Henry Tajer was appointed as the inaugural chief executive officer of The Influence Group earlier this year.

Working alongside founders Sharyn Smith and Howard Parry-Husbands, the trio will expand the group’s existing businesses – strategic consulting and insights business Pollinate and social influence agency Social Soup – and build its portfolio.

Tajer spoke to Mediaweek about the appeal of returning to the industry after some time off, growing the business and the future of the influencer market.

The comeback kid and The Influencer Group’s offering

After almost two years away from the industry, the CEO shared that he was very interested and excited to be exploring a different part of the industry. “It has been refreshing for me, and I’m learning a lot,” he said.

Tajer, who previously worked at Dentsu International and IPG Mediabrands, owns a significant shareholding in the marketing and strategic consulting group. He explained that he, Smith, and Parry-Husbands discussed the idea of combining the agencies’ capabilities in strategy, research insights, and influencer marketing and what that offers.

“We got excited by that, and we worked it through over the course of about a year, and now we jointly owned The Influence Group,” he said.

For Tajer, he shared that what makes The Influence Group’s offering stand out is the approach to influence and influencer marketing.

“The role of influence and influencer marketing has always been an afterthought to how marketing has been planned and executed. But when you bring people into the centre of your strategy or audience, it makes it much clearer what things they need to do to help your business.

“Having Pollinate capabilities enables us to go in and understand a client’s situation and speak to their customers, partners and key stakeholders, and put that in the context of the macro, and that’s what we’re calling an Influence Audit,” he added.

“That will enable us to go to an organisation and help them understand the real influences at their disposal that will give them a change in their business, whether that’s growth, a perception shift, or to get into a different sector,” Tajer explained.

The CEO shared The Influence Group’s plan for developing an influencer marketing campaign fully integrated across all tiers of influencers – from mega to nano influencers.

Tajer noted that The Influence Group will help clients navigate the best way to design an influence-based campaign as it allows them to use audiences to reach audiences.

“We’re seeing influencer marketing becoming more important and relevant to clients as they start to engage more on a one-on-one basis. Having a broader customer strategy of pivoting to one on one is supported well within an influencer space because it’s fully identified,” he said.

“The platforms have developed the protocol… and are getting much better at governing that and putting guidelines and regulations. That’s why we’re excited; it’s really starting to become a real option for almost all businesses to work with,” he added.

Understanding influence and what The Influence Group hopes to do with it

While influencers may persuade our thoughts and tastes on things, Tajer noted that influence is far more wide-reaching, and that everyone is prone to influence one way or another.

“It’s pretty ubiquitous and quite lateral in society in different ways and for different reasons. Everyone has influence, but it’s how that influence is used or how that person understands their own influence and uses it that really makes the difference,” he pointed out.

“They’re the nuances that we’re dealing with, and depending on the subject matter or the area of society, it’s a bit of a kaleidoscope,” he added.

The CEO said that The Influence Group has a great opportunity to work with many companies and stakeholders in the industry to help them understand what influences they can leverage for good, ethical, and sustainable channels.

“We need to understand what’s really influencing Australians and people in other parts of the world. We do our own work to understand the key influences on the population at the moment. That becomes our canvas for everything we’re advising our clients to do,” he said.

Tajer noted that in the last 12 months, analyses of society’s psyche have shifted from health, due to Covid, to cost of living. “That’s a small example of how and why we’ve been using influence as a bit of a currency or navigation for companies to think about how they market and what they do,” he explained.

Building the future of influencer marketing 

Looking at influencer marketing, Tajer noted that the market has grown exponentially over the last couple of years. “That suggests to me that the role is increasingly being understood, so there’s more investment being put in it,” he said.

“I’m excited by it, as an investor in the company,” he said of the future of influencer marketing. “I felt that the industry was going to do the right things in this space. I’m confident about what this part of our industry can do and how it will do it,” Tajer added.

There are several opportunities The Influencer Group can build and expand on in the future, Tajer noted. He said there are plans to do more work with influencers managed by third-party companies or management agencies and work with tech companies.

The CEO also hinted at the potential of acquiring other businesses, likely in the years ahead. Tajer said the demand for expertise in influencer marketing and getting the right people in the business is where the company is currently focused.

“We’re growing, and we’re looking for people. We must be clever and quick on our feet in that space,” he added.

Getting into the groove for the year ahead

The CEO said The Influencer Group is focused on getting into a “good rhythm and groove” in the year ahead.

“The plan for the year ahead is getting close to our clients, helping them every way we can and continuing to grow our business at the same time, and having everyone engaged and happy,” he said.

On his part, Tajer shared that he is having fun working in a new area of the industry and added: “What’s keeping me really engaged is how much I’m learning; I haven’t been in this ‘learn mode’ for a long time.”

See also: Henry Tajer appointed as inaugural chief executive officer of The Influence Group

–

Top image: Henry Tajer 

If you’ve been waiting for a train or a bus lately, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen the very first brand campaign for the Guardian Australia as it brings you the top news stories of the day. Partnering with JCDecaux, the campaign tagline is “In the fight for progress, news needs a guardian.”

Mediaweek spoke to Guardian Australia’s director of growth, Jocelin Abbey, about launching the campaign and why they chose to partner with JCDecaux. 

The crux of the campaign comes from research conducted by YouGov, commissioned by the Guardian, about people’s perceptions of media ownership.

“We commissioned this research to really seek to understand what Australian news consumers were interested in, and whether or not they felt that media ownership influenced the type of content that was produced,” says Abbey. “The research was astoundingly clear in its response: ultimately 82% of people felt very strongly that the ownership model actually influences the types of content that’s produced. 

“With the Guardian, every single dollar that is contributed to us by our supporters goes into the journalism. It’s an incredible cycle, and one that we feel is a story that isn’t widely known in this market.”

Abbey says that now was the time to launch the Guardian’s first brand campaign for two major reasons. The first is that the industry is coming off the back of a huge influx of traffic because of Covid, and the second is because of growing disillusionment with some mainstream news outlets. 

“News avoidance is a big factor. Looking at how people consume news, the level of consumption hasn’t changed but people avoiding news is on the rise. It’s a really interesting insight, and I think goes to the heart of some of the trust issues that people have with major media. 

“That’s why we wanted to commission this research, and understand more deeply what we needed to do in order to really address that.”

To get their campaign message out into the world, the Guardian needed a helping hand. Abbey says that the team went to the market with a competitive pitch, but ultimately JCDecaux was the best fit.

“Not only did they align with our values from a decarbonisation and sustainability perspective, but they also allowed us the framework in which we could distribute our headlines directly from the newsroom without any interference. 

“That for us was a big part of why we wanted to go with JCDecaux, and they’ve been fantastic partners to date.”

For a first-ever brand campaign, the team at the Guardian Australia haven’t started small. The campaign is out and running across TV, digital, OOH, and cinema, which Abbey says gives them the best chance of connecting with people as they go about their day.

“Our job is to really try and inspire the half of Australia that aren’t aware of the Guardian – we want them not only to be somewhat connected to what we do, but to understand our ethos and why we exist. 

“The channels that we needed to hit in terms of our target audience were very clear. Our target audience over-indexes in cinema, outdoor, digital, and TV, so those were the channels we pursued partnerships in.”

The campaign is focused on some of the core editorial themes for Guardian Australia, including the fight for progress in women’s equality, Indigenous rights, and the climate crisis. Abbey says that the marketing team collaborated with the newsroom on the decision to highlight these areas. 

“These have long been editorial priority focus areas. This wasn’t a marketing call, this was an editorial decision. In terms of the actual pillars we wanted to highlight, we’ve worked hand in glove with the editorial team to help to tell the story of the newsroom and the principles that they’re built around.”

A chat with Nova’s Ben and Liam has taken a turn for Andy Lee, as he joked about how Hamish and Andy would have been cancelled in 2022. 

On the show to speak about the new season of The Hundred with Andy Lee, Ben eventually mentioned the fact that all of the old Hamish and Andy shows have now been re-released for people’s listening pleasure.

See More: Andy Lee on how the show is using The Hundred in different ways for season three

As for whether it was someone’s job to go back through all of the episodes and make sure it all aged well?

“No!” said Lee. “There are so many things that would cancel Hamish and I. I promise you – because Hamish and I do another podcast called The Remembering Project where we listen back – there are things we listen back to and go ‘nah, we’re not going to say that in this day and age.’

“Someone can trawl through and if they really want to, they can get their knives out and finish our careers.”

To make the point, Liam mentioned listening back to some of the old episodes as he drove to the studio ahead of the interview with Lee, and surprised him with audio from a 2006 show.

“Hamish has been turkey slapped on the Hamish and Andy show!” Lee can be heard laughing in the old clip.

The show had gone to air after the infamous Big Brother incident where Camilla was held down and ‘turkey slapped’, causing a PR storm for the show.

“What are we doing!” laughed Lee. “I can’t even remember doing it, I’ve blocked it out of my mind!”

Thankfully, Liam jumped in with a key piece of information.

“The context here – that I think is important – is that you used a slice of turkey to slap him in the face.”

Listen to the full interview here.

The NRL community is in mourning after the passing of former Queensland State of Origin coach and rugby league star, Paul Green, aged 49. Green spent a decade playing at the top level, finishing his playing career in 2004 and immediately moving into coaching roles for various teams, most notably leading the Cowboys to their grand final win in 2015.

Gus Worland’s emotional plea to Australians after sudden death of Paul Green

Mental health advocate Gus Worland issued an emotional plea to Australians following the sudden death of Paul Green.The 49-year-old was found dead on Thursday morning, the cause of death later revealed to be suicide.

Worland – who founded the Gotcha4Life charity – was shattered to learn of the news, and spoke to Nine’s NRL broadcast to send an urgent message to the nation.

“Seven Australian men that wake up this morning won’t wake up tomorrow morning, two women, and we have people attempting suicide at such a rapid rate,” Worland said.

“It was so sad to hear about Greeny, and I think this is a line in the sand as a sport and as a nation to say enough is enough.

[Read more]

Paul Green’s sudden death leaves Johnathan Thurston ‘absolutely devastated’

North Queensland Cowboys great Johnathan Thurston flew back home to be with his family after he was left “absolutely devastated” by the news that his former coach, Paul Green, had died aged 49.

On Channel Nine’s coverage of the Panthers-Storm game on Thursday night, Thurston, the co-captain and Clive Churchill medallist of Green’s premiership-winning Cowboys side, was absent.

Cameron Smith said he spent a few hours with Thurston on Thursday afternoon before his friend, colleague and former Maroons teammate returned home to be with his family and his beloved North Queensland community.

[Read more]

Peter Psaltis: What I’d say to my mate Paul Green if I had one more chance

It’s a sad day.

The rugby league community lost a good one with the sudden death of Paul Green. I’m still in a state of shock. There have been lots of tributes to Green, well here is mine.

Passionate, kind, loyal, competitive and a good person to have as a mate, that’s how I’d sum up Paul Green. I first saw him play in the early 90s. He was a Wynnum junior but he made his mark playing for the Easts Tigers.

[Read more]

Paul Green one of the most ‘decorated people in our game’: Mal Meninga

Kangaroos Coach and NRL Immortal Mal Meninga says NRL legend Paul Green is one of the “most decorated people in our game”.

“He played the game at the highest level and won personal accolades at that level,” Mr Meninga told Sky News Australia.

“He got the best out of people.”

[Read more]

Tributes flow: Premiership-winning coach Paul Green dies aged 49

Former Cowboys Assistant Coach John Cartwright sat next to Paul Green in the 2015 NRL Grand Final box.

He told Jim Wilson the rugby league world is in shock.

“We’re in shock, I would hate to think what they’re [Paul’s family] is going through.”

[Read more]

Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14

With agencies and media companies back in the office in force this year, Mediaweek Birdman in the Bistro columnist, and legendary Sydney diner, Greg Graham updates the Mediaweek audience with establishments that should be on their lunch list. There’s something for all budgets too.

On the Corporate Expense account for a VIP client

Mr Wong – CBD

Wow, I had forgotten how wonderful Mr Wong really is. The quality of the food and the service were outstanding. Some of the best Peking Duck I’ve had plus the dim sum was super special. My AMEX got a workout however the food and experience were worth every cent.

The dish you must try: Can’t go past the incredible Peking Duck.

6 Head – The Rocks

This premium steak house does deliver, and the signature Tomahawk was incredible. Plus, the beautiful harbourside dining room adds to a very special foodie experience.

The dish you must try: Any of the Wagyu plus the dry-aged Tomahawk.

Fun team lunch

Totti’s – Three Weeds, Rozelle

My favourite Totti’s is in Rozelle, still with the great vibe and food of the others, but it feels extra light, friendly and more neighbourhood. The famous wood-fired bread and the antipasti are standouts however the lamb ragu pasta and the josper roasted prawns with chili and lemon are downright delicious.

The dish you must try: Burrata with other antipasti and the wood-fired bread.

Mr Yip – Neutral Bay

A no-nonsense dumpling place with good food and value. Everything is fresh and made daily so the food is really delicious.

The dish you must try: Pork xiao long bao is delicious.

Brekkie Favourites

Bills – Surry Hills

Still one of my breakfast favourites hence I keep coming back. You can’t go past the two signature dishes – ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter. Yum. And the sweet corn fritters with roast tomato, spinach, bacon, and avo salsa.

Café Giulia – Chippendale

Nothing fancy, however this local café has one of the most extensive breakfast menus I’ve seen. I build my own breakfast feast with every side imaginable. The big brekky is a must.

Cheap & cheerful lunch with crew (and I’m paying for myself)

Palie – Tramsheds

Who doesn’t love meatballs and the wonderful selection is incredible? Feels like the owner’s Nona’s recipe is certainly made with love. I can’t go past the simple delicious meatballs and pasta.

The Eight – Haymarket

On a weekend this place is crazy with yum cha devotees. The selection and freshness of the delights on the trolleys are first class. Go early to avoid the queues but well worth the wait anyway.

Pick of the Day: Peaking Duck pancakes at Mr Wong 

Read previous Birdman in the Bistro columns here.

Tuesday’s heartbreaking news about Dame Olivia Newton-John saw Seven and Nine dumping their post-reality shows for hastily programmed tributes. Nine won with Grease, a TV perennial that got exactly twice the viewers of Seven’s 2018 mini-series with Delta Goodrem.

Switching over to Foxtel’s movie channels, Grease was also screening there but ad-free and in widescreen. Brilliantly, it was followed by Xanadu, and both movies were trending on Stan too.

Olivia chose Xanadu over Can’t Stop The Music. Valerie Perrine took her place, but both films were notorious box office flops, except for Australia where they became huge hits.

That’s because Olivia Newton-John (and Village People) came to Australia in 1980 to promote their films, most memorably on The Don Lane Show (Nine) and Countdown (ABC). Can’t Stop The Music is now a New Year’s Eve tradition on Nine – perhaps that should now become a double feature with Xanadu.

The rest of Olivia’s movie catalogue is harder to find. Two Of A Kind (1983) re-teamed her with John Travolta but you can’t find it anywhere. Her final movie role in The Excellent Mr Dundee (Amazon Prime) saw her teaming up with Paul Hogan in a hilarious rendition of “You’re The One That I Want”.

Olivia’s career began on Aussie TV in the 1960s on music shows like The Happy Show (Seven), The Go!! Show (10) and Sing Sing Sing (Seven). As she took over the world, Olivia guested on variety shows from Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Cliff Richard and Bob Hope.

Olivia began headlining her own variety specials from 1976, and most of them are on YouTube, apart from the one with Abba. Australia always got a mention, especially Olivia Down Under (1988). Back at home, Olivia would joyfully appear on almost every Aussie talk show and awards ceremony.

Two Aussie TV gigs are largely forgotten though. In 1994, Olivia travelled the world to host the animal doco series Wild Life (Nine). Michael Jackson (her Aussie cameraman, not the singer) spoke this week about how Olivia never complained about “bad weather, snakes or leeches – she was definitely part of our crew and did everything with us. Legend!”

Around this time, Olivia also slipped in a cameo for Aussie soap Paradise Beach (Nine). As Matt Latanzi’s character was departing the series, there was Olivia and daughter Chloe climbing the steps to an Ansett jet at Coolangatta Airport. Vale ONJ.

Read more Mercado on TV columns here.

Gold Coast Radio Ratings

GfK Survey 2, Survey Period: Period: Sun Mar 30 to Sat Apr 23 & Sun May 15 to Sat Jul 23.

UP: B105 +0.4
DOWN: Sea FM -1.9

Hot Tomato 15.1% (16.0%)

Despite dropping 0.9 points this survey, ARN’s station Hot Tomato had enough of a lead on the competition that it still retains its crown. It gained 7.4% in the 10-17 age demographic but fell 4% in the 40-54 demographic as it took a clean sweep of the #1 positions across all dayparts. 

Hot Tomato’s Breakfast show Galey, Emily Jade & Christo took a 13.3% share to reach 112,000 people, while the Drive with Moyra & Big Trev had a 17.7% share.

Hot Tomato content director Brendon “Whippy” Dangar said, “We are again super proud of the hard-working local team that keeps on delivering fun, relevant, and local content every day on the Gold Coast. Their hard work has again paid off in the number 1 results. Did someone say survey party? We did!”

90.9 Sea FM 11.3% (13.2%)

SCA’s Sea FM fell 1.9 points for an 11.3% share. The station fell 12.7% in the 10-17 demographic but still remained in the #2 spot. The Drive with Carrie and Tommy performed best with a 15.8% share.

SCA general manager – Gold Coast, Rod Hockey, said, “It’s a great result today, with one in three people – the largest audience on the Gold Coast – tuning into our SCA stations every week. I’d like to congratulate our teams at 90.9 Sea FM and 92.5 Triple M for continuing to entertain, inform and inspire their listeners every day. A fantastic job all round.”

Triple M 92.5 10.4% (10.9%)

Triple M fell by 0.5% this survey, but grew by 3.8% in the evening session. The station gained one point in the 18-24 demographic, but fell by 6.4% in the 55-64 demographic. Triple M Breakfast with Flan, Ali and Spida had an 11% share.

Nova 106.9 2.4% (2.6%)

Nova’s station fell 0.2% this survey but had the biggest success in the 40-54 demographic, with a 5.5% share, a rise of 1.8% from last survey. The Drive yielded the best results with a 3% share, despite falling by 0.7%.

Triple M 104.5 2.2% (2.0%)

Gaining 0.2 points this survey, Triple M performed best in the 40-54 demographic with a 5.3% share, which is a gain of 1.6% from last survey.

4BC Brisbane 1.2% (1.7%)

Nine’s 4BC fell 0.5 points in this survey, performing best in the morning slot with a 2.0% share. The network took a 3.2% share in the 55-64 demographic.

97.3FM 1.4% (1.2%)

ARN’s 97.3 Brisbane rose 0.2 points for a total of 1.4%. The network was most popular among the 55-64 demographic with a 4.8% share. The afternoon, morning and breakfast sessions had the highest ratings with 1.5%

B105 1.0% (0.6%)

The Brisbane Hit Network enjoyed a 0.4% this gain this survey, performing best in the afternoon with a 1.3% share.

4BH Brisbane 0.3% (0.2%)

The station rose 0.1% this survey to take a 0.3% share. The morning show did best with 0.5%.

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ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia has more than double the global benchmark for conversion rates in advertising effectiveness, according to the latest results from the Q2 Podsights Benchmark Australian Report.

The report examines data gathered from April 2021 – June 2022. Key findings from the benchmark report and additional analysis include:

• The conversion rate, which is the percentage of listeners exposed to an ad who then visit a brand’s website or app, on ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia is 2.40%, compared with the Podsights global average of 1.17%.
• iHeartPodcast Network’s advertising conversion rates continue to be higher than social and digital channels, including Google Search, Facebook, Twitter and more
• Advertisers continue to use premium real estate in podcasts, with 93% of podcast advertising campaigns utilising either the pre or mid-roll.
• iHeartPodcast Network Australia recorded 5.26 million listeners in June 2022, resulting in 24.4 million downloads equating to an average of 4.6 downloads per listener.

Podsights brings the tools of digital reporting and attribution to podcasts, enabling clients to monitor and measure the effectiveness of podcast advertising in real-time using a specialised dashboard. These capabilities are included in every iHeartPodcast Network Australia campaign.

Corey Layton, ARN’s head of digital audio, said: “The latest Podsights Benchmark report again showcases the power of podcasts, with Australians following through on Podcast call to actions twice as much as the rest of the world.

“Our talent’s colloquial delivery of advertiser messaging continues to perform well above other social and digital channels,” he added.

In May, iHeartPodcast Network has revealed Australian podcast advertising grew by 52% year on year. 

See also: iHeartPodcast reveals advertising spend grew 52% in first quarter

The data from Magellan AI has revealed the top 15 brands advertising in Q1 across the entire Australian podcast landscape.

Using artificial intelligence technology, the report is based on analysing thousands of episodes from 400+ of Australia’s most popular podcasts for Q1 2022 to determine which brands are advertising in the rapidly growing medium. 

Overall, spending on Australian podcast advertising grew by 52% year on year. Investment into key genres has also rapidly increased across the entire podcast landscape from 2021 to 2022.

Advertising in the Sports genre has increased by 202% with News up 125% and Comedy also increasing 117%.

Google’s proposed acquisition of cybersecurity consulting service Mandiant will not be opposed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said: “Our investigation concluded that Google and Mandiant are not competitors in the supply of cybersecurity products and that this acquisition was not likely to substantially lessen competition.

“Our investigation found that there are a number of alternative suppliers of cybersecurity and cloud platform products.

“We found the acquisition was unlikely to give Google the incentive and ability to foreclose competitors in cloud platform or cybersecurity services due to the existence of alternative suppliers,” she added.

In reaching this view, the ACCC consulted with customers and competitors of Google and Mandiant.

Google announced its intention to acquire all of the issued shares in Mandiant, Inc. on March 7, 2022. The tech company is known for supplying software and internet-based products globally and in Australia.

Meanwhile, Mandiant provides cybersecurity consulting services and other internet security products such as software and managed services globally and in Australia. Both companies are listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange.

In considering the proposed acquisition, the ACCC applied the legal test set out in section 50 of the Competition and Consumer Act.

Section 50 prohibits acquisitions that would have the effect, or be likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition in any market.

In other Google news, the tech giant recently announced it will be delaying the phasing out of third-party cookies until the second half of 2024.

See also: Google delays the phasing out of cookies to 2024

Google’s vice president of Privacy Sandbox, Anthony Chavez, said in a blog post that over the past several months developers have tested a number of trial versions of new Privacy Sandbox APIs in Chrome as part of the Privacy Sandbox initiative.

 “As developers adopt these APIs, we now intend to begin phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome in the second half of 2024,” he added.

In 2021, the tech giant said it would phase out the use of cookies by early 2022. It was then announced it mid-2021 that it had been delayed to 2023, as reported by CNBC.

HERO has appointed Souad Saied as managing director of Sydney.

Saied joins the independent agency after five years at Jack Morton Worldwide, based in Singapore. Her last role was as head of growth, and during her time with the company, she built strategically-driven creative solutions and cultivated relationships with major clients, including Meta, ANZ Bank and Cartier.

The newly appointed managing director said of her new role: “Creativity is critical to progress and innovation, and so I couldn’t be more excited to be part of a business that puts this at the forefront of how it works and what it delivers for its clients.

“HERO’s borderless and integrated approach is already proving to deliver incredible results, and I’m delighted to join the growing team to help bring this proposition to more brands in Australia,” Saied said.

“This new opportunity allows me to take a lead role in shaping new and existing relationships to ensure our partners are maximising the capabilities in the agency, whilst also championing continuous improvement through a commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging,” she added.

James Greet, HERO chief operating officer, said: “As we seek to continue to grow HERO in Sydney it’s awesome to be able to welcome in a talented and progressive leader such as Souad.

“She’s got a fabulous track record in working with modern progressive clients and brands at nurturing and growing client relationships. Her keen ability to help clients find creative and practical solutions to drive growth has seen her frequently take new clients from prospects to major accounts of scale – literally from zeroes to heroes – in under 12 months.

“Then when she’s not thinking up game-changing strategic solutions for clients Souad puts her energy into championing inclusive leadership. Her passion for driving inclusivity in the workplace is truly inspiring,” he said.

“From advocating and implementing the adoption of mentally healthy work practices to mentoring underrepresented creatives and being part of Rare with Google’s Leadership Academy to empower the diverse leaders of the future.

“With a knack for exceeding demanding targets and her dedication to nurturing emerging talent, Souad is a huge win for HERO’s clients and our growing Sydney team,” Greet added.

Ben Coulson, HERO chief creative officer, said: “Souad’s appointment marks an exciting expansion of Sydney’s leadership team and will further amplify the agency’s ability to deliver borderless creativity for all our clients.”

This comes after the appointment of Trudi Sampola as national head of people of HERO, back in March.

See also: Trudi Sampola appointed as national head of people of Hero

–

Top image: Souad Saied

The Royals has appointed Graham Sweet as head of strategy, Sydney.

Sweet joins the independent creative agency from Clemenger BBDO where he was the head of brand planning.

The newly appointed head of strategy brings close to two decades of experience to the role. He has previously held positions at Saatchi & Saatchi, We Are Social and DDB Australia.

Sweet takes over the role from Tom Donald, who recently left the agency and moved to Lion in a client-side role as creative strategy lead.

Before his career in Australia, Sweet led strategic function at South African branding consultancies, The Brand Union. He has worked across a wide range of categories, from beer to banking, with equally diverse geographies.

The Royals managing partner Dan Beaumont said of Sweet’s appointment: “Graham has an unwavering passion for inventive strategy, thoroughly enjoys leveraging creativity to grow clients’ business and has never been seen in the same pair of sneakers, so he’s going to surprise us strategically and sartorially.

“GS is one of the finest strategic minds in the business. His expertise and experience will be an incredible asset to our people and clients alike,” he added.

Sweet said of his new role: “The Royals’ mission to create unnatural change to propel brands and culture forward is an attractive proposition for anyone passionate about achieving positive change.

“I’m thrilled to be joining such a talented and ambitious bunch and to get to work with a diverse group of clients, from beer to pet food, payment methods and world-class mattresses – what’s not to love?” he added.

The Royals have quite a successful year so far with a slew of client wins including Don Smallgoods, as its creative agency of record, and handling the marketing and advertising strategy of Deliveroo.

Additional recent client wins for Royals includes Smartpay, Real Pet Food Co, Guide Dogs Australia, MYOB and Open Universities.

See also: Royals appointed as creative agency of record for Don Smallgoods

–

Top image: Graham Sweet

• Nine edges out Seven in razor-thin battle
• The NRL top non-news in Sydney while Front Bar took Melbourne

Total TV Ratings, August 4

The night session of The Commonwealth Games was the top non-news program in the total TV ratings with 990,000 an increase of 3%. 

The Dog House Australia was the top show on 10 with 569,000, an increase of 13%.

On Nine, the NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos had 474,000 viewers, an increase of 11%.

Overnight TV Ratings, August 11

Primetime News
Seven News 870,000/853,000
Nine News 785,000/773,000
ABC News 578,000
10 News First 247,000 (5:00pm)/ 184,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 127,000 (6:30pm) 133,000 (7:00pm)

Daily current affairs
A Current Affair 584,000
7.30 413,000
The Project 232,000 (6:30pm)/ 315,000 (7:00pm)
The Drum 154,000

Breakfast TV
Sunrise 200,000
Today 194,000
News Breakfast 171,000

Late News
Nine News Late 111,000
ABC Late News 56,000

Nine has secured a primary channel win by the slimmest of margins with its share of 20.2% edging out Seven which had a share of 20.1%. Nine had a bit more breathing room in network share, but it was still reasonably close as the broadcaster had the #1 share with 28.6% while Seven had 27.7%.

The driving force for Nine was Current Affair which had 584,000 off the back of the primetime news bulletin (773,000/785,000), the episode centred on a family demanding answers after the tragic death of five-year-old Rozalia Spadafora. The NRL then had 382,000 as the Melbourne Storm defeated the Penrith Panthers, with 182,000 tuning in from Sydney, making it the top non-news program in the market.

On Seven, Home and Away led the way for the broadcaster with its popular Thursday night triple-header which had an average of 419,000 viewers, with 375,000 tuning in for the third episode. The Front Bar had 340,000 viewers, with a robust 222,000 tuning in from Melbourne, making it the #1 non-news program in the city.

On 10, The Project had 232,000 (6:30pm) and 315,000 (7:00pm) as the show caught up with Owen Wilson as he spoke about the new Paramount+ film, Secret Headquarters. The Dog House Australia was then the top primetime non-news program of the night with 438,000 viewers as long-term AWL resident Harley, the American Bull cross looked for a home.

On the ABC, Foreign Correspondent had 314,000 viewers as Kathryn Diss went to Trump Land (Wyoming) ahead of the primary elections. Q+A then had 230,000 viewers. 

The top program on SBS was World’s Most Scenic River Journeys with 155,000 viewers