News Corp Australia yesterday held its inaugural FMCG Forum bringing together senior marketers and agency directors to explore some of the current and future challenges facing the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category.

Supported by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) the event was designed to discuss consumer trends, product innovation and explore how FMCG companies can improve marketing effectiveness.

Speakers included the principal of Housten Consulting and former PwC media specialist Megan Brownlow; author and trend forecaster Bernard Salt; and award-winning marketer and industry professor, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, Professor Bruce McColl.

The audience also heard from two influential marketing commentators Peter Field and Les Binet.

News Corp Australia’s chief operating officer, publishing Damian Eales opened the forum with an outline of the FMCG industry.

“No other Australian media company has invested in FMCG and food clients as much as we have. By taking a customer-first approach we’ve created specialist industry solutions that are delivering growth for our clients.

“Thought leadership is a big part of our investment and that is the purpose of this forum. Our focus today provides fresh perspectives and encourages different thinking to help our customers better meet the expectations of today’s consumers and find new ways to connect with these customers to grow their brands and businesses.”

Every month, almost 15 million Australian grocery buyers turn to News Corp Australia for inspiration and advice. The company’s ecosystem creates efficiency across channels to influence consumers as they move through their grocery planning and buying journeys.

Every day, the company’s food media generates 80 million behavioural data points.

News Corp Australia has launched new advertising products that help partners find new ways to connect with consumers, including:

• News Co.Create, a new collaborative approach to FMCG product development and marketing
• Food Corp’s Digital Kitchen expansion, intercepting grocery-planning decisions at scale

News Corp Australia’s managing director, national sales Lou Barrett said: “We are really proud today to present some of the smartest thinking about marketing trends, what is happening in the FMCG world, and how News Corp Australia is here to help our customers achieve real growth for their business.

Prof Bruce McColl, Megan Brownlow, Bernard Salt

“Through our industry specialisation, working with us to deliver marketing outcomes for clients has never been more seamless, whether that’s reaching and influencing audiences or developing and marketing new products.”

News Corp Australia’s director of Food Corp Fiona Nilsson said: “We set out to put this forum on to provide value to the industry. We collaborated with CMOs and multiple high-level FMCG marketers, conducting a deep dive into the challenges they are facing. Today we are coming back with a content series with some of the biggest thinkers in the industry, some marketers themselves, to help address some of those challenges and move forward.

“We’re also announcing a series of advertising products that we’ve created in conjunction with these same FMCG marketers to help them deliver through the funnel and get really effective outcomes.”

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Photo: News Corp’s Damian Eales, Fiona Nilsson and Lou Barrett at the FMCG Forum

Before this appointment, Williams has worked as the executive producer of the TV Week Logie Awards, Carols by Candlelight, the London Summer Olympics, the Vancouver Winter Games, and as the head of Tennis for Nine and the head of Cricket.

On the appointment, Wick commented in a letter to staff on Wednesday, “Brent is one of the most experienced producers in Australian television and has been steering major coverage of sport and national events with Nine for 25 years.

“This experience and passion for live sport will enable Brent to add another dimension to the extensive coverage and prominence in our schedule of the NRL, with the biggest moments of State of Origin and Rugby League’s Grand Final annually among the most watched events on TV.

“Beyond his list of impressive achievements, Brent is highly respected and very popular with his colleagues. His style of management favours close collaboration, innovation and motivation.”

On his appointment, Williams expressed excitement for the new role, “Wide World of Sports is an iconic brand in broadcasting, thanks to the incredibly talented and dedicated WWOS family over many years. I’m lucky to already be a member of that family and know first-hand the pride, passion and responsibility that comes with any product branded with the famous WWOS logo.   

“It’s an honour to be leading the team and I look forward to driving the evolution of Nine’s sports broadcasting and broader sports strategy into the future.”

Williams will be replacing Tom Malone in the role who has moved to the role of managing director of radio for Nine.

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Top Photo: Tom Malone and Brent Williams

Hicks told Mediaweek about the brand’s readership, recent editorial highlights, and how they pick and choose celebrity stories for their avid readers. 

Hicks said she has grown up with Who and has loved the magazine her whole life. “It’s a privilege to be able to edit the title,” said Hicks. “Who has a unique credibility because of our strong relationship with celebrities. It means we can deliver trusted, exclusive content across our platforms. The Who reader is an affluent and intelligent woman. She’s between 25 – 54 years old, she’s very educated and discerning. She’s interested in current affairs, travel, and the latest beauty and fashion news, and she also wants to know what happens in the celebrity world. She gets the best of both.”

“Something interesting we found is that 96% of our audience is the main household decision-maker and we have the same amount of AB consumers as Vogue, Harper’s BAZAAR and Elle combined. It’s a huge audience.

Who’s readers are coming to the brand for entertainment but also for style and substance. “Who is essentially a glossy monthly mag in a weekly format, that’s what really sets us apart. We like to say Who is the most trusted celebrity news and entertainment brand with a total footprint of 2.1 million Aussie women (across all platforms).”

The title is also known for the premium photoshoots and exclusives they have like “Who’s sexiest people’ which came out recently. Hicks said that’s definitely a big highlight for their audience. This year, the brand really mixed up for the format for that issue, and decided to feature ‘sexiest duos’. “We had couples like Guy and Jules Sebastian, we had siblings like Cody Simpson and his sister Alli, we did co-hosts like Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies and we also had the first debut of Samantha Armytage and Richard Lavender. We really doubled up on the sexiness!

“We produced two covers as a part of that too – one of them had Guy and Jules Sebastian and the other had Megan Gale and Shaun Hampson. We had a really wonderful reception to that.”

Doing premium shoots does come at a cost, but that content is a part of its DNA and it’s what they’ve always been known for. “It’s important for us to maintain that because it’s what sets us apart in the market and really does place us as a weekly version of a glossy monthly, particularly given we’ve got that affluent audience.”

Hicks said they’re always expanding their commercial properties; they have their podcast ‘CelebriTEA’, as well as events. “We started a Books & Bubbles event earlier this year – a ticketed event with Hachette – where the audience can come and meet their favourite authors and share a glass of bubbles. It was kind of like our very own book club for the Who audience.

“We’ve already got five more events planned for next year because these ones have been selling out. It’s been a great highlight for us.”

Since there is so much celebrity news already out there, Hicks told Mediaweek that for Who it’s really about curating the content for their readers. “We have an amazing editorial team and they’ve constantly got their finger on the pulse for what our audience will want. We also have incredible access to celebrities, which does help us really make sure that we’re giving our readers the best of everything. 

“In every issue we like to make sure that we’ve got a fantastic mix of exclusive celebrity interviews, true crime investigations and current affairs, beauty news, fashion spreads, information on new travel destinations; just making sure there is that mix so that our audience is getting everything they want and need in one spot. It’s important to us that we are as up-to-date as possible on everything we cover.”

Hicks said the combination of both domestic and international stars in Who’s stories are equally popular. “Australian talent really resonates with our audience and that’s why it’s really important we do exclusives with much-loved Australian celebrities. However, we’re also constantly securing interviews with Hollywood’s biggest names, like Reese Witherspoon, so we can give our audience the best of both worlds.”

The mornings will be hosted by Lucy Smith who has been a regular fill on over the last year for the morning and lunch shifts and is currently filling in on triple j breakfast.

Smith says, “I’m so unbelievably excited to spend each weekday flexing my music muscle and diving a little deeper into the tunes you’re hearing on triple j, plus the stories from the artists behind them. Mornings is a music lover’s haven, and it’s an honour to follow in the footsteps of two of my broadcast heroes Linda Marigliano and Zan Rowe.”

Comedian Dave Woodhead is taking over triple j Lunch next year. The 21-year-old Darwin-bred Torres Strait Islander had a stint earlier this year on triple j Breakfast during NAIDOC Week.

Woodhead said:  “I’m looking forward to joining the triple j fam, spinning the best tunes and playing ‘Treaty’ by Yothu Yindi at every possible opportunity.”

The new host of triple j’s youth issues and current affairs program, Hack, is South West Sydney’s Avani Dias. She has filled in as the presenter of triple j Hack during portions of 2019 and currently hosts Hack’s The Friday Shakeup.

Dias was previously a reporter for ABC Darwin for three years and was named a 2019 Walkley Finalist for Young Journalist of the Year.

Dias said:  ‘When I was a teenager, I’d write cheesy lines in my diary about how obsessed I was with triple j and wanting to be on the station. I’ve grown up with Hack. It’s guided me through life, taught me what I should know about the world, and in many ways made me the person I am today. So, you can imagine how proud and excited I am to be taking over the only show in Australia which always puts young people at the front and centre of every conversation’.

They will join the previously announced new breakfast duo of Sally & Erica in 2020. Taking over their slot on Weekend afternoons is Bryce Mills, who has filled in on triple j Mornings and Lunch while also appearing on Channel 10’s ‘The Bachelor Unpacked’ and his podcast ‘God Is Dead’.

This time it is a longtime 2GB executive and close colleague of Ray Hadley’s that is out.

“I’m sorry to let you know that Michael Thompson is leaving the business after more than 11 years,” Malone, Macquarie Media managing director – radio, told staff today.

“Michael started with 2GB on Ray Hadley’s program, before climbing the ranks to become Ray’s executive producer. In the past three years he’s been in a national role overseeing the content across the news talk and sports talk formats. In the past 12 months, under Michael’s leadership, the company’s total cumulative audience has grown almost 10%.”

Malone then noted the successful career Thompson had with Hadley, winning awards together. Malone also noted he got to know them both well during his years executive producing Nine’s Today show.

Malone finished: “I want to thank Michael for all of his hard work, professionalism and loyalty to Macquarie Media and wish him well as he explores opportunities beyond our business. He goes with all of our goodwill, and as it is in this business I look forward to seeing him back in some capacity in the future.”

Thompson will finish at Macquarie Media this Friday.

The Feature Film Score of the Year has been awarded to co-composers Dan Luscombe and Antony Partos for their work on the science fiction thriller I Am Mother.

Antony Partos has also received the honour of Best Television Theme for his work on Bloom, a Stan original drama series about life in an idyllic country town a year after a devastating flood kills five locals. Partos’ third Screen Music award for 2019 is shared with co-composer Jackson Milas in the category of Best Music for a Television Series or Serial for Bloom.

Every Day My Mother’s Voice, Paul Kelly’s tribute to the strong relationship between Adam Goodes and his mother, has been named the Best Original Song Composed for the Screen.

Antony Partos won Best Television Theme for his work on Bloom

First time nominee Piers Burbrook de Vere has now become a first time Screen Music Awards winner. His work on the zombie comedy feature film Little Monsters has taken out the Best Soundtrack Album category for 2019.

Staking a claim as one of Australia’s most prolific and respected screen composers is David Bridie, who takes out Best Music for a Documentary for Australia’s Lost Impressionist, the story behind the only Australian artist at the centre of the Impressionist movement in France.

Genre breaking composer Michael Yezerski has received the award for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie for his work on the SBS crime drama Dead Lucky.

Canberra based jazz pianist, producer and composer Michael Dooley has won the award for Best Music for Children’s Television for The Pilgrims Progress, a children’s animated movie based on a 1678 Christian allegory.

Longtime creative collaborators Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks have been jointly named the Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia and for the 12th consecutive year, Neil Sutherland remains the Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas. His significant body of work, which includes MythBusters, Dancing with the Stars and Border Security, is heard around the globe. This award takes his overall tally of Screen Music Awards to 14, making him the most awarded Australian Screen Music composer.

The 2019 Screen Music Awards were held at Forum Melbourne and hosted by the ever-delightful Justine Clarke. Special guest presenters on the night were actors Susan Prior, Amali Golden, Mark Coles Smith and Damon Herriman along with screen composer Burkhard Dallwitz.

Performing Paul Kelly’s award-winning song Every Day My Mother’s Voice was Ashley Naylor (from Paul Kelly’s band) and Jessica Hitchcock, the Melbourne-based singer-songwriter who has recently released her highly-anticipated LP, Bloodline.

Musical director Jessica Wells led an orchestra that performed each of the nominated Feature Film Score of the Year compositions.

2019 Screen Music Awards Winners

Feature Film Score of the Year
I Am Mother
Composed by Dan Luscombe and Antony Partos

Best Original Song Composed for the Screen
Every Day My Mother’s Voice from The Final Quarter Paul Kelly
Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Best Soundtrack Album
Little Monsters
Composed by Piers Burbrook de Vere

Best Music for a Documentary
Australia’s Lost Impressionist by David Bridie
Mushroom Music

Best Television Theme
Bloom
Composed by Published by Antony Partos/Sonar Music

Best Music for a Television Series or Serial
Bloom
Composed by Published by Jackson Milas and Antony Partos Sonar Music

Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie
Dead Lucky
Composed by Michael Yezerski

Best Music for a Short Film
For the Girl in the Coffee Shop
Composed by Angela Little

Best Music for Children’s Television
The Pilgrims Progress
Composed by Michael Dooley

Best Music for an Advertisement
Dan Murphy’s
Composed by Published by Adrian Sergovich/Song Zu Publishing

Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia
Composers Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks

Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas
Composer Neil Sutherland

The campaign, in partnership with Cricket Australia, builds on Domain’s recent spring campaign, Property obsessed, and continues to celebrate the nation’s two obsessions: cricket and property. 

Launching today, Proudly Property Tragics showcases key features from Domain that helps give Australians the confidence to make informed decisions. This includes the recently launched Domain for Owners, property alerts, listings, Search by School Zone and more.

The TVCs, airing across Seven, feature Aussie cricket legends, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and Usman Khwaja, who share different aspects of their property life like where they grew up, where they live and where they go for vacations.

The broader campaign will also run across Domain’s social and digital channels, and include an interactive Snapchat filter aimed at playing up the rivalry between Australia and New Zealand. The filter is geo-located to the stadiums allowing fans at the games and in the surrounding areas to share that they are at the Domain Test match.

Emily Murren, Domain’s director of consumer marketing said:

“Building on the success of our first year together with Cricket Australia, we’re excited for the summer of cricket ahead and our Platinum Partnership to help Australians celebrate in their two favourite obsessions: cricket and property. As the cricket pitch heats up, so is the property market. We’re seeing increased demand for listings and higher clearance rates, so it’s prime time for us to remind Australians how Domain can help them along every step of their property journey by highlighting our new listings, market data and property tools.

“Our latest campaign aims to showcase our expert knowledge of property and our market-leading products in a fun way to delight cricket and property tragics alike.”

The campaign will also see premium in-stadium grass, perimeter and scoreboard branding along with integrated broadcast placements across Seven featuring Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Matt Wade. Domain will also paint the stadium pink for the Domain Pink Test in Sydney from January 3-7 2020. 

Cricket fans can still participate in Domain’s Test Stadium ‘open for inspection’ competition, which kicked off earlier this month. Fans can explore their favourite cricket stadium as a listing on Domain and take a look behind the scenes to learn about their unique property features, as well as go into the running to win a box at an upcoming Domain Test series.

The campaign is supported by creative agency Special Group.

Wednesday Week 47 2019

• Seven News 932,000/882,000
• Nine News775,000/750,000
• A Current Affair651,000
• ABC News600,000
• 7.30545,000
• The Project250,000/442,000
• 10 News First365,000
• The Drum166,000
• SBS World News121,000

Breakfast TV

• Sunrise263,000
• Today200,000

Seven

Home and Away was again close to 550,000 after 566,000 and 608,000 previously this week.

Zumbo’s Just Desserts reversed its trend last night with an audience of 385,000 after the first three nights of the week saw the numbers go from 446,000, to 393,000 and then 359,000.

The only episode of The Good Doctor that will screen this week did 450,000 after audiences of 462,000 and 407,000 last week.

The Front Bar cricket edition fills the slot tonight.

Nine

After a jumbo edition on Tuesday night, A Current Affair returned to its usual format with 651,000. Reporter Pippa Bradshaw managed to find some residents moaning their neighbours Christmas lights were too bright.

David Attenborough Seven Worlds One Planet then did 772,000 which is a big 7.30pm number in the penultimate week of the survey year.

Nine then went with the movie Red Dog – True Blue which did 316,000.

10

The Project recovered a little from close to 400,000 on Tuesday to 442,000 after 7pm. It was a comedy special evening with both Pete Helliar and Tommy Little at the desk plus a visit from Jimeoin.

The channel then premiered its new US comedy The Unicorn which has been given a 7.30pm slot. The series debuted with two episodes recording 324,000 and 276,000.

Playing for Keeps then did 186,000 after a not-so-hot lead-in. It was on 298,000 last week.

ABC

On the eve of the First Test, Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery spent time with Ian Chappell. The episode did 486,000 after 461,000 last week.

Gruen then did 640,000 after 670,000 a week earlier. The show spent much of the evening discussing streaming platforms Netflix and Disney+ and even featured Todd Sampson and RusselHowcroft with strategies how the ABC could attract bigger audiences.

The final episode of the short season of Frayeddid 319,000 after 343,000 a week ago.

SBS

Tony Robinson’s World by Rail did 195,000 as he travelled around Europe.

The first episode of Child Genius Australia this season debuted with 164,000.