Business of Media
Watchdog wants more choice in internet search
The competition watchdog wants to make selecting a default search engine a conscious choice for consumers by including a mandatory choice screen on pre-installed internet browsers, as part of an effort to break the dominance of Google, reports AFR’s Miranda Ward.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s third Digital Platform Services Inquiry interim report released on Thursday found that Google continues to be the dominant search engine in Australia. It enjoys a market share of 94 per cent largely because it is the default search engine on the most popular browsers in this country – Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari.
“Google’s got 94 per cent of search, that’s probably not a surprise, people Google information, it’s become synonymous with search,” ACCC chairman Rod Sims told The Australian Financial Review.
Val Morgan and The Guardian win IAB MeasureUp Awards 2021
Val Morgan and The Guardian have been announced as the winners of the 2021 IAB Australia MeasureUp Awards. Val Morgan was awarded Best Advertising Effectiveness for its ‘Hourly Outdoor Unified Reach (HOUR) Model’. The Guardian won the Best Cultural, Societal or Consumer Behaviour award for its ‘The Power of Purpose’ research.
The IAB Australia MeasureUp Awards were established in 2020 to recognise and celebrate great Australian trade media research and to encourage further investment and thinking to lift the overall quality of media research in the market. The winners, who presented their research at a live announcement during the 5th Annual MeasureUp conference on October 28, were selected by the members of the MFA Interactive Committee.
Sian Whitnall, chief digital officer at OMD Australia and Chair of the MFA Interactive Committee said “Measurement and research from media owners provide agencies with important insights to inform their buying decisions. In a year that has been incredibly challenging it has been wonderful to review and celebrate impressive research from such a strong field of entries.
“The winners demonstrated original thinking, filling a knowledge gap, and providing new insights that were relevant and actionable for the whole market. Along with depth and clarity of insights, their research findings have had an impact on changing behaviour, influencing marketing or advertising practice or decisions for their advertising clients and business,” said Whitnall.
Natalie Stanbury, research director at IAB Australia said “Within a strong field of entries, Val Morgan stood out to the judges in the ad effectiveness category as being extremely applicable to a current measurement gap in the industry. It clearly defined the market challenge and effectively used data and data science to provide a greater level of media accountability.
“The Guardian’s quality in-depth cultural and societal research has demonstrated their connection with readers, understanding of their values and leveraged that connection to inform and benefit clients and advertisers. This unique and robust research has application opportunities from business strategy to media choices and creative development,” said Stanbury.
Val Morgan – Hourly Outdoor Unified Reach (HOUR) Model
Val Morgan identified a need for audience measurement to provide marketers and agencies the confidence of accurate reach based real-time trading across all of Val Morgan’s Australian inventory in metro and regional areas. Using a privacy compliant, real-time, camera vision-based measurement solution integrated into VMO screens enabled it to create a unique first party audience data asset. This data on real world person-to-screen interactions forms the key input into advanced data science modelling to accurately predict and measure audiences of each VMO screen and provide audience metrics at a per-spot-play, per-screen and per-hour level.
The Guardian Australia – The Power of Purpose
The Guardian’s compelling research provides marketers a deep understanding of the cultural context in which brands are operating in, what purpose means to consumers, how purpose makes good business sense, why media plays an important role for delivery of purposeful brands and how consumers want brands to behave.
The five pillars of purpose identified in the research, centred on being progressive, trustworthy, impactful, authentic, and empowering, have been a useful tool for marketers in understanding the importance of (real) social responsibility and the impact that positive, purposeful brand messaging can have on consumer behaviour. It clearly showed, brand purpose increasingly matters to many consumers, to the point that purpose and social responsibility has moved to a ‘must-have’ or expected consideration and by unpacking the distinctive elements of purposeful brands The Guardian has provided guidance to build uplift in their authenticity and credibility.
News Brands
AFR’s 2021 Young Rich List features the next generation of entrepreneurs
The 2021 Financial Review Young Rich List reveals the diverse ways that next generation entrepreneurs are building their fortunes. This year, Canva co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht have topped the List for the first time, with a wealth of $16.5 billion.
With more than 60 million people now using Canva’s beginner-friendly graphic design software, Perkins, 34, and her husband Cliff, 35, were last year worth $3.43 billion. But with their company now valued at $55 billion the couple’s wealth has skyrocketed.
The Financial Review Young Rich List has tracked the wealth of Australia’s wealthiest people aged 40 and under since 2003. To qualify, Young Rich Listers must not have inherited their wealth. The 100 wealthiest Australians aged 40 or under in 2021 have a collective worth of $41.3 billion, up $100 million from last year.
Radio
Ray Hadley celebrates his 40-year radio career — with no plans to retire
Ray Hadley concedes he has mellowed with age — but don’t be fooled, the 67-year-old still has plenty of bite when needed, reports News Corp’s Jonathon Moran.
“In relation to my behaviour — and I guess we are referring to both on and off air — I am 67, and as you will appreciate as you get older, you do change,” Hadley told The Daily Telegraph.
“When I started in radio in the 1980s, it was second nature to get screamed at, yelled at and abused daily by your peers. That is the way life … the way the culture was in media.
“I have mellowed but that is part of getting older that you mellow and you have more life experience.
“The anti-vaxxers, as you can appreciate, do get my hackles up and will continue to do so because we are trying to emerge from a really difficult period economically, mentally and in terms of a nation, and the anti-vaxxers are proving to be a roadblock to any recovery we have.
“I am still very savage on them and will continue to be because I think they are an impediment to getting out of this mess.”
Television
Reality TV star Angie Kent opens up about drink-driving conviction
Angie Kent is happy to be a cautionary tale. The reality star this week pleaded guilty to mid-range drink-driving after blowing 0.081 when she was pulled over by police in Pyrmont on October 3, reports News Corp’s Jonathon Moran.
“Let me be the lesson,” the 31-year-old told The Daily Telegraph.
“If you think you can have two drinks and drive, think again, because it is totally not worth the lapse of judgment.
“I try to be inspired by my experiences, not defined by them.”
Today co-host Allison Langdon defends Karl Stefanovic amid Lisa Wilkinson book backlash
Today Show host Allison Langdon has spoken passionately in defence of her co-host Karl Stefanovic, who she says has always “got my back”, reports News Corp’s Jackie Epstein.
Stefanovic has been under fire since the release of former Today Show co-host Lisa Wilkinson’s autobiography, which detailed their fractured relationship.
Langdon, who joined the breakfast show last year, said Stefanovic had been a constant support.
“I adore working with him and he’s been amazing,’’ Langdon said.
“Sitting with someone you completely trust and I know he’s got my back. Whether they are moments that come out the wrong way, he’ll rescue you or just put you in it completely.
“The relationship between us is authentic and it’s been great working next to him. And learning from him, too. We both have got this approach; my job is to make him look good and his job is to make me look good and it feels like it’s working.
“If you’re going to get up at that hour and go to work each morning at 3.30am, it’s nice to be sitting at the desk with a team that gets along.”
Axed: Back to the Rafters ends at Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is not moving forward with any further episodes of Back to the Rafters, reports TV Tonight.
Six episodes reviving Packed to the Rafters debuted in September with original cast including Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson, Hugh Sheridan, Angus McLaren, Michael Caton and George Houvardas.
An Amazon Prime Video spokesperson told TV Tonight, “Back to the Rafters was always at the top of the list of Amazon Australia Scripted Original series to commission, and we are proud to have partnered with Seven Studios to bring the much-loved Rafters back to customers.
“It was a well-rounded six-part season and the final episode left the Rafters family in a happy space.”