Mindshare has been appointed to Foot Locker’s media planning and buying business across Australia and New Zealand.

The GroupM agency will be responsible for performance and campaign media planning and buying for the footwear and apparel retailer across both markets, delivering strategic, data-led media planning, activation, optimisation, and measurement.

A key task for Mindshare will be to support Foot Locker in its good growth ambitions, specifically to diversify the retailer’s audience profile and grow customer value through the deployment of the agency’s strategic approach to media planning and sophisticated performance marketing capabilities.

Foot Locker operates close to 100 retail stores across Australia and New Zealand and is one of the most recognisable destinations for all things sneaker culture in the region and globally. 

The retailer also recently made headlines for launching its new ‘Reimagined’ store concept in Melbourne Central, which coincided with its 50^th anniversary as a brand and its announcement as a Major Partner of the WNBL. 

“We are very thankful to our incumbent agencies who’ve helped us achieve success to date,” Brendan Graham, senior director of marketing for Asia Pacific at Foot Locker, said.

“But we are at an important stage of growth for the brand. Foot Locker wants to unlock the inner sneakerhead in all of us. Mindshare presented a compelling strategic vision and a roadmap to achieve and measure it. We look forward to engineering the right media mix to capture existing demand and grow our customer base and purchase frequency.”

Maria Grivas, Mindshare AUNZ CEO, added: “Foot Locker is a vital brand with a strong history of sparking discovery. We are excited to bring our Good Growth and Transformation approach to the task of growing Foot Locker in a disrupted marketplace.”

Christian Solomon, Mindshare Melbourne managing director, said: “We are confident our approach to building long-term sustainable growth will deliver exceptional results for Foot Locker. We can’t wait to get started.”

The win follows a run of new business success for Mindshare including winning Unilever, Nova Entertainment and extending its contract with the University of Melbourne.

See also: Unilever Australia and New Zealand appoints Mindshare as its media agency

Women in Media has appointed Anita Jacoby AM as chair and Bridget Fair as deputy chair, ushering in a new leadership team for the organisation. This change comes as founding member and former co-chair Victoria Laurie steps down after nearly two decades of dedicated service and advocacy for women in the Australian media sector.

Jacoby AM, one of Australia’s most esteemed television producers and media executives, brings an exceptional breadth of experience and leadership to her new role. Fair, CEO of Free TV Australia, adds her extensive expertise in television and media to the leadership team. Both appointments take effect immediately for a three-year term.

“I am honoured to chair Women in Media alongside such an esteemed board,” said Jacoby. “Our mission to empower women and promote gender equality in the media sector has never been more urgent. Through our innovative programs, we will continue to elevate women’s leadership and amplify their voices across the industry.”

Fair echoed this sentiment, stating, “Supporting an equitable media industry not only opens up pathways for women, but also strengthens economic participation. This is crucial for the ongoing growth and vibrancy of Australia’s media landscape.”

Laurie, a founding member and former co-chair, reflected on the organisation’s evolution, expressing her confidence in the new leadership. “I’m thrilled that Anita and Bridget, along with our exceptional board, are poised to create new opportunities for the Women in Media community. From the very start, our mission has been to empower women across Australia’s media sector, and I remain deeply passionate about this cause,” she said.

Jacoby acknowledged Laurie’s legacy, adding, “On behalf of the Board, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Victoria for her extraordinary leadership. She has been a driving force behind Women in Media, and her dedication has been instrumental in building the organisation into what it is today. With over 6,700 members, her impact has significantly strengthened the media landscape.”

Women in Media continues to address the ongoing challenges and barriers women face in the industry, as outlined in the Women in Media Industry Insight Report 2024. The report reveals that 57% of women (up 3% from last year) remain dissatisfied or uncertain about their career progress, with early- and mid-career women particularly affected. The findings highlight the critical need for continued gender equity efforts, career development pathways, and greater access to resources for women across all roles and media sectors.

Kayo Sports is set to elevate the cricket broadcast experience like never before, unveiling a suite of game-changing technologies that promise to deliver unmatched clarity, excitement, and insight for fans this summer.

These innovations, which will debut during the Australia-India Test series starting Friday, 22 November, will be available in stunning 4K Ultra HD and include a first-ever Hindi feed for Indian fans, enhancing diversity and engagement.

The new tech will give fans an immersive viewing experience, capturing every boundary, wicket, and moment of drama from multiple angles, providing unprecedented levels of detail. These next-gen features include:

Revolutionising cricket broadcasting with AI

At the forefront of the innovation is HyperLayer, an AI-powered platform developed by Virtual Eye. This groundbreaking technology goes beyond traditional ball speed tracking by capturing every phase of the ball’s journey using six cameras that track at 250 frames per second. This system provides 810,000 frames of data every day during Test matches, offering fans deep analytics and insights into every delivery, with the added bonus of historical data for context.

Ultra motion for perfect precision

The next-level Emperor camera is designed to capture every moment in extraordinary detail, capable of shooting at 600 frames per second in real time. This ultra-motion camera is integrated with Fox Cricket’s ball and player tracking systems, ensuring nothing is missed, from every fast ball to every wicket-taking delivery.

4D replays

Already seen in major sports like MLB, NFL, and the Olympics, 4D replays are making their cricket debut. Powered by a network of 100 cameras positioned around the stadium, these real-time, 360-degree replays offer an immersive view of the game’s most exciting moments. Kayo Sports subscribers can also interact with these 4D replays via a companion device, providing a dynamic second-screen experience that takes fan engagement to a new level.

Fox Sports managing director Steve Crawley said, “We can’t wait for the Australia-India Test to kick off. As the top two teams in Test cricket, it’s set to be a great contest and audiences can expect more analysis, more innovation, and more action from the series on Fox Cricket. A world-class commentary team, game-changing tech – this ‘Summer of Cricket’ is set to be our biggest one yet.”

For the first time, Fox Cricket will also handle its broadcast graphics production in-house, leveraging the expertise of Fox Sports’ graphics department to deliver an even higher standard of visual storytelling with greater customisation.

Every ball of the Border-Gavaskar Test series will be broadcast live in ultra high-definition 4K on Kayo Sports and Foxtel, with unprecedented tech designed to enhance every aspect of the viewing experience.

These announcements follow Fox Cricket’s Big Hit fan event in Melbourne, where hundreds of fans gathered at Federation Square to meet cricket legends and Fox Cricket commentators, including Allan Border, Brett Lee, Harsha Bogle, Ravi Shastri, David Warner, and Michael Vaughan.

DiDi has teamed up with independent creative and PR agency Sunday Gravy to unveil its new campaign aligned with the release of Gladiator II.

In its first work for DiDi, Sunday Gravy created a fast turnaround job to link DiDi with the release of the Gladiator II movie.

The throwaway comment of: “It would be pretty dumb to turn a Camry into a chariot” during a brainstorm inspired the team who bought a Camry online and turned into a chariot.

The campaign film, produced in-house by Sunday Gravy, is a stepping stone in tone towards DiDi’s new brand platform that will be released early next year.

DiDi Australia’s head of brand marketing, Tim Farmer, said: “To celebrate the release of Gladiator II, we wanted to blend our two worlds in a manner that would be creative and light-hearted. So what better way to kick off our work with Sunday Gravy than to saw a typical rideshare car in half and turn it into a chariot.

“The campaign is both memorable and stands out – particularly on the big screen – and is just the start of us doing things differently here in this market.”

Sunday Gravy is approaching the challenge, which is often a revenue question, as an opportunity with many agencies trying to find the balance between using an in-house production model or one of the leading production companies.

“Instead of two different departments, we seek to hire creatives that are genuinely passionate about creating things in the world, from design to directing,” Ant White, co-founder Sunday Gravy, said.

“If we can make things ourselves, that’s great because our creatives get a chance to fulfill their potential. From concepting the idea to directing the film, it was great for Sam Whatley to see his vision through.

Sam Whatley, director and senior creative, Sunday Gravy, said: “This is the start of something weird and wonderful happening between Sunday Gravy and DiDi.”

See also: DiDi taps Disney’s Tim Farmer for head of brand marketing ANZ role

The multi-award-winning presenter, broadcaster, author and comedian Graham Norton features on Network 10 in another series starting this month – Wheel Of Fortune Australia down under.

The series was announced 12 months ago, and makes it onto the 10 schedule during the last week of the official ratings survey.

In each episode, three players will attempt to solve puzzles and win big. Would you like to buy a vowel?

With a mixture of speed puzzles where the fastest and sharpest can earn cash, and the main puzzles viewers know so well, the player who has the most winnings will meet Graham at the Mini-Wheel for the chance to solve one final puzzle and be in with the chance of winning $50,000!

Seven, Nine, and now 10

The format has been very familiar to Australian audiences. It first screened on Seven back in 1981. It had a home on the Seven Network until 2006. The format appeared briefly on Nine in a revamped format in 2008, but was quickly cancelled due to low ratings.

The hosts over the years on Australian TV have been Ernie Sigley, John Burgess, Tony Barber, Rob Elliott, Steve Oemcke, Larry Emdur, Tim Campbell, and now, Graham Norton.

Paramount ANZ revealed 12 months ago at its 2024 Upfront that the show would be returning:

Wheel of Fortune Australia, hosted by Graham Norton and produced by Whisper North, part of the Sony Pictures Television-backed Whisper Group, will bring the game show back to primetime.

The epic game show will once again be centred around a giant carnival wheel as contestants spin to win for a life changing cash prize.

Graham said: “I’m beyond excited to be bringing such an iconic American show to Australia with Network 10. Hosting game shows is brilliant fun and even more so when you have a giant wheel to spin!

“This show has it all, mixing skill, luck and lots of surprises and I hope the Australian audience loves it.”

The original U.S. show is produced by Sony Pictures Television Studios, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution along with the format rights.

The granddaddy of game shows

Graham Norton spoke to news.com.au recently about his forthcoming Australian tour. Nick Bond also asked him about hosting Wheel of Fortune:

You are going to be the host of Australian Wheel of Fortune, airing on 10. You’ve also been hosting the UK version – are there differences between the Aussie and the British contestants?

The Aussie contestants, I would say, flew by the seat of their pants more.
With some of the British ones, I think there’s some Wheel of Fortune app you can download to play it at home and get really, really good at the puzzles. So some of the British people were taking it super seriously. The Australians were like, ‘Let’s spin the wheel, see what happens’. So the atmosphere was quite different. You know, the Australians were still winning big amounts of money, but they seemed … less bothered about it.

Have you been a game show host before in your career?

Let’s just say no. It’s more straightforward to say no. I mean, I have done pilots of game shows before. And doing a new format is hellish because there’s always a moment in the pilot episode where you’re playing the game … You’ve rehearsed it so many times, you’ve done it in the office so many times, but there’s always one moment when you’re in the studio with the audience and the real-life contestants when everyone suddenly realises: ‘Oh, that’s why this game won’t work. There’s a fatal flaw in it.’
And so when they offered me Wheel of Fortune, I thought, well, there’s no fatal flaw. This is the granddaddy of game shows.

[Read more]

When to watch
Wheel Of Fortune Australia.
Starts Monday, 25 November At 7:30pm On 10 And 10 Play.

See also: Paramount Upfront 2025 – 10 kicking off the year with a Pang, + returning Big Brother and Your Gen

By Richard Knott, SVP APAC at Infosum

Media agencies have long played a pivotal role in the advertising industry. Acting as essential intermediaries between advertisers and media owners, their expertise is in navigating the complex landscape of media channels to maximise the impact of advertising investments.

In an ever-changing media landscape, this expertise must constantly evolve and expand to best meet their clients’ needs. Right now, this means helping brands adapt to a first-party data and privacy-first environment.

The industry is facing a significant shift caused by sweeping changes to global privacy legislation, signal loss from the deprecation of third-party cookies–which have always been bad for consumer privacy and offered brands minimal control and transparency–and the rise of numerous cookie-free environments like CTV, retail media, gaming platforms, display on Safari and Firefox. As a result, the tide has firmly shifted toward the use of first-party data to drive marketing outcomes.

Consequently, data collaboration is becoming increasingly essential, necessitating a data clean room solution – a secure and privacy-centric environment that enables collaboration between multiple parties using first-party data without ever sharing it.

To date, data clean rooms have been leveraged by first-party data owners, such as brands, media owners or data providers. However, over the last year, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of media agencies, both holding companies and independents, that are leveraging our data clean rooms for their clients.

This adoption has been driven by two key factors:

Driving innovation

It’s worth emphasising that a data clean room is a technology and not a product in and of itself. Whilst you need one to enable first-party data alliances and collaboration, it’s what you build on top of it that is the game changer.

This means that right now, data clean rooms are predominantly a place for experimentation as marketers explore new online identity solutions, targeting methods, and measurement strategies to enhance customer profiles.

Media agencies have a long history of innovation and sit at the intersection of buyers, sellers and technology providers. As such, they’re well positioned to help explore and experiment with what is possible. Furthermore, as solutions can be plug-and-play, they give agencies hands-on capabilities to generate insight, plan campaigns, measure success and facilitate transactions for media activations. This is a win-win situation for brands that may not have the bandwidth or capability for extensive in-house experimentation, but are no longer willing to cede control of their data to third party agencies.

This is particularly interesting to CMOs as they are urged by many industry leaders, most recently Sir Martin Sorrell, to regain control of their first-party data from external agencies. Data clean rooms ensure that agencies never have to take ownership, control, or liability for accessing their clients’ raw data but still allow agencies to work hand-in-hand with brands to drive innovation and improve outcomes.

Agency differentiation

It’s no secret that the role of media agencies is in constant flux. Margins are being squeezed, and agencies must find new ways to differentiate themselves.

Data clean rooms enable agencies to demonstrate value to clients in a competitive market as their usage drives improved marketing outcomes across all media use cases. To contextualise, our clean data room has been shown to deliver an average of 3x return on investment within just three months of implementation, meaning agencies can swiftly prove worth.

Further, as agencies often have their own first-party data assets and partnerships, they can also augment and differentiate a clients’ data strategies. For example, Omnicom Media Group’s data arm Annalect implemented our data clean room solution to enable them to incorporate data from other vendors to gain a more comprehensive understanding of consumers as its existing Data Management Platform (DMP) alone couldn’t deliver the granularity and the depth of breadth of data attributes it required.

A key driver of their decision was that once in a data clean room environment, there’s no limit to the potential number of first and second-party data sources that can be connected and analysed. As a result, it becomes straightforward to experiment with affinity and lookalike tools. For example, creating expanded segments based on audience behaviors like watching similar TV shows, purchasing similar products, visiting the same types of restaurants, or taking comparable commutes.

The future of data collaboration

The ability to navigate and innovate with first-party data will increasingly become a key determinant of marketing success. Data clean room solutions offer media agencies an opportunity to become indispensable allies and innovators for brands in a privacy-first, data-driven world.

–

Top image: Richard Knott

Coles Express and Reddy Express have launched a promotional campaign with integrated agency Spinach.

The Reddy, Set, Peel ‘N’ Win promotion aims to give away more than $46 million in prizes, including cash, Shell fuel, holidays, and instant win prizes, with every 1 in 5 game card wins.

“Reddy, Set, Peel ‘N’ Win rewards our Shell Coles Express and Reddy Express customers with a combination of instant win and highly desirable prizes,” Viva Energy Retail general manager, customer and marketing, Andrew Egan said.

“We wanted to reward as many people as possible, so we made it fun to play and easy to win with more than 3.5 million prizes up for grabs. We worked closely with Spinach on the creative direction of the campaign to give it a high-energy game show feel.”

The two-month campaign will roll out nationally across radio, OOH, digital, free- to-air TV and BVOD as well as social media and taps into Viva’s key media partners Nova network, Nine Radio network and Today Show.

“We had a lot of fun working with Reddy Express on this campaign,” Spinach executive creative director Dom Megna said. “The team was on board with our kooky game-show style, and the hero talent had us all in from the first screen test. The new Reddy brand is packed with potential to really stand out in the category.”

The campaign is the latest work from Spinach as Coles Express transitions to Reddy Express. In January, Spinach was appointed to help manage the transition including brand strategy, creative comms development and campaign production.

See also: Spinach transitions Coles Express to Reddy Express

CREDITS

Client: Viva Energy Retail
Andrew Egan, General Manager of Consumer Marketing
Tracy Hammon, Head of Marketing
Gisella Spedicato, Marketing Manager Mobility
Agency: Spinach
Dom Megna, Executive Creative Director
Justin Groves, Creative Director
Bambi Villacruz, Account Director
Paige Sobczyk, Account Executive
Production: Spinach
1st AD: Will Gunn, Comma Films
Producer: Ayden Aramze, Comma Films
Editor: Tonks
Sound: Production Alley

With the release of 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership fixture, it has officially been confirmed that Fox Footy – available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel – will be the only place to watch AFL exclusively live on Saturdays nationally for the first eight rounds of the home and away season (nine weeks, inclusive of Opening Round).

In localised markets such as Victoria, Fox Footy’s exclusively live coverage on Saturdays will extend for the entirety of the home and away season.

Now covering all matches of every home and away round, Fox Footy will carry bespoke commentary, graphics and 4K for every game – for the first time on both Kayo Sports and Foxtel.

Super Saturday Live

Super Saturday Live is the branding on a new offering for subscribers that includes more analysis, programming and every blockbuster match, with no ad-breaks during play.

See below for a full breakdown of the number of weeks that have exclusively live Super Saturday coverage per market.

It’s a bit complicated, but fans in Victoria, Tasmania and Northern Territory will need Fox Footy to watch live AFL on every round of the regular season.

AFL Super Saturday Live on Fox Footy

Garry Lyon with Fox Footy colleagues Jonathan Brown, Kath Loughnan and Nathan Buckley

New Fox Footy recruits

The AFL media trade season continues. Off the back of recent signings Shaun Burgoyne and Tom Hawkins, Fox Footy has also announced the following talent changes for season 2025:

•Leigh Matthews will join the Fox Footy family to provide expert opinion.
•Garry Lyon will join Gerard Whateley as co-host of Fox Footy’s award-winning show AFL 360.
• Jack Riewoldt moves into the hosting role every Monday for On the Couch alongside Jonathan Brown and Nathan Buckley.
• Award-winning journalist and broadcaster Gerard Whateley will call Friday matches for Fox Footy, partnering with commentator Anthony Hudson.

Leigh Matthews

‘We’re expecting new subscribers in 2025’

Managing director of Fox Sports Steve Crawley said: “There is no bigger name in the AFL than Leigh Matthews. His playing and coaching career is unrivalled and when he talks – everyone pays attention. We’re honoured he’s chosen us to share his insights. We just hope Jason is comfortable having another ‘legend’ on the team.

“We’re expecting new subscribers in 2025 and we can’t wait for them to enjoy the combination of Huddo and Gerard calling Friday nights. These two aren’t strangers to calling together, but a new combo for Fox Footy, we know our audiences will value their clear, accurate, and descriptive call.

“We’re proud of our bench, we’re thrilled Garry will be joining Gerard on AFL 360 and we can’t wait to have Jack joining our great Couch team as our new host. It’s been a busy off-season and we’re not done yet.”

During the 2025 AFL season, Fox Footy commentary and production will be available on all games for the first time along with no ad-breaks during play and every match will also be made available in 4K on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.

Steve Crawley

See also: Jason Dunstall a key game day attraction on Fox Footy’s Kayo Sports programming

After 24 years of anticipation, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II finally arrived on Australian screens, officially kicking off the summer season for moviegoers.

The sequel has stormed the global box office, raking in an impressive $87 million across 63 international markets – marking the largest global opening of Scott’s career. In Australia, Gladiator II made an equally formidable impact, grossing $7.6 million over its opening weekend (Wednesday to Sunday), securing the fifth-largest opening of 2024.

With over 326,000 admissions in its opening days, the film has resonated strongly with audiences, particularly the 18-54 demographic, which accounted for 82% of its total audience. Male viewers led the charge, making up 63% of the audience, underscoring the film’s broad cross-generational appeal. The result represents a massive +45% spike in admissions from the previous weekend, setting the stage for a blockbuster season as the summer holidays approach.

Guy Burbidge, managing director of Val Morgan Cinema, shared his excitement: “We knew from the start that Gladiator II had all the ingredients for success—its wide-reaching appeal, decades of anticipation, and a gripping story that would captivate audiences. And it has done just that.”

“This is just the beginning. Gladiator II is the first of the major summer blockbusters, and it’s set the bar high. We’re expecting one of the biggest cinema seasons yet, and the film is sure to draw audiences through the holiday period and beyond, remaining a key part of the cultural conversation for years to come,” he added.

The Gladiator II release marks the opening salvo of a summer packed with highly anticipated films. With big-name titles like Wicked, Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 set to hit cinemas by Boxing Day, the momentum will only build. 2024 will continue to deliver major releases, with upcoming films including Paddington in Peru, We Live in Time, Captain America: Brave New World, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Sinners, and the live-action Snow White, all slated for release between January and March.

Australians are willing to pay more to buy from small businesses over larger competitors this holiday season, new research from GoDaddy has revealed.

The report found that 55% of shoppers surveyed aim to have gift shopping for the festive season completed ahead of December, with seven in 10 reporting that, despite cost-of-living pressures, they’re willing to spend more with smaller retailers over large corporations.

Seasonal shopping competition heating up

Competition for consumer spending is hotting up, in particular around the key sales dates in the festive calendar. A fifth of consumers (21%) reported doing the bulk of their gift buying on Black Friday, rising to nearly a third (32%) amongst 18-24 year olds.

With a fifth of Australians (20%) now buying gifts for between six and 10 friends and family members each Christmas, nearly half (48%) are finding out about the best shopping deals through social media ads. Online cut-through is key for retailers targeting sales-savvy shoppers, with nearly two-thirds of those under 34 (62%) and over half of 35-44 year olds (59%) reportedly finding their best festive shopping deals online.

This resonates with the challenges and focus of small business owners. According to GoDaddy’s Venture Forward, a research initiative that quantifies the impact online microbusinesses have on their local economies, over a third (36%) of entrepreneurs said that marketing was one of the biggest challenges when setting up their business. Meanwhile, a fifth (21%) of microbusiness owners have prioritised investment into social media, ads and promotion in recent months.

Competing for customers is also one of the biggest sources of ongoing stress for small business owners, with over a quarter (26%) of entrepreneurs saying that remaining competitive on pricing, marketing and attracting customers is part of their biggest headaches.

It’s beginning to look a lot like ChristmAIs

However, it has never been cheaper or easier to set up your own business. A quarter (25%) of small business owners in Australia reported needing less than $1,000 to get their companies up and running.

Importantly, small businesses can benefit from the use of new technologies for efficiencies and connecting with customers. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the tools increasingly helping in a competitive market, with just over of three in 10 (33%) Australian entrepreneurs using AI to support their small business.

AI-powered tools have the potential to help entrepreneurs get online quickly and easily, lowering the barriers to entry. However, it is also helping with the sticky points around marketing and attracting customers. Nearly four in 10 (38%) entrepreneurs are using AI for marketing, using tools to help with content creation for social media posts, and nearly a third (32%) are using it to gain business or market insights to boost sales.

GoDaddy’s AI-powered customisable experience, GoDaddy Airo™, helps entrepreneurs create and enhance their online presence by finding a perfect domain name and building a website in just a few minutes, including designing a business logo, and more.

“The festive season has long become synonymous with gift giving, and we’re seeing that despite the cost-of-living pressures, Australians are happy to carry on with festive gift buying. Tamara Oppen, vice president developed English markets for GoDaddy, said.

“With consumers increasingly making purchasing decisions based on what they see on their daily scroll of social media, it’s never been more important for small businesses to be front of mind and top of the screen.”

“We know that marketing and content creation can be a challenge, and at GoDaddy, we support entrepreneurs and microbusiness owners providing tools and online resources that simplify making your business known, from the start-up process through to customer attraction. With these factors in place, we’re keen to help make this the ‘smallest’ Black Friday of all time, with microbusinesses at the epicentre of festive shopping.”

So Many Tools and Resources to Help Small Businesses This Holiday Season

Small businesses looking for guidance on how to maximise their seasonal sales should visit GoDaddy’s Guide to Selling on Black Friday. Valuable resources include steps to selling online, how to win-price sensitive shoppers and FAQs about selling online.

Australia’s most prestigious media event, the Mediaweek 100 lunch, returns for 2024 at the Pearl Ballroom, Crown Sydney, on November 22.

The Mediaweek 100 celebrates the leaders who are at the top of their game, alongside the teams driving their success at Australia’s leading media companies.

After what has been a turbulent year, this annual event attracts the industry’s most influential people.

You can buy your tickets here. 

This year’s list is set to look quite different from previous years as there have been many big changes in the industry. In 2023, spots #1 and #2 were taken by former Seven CEO James Warburton and former Nine CEO Mike Sneesby, respectively and both are no longer in those roles.

Warburton placed in the #5 spot on 2022’s list while Sneesby placed #1 that year.

Other execs who appeared in 2023’s top 10 lineup included Nova’s Peter Charlton, oOh!media’s Cathy O’Connor, Are Media’s Jane Huxley, Paramount’s Beverley McGarvey, ARN’s Ciaran Davis, SCA’s John Kelly, Foxtel’s Patrick Delany and News Corp’s Michael Miller.

See the full list of names for 2023 here.

James Warburton, former CEO of Seven West Media

You can view the full criteria and enter the Mediaweek 100 here.

While you don’t have to be nominated to make the list, our application portal is open to encourage submissions.

KEY DATES

Submissions close: Tuesday, 12 November 2024 (11.59pm AEST)

Event Date: Friday, 22 November, 2024 (12pm AEST)
Location: Pearl Ballroom, Crown Sydney

Tickets are available here.

The Growth Distillery, in collaboration with The Research Agency have released a new study that empowers marketers to unlock growth by prioritising the social issues that resonate most with Australians.

The Needs of the Nation study provides leaders with actionable steps to sharpen corporate social responsibility focus, enhance brand reputation and deliver greater impact:

1. Close the expectation gap by playing your role:

Australians increasingly expect brands to take an active role in addressing societal issues that matter most to them, such as the cost of living, environmental sustainability, and community welfare. Brands that understand where consumers expect them to advocate, educate, inform, or would prefer them to remain silent, have the opportunity to build deeper trust and foster long-term loyalty.

2. Anchor to Australian beliefs:

The nation’s identity is shaped by enduring beliefs that are unique to Australia such as the right to a fair go and a land of possibilities. These beliefs are seen as critical to our nation’s future and brands that align with and reinforce these values will resonate deeply.

3. Know who you are talking to:

Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, brands should consider the mindset of their audience, whether they are traditional or progressive, individualistic or collectivist, growth minded or fixed. Tailoring messaging to reflect these diverse mindsets will create deeper resonance and strengthen connections.

The Growth Distillery head of audience growth Sabrina Chan said: “Today’s consumers expect more from brands – they want to see real commitment to the big issues that are affecting them. When done authentically and with the consumer in mind, CSR efforts can be a powerful lever to help drive positive impact and sustainable growth that resonates far beyond the bottom line.”

The Research Agency managing partner Terri Hall said: “Through expert consultation, a significant national study of 6000 people and over 250 hours of extensive listening and immersion we identified clear guidance on the nuanced ways brands can show up for the many cohorts of people they serve. The scale of this work, and grounding in the psychology of Australians, is what sets it apart.”

Awaken has celebrated a decade in business and marked the anniversary with new client wins and significant growth.

The Sydney-based independent full-service media agency was founded in 2014 by Chris Parker and continued its incredible growth trajectory, seeing an increase in revenue over the last five years.

Awaken also celebrated eight major new business wins, including Ray White, Delaware North/Melbourne Cricket Ground, Blue Cross, Blooms Hearing, WS Audiology, WagePay, Revolution Aerospace, and The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

From its humble beginnings at Parker’s kitchen table, the agency was born with a commitment to helping clients stand out, make an impact and cut through the competitive marketing landscape.

After landing its first client, Glasshouse Candles, the agency quickly grew, taking on additional digital work and larger media budgets. Now, the agency has been listed on the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies list for the past four years.

Awaken has also shifted its focus in recent years, moving from a service provider to a growth partner, allowing it to forge ongoing relationships with legacy clients like Panasonic Australia, Proximo Spirits, Pier One, City of Newcastle and Opal Healthcare.

Reflecting the business, Parker said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built at Awaken. From the outset, our goal has been to create work that is meaningful and helps brands better connect with their audiences.

“Over time, we’ve found our sweet spot, working with challenger brands to help create lasting, memorable impressions and build relationships that endure. Staying true to our original mission has been pivotal to our success, allowing us to grow our digital work and client base.

“After 10 years of running an agency, I can say it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. There are sleepless nights, moments where you wake up at 2am in a cold sweat, pacing the halls and stressing over the details. There are stretches where all you can think about is a problem, and sometimes, it just sucks—the weight of everything can be overwhelming. But for all the hard days, the good days far outweigh them.”

Chris Parker

Parker said the past 12 months were one of the most challenging periods for the agency, amid shrinking media budgets and declining consumer spending, but believes there is light at the end of the tunnel for agencies and brands alike.

“The past year has been particularly challenging. We’ve watched clients drastically cut budgets, consumer confidence dip to unprecedented lows, and spending in key categories significantly slow. And while we’ve continued to win new clients and managed to retain staff, it’s felt like a race to just stay on pace. We’ve had to work harder than ever to preserve our momentum and maintain our position in-market,” he said.

“Despite 2024 feeling like a sprint to stand still, I believe we’re positioned for a better year ahead. Indicators are pointing towards easing interest rates and a potential return in spending, which are likely to bring growth – but not as we’ve seen it before. Agencies have had to get creative, with different marketing and advertising approaches to reach audiences, and these are really set to shake up the landscape in the years to come.”

One of Awaken’s core focuses for 2025 will be on mental health for agency staff and the broader media industry. With this in mind, Parker has launched Awaken Yoga – a YouTube channel, offering free online yoga classes. The channel has already notched up more than 43,000 subscribers since its October launch.

“This feels like my way of giving back – sharing something that has helped me. If I can hold space for just one person to explore yoga and find a little more peace or calm in their life, then that would be incredible. It may seem like a healthy midlife moment, but it’s something I’m deeply passionate about and excited to share as I move forward,” Parker said.

“Our industry faces an enormous amount of pressure – from our clients, from budgets, from trying to find balance – and it’s vital that we support the people around us. Finding a way to navigate these challenges is essential, and I’d encourage all business owners to find something that helps bring them a sense of peace and balance – and share it with their people.”

Whether it’s ABC Listen’s Health Report or Mamamia’s But Are You Happy, podcasts have fast become a part of our everyday media consumption. In fact, the average person spends more than five hours a week listening to them. But could listening to podcasts lead to healthier habits?

In the first study of its kind, University of South Australia researchers have explored just this, finding that podcasts can significantly improve health knowledge, increase exercise levels, and boost healthy eating.

Reviewing results from 38 studies, researchers found that people’s engagement with health-related content was generally high, suggesting that podcasts could be an effective medium for health information and behaviour change interventions.

Nielsen data shows that podcast popularity has increased by 16% since last year, cementing this on-demand media in the everyday lives of 9.6 million Australians.

UniSA researcher Beth Robins says the findings highlight the potential of podcasts promoting positive health behaviours.

“Health and wellbeing podcasts have the unique ability to convey a wide range of health topics to a variety of listeners, but in a very accessible way,” Robins says.

“Not only are podcasts typically chatty and conversational – which makes them easy to listen to and understand – but they’re also available at the touch of a button, so they’re extremely convenient, portable, and can be listened to at any time of the day.”

The study found that the most common motivations for listening to a health podcast was to gain information, better understand mental health issues, and to seek entertainment.

UniSA researcher Dr Ben Singh says the high engagement with health podcasts presents an advantage over other health interventions for sharing important public health messages.

“Our study is the first to review the evidence about health podcasts for the general population,” Dr Singh says.

“From this study, we know that podcasts are highly valued for their authenticity and reliability, as well as their impactful, experience-focussed, and narrative-driven content.

“They’re also valued for their ability to be consumed at the user’s pace and in a setting that suits them – whether that’s while relaxing at home or walking the dog – and this aligns with increasing consumer demand for health resources that are both informative and adaptable to individual lifestyles.

“While more research is warranted, podcasts are clearly a highly engaging, well-received resource that can positively impact health behaviours and outcomes. It’s certainly a watch this space.”

Sunday 17 November 2024: VOZ Total TV Ratings Overnight Top 30 – Programs ranked on reach

Total People TV Ratings

Nine’s 9News recorded a total TV national reach of 1,840,000, a total TV national audience of 1,113,000, and a BVOD audience of 79,000.

Nine’s 60 Minutes recorded a total TV national reach of 1,196,000, a total TV national audience of 863,000, and a BVOD audience of 69,000.

Seven’s My Kitchen Rules recorded a total TV national reach of 2,082,000, a total TV national audience of 1,050,000, and a BVOD audience of 95,000.

Also on Seven, Seven News recorded a total TV national reach of 2,027,000, a total TV national audience of 1,198,000, and a BVOD audience of 58,000.

10’s Dessert Masters recorded a total TV national reach of 774,000, a total TV national audience of 353,000, and a BVOD audience of 22,000.

People 25-54

Nine’s 60 Minutes:
• Total TV nation reach: 568,000
• National Audience: 263,000
• BVOD Audience: 37,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 536,000
• National Audience: 315,000
• BVOD Audience: 30,000

Seven’s My Kitchen Rules:
• Total TV nation reach: 617,000
• National Audience: 290,000
• BVOD Audience: 50,000

10’s Dessert Masters:
• Total TV nation reach: 270,000
• National Audience: 133,000
• BVOD Audience: 12,000

People 16-39

Nine’s 60 Minutes:
• Total TV nation reach: 223,000
• National Audience: 90,000
• BVOD Audience: 18,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 193,000
• National Audience: 112,000
• BVOD Audience: 14,000

Seven’s My Kitchen Rules:
• Total TV nation reach: 244,000
• National Audience: 117,000
• BVOD Audience: 25,000

10’s Dessert Masters:
• Total TV nation reach: 104,000
• National Audience: 51,000
• BVOD Audience: 6,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+ TV Ratings

Nine’s 60 Minutes:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,494,000
• National Audience: 679,000
• BVOD Audience: 56,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,618,000
• National Audience: 962,000
• BVOD Audience: 47,000

Seven’s My Kitchen Rules:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,631,000
• National Audience: 836,000
• BVOD Audience: 78,000

10’s Dessert Masters:
• Total TV nation reach: 599,000
• National Audience: 274,000
• BVOD Audience: 18,000

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.