Election 2025
Parties fumble youth pitch as young voters dominate the polls
The major parties are on the campaign trail, but when it comes to winning over Australia’s youngest and largest voting bloc, the messaging is muddled.
According to Madeleine Grummet in Crikey, despite the growing influence of under-45s, set to comprise nearly half the electorate, youth-specific policies around housing, healthcare, and climate remain vague, and key players like Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are still dodging interviews with youth-first platforms
With over 700,000 Australians voting for the first time and a record youth enrolment rate nearing 90%, ignoring young audiences is a missed opportunity for brands and politicians alike.
Kim Williams courts Canberra as ABC funding fight heats up
ABC Chair Kim Williams has thrown his weight behind the Albanese government with a pointed pitch for more funding, framed not as a handout, but as an “investment in democracy.”
As Joe Gersh writes in The Australian, it’s a bold move in a tight fiscal climate, and one that quietly bets on Labor’s re-election to keep the national broadcaster’s budget intact.
Williams’ recent speech at the Melbourne Press Club was as much about narrative control as it was about dollars.
Trump’s tariffs
How Kerry Stokes played the China card before it was cool
Before China became a hot-button issue in boardrooms and adland, Kerry Stokes had already mastered the fine art of cross-cultural dealmaking.
As reported by Primrose Riordan in The Australian Financial Review, fast forward to now, and Stokes’ early bet on China looks more like brand foresight than business luck.
From selling Caterpillar gear to powering half the country’s top mines, his WesTrac empire capitalised on China’s industrial boom.
Events
Mediaweek’s Next of the Best’s past winners reflect on their success
These annual awards celebrate the rising stars and trailblazers shaping the Australian media landscape, by recognising emerging leaders in the advertising, media, and marketing industries.
There is no age limit as these awards are open to those who have worked in their current profession for 15 years or less, recognising people who are making significant impact through contributions to their company, sector, and the wider industry.
But what’s it like to win and what happens next?
Agencies
John O’Neill on QMS, buying MediaWorks and the next big step
QMS has acquired the remaining 45.13% of MediaWorks from Oaktree Capital, completing its ownership of the New Zealand media business and drawing industry focus on what comes next.
For the company’s CEO John O’Neill, this acquisition is more than just a consolidation of assets. It represents a new phase of strategic growth aimed at streamlining media offerings across both countries.
But the deal’s announcement has sparked fresh industry speculation around the next step for QMS and its owners, Quadrant.
Apparent scoops up wins across creative, social and digital
Independent full-service agency Apparent is kicking off 2025 with a strong growth signal, adding Tip Top Australia, Vanuatu Tourism Office, World Surf League, and Rhythm Japan to its creative, social, UX, and design roster.
The new appointments underscore the Sydney-based agency’s evolving reputation for delivering tailored, full-spectrum marketing solutions, with a growing portfolio of global and local brands across diverse categories.
Companies
Shelley Sullivan steps back, but not away, from the business of beauty
Shelley Sullivan may have exited the day-to-day of MCoBeauty, but the brand-building powerhouse isn’t slowing down.
Now aligned with LA-based Creative Artists Agency, she’s shifting focus from founder to mentor, keen to support the next generation of female entrepreneurs, even as she admits there’s no playbook for building a half-billion-dollar brand.
As Mark Whittaker writes in Forbes Australia, Sullivan has opened up on the relentless hustle, signing off markdowns from a hospital bed, returning to work days after giving birth, and never truly switching off.
Radio
ARN banks on big stunts and slow burn for KIIS Melbourne reboot
KIIS 101.1’s $5 million ‘Dawn Dig’ was bold, brash, and very Kyle and Jackie O.
But, as James Manning writes in The Australian, despite cars, cash, and the duo’s first live Melbourne broadcast from St Kilda Beach, the jackpot didn’t land, and the ratings needle hasn’t spiked just yet.
Not that it matters, because year into the southern expansion, ARN is still betting big on its marquee talent.
2GB’s Sydney Royal Easter Show broadcast delivers unscripted gold for brands
For any radio station, the prospect of packing up the studio and broadcasting live from an off-site location, an Outside Broadcast (OB), can present a logistical nightmare.
For a talk station like 2GB, it means dismantling routine, replicating complex studio setups in the middle of a showground, and asking high-profile broadcasters to perform live in front of a crowd, all while maintaining a seamless listening experience.
Retail
Coles shifts strategy to out-fresh Woolworths in produce price play
Coles is upping the ante in the fresh food aisle, overhauling its promotional strategy to gain ground on Woolworths.
As Eli Greenblat writes in The Australian, the supermarket is ditching its short-term, 10-day trade planning cycle in favour of a 12-week approach, aiming to sharpen its pricing, improve supplier coordination, and deliver better value at the shelf.
The shift comes after recent momentum for Coles in sales growth and consumer trust, and could reignite a fresh produce price war, traditionally the battleground that shapes shopper perception and foot traffic.
Why ghost stores are haunting your social feed
Sponsored ads from a raft of ‘local boutiques’ are flooding social media feeds with teary farewell messages and urgent “closing down” sales, but the stores don’t actually exist.
As Catie McLeod reports in The Guardian Australia, these ghost brands spin nostalgic, often Aussie-sounding stories to win consumer trust, then ship low-quality goods from overseas.
A quick search reveals the red flags: newly registered domains, no physical presence, and a lack of ABNs.
Television
TV news defies the streaming slide as audiences tune in for trusted updates
In a rare win for traditional media, free-to-air news bulletins are bucking the broader TV ratings decline, holding firm and even growing in early 2025.
As James Manning and James Madden write in The Australian, major bulletins from Seven and Nine are consistently among the most-watched programs in the country, proving there’s still demand for appointment-viewing when it comes to trusted news.
Both networks have posted year-on-year growth, with Seven narrowly edging ahead in metro viewership.