News Corp Australia’s national daily The Australian has been in celebration mode in 2024. The news brand’s jubilation peaks on July 15 which marks 60 years to the day since the newspaper was launched by Rupert Murdoch. It is an anniversary worth celebrating given the bumpy road news publishers have been travelling so far this century.

News Corp has found a way for its major news brands to continue in print alongside a growing digital audience. Subscription revenues have replaced newsstand revenue and are a significant part of a business model that is experiencing declining ad revenues.

Leading The Australian is editor-in-chief Michelle Gunn. She has been the editor of the brand since May 2020 and took on the role of editor-in-chief in January last year. Her talents are also put to use with the additional title of editor-in-chief of the Prestige titles that sit alongside The Australian  – Wish, The List, Travel + Luxury, The Weekend Australian Magazine and the Conde Nast International titles – Vogue Australia, Vogue Living and GQ Australia.

In that role, Gunn works alongside Edwina McCann, editorial director and publisher, Prestige and Conde Nast Titles.

Earlier in her career, Gunn carved out a significant presence at The Australian during eight years as the editor of The Weekend Australian.

“Back then I thought I was a very, very busy woman,” Gunn told Mediaweek on the eve of special anniversary editions of the newspaper. “Now, I’m not so sure. Since those days, I became editor for two or three years, looking after both The Weekend Australian and The Australian, and now editor-in-chief for the last 18 months.”

The art of delegation

With her role guiding the masthead, plus the wider Prestige titles, has Gunn learnt the art of delegation, or does she still strive to be hands-on as much as possible?

“The answer to that is kind of yes and yes. Let me explain. Yes, I have had to learn the art of delegation.

“If you ask any newspaper editor, that is something that is very, very difficult to do. The reason that we are newspaper editors is that we live, sleep and breathe news yarns. It’s very hard to get back from that, particularly after more than 30 years at the coalface of journalism. So, yes, I have had to learn to delegate. That’s made somewhat more easier for me having appointed Kelvin Healey as my editor.

“He is tremendous and that’s made stepping back a little bit easier.

“However, why I said yes to the second part of your question is, even as editor-in-chief, you can’t step back too far. This masthead is my responsibility, and that is digital platforms, that’s off-platform, that’s print, it’s all of it. You have to keep your hands on the controls, and you want to, because that’s the whole point of it, right?”

See also: The Australian unveils new leadership team led by Nicholas Gray and Michelle Gunn

Lachlan Murdoch photographed by Nick Cubbin for the cover of The Australian’s 60th anniversary magazine. The special edition was edited by Petra Rees. Cubbin also took portraits of many of the other 60 people featured in the magazine.

Celebrating 60 years of journalism

When it came to the strategy of how best to cover this milestone, Gunn said, “We wanted to celebrate our journalism over the six decades. But we also wanted to very much be in the here and now and to look forward.

“We were keen to showcase our storytelling and point to the future. When compared to our 50th celebration, this was much more digitally oriented with six weeks of coverage. There was a page in print every day, and of course, we’ve got a beautiful magazine published on Saturday, a glossy 104-page collector’s edition.

“It’s telling the stories of 60 people of influence. The magazine also has essays in that edition that are here and now. They are very much pointing out the values of the paper, and I thought that was important.

“I felt this celebration of the six decades should celebrate who and what we are now, and the strong future that we have, as much as looking back.”

What makes the whole exercise even more worthwhile is that there has been some commercial upside to the celebration too. “It’s been a tremendous success commercially,” confirmed Gunn. “We have a number of partners or companies who’ve supported the birthday, including Qantas, Harvey Norman, Hancock Prospecting, CommBank, Ampol, and Woodside. Many of those companies have been long-term advertisers in The Australian.

“Some of them appeared in print in the very first editions of the paper in 1964. They have been a good fit, they have shared the journey and it’s been great working alongside them on this celebration coverage.”

Political perspectives at The Australian

Some readers relish what they might see as a conservative outlook at the paper. Gunn is not so sure that’s the best description.

“I don’t know that it’s helpful putting labels on those values, but I’ll explain them in terms of what they are.

“The paper has a set of values that have remained fairly consistent. Having spent more than 30 years on this newspaper, I feel like I’ve marinated in those values for a long time. [Laughs]

“What The Australian stands for is freedom of expression, freedom of speech.

“We believe our editorials reflect a kind of worldview that’s pretty optimistic. We want a confident nation that’s looking to prosperity, social cohesion. All of those factors define who we are.

The Australian – page one, number one – July 15, 1964

“One way to answer that is to look at our new brand campaign. It’s labelled ‘Welcome to the contest of ideas’. The Australian has always been true to its values. I don’t think those values have changed much since 1964. If you look at our editorial that was published on the first day of the first edition. It really sets out what Rupert Murdoch, as founder of the broadsheet sought to achieve.

“Our masthead aims to have fairly straight news reporting. This is something [a former editor-in-chief] Chris Mitchell said. It’s something that all editors-in-chief that I’ve worked with have been devoted to.”

See also: The Australian and Today the Brave unveil brand platform, ‘Welcome to the Contest of Ideas’

Contest of Ideas

“Our commentary and analysis are an important part of who and what we are. Have a look at our reporting around The Voice referendum debate. Anyone looking at that coverage would come to the conclusion that The Australian represented the breadth and depth and diversity of views in that referendum debate better than anybody.”

Gunn explained how The Voice debate was an example of showcasing opposing viewpoints. She noted that Chris Kenny and Jacinta Price were on opposite sides of that debate within the newspaper.

“I was very, very determined to surface the views of the Yes case and the views of the No case and to have very vigorous contest of ideas. What I’d say to you is our readers expect that of us. They like to be challenged.

“That’s an important thing that distinguishes mainstream media from social media platforms. We’ve spoken at length about the ways in which people can be safe in their bubbles or retreat to parts of the internet where everybody around them reflects their views.

“I’m really excited about our new brand campaign, Welcome to the Contest of Ideas. It legitimately and genuinely reflects what The Australian is today and what we seek to do when it comes to the intersection of politics, public policy and business.”

Phillip Adams enters a seventh decade at The Australian

The editor-in-chief also noted the freedom its writers have within the broadsheet pages.

“Phillip Adams has written a piece for us this weekend where he refers to the fact that he’s been writing on and off for The Australian since the 1960s.

“He says in that piece, ‘I have not ever been censored during those decades at The Australian.’ He’s been there for all of those decades.”

Gunn also singled out Nikki Gemmell’s columns. “You know, a lot of our readers take issue with Nikki. She challenges them when it comes to her political or world view. But it’s kind of great.”

While Gunn mentioned Phillip Adams, we checked if he’s continuing with News Corp after having retired from Radio National.

There’s good news. Gunn said: “He will be there for as long as we can have him, as long as he’s happy to be there. He’s showing no signs of wanting to give up the column. And I’m really pleased about that.”

Page one The Australian at 60. The assassination attempt on the former US president dominates the news

The changing face of The Australian

In the past two decades there were many forecasts that printed newspapers could not possibly survive. In particular there was speculation that “quality dailies” in particular – The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age – could not possibly sustain printing six days a week.

They found a way though. But how might The Australian look at the end of the next decade?

While Gunn stopped short of putting a timeline on the survival of print, she did tell Mediaweek: “There’s no doubt that the future is digital. And we’re working very hard on our digital product.

“Print remains very important. We’re now the only truly national printed product. The Australian Financial Review has stopped distributing a printed product in Western Australia.

“It’s very difficult to look at a decade and confidently say which publishers will still be in print and what their distributions will be. I would hope that we are still in print as well as digital.

“What I do know is that we have an audience of more than four million now, monthly. That’s a bigger audience than ever before. We have more than 300,000 subscribers which is a healthy place to be.”

Engaging with News Corp management

With Rupert Murdoch stepping back a little with the newish role of News Corp chairman emeritus, there has been a significant changing of the guard within the company. Gunn pointed to what she called “a healthy level of engagement [with management] here at News Corp.

“We’re fortunate that Lachlan has chosen to run this global business in part from Australia. Paul Kelly’s interview with him explores that in some detail.

“Rupert Murdoch grew up here in Australia and then went out into the world. If you think about Lachlan’s story, he was a global citizen, a citizen of the world, and he has chosen to make Australia his home. He’s also very much aware of the roots of the business here in Australia.

“That’s something very valuable. In a company like ours, to have both Lachlan and Rupert, but also [News Corp CEO] Robert Thompson, who, of course, has such experience editing newspapers himself.

“That’s a really positive thing for a mainstream media company. And of course, it isn’t true of many of our competitors, both internationally and here in Australia.”

Evolving newsrooms

The media can spend much time reporting on itself. And arguably more about its challenges than its successes.

Media globally have been facing massive challenges as business models buckle from changing ad spend patterns and consumption habits.

When asked about the impact that might be having at The Australian, Gunn was philosophical.

“My answer to you is I don’t think newsrooms are static. Newsrooms in this environment have to constantly look at what resources they have, where those resources are placed and how to grow audience and how to restructure their staffing to grow audience and to produce the best journalism.

“To be honest with you, it’s been a constant for the past five years or the past decade. It’s going to be a constant part of the next decade. We don’t have static newsrooms.

“We’re constantly evolving those newsrooms.”

See also: Lachlan Murdoch in his own words: Speaking to The Australian’s Paul Kelly

Lachlan Murdoch on the cover of The Weekend Australian on Saturday

“Sydney never really sleeps,” Sean Power laughs, reflecting on his new role as director of news for Seven Sydney.

This week, Power moves into the role from his previous position as executive producer of Sunrise. Whilst 7News Sydney and Sunrise can come across as quite different platforms, he points out that “both shows are built around storytelling, and what’s happening in people’s communities.”

“Sunrise is obviously a national program, therefore, the opportunity to delve into more hyper-local issues is harder – I’m not saying that we don’t do it when the story warrants it, but it’s a lot harder. 

“Where Sunrise has excelled is trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on. We can have a bit more Cash Cow action in the morning, but I don’t think they’re as far apart as people think when you look at the nuts and bolts of what people come to watch.”

The new role is also far from Power’s first foray into the news space, with a resume that includes stints in talkback radio, A Current Affair, 60 Minutes, and crime reporting. 

“News is where I started, news is the foundation of what I do. Sunrise has been the most incredible chapter, I’m incredibly proud of its performance and how it stands as the number one breakfast program. But I know news back to front, and I’m really excited to jump back into that space.”

Overseeing a 24-hour operation like 7News Sydney, Power adds “in terms of the fundamentals of moving fast and chasing stories, it’s all I’ve ever really known. It’s what I enjoy the most, as well as working with great teams.”

Power is quick to sing the praises of those teams, saying that “the Seven newsroom is one that is incredibly, exceptionally talented.” This certainly helps when you’re working in television, or as he refers to it, “the ultimate team sport.” 

“I’m really excited to jump in there and start working with all of the journos, they’re so experienced in areas that they work in. I’ve had the privilege of working with some of them through the Sunrise lens, but also on the road as competitors when I was with another network – so to be reunited with them is going to be really exciting.”

One of the newest members of the team is Mark Humphries, who joins the team to present a weekly satirical segment, The 6.57pm News. Humphries made his debut on the 7News screen for the first time on Friday – with Seven’s national, metro, and regional audiences all up week on week between 6.55pm and 7.00pm. 

Seven’s director of news and current affairs, Anthony De Ceglie, said of the first segment, “This is simply about trying to put smiles on the faces of our audiences as we wrap up the week on a Friday night” – a position that Power backed up.

“I’ve spent a fair bit of time with Mark over the last couple of weeks, I’m blown away by how incredibly talented he is. The intention for that particular piece of content is something that Anthony [De Ceglie] has really championed as a way of telling stories and news differently. I’m confident when people see it, they will understand the intention – which is to engage audiences on issues that traditionally people might not have necessarily paid as much attention to. 

“It’s to challenge people’s thinking, it’s to allow the audience to see things from another perspective. When you’ve got someone as talented as Mark finding the double standards that exist within politics and journalism, you’re sure to have a laugh.”

Looking ahead, Power says that “some of the most exciting opportunities” for 7News lie in what the platform can bring audiences in the future. 

“7News is such an incredibly strong new brand, it remains number one nationally, and when something big happens, we know people turn to 7News. They trust us to get it right, and to tell them what’s going on in their community. We will be continuing to bed that down, to make sure where the stories are, we’re there and we have the information. 

“We also have the opportunity to champion things that need to change. I’m a real advocate for using our news broadcast services to highlight what is going on in our viewers’ lives, and using it where something isn’t right – using it as a tool to champion answers from the people who hold power. I don’t see enough of it in terms of where we are as a climate, I think there is too little scrutiny on those that have power concerning the decisions that they make in our day-to-day lives.”

–

Top Image: Sean Power

Amid the doom and gloom plaguing news media, the Olympics are proving to be the escape the world needs and an opportunity for brands to align with and contribute to a positive message.

Media buyers shared the “halo effect” sentiment the games bring to the world and brands; Gavin Chew, head of media at Orange Line, told Mediaweek sponsoring the Olympics “give brands the impression of mass appeal, accessibility, and a special occasion.”

Stephen Leeds, CEO of The Media Store, said that while brand association with the Olympics is an “awareness driver”, cut-through will be the biggest challenge.

“It’s not enough to have an ‘Olympics strategy’ for media, how does this link to creative? How can we tie into – or better yet, create – a cultural moment from this association?

“Buying a partnership or spots in the programming does the short-term job, but making a long-term impact needs something much more robust.”

Aaron Jansen, head of performance at Bench Media, told Mediaweek that association with the Olympics can elevate a brand’s standing with consumers and provide credibility and trust, which is difficult to achieve across other marketing efforts.

He highlighted that the execution of an Olympics campaign is crucial and that the impact from such an alignment can be “reaching, gaining attention, and potentially a more emotive connection from new audiences” watching the best athletes compete.

From a creative perspective, Hilary Badger, executive creative director at Ogilvy Melbourne, said that genuine connection is the “strongest and most persuasive” association between a brand and the Olympics.

“Even more critical is a creative idea that connects the brand with the event.”

She noted that a brand that “authentically links its purpose or product with the event is the one people remember. In an event like the Olympics, which is completely awash with brands, a simple, powerful idea wins the day by connecting emotionally with the audience.”

Seven stepped away from Olympic rights when the cost was out of reach

Time zone difference

Unlike the Tokyo Games, which had a favourable time zone to Australia, the time difference of the Paris Games will be “more of an inconvenience than a challenge” for Orange Line.

Chew noted that digital advertising is “so well globalised” and that “almost everything can be automated in-platform with rules in place to ensure proper execution at the correct time.”

“Of course, this requires a little more diligence when doing checks and optimisations, but that’s all part of the job!”

For The Media Store, Leeds said the time zone difference “poses a significant challenge for Nine” as the network sells the Games after taking over from Seven.

“We’ve been spoiled by the last three Summer and Winter Games aligning with our market; we’ve got to go back to Brazil 2016 to get a feel for what viewership may look like.”

Jansen pointed out that regardless of the time events are on in Paris, having more than 40 channels running live and on-demand across 9Now, as well as curated highlights and full replays, ensures ample inventory across premium environments.

“For clients, our Olympics media buying strategy will be focused around ‘following the audience’ with more investment in the rapidly growing digital channels, including BVOD, OLV and digital audio,” he said.

From a creative perspective, Badger said that Ogilvy Melbourne has viewed the time difference as a “creative problem to solve.

“How can we keep the kids of Australia engaged with their heroes when they’re going to be fast asleep during the main events? That’s the starting point for an interesting idea we’ve created with one of our clients – more on that soon.”

Gavin Chew

“Finding pockets of opportunity to capture their audience” 

Chew noted that not everyone will watch the Olympics at all times and said that advertisers need to be strategic about “finding pockets of opportunity to capture their audience” in other areas, including “publishers and inventory that are more open to negotiation than usual”, he added.

Jansen said that gaining attention across Nine’s multiple platforms, from linear, BVOD, radio and publishing, during the Games is crucial as the network offers additional opportunities to align with the Games.

Beyond Nine, he noted that “targeted contextual buys, athlete partnerships, and aligning messaging across social and out-of-home campaigns” are further opportunities for brands to enhance brand visibility, ensure consistent messaging, and maximise audience engagement during the Games.

For The Media Store, Leeds noted that the independent agency has limited spend during the Olympic weeks.

Spend will instead be focussed on spending where TARPs (target audience rating points) remain low with Nine. Leeds said the agency will also use the opportunity to take advantage of Seven and Ten’s “favourable trading terms and considering the Olympics on a spot-buy basis only over packages.“

Leeds said that for radio, the agency won’t be spending with Nine as the network’s listenership doesn’t align with its clients’ core demographics and is a “low priority when they’re unwilling to offer competitive rates.“

“The reach from other networks should be more consistent. Print/news is where we can see an opportunity in the short-term market for Nine,“ he added.

Stephen Leeds

Heavy investment and Nine’s “Olympics inflation”

Chew said that every major global sporting event is a chance for advertisers to have their marketing seen by a mass audience and broad demographic and expects “heavy investment all around the globe” into the games.

Leeds said that the Games have been challenging to sell to The Media Store’s clients, with many opting to avoid them and instead looking to “capitalise on alternate channels and networks in the two weeks that are taken up by Nine’s Olympics’ inflation‘.“

As a result of the “Olympics inflation,“ Nine Radio has become a “low-priority channel“ and “the hardest pill to swallow,“ with clients instead choosing “more robust support of other networks.”

He called Nine’s go-to-market pricing strategy “interesting”. Leeds said: “They opened partner conversations with high investment demands and held this position for so long that it became a challenge for agencies to recommend a deal without many long days sunk into negotiations.”

“It made our ‘client advisor’ jobs much more challenging, and we feel a more collaborative approach may have derived better outcomes, although we appreciate that Nine was late to market compared to previous years.“

Jansen said that the majority of Australia expected to watch the Games, achieving cut-through and brand recall will need a “creative approach.”

“A well-thought-out broad-scoped marketing campaign which aligns messaging with the positive associations of the games could prove to be a worthwhile long-term investment.”

Badger said that the great narratives from sports are the escape “everyone needs“ and predicts “the rise of engagement with women’s sport will only continue, with the world finally seeing it for the valuable commercial property it always has been.”

Hilary Badger

The Paralympics: “An opportunity not to be missed for marketers” 

While all eyes will be on the Olympics, Mediaweek asked media buyers about spend for the Paralympics in the following month.

For Chew, he said he expects spend to drop significantly in line with viewership numbers. “The good news is that this means greater opportunity for exposure of advertisers in the care and disability space.”

Jansen added that the Paralympics is a great opportunity to reach a highly engaged and diverse audience. “We’ve seen in the past a very passionate and loyal audience following our Aussie Paralympic stars, which translates into an opportunity not to be missed for marketers.”

He noted Bench Media plans to maintain robust spend levels across the Paralympics.

“Successful campaigns should reflect the values of the Para athletes, such as perseverance and determination to build a deeper connection with their audience,“ he added.

Leeds said that Nine has had to shift its investment expectations for Paralympics packages to be similar to the Olympics packages.

“The Paralympics continues to lag behind the Olympics in terms of demand, so this is an opportunity to learn from Olympics viewing and trade short-term on Paralympics content to unlock additional discounting, with more confidence in the impact of being out of the time zone.

“Q3 is still posing to be a buyers’ market, and it will likely be a rush to the finish again from mid to late October,“ he added.

Aaron Jansen

–

Top image: Gavin Chew, Stephen Leeds, Aaron Jansen and Hilary Badger

Just days after revealing a partnership with Nine for Paris Olympics coverage, ABC Radio has revealed Bruce McAvaney will be a member of its commentary team.

The recently announced ABC deal with Nine means live coverage of Olympic events can be broadcast to metro areas of Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, Darwin and the Gold Coast. Also regional markets around Australia. The stations and markets involved are 891 ABC Adelaide, 105.7 ABC Darwin, 936 ABC Hobart, 666 ABC Canberra and DAB+ channels in those markets, as well as local ABC radio stations across regional, rural and remote Australia. Commercial terms relating to the sub-licensing deal have not been revealed. The deal came sometime after there was speculation earlier this year that Nine had decided not to partner with ABC Radio.

See also: Nine rejects ABC Radio attempt to secure Olympics sub-licensing deal

The ABC deal to secure McAvaney comes just 11 days before the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics. It sees McAvaney continue his relationship with the world’s biggest sporting event for a 40th year after first being involved working for Network 10 on Los Angeles in 1984.

The ABC has also revealed key members of its Paris 2024 commentary team working alongside McAvaney. ABC broadcasters Quentin Hull, Corbin Midlemas, Clint Wheeldon, Ben Cameron, Ned Hall, Declan Byrne, Lauren Bordin and Robin Chipperfield will be heard by ABC Radio listeners in some markets.

Former Olympians providing analysis for ABC Radio are Melinda Gainsford-Taylor (athletics), Sarah Ryan (swimming), Simon Orchard (hockey), and Brad McGee (cycling). Also joining the coverage are former Davis Cup player John Alexander and Matilda Amy Harrison.

Building the ABC team and guiding the Paris 2024 coverage are ABC head of capital city radio network and sport Mike Fitzpatrick and content director of ABC Sport Tim Verrall.

Head of ABC audio content Ben Latimer told Mediaweek the coverage will see the ABC commentators working from the dedicated Nine Radio Olympic Games studio in Sydney. The live coverage can be heard from 6.30pm AET until the final event each day of the Games.

Bruce McAvaney: ‘Excited’

Speaking about his involvement this year, McAvaney said: “I’ve always thought the Olympics was the ultimate event for an Australian broadcaster. To be given this opportunity by the ABC means a great deal to me.

“These Games will be as exciting as any. We have a 75-strong athletics team – our biggest ever we have sent overseas. I’m very optimistic they’re ready to achieve great things.”

Bruce McAvaney was part of Seven’s coverage of Tokyo Olympics

Bruce not in Paris, but Sonya and Jules will be

Latimer also revealed ABC Radio will send Adelaide breakfast show hosts Sonya Feldhoff and Jules Schiller to Paris. They will be broadcasting Adelaide’s most-listened-to AM breakfast show (the biggest AM cume in GfK Survey 4, 2024) back to Adelaide from Paris for the duration of the Games. Sonya and Jules revealed the news to their growing Adelaide audience this morning toward the end of their program.

The head of ABC audio noted the details came after a good week for ABC Radio. Latimer said: “Last week’s results once again demonstrate the power of ABC Radio, with more than seven million listeners tuning in every week. We’re delighted to see ABC’s Local Radio Network increase its audience share in all metro markets, with Adelaide and Brisbane the two standouts. We anticipate a further boost for Adelaide in the coming months with live coverage of the Paris Olympics.”

Adelaide ABC breakfast hosts Sonya Feldhoff and Jules Schiller

Roy & HG say ‘Cheese’

While listeners in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth will miss out on McAvaney and his new colleagues on ABC Radio, there is Olympic spirit coming their way.

The ABC also announced today the return of Roy & HG to the Olympic stage.

The duo will be on air daily Monday to Friday across the Olympic fortnight with a Paris 2024 show – Roy & HG: People, Medals and Cheese. The hour-long program can be heard daily at 11am across ABC Radio, then at 2pm on RN and as a podcast on ABC Listen.

Roy and HG

Lachlan Murdoch doesn’t do a lot of interviews. These days the Fox Corporation CEO and News Corporation chairman is most likely to be heard speaking publicly on the quarterly Fox Corporation results call. Or maybe being interviewed at an investment conference.

He recently sat down for a long interview with The Australian’s editor-at-large Paul Kelly. The national daily has published the interview this weekend as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations.

See also: The Australian’s 60 year collector’s edition out this weekend

Murdoch also spent time with Sydney photographer Nick Cubbin who shot the cover portrait for the special collector’s edition of The Weekend Australian Magazine. Cubbin also provided photographs of Murdoch at the family property Cavan, south of Sydney.

Below we publish some of the highlights of the interview.

Celebrating 60 years of The Australian

“Everything comes down to the journalism, to the quality of reporting, the opinion, the analysis, breaking news and understanding our audiences.

“[The Australian] reflects a sense of optimism for this country and for the debate in this country, the direction we aspire for the country. The paper is concerned about how Australia can fulfil its full potential as a nation.

“My focus is the future of the paper, the importance of the paper, and our role in democracy.”

Lachlan Murdoch photographed by Nick Cubbin for the cover of The Australian’s 60th anniversary magazine. The special edition was edited by Petra Rees. Cubbin also took portraits of many of the other 60 people featured in the magazine.

News Corporation

“Our company has a unique voice that no one else has. There are a number of people that say The Wall Street Journal and The Australian are providing this voice and that, if it wasn’t for us, that voice would not be available and would not exist in the political and cultural debates that are of critical importance to our communities and societies.

“I believe that if it wasn’t for The Australian today, if the policy debate in Australia today was being driven by the ABC, then we would be a totally different country.

“I think our role is essential both here in Australia but also in Britain and the United States. This is absolutely how I see my leadership mission. It’s also our responsibility as a company and I feel that very strongly.”

How often does Lachlan talk to his father?

“It’s most days. Sometimes only for a minute or two to check in. When we’re in the same city, we spend more time together.”

[What has he learnt most from his father?] “The value of curiosity. He is always questioning, always thinking, always learning.”

See also: The Australian at 60 – Sky News Aust boss Paul Whittaker interviews Rupert Murdoch

He still calls Australia home

“I’m Australian. That’s how I see myself. My family’s Australian. Obviously Sarah, my wife, is Australian. My kids are all Australian. Sydney is home to us.

“I spend as much time working overseas as I do here, but Australia is certainly home.”

Lachlan Murdoch has had a long involvement with The Australian

“I must have been in my mid-teens, 14 or 15 years old. I had a summer job because in America you have these long summer holidays and on one of them I was sent to Sydney. I had a job cleaning the presses. I was learning the trade, here in Holt Street, when we still had the presses down in the basement.

“That was a great romantic time in newspapers. You’d know whether editorial had gotten off the stone on time, then the presses would rumble into action. You could feel it through the whole building, you’d check your watch, are we on time or not? Working on those presses was a great experience for me. I learnt a lot about the fundamentals of the business and knew the people who got the paper out every night.”

[Murdoch would later work in Sydney as publisher of The Australian.]

“When I do the math, I was involved around ’94 and ’95, so I’ve probably been involved for half the history of the paper.”

Lachlan Murdoch on the family property Cavan. Photographed by Nick Cubbin and the opening spread of the Paul Kelly interview. The image was also used on the front cover of the newspaper this weekend (top image)

Politics in Australia

“We are politically more centrist, less driven by extremes on the right or left. That’s a real benefit. It’s an Australian advantage but an advantage we have to protect, not something we can take for granted.

“I think successive governments, whether Labor or Liberal, have underperformed on their promise. We have avoided taking some of the hard decisions we need as a country and that’s under both sides of politics.”

The challenges posed by big tech

“Social media platforms don’t value journalism.

“They can sell it. They can monetise it. But they don’t put anything back into journalism. This is a very dangerous situation for democracies. If you take away the ability to invest in journalism because social media companies don’t value it, that affects our whole society and potentially in a very dangerous way. Those companies don’t value it unless they’re forced to and that’s something their customers, their users, and the regulators have to look at, because it’s fundamental to how our democratic system works.

“When people say that they get their news from X/ Twitter or through TikTok or through Facebook, a lot of times it’s our journalism and our stories that they’re reading, linked to those social media sites. But, if we continue to get the journalism right, and we continue to get the investment and put our content in front of as wide an audience as possible, then we’ll continue to evolve and succeed.”

Monday in Mediaweek: Editor-in-chief Michelle Gunn on The Australian at 60 – Past, present and the future

See also: The Australian unveils new leadership team led by Nicholas Gray and Michelle Gunn

2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants, the beloved animated series with a run at number one lasting over 22 years.

It’s hard to go anywhere on the internet without seeing some type of reference to Bikini Bottom’s cast of characters, and since its premiere on July 17, 1999, the show has generated a universe of beloved characters, pop culture memes, feature film releases, and even a Tony award-winning Broadway musical.

The show is one of the most widely distributed properties in Paramount International history, seen in more than 180 markets, translated into 30+ languages, and averaging more than 90 million total viewers every quarter. 

Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob SquarePants) and Bill Fagerbakke (voice of Patrick Star) have voiced the characters since the very beginning. Speaking to Mediaweek, they revealed that their characters’ friendship, seen on the show for 25 years, doesn’t stray far from real life.

Tom Kenny

When asked if any characteristics or mannerisms of their respective characters have blended into themselves and their lives, Fagerbakke said he had a head start before even knowing Patrick. 

“I’ve been doing this my whole life, and I’m constantly having moments where I go, ‘there’s a reason I play big dumb guys,'” he said.

“I recognise things [in my life] that are big themes of the show, such as friendship. Friendship is extremely important to me. It’s a way to pass the time we have on this orb and it makes everything more pleasurable to have friends.”

Kenny agreed, and added that Stephen Hillenburg, creator of SpongeBob SquarePants saw him in SpongeBob.

“I knew Steven [Hillenburg] years before SpongeBob was ever spoken about, he saw aspects of me in SpongeBob and aspects of SpongeBob in me,” he said.

“Not that SpongeBob was based on me at all, he’s a lot of Steve, and various other people that Steve knew are thrown into SpongeBob too. 

“However, certain aspects of SpongeBob – like he works hard, he’s upbeat, he’s positive, has a lot of energy – Steve saw that in me and cast me before he had even pitched the show to Nickelodeon.”

Bill Fagerbakke

Kenny explains that Hillenburg had an instinct about casting his characters, and revealed that most of the main characters’ personalities weren’t completely made up for the show.

“Most of the characteristics he put into SpongeBob characters were from people throughout his life. He had a best friend who was a lot like Patrick when he was a kid; he had a boss at a food service job who was like Mr Crabs, and so on.

“I don’t know if he ever knew a small person who wanted to take over the world though.”

According to Fagerbakke, SpongeBob SquarePants’ cultural relevance 25 years later is a testament to its creator, Steven Hillenburg. 

“I’ve thought about this a lot, and I’ve brought it down to the point that Steve had this incredible gift to do something very difficult, which is to create a style of content that is and always endeavours to be both clever and innocent,” he said,

Kenny added: “It takes place in a non-time frame specific world, it doesn’t touch or say anything topical, it’s its own world. It’s stayed relevant because while the world inside the show is foreign or odd, it’s so familiar at the same time.

“It ages very well, well really, it doesn’t age at all.”

Halfway through the survey year, SCA’s chief content officer Dave Cameron tells Mediaweek that 2024 has been “excellent in terms of the audience that we’re appealing to nationally, which is 25-54s.”

“That’s our money audience, and that’s where 80% of our revenue is. To have the lion’s share of that and to continue to grow and give us more distance between us and our competitors, that’s been a pretty successful strategy for the last six months.”

SCA in Melbourne 

This year has seen all eyes on the Melbourne radio market, and survey four was no different. With The Fox coming in as third FM station and Fifi, Fev & Nick as third FM breakfast, Cameron said that he is “really pleased that local programming is rising to the top in Melbourne.”

“That’s not only us, that’s other local shows as well. We congratulate the Nova show, I think Brendan [Taylor]‘s decision at Nova was a smart decision. 

See also: Nova’s Brendan Taylor on survey four and ‘quite emotional’ result for Jase & Lauren

“I’m really pleased that there’s a really strong local offering in Melbourne at breakfast time that is keeping new interstate opportunities very much at bay.”

Staying in Melbourne, survey four was the final survey for Marty Sheargold on Triple M Breakfast. He will continue The Marty Sheargold Show podcast, and make the move to the 3-4pm national Triple M show.

“Marty has made a decision, and we support that decision,” said Cameron. “We’re also happy that Marty and his team, who are just as big a stars as Marty, are staying on what is a highly successful podcast, and will continue to be heard at three o’clock. Marty and his team are very much still part of the Triple M family, which we’re wrapped about.

“Also, Marty just got his best result, which is always the case on your last one. For Marty to end his breakfast commitment on his best result, is kudos to him and his team.”

Marty Sheargold, SCA Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron and Fifi Box

Around the Network

Brisbane has been a particularly strong market for SCA this year, recording four surveys in a row with B105 and Triple M as the number one and number two stations in the market.

“Outside of this year,  we have only been number one and number two twice in the last 19 years – we’ve now done it four times in a row. We feel like the products for both of the stations, breakfast and music formats, are incredibly strong in Brisbane right now,” said Cameron.

“In Adelaide, we have the number one station, and our second station SAFM has also increased and had a reasonably good result in breakfast. Adelaide is a very strong market for us, certainly from a Triple M perspective, at least.”

Cameron admits that “Sydney remains somewhat of a challenge given that it’s a very tough market to crack,” but said he’s feeling particularly positive about the city’s Triple M station. 

“In terms of Mick & MG on Triple M, that show has only been on air for 14 months. That’s a blink of an eye in terms of the radio watch. It’s a show that we believe is absolutely on course for some great results later this year.”

“Perth is a volatile market at the best of times. We started off this year with the number one station a couple of times in a row, we went to number three, and then number two. It can be a bit of a juggle in Perth. That just shows that in any survey, there’s a market that is highly competitive with some really good products, including our own.”

Looking Ahead

With four surveys down and four to go, Cameron said there are a number of goals the SCA team will be focussing their attention on. 

“Our focus remains on the continued success of The Fox in Melbourne, which continues to be the most locally active show in the market. We keep it very busy with can’t switch off moments each week. It’s well programmed, it doesn’t get distracted by external noise, it knows who it is and exactly what its audience wants. So The Fox remains a focus for us. 

“We want to continue to maintain dominance in Brisbane, and we hope to continue to grow Triple M at the same rate as we have the last couple of years by putting it into a growth strategic approach. We’re now talking to new audiences, because we’ve adjusted the format quite significantly over recent times – that’s now paying dividends for us in a lot of our markets.”

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Top image: Dave Cameron

In his first media interview since chairman Peter Costello resigned after an altercation with a News Corp journalist, Nine CEO Mike Sneesby says the company’s eight-year bet on the Olympic and Paralympic Games is paying off.

The Australian Financial Review reports Sneesby saying that the network will bank $135 million in advertising revenue for the upcoming Paris Olympics, and insists it will turn a profit.

Sneesby said Nine is sending far fewer people to Paris to produce 16 times more footage than it did in 2012 at the London Olympics, when Nine last held the broadcast rights. 

Nine spent $305 million to acquire the Olympic rights from Seven, and have broadcasting rights from Paris in 2024 through to Brisbane in 2032.

Sneesby assures Nine have filled its “torch” and “flame” sponsorship packages, which were valued at $12.5 million and $10.5 million respectively. 

Toyota, Woolworths, Harvey Norman, and NRMA Insurance have signed up. 

“We’ve now written $135 million of revenue across the Olympic and Paralympic Games. From a revenue point of view, that now guarantees that Nine will be profitable on the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Sneesby said.

“We’re taking into account all costs of the games, the production, the rights’ acquisition costs and all other associated costs involved.”

“For Paris, we will be taking 123 to cover our television broadcast production – so less than half the number of people on the ground,” he added said.

“We will produce over 5000 hours of programming just across Nine and 9Now.”

Just over 200 people from Nine will be in Paris, Sneesby said, which includes 18 from Nine News, 18 from radio, 18 from the mastheads, and 20 to 25 from the executive team and Stan. 

“The impression might be that it’s a fun and luxurious trip. In fact, it’s going to be jam-packed with official duties,” he said. “There’s certainly no [Nine] executives that are travelling to the games for the purpose of spectating.”

Sneesby’s confidence in Nine’s profit from the Olympics comes as The Australian reports Nine is facing a “Games blowout.”

The News Corp masthead reported that the company is staring at a potential $60 million loss from its Paris Olympics broadcast.

Several sources told The Australian that Nine’s total Games costs come to at least $120 million – including $100 million on its broadcast deal with the Internal Olympic Committee plus $20 million “or more” in production costs.

OMD has promoted Amanda Watts to managing director, Sydney. Her career with OMD began 15 years ago in Singapore, and she has spent the past seven years in leadership roles with OMD Sydney.

Watts was promoted from head of Telstra to general manager, Sydney in 2021 and joined the agency’s national executive team.

“Promoting Amanda to managing director was one of the easiest decisions Sian Whitnall and I have made and recognises her significant and ongoing contribution to OMD,” Laura Nice, co-CEO of OMD Australia.”
 
“She has made such an impact on our people and partners alike with her best-in-class operational prowess. In addition to her leadership and proven business growth delivery for many of our longstanding client partners, including Telstra and Apple, Amanda has also driven our renewed OMD Academy growth and development program nationally for our people. She brings boundless energy to our agency and everything she does, which inspires everyone around her.”

Nice added: “This elevated leadership structure also recognises the size, scale and quality of our Sydney operation and sets us up for continued success whilst working with Australia’s biggest and most innovative organisations and brands such as McDonald’s, Telstra and NSW Government.” 

Watts said of her promotion: “I am so thrilled to step into the role of manager director for OMD Sydney. Having grown alongside this company for many years, I am excited for the opportunity to lead our team into the future. Our OMDers are our greatest asset and together we will continue to drive innovation and creativity for our business, people and partners.”

Another of Watt’s key achievements is her role in leading OMD’s Exec Next program, which is now entering its third year.

Kate Welsh, account director at OMD Sydney, said: “Amanda cares so much about the people of OMD. As a member of the 2023 Exec Next cohort, and beyond this, I have been so lucky to work with Amanda and our wonderful exec team by contributing to projects that are making a difference in the agency, like our OMD Academy training platform and OMD Perks rewards platform.
 
“She is approachable, open and genuinely cares about our growth and development, as well as our personal wellbeing. She gives her time generously, mentoring, sharing her experience and providing opportunities for us to grow.”
 
Watt’s appointment is effective immediately, continuing as a key member of the agency’s national executive team and reporting into Kim Hamilton, group managing director NSW and ACT.
 
–
 
Top image: Amanda Watts

‘Obsessed’ is a monthly deep dive into social and cultural trends that can help marketers inform the way they think. Led by Kate O’Loughlin, Initiative strategist and self-confessed obsessive, ‘Obsessed’ will be a magic school bus to expand marketing mindsets and help brands remain relevant amongst an ever-changing cultural landscape.

This month I’ve been obsessed with… the brat album release campaign from Charli XCX.

The album release was the perfect example of the power of a distinctive media device in delivering disproportionate word of mouth for any brand.

If you haven’t been bombarded by the Apple dance on TikTok or have somehow missed the slew of female internet baddies in the ‘360’ video clip, then let me catch you up.

Kate O’Loughlin

Charli XCX (Charlotte Emma Aitchison)

Charli, known for iconic 2010s pop song I Love It and Boys, had been out of the top ten charts for the last decade until her feature on the Barbie movie soundtrack with Speed Drive. While XCX had pop-star level fame early in her career, since 2012 she had only had fleeting moments of true mainstream success and was better known as a loud, grungy, tech-forward artist with a cult following. 

But on the 7th of June 2024, Charli XCX dropped her latest, acid-green coloured rave-centered album and life has simply not been the same since. The album debuted at number three in the United States and has earned her highest opening-week sales in the United Kingdom. Sales aside, brat has solidified itself in culture through the trending terminology that it is now officially a Brat Summer… or winter, in the case of the southern hemisphere.

The music itself is incredible and deserving of every accolade, but there is more to the success of brat than XCX’s thumping base and emotionally charged lyrics. The design of the album cover has brought in an audience (mainstream music fans) who otherwise may have overlooked XCX, making the cover art her own personal distinctive media device. This is for two key reasons:

• The nuclear green, almost-cringey colour of the album has acted as a hook for content generation and discovery.

• brat as a name meant there is a clear vibe to the album that you can latch onto without even listening to the music: rebellious, punk, and the total opposite to the recently popular trend of #cleangirl aesthetic.  

This distinctive media device has propelled its way into culture through a multitude of ways, but central to its success has been a clear paid, owned, earned and shared strategy that makes it seem as if XCX herself is a media professional…

• Paid: A series of ‘brat walls’ popped up internationally, where (you guessed it) the green album art was literally just painted to a wall. The distinctive colour and replicability of the image meant that fans were instantly able to recognise the imagery and seek out the wall in their own market. 

• Owned: Other than the album itself, XCX and her team leant into the meme-ification of the album art by launching a ‘brat generator’, where users could input any text of their choosing to be brat-ified into album art.

• Earned: Brands were quick to jump onto the trend, and in doing so gave brat even more free airtime. From small social activations to full scale billboards, its kryptonite green has been plastered across brand comms since its inception.

• Shared: Pre-album launch, XCX dropped her first ever Boiler Room set. Choosing to align to a property so entrenched in club culture was the perfect partner to launch the ‘brat’ ethos into market. 

Aside from the core green concept, XCX has taken the device as a long-term play and used the same blurry font style for the launch of the extended edition of the album titled brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not. 

So, how do we apply the ‘brat’ approach to marketing? To me, there are three key points to consider:

1. Minimalism: The simplicity of the album art made it easily replicable, and customers could involve themselves in the discourse through a powerpoint (or the ‘brat generator’). Brands looking for a device to replicate should make it clear and easy for all audiences to engage with. 

2. OESP: Consider how the device can bleed through all layers of an owned, eared, shared and paid plans. Identify ways for not only customers, but other brands, to be involved. 

3. Tone: brat isn’t just an image, there’s a message behind the album – that we should all just embrace being a little bit feral at times, rejecting the #cleangirl culture that was so rife in 2023. Brands looking to launch a distinctive device must consider the environments and contexts within which it shows up to ensure the tone of the brand is clearly communicated. 

To sum up: the distinctive device branding and following OESP campaign for brat has meant that #bratgirlsummer has transcended customers and affirmed its place as one of the most epic launches of the year – even if gritty club music isn’t your vibe, the brat narrative is one worth following.

See also: Food has become a status symbol for quiet luxury brands

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Top Image: Kate O’Loughlin

Australian advertisers wasted $123.1 million in digital advertising in Q2 of 2024, one of the highest quarterly amounts recorded, according to independent performance agency Next&Co’s quarterly Digital Media Wastage report.

This figure is up $25 million from last quarter’s ad wastage data and nearly $50 million YoY. According to Next&Co, it is one of the highest quarterly amounts recorded since the report’s inception, with figures usually sitting between $70 million to $110 million.

The data represents millions of advertising dollars that failed to further digital advertising objectives across various verticals, including real estate, retail, insurance, finance, and FMCG. The $123.1 million represented an average of 44% of total audited digital media spend.

The data was gathered by Next&Co’s proprietary media auditing tool, Prometheus. Thirty-seven companies with digital ad budgets between $500,000 and $21 million were audited, including multinational (42%), national (37%), ASX-listed (11%), and SME (10%) companies.

Next&Co co-founder, John Vlasakakis, said: “It’s astounding that, given the national cost-of living crisis impacting consumer spending and shrinking advertising budgets nationwide, digital advertising spend wastage has peaked in the last few months.”

“The digital ad spend waste trend  line is definitely moving in the wrong direction and this is concerning,” he continued.

“Now more than ever, brands need to look closely at their ad performance and really understand  their wastage levels. There is no room for wasted advertising dollars – brands must ensure  every dollar they are spending is delivering results. In this economic climate, understanding the  exact ROI on your advertising spend could be the difference in maintaining client confidence  and short and long-term success.”

According to the report, the retail sector recorded the highest amount of wasted digital ad dollars for a consecutive quarter, totalling $48 million. The number is up $20 million QoQ and over $8 million YoY.

The finance sector recorded the next highest ad wastage figure at $32 million, followed by real estate ($16 million), insurance ($11 million), health ($8.6 million), and education ($7.3 million).

The report further highlighted that Google topped the digital media channel waste list among media channels for the first time. In Q2, $55.4 million was wasted on Google advertising, up nearly $20 million from the previous quarter.

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms were a close second at $52.9 million, up nearly $3 million from Q1 and nearly $7 million YoY. Additionally, $8.6 million was wasted on Bing, and $6.1 million on LinkedIn.

The report follows last month’s announcement from IAB Australia, which urged the Australian advertising industry to take Made for Advertising (MFA) sites more seriously and work collaboratively to minimise ad spend on these sites and with any associated participants.

The trade association issued a Made for Advertising guidance paper with clear definitions and recommendations, describing MFAs as a blatant waste of investment for brands that expose their ad campaigns to such sites.

See also: IAB urges industry to reduce ad spend on Made for Advertising sites

–

Top Image: Next&Co founders Nick Grinberg & John Vlasakakis

Endometriosis Australia has launched its first TVC campaign, Take Your Life Off Hold, via Havas’ integrated communications agency, Havas Red. 

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the debilitating effects of period pain and the importance of not dismissing such symptoms as ‘normal’ when they could be indicators of underlying endometriosis. It hopes not only challenge this normalisation, but encourage women to seek diagnosis, support and treatment.

“There is still an average six-and-a-half-year delay between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of endometriosis in Australia, and this delay is often longer for those living in regional communities,” said the chair of Endometriosis Australia, Monica Forlano.

“As someone who has experienced the devastating symptoms for over 19 years before finally getting an endometriosis diagnosis, the Take Your Life Off Hold campaign is close to my heart.

“We hope this TVC will increase awareness of endometriosis across regional Australia, empower patients to advocate for their health needs, learn more, and contribute to Endometriosis Australia’s mission of making endometriosis widely recognised, promptly diagnosed, and effectively treated.”

“Back in 2017 we first supported Endometriosis awareness through a PR and government relations campaign that generated historic funding for research into the disease and a commitment to develop the first national plan to tackle it,” explained managing partner of health and wellness at HAVAS Red, Nicole Phillips.

“We reconnected with Endometriosis Australia last year, our Host HAVAS team refreshed Endometriosis Australia’s logo and brand style guidelines. Our activation and production team at HAVAS Blvd produced the upcoming TVC campaign from creative ideation to postproduction. HAVAS Red continues to support the organisation with a drumbeat of earned media.”

Take Your Life Off Hold will air nationwide across Southern Cross Austereo’s (SCA) regional stations as part a two-year partnership with Endometriosis Australia through the broadcaster‘s charity program, SCA Embrace.

“The new TVC will air across SCA’s 34 regional TV channels, in conjunction with our new radio campaign spanning both metro and regional stations and LiSTNR with the potential to reach more than 95% of the Australian population,” added SCA CEO, John Kelly. 

The TVC follows the national charity‘s recent OOH effort, It’s not just period pain, it could be endometriosis, which was donated by independent marcomm agency Ryvalmedia and has been broadcast on SCA radio since March. Traffic to the Endometriosis Australia website has doubled since the campaign launch.

Through strategic placements in high traffic areas and compelling real-life visuals and messaging, we want to continue to amplify this important message for those impacted by endometriosis and for those who want to learn more,” said Ryvalmedia general manager, Bianca Falloon.

In March, News Corp’s news.com.au launched its About Bloody Time campaign, a week-long editorial push for longer, Medicare-funded consultations for endometriosis diagnosis and treatment.

The work follows Havas Red’ June launch of  an AI proposition in response to the slew of automation technologies emerging in the creative industry, ‘Agency Intelligence: Intelligent Strategy, Ideas, and People.’

See also: Havas Red launches AI proposition: ‘Agency Intelligence’

Credits: 
Board chair and executive producer: Monica Forlano
PR and creative agency: HAVAS Red
Production company: HAVAS BVLD
Managing partner health: Nicole Phillips
Senior account director/producer/art director: Rachel Leech
Creative lead: Tom Manning
DOP: Callum Leaky
1st AC: Brian Baker
Assistant producer: Mimi Sillar 
Sound: Tom Cutting
Hair and makeup: Yolanda Lukowski
Photography: Hettie Headford

Post production: 
Editor: Beau Simmons
Colour grade: Marcus Timpson
Sound Engineer: MassiveMusic
Design: MassiveMusic

CX Lavender has promoted Claire Austin and Rusty Nelson to creative director roles.

Austin, a 17-year veteran of the agency, has returned from a year’s maternity leave into the new promotion from her previous role as head of copy.

She began her advertising career at the agency, progressing from her first role as an account executive through the creative ranks. As head of copy she led TOV development and copywriting across all clients, as well as directing conceptual thinking and mentoring and training junior team members.

Nelson, who has been with the agency for eight years, steps up from his previous role of associate creative director. He most recently headed up Headspace’s brand campaign for youth mental health and is a strong mentor for students and members of CX Lavender’s Genus Graduate Program.

Both Austin and Nelson have made significant contributions to the full-service customer experience agency’s client relationships in finding new and innovative creative approaches to customer experiences, and collaborating with clients to creatively solve CX problems.

They will report to CX Lavender ECD and partner, Ryan Stubna.

Stubna said: “Claire and Rusty excel in customer-centric creativity and their experience across various disciplines within the agency has shaped their leadership styles. As we navigate a period of growth in the agency, they are ideally positioned to assume the roles of Creative Directors, guiding us toward new heights in enhancing customer experiences.”
 
“It really feels like the perfect time to be coming back into the fold after a year’s mat leave,” Austin said. “We’ve got a smart, dedicated team, exciting new business wins and interesting industry changes to navigate – the place of generative AI, for example. I’m so looking forward to harnessing this energy into smart, innovative solutions to client challenges.”
 
Nelson added: “There’s an infectious energy bubbling out of the creative team right now and some serious momentum in the business’ trajectory. Pair that with the growth in demand for quality CX and the value recognition it’s starting to receive, and it’s fair to say it’s an exciting time to be doing what I do.”
 
Austin and Nelson’s promotions follow a 12-month period of growth for CX Lavender, which has welcomed a number of new clients including Zambrero, Scenic World, Victoria University, IG Group and Mine Super.

See also: Kim Verbrugghe appointed CSO at CX Lavender 
–
 
Top image: Rusty Nelson, Ryan Stubna and Claire Austin

Bench Media has made two senior appointments: Sebastian Diaz from senior digital solutions specialist to the newly created role of head of media innovation, and Nate Vella, previously senior digital strategist to brand strategy lead.

Anthony Fargeot, VP of growth at Bench Media, said: “When talking to marketers, we realised that even with strong internal marketing resources, they are often one degree removed from the latest innovations happening in the digital advertising ecosystem.

“As an agency, it’s a big part of our day-to-day to be in contact with media, tech and data vendors and how their offerings and capabilities are quickly evolving to stay ahead of the curve. We keep our finger on the pulse and share our knowledge with brands, infusing it in their marketing strategy so they can ongoingly improve their ROI.

“Sebastian and Nate are perfectly positioned to provide the latest knowledge to clients, their promotions are well deserved and testament to their vast experience and skillsets across the digital ecosystem.”
 
Diaz’s three-year tenure and now promotion as head of media innovation at the independent agency will be key to leading the release of new media products in line with brands’ growing needs for advanced and bespoke solutions.
 
“In the past three years, I’ve witnessed cookie-less ID solutions come to the fore; the attention-based economy thrive; and green trading finally taking a front seat,” Diaz said.

“2024 marks the era of generative and predictive AI and the influx of commerce solutions and retail media networks. In an industry that rapidly needs to evolve to meet client needs, it can be challenging to navigate at the best of times, so it is great to be part of an independent agency that prides itself on being client-led and always keen to encourage the testing of new technology to market.

“We have a great working relationship with our clients, who trust us with strategies that aren’t the stock standard. I’m excited to shape Bench’s innovative media solutions and solidify us as digital leaders in market.”

Fargeot added: “Seb is definitely the man for the job. His understanding of media is one of the strongest I have ever encountered and his ability to connect the dots to create much needed and innovative solutions is a massive asset for brands.”

As brand strategy lead, Vella’s understanding of client needs and challenges will allow him to seamlessly integrate with brand marketing teams to help holistically design the most efficient advertising strategies based on their overall business objectives.
 
Vella said of his promotion: “More and more, brands are seeking a centralised and stable strategy team to integrate with their day-to-day ways of working. Bench has the experience and capabilities to be able to support this, while also creating further valuable connections with our network of partners to drive success and achieve tangible business outcomes.

“I’m looking forward to taking on this new role and contributing to the continued growth of our offering as an agency, and in doing so, providing forward-thinking and tailored solutions for our clients,” he concluded.

Liam Garratt, general manager at Bench Media, said: “It is impressive to see Nate operate and how he can embed himself with brand marketers and speak their language, understand their challenges and come up with ingenious solutions to address them. His role will be a huge contributor to our continued success working with brands and I’m very excited to see him take on this new role.”

See also: Bench Media wins Genea Fertility’s digital media account

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Top image: Nate Vella and Sebatian Diaz

Fake (Paramount+) is the new Aussie drama starring Asher Keddie and David Wenham. It is very watchable but a little too eager to reveal itself. The first four episodes are annoyingly slow but hang in there because it kicks into high gear around the halfway mark.

The premise of Fake is right there in its title and the show’s opening scenes also spell it out. As journalist Birdie Bell (Keddie) arrives at a bar for her first date with grazier Joe Burt (Wenham), he reveals in a voiceover to the audience that she should “turn around and run”.

Knowing all this about him so early in the story makes it very difficult to like his character. Despite many red flags, Kedder’s character stumbles into a rocky relationship. There is little chemistry between them and not even a suggestion that it’s mind-blowing sex that keeps them together.

Fake would be more believable if Wenham had been given more time to be charming. His bastardy is too obvious and it’s frustrating that Kedder can’t see it. After seven seasons of Offspring, audiences are hard-wired to see her playing slightly ditzy career women whose love live is a mess. Her recent Gold Logie nomination for Strife (Binge) proves that audiences still love her, but her character in Fake is ditzy to the point of being brain-dead.

Fake is about the real-life experience of journalist Stephanie Wood and the man who conned her. The TV adaptation wants to explore “what leads people to deny their instincts”. Birdie Bell’s denial is blamed on having a mean mother (Heather Mitchell), a soon-to-be-married gay couple (Spencer McLaren and Nicholas Brown) and a terrible therapist who advises her to ignore her instincts.

This makes for a frustrating viewing experience and if you are prone to screaming at your TV set, Fake will leave you hoarse from yelling. Maybe that’s the point though because as maddening as it is, I couldn’t stop watching. Fake would be better if Keddie’s character didn’t come across as such a flake, but her fans won’t care either way.

This week on the TV Gold podcast:

Fake, The Bear, Faye, A Family Affair

New TV series and movies reviewed this week include:

Fake – (Paramount+, 8 episodes) Asher Keddie and David Wenham star in this drama about liars, cheats, fantasists and phonies.

Faye – (Binge/Foxtel documentary) Academy Award-winning actress and multi-decade movie star, Faye Dunaway, recounts the triumphs and challenges of her movie career. The star of Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and Network, and the controversial Mommie Dearest, speaks honestly about Hollywood and reflects on criticism she has faced along the journey.

The Bear – (Disney+, 10 episodes) Season three of The Bear follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they do what it takes to elevate The Bear, their beef stand turned fine dining establishment, to the next level.

A Family Affair (Netflix, movie) Don’t miss what Andrew and James make of this zinger! When Zara (Joey King) quits her job as the personal assistant to Hollywood heartthrob Chris Cole (Zac Efron), she unwittingly sets the stage for a chance encounter between Chris and her famous writer mum, Brooke (Nicole Kidman). And guess what happens next!

Listen online here, or on your favourite podcast platform.
Read more Mercado on TV columns here.

Thursday 11 July 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s NRL – Dolphins v Rabbitohs recorded a total TV national reach of 1,404,000, a total TV national audience of 628,000, and a BVOD audience of 69,000.

Seven’s The Chase Australia recorded a total TV national reach of 1,365,000, a total TV national audience of 629,000.

Also on Seven, Home & Away recorded a total TV national reach of 1,421,000, a total TV national audience of 751,000, and a BVOD audience of 91,000.

10’s airing of Taskmaster Australia recorded a total TV national reach of 774,000, a total TV national audience of 397,000, and a BVOD audience of 21,000.

10’s airing of The Project recorded a total TV national reach of 797,000, a total TV national audience of 331,000, and a BVOD audience of 16,000.

See also: TV Report 11 July 2024: Dolphins snap losing streak in win against the Rabbitohs

People 25-54

Nine’s NRL – Dolphins v Rabbitohs:
• Total TV nation reach: 473,000
• National Audience: 217,000
• BVOD Audience: 40,000

Seven’s The Chase Australia:
• Total TV nation reach: 310,000
• National Audience: 134,000
• BVOD Audience: 16,000

10’s Taskmaster:
• Total TV nation reach: 375,000
• National Audience: 223,000 
• BVOD Audience: 13,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 474,000
• National Audience: 233,000
• BVOD Audience: 51,000

People 16-39

Nine’s NRL – Dolphins v Rabbitohs:
• Total TV nation reach: 208,000
• National Audience: 101,000
• BVOD Audience: 26,000

Seven’s The Chase Australia:
• Total TV nation reach: 99,000
• National Audience: 43,000
• BVOD Audience: 8,000

10’s Taskmaster:
• Total TV nation reach: 189,000
• National Audience: 116,000 
• BVOD Audience: 8,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 201,000
• National Audience: 100,000
• BVOD Audience: 31,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+

Nine’s NRL – Dolphins v Rabbitohs:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,072,000
• National Audience: 481,000
• BVOD Audience: 53,000

Seven’s The Chase Australia:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,099,000
• National Audience: 512,000
• BVOD Audience: 26,000

10’s Taskmaster:
• Total TV nation reach: 583,000
• National Audience: 301,000 
• BVOD Audience: 17,000

Seven’s Home & Away:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,112,000
• National Audience: 596,000
• BVOD Audience: 73,000

Data © OzTAM and Regional TAM 2024. Not to be reproduced, published or communicated (electronically or in hard copy) in whole or in part, without prior written consent of OzTAM and Regional TAM.

TV Report 14 July 2024:

Nine TV Report

Travel Guides

Nine’s evening began with Travel Guides.

The Fren Family, and Matt & Brett show off their hometown of Newcastle. The guides surfed the beach, sailed the harbour, visited Maitland gaol and the Hunter Valley before dolphin spotting in Port Stephens.

NRL – Knights v Raiders

The Sea Eagles v Knights game on Nine saw the Sea Eagles dominate, winning the game 44-6 at 4 Pines Park in Sydney.

Seven TV Report

Dancing with the Stars

On Seven, Dancing with the Stars saw the second group of new stars take the ballroom by storm.

Determined to win dancing’s biggest competition, Samantha Jade shot to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 31 for her Quickstep. Judge Sharna Burgess was left speechless by her first routine.

The final leaderboard for the night:

Samantha Jade and Gustavo Viglio: 31
Adam Dovile and Jess Raffa: 26
Nova Peris and Craig Monley: 19
Nikki Osborne and Aric Yegudkin: 20
Hayden Quinn and Lily Cornish: 20
Shane Crawford and Ash-Leigh Hunter: 22

7NEWS Spotlight

The program continued 7NEWS’ coverage of the assassination attempt on Former US President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. 

10 TV Report

The Sunday Project

The Sunday Project looked into the Donald Trump assassination attempt, Paralympian Madison de Rozario’s mission to defend gold and spoke to Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg.

MasterChef Australia

On 10’s MasterChef Australia, Andy, Poh and Jean Christophe swap roles, becoming the cooks while the Semi-Finalists become the judges’. The Semi-Finalists then took on the judges in a relay.

ABC

Spicks and Specks

Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by Ross Noble, Ngaiire, Eamon Sandwith from the Chats, Meshel Laurie and Ghost Medium.

SBS

Paris Hotel de Ville: A Masterpiece

Built on the banks of the Seine, the Hotel de Ville in Paris, emblem of the French capital is twice the size of the White House. Home of decision-making for the daily life of 2 million Parisians, the Hotel de Ville is also reception location of an international scale. Many well-known names, such as Queen Elizabeth or Nelson Mandela, have been received there.