This week for Seven and 7plus is central to the future of television, as Gereurd Roberts explained to Mediaweek.

The media merry-go-round that has been picking up and dropping off sports TV talent this month in Melbourne highlights what having streaming rights means to the overall business.

Gereurd Roberts has been a key player, albeit behind the scenes, as Seven engineers its product to be equally accessible for people watching via the big screen or on a mobile device.

The frontline troops in the reshaping of the product for digital audiences have included Seven’s new director of sport Chris Jones.

Gereurd Roberts is Seven’s group managing director, Seven Digital. Ahead of the start of the AFL and cricket streaming rights, his role was expanded recently to include oversight of digital marketing, audience intelligence and data, product technology and solutions, content strategy and scheduling, platform partnerships, and digital sales and operations. That’s a few meetings every week.

The Seven Digital boss has been with the group for over a decade and moved into the television side of Seven West Media from Pacific Magazines where he was chief executive officer.

Gereurd Roberts

Mediaweek spoke to Roberts as the What About Free promotion launched this week and ahead of the AFL Grand Final.

The discussion started with Roberts highlighting the strong year 7plus has been having.

“Live streaming is up 56% year-on-year on 7plus,” he said. “VOD is up 25% year on year. Across the board, we’ve got almost 40% growth in total consumption.”

Roberts also reminded Mediaweek the digital platform also streamed the AFL Grand Final in 2023. “If you take the AFL Grand Final as a proxy, we did a BVOD audience of just under 460,000 last year. We have been doing a lot of work this week on the platform to get ready for what we think is going to be an enormous audience.”

We also didn’t talk for long before he reminded us that the AFL coverage on 7plus is free! “I’m not sure if you’ve seen the campaign, Nolsey and ‘What About Free’, but it is quite incredible to consider that Australians have never been able to stream AFL or cricket for free and that this will be their first opportunity to do so on an ongoing basis. It’s a massive game changer for clients in Australia. But also for consumers in Australia.”

Why Seven has pursued digital sports rights

“Having 52 weeks of premium sport every single year is a huge shift for us,” said Roberts.

“Why we did it is not simply because it’s going to grow our audience and grow consumption, because that will happen.

“It’s who will grow it and how, and that’s really critical. We did an analysis on what we thought these rights would bring across both AFL and cricket. , What we saw was that they are going to bring a high-value audience into 7plus that previously we haven’t seen.

“Specifically younger males who are traditionally hard to find. That’s who streaming sport is going to bring to the platform. It’s not more of the same people watching more content (which is always good). This is a genuinely new and incremental audience.”

There will be cricket on offer soon as the football season finishes which will start the 7plus schedule of live cricket and football every weekend of the year.

“Our schedule is now giving them a reason to come back every single week. The message to clients and agencies is we can give you this audience across 52 weeks a year. They can literally plan to engage and own that audience across the next 52 weeks on 7plus.”

Roberts noted that includes the cricket with the Indian Tour, Big Bash League, and the AFL season all the way to next year’s AFL Grand Final.

Working on the 2024 AFL Grand Final on Seven  and 7plus are Jude Bolton, Abbey Holmes, Brian Taylor and Luke Hodge

Shape of the bigger 7plus audience

“It’s not just about scale, it’s about scaling high-value audiences that we want to drive. That’s why the promotion this weekend is going to be geared around 7plus, because we do want to drive that high-value audience.

“It is a completely complementary audience to broadcast. If you have a look at the split between 7plus and broadcast, 70% of the 7plus audience is under 50.

“If you take a look at broadcast, over 60% of that audience is over 50.”

Matt Shirvington at the promo shoot with sports stars Tanya Kennedy and Ash Gardner

What About Free

The key Seven promo being shown across AFL Grand Final week is the What About Free spot. Seven has extensions of that running across all its platforms – short versions and the two-minute edit.

Seven is marketing What About Free on other mediums too including tram wraps and other media buys.

When asked about the specifics of the new promo, Roberts explained: “It’s the largest 7plus specific marketing campaign that we’ve ever done. That’s how important it is to Seven.

“The marketing team just did an unbelievable job to get that much talent together in the one place at the one time. Everyone understood the importance and everyone wanted to get involved and support it, make sure it is successful.

“But remember this weekend is day one. We’ve got these rights until 2032. There’s a long road ahead and starting it off well is critically important.”

Seven’s promo guru, creative director Graham Donald, and his team were out at Leichhardt filming What About Free for a full day and there was a lot to get through, explained Roberts.

“The turnaround time from the shoot to the finished spots was phenomenal. The Shannon Noll, song What About Me was already iconic. And there’s nothing more iconic than supporting getting free sport to Australians.”

Live sport on 7plus

Although the AFL and cricket live is only now coming to 7plus, Roberts noted existing live sports have been performing well.

“We’ve got LIV Golf plus NFL and World Surf League, Supercars, Horse Racing. We’ve also got state league football with the VFL, SANFL and WAFL.

“Across the last 90 days, we’ve had well over four million Australians on the platform and over a quarter of those have come for the existing sport content. From that you start to understand what that 7plus audience growth will look like.”

Seven’s new sports team

“I have spent a lot of time with Chris Jones and Kirsty Bradmore, who’s driving sport on 7plus. The amount of energy and the insight they bring to 7plus has been incredible.

“It’s all about the content. We can spend what we like on audience acquisition and platform experience. Something very important for when consumers come in. But if the content they want to see isn’t in front of them, then it’s not going to work.”

7Sport’s three-pillar strategy for 7plus

The first one is to drive new and younger audiences to complement the core. Roberts: “This is a young audience that sits perfectly alongside the broadcast audience.”

“The second pillar is creating daily habits and owning the ecosystem.” Part of that is building a suite of AFL programming across seven days of the week. Something that has been playing out in Melbourne media recently.

“The final one is the obvious one. It really is about maximising the value of our rights. That’s important to us and to our sporting partners.”

Mr Bates vs The Post Office

7plus home to much more in addition to sport

Much of the 7plus content is what is described as broadcast pull through. It goes into what Roberts called the platform’s premium library.

“That’s content from all of the partnerships that we’ve got with the biggest studios in the world including NBC.

“There are plenty of others who supply first-run programming. From here on in our target is to have one of those exclusive first runs every single month.”

At 7plus, around 70% of on-demand viewing comes from digital-only titles.

Roberts: “We have seen 7plus become a genuine destination for people who are looking for something new to watch. It’s standing out in what has become a cluttered space.

“We’ve got 50 new titles coming between September and December. And that’s inclusive of a lot of first runs. The majority of that on-demand consumption still comes from drama. But reality is also huge, as is true crime.”

The Power of Mr Bates vs The Post Office

Drama is an important drawcard, with one series in particular grabbing audiences this year.

“Mr Bates has been incredible,” said Roberts. “Its success really helped us understand what we can do on 7plus. Overall growth is important, but the huge spike that a first run like Mr Bates gives you is important.

“The other thing that Mr Bates did was remind everybody of the power of broadcast. We ran the first episode of Mr Bates on broadcast.

“At the end of the show, we said, if you want to binge the remaining three episodes of Mr Bates, go to 7plus right now. Around 70% of the people who watched on broadcast went to 7plus and watched all three of those episodes immediately afterwards.”

See also:Seven’s new sports boss: Chris Jones details AFL, cricket plans and a whole lot more

The departure of Foxtel executives Les Wigan and Amanda Laing has led to another restructure of the Foxtel Group executive team.

The departure of both executives was telegraphed some time ago by group’s chief executive Patrick Delany.

Their departures though were only relatively recent so the restructure is only now having an impact.

The decision was made to re-organise the operating model to reflect revenue-generating areas, namely aggregation (Foxtel and Hubbl) and streaming and advertising (Kayo, Binge and Foxtel Media).

The two business units have quite specific dedicated management but also share services including legal, finance, technology, HR, and communications.

The changes mean significant title changes to leaders from each division.

Julian Ogrin

Foxtel Group divisions now have their own chief executive officers

Julian Ogrin’s title has changed to chief executive officer, Streaming and Advertising, and Hilary Perchard’s title changed to chief executive officer, Foxtel Retail and Hubbl. Perchard’s responsibilities also extend to non-sport content acquisitions and group strategy.

Last April, Delany shared with staff that Les Wigan had been asked to join the team responsible for delivering a sports streaming app for the US market to lend his practical knowledge and strategic counsel given his experience with Kayo.

The app is being launched by ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros Discovery via a joint venture.

Delany said: “This is a great opportunity for Les, taking the learnings from his local experience to support the team to launch a sports streaming business in the US.

“Since joining the Foxtel Group, in 2013, Les has played a strategic role in our digital transformation.  Initially joining as COO at Fox Sports, he then played a foundational role in the development and running of Kayo and Binge.

“Moving to become the Foxtel Chief Product, Technology, and Operations Officer, he was instrumental in the implementation of our multiyear transformation to modernise Foxtel and transform the Foxtel Group into a world leading technology and consumer streaming business.”

In his new role started recently, Wigan is leveraging his past experiences at Kayo and Fox Sports Australia in a strategic advisory capacity, splitting his time between Sydney and Los Angeles.

As a result of Wigan’s move, the Hubbl team will now report to Hilary Perchard. Perchard will lead two parallel products, Foxtel and Hubbl, both content aggregation services aimed to simplify how Foxtel Group customers consume sports and entertainment.

Les Wigan

Arrival of Paul Meller as Foxtel Group CTO

Coinciding the with announcement of the departure of Les Wigan, Foxtel Group last May appointed Paul Meller chief technology officer.

Delany at the time noted Meller is a globally recognised CTO, originally from Australia, and recently based in New York.

“Paul is a transformational CTO bringing over 20 years of global experience leading product and technology organisations across Google, Dow Jones, and Ernst & Young (EY),” said Delany.

“Most recently, Paul was the global head of engineering at EY responsible for the development of cloud-based software products and platforms across the firm.

“Prior to EY, Paul worked in media and technology, and is well known to News Corp for his achievements working as a technology leader at Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal, and 21st Century Fox.”

Amanda Laing signs off

It seemed like the long goodbye. But Amanda Laing has left the business this month as detailed earlier this year.

A reminder of what we reported Delany said about her departure earlier this year: “We are so fortunate to have had Amanda in our business for the last six years. Her industry experience, foresight, and tenacious ability to secure the best content and commercial deals have allowed us to launch new products and grow our streaming businesses and revenues.

Amanda Laing

“I respect Amanda’s decision to tender her resignation, in her words to me, ‘I am very proud of the transformation and growth we have achieved at the Foxtel Group over the last six years. I’ve had the privilege to work across both sport and entertainment, my two great loves, to drive strategic change and to deliver the best content in the world for our customers. We have built a powerful suite of products and a remarkable team of people, so I know that the business is in good hands and set up for success.’ ”

See also:Hubbl in market: Is the ‘quantum leap in entertainment tech’ living up to the hype?

“Is it easier to work in-house versus working in a media agency? I would say it’s just very, very different work,” Vinetha Manthena told Mediaweek at the recent In-House Agency Council summit at The Timber Yard in Melbourne.

After a day of discussion, insights, collaboration and networking, Mediaweek caught up with Manthena, consultant for IHAC and former head of media for Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Optus, as she debunked misconceptions about in-house agencies.

“Because you’re wearing the brand on your sleeve, you’re driven to make that happen”

In addition to different work, Manthena highlighted that in an in-house agency, people work very close to the brand and experience different pressures.

“In an in-house agency, you’re expected to move pretty quickly versus an external agency because you’re so close to the brand.”

Another misconception Manthena noted is innovation. She said that sometimes people can get “caught up in the vortex of being about your brand solely” and “almost become numb to what’s happening outside of the in-housing sort of world.”

To prevent this, she highlighted the importance of in-house agency leaders encouraging their teams to attend forums, programmatic summits, and industry events to “widen their horizon” when it comes to keeping team members abreast of new innovations.

“The more they’re exposed to what’s going on in the industry, the better that I feel they can do their jobs, which is pretty critical.”

“I always say working in an in-house team, you’re closer to the P&L than an agency will be. So, you get the passion, the fast-moving pace of it, and if something needs to happen, it needs to happen.”

Manthena said that while SLAs (service level agreements) like creative turnaround times and setting up campaigns need to be respected, “sometimes you get a code red, and it’s a ‘make it happen campaign'”.

“Because you’re wearing the brand on your sleeve, you’re driven to make that happen. You see many benefits from that internally and on the client side. In an agency world, because you’re a little bit more removed from the actual brand, you don’t see the fruits of your labour.”

“Be clear about what you want to achieve”

Manthena also said an in-house has benefits in knowing the type of work and quality of work and seeing it through to the end product.

She noted that in-housing capacities differ based on a brand’s shapes and forms: “It may not always be media or creative; it may be certain parts of that.”

For brands considering going in-house or having an in-house function, Manthena said the important thing to consider is “being clear about what you want to achieve.

“What is it you want your organisation to focus on? What things can you outsource more cost-effectively and efficiently in terms of productivity to an external party versus what you’re willing to take on in-house?”

“Because often, if you need a scapegoat, you could call upon the agency. An in-house agency always turns the eyes back on yourself if you’re going through your creative media processes and how to improve that.”

“One size does not fit all”

Looking back on her time leading media departments for the Commonwealth Bank and Optus, Manthena said that she learned that because every organisation is different, each in-house agency will be bespoke and have unique business requirements that will continue to evolve.

“I’d advise other brands looking in-house to consider some of the strategies that work for their business rather than copying someone else’s model because one size does not fit all.

“Through the IHAC community, there are lots of brands that have different types of in-housing. I think that’s great because you’ve got to build a bespoke solution for you, like your tech stack and your MarTech stack.”

See also: ‘Real thought leadership’: A day of insights and ideas from the 2024 In-House Agency Council summit

–

Top image: Vinetha Manthena

Are Media has announced a new partnership with Ariarna Bartulovic, founder and director of Media by Ariarna, as its representative for the Western Australia market, effective 7 October.

Reporting to Will Jamison, Are Media’s head of direct sales for Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia, Ariarna will be responsible for building Are Media’s presence and amplifying the company’s omnichannel content commerce opportunities to advertisers in Western Australia.

Ariarna brings over 15 years of experience across Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. Her career began at ACP Magazines as Victorian account manager for Good Health, following by a digital media role at News Corporation in Sydney. After returning to Perth, she focused on direct sales at Southern Cross Austereo and later took on a leadership role as marketing manager for a B2B technology company.

Jamison said: “We are thrilled to welcome Ariarna to the Are Media team. Her exceptional background and industry insights will be invaluable as she builds new relationships and drives opportunities for Western Australian advertisers.

“As we continue to enhance our content commerce capabilities and future-proof our omnichannel brands, Ariarna’s customer-centric approach and proven skills in advertising make her an ideal addition to our team.”

Ariarna said: “Returning to represent some of the most iconic media brands in my home market of Western Australia feels like coming full circle. Are Media’s remarkable content and strong connection with Australian women make this an exciting opportunity. I’m eager to amplify our brands in WA and contribute to our continued success.”

Seven has announced the return of The Great Outdoors, with a reimagined version of the series set to showcase the best of Australian and international travel.

Premiering at 7.00 pm on Saturday, 5 October on Channel 7 and 7plus, The Great Outdoors taps the nation’s enduring wanderlust, with new presenters James Tobin, Phil Burton, Teigan Nash, Kimberley Busteed, Lee Carseldine and Chris Parsons offering a glimpse into the world’s most unique experiences from our own backyard and across the world.

The team will visit all four corners of the compass in Australia, from diving off the Western Australian coast to trekking the deep forests of Tasmania; hop in the passenger seat on a classic convertible road trip along the iconic Route 66 in the US; and scale the snow-covered heights of northern Europe.

Tobin said: “I grew up watching The Great Outdoors and still can’t quite believe I’ve now got one of the best gigs on TV as I share these incredibly unique travel destinations with our viewers.

“Filming in the US was a real highlight of this series for me and I can’t wait to show viewers what we got up to over there.”

Burton said: “I’ve travelled the world with my music, but what I realised through filming The Great Outdoors is some of the hidden gems we have right here in Australia.

“Having the opportunity to delve into Western Australia in a way I’d never seen it before was an incredible opportunity and I couldn’t be more delighted to be part of the show.”

The Great Outdoors premieres at 7:00 pm Saturday, 5 October on Channel Seven and 7plus.

The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has been nominated as a finalist in the prestigious 2024 LearnX global education awards.

The Academy has been nominated for several trophies at this year’s LearnX awards, including Best Learning Model – Best Learning (Industry Specific), Best Learning Model – Online Learning, Best eLearning Project – eLearning project, and Best eLearning Project – widespread eLearning implementation.

The annual LearnX Awards are held globally, celebrating learning and talent development projects across corporate, education, public and not-for-profit sectors. Now in its 16th year, the awards have recognised more than 2,500 projects from more than 30 countries worldwide, including hundreds of Australian initiatives.

The 2024 LearnX Award winners will be announced at a gala award ceremony at Melbourne’s Crown on November 26.

The IMAA Academy, launched in March last year, is the organisation’s most significant education initiative for the independent media agency sector. It was created to help address the national skills crisis and aims to future-proof the indie agency industry, upskilling staff and helping to attract talent to the sector.

The all-inclusive training program includes eight e-learning modules, covering media, audio, digital, cinema, TV, out-of-home, regional, and publishing and news, along with videos, digital glossaries, and podcasts featuring industry leaders and channel experts. Each module is IMAA certified, with participants receiving a course badge once they successfully complete each module.
 
Since launching, the IMAA Academy has trained hundreds of independent media professionals, while also offering in-person networking and training opportunities, coinciding with some of the module’s official releases.
 
The association also recently inked an innovative partnership with SBS for a new training module, focused on core inclusion skills, gender equity, cultural diversity, disability, First Nations, LGBTQI+, generational diversity and appropriate workplace behaviour.

Sam Buchanan

IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, said the LearnX nominations “solidify the importance of our investment in the Academy.”
 
“This program took more than two years to create, consultation with more than 70 media experts and more than 1,000 years of combined industry experience, to bring to fruition. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve delivered and achieved – it’s just another example of how the IMAA is leading the way in Australia’s media industry, helping to invest in the future of the sector,” he said.
 
Buchanan continued: “Since launching the IMAA Academy, we have trained hundreds of indie agency professionals, adding much-needed skill sets to our members and the broader media sector.
 
“The nominations for the LearnX Awards reflect our vision to create a truly innovative project, designed to help upskill and train talent. These awards are one of the most prized accolades for learning, talent and skill development – we’re incredibly proud just to be nominated.”

Habitat M has announced its client, e-commerce platform Snaffle, has been named the exclusive presenting partner for the upcoming ‘The Lifetimes Tour’ of pop sensation Katy Perry and event promoter TEG.

The partnership between Snaffle, Katy Perry, and TEG shakes up the future of the platform’s digital marketing presence with a celebrity-driven partnership and multi-channel strategy.

The independent Australian media agency’s decision sees the partnership as a transformative milestone for the e-commerce platform.

“Unexpected partners and unconventional matches are exactly what modern, digitally-lead consumers are looking for,” Sam Brownbill, head of media Habitat M, said. “To earn the completive edge, emerging brands need to get creative, and be willing to think way beyond the outside of the box.”

Sam Brownbill and David Ross

David Ross, Habitat M’s head of growth, added: “This partnership will not only enhance Snaffle’s marketing reach and brand recognition but also push the boundaries of how brands can genuinely engage with their customers in a highly competitive and increasingly fragmented media landscape.”

Factors like customer acquisition, brand awareness, digital engagement and customer loyalty ratings will all play into the success metrics of this partnership. When a brand is up against some of the biggest e-commerce platforms in Australia, it is only fitting that it partners with a global superstar and household name to drive brand recognition and customer loyalty.

Paul Winslow, CMO at Snaffle said working with Sam and David has been “a real thrill and is evidence why Snaffle and Aspire42 placed our faith in them to become our media partner.

“Everyone at Snaffle is delighted we’re the naming rights partner as Katy Perry gets her strut on again in Australia. It’s a great opportunity to align our brand with a global superstar who encapsulates the confidence of Snaffle shoppers in getting what they want when they want. We’re particularly excited about announcing a series of exclusive activations offering fans memories that will last Lifetimes.”

–

Top image: Sam Brownbill and David Ross

VML has partnered with Perth’s Cockburn Gateway and Belmont Forum shopping centres, both owned by Perron Group and managed by JLL WA.

As the agency of record (AOR), VML will work with the marketing team to develop a brand strategy and create a distinctive creative presence for both centres.

The focus will be on developing communications and experiences that strengthen connections with local communities and visitors for the Perron Group-owned shopping centres.

This includes brand campaigns that showcase each centre’s uniqueness and developing creative content for seasonal and tactical campaigns.

Stacie Thomson, Portfolio Marketing Manager, JLL said “By crafting unique brand strategies and creative, we aim to deepen connections with our communities and deliver continued meaningful value for customers in the trade areas for both Cockburn Gateway and Belmont Forum.”

Adam Kennedy, VML Brisbane and Perth managing director, said: “We are excited to work with Cockburn Gateway and Belmont Forum to develop work that reflects the unique nuances of their communities. Our goal is to deliver exceptional brand strategies that connect with each location’s local communities and support long-term growth.”

This partnership for VML comes after the creative agency recently teamed up with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for its recruitment campaign efforts with the launch of 3D Out of Home (OOH) in Victoria.

The creative agency’s campaign was developed in partnership with Collider and using different technologies, including Unreal Engine, the OOH executions in Melbourne and Sydney to form part of the new ADF Careers Masterbrand Campaign, “Unlike Any Other Job.”

The OOH uses the role of an Australian Army Drone Operator to show how you can make an impact with a career in the ADF.

Defence Force Recruiting’s general manager, sourcing and attraction Fiona Boughton said: “We’re excited to leverage the latest OOH technology to connect with our audience in a new and engaging way, whilst capturing the attention of Australians that may be interested in an ADF Career.”

See also: Australian Defence Force launches 3D OOH recruitment campaign via VML

Wotif, part of Expedia Group, has teamed up with Spark Foundry, Publicis Sport & Entertainment Australia, Emotive and The Brag Media’s experiential and events division to launch the Wotif Great Summer Escape.

The Wotif Great Summer Escape is a unique multi-sensory escape room that invites Australians to break free from their daily routines and experience their dream domestic holiday.

Over three days in both Sydney and Melbourne, potential travellers will be transported to Australia’s breathtaking rainforests and beaches, dazzling coral reefs and incredible accommodation in an immersive escape room adventure.

Participants will engage in a series of challenges, solving puzzles to unlock doors that reveal a multi-sensory travel journey, bringing Wotif’s ‘You’re only a Wotif away’ campaign to life.

For every door unlocked within a three-minute time limit, participants will earn a token. Each token will grant an entry into the major prize draw to win a $5,000AUD Wotif travel credit.

This activation is part of an integrated campaign, with media strategy led by Spark Foundry Australia and creative strategy led by Emotive.

The campaign is brought to life through OOH, digital, content and radio, with the creative platform, ‘You’re only a Wotif away’, showing the endless possibilities of Aussie travel and how Wotif makes it easy to say, “Why not?”

The Wotif Great Summer Escape is a literal expression of these holiday possibilities, helping travellers to dream, plan and book ahead in the lead up to spring and summer.

“Showcasing Wotif in a way that best reflects their playful brand, we aimed to deliver an activation that will cut through the daily grind and inspire audiences,” Natali Kakovska, Spark Foundry Australia client partner, said.

“Wotif’s openness to delivering exciting work and their willingness to truly collaborate allowed us to take our media strategy and deliver a unique experience for consumers. This achievement is a testament to the cohesive effort of our agency and media partners.”

Darren Wright, Emotive group creative director, said: “This campaign kicked off with a simple idea: Wotif is a portal to endless possibilities – exactly what you want from a great holiday. We first brought this to life with a big OOH-led campaign, showcasing all the adventures you can have with a Wotif holiday.

“Now, this immersive escape room experience adds that extra fame factor, sparking conversations and building more emotional connection with the brand. The collaboration between Spark Foundry Australia, Emotive, and The Brag Media has been brilliant.”

The Great Summer Escape is in Sydney’s Martin Place from 24 – 26 September and will be in Melbourne’s Queensbridge Square, Southbank, between 8 – 10 October. Those that cannot make the escape room experience can also enter the draw to win the major prize via the wotif.com website. Other prizes up for grabs include single use $500AUD and $250AUD Wotif hotel coupons.

The F-list 2024 by Comms Declare and Clean Creatives has labelled political spin doctors as the dirtiest part of Australia’s communications industry for the second year running.

Clemenger/Omnicom’s GRACosway has the most fossil fuel clients at eight, followed by SEC Newgate, Spring Street Advisory and WPP’s Purple, with six clients each.

The most marketed fossil fuel company was Ampol, with six agencies in Australia and five more in New Zealand where it trades as Z Energy.

Belinda Noble, founder of Comms Declare said: “The research has found that the halls of power are greased with oil, coal and gas, and public affairs companies with strong links to governments are continuing to do the bidding of our largest climate polluters.

“Climate polluters will insist that they are just maintaining market share or trying to reach net zero. But look at Ampol, one of the biggest marketing spenders, with record petroleum sales that increased 17% since 2022.”

The number of Australian agencies has fallen from 90 to 65 this year, in part because of a more rigorous methodology and shorter time frame of two years used in partnership with US-based Clean Creatives.

The research incorporates over 30 new sources of data to reveal 1,010 contracts between 590 agencies and 332 fossil fuel clients in 70 countries between 2023 and 2024. Of these 1,010 contracts, 692 are new, and 318 have continued from the F-List 2023. A total of 551 contracts haven’t been reported before, making it the most comprehensive report on fossil fuel advertising and PR.
 
Clean Creatives’ 2024 methodology included searching agency websites, creative portfolios, LinkedIn’s ad library, PRCA and O’Dwyers agency directories, the OpenSecrets lobbying database, and more.

To ensure accuracy, each contract uncovered has at least three different sources. For the first time, public affairs firms, production agencies, retail marketing agencies, recruitment agencies, animation studios and OOH agencies have also been included in the total figure.

 
Duncan Meisel, executive director, Clean Creatives, said: “This is the most accurate report on the ad and PR agencies working for fossil fuel companies ever produced. We’ve incorporated over 30 new sources of data so that clients, employees, and business partners fully understand the risks of working with fossil fuel agencies.
 
“We are experiencing the hottest period in human history, and as extreme weather continues to spread, pressure will only grow on these firms to cut ties with the polluters pushing our planet to the brink.” 
Earlier this year, the United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres, asked all governments and businesses to stop advertising the fossil fuel companies he describes as the ‘Godfathers of climate chaos’.
 
Comms Declare is calling on the agencies and individuals in the comms industry to heed Guterres’s warning, draw the line now, and divest themselves of fossil fuel clients.

See also: ‘Like a tobacco account on your CV’: Woolley and Noble on Shell creative pitch

 
F-list lowlights – Australia and New Zealand:
 
• Most polluting agency: GRACosway (Omnicom):  eight fossil fuel clients.
• Most polluting marketing agency: Initiative (IPG) three fossil fuel clients 
• Most self-promoting polluter: Ampol, six Australian agencies, five NZ agencies
• Agencies representing fossil fuel lobby groups: eight
• Australian agencies new to the list: six (BMF, Brookline Advisory, Buck, Nous, Special, Wahoo Advertising)
• Least improved: Crisis & Comms Co: three new fossil fuel clients (four overall)
• Australian agencies with a fossil fuel client in 2023/24: 65
• New Zealand agencies with fossil fuel clients: 14

–

Top image: Belinda Noble

As part of a major restructure, B Corp independent media agency Benedictus Media has appointed Danielle St. George as managing director.

St. George will take over leadership of the agency with a focus on driving the next stage of Benedictus Media’s evolution.

With St. George’s arrival, Phil Benedictus is stepping down as CEO to focus on business development, while continuing to drive forward the agency’s focus on reducing environmental impact and championing sustainability in advertising.

Benedictus says St. George has come on board at the perfect time: “For some time now I have wanted to bring in a more dynamic leader with fresh thinking to run the agency, allowing me to focus on new business and Benedictus Media’s role as an industry leader in sustainability.”

“Danielle brings a winning Indie growth mindset allied with invaluable experience from the top end of town and a passion for nature and sustainability, giving her a unique perspective on structuring our agency for future success. Already she has raised the bar,” he said.

With over 16 years of industry experience, St. George recently returned to the media world after taking a career break to travel around Australia. Prior to that she was head of operations at Havas Media Network, having taken on the role when independent agency HYLAND, where she was GM, was acquired by the French-owned holding group in 2020.

“After an incredible year on the road exploring this beautiful country, I really wasn’t sure if diving back into the media agency world was the path I wanted to take. Until I met Phil and the Benedictus Media team – from the first interaction, I was instantly reinvigorated. The agency is living proof that we can be better as an industry, by respecting the human experience and the environment alike to deliver better outcomes not only for our clients, but for people and the planet,” said St. George.

Communicado has launched a new brand campaign for Biozet Attack laundry detergent, featuring the new brand line: ‘For a cleverer clean’.

The agency’s campaign is set to roll out through paid Meta channels and comprehensively through strategic OOH locations around Australian shopping centres.

It aims to change the way laundry detergents are presented and bring a bit of fun and wonder to a category that was in need of a refresh. The campaign features a visually striking graphic of a ‘brain’ made of common laundry items.

“When you can say it all in one compelling visual, you know you’re on a winner,” Communicado’s executive creative director, Annie Price, said.

“It was amazing to work with the talented folk at The Craft Shop in New Zealand to bring this idea to life. I’m proud of the team for conceiving something so breakthrough for the category, we love where it landed and can’t wait to see it in the wild,” she added.

Angela Marriner, associate director – Grocery, Kao Australia, said: “We are thrilled with how this concept has come to life and we hope to capture the laundry audience’s imagination by leading with a very different way to talk about laundry.”

CREDITS 
Client:  Kao Australia Pty Ltd
Brand Manager (KAO):  Mary He
Associate Director (KAO):  Angela Marriner
Creative Agency: Communicado
Directors: Kerrie Ryan & Lucy Houldsworth 
Integrated Client Director: Nicki Cole
Account Manager: Sasha Tonkes
Integrated Strategist:  Daniel Hedger
Executive Creative Director: Annie Price
Associate CD/Writer: Chris Buchanan
Associate CD/Art director: Simon Fleming
Production company: The Craft Shop, New Zealand
Projects Director: Ben Lockwood 

See also:
Meeting of The Minds: Communicado’s Anna Barham Kumar and Amy Greer
The Ads That Made Us: Wagon Wheels, Qantas and Sony Bravia’s bouncing balls
The Ads That Made Us: Wonderman, The Wardrobe and The Bear, and Ghost Chips

Monday 23 September 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 1,946,000, a total TV national audience of 1,178,000, and a BVOD audience of 96,000.

Nine’s The Block recorded a total TV national reach of 1,896,000, a total TV national audience of 990,000, and a BVOD audience of 152,000.

Seven’s 2024 AFL Brownlow Medal premiere recorded a total TV national reach of 2,898,000, a total TV national audience of 1,355,000, and a BVOD audience of 212,000.

Also on Seven, Seven News recorded a total TV national reach of 2,310,000, a total TV national audience of 1,389,000, and a BVOD audience of 73,000.

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention? recorded a total TV national reach of 1,099,000, a total TV national audience of 674,000, and a BVOD audience of 28,000.

People 25-54

Nine’s The Block:
• Total TV nation reach: 722,000
• National Audience: 416,000
• BVOD Audience: 93,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 663,000
• National Audience: 357,000
• BVOD Audience: 38,000

Seven’s AFL Brownlow Medal:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,062,000
• National Audience: 543,000
• BVOD Audience: 121,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?:
• Total TV nation reach: 460,000
• National Audience: 292,000
• BVOD Audience: 17,000

People 16-39

Nine’s The Block:
• Total TV nation reach: 324,000
• National Audience: 195,000
• BVOD Audience: 54,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 246,000
• National Audience: 130,000
• BVOD Audience: 20,000

Seven’s AFL Brownlow Medal:
• Total TV nation reach: 605,000
• National Audience: 334,000
• BVOD Audience: 98,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?:
• Total TV nation reach: 186,000
• National Audience: 121,000
• BVOD Audience: 8,000

Grocery Shoppers 18+ TV Ratings

Nine’s The Block:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,475,000
• National Audience: 774,000
• BVOD Audience: 122,000

Seven’s Seven News:
• Total TV nation reach: 1,822,000
• National Audience: 1,117,000
• BVOD Audience: 58,000

Seven’s AFL Brownlow Medal:
• Total TV nation reach: 2,173,000
• National Audience: 1,001,000
• BVOD Audience: 154,000

10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?:
• Total TV nation reach: 852,000
• National Audience: 536,000
• BVOD Audience: 22,000

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.