Happy New Year and welcome to the industry HOT List of 2024, where Mediaweek Marketing & Agency editor-at-large and founder and CEO of TrinityP3 Marketing Management Consultants, Darren Woolley, highlights and acknowledges the media and creative agencies, the industry bodies and events turning up the heat.
Summer down under is running hot and cold from a meteorological perspective. From scorching sun to flooding plains. Much like media, advertising and marketing at the moment. With economic uncertainty in the face of inflation and interest rate hikes, it feels like the weather this summer is a metaphor for the industry outlook. So let’s look to the upside and as this month’s Hot List turns up the heat. (See criteria below).
Sizzling HOT
Media agencies
The big media news early into the new year was sizzling hot for the indie media agencies, with a report that Spotlight Group was about to re-appoint Nunn Media to their now $90 million account. The account was previously with Omnicom’s PHD, who won, at the time, the reported $39 million account.
But Nunn Group has made a resurgence, apparently snapping it back from the holding company agency and now more than twice the value. And from what we see coming down the pipeline, this will not be the last holding company media account that goes to an indie agency. Stay tuned.
Very Hot
Industry Bodies
Comms Declare, the incorporated not-for-profit that represents hundreds of marketing, PR and media professionals who have declared for the climate, has made a submission to parliament supporting the Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill 2023. You can read the ten-page submission here.
It reads “It recognises that current laws do not protect future generations from the effects of climate change and that meaningful climate action includes Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions reductions across the whole economy. Scope 3 emissions includes “advertised emissions” – the emissions created by promoting high-emissions products”.
Talk about turning up the heat on industry greenwashing of the climate crisis.
HOT
Creative agencies
The Monkeys have done it again, with the latest instalment of their annual Lamb Ad for the Meat and Livestock Australia. The ad titled The Generation Gap has managed to get everyone talking.
From those complaining about the use of ageist stereotypes in the way the generations are represented, to questions about the effectiveness of the once-a-year promotion in driving annual lamb consumption, to the political fall-out of avoiding all reference to the often-controversial focus on Australia/Invasion Day.
Talk about raising all the hot topics.
Also HOT
Creative agencies
Clearly Special Group know what makes Summer in Australia special with their new spot for client Uber One. It is tennis and mullets. Not the fish, the hair style. And who better to represent both in their on-going campaign of celebrity than the mullet of the tennis court – Andre Agassi?
Who knows, it could truly make the mullet hot.
Making a difference? Going above and beyond? Mediaweek would love to hear from you – send details to [email protected].
Criteria for making the Mediaweek Hot Lists
• Making a difference to clients, staff, the industry, and society at large
• Breakthrough campaign or idea that is a category game changer
• Challenging the status quo to drive innovation.