A set visit to the second season of The Twelve being filmed in Perth last week showcased the Foxtel Group’s content strategy. Drama originals are more important than ever, and The Twelve has been key to its strategy as it built audiences and became an award winner.

Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany has detailed in Mediaweek previously how Foxtel successfully implemented its streaming strategy. His recent executive reshuffle was about setting up the subscription TV business for its next five years. Alongside Foxtel, both Kayo and Binge now have dedicated teams.

Earlier this year Delany announced Amanda Laing as chief content and commercial officer with leadership of the entertainment division.

Alison Hurbert-Burns, now executive director of Binge and commissioning and content Foxtel Group, continues to be responsible for the sales and marketing of Binge and will also take the reins of all commissioned and acquired content for the Foxtel Group and will be supported by a key team– both existing and new.

Foxtel’s entertainment division, including Binge, is one part of the business that has chalked up a number of successes over the past 24 months. Laing has been spearheading the renewal of the Foxtel output deals on more manageable terms.

Hurbert-Burns and the late Brian Walsh were driving the commissioning which included such audience magnets and multi-award winners as Colin from Accounts and The Twelve.

The latter has just started production in Perth of its second season. During a visit to Perth just days ago, Mediaweek was able to get up close to some of the courtroom action with some of the formidable new cast in action.

The Twelve as part of Foxtel’s group strategy

As we reported last week, Sam Neill will reprise his role as Brett Colby, SC in the courtroom drama, this time set in Western Australia. One of scenes we saw featured some of the talented new cast in action. Joining Neill on the courtroom bench were Frances O’Connor and Fayssal Bazzi. That is about as much as we can share without spoiling the plot. This is a series that did heavy lifting for both Foxtel and Binge.

Amanda Laing

Amanda Laing explained to Mediaweek: “As we start to see material growth for Binge with record subscribers of more than 1.5 million, it’s the right time to ensure we are set up to support the next phase of growth by bringing together the entertainment functions across the group.

“It’s a natural evolution and will help capitalise on our diverse pipeline of long-term international partners and our premium slate of original productions. Those include High Country starring Leah Purcell, Strife led by Asher Keddie and produced by Bruna Papandrea and the Made Up Stories team, our most recent commission, Mix Tape, and of course The Twelve Season 2 now in production.”

Talking to Mediaweek in Perth after the visit to the set of The Twelve Season 2, Hurbert-Burns spoke about Binge and the content strategy.

“Binge is no longer an app in a start-up stage. I have been with Binge growing it to what it is for over three years. Now Binge and Kayo need their own divisions to continue to drive them forward and to realise their ambitions.”

Hurbert-Burns continued: “Binge started out to make a few series to see how they would go. The performance of them just shot the lights out in terms of the amount of people that were watching. We are now at the point of making more, but with the group input.”

Alison Hurbert-Burns

The content team is planning for the future without the input of Brian Walsh.

“Brian was overseeing drama and most of the unscripted being commissioned for Foxtel. We are now bringing all production together into an internal team that will oversee content acquisition and commissioning for the group – Foxtel and Binge.”

Hurbert-Burns confirmed that all content will continue to be available to Foxtel customers too. “We have been buoyed by the content decisions we have made for Binge and how they have performed on Foxtel.”

She used as an example the success the group had with Binge’s Colins from Accounts. “The viewing for the first episode was the largest-ever for the group. We put it on Foxtel and hoped it would find an audience. The first episode was the largest viewing of an episode ever for the group – 1m people. Similarly Love Me really worked on both platforms.

“There is a real opportunity to make things that work across the group. Commissions that will help us grow and bring in new audiences and sustain them.

“We will continue to deliver content that people value so much they are prepared to pay for it. The level of premium content, and the ambition we have always had, and what Brian drove for so many years, remains. It is in our DNA and we have the opportunity of extending it to Binge.”

Laing also spoke about her former colleague: “As we take Brian Walsh’s legacy of creating remarkable Australian stories into a new era, we will do this through giving people within the organisation new opportunities, many of whom were mentored and learnt from Brian, continue to work with our long-standing creative partners, and look to bring in new talent.”

Lana Greenhalgh

Foxtel Group grows Originals team

Hurbert-Burns explained two executives are getting new opportunities: The commissioning of Foxtel Originals is moving to the new head of scripted Lana Greenhalgh who has been with Foxtel for eight years. “She was mentored by both Brian Walsh and [former Foxtel head of drama] Penny Win over the years. Lana started in talent management and has literally worked her way through every level of the producing process.

“We also have Howard Myers who will now be head of unscripted which includes projects like FBoy Island and The Real Housewives of Sydney and you will start to see more Binge unscripted originals.

“We are really now looking for content that works for both platforms and we will continue to take risks and push the boundaries with what we want to do with Binge.”

Foxtel is also hiring a new development executive and network EP for unscripted.

The group will also continue to partner with long-standing production, commissioning and talent management partners including Warner Bros (Love Me, The Twelve), Easy Tiger (The Twelve, Colin from Accounts), Made Up Stories (Strife), Matchbox (Real Housewives), Endemol Shine (Gogglebox).

Main image: [L-R] Director Ben Young, actor Luke Pegler, Foxtel’s Alison Hurbert-Burns, WA Minister David Templeman, actors Fayssal Bazzi and  Tasma Walton and Screenwest CEO Rikki Lea Bestall. Photo for Binge by David Dare Parker

Slingshot was launched 14 years ago off the back of the global financial crisis with just three people and Sony Entertainment as the foundation client.

Since then, the independent media agency has grown leaps and bounds in terms of personnel and clients. It was also recently named one of the Best Places to Work in 2023 by WRK+ for the third year running.

Simon Rutherford, CEO of Slingshot, spoke to Mediaweek about its commitment to propelling brands and people, launching a creative strategy and content division, and why the agency recently joined the IMAA.

Rutherford on leading Slingshot and the businesses growth

Rutherford said that as a specialist agency, 90% of its customers are in the home and lifestyle categories, which is a cluster their focus is on.

“It’s crucial to have a truly deep and intimate knowledge of a category to be able to win within it. Our focus and expertise make us natives, not tourists, which helps our clients win.

“We take a very people-first approach to our business. Proof of that is the fact that we have appeared in the top 20 Best Places to Work three years running. We now have a team of 50 people and some of the most talented individuals available in this market,” he said.

See also: KOJO, The Works, part of Capgemini and Slingshot make the WRK+ list of Best Places to Work in 2023
 
As CEO, Rutherford oversees several elements of the business, from the vision and plans to trend hunting and ensuring the agency stays relevant and sustainable. He also has a hand in building their team and culture and holding the team accountable for delivering on plans.
 
“How we integrate AI safely and responsibly into our business is high on my priority list,” he added.

Simon Rutherford

Slingshot on its commitment to its brands and people

Rutherford explained that Slingshot is committed to propelling its clients and staff further faster. He shared that the agency believes it is their role to make their clients successful and, if possible, “even a little bit famous”.

Another element differentiating them is being certified Best Places to Work for the past three years, which Rutherford highlighted: “arguably the worst three years when it comes to retaining, let alone keeping happy, staff.”

“We have moved from 19th position in 2021 to 8th position in 2023, and we are incredibly proud of that.

“Anyone will tell you…happy people do great work,” he said.

Rutherford noted additional key points of difference: the agency’s owners still being actively involved in the business, which he said clients appreciated.

“They are also very committed to passing on their media and creative wisdom to the next generation,” he added.

Rutherford concluded by noting that Slingshot lives out their values in the work they produce. He said: “The values at Slingshot aren’t a generic set of words that are laminated on a wall that no one ever talks about.

“They are front and centre, referenced in every element and level of the business; they are in our blood and DNA, not on walls.”

In terms of specialises, Slingshot excels in various categories, from media and creative strategy to audience intelligence, digital planning, implementation, and investment. The agency also specialises in buying, optimising, and reporting across all media channels, including SEO and SEM services.

Slingshot also launched onesmoothstone, its creative strategy and content division, to which Rutherford quipped that a “Slingshot is more effective with a stone.”

“Clients are benefiting from better performance, greater cost efficiency and faster reaction time between creative and media by closing the loop in one agency,” Rutherford said.

Slingshot’s growing client portfolio and navigating the last few years 

In addition to Sony as their foundation client for the last 14 years, Slingshot counts BlueScope Steel as one of its longer-term clients, having been with the agency for over a decade.

Slingshot’s recent wins include Pacific Smiles Group (media and creative), Capilano Manuka (creative, brand and content strategy), and Inspirations Paint (content strategy and digital planning/buying). The agency also won the media strategy, planning, and buying account for Standards Australia.

In reflecting on the agency’s recent performance, Rutherford called 2021 and 2022 the agency’s best two years. However, he described the first half of 2023 as more challenging following client de-merger and another consolidation.

“However, we’re building nicely and have some great momentum and energy in the business,” he optimistically added.

Growth and differentiation in the new financial year

In keeping with the optimistic outlook, Rutherford noted that the new financial year was about growth and differentiating itself. 

“Hiring and putting Jane Waterhouse into managing director is a move that we know will allow us to be a strong creative media agency, not a media agency with a creative department.

Rutherford highlighted the launch of onesmoothstone and the addition of the new role of head of product and analytics gives the agency a focus on innovation and breakthrough offerings.

“We have reinvented our very successful ‘Inspiration Series’, which we have kept a secret for our select clients. We know how valuable they are, so that is probably another change; we are going to be a littler less humble this year,” he said.

“We will be raising our voice more. Recently joining the IMAA is the start of that,” Rutherford added.

Raising their voice with the IMAA

Slingshot is a recent addition to the IMAA in July of 2023. While it is very early for the agency, Rutherford noted that they are still getting their head around all the benefits but are looking forward to being part of it.

“We already provide a huge amount of training and initiatives, but becoming a member of the IMAA will help us further supplement this,” he said.

“It will give us the ability to contribute back into the Indie community, build our agency network both in Australia and internationally, and open up opportunities for our people to access dedicated Media Owner events, training and networking opportunities,” Rutherford added.

–

Top image: Simon Rutherford

Are Media announced the launch of contentshop.com.au, a library with hundreds of thousands of images produced by Australia’s best magazine editors, art directors and stylists. 

The library draws on Are Media’s market-leading brands, including The Australian Women’s Weekly, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Country Style, Belle, Australian House & Garden, Inside Out, Home Beautiful, Better Homes & Gardens and more. 

With the launch of contentshop.com.au, marketers, creative directors, designers, PR agencies, social media managers, and other publishers will, for the first time, have access to Are Media’s most beautiful images across the food, home, interiors, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle categories.

Joe Revill, Are Media head of ePublishing and Syndication, spoke to Mediaweek about launching the platform to the creative community, what to expect from the library and what the new venture means for its business

Revill on why Are Media launching contentshop.com.au

Revill said he was extremely excited for the project to be launched and out there for the creative community to use. He explained that Are Media saw a need for creators and creatives in the media industry to have access to their content.

“We have this amazing archive of content produced, created, and touched by our editorial team – the best in the business in terms of magazine, creatives, photographers, designers, editors – that hadn’t been readily available to other parties.

“We realised we have something very different that can stand apart from those other, more standard stock libraries. We could bring that to the industry and to designers out there who can get their hands on an image that is professionally put together and styled just from the pages of the magazines,” he said.

Revill noted that the project was in the works for a good couple of years. He said: “We wanted to make sure that we were selecting the best content for images for people to be able to licence and ensure this filled that gap and was easy to use for our customers.”

Joe Revill

Contentshop.com.au as a new revenue stream for Are Media

Revill acknowledged that the platform is a new revenue stream for Are Media but also streamlines the conversation and process of licensing an image.

“It is a new revenue stream. As a company, we are evolving into an omni-channel business. So, this is just another string in the bow to help us reach that journey,” he added.

Revill explained that in the past, if someone had reached out to them requesting to want to license an image, it was possible but involved a very long conversation.

“The fact that we now have something that external users can choose an image, and with literally a couple of clicks and a credit card, they can download the high res and work with it in their project,” he said of the platform.

Revill noted that the image comes with all the metadata that provides the photographer, which magazine it appeared in, and all the keywords.

What creatives and content creators can expect on contentshop.com.au

Creatives and content creators accessing the platform can find archived and new images from their wide range of publications, such as food, homes, lifestyle, and travel. The curated library is updated with a selection of new photos from the pages of their magazines.

“We’re not saying we are the ultimate library for every category. We’re very much playing to our strengths and licencing that content that you would know and love for and have been for so many years. From Australian Women’s Weekly, Better Homes and Gardens, Australian House and Garden will be available for our lovely creative community,” he said.

The library currently has 200,000 images and is growing. Revill said: “Every time a magazine goes out, more images will come in.

“The library will keep growing and growing and growing, and it’s just a small part of curated images from our overall library. The overall system that we have is talking millions and millions of assets there,” he added.

Revill added: “What we’ve done is taken a lot of the heavy lifting out of the creative process from the retouching and the styling. That’s all done.

“It’s more than stock. We all need those stock image libraries, and they’re super important to the industry. But contentshop.com.au stands alone, and it’s had that extra bit of work done.

Why the platform is only available to Australia and New Zealand

Revill noted that the ultimate dream for contentshop.com.au would be “world domination.” Are Media’s plans to stick to providing accessibility to creative agencies, PR agencies, design houses, creative sole traders or people building ad sales decks in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

“That’s not to say we won’t open up contentshop.com.au outside of those territories. I think for now, we wanted to give our community the first look at this,” he said

Revill also noted that the content will be very Australian-centric, particularly with home, lifestyle and good – highlighting the summer Christmas as a festivity people in England would not relate to.

“If the demand is there, we’ll look into it,” Revill added.

–

Top image: Joe Revill

Earlier this year, News Corp Australia announced the launch of The Growth D_Stillery, a dedicated research and intelligence service offering consumer insights to help marketers navigate brand challenges, anticipate consumer trends and understand where best to invest.

See Also: Behind The Growth D_Stillery: News Corp’s newest research and intelligence offering

The Growth D_Stillery amplifies key research insights on trade marketing platforms, and on News Corp Australia channels. As a part of its release into market, the platform has launched a series of vodcasts hosted by News Corp Australia’s director, Growth Intelligence Centre Dan Krigstein, with guests from all corners of the marketing world. 

The most recent lot of Growth D_Stillery vodcasts were recorded at Sydney’s Luna Park as part of the 2023 Advertising Week conference, and Mediaweek was on the ground to catch up with those recording episodes. 

This week, Mediaweek spoke with Julie Uhrman, founder, CEO, and president of Angel City Football.

Joining the D_Stillery Vodacst was an easy decision for Uhrman, who doesn’t need much convincing to chat about Angel City and the impact of women’s sports.

“I always take the opportunity to talk about Angel City Football Club and the growth of women’s sports, because if you don’t talk about it, it’s not going to grow. I think we’ve approached women’s sports and women’s football in a unique way, where the success we’re seeing isn’t unique to us, and so we want to share the playbook so others can follow it. It’s super exciting to be part of AdWeek, and it was a pleasure to be asked.”

Chatting at Advertising Week APAC, Uhrman says that being invited to an event halfway across the world makes the team feel like they’ve “made it.”

“The goal with Angel City Football Club is to become a global brand so we can drive the greatest amount of attention and awareness, which ultimately can drive revenue and impact, and help achieve our goal of gender equity. Being recognised at AdWeek in Australia, for the work that we’re doing in Los Angeles, in the United States says that we’re doing something right.”

Advertising Week APAC coincided with the 2023 Women’s World Cup, meaning it was an exciting time for the Angel City team to be visiting Australia. As the entire country got behind the Matildas, Uhrman says that the support isn’t going anywhere soon. 

“The 2019 Women’s World Cup hit a peak – from viewership, to ticket sales, to even merch sales – and there wasn’t a fall off from that. 

“We’re seeing it again in the Women’s World Cup in 2023. What you’re starting to see is that this is not a blip, this is not a moment, this is not an anomaly. This is a movement where people watch, invest, and attend women’s sporting events. If you’re a brand, you should be supporting it in a pretty significant way.”

For brands, Uhrman says that there is no better time for marketers to back the “highest growth trajectory industry there is today.”

“If you’re a brand, you can buy in for a fraction of the men’s price – which is not to say that it’s inexpensive, but relatively speaking, it is a discount to what you spend for a similar asset with a men’s club. You’re getting a greater share of voice because there are fewer brands supporting women’s sports. Then there’s a brand halo of this positive equity associated with women’s sports, being on the right side of history, valuing something that the world is saying needs value.

“Investing in women’s sports, or women’s football today, I believe is a much higher return possibility than any other sport.”

Ultimately, Uhrman says that she hopes that people who listen to her Growth D_Stillery episode come away feeling positive about the future of women’s football.

“I really want people to believe that there’s a huge upside to women’s sports. It’s not a charity and the buy-in is not low – you can buy in for the right value. But there’s real value in the product these women put on the pitch.

“It is continuing to grow, and I want advertisers to see that this is an industry that is deserving of dollars.”

–

Top Image: Julie Uhrman

By Neill Pitt, Kargo APAC Sales Director

Banner ads come in standard sizes, and while that makes it easy for advertisers and publishers to run millions of them, it also makes it easy for people to tune them out. Ad fatigue is a common problem around the world that has plagued advertisers for years. The prevalence of longer video ads in Asia several years ago resulted in many people looking to skip them.  A recent study in Vietnam showed that 43% of people surveyed find ads annoying.

To fight ad fatigue and gain audience attention, advertisers must rethink their creative approach. If audiences ignore standard IAB display units and video ads, then advertisers must try new ad formats and creative designs in order to gain attention.

Crafting More Engaging Display Creatives

High impact display ad formats are one effective way to get attention from viewers who are scrolling a social media feed, in an app or reading an article on a website. A study from Lumen found that high impact ads get 2x to 4x more attention than standard banners.

Kargo has researched the benefit of using unique creative formats and has found that they can help advertisers “cut through the clutter.” These formats follow a number of important principles that have been proven to create a more engaging experience:

• Made to measure ads: Design creatives to fit the specific screen, such as the mobile screen, so that a viewer is completely immersed in the ad experience. Rather than using a small banner that is hard to read, Kargo offers units that “bleed” to the edge of the mobile screen.
• Design for engagement: Advertisers will capture more attention if they incorporate elements like audio and video into a display ad so that it stands out amongst standard banners
• Pop out and animate: Viewers will notice unique smaller ads that sit outside of a typical page template, such as a small overlay ad that features a product or small image. Adding movement or animation to the image will drive engagement even higher
•ª Coordinate banners on a page: To make a bigger impact, advertisers can design a “suite” of ads that all render at the same time or in a timed sequence to create a more impactful message.

Using these principles, advertisers will stand out amongst the crowd and make their display advertising work harder across key metrics such as awareness, brand recall and more. 

Making the Most of Video

Video is a growing part of digital advertising. Typically, advertisers repurpose their TV commercials for digital video placements, but this is not always the best approach. On digital, people are not “leaning back” – they are scrolling through content and skipping content. Not only that, they have a very short attention span. Believe it or not, humans officially have a shorter attention span than goldfish—8 seconds vs a fish’s 9 seconds.

This can translate to very low video completion rates. Even in Asia. While Asia has the highest advertising video completion rates of any region in the world, they are still at only 34%, which means that two thirds of video ads are not watched to the end.

To ensure that a creative is engaging, brands must focus on those important first few seconds. Facebook’s study notes a few best practices to design ads that have a high impact in the important first couple seconds. For example, making sure that the product is in view right away. A study by Kantar shows that digital and TV ads in Southeast Asia must be “distinctive and meaningfully different” in order to succeed. Advertisers should be sure to also include mobile in their plans, as it is the fastest growth channel for APAC. 

Use Attention Metrics to Get Better Performance

The IAB Australia has found that advertisers are trying to find new ways to reach audiences effectively. We have discussed that one way is to focus on ads that drive attention. To do that, advertisers need to be able to measure attention. While viewability is a popular measurement metric, it does not go far enough to help advertisers understand if their ad is making an impact.

For example, a video advertisement is considered “in view” if 50% of it is on the screen for at least two seconds. Attention, on the other hand, will provide a deeper understanding of how long and how much of the video ad was actually watched by the audience.

Kargo has not only designed a suite of creatives that deliver higher levels of attention, the company has also embraced attention metrics to help advertisers better understand the benefits of using unique creative formats. With the average person seeing thousands of ads per day, making an impact makes a big difference. Brands should not only test new creative approaches, but also new measurement approaches to cut through the clutter with their audience.

Walkley Award winner and outgoing 3AW Mornings announcer Neil Mitchell has delved into the debate surrounding the Ampol sponsorship of the Walkleys.

The Walkley Awards were launched in 1956 by Ampol Petroleum founder Sir William Gaston Walkley, after a partnership with the Australian Journalists’ Association. Over the weekend, the board of the Awards issued a statement formally apologising for racist comments that Walkley made in a column for The Sydney Morning Herald in 1961, and announced a revised sponsorship policy.

With several Australian media personalities announcing their intent to either withdraw their entry or avoid entering the 2023 Awards in protest, Mitchell made it clear to 3AW listeners on Monday that he would not be one of them.

“I’ve got a Walkley award for radio journalism. I’m very proud of it, and I’m annoyed by any suggestion I should give it back because Ampol is a sponsor and because the man who founded the Walkleys is being cancelled,” Mitchell said. 

“His name was William Walkley, he founded Ampol – which, by the way, is now evil because it uses fossil fuels. He also wrote a piece in 1961 advocating a White Australia policy – it would be fair to say strongly advocated for it – and he was wrong.”

Recounting his time on the judging panel, Mitchell also pointed out that the sponsors of the awards were not a consideration when it came to naming the winners.

“Yes, I’m proud of my Walkley Award, and I’m proud of the time I spent on the judging panel for the Walkleys. We put a lot of effort into that and not once did we feel compromised or the evil of any of the sponsors. Not once did the passings of a different era visit us. The Walkleys have done a lot for excellence in journalism, and now I guess they’re showing journalism has lost the plot.”

Finishing on a prediction of where things may head, Mitchell said “I’m immensely proud to have been awarded the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year. I worked with Graham Perkin, he was one of the greatest journalists in the history of this country. They might cancel him next – not for racism, but his unerring ability and the strength with which he called out crap.”

On Friday, Neil Mitchell announced that he would be stepping down from 3AW Mornings, to pursue other roles with the Nine Network. His final day on air will be Friday December 1, with Tom Elliott named as his successor.

As Australians prepare to vote on an Indigenous voice to parliament, AAP FactCheck and Google News Lab are collaborating to give Indigenous publications free, fact-based journalism addressing referendum falsehoods.

Publications aimed at Indigenous audiences are among those to benefit from fully-subsidised access to AAP FactCheck’s debunk articles and accompanying images throughout the lead-up to the historic referendum.

The project, which incorporates the work of Indigenous journalists, is the latest collaboration between Google and AAP FactCheck aimed at supporting diverse media and democratic processes.

It builds on the success of last year’s six-month project in which AAP FactCheck articles were translated into three different languages and provided free to dozens of relevant media ahead of the federal election.

“Ensuring people have accurate information on which to base their decisions is a fundamental concern for AAP FactCheck. In the lead up to a major electoral event like the voice referendum, this work takes on even greater significance,” AAP director of editorial partnerships Holly Nott said.

“Our project with Google allows us to include Indigenous fact-checkers, support Indigenous audiences via the publications that serve their communities, and expand the reach and potential impact of our work more generally.”

AAP FactCheck is an editorial unit of the national newswire, Australian Associated Press. It has been debunking misinformation and disinformation in Australia since 2019.

Google News Lab lead Uma Patel said: “As Australians head to the polls, quality and accurate information is essential – we know that national votes are a flash point for misinformation.

“Our partnership with AAP FactCheck is deliberately designed to support the news ecosystem, including First Nations journalists, with a powerful new way to address misinformation about the vote through the fact checks it will produce and distribute” she said.

See also: YES campaign secures ‘You’re the Voice’: John Farnham classic helping to change history

IAB Australia and Pureprofile have found that Australian consumer online retail spending has stabilised after significant growth in peak pandemic years, according to its newly released Australian Ecommerce Report 2023.

It found that 67% of consumers reported convenience is still the number one reason for purchasing online, however with recent rises in the costs of living, the report also found consumers are increasingly focusing on discounts, loyalty programs and seeking price comparisons to minimise unexpected price increases when they shop online.  

According to the IAB report, retailers must look to win over cost-of-living pressured online shoppers by ramping up value propositions and providing relevant shopping experiences that are suited to the current economic climate.

Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia, said: “Australian consumers are increasingly enjoying a mix of online and in-store shopping, but its clear retailers face a new set of challenges with shoppers who are price sensitive seeking value for money in their brand choice.  We know that constant discounting and undercutting competitors is not a long-term strategy, but retailers will need to consider how to offer a clearly articulated value exchange for consumers.”

Martin Filz, CEO of Pureprofile, said: “Pandemic behaviour shifts have become sustained habits for consumers with personalisation and relevance now the expectation, along with increased convenience and faster delivery. However, it’s good news for retailers with online retail holding stable as consumers maintain the same frequency of purchase as a year ago, even if they are more cautious.”

According to the IAB report, loyalty programs are providing increasingly important with 62% of online shoppers increasing their usage as they look to enhance their shopping experience while saving money.
 
Nine in 10 online shoppers remain signed up to at least one shopper rewards program with 44% of those signed up to a rewards programs have 4 or more cards. Half (52%) of online shoppers pay a fee to subscribe to a retail loyalty program such as Amazon Prime, eBay Plus, Wesfarmers OnePass, Woolworths Delivery Unlimited or Costco Membership.
 
The IAB report found that while these loyalty programs are providing retailers with rich behavioural data, trust, transparency, and a clearly articulated value exchange with benefits delivered to consumers is key to underpinning successful retail marketing. Concern with how retailers use shopper data increased over the last year with 60% reporting some level of concern about how data collected via loyalty cards (up from 51% in 2022) and 60% concerned about data collected via transactions (up from 55% in 2022).
 
For consumers subscribing to product delivery services such as meal preparation kits there has been an increase in the number of people indicating that a key reason for their patronage is related to price assurance and knowing how much the product will cost (up from 35% to 45%) which plays an important role in budget planning and management.
 
Key learnings for retailers include:

 
Additional data points include:

This weekend, the Australian box office made $11,492,899, down 4% from last week’s $11,952,098. Sony’s Denzel Washington-led action-thriller The Equalizer 3 took top spot thanks to a franchise high opening weekend, bringing in $3.35 million in Australia. Globally, the film’s debut collected $US60.6 million.

Whilst Warner Bro‘s Barbie has slipped to second place, it’s still a major milestone week for the film. Having grossed $US1,342,401,000 globally, the movie has become the highest-grossing film to be released by Warner Bros., overtaking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($1.342 billion) globally. It’s also being predicted to become the highest-grossing film of the year, which is currently held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.359 billion).

Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer stays steady in third place this week, while Sound of Freedom slips from second to fourth.

Debuting in the top five this week is Magnum’s No More Bets, which tells the story of Programmer Pan Sheng and model Anna who were attracted by an overseas recruitment ad and went abroad to find wealth – but a scam sees them ending up working in a factory.

Falling out of the top five this weekend were Piece Of Magic Entertainmen’s André Rieu 2023 Maastricht Concert: Love is All Around and Forum Distribution’s Mastaney.

#1. The Equalizer 3 – $3,354,164

Finally knocking Barbie off the top spot after six weeks, the final film in the Equalizer series has debuted with the biggest opening weekend for the franchise. Averaging $8,024 over 418 screens, the Denzel Washington-led film has earned a massive 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

#2. Barbie – $1,560,883

Barbie’s reign at #1 has come to an end, dipping to second spot with a $1,560,883 weekend gross. Averaging $3,864 over 404 screens, the film has made a whopping $81,772,851 in Australia. 

#3. Oppenheimer – $1,142,081

The last to crack the million mark this week, Oppenheimer tells the story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his work on the Manhattan Project. The film grossed $1,142,081 this week and averaged $4,064 over 281 screens, staying steady at third.

#4. Sound of Freedom – $878,674

After rescuing a boy from child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to search for her in the Colombian jungle. The film grossed $878,674, averaging $2,919 over 301 screens, dipping to fourth in its second week.

#5. No More Bets – $720,912

Chinese crime thriller No More Bets is based on tens of thousands of real fraud cases, and the inside story of the industry chain of overseas cyber fraud. Averaging a whopping $15,019 over 48 screens, the film debuts to fifth place.

Unilever Australia and New Zealand has announced it has appointed Mindshare as its media agency.

A spokesperson from Unilever Australia and New Zealand said in a statement: “After a comprehensive tender process, Unilever Australia and New Zealand has appointed Mindshare as its media agency, effective January 2024.

“The tender was part of a periodic global review of Unilever’s media agencies in many markets to ensure best in class media agency partnerships.”

Mindshare had held the $40million account before it moved to Omnicom’s PHD in 2015.

Unilever Australia and New Zealand is home to FMCG brands such as Dove, Omo, Rexona, Streets, Sunsilk and Vaseline.

The GroupM agency’s win aligns with its “Good Growth” proposition with Unilever’s purpose-driven approach.

Mindshare’s “Good Growth” brand position centres around delivering sustainable and responsible growth for its clients, with consideration for people and the planet. It focuses on driving innovation, creating meaningful connections with consumers, and optimising intentional media investment to achieve long-term success.
 
Mindshare Australia‘s milestone win also closely marks the one year anniversary of Maria Grivas as CEO of Mindshare.

Grivas stepped into the role after Katie Rigg-Smith was promoted to chief strategy officer of WPP Australia & New Zealand, after 23 years with Mindshare last year.

Mindshare manages close to $400m in media investment billings in the region and counts some of Australia’s biggest and most-loved brands among its clients, including nab, Foxtel, Streamotion, Tourism New Zealand, Nike, Treasury Wines Estate, IKEA and Volvo.

Initiative has been appointed to Fantastic Furniture’s media account after a competitive media review.

The media agency’s remit as the furniture company’s media agency of record will include all offline media planning & buying, including BVOD and Youtube. Incubeta, Fantastic Furniture Digital agency was not part of the review.

Initiative is charged with all national and local broadcast media planning & buying, print, outdoor, radio, press, magazines, cinema, and (BVOD).

Jo McAlister, managing director, Initiative Sydney, said her team are excited to work with Fantastic Furniture, utilising the agency’s industry-leading tools to create efficient and effective trading on behalf of the business.

McAlister said: “We are confident our strategic approach and quest to hone our craft to create brave but sustainable campaigns will deliver exceptional results for Fantastic and will ultimately enhance its brand presence, drive customer engagement and boost sales. 

“Initiative works with clients who have similar cultures and ambitions. We are fearless in our approach to delivering best-in-class outcomes; we always put our people, clients and partners front and centre in everything we do. It was clear from the start that Fantastic shares the same philosophies, so there is no doubt we will make an undeniably formidable client/agency partnership.”

Laurie Lai, chief marketing officer of Fantastic Furniture, said: “We are excited to work with a team who is uncompromising in its ambition to provide unbeatable value, smart thinking and pride in their craft, creating the highest quality client outcome possible.
 
“Initiative presented an excellent understanding of different ways to approach screens and demonstrated they have the right tools to deliver. Their team challenged our thinking from the start, developing a strategy which will ensure we get the best results from our media investment.
 
“We look forward to building a strong relationship with Initiative and feel confident our new partnership will deliver continued growth for Fantastic Furniture,” she concluded.
 
Initiative’s immediate remit is to undertake an in-depth analysis of the business to understand its unique brand identity, target audience and long-term business objectives, ensuring all media efforts are aligned with the company’s ambition and vision.
 
The agency’s work commences October 1, 2023, with the first campaign expected in market before year-end.

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Top image: Jo McAlister

Publicis Groupe’s media investment and intelligence hub, Publicis Media Exchange (PMX), has announced two key appointments to the team.

Shruthi Babu joins in the newly-created role of director of Media Insights, while Brooke Aniseko is promoted to the position of head of digital and data ANZ.

Effective immediately, Babu will be charged with building a media research capability within the PMX media intelligence team.

Babu joins the business with more than 15 years of experience in research, most recently working as director of Media Analytics and Custom Research at global information, data and market measurement firm, Nielson. Prior to this, Babu spent 12 years at Ipsos in Dubai, managing media currency data for television, radio and print and leading custom research projects for clients, agencies, and publishers.

Meanwhile, Aniseko has been promoted to her new role from her previous position as head of Performance Media and Global Partnerships ANZ at PMX. She will be responsible for setting and delivering the digital product and strategy for the business, as well as driving digital innovation and education for internal stakeholders and clients.

Aniseko has previously held two senior roles at PMX focused on strengthening the business’ performance media offering by accessing the best in technology and partnerships.

Anthony Ellis, managing director of PMX, said of the appointments: “Shruthi brings to PMX a unique skillset, having spent four years at Nielsen leading a team that delivered brand-effectiveness solutions for clients to optimise their marketing strategies and enhance brand performance. We are fortunate to have someone with her experience to further strengthen our media intelligence team.
 
“Brooke has been a pivotal member of PMX’s digital team for the past five years, and her strong relationships with our partners across technology, media and data makes her the perfect person to lead our overall digital and data offering. Her new role will see her continue to expand and evolve our digital and data products across Australia and New Zealand to ultimately help our clients continue to grow.”
 
Babu said of her new role: “I am excited to be part of the Publicis team. I look forward to bringing together diverse data sets and media research insights to provide our clients with positive business outcomes.”
 
Aniseko said of her promotion: “I am delighted to step into this new role within PMX to lead our digital strategy and continue to build on the fantastic products and solutions we’ve created to drive value for our clients.”
 
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Top image: Brooke Aniseko and Shruthi Babu

Creative technology agency, whiteGREY announces the appointment of Nerida Murphy to the newly created role of design director. 

Murphy will lead whiteGREY’s brand design offering and further elevate the level of craft within the agency.

Chad Mackenzie, chief creative officer of whiteGREY, said Murphy’s impressive background and track record of pushing the boundaries of design brings a new creative perspective to the team.

“We love Nerida’s perspective on design and her belief in how design can help tell a compelling brand story and influence customer experience. Her passion and craft are second to none, and she has already made a positive impact on the creative output. As we continue to grow and expand our creative capabilities, Nerida is poised to play a pivotal role in elevating our brand design offering as well as our creative offering as a whole.”

Murphy previously held creative leadership roles at FutureBrand Australia and at Re (M&C Saatchi). She has also led her own design business bringing an impressive level of valuable business experience and the importance of cross-team collaboration to build trusting client relationships and deliver world-class creative work, to whiteGREY.

Murphy has worked on some of Australia’s most iconic brands, including Optus where she successfully led a team of designers, writers and strategists as the brand evolved from a telco into an entertainment provider.

Murphy said of her new role: “I am extremely passionate about creating human-centred, purpose driven brand designs that connect, with deep meaning, to their audiences. Joining whiteGREY’s team was a no-brainer for me, the agency bursts with creative power and its client roster is varied and impressive… I can’t wait to see what growth in brand value and elevating customer experience we can achieve through brand design.”
 
Murphy will work across whiteGREY’s national client portfolio alongside Chad Mackenzie and the creative team.
 
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Top image: Nerida Murphy

Outbrain has promoted Yury Glikin to the newly created role of commercial director for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).

Glikin joined the open web platform in 2021 as head of sales for ANZ, and under his expanded role, will oversee the development and implementation of Outbrain’s commercial and sales strategy along with new business opportunities to accelerate revenue growth across the region.

Gilkin’s responsibilities include building new strategic partnerships, maintaining relationships with key clients and stakeholders, and managing the Outbrain ANZ sales team.

In his elevated role, Glikin will focus on building strong agency and brand investment partnerships. This shift involves elevating Outbrain’s tech stack and value proposition with agencies to provide Outbrain’s clients with an unparalleled level of service. This evolution marks a turning point for Outbrain ANZ, where strategic thinking and collaboration take precedence, guided by Glikin’s leadership.

Glikin said of his promotion: “With continued industry changes, Outbrain’s core proposition of connecting advertisers with premium audiences in contextually relevant environments is only going to become more important. Ensuring our team is set up for success to help achieve this is incredibly important, and I’m thrilled to be entrusted with guiding the ANZ team along this journey.”

Glikin will report to Amrita de la Peña, based in Singapore, who was appointed managing director APAC in May.

See also: Outbrain welcomes Amrita de la Peña as managing director of APAC
 
De la Peña said: “In just a few years at Outbrain, Yury has achieved fantastic results even amongst an unpredictable economic environment. His authentic style matched with the commitment he has for the team and our partners makes him a great fit for this new, strategic position. I’m excited to see the team scale to new heights under his guidance.”
 
Glikin has over 20 years of experience building strategic commercial partnerships and leading sales teams. Prior to joining Outbrain, he acted as Australian country manager for Fiverr and held roles at Booking.com, Nine, BizCover and HotelsCombined.com.
 
The appointment is effective immediately.
 
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Top image: Yury Glikin

The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) have launched the first Out of Home (OOH) industry-wide automated insertion order tool, OASIS (Outdoor Advertising Standardised Integration System).

The cloud-based platform was built in consultation with the Media Federation of Australia’s (MFA) Outdoor Futures Council (OFC) and OMA members, to standardise and streamline the campaign buying and verification process.

“The OMA commenced building the platform in 2022 after identifying a market need to simplify and standardise the communication between OOH media owners, agencies and verification companies. OASIS is a practical tool that can be accessed in real-time, which means that amendments are visible immediately, and by everyone, ultimately leading to greater accuracy in reporting for OOH campaigns,” said OMA CEO Elizabeth McIntyre.

Head of trading for Omnicom, John Lynch said, “We are excited by the potential of OASIS to save us time throughout the buying process of OOH. From booking to verification, having one point of reference will reduce errors and allow us to spend more time in the planning phase. Any reduction of admin and improving ease of transaction is a big win.”

OMA and MOVE general manager Kylie Green said of the process, “The building of the OASIS tool is a real achievement for our members, demonstrating what we can accomplish when we work together as an industry. We identified a pain point in the transaction process, and then explored achievable ways in which we could improve systems for media owners, media agencies, and OOH verification providers. This positions us well for the launch of MOVE 2.0 in 2024 which will be an exciting evolution of our industry to more granular audience measurement.”

In 2024 MOVE will launch its new world-first audience measurement system, providing data for over 100,000 signs nationwide, including regional. The platform is being built using mobility data from one of the largest surveys ever undertaken in Australia, by MOVE and Ipsos Australia.

VIOOH has welcomed new hires Ryan Sullivan and Mitchell Hodges in two newly created commercial roles for the Australia and New Zealand regions.

Following its launch in the Australian and New Zealand markets in 2021, the announcement comes as the global digital out-of-home (OOH) marketplace prepares to release its third annual “State of the Nation” for programmatic DOOH report for the Australian market.

The new hires, a first for VIOOH in the ANZ region, include a partnerships director and a technical solutions manager, who will both be based in Sydney and sit within the commercial team led by Gavin Wilson, global chief customer and revenue officer VIOOH.

The partnership’s director ANZ role will be held by Ryan Sullivan, who joins VIOOH from Bench Media, a leading independent programmatic media agency in Australia. As well as being one of Australia’s earliest advocates of programmatic DOOH, Sullivan brings extensive programmatic experience to VIOOH, having worked with numerous brands and agencies over the years, helping to develop their internal programmatic capabilities.

Sullivan will be responsible for taking the management of existing Media Owners forward, supporting them to transform their business through programmatic selling.

Ryan Sullivan

Mitchell Hodges joins as technical solutions manager ANZ bringing with him valuable experience from his previous role at Yahoo DSP, where he drove omnichannel campaign success and product development across prDOOH, CTV, Video, Audio and Native.

Hodges was instrumental to the recent successes in prDOOH from Tourism Tasmania and SIXT Auto Club Membership. Mitchell will provide crucial support for media owners, guiding technical implementation and spearheading revenue growth and partner education.

Wilson said: “We’re excited about the potential that programmatic digital out of home inventory can deliver to brands and media owners, and these local hires are an indication of the opportunity we see for VIOOH in the ANZ region. We’re seeing positive year-on-year growth in the region, and having resources locally on the ground will drive relationships and trust, and we fully expect revenue to be enhanced as a result.”

Mitchell Hodges

Jean-Christophe Conti, CEO at VIOOH said of the hires: “Our ambition is to change the conversation about out of home, with a platform to help accelerate transformation in outdoor advertising through automation. VIOOH offers advertisers a more flexible and impactful way to connect with audiences, and provides media owners with the opportunity to access digital budgets and new customers. With programmatic DOOH becoming more mainstream and a must-have on every media plan, I hope ANZ advertisers and media owners alike will maximise this new opportunity to thrive.”
 
VIOOH’s platform connects buyers and sellers in a premium marketplace, making OOH easily accessible. It has over 40 DSP partnership agreements globally, including live integrations in the ANZ market with CAASie, Google DV360, Hivestack, Lemma, The Trade Desk, Vistar Media and Yahoo DSP, and is the exclusive SSP for JCDecaux Australia and New Zealand, as well as offering programmatic inventory for multiple media owners including Tonic Media Network.
 
Both new hires joined VIOOH in August.
 
VIOOH will be making additional hires in Australia in the coming months to further develop the demand side and ensure operational excellence.
 
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Top image: Ryan Sullivan and Mitchell Hodges

Rolling Stone AU/NZ publisher The Brag Media has today announced that multiple ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter and actor, Troye Sivan, graces its September-November issue cover.

Sivan, whose third studio album Something to Give Each Other will be released on October 13, recently sat down with Rolling Stone AU/NZ Editor-in-Chief Poppy Reid for multiple exclusive, candid chats in West Hollywood about the album, intimacy and more.

The cover story chronicles many of the ups and downs of Sivan’s still-young career, with the 28-year-old recalling his occasionally troubled times as a child YouTuber, through to dealing with the recent controversy around US television series The Idol in which he stars as ‘Xander’.

Sivan also delves into some of the most poignant moments in his career as a musician, revealing that while making his debut album Blue Neighbourhood he came close to pulling the pin. 

Rolling Stone AU/NZ editor-in-chief, Poppy Reid, said: “The opportunity to get to know a genuine, homegrown international superstar is rare. Troye Sivan is one of them and his generous spirit was present during our entire time together — even when we discussed quite sensitive topics. 

“With our chats taking place in his new hometown of LA, we got to see Troye in his element in the lead-up to the release of what will be his most commercially successful album yet.”

Of the photoshoot, Sivan said: “I just love collaboration across everything, that’s my favourite part of the creative process whether it’s with incredible hair stylists like Charlie [Le Mindu], or a photographer like Marcus [Cooper] who I’ve worked with before, I think just finding people that you can have that back and forth. I think that’s really what I’m addicted to because now it’s happening in all these different forms for me.”

The September-November edition, with Troye Sivan on the cover, reaches subscribers and hits newsstands in Australia and New Zealand on September 4.

A celebration of Australian music will be the centrepiece of the 2023 ACRA Awards on 14 October, with four live performances and the announcement of the inaugural Australian music champion, who will receive the ‘Gudinski’ Award, named in honour of Mushroom Records founder Michael Gudinski.

This year’s ACRAs will include live performances from some of Australia’s most loved iconic and emerging artists including, the founding member of Cold Chisel Ian Moss, proud Coodjinburra man Budjerah and singer-songwriter Mia Ray. Mitch Tambo, whose performance of the anthemic “You’re the Voice” electrified the audience at the 2022 ACRA Awards, will perform again this year.

“From the 1970’s through to his passing in 2021, Michael Gudinski was at the forefront of discovering great musicians and promoting Australian talent,’ Ford Ennals CEO of CRA said.

“Australian music is at the heart of commercial radio. The industry plays 2.7 million Australian songs a year and APRA Chair Jenny Morris is presenting the 2023 Award for the most played new Australian song. We wish to thank the Gudinski family for allowing us to honour the greatest Australian music champion by naming an award after him, acknowledging those that follow.”

Around 1,000 on-air and off-air commercial radio talent will gather to Sydney from across Australia on Saturday 14 October to honour excellence in commercial radio and audio across entertainment, news, talk, and sport. The red carpet will feature the most loved commercial radio and audio personalities from across the country.

The artists performing at the 2023 ACRA Awards include: 

Ian Moss
As a founding member of Cold Chisel, the Ian Moss helped shape Australia’s rock sound. His solo career, starting with 1989’s album “Matchbook,” showcased versatility from soulful renditions to blues-infused tracks. Moss continues to captivate audiences with his distinct musicality and heartfelt stories.

Budjerah
Winner of the ARIA ‘Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist Award, Budjerah  supported Ed Sheeran in his Australian stadium tour. Budjerah’s live performances, influenced by gospel icons like Usher and Beyoncé, merge authenticity with stage presence.

Mia Ray
Originally from Noosa, Melbourne artist Mia Wray is one of Australia’s most highly acclaimed emerging artists. Her debut single ‘Work For Me’ gained widespread support including from Elton John. Mia entered the global arena in 2021 which included her debut headline show in the UK and resulted in an invite to the Great Escape Festival as part of its First 50.

Mitch Tambo
In 2019, proud Gamilaraay man Mitch Tambo gained fame with a First Nations version of “You’re the Voice” on “Australia’s Got Talent.” Merging Aboriginal sounds with modern beats, his album ‘Guurama-Li’ topped iTunes World Music charts globally. Tambo’s music and social work advocate diversity and women’s achievements. Mitch is a UNICEF ambassador and speaker and was commercial radio’s spokesperson for an Australia-wide mental health campaign in early 2023.

• The Traitors penultimate episode ends without a murder
• Have You Been Paying Attention? Brings in pint-sized quizmater

Total TV Ratings, August 28

1,264,000 watched the first night of Callbacks on The Voice, up 25% on Seven, as the coaches halved their teams from 12 to six.

There was fallout from the Work From Home Room Reveals on The Block. 1,254,000 tuned in to see Leah struggle to come to terms with being last, up 42%.

On 10, The Traitors was up 38% for a total audience of 494,000. Have You Been Paying Attention? was up 31% with 958,000 tuning in.

Overnight TV Ratings, September 4

Primetime News
Seven News 935,000 (6:00pm) / 888,000 (6:30pm)
Nine News 823,000 (6:00pm) / 858,000 (6:30pm)
ABC News 552,000
10 News First 207,000 (5:00pm)/ 139,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 151,000 (6:30pm)/ 122,000 (7:00pm)

Daily Current Affairs
A Current Affair 710,000
7.30 504,000
The Project 184,000 6:30pm / 287,000 7pm

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 227,000
Today 191,000
News Breakfast 135,000

Nine has won Monday night with a primary share of 21.5% and a network share of 28.9%. 7Two topped multichannels with a 3.1% share. 

710,000 began the night with A Current Affair. It was a fiery night on The Block as the fallout from strategic gnome-playing led to drama. 651,000 tuned in as the teams toured each other’s houses, with Ash saying that the now infamous moss wall looked like “Shrek’s pubes”. Missing Persons Investigation Unit followed, as 273,000 watched the team use new breakthrough forensic techniques to try and crack a 30-year-old mystery.

Summer Bay drew 441,000 in to begin the evening on Seven, as Marilyn feared she lost a friend on Home and Away. MKR then premiered, bringing 470,000 into the kitchen for another season. Friends Tommy and Rach were first up, with everything going well until a rogue garlic flower ruined dessert. The on-screen drama wasn’t all that people saw, with fans picking up that the MKR contestants were shopping at Woolworths. In previous years, MKR cooks would visit Coles. 

504,000 tuned in as Sarah Ferguson spoke with MP Tony Burke, and investigated more than 30 unsolved LGBTIQ hate crimes for the ABC’s 7.30. Australian Story saw Erica Packer – former wife of billionaire James Packer – tell her story about the deadly genetic mystery impacting her family for 481,000. Four Corners looked into the reality of life for women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule for 395,000, before Media Watch brought in 391,000. Q+A rounded out the evening with 181,000.

On 10, The Project (184,000 6:30pm / 287,000 7pm) looked into Peter Dutton‘s announcement that he would hold another referendum if the Voice fails, and interviewed Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda. The penultimate episode of The Traitors got dramatic as another Faithful, Gloria, was banished. 275,000 tuned in as the news that there would be no murder meant that Sam earned a target on his back. Have You Been Paying Attention? then gave 543,000 the giggles, with a particularly unique guest quizmater – 7yo golf prodigy, Zac Wolfe.

The highest rated non-news show on SBS was Finding Your Roots with 123,000.