trio discussed Snapchat’s place and purpose and how its 7.5m strong Aussie community has driven results for brands. They also discussed working with creators on Snapchat to bring the campaign’s brief to life.

Griffiths said: “I think it’s about them bringing their expertise to it. What you don’t want to do is put too many shackles on people, so it feels like a brand. Transparently, I still think we’ve got work to do in this space. We haven’t nailed it yet,” Griffiths admitted and noted: “It’s not all all success, but I think it’s quite, it’s quite a unique and new area for us that we’re getting into.”

Zorn shared that Princess Polly’s use of content creators on Snapchat but noted that they don’t give tight briefs, saying: “We want them to be themselves and create that organic content.” However, she did note that they had guidelines such as ensuring rooms are tidy for bedroom shots and using the correct phrase of “swipe up to shop”. Zorn added: “They come back with epic content, but we keep it really organic as well.”

Unleashing the Power of Programmatic: Building Commerce Media 2.0

Gai Le Roy, CEO IAB Australia, led the session that explored the power of programmatic and commerce media. As the field continues to evolve and commerce media becomes increasingly sophisticated, retailers and buyers that embrace this approach are set to reap huge rewards.

Le Roy, along with Peter Barry, vice president, Addressability and Commerce Media at PubMatic, Initiative’s recently appointed chief investment officer Paige Wheaton, and Roger Dunn, consultant, Global Retail Media Product Ebiquity plc., discussed and explored the building blocks that advertisers, online retailers and commerce players need to have in place to ensure success.

Le Roy asked Barry about how the Australian market compares to the US and UK, he explained: “It’s worth saying, nobody’s got it all figured out. There’s plenty of stuff still breaks. So, bear in mind that everyone’s still kind of learning. I would say what the US especially has done well is cooperating and collaborating.

“Early stages, I compare it to like maybe programmatic 10 or 12 years ago, and so a lot of retailers who are non-competitive are coming together, they in the US, they typically reside in like Minneapolis, or Cincinnati or Seattle. They like to collaborate and I would suggest any retailers here who are trying to find their way, should plan a trip to the US or to other markets, at least, to speak with them and they will speak with you,” he shared.

Gai Le Roy with Peter Barry, Paige Wheaton, and Roger Dunn

The Future of Media: How We Got Here and What’s to Come

Samantha Jacobson, CSO and EVP of The Trade Desk, took the audience on a journey of the last five years and addressed the industry’s current state and shared her predictions for the future of media and driving responsible growth.

Jacobson also reflected on a similar speech made five years ago by her boss, the founder and CEO of The Trade Desk, Jeff Green, in which he also shared his outlook for the next five years.

One of his most striking predictions was how “content is king”. Jacobson said: “None of us really realised just how much this would be accelerated through the pandemic.

“If you were to ask me, if I had 10 extra hours in my week – pre pandemic – I would have said I absolutely would be exercising more, other people may have said that they would spend their time cooking or learning how to make meals from scratch. But the reality is when the pandemic hit, and we were all at home, we spent our time watching television, and we watched a lot of television.”

“Whether it was TV, phone computer, when we got to the end of our content list, we found new content. It is amazing the way the pandemic changed consumers expectations for how they wanted to receive content,” she said.

Samantha Jacobson

Shattering Stereotypes: Embracing Age Diversity for a Thriving Ad Industry

Linda Robson, executive director of The Hummingbirds, alongside media industry leader Meredith Ansoul, took to the stage to talk about age diversity in the industry.

Robson with an interactive poll of the room asking which age group people belonged to, and as the ages became more mature, more people sat down to leave a few industry figures standing tall, among them being Mediaweek contributing editor Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham.

Robson also gave a special mention to Sparrow’s task force, Advertising Ageist Action Group (AGGG), along with its experienced members whose goal it is to make ageism a non-issue in the industry, with the hopes of dismantling the group by 2030.

Ansoul added: “The task force has been set up to show a new future for this industry. A future where we see seasoned professionals standing side by side with fresh young players, together leveraging their potential to create, innovate, solve and service. A future where age can be a badge of honour, not a barrier.”

Linda Robson and Meredith Ansoul

Burn Your Briefs! From Bad to Brilliant and Why It Matters

Kenny Hill, CEO & founder of Akkomplice, took the audience through an enlightening, and humorous, list of what not to do with a brief. He noted that brief’s should be well fitting with a good description, not long and saggy but well and simply written, and should not be packed with too much expectations.

Hill highlighted that briefs should not be dirty and hide any negative information, and should address such details. Fifth in the list was the invisible brief, which starts out good but is eventually forgotten before it is taken over with a different brief in mind. That was followed by the cold brief or a brief that is filled with data and information, and lacks any humanity or emotion.

“We make decisions based on emotion and emotion, and heart will always rule the head. At Akkomplice, we stick to this ethos that logic makes people think, and emotion makes people act,” he added.

Kenny Hill

Secrets to Success

Sarah Tucker, head of marketing, APAC – enterprise, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, led a panel featuring Future Is Female nominees – Michaela Tan, account director at GroupM, Olivia Panzic, marketing manager, content & communications for TikTok, and Rosie Chong, social strategist at DDB Melbourne.

Tucker chatted to the leaders about how they’re making progress in their careers, challenges they’ve overcome, helping effect change, breaking barriers and advice for in the industry.

Sarah Tucker, Olivia Panzic, Rosie Chong and Michaela Tan

Creativity and Addressable TV: Where Art Meets Science

Nicole Prior, Microsoft Advertising’s head of buyside technology APAC, was joined by Brett Poole, CEO APAC Finecast, and Alice Charlton (Hughes), client lead GroupM, addressable lead Hogarth, to discuss recently released research on addressable TV by Ampere Analysis with Nexus and Microsoft Advertising, in which 8,000 people responded.

“It was really valuable to study because it honed in on what clients actually thought and the problems they actually had,” Poole said.

Poole noted that there were three points that were of particular interest to him, the first being that addressable TV is here to stay and its growth continues at pace that is driven by streaming, which opens plenty of good opportunities. His second point was how clients thought that addressable TV was effective in the way it was planned.

Poole concluded that the last piece of research that struck him, despite being out of his expertise, was generative AI. He explained: “It is a massive opportunity for some of the friction that clients are seeing and developing the creative strategies that match those addressable audiences. Often we see that creative is seen as expensive or a cost, whereas I think that we should be seeing it as investment and continuing on investment with variations that can get a better result out of the audience’s that we’re targeting with addressable TV.”

Nicole Prior, Alice Charlton (Hughes) and Brett Poole

How to Automate Your Growth

Susan Werkner and Peter Applebaum, co-founders of The Agency Accelerators, took attendees through a list of how to automate growth. The advent of countless automation platforms and generative AI such as ChatGPT, Jasper and DALL-E, combined with robust strategies, has created unprecedented opportunities to create more predictable and consistent growth for all types of organisations.

The duo explored how marketers can and why they should adopted AI into their work to ensure growth. Applebaum noted that content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, can all be automated. 

“But as we said before, platforms may change, consumer, human behaviour may change. Human nature does not. That’s what we as marketers, that’s our secret sauce, we ensure that we protect and build and thrive in this AI era,” he said.

Susan Werkner and Peter Applebaum

Combined Power of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements Towards Brisbane 2032

In the afternoon, Today show sports presenter Alex Cullen hosted a panel that looked forward to the power of Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Cullen was joined by Australian rowing Olympian Ben Dodwell, Rebecca Masci the director – Strategic Engagement, Brand and Marketing Communications Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, and Louise Sauvage OAM national coach wheelchair track and road Australian paralympic athletics team.

The group looked back at the successes of the Sydney Games in 2000 and shared their outlooks and hopes for the upcoming games what its impact could be on people and communities in Brisbane, Queensland and Australia.  

Alex Cullen, Ben Dodwell, Rebecca Masci and Louise Sauvage OAM

WTF is Happening to the Ad-Funded Web?

The internet as we know it – full of cookies and pop-up ads – is not going to be the internet of the future. Thanks to emerging technology, impending regulation, and changing consumer habits, the internet is undergoing an overhaul. 

So where does that leave the web giants of today and the brands which fund them?

To answer that question, Alex Hayes (Principal, Clear Hayes Consulting) asked a panel made up of Brett Armstrong (General Manager, Global Business Solutions, TikTok ANZ), John McNerney (Managing Director, AUSEA, Yahoo), Andrea Martens (CEO, ADMA), and Carolyn Bollaci (Head of Media, ANZ, Meta). 

Alex Hayes, John McNerney, Carolyn Bollaci, Brett Armstrong, Andrea Martens

Can Generative AI Unleash Radical Transformation?

AI is one of the hottest topics at the moment, and Microsoft are working to be at the forefront of the evolving tech. 

Hosted by Renee Stopps from Microsoft Advertising, the room heard Stopps speak about how AI has been around since the 1960s, and that integration of an AI co-pilot meant that “we humans are always in control” rather than the other way around. 

Introducing Darren Stein (CEO, Annalect and MD, Hearts & Science), Kellyn Coetzee (National Head of Media & Analytics, Reprise), Dan Stevens (General Manager – Digital, comparethemarket.com.au), and Adam Goodman (National Agency Lead, ANZ, Microsoft Advertising) to the stage, the panel told the audience how they are upskilling for the future of AI.

When asked what experience that have with generative AI, Coetzee got a laugh when she said that Reprise was embracing the tech “like you embrace your mother-in-law – she’s a part of the family, but she’s not getting the keys to your place”.

Renee Stopps

Good Chat with Matty Johns and Gary Jubelin

Two podcast heavyweights took to the Great Minds Stage as Matty Johns and Gary Jubelin discussed their transition from their former lives – as a professional NRL player and a homicide detective and respectively – into the media.

Delving into the benefits of being able to get into deep conversations, and how the best way to improve is simply through experience, the pair entertained the crowd with stories of their times on and off the mic. On a more serious note, they also spoke about how conversations with people who are very different from you – in Jubelin’s case, some of his guests are notorious criminals – can open your mind to what it means to live a life other than your own.

Matty Johns and Gary Jubelin

Nomadvertising: How Genius Steals

Have you ever wanted to just pack your things and take off into the sunset, working remotely from all over the globe? That’s what Genius Steals founders Rosie and Faris Yakob have been doing for over a decade now. 

Yahoo’s Elizabeth Herbst-Brady sat down with the Yakobs to discuss the details of their adventurous lives and how they build relationships along the way. Rosie made a point to tell the crowd that personal time is critical, and that she’s working on making sure people know they can log off so their lives aren’t consumed by work.

Faris and Rosie Yakob, Elizabeth Herbst-Brady

Uncomfortable Conversations – by Unstereotype Alliance

Using the Rexona Not Done Yet campaign as a springboard, this panel discussed the realities of showcasing disability in advertising. 

Hosted by Sam Geer, National Managing Director at Initiative Australia, the panel was made up of Anna Tracey (Senior Marketing Manager, Unilever), Hannah Diviney (Leading Writer, Disability and Women’s Rights Advocate), Tracey Corbin-Matchett OAM (Chief Executive Officer, Bus Stop Films), and Lisa Cox (Multi-Award-Winning Author and Public Speaker).

Diviney stole the show, speaking about how when she was growing up as a kid with a disability, the only reflections she saw of herself in the media were the Paralympics and as the “after” result in road safety campaigns. 

The panel left the room with the knowledge that when you include disabled people in your campaigns, you aren’t shrinking your audience – in fact, you’re expanding it.

Sam Geer, Anna Tracey, Tracey Corbin-Matchett OAM, Lisa Cox, Hannah Diviney (alongside AUSLAN interpreters)

Beyond the Famous Faces

It’s one thing to market a product, it’s a whole other thing to market a whole country. Susan Coghill, Chief Marketing Officer at Tourism Australia, has that exact dilemma.

Speaking on the Great Minds Stage, Coghill told the audience that Visit Australia campaigns were about so much more than the well known Aussies they had fronting the ads – you also need passion, experience, influence, and storytelling.

However, it doesn’t hurt to have a famous face. Paul Hogan’s iconic campaign saw Australia lift from 78th most desired travel destination to 7th in a matter of months!

Susan Coghill

Debate Club: AI Will Be the Cause of Human Mistrust in Advertising

AI will be the cause of human mistrust in advertising – it’s a provocative statement, and one that the Debate Club was willing to tackle head on. 

The Affirmative took to the stage to highlight just how scary the unknown can be – robots doing surgery? No thank you, they argued.

The Negative team took a slightly cheeky approach. AI won’t be the cause of mistrust in advertising, they argued, because advertising is already mistrusted. With the objectivity of AI, they argued that it would, in fact, improve how trustworthy advertising is.

Debate Club

Embracing the Unknown: Transforming a Legacy Business in the New World

The final event of Advertising Week day one was outside of Luna Park, as a small number of people made their way to Sydney’s Beta Grand to see Karl Stefanovic interview News Corp’s Executive Chairman, Michael Miller.

Opening with a joke about the now infamous night in Noosa, Stefanovic spoke to Miller about what a day in his life looks like, how he manages the stable of News Corp assets, and the impact that News Corp has on society through its journalism. 

Also from News Corp, in attendance were Renee Sycamore, Edwina McCann, Campbell Reid, Mike Connaghan Tyler Greer, Danny Lavell, Alexandra Bliekast, Kate Racovolis, and Natasha Cormier – as well as Mediaweek’s James Manning, Trent Thomas, and Tess Connery.

Karl Stefanovic and Michael Miller

Joining Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham on the new Mediaweek Heavy Hitters podcast are three of the top media agency CEOs in Australia – Peter Horgan (CEO – OMG), Laura Nice (Co-CEO – OMD Australia), Sian Whitnall (Co-CEO – OMD Australia), Mark Jarrett (CEO PHD Group Australia), and Jane Stanley (CEO – Hearts & Science ANZ). 

The episode can be listened to here.

What’s not on their LinkedIn?

The episode opens with each panellist being asked to introduce themselves and give a tidbit about themselves that isn’t on their LinkedIn page.

Peter Horgan: revealed that he’s “a decade-long converted cycling tragic, and it’s my ambition to cycle to every meeting I can possibly go to.”

Laura Nice followed up with “I didn’t actually want to work in media – I wanted to be an air hostess.”

Sian Whitnall’s was technically on her LinkedIn, but laughs that “you would see it as media assistant, but really my first job in media was actually selling sex toys!”

Unsure how to follow that, Jane Stanley tells the team that “I actually make gin on the side,” while Mark Jarrett says that “unfortunately, on a number of occasions, I have failed to prove that getting a taxi is quicker than cycling across town.”

Entering H2

When asked how they were feeling heading into the second half of the year, Horgan said that “We’re excited, last year was a recalibration year, we’re getting used to being out and out and about again. That took a bit of adjustment, but we’re fit for that now. 

“So halfway through the year, I think we’re excited by what’s happening. There’s lots of change coming into the market.”

Nice followed on, saying that “I’d say I’m optimistic. I would say the biggest thing for us is how our people have shown up during a pretty tough year – we’ve had stability of our talent, but I think also the challenges that we’re getting from clients are requiring our teams to really lean in and have much more robust challenges. It’s not always answering the brief, but actually challenging beyond the brief. Our teams do that really well.”

Listen to the Heavy Hitters podcast here.

Mediaweek’s Ad Placement of the Month examines submissions of creative and clever placements over the past few weeks.

Agencies have stepped up this July with visually impactful and strategically effective different campaigns that invoked a sense of fun, inspiration, aspiration and even nostalgia!

After careful consideration and deliberation of all entries, this month’s Mediaweek Ad Placement of the Month winner is:

EssenceMediacom – Barbie

Winning July’s Mediaweek Ad Placement of the Month is EssenceMediacom. From the agency: “Barbie is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. With our hero finally crossing into the real world, our challenge was clear: Bring Barbie into our world and paint the town pink! What better way to do this than by plucking the movie’s Dreamhouse and landing it directly into the streets of Brisbane with this extraordinary mural, celebrating the joyful experiences of Barbie… Day and night!”

EssenceMediacom Australia also collaborated with out-of-home media company JCDecaux Australia with carefully curated selection of engaging and impactful formats, including a bus shelter immersion in Sydney’s Bondi Junction and consecutive JCDecaux Cross Track panels at Town Hall station, national Transit Megasides, Digital Large Format and Smartframes, the campaign is set to create a spectacle of fun and entertainment.

Credits:
Warner Bros AUNZ Marketing Team
Apparition Media
EssenceMediacom Australia
JCDecaux Australia
Creative courtesy of Warner Bros.

EssenceMediacom – Adidas/FIFA

EssenceMediacom’s Adidas campaign collaboration with FIFA came in second place. From the agency: “The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off across Australia and New Zealand this month. To celebrate their sponsorship of the tournament, adidas is shining a light on our female athletes.

“Look up towards Sydney’s blue skies in Kent Street over the tournament period and you are bound to see two of our iconic sporting heroes, Mary Fowler and Caitlin Foord, dominating the cityscape in two specially commissioned building wrap takeovers, to shine a light on women’s football and inspire the next generation of young aspiring sporting stars.

“The artwork was tailored to hero each of the player’s individual playing styles. The locations were strategically chosen in the heart of Sydney’s bustling CBD for the tournament kick off, and can be seen from afar to those traveling both north and south bound over the Harbour Bridge.”

Credits:
Client: adidas
Senior Manager – Brand Activation: Rosaria Gordon
Director, Brand Activation: Bec Ballard
Media agency: EssenceMediacom
Creative Lead: Jesse Osborne
Partnerships Lead: Liz Maunsell
Partnerships Director: Taylor Kanty
Client Partner: Andrew Hardeman
Creative & Design: Never Sit Still
Director: Mike Tosetto
Producer: Sharon Lim
Creative Director: Zoe Crocker
3D Technical Lead: Bruno Borio
3D Artist: Max Cao, Howe Tom
Photoshop finish artist: Mulanne Phan
Production: Habitat Media
Managing Director: Mark Vincent

Initiative Sydney – The LEGO Group Australia

Rounding out the top three is Initiative Sydney’s work with The LEGO Group Australia. From the agency: “To bring the awesomely imaginative world of LEGO City to life, LEGO partnered with Wrappr to create a fleet of custom LEGO City vehicles to tour real-world cities across Australia. Intercepting school drop-offs, weekend sport, blockbuster family cinema events and even our screens LEGO brought their unique creative energy and aspiration to win over families in key moments they’re together.”

Credits:
Media Agency: Initiative Sydney
Client: The LEGO Group Australia
Media Partner: Wrappr
Creative: Marks (Singapore)

Mediaweek’s highly commended ad placements for July are:

Initiative Sydney – Pernod Ricard Winemakers, “The Creek to the Cup”

From the Initiative Sydney: “To standout in the sea of sponsors for the 2023 AUNZ FIFA Women’s World Cup, iconic Australian wine brand Jacob’s Creek set out to own not only own the stadiums but the journey to them. Through high-impact light-rail takeovers, from station OOH and tram wraps, Jacobs Creek elevated the travel experience to-and-from the games to boost celebrations and conversations around every game.”

Credits:
Media Agency: Initiative Sydney
Client: Pernod Ricard Winemakers
Media Partner: Torch Media (tram wraps), JC Decaux (bus wraps)
Creative: The Mix, Pernod Ricard

UM –  Nestle KitKat

From the agency: “This EOFY, champions of breaks, KitKat, joined the conversation by helping Aussies claim back their work breaks. KitKat recognised that Australians can’t actually claim their breaks as an “essential work item” – despite how essential work breaks are -so they created an opportunity to make breaks deductible. From the nine-to-fivers to rideshare drivers; industry specific merchandise was available to buy on the KitKat site for the exact same price as their legendary four finger bar (yep, just $2.20!)

“To amplify this through paid media, UM tapped into the rich data available on TikTok to target specific industries with product-based creatives. Outside of the digital world, UM leveraged OOH to target consumers on their commute to and from work with rail panels, lift and office screens to reach those in the corporate world and extended coverage across retail and street furniture panels to tap into further professions like tradies and drivers.

“KitKat “Claim Your Break” was so successful that within just five days, the 6M Aussies we had reached resulted in three online restocks of the work essential items!”

Credits:
Client – Nestle:
Melanie Chen, Head of Marketing – Confectionary
Shannon Wright, Marketing Manager – Chocolate
Monique Ellis, Senior Brand Manager – KitKat

Media – UM:
Hadley Allchurch, Senior Client Director
Yelia Schnelle, Planning Director
Emelia Manns, Senior Trading Manager
Cara Thomson, Planning Manager
Ana Gonzalez, Social Performance Manager
Peta Van Agten, Partnerships Trader

Media Partners:
Claudette Soper, Client Partner, TikTok
Elizabeth Foxton, Client Services Manager, TikTok
Sophie McGrath, Business Manager, oOh! Media
Ryan Bell, Account Manager, JCDecaux

Creative Agency – Wunderman Thompson:
Joao Braga, CCO
Annabelle Barnum, General Manager
Samantha Scheidler, Group Account Director
Julian Batty, Art Director
Dean Shein, Copy Writer
Miryana Velyanovski, Senior Producer
Francesca Brown, Account Manager

See last month’s winner: Mediaweek’s Ad Placement of the Month: Melbourne billboard puts on one hell of a show

Do you have an interesting ad placement coming up? Would you like your agency to feature next month and be in the running for next month’s edition of Mediaweek’s Ad Placement of the Month?

Send your submission to: [email protected] along with the agency’s statement about the campaign, agency credits and images of the placement on show.

Guests at an exclusive Advertising Week dinner held in Sydney last night were treated to Karl Stefanovic revealing details about his one meeting with News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch.

Gathered inside a Sydney CBD restaurant, Today show co-host and 60 Minutes reporter Stefanovic had volunteered to interview News Corp’s executive chairman Australasia, Michael Miller.

There is no love lost between Stefanovic’s employer Nine Entertainment and the Murdoch-controlled publishing and broadcasting giant. The companies compete fiercely for audience and advertising, taking any opportunity to share bad news about their opposition.

At the start of the evening, Stefanovic teased the Advertising Week guests explaining: “I did meet Rupert once, which I won’t go into tonight. But he did tolerate me…for about 10 minutes.”

The TV host admitted he much admired what Murdoch had achieved since the day he took over The Advertiser in Adelaide. Miller agreed and pointed out what a journey Murdoch had been on defying the establishment and some critics to go from a small beginning to building a fourth TV network in the US in Fox to the 2017 sale of part of the business to Disney.

“When people tell Rupert he couldn’t do something that is his biggest motivation,” said Miller.

Speaking about his relationship with Murdoch, Miller admitted. “Every meeting with Rupert is tough, but it’s always fair. I always walk out having had a lesson in doing the basics very well. He doesn’t have the answer to everything, and he asks more questions and he judges you by your answers.”

Karl Stefanovic grills Michael Miller. Photos: Shutterstock for AWAPAC

Karl on Rupert Murdoch’s marriage

Obviously reconsidering his decision not to talk about his one meeting, Stefanovic surveyed the dining room and said: “About my one meeting with Rupert Murdoch, and I hope this doesn’t go any further, and why would it with a room full of media [laughs], I was at Lachlan’s 40th.

“We were having a great night and Rupert was there and so was Lachlan’s mum [Anna]. A beautiful lady. I decided I would go up to Rupert and say: ‘Mr Murdoch. Your ex-wife is so hot, why did you stuff that up so badly?’

“I managed to get 10 minutes with him before he ordered security to come and take me away. I did get a little bit of time with him.”

In that short time with Rupert Murdoch, he left an impression on Stefanovic. “Just the breadth of knowledge he had and how he keeps evolving [the business].”

Karl quizzes News Corp on his Noosa ‘wild scuffle’

Karl Stefanovic has been asked a few times in the past about the incident in the park in January this year with Michael Clarke. He has been reluctant to speak too much about it since he became front-page news. Although last night he took the opportunity of grilling News Corp’s Australian boss about the coverage and that famous page one lead with the headline “SEX AND OUT”.

“Back at the start of the year, how long did it take you to come up with the headlines for what happened in Noosa,” Karl Stefanovic asked Michael Miller.

At that point, Miller held up a copy of the front page of The Daily Telegraph when they broke news about the incident. “That’s a pretty good headline,” agreed Stefanovic.

The Today show co-host then drilled the newspaperman about their obsession with the story. “You returned to it every day for four weeks. You keep going to the well. I don’t want to go into the financials, but I gather it did pretty good business for you. I am happy to have been able to help out News Corp as I’m a great supporter.”

When asked how a story grows from a tip-off to reaching across all arms of the business, Miller recalled: “That was 19th of January I think. A slow news day. We have people who monitor social media and we also have journalists in Noosa on a publication.

“In this particular case, sorry Karl, there is a history where Michael Clarke has sold [more newspapers] than you have. Things like the Lara [Bingle] story, Kyly [Clarke] and the divorce stories. The data on the first time we ran it was very strong.”

“I’m very happy for Clarke to be better than me at that sort of stuff,” laughed Stefanovic.

Karl has helped News Corp sell newspapers, maybe not as much as Michael Clarke though.

Miller then explained how after a major story first appears in one news brand, the story can then be picked up elsewhere across the News network.

Stefanovic asked Miller how much competition there was between the mastheads. “Too often. I won’t go into details. It is interesting to have a portfolio of different mastheads and brands that compete and also don’t always agree with each other.”

Miller shared some detail: “Look at the diversity between The Australian and news.com.au or the rivalry between The Telegraph and The Courier-Mail. We have nearly 100 different brands in the portfolio.”

The conversation between the two media men was punctuated by a meal break. While Miller stayed on chatting to guests later into the evening, Karl Stefanovic slipped when his interview was over.

Guests had witnessed a rare coming together of the competing media giants. There hadn’t been such a public display of affection since Miller hosted former Nine Entertainment chief Hugh Marks at the Holt Street launch of the ill-fated Your Money TV channel JV in 2018.

Nine Entertainment has announced that its Chief Financial Officer, Maria Phillips, will be departing the Nine business. In conjunction with this, Nine’s executive team will be restructured. Matt Stanton, currently Nine’s Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Director, Olympics and Paralympics, will assume a new role as Chief Financial and Strategy Officer.

Maria Phillips will leave the business before the FY23 annual results are released.

Stanton has strong commercial experience and has led general management, financial, transformation and growth areas across a range of sectors, including food and beverage, retail, and media. Educated in the UK, Stanton holds a BA in Finance and Accounting. Prior to joining Nine, Stanton was the Chief Executive Officer of Barambah Organics, and has also held the position of Chief Transformation Officer at Woolworths, and Chief Executive Officer of Bauer Media (now Are Media).

Matt Stanton

Chief Executive Officer, Mike Sneesby, said “Maria has been a valued member of the Nine executive team since she joined Nine three years ago, including leading Nine’s finance modernisation project. We will miss her enthusiasm and many contributions to Nine. We wish Maria well with the next chapter of her career. We are fortunate to have someone of Matt’s calibre leading Nine’s finance and strategy function. Bringing these functions together will enhance Nine’s capacity in dealings with our commercial partners and driving efficiency across the business.”

Stanton said “Since joining Nine in September 2022, I’ve had the opportunity to work on some amazing deals including negotiating Nine’s Olympic Games and Paralympic Games rights agreements. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to take on this broader role, working with Nine’s great finance and strategy teams, to develop our commercial acumen.”

Australia’s media agency market has emerged from a tough six months by delivering a record level of underlying ad spend for the financial year, reports SMI in a note accompanying the release of its June 2023 ad spend data.

Total ad demand was up 2.2%, while at the headline level the total is back just 0.2% to $8.8 billion.

The underlying result removes the effect of abnormal Government and Political Party category ad spend related to Covid and last year’s May Federal election. Those categories are back more than $200 million on a combined basis this financial year.

The star performer over these 12 months has been Outdoor with total ad revenues lifting 23.9% to $1.2 billion. This means the media most affected by Covid has now delivered a result that is 2.2% larger than the pre-Covid FY18/19 total.

SMI APAC managing director Jane Ractliffe said the result confirmed Outdoor has finally moved beyond the calamitous Covid period.

“Outdoor was easily the media most affected by Covid given the loss of more than $300 million in ad revenues between the 2018/19 and 2020/21 periods during the public lockdowns,” Ractliffe explained.

“It’s been a long road back but the industry has harnessed emerging technologies and developed new inventory to now be in an even stronger position than it was pre-COVID.”

SMI: January to June 2023 down 4%

SMU reports that across the market, the financial year has been a period of two halves with ad demand up 3.4% in the first six months, only to fall by 4% in the January to June period (or -0.8% with Government and Political Party category ad spend removed).

“At the end of last year the market was still being buoyed by strong Government ad spend, with that demand lifting prices as the availability of inventory decreased,” Ractliffe said.

“But from January the sentiment changed significantly as Governments no longer needed to maintain the same levels of Covid advertising and inflation hurt consumer confidence.”

Travel and Automotive Brand also booming

At a product category level, Travel has shown the greatest increase from the pre-Covid lows with its total up 46.5% this financial year followed by Automotive Brand ad spend which has lifted 20.8%.

The month of June is the first in a year to be less impacted by 2022’s abnormal Government ad spend, but the market still struggled to match last year’s record level with a year-on-year decline of 5.5%.

Outdoor media maintained its robust gains with bookings up 18.4%, and printed Magazines increased their revenues by 4.6%.

Among the key product categories, Government increased its ad investment for the first time this calendar year, up 7.6% year-on-year.

For the June quarter ad spend was back 5.4% (or -2.0% ex Government and Political Party ad spend) and for the calendar year-to-date the market is back 4.2% but again only back 0.7% with Government and Political Party ad spend removed.

See also: Standard Media Index Australia reveal the ad spend trends of May 2023

Nine Entertainment Co. has announced the appointment of Mandy Pattinson as a non-executive director, effective immediately.

Pattinson is currently an executive consultant, drawing on her more than 25 years of experience in the media and entertainment industries, both locally and internationally.

Prior to this, she spent more than ten years at the global media giant Discovery Communications. In her role as executive vice president and general manager – Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Islands, Pattinson led a team focusing on building audience engagement with local programming, promotion and award-winning production initiatives, driving the rapid growth of Discovery’s brand portfolio across factual, sports, general entertainment and childrens’ subscription TV channels and on-demand services locally in Australia and New Zealand.

Pattinson previously held senior positions in the Consumer & Multimedia division of Optus across legal, regulatory, television and new media content. She was also a Board member of ASTRA, the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association.

Pattinson is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has a Master of Laws Degree from the University of NSW (Honours).

Chairman Peter Costello said of Pattinson’s appointment: “We are pleased to welcome Mandy to the Nine Board. Mandy has a wealth of experience in the Australian media sector, and brings particular strength in premium subscription television content and multi-platform strategies. We believe Mandy adds valuable skills to our Board as we continue to navigate and build Nine’s position within the Australian media sector.”

Pattinson said of her new role with Nine Entertainment Co: “I am thrilled to join the Nine Board in these exciting times. Media has always been my passion, and Nine is clearly at the forefront of the evolution of the media sector in Australia. The Group is well-positioned to build on its significant achievements in repositioning the business for its digital future.”

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Top image: Mandy Pattinson

Magnite has announced the promotion of Yael Milbank to the newly created role of managing director of Australia and New Zealand.

Milbank brings over 20 years of experience across both markets to the role, including at TVNZ and TradeMe, where he led sales teams and owned senior internal and external relationships before joining Magnite in 2016.

In his seven years as Magnite’s managing director, New Zealand, he worked closely with broadcasters and publishers to ensure that their complex needs were met through strong product adoption, best-in-class technology, and unrivalled service levels.

Milbank is tasked with accelerating the independent sell-side advertising company’s commercial growth in the ANZ market at a time when 90% of digital display and video dollars in the market are set to be transacted programmatically by 2026, according to MAGNA.

Milbank will report to Juliette Stead, SVP, head of JAPAC and will lead a team comprised of Maddy Mewing, seller lead, Adrian Isoldi, buyer lead, Nikola Small, publisher development lead, DV+, and Mitch Brown, technical operations lead.

Stead, senior vice president, head of JAPAC at Magnite said: “With Yael at the helm of Magnite’s business in ANZ, we’re brilliantly positioned to continue supporting media owners and media buyers across Australia and New Zealand. Yael brings extensive industry experience coupled with an unmatched depth of programmatic knowledge and I’m confident his strong leadership will enable us to continue to drive consistent results for our clients.”

Milbank said of his new role: “I’m delighted to be expanding my role at Magnite and to be leading the talented team in ANZ. Their expertise will be invaluable as we continue to help our clients grow their businesses and connect brands to reach audiences in premium, brand safe environments.”

Milbank’s promotion comes after Magnite was chosen by Foxtel Media to enable programmatic advertising on ad-supported streaming service, BINGE Basic.

Read more: Foxtel Media appoints Magnite as programmatic launch partner for advertising on Binge

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Top image: Yael Milbank

Ipsos has announced the launch of its employee experience research and advisory practice following the recent acquisition of Big Village Australia.

The new practice will be led by Wendy McInnes, as director of employee experience, and Colin Ireland, research director.

The practice’s dedicated team of employee research specialists and survey platform developers, led by director, XM Technology, Matthew Pickett, have been delivering some of the largest and most complex employee experience programs across the region for more than a decade.

These programs help company leaders engage employees, cultivate a high-performing culture, capitalise on talent, link people and business strategies, differentiate customer experiences, and outperform commercially.

Workplace dynamics have changed dramatically since 2020. The team will be focused on helping Ipsos’ clients create high performing and innovative workplaces that are future fit.

McInnes said: “Employees are at the heart of business success and our specialism in employee experience means that Ipsos is now able to provide clients with the most advanced research and advisory solutions in the areas of employee experience, workplace culture, leadership and change management.”

Simon Wake, CEO Ipsos Australia, said: “Wendy, Matt and Colin’s credentials are impeccable, with more than 30 years’ experience in advising both government and commercial clients on data-led employee insights, driving employee engagement and performance.”

Last month, Ipsos has announced the acquisition of the insights business of Big Village Australia, covering public sector market research, employee research and customer experience.

The acquisition enhances the market research company’s position in the Australian market and strengthens its capabilities in the government and social sectors as well as customer and employee experience.

It also contributes to Ipsos’ 2025 growth plan, strengthening the global public affairs business.

The acquisition is highly complementary to Ipsos’ existing research expertise, bringing large-scale federal government programs. Big Village Australia teams also service multinational clients in the professional services and IT sectors on customer experience metrics as well as conducting extensive programs providing employee experience assessment and advisory services across government and commercial clients.

Read more: Ipsos announces acquisition of Big Village Australia

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Top image: Wendy McInnes, Colin Ireland and Matthew Pickett

Warner Bros. Discovery is to make the first-ever localised Tom and Jerry series, featuring the popular cat and mouse duo as they take their rivalry through Singapore.

Produced locally in Asia, and in association with Warner Bros Animation, the new series comprises 7×3-minute shorts and will premiere on Cartoon Network in Australia and New Zealand later this year.

A pilot episode giving a flavour of what’s to come will launch in August with further details will be announced soon.

Christopher Ho, head of kids – Southeast Asia at Warner Bros Discovery, said: “This series brings back the iconic music and classic animation style from the Hanna-Barbera 1950s era – but with a modern Singaporean twist. With distinctive landmarks, backdrops and atmosphere, the Asian city-state is the ideal location to create a humorous addition to the Tom and Jerry canon.

“Working with homegrown creative talent in Singapore and across Asia, this project grows the much-loved franchise in the region and beyond.”

Vishnu Athreya, senior vice president of series, Warner Bros Animation and Cartoon Network Studios said: “Tom and Jerry are two of our most universally loved characters, proving that laughs can translate to any audience. The fans in Asia have long embraced these characters and it’s great to finally give them a version to call their own.”

The project is produced by Warner Bros Discovery’s Carlene Tan. Vivek Bolar serves as lead director. The project is animated by Aum Animation Studios India, with stories and designs from Singapore-based Robot Playground Media and Chips and Toon Studios.

More Tom and Jerry merch coming

There are also plans to launch additional Tom and Jerry-branded consumer products to complement the series launch later this year.

Tom and Jerry is one of the franchises in the Warner Bros Discovery portfolio with a global social reach of 50 million and almost 30 billion minutes watched on the Warner Bros Kids YouTube channel.

There have been more than 500 Tom and Jerry episodes and 15 movies made so far in its 83-year history, securing seven Academy Awards along the way.

About Warner Bros. Animation

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) produces and develops projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA’s current series include Batman: Caped Crusader, Bat- Family, Batwheels, Bugs Bunny Builders, Creature Commandos, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Harley Quinn, Jellystone!, Looney Tunes Cartoons, Merry Little Batman, My Adventures with Superman, Noonan’s, Teen Titans Go!, Tiny Toons Looniversity, and Velma.

The studio is currently in production with New Line Cinema on the upcoming original anime feature film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. WBA’s full-length theatrical film, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, was released in summer 2018. As home to the animated characters from the DC, Hanna- Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces animated films – including the DC Universe Movies – for DVD, Blu-ray and digital media. WBA has won six Academy Awards, 40 Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children’s Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 21 Annie Awards (honouring excellence in animation).

An idea to use dad jokes to galvanise industry support for MOOD Tea won the much-anticipated pitch-off, to bring the record-breaking 2023 instalment of industry talent-building program Yahoo Academy to a close.

The day-long program held at Luna Park in Sydney saw 40 of the top emerging industry talent from Australia and Singapore treated to workshops on taming AI, collaboration, creating compelling insights and creativity from the visionary minds behind Genius Steals, Rosie and Faris Yakob.

John McNerney, managing director of AUSEA, Yahoo, highlighted the program’s emphasis on future-proofing participants’ careers through cutting-edge tools such as generative AI and focusing on the more human skills leaders will need in the future.

He comments: “The last year has seen a lot of hype around AI and emerging technologies supporting the future of work, so we wanted this year’s Yahoo Academy to dig into what that really means. Rosie and Faris have done an outstanding job of practically showcasing to this group of young leaders the skills they need to thrive in their careers.”

Elizabeth Herbst-Brady, chief revenue officer at Yahoo, adds: “Yahoo takes immense pride in having contributed even a small part to the remarkable career journeys of these exceptional young superstars.”

The day culminated with a pitch-off, where participants were split into 10 teams of four and given 60 minutes to respond to a brief of generating more industry pride and support for UnLtd’s social enterprise product MOOD Tea.

Rosie and Faris Yakob, who led the day’s workshops, explained: “We were thrilled to see teams putting the lessons we had taught them into practice, using AI tools to help generate insights and bust category norms and using those craft brilliant, and executable, creative ideas. We were really impressed with the level of thinking and how quickly the group grasped difficult concepts – it really is an exciting future.”

The winning team – Tom Hamilton from EssenceMedia.com, Simon Molloy from OMD, Mary Pantahos from Matterkind and Bonita Wong from WooliesX – pitched the idea of a peer-voted industry competition to find the best dad jokes to print on the tea bag labels, which sat well with the judges.

Winning team member Mary Pantahos from Matterkind says: “This program has been an incredible experience. The training was so informative, inspiring, and applicable to what we do in this industry. I can’t wait to take this thinking back to work and share it with my colleagues. A huge thanks to Yahoo, Rosie and Faris for this amazing opportunity.”

The winning team was awarded a trip to a major international conference taking place in Sydney later this year.

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Top image: Yahoo Academy Pitch-Off Winners

Channel Factory is solidifying its presence in the APAC region by establishing business operations in Vietnam with the launch of a dedicated office.

This expansion marks a significant milestone in the global brand suitability platform’s commitment to better support its commercial strategy and increased investment in the region.

Led by country manager Khanh Ngo, the newly established office in Vietnam is poised to serve media agencies and brand-direct clients by providing advanced targeting, brand suitability strategies and campaign optimisation solutions.

Ngo brings to the team over a decade of invaluable experience working with media agencies throughout the APAC region and is supported by Hoang Luong as sales manager, Van Tran as client partner and Duyen Thao as account manager.

Kevin Wong, VP, APAC of Channel Factory, said on the launch: “Local market experience and support is imperative for what we do for our clients. The establishment of our office in Vietnam serves as a vital step in solidifying our position, providing us with a distinct competitive advantage in the region.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have already cultivated extensive expertise in the area through our teams in Australia, Singapore, India, and the Philippines, and view the Vietnam office as a natural progression in this ongoing evolution.”

Channel Factory has a strong agency partnership ecosystem and clientele in the region that includes all the major global and regional networks with leading brands across a wide range of verticals as key clients.

Ngo said: “I’m thrilled to play a pivotal role in setting the foundation for Channel Factory in Vietnam. With an already distinguished roster of global clients, the opportunity to deliver localised brand suitability strategies directly to agencies and brands allows us to deepen our existing partnerships and, over time, expand our esteemed client portfolio even further.”

“This is an exciting time for Channel Factory as we continue to expand across markets and support our clients with contextual and suitability solutions that protect brand reputation and ensure businesses are adhering to the recent changes to government regulations around misleading and unethical advertising practices,” added Mr Wong.

Channel Factory’s proprietary technology, ViewIQ, was recently verified by PwC as reducing media wastage by 23% leading to a 12% cost savings. The company will continue to explore opportunities for further growth as it pursues its mission to connect brands to the right audience,  content, and context with a focus on constraining negativity and amplifying positivity.

Long Pham, managing director of Dentsu iProspect Vietnam, said: “We are excited about Channel Factory’s expansion into Vietnam, as we believe it will greatly enhance our ability to deliver exceptional brand suitability and contextual targeting strategies to our clients in the region.

“Our partnership with Channel Factory, not only represents our commitment to stay at the forefront of industry innovation and provide our clients with the best solutions for their advertising needs, but also maximise ROI in this dynamic market,” Long added.

The expansion of Channel Factory into Vietnam is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Channel Factory’s growth in 2023. Since its establishment in the region in 2021, the company has grown to over 50 employees across APAC including its most recent expansion into India.

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Top image left and right: Khanh Ngo and Kevin Wong

Thinkerbell has announced its sponsorship of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, based in South Australia.

The institute is the world’s largest centre for research into marketing and is known as a leading authority on evidence-based marketing.

Adam Ferrier, chief thinker at Thinkerbell said the sponsorship is important for evidence-based marketing.

“For people who want to do evidence-based marketing, they need to draw on the most valid and reliable evidence available, and that’s via the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute,” says Ferrier.

“Our proposition is ‘measured magic’, that’s shorthand for ‘marketing science meets hardcore creativity’, and we believe the more rooted in marketing sciences our thinking is, then the more creative we can be, as one drives the other.

“I’ve had a long relationship with Byron and the team at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, and my only qualm is that it took us five years to become a sponsor.

“We see a lot of value in a relationship such as this and would advocate that any creative agency who takes marketing science seriously also sponsor the institute. We are one of the first independent creative agencies anywhere in the world to become a sponsor of the Institute, we don’t expect to be the last.”

The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute’s Byron Sharp said: “We know they are passionate advocates for evidence-based marketing and will deliver the Institute’s key insights into best marketing practices for their clients.”

Margie Reid, CEO of Thinkerbell said: “This will have a flow on effect to the creative thinking we do with our clients. The relationship with Ehrenberg-Bass Institute further reinforces our commitment into marketing science, and complements the work we have already done in this space, and the specialists, headed by Matt Plant, we have in our team.”

Sydney-based digital media and adtech specialist, Bench, has announced a series of new hires and promotions off the back of a series of business wins which include Britax, Jaycar, Medtronic and Cook Island Tourism.

“The accelerated digital shift, propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen a burgeoning demand for more sophisticated digital media solutions. Brands and agencies realise that a strategy tethered solely to Meta and Google is becoming too limited when there are so many other publishing and channels options now available on which can connect more powerfully to their targeted audiences,” says Ori Gold, chief executive officer.

In response to the business’s expansion, Bench has announced Anthony Fargeot’s promotion to VP of Growth. “Ant has been with Bench for seven years and has done a wonderful job across various roles in that time. His promotion is a reflection of his value and contribution to the business,” said Gold.

The team also welcomes Grant Bingham, who previously served as vice president, International Media Business Development at Unruly, and head of programmatic at Are Media. Ben Farnsworth, an industry veteran with a successful tenure as regional director at Encore Digital Media and sales director at MIQ Singapore, also joins the Bench team upon his return from Singapore. Additionally, Sergio Valdes, former head of growth at iCumulus, is set to strengthen the partnerships team in his new role as strategic partnerships manager.

“As part of our strategic focus to bring together the key disciplines of media, data and tech, Liam Garratt, who is a Bench mainstay, having served across various management roles over the last five years becomes our new General Manager. He will oversee the Client Services, Performance, and Technology teams,” continued Gold.

“Bench welcomes back Erin Fraser, returning from parental leave, who resumes her role as Senior Account Manager. Erin brings a depth of industry experience and a passionate commitment to service excellence. We’re delighted to have her back on the team. We’ve missed her!”

“As an agency, we are committed to bringing our clients the very best digital media solutions and that necessitates a breadth of talent across a range of core disciplines. We aim to provide clients with a more holistic approach, providing more powerful connections to target audiences which ultimately deliver better outcomes. We can only achieve this by attracting and retaining the smartest talent and these latest hires and moves underscore that commitment.”

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Top Image: Bench new hires

Global design agency Re (part of M&C Saatchi Group) has launched a set of six principles to navigate its future use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

CEO Patrick Guerrera has launched the principles in consultation with the global leadership team to address what he sees as a gap in the rapidly changing landscape.

“Our goal at Re is to help our clients take advantage of the incredible potential of AI, to support human creativity in designing truly distinct brands and experiences,” said Guerrera. “These principles are our way of staying on the front-foot as we move into this exciting new era.”

As AI grows in popularity, the agency has seen the challenge as leading brand-led designers to balance the need to embrace the new, with the need to proceed consciously and with purpose. These principles are the agency’s first pass at finding that happy equilibrium.

The agency’s leadership team has rolled-out the principles internally, and is currently taking its clients through them, so they can too understand the new capabilities the agency has, as well as the shared responsibility to use them well.

The principles include:

1. Prioritise people over outputs

Images tell people’s stories. We won’t use AI as a way to bypass proper consultation and engagement with people, or to co-opt someone else’s narrative. While we’ll use AI to mock up concepts, or fill in background detail, when it comes to representation, only real people will do.

2. Take inspiration but never imitate

While we will draw inspiration from other people’s style, we never use a current artist, photographer, filmmaker or any creative’s name in a prompt unless it’s in obvious homage to their work and the reference would be clear to audiences.

3. Be transparent about the use of AI

We believe transparency and accountability will help build trust between users and AI systems. We will always be open about where AI is used in our work, particularly when it’s been a fundamental part of the process.

Public concern and mistrust over the use of AI remains high. As we continue to define what’s acceptable and what isn’t, openness in the use of AI is key.

4. Use AI to support creativity, not replace it

AI is a great way to break free from a blank page and quickly visualise nascent ideas, but it’s only one part of the creative process. We are mindful of identifying the opportunities and efficiencies of AI, as well as its limitations.

We are committed to continuing to work with a broad array of creative specialists, redefining our relationship with them to dedicate more time to the sort of thinking that only humans can do. Because only human ingenuity can push creativity forward and create work that is authentic and distinctive.

5. Be aware of the biases in AI and strive to overcome them

AI can only work with what already exists, and we don’t have to look far to understand the biases that are currently ingrained in AI data sets. If left to its own devices, for example, AI will depict CEOs and Creative Directors exclusively as white men. It can’t deviate from the mean, or push to make things better. Only we can do that. It’s our role to understand these technologies deeply and bring diverse human perspectives into the process as we strive to push beyond our own biases and shortcomings.

6. Take steps to stay protected

We’re excited to embrace the opportunities and efficiencies of AI, but we’re also mindful of proceeding with care. Challenges such as AI’s potential biases, intellectual property issues, and data security and privacy have the potential to cause serious problems for brands. We commit to staying informed so we can help keep our clients protected.

See also: M&C Saatchi Group’s Moray MacLennan retires as global chief executive officer

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Top Image: Patrick Guerrera

Supermassive has been named the new creative agency of record for P&O Cruises in a major coup for the newly formed independent.

The agency will oversee the repositioning and relaunch of the 90-year-old Australian brand, resulting in a new brand platform, brand identity and refreshed creative output across all channels.

P&O Cruises chief commercial officer, Kathryn Robertson, “P&O, a pioneer in Australian cruising for 90 years, is proud of its uniquely Australian offering. We are thrilled to partner with Supermassive, who have demonstrated a disciplined and fresh approach to brand strategy and non-traditional thinking, that will no doubt further enhance the P&O brand.”

Supermassive co-founders, Laura Aldington, Simone Gupta and Jon Austin said “The opportunity to help this wonderful, iconic brand realise its full potential by bringing a whole new audience to cruise is a dream brief for us. The P&O team’s ambition to pair disciplined brand thinking with effective creative excellence aligns perfectly with ours, and we can’t wait to get started”

The appointment is immediate, with new work expected sometime later this year.

Supermassive launched in June 2023 with an ambition to set a new benchmark in effective non-traditional advertising and earned media.

Co-founder Laura Aldington said: “A study by the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) of the 100 most effective campaigns concluded that ‘the most effective ads, all over the world, no longer look like ads. The top campaigns frequently used fame-building tactics, often built on a highly PR-able idea, with media in support; sociability, spin, salience and spectacle.”

“Supermassive’s mission is to partner with brands who share our belief that to be effective, they need to entertain more than interrupt; lean into popular culture and not compete with it; outsmart when they can’t outspend, and make people want things by making things they actually want. We combine disciplined brand strategy with deep-earned expertise and put it in the hands of a creative leader with an exceptional track record in this space,” Aldington added.

Read more: Laura Aldington, Simone Gupta and Jon Austin team up to launch new agency Supermassive

DoubleVerify has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Scibids Technology SAS, an AI-powered digital campaign company.

The acquisition lets the company combine its trusted media quality and performance data that includes viewability, contextual and attention signals, with Scibids’s proven AI technology and real-time optimisation algorithms.

The acquisition progresses DV from the realm of proxy for performance to actual ad KPI achievement and tangible business outcome – fully in line with advertiser goals.

“The acquisition of Scibids is a decisive step in our journey to power superior campaign outcomes that started with developing and delivering the industry standard in media quality insights and has evolved into putting that data to work for advertisers,” said Mark Zagorski, DoubleVerify CEO. “The combination marries DV’s proprietary data with Scibids’ AI-powered optimisation technology, letting us empower brands with unparalleled insights and control over their advertising performance.”

“DoubleVerify is a company that shares our commitment to independence, innovation and maximising media performance, and we’re thrilled to take our partnership to the next level,” said Remi Lemonnier, CEO & co-founder of Scibids. “This partnership will amplify the capabilities of our customisable AI technology and expand its impact across the digital advertising ecosystem to strengthen the open web. We look forward to working with the entire DV team to deliver new opportunities and maximise campaign outcomes for our global advertisers and partners.”

“Through our combination with Scibids, DV will lead the industry in dynamic campaign optimisations that drive real business outcomes,” added Zagorski. “The acquisition lets us redefine the verification space and offer a continuous feedback loop between activation, measurement and optimisation – powered by AI technology and the most trusted impression-level media quality and verification data in the space.”

DV has said the acquisition will provide advertisers with multiple benefits including:

• Maximise business outcomes and ROI across all addressable paid media bought programmatically, by incorporating DV’s granular metrics in multidimensional dynamic optimisation.
• Ensure continuous optimisation through the integration of DV’s impression-level media quality and performance data, and Scibids’ proprietary AI technology in optimisation algorithms.
• Streamline manual efforts and drive operational efficiencies by employing automated bidding across leading DSPs, including Google’s DV360, The Trade Desk, and Xandr, to name a few.

The acquisition is looking to close in the third quarter. 

Adventure All Stars from Troy Gray’s Charity TV Global bills itself as a TV travel show with a difference. Gray said it offers real people, real emotion and real adventure.

Every episode of the series, available on 7Plus and other platforms, features 12 new cast members travelling to spectacular locations as they uncover the best and most exciting experiences around the world.

Prior to the commencement of filming each series, all cast members raise funds for Australian charities, and their reward is the trip-of-a-lifetime on Adventure All Stars.

Adventure All Stars seasons one and two are currently available in Australia via 7Plus, Fetch and Samsung TV Plus. In addition, Adventure All Stars screens in 25 countries to a potential audience approaching 100 million. International broadcast partners include Outdoor Channel, TVNZ, and Tata Sky.

Cast of Series 3 of Adventure All Stars

The second season of Adventure All Stars generated close to $1.2 million for Australian charities – making the show one of the biggest contributors to philanthropy of any TV series in the world.

The third season of Adventure All Stars premiered on 7Plus in July. The series was filmed in locations across Australia and New Zealand. Each of the 7 x 60-minute episodes allows viewers the opportunity to experience different destinations through the eyes of an engaging and socially conscious television cast.

In total, 49 episodes of Adventure All Stars have now been produced, and the amount fundraised since the inception of this TV format is approaching $10m, making Adventure All Stars the biggest contributor to philanthropy of any TV show in Australia and one of the biggest providers to charity of any TV series on the planet.

“We are creating television history by raising millions of dollars to support a record number of Australian charities,” said series founder and executive producer Troy Gray. “Unlike other TV shows, none of our cast receive an appearance fee and all net proceeds are gifted to charity. Also, let’s not forget that Adventure All Stars is a ground-breaking travel show promoting incredible destinations to a global audience – filmed and presented as socially positive, harmonious, and visually spectacular television content.”

Troy Gray also works as a public speaker and AFL ground announcer

For a forthcoming episode, Adventure All Stars is partnering with Tasman Holiday Parks in Airlie Beach.

The holiday park operator is the official accommodation partner for an upcoming Whitsundays episode in the television show’s fourth season. The cast will spend a week filming in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, and Tasman Holidays Parks Airlie Beach will provide villa and cabin accommodation for both cast and crew.

Independent retail media platform Zitcha has made its first entry into the North American market after being selected to launch a full digital retail media network for a hardware and agricultural specialist chain.

Australian-founded and owned, Zitcha has been engaged by Peavey Mart to manage its digital retail media ecosystem, including onsite, offsite and in-store media, using its automated platform to drive additional new revenues from brand advertisers and enhanced customer experiences through personalisation.

With 90 stores stretching across Canada and a strong eCommerce presence, Peavey Mart offers a broad catalogue of agriculture, farm and ranch, pet, work wear, lawn and garden, hardware and homesteading supplies. Capitalising on the burgeoning retail media market, which GroupM predicts will hit US$125.7 billion globally this year alone, the partnership is Zitcha’s first retailer in North America, with others to be announced in due course.

It follows Zitcha’s recent agreement with Village Cinemas to launch its retail media network, and others such as, Coles Liquor Group and New Zealand’s largest retail group, The Warehouse Group, that already use the platform.

Nick Hinsley, chief commercial officer at Zitcha said: “North America is the most developed and competitive retail media environment in the world and a strategically important one for Zitcha. We are in discussions with a number of leading retailers in Canada and the United States but are especially pleased that a major brand like Peavey Mart has already recognised the breadth, depth and functionality the Zitcha platform offers across retail media. They have ambitious plans to build and develop their offering and Zitcha will support them every step of the way.”

Zitcha will handle Peavey Mart’s end-to-end digital retail media network such as on-site sponsored products, sponsored ads and banners, off-site media channels of Meta and Google and in-store retail media, including a digital screen network when it’s introduced. 

Jest Sidloski, vice president, marketing and customer experience at Peavey Industries, parent company of Peavey Mart, Ace Canada and MainStreet Hardware brands, said: “The entry into retail media represents a significant development for Peavey Mart in our more than 55 year history. In addition to connecting brand advertisers with our large and diverse customer base, enabling them to deliver more targeted and effective communications along the path to purchase, it will drive additional new growth for the business. We welcome the opportunity to leverage Zitcha’s full digital retail media platform and will draw on their expertise as we embark on this journey.” 

10 has announced the new chapter of Neighbours will premiere on Monday, September 18, at 4:30 pm, on 10, and 6:30 pm on 10 Peach and 10 Play.

The residents of Ramsay Street residents are back for double the drama and double the fun, as new families move into two new homes.

Fans of the soap opera will have twice the opportunity to catch up with their favourite Erinsborough locals, with the show running on screens from Monday to Thursday at 4:30 pm on 10, followed by a second screening at 6:30 pm on 10 Peach and 10 Play.

The Bold And The Beautiful will then make the move to the new time slot of 4.00 pm Monday to Thursday on 10 return on Friday’s air at 4:30 pm.

Neighbours will continue to be broadcast in Australia on Network 10, its home for over three decades. UK and U.S. audiences can view the series on Amazon Freevee plus Prime Video in Australia and New Zealand seven days following free to air viewing on Network 10. 

This comes after Network 10 announced that a brand-new family is coming to Ramsay Street, with the Varga-Murphy’s set to move into Erinsborough when Neighbours returns to screens in September 2023.

The Varga-Murphy’s joins the list of other Ramsay Street families such as the Robinson, Kennedy, Rebecchi, Mangel, Scully, Tanaka and Brennan families.

Hailing from the other side of the city, the Varga-Murphy family initially take up residence temporarily, and it quickly becomes evident there is more to their arrival than meets the eye.

Wives Cara and Remi, played by Sara West (Don’t Tell, Wakefield, Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door) and Naomi Rukavina (Harry Potter Theatre Production, Run Rabbit Run, Pawno), and sons JJ, played by Riley Bryant (Surviving Summer 2) and Dex, played by newcomer Marley Williams in his first television role – make up the Varga-Murphy family.

See also: Neighbours welcomes The Varga-Murphy Family as 10 announce premiere date for new season

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Top image: Neighbours cast

Various Australian humour heavyweights are set to headline the season premiere of Thank God You’re Here at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, August 2 on 10 and 10 Play.

Host Celia Pacquola welcomes Urzila Carlson, Aaron Chen, Julia Zemiro and Mark Bonanno to the world of Thank God You’re Here, where literally anything can happen.

Viewers also will need to keep their eyes peeled for the week’s legendary guest judge as the star performers step through the blue door.

The improv show’s earlier run was hosted by Shane Bourne and ran from 2006 to 2007 on 10 before it was moved to Seven for its final fourth season in 2009. 

Among the comedians to have walked through the famous blue door are Rebel Wilson, Hamish Blake, Shaun Micallef, Adam Hills, Anh Do, Julia Zemiro, Glenn Robbins and Frank Woodley.

Daniel Monaghan, senior vice president content & programming, Paramount ANZ told TV Tonight the much-loved comedy program would be returning to screens later this year.

“Thank God You’re Here holds a special place in our hearts at Network 10. It was one of the most talked about shows on Australian television and was responsible for launching and celebrating a wealth of intelligent, lively and hilarious Australian talent,” he added.

Michael Hirsh, from Working Dog, also shared his excitement at the return of the improv comedy for a new generation.

“We loved making Thank God You’re Here a few years ago, and feel the time is right for a new bunch of comedians to go through the blue door. We have brought the show back for 2023 and beyond with a new host, the wonderful, multi-talented and funny Celia Pacquola along with new judges, new ensemble, and new guests.

“We can’t wait to see this new crop of funny people bullshit their way out of sticky situations,” he added.

See also: Thank God You’re Here makes its return to 10

• Million Dollar Island and Rush Grand Finale numbers are in for Total TV
• Joel Creasey and ABC’s New Leash on Life proves to be popular once again

Total TV Ratings, July 25

935,000 watched Seven’s Home and Away as Felicity’s blackmailer upped their demands, Justin put a rush on Lyrik’s album launch and Kirby confided in Theo, up 23%.

795,000 saw 10’s Hunted Australia where an extensive search of CCTV footage gave the Hunters new intel on Bayan and Eesha, and luck ran out for siblings, Byron and Tanase, up 39%.

489,000 also caught 10’s The Cheap Seats with Emma Holland (filling in for Melanie Bracewell) and Tim McDonald, who was joined by Mel Tracina, Ben Lomas and Below Deck Down Under’s Aesha Scott.

495,000 viewed Joel Creasey’s New Leash on Life as a grieving migrant nurse, Rosey looked to get a large rescue dog to help fill the void of losing her husband, up 16%.

Grand Finales in Total TV

565,000 also saw the Grand Finale of Seven’s Million Dollar Island. Chelsea took home the biggest prize of $110k, Jordan won $70k and Brett walked away with $10k, having risked and lost a further $90k, up 30%

499,000 tuned into the Grand Finale of Nine’s Rush as the last three travellers, CK, Hamish and Sofia arrived in South Africa for a monumental final challenge that put their limits to the test and Hamish walked away with $100k, up 33%.

Overnight TV Ratings, August 1

Primetime News
Seven News 938,000 (6:00pm) / 924,000 (6:30pm)
Nine News 738,000 (6:00pm) / 769,000 (6:30pm)
ABC News 571,000
10 News First 176,000 (5:00pm)/ 130,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 146,000 (6:30pm)/ 112,000 (7:00pm)

Daily Current Affairs
A Current Affair 609,000
7.30 426,000
The Project 157,000 6:30pm / 282,000 7pm

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 217,000
Today 175,000
News Breakfast 142,000

Seven won Tuesday night with a primary share of 16.9% and a network share of 29.9%. 7mate has won multi channels with a 7.2% share.

483,000 began their evening in Summer Bay with Seven’s Home and Away, who also won a Logie for Most Popular Drama. During the episode, Cash’s professionalism was put to the test while Rose prepared to meet Mali’s mum and Alf shut down John’s concerns, before, 300,000 stayed on for a repeat of Highway Patrol. During the episode, a man with a warrant for his arrest was on the run from police when he was suddenly spotted by the Highway Patrol. A second instalment followed for 300,000 viewers.

Nine’s A Current Affair (609,000) covered the story of Rob Seddon who has been left badly injured after allegedly being coward punched. Now, his wife Ange has spoken out after being refused victim compensation. Then, 419,000 tuned in for a repeat of the silver Logie-winning (for Most Popular Lifestyle Program) Travel Guides. During the episode, our avid travellers soared to the USA, where they took on their first-ever two-week vacation: a road trip through Texas and the Deep South. 161,000 then sat down for a night of action with Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

426,000 watched ABC’s 7.30 explore the fact that for the second time in a row, the RBA has kept the cash rate on hold at 4.1 per cent, but borrowers shouldn’t get too comfortable and looked at how Telstra has admitted to failing customers who continue to receive correspondence for their dead relatives. 256,000 then tuned in for another gorgeous episode of servo sandwich lover Joel Creasey and dog expert Laura V’s New Leash on Life. They help a loved-up couple, Ian and Gail, who need a small dog to keep lonely Ian company while Gail’s at work. 356,000 stayed on to watch another instalment of Craig Reucassel’s War on Waste.

On 10, The Project (157,000 6:30pm / 282,000 7pm) welcomed Celia Pacquola who spoke about her new rebooted series, Thank God You’re Here and looked at a 45-year-old childcare worker who has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences. The man worked at centres in NSW and Queensland, as well as overseas. Hunted Australia followed with 414,000 watching as Bayan and Eesha made a fatal mistake which ultimately led to their capture and Ed and Jimi took a major risk with an ATM heist. 

The highest rating non-news show on SBS was Great Coastal Railway Journeys with 164,000 tuning in to see Michael Portillo begin a new railways journey on Northern Ireland’s spectacular Causeway Coast. He visited the north and east coasts of Ireland through the provinces of Ulster and Leinster.