Amazon welcomed media agencies to its Connected Worlds presentation on Wednesday evening for a closed-industry event showcasing the year ahead.

The event’s focus points included ad-supported tier, new international and local content on Prime Video, sports streaming rights, first-party data and e-commerce offerings.

Mediaweek caught up with media buyers – PHD’s Hugh Davidson, Katherine Pochroj from EssenceMediacom, Sebastien Kriegel from UM Australia, and Avenue C’s Paula Lopes – who attended the event to get their thoughts on the platform’s offerings, what piqued their interest and what it means for their clients.

PHD’s Hugh Davidson echoed Amazon Ads general manager, Willie Pang, who summarised the line-up across e-commerce, content and ads throughout Australia as “Big Things”.

“They’ve had a strong launch to date across Prime Video and Amazon’s scale across the broader ecosystem has strong potential to ensure they are a key partner for advertisers – even if they aren’t active across the storefront.”

Davidson highlighted the presentation’s focus on international and local content hitting screens in the next few months and the opportunity for advertising revenue thanks to streaming rights for ICC men and women’s World Cup, NBA and WNBA.

He noted the emphasis on data and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), Davidson said: “The data clean room capability is definitely an opportunity for advertisers to build their own advanced audience segments and insights.”

Hugh Davidson

Aside from content and data, Davidson said Amazon discussed improving the user experience across its ads and e-commerce offerings.
 
“A solid ad-supported Prime Video product is the key for their future growth and early results from launch partners is promising as is capitalising on advertisers’ overall screen strategies.
 
“The benefit to our clients is the scale and audiences that Amazon are able to offer across all of their products, leveraging these will strengthen their capability across the full marketing funnel,” Davidson added.

For Katherine Pochroj, head of media solutions and investment – Sydney at EssenceMediacom, said the introduction of Prime Video ads in the local market is “groundbreaking” as it positions the Amazon streaming platform as the largest ad-supported premium streaming service worldwide.

“This move is a game-changer for our clients, allowing for new opportunities for breakthrough media. The opportunity to place brands within engaging, high-demand content like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, ICCC cricket, NBL and Aussie dramas like Deadloch places Amazon as a major video disrupter in Australia.

“Whilst the content Amazon teased for 2025 is balanced, it was only a teaser. Deeper insight into what’s coming in 2025 not only from a content POV but for the ad product is needed.”

Pochroj said that the local Amazon Prime Video launch “is a testament to their commitment to interlacing quality Australian content and sports experiences with innovative advertising solutions.”

Katherine Pochroj

“The breakthrough potential for EssenceMediacom clients is enormous. The potential for utilising Amazon’s billions of 1PD signals across their total ecosystem to drive meaningful connections with brand’s high value audiences is energising not just for endemic brands but all brands. This potential relies on a balanced experience for audiences and the product maintaining a light ad load.”
 
She cited Pang who called the four key elements of scale, precision, content, and measurement – as “critical to what brands need to drive meaningful breakthrough impact in a cluttered market.”
 
“Amazon’s ability to reach Aussie audiences across diverse touchpoints at different moments of the day with solid measurement is enticing.”
 
Pochroj said: “At a pivotal moment in the fragmentation of the video landscape in Australia it’s exciting to see Amazon’s full funnel potential for our clients particularly with the success of APV. Their dedication to creating not only seamless eCom experiences for Aussie customers but content that tells unique Australian stories shone through at their connected worlds event.”

See also: Amazon Prime Video launches ad option in Australian market

Sebastien Kriegel

Sebastien Kriegel, senior digital director at UM Australia, called Amazon’s access to audiences across shopping, streaming and listening a “huge opportunity to advertisers.”

“The 360-degree access to audience data at every stage of the funnel allows advertisers to not only target specific audiences with precision, but also capture clear measurement of path to conversion and the media touchpoints that influence people prior to purchasing.”

Kriegel noted the inclusion of major sporting events such as NBA, WNBA and international cricket extends beyond the premium programming and provides UM clients the opportunity to reach highly engaged audiences that tune in.

ICC Cricket World Cup

Avenue C’s digital director Paula Lopes highlighted Amazon’s emphasis on its the potential reach of 10 million Australians with the debut of its streaming ad platform with the case studies, local scale and data to back it.

She said that Amazon’s sports broadcast multi-year deals with the NBA/WNBA and ICC were focus points that cemented the streaming platform’s position as more than an entertainment company with multiple series and movies in the works.

“Amazon is where people go to shop, listen, read, stream, and watch, and the power of their first-party data remains unmatched,” Lopes added.

Paula Lopes

Lopes noted Amazon’s stat that 53% of its subscribers belong to households with three or more members, indicating likely subscription sharing.

“This suggests that Amazon’s ecosystem could be reaching over 10 million Australians, underscoring their significant reach and scale. It’s particularly interesting that the once ‘untouchable’ streaming audience is now not only accessible but enhanced with a multi-signal audience profile through Amazon.”

Lopes added that it’s time to examine the data with the streaming ad service now running and brands such as Suncorp, Lego, and McDonald’s with campaigns already in market and the initial results in.

“It’s time to dive deeper into the data, including MMM analysis, to understand how their combination of compelling content, vast audience, rich first-party data, and clean rooms can help brands succeed across the entire consumer journey within Amazon’s extensive ecosystem.”

See also: Prime Video, NBA, and WNBA enter 11-year global media rights agreement

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Top image: Hugh Davidson, Katherine Pochroj, Sebastien Kriegel and Paula Lopes

Ever since 2018, broadcaster Nova Entertainment has been taking hosting groups of representatives of independent agencies to a lux location to, well, just talk.

There is talk about audio – radio, podcasts, DAB+, on-demand – but other stuff too.

Nova Entertainment’s group commercial director, Josh Halling, told Mediaweek this year the initiative was rolled out into Brisbane in addition to locations outside of Sydney and Melbourne. “That first event attracted about a dozen independent agency owners who spent time with five Nova Entertainment executives,” said Halling. “For our guests and us it has grown into one of the favourite events on the calendar.”

Nicole Bence, Nova Entertainment’s chief commercial officer, added at they are also exploring extending the events to Adelaide and Perth.

Josh Halling and Nicole Bence

The events were hosted by Nova Entertainment chief executive officer Peter Charlton who was this year joined by Bence, Halling, chief growth officer Adam Johnson, and director of commercial strategy, Kate Murphy.

The pitch for Nova Entertainment’s Hear & Now

Each event welcomes around 30+ people with a pitch that goes like this:

In the current climate of hyper-connectivity and splintered attention, it’s rare to have the chance to disconnect, start a quality conversation and be present in that moment. Our time together at Hear & Now gives us all the opportunity to do just that, complemented by a stunning landscape and incredible hospitality.

Who wouldn’t sign up for that?

Hear & Now Brisbane

Nova Entertainment talent was also on board this year. In Sydney, that included drive co-host Joel Creasey who hosted not just and Q&A, but also delivered a show-stopping standup set.

In Melbourne, current breakfast radio rock stars Jase & Lauren spoke about their move in the Melbourne market and they also hosted a Q&A. (Jase and Lauren pictured above with Adam Johnson and Nicole Bence.)

See also: Nova Entertainment celebrates Jase and Lauren and Clint: New Melbourne FM champs on Nova 100

Other speakers included neuroscientist, ex-Navy officer, keynote speaker and Nova podcaster, Paul Taylor, who spoke to ‘The performance-enhancing effects of podcasts’.

Nova podcasters, High Scrollers (Brittney Saunders and Matt Hey), who spoke about the business of podcasting.

Bence said information shared at the event helps understanding of the audio sector.

“We’ve got growing audiences, but they’re fragmenting across devices and there’s complexity in measurement. One of the main attractions of course of radio continues to be the live experience which is still really robust.

“In some other channels consumers have moved to digital. The experience with live radio hasn’t really changed and remains strong.

Having a two-way conversation

“It’s great to have an opportunity to come together and talk about challenges and collaborate and have a two-way conversation.

“Everybody’s looking for audience. Everybody wants audience with inventory that has an impact. We have that.”

Halling noted that there is a very much a two-way communication at. Hear & Now event.

Nicole Bence

“Conversations like this of an intimate nature are very transparent with a partnership approach. After we walk away, what we take out of it shapes the decisions we make in our business in the future.”

Many of the concerns of indie agencies mirror those of the holding companies, said Bence.

“They’re trying to service clients to deliver them maximum impact and cost effectiveness. None of those things have changed. But every indie can be different and have a unique USP.

“We hear from them what they need from us to be able to maximise that opportunity. The world’s only getting more complex for media planners and buyers.

“Ultimately we’re just trying to be as focused as we can in understanding what their requirements are because some of them do work very differently.”

Halling: “Some have specific sort of audiences they’re targeting and we need to make it easy for them.

“One of the things that we are obsessive about is trying to make it easier to do business. For indies it’s very important delivering outcomes and ROI for their customers. We’re very fortunate in that they see us as doing a good job at that.

“At the IMAA Awards last year, we won the award for effectiveness across all publishers, not just audio. That speaks to the fact that we collaborate together to deliver better outcomes for clients.”

Bence pointed to the options available to advertisers with live (which includes broadcast, DAB+, and streaming) and then on demand (podcasts).

Audiences growing across new assets

“There are new assets like Nova Nation, Smooth Relaxed and Smooth Vintage.

“The indies know that there are audiences growing across these new assets. They have been intrigued and interested as to how can we help them optimise their spend and follow those audiences as they diversify across the different assets.

“We presented a lot of insights and intelligence sharing around podcasts, how important they are, the role that they play in a consumer world now around trust and authenticity and influence. The role of a podcast on a plan is very different to the role of having a live brekkie show.

“We’re helping them understand the role of each of those.”

Adam Johnson

Yahoo has unveiled new partnerships and advertising tools at the centre of its DSP innovation roadmap at its 2025 Newfronts event in Sydney on Thursday.

The announcements included access to exclusive new data and tools, a new partnership with Afterpay to create a market-first finance-led commerce media network, as well as a suite of AI-powered enhancements to supercharge its advertising technology tools.
 
Going into Q4, Yahoo DSP’s clients will also have access to Fetch TV and Are Media, with more publishing partnerships to be announced soon.

John McNerney, managing director AUSEA for Yahoo DSP, said: “As the digital ecosystem gets ever more complex, Yahoo DSP is committed to simplifying it while continually innovating for the future. Our solutions and new partnerships are focused on fostering meaningful connections between advertisers and customers in a sustainable way, across the open web.”

McNerney led the Newfronts event alongside Yahoo’s AUSEA executive team, including director of data and insights AUSEA, Dan Richardson; director of commercial and platforms AUSEA, Andrew Gilbert; and head of commercial, Australia, Maddie Basso.

John McNerney

Key announcements from this year’s event include:

New Partnerships and Advanced Technology

In Q4 of this year, Yahoo DSP will support the launch of the Afterpay Media Network, which will allow brands to access Afterpay’s unique shopping insights — while keeping customer identities private — to better connect with their target audiences across multiple online and physical shopping channels. Through this network, brands will be able to deliver personalised ads, track sales, measure campaign performance, and gain insights to refine their strategies in a much more insightful manner—all in a privacy-first way.

Additionally, Yahoo ConnectID, which uses consent-based, first-party data to support cookie-less advertising, has now been integrated across premier Australian publishers, including News Corp, Seven West Media and The New Daily and is now also live across its major SSP partners.
 
Yahoo is also enhancing its overall offering with Yahoo Blueprint, an AI-powered tool designed to optimise performance across channels. The tool delivers a 40% efficiency boost for both branding and performance campaigns by analysing data to drive better results. It also supports omnichannel personalisation through Yahoo Creative, a recently launched creative marketing solution helping advertisers tailor their messaging across multiple platforms for more effective engagement. 
 
Andrew Gilbert, director of commercial and platforms at Yahoo DSP, said: “The launch of the Afterpay Media Network and the expansion of Yahoo ConnectID mark major steps forward in our commitment to providing seamless solutions at scale.
 
“By integrating AI-driven tools like Yahoo Blueprint and Yahoo Creative, we’re ensuring that advertisers have the technology they need to engage audiences efficiently across all channels.”

Andrew Gilbert

Data State of Play and Privacy Leadership

Yahoo DSP supports advertisers with strong governance, compliance, and best-practice approaches. Through the recently launched Data Maturity Pulse, a program designed to assess brands’ data fluency and sophistication, Yahoo is helping brands develop realistic roadmaps for campaigns in response to the technological and regulatory changes. The Data Maturity Pop Quiz, launched alongside Pulse in July 2024, acts as a quick and fun foray for brands into identifying areas of improvement in their data practices.

Yahoo’s Identity Solutions have scaled significantly in Australia, offering secure, consent-driven methods for targeting and measurement, empowering advertisers to navigate the complexities of a cookie-less environment more effectively.

With its Next Gen Solutions, Yahoo enables advertisers to measure their campaigns in both addressable (targeted) and non-addressable (broad reach) environments. This helps advertisers utilise Yahoo’s first-party data to adapt to the changing landscape of identity and targeting.

PurpleLab, Yahoo’s dedicated research platform developed in partnership with Qualtrics, has allowed brands to re-imagine market research by helping them secure access to representative data at speed. The Australian market is the first to have access to this platform, which uses data from real panels that is fraud and AI bot free.

Dan Richardson, director of data and insights, AUSEA for Yahoo DSP says: “Data is not just  a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s the driving force behind meaningful brand connections. Our focused investment in delivering localised and scalable data, Identity and insights services is visibly paying off.

“Tools like Data Maturity Pulse and PurpleLab are a reflection of our dedication to being human and helpful and ultimately help brands deliver real business outcomes. We’re committed to helping our partners turn data into actionable results, making the complex simple and the uncertain clear.”

Innovation, Agility and Sustainability 

Yahoo recognises the challenges faced by marketers with the fragmentation in TV buying. This has driven the company to create Yahoo Unified TV Solutions in a new partnership with Samba TV – a suite of tools that integrates media planning, buying, and measurement across traditional TV and digital channels.

This further exemplifies Yahoo’s client-first approach for the coming year, addressing key challenges such as fragmentation in TV buying and measurement.

Maddie Basso

This year, Yahoo is simultaneously simplifying programmatic advertising and championing sustainability through Yahoo Backstage – a supply path optimisation (SPO) tool which reduces advertisers’ carbon footprints while simultaneously promoting a more responsible way of advertising. Backstage also drives advanced supply path optimisation for agency groups seeking to create a marketplace investment approach.

Maddie Basso, head of commercial, Australia for Yahoo DSP, said: “We’re continuing to push boundaries and deliver for our clients. In just a few months, I’ve seen more partnerships, launches, and innovation than I could have imagined.

“We’ve listened to the challenges advertisers are facing, and we’ve built solutions like Yahoo Backstage, Unified Solutions, and Blueprint to help them navigate the complexities of the market. I’m incredibly excited about what’s in store for 2025.”

It was a wet and windy day in Sydney for the crowd who gathered to celebrate the life, times and achievements of Graham McNeice. He’s better known to his many friends and colleagues simply as ‘Shadow’.

Leading the mourners at his funeral were members of his family.

Guests included broadcasters Peter Overton, Tim Webster, Alan Jones, Terry Kennedy, Matt Shirvington, Andrew Ettingshausen, Steve Leibmann, Jessica Rowe and actor Matt Le Nevez.

Sports broadcasters and media identities included Richard Freedman, Darren Beadman, Ray Thomas, Prue MacSween, plus Garry Farrar, Paul Klyne and Brett Hlywa from The Promotions Department. Race callers included Darren Flindell, John Tapp, Ian Craig, Ken Callander, Jo McKinnon, Glenn Munsie, and Andrew Bensley.

Colleagues from his time working at Foxtel included CEO Patrick Delany who returned early from the APOS Conference to attend the funeral, plus Jim Buchanan, Alison Hurbert-Burns, Lana Greenhalgh, Steve Baldwin and Helen Johnson.

A crowd gathered for a wake at the Doncaster Hotel, the famed racing hangout within spitting distance of Royal Randwick.

Sky News reported earlier this month the TV legend and acclaimed sports broadcaster died aged 76, after a brief battle with illness.

His legacy includes a successful multi-faceted career as a TV presenter, race caller, and radio and television sports commentator.

Racing New South Wales (NSW) chief executive Peter V’landys in a statement said McNeice was a “legend in media and a giant in racing’’.

“Even with all his contributions and achievements, the memory I have is of a beautiful human being,’’ V’landys said.

“The racing and media family has lost one of its most popular members.”

Born in Croydon Park in Sydney, McNeice’s career started with a chance meeting with renowned greyhound caller Frank Kennedy.

The then 17-year-old became Kennedy’s protégé and quickly reinforced himself as a race caller across three racing codes at 2UE radio.

McNeice found his way into Network 10 in 1997, where he appeared as a regular on Good Morning Australia with co-host Kerri-Anne Kennerley.

He worked as a sports anchor for Ten News and was pivotal in the network’s coverage of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Ten’s retired broadcasting icon Ray Warren said McNeice was a “great friend, rich in sincerity” and praised the late legend’s dedication to his work.

See also: Media Roundup – Remembering Graham McNeice

The Seven Network has announced expert commentator and St Kilda FC great, Nick Riewoldt, will join Seven’s AFL coverage in 2025.

A statement from Seven noted the 336 gamer and six-time Trevor Barker Award winner is set to return home to Australian shores and will be part of the 7AFL team for season 2025 and beyond, featuring across Seven’s weekly AFL match broadcasts and soon-to-be-announced mid-week programming.

Seven’s new-look AFL team

Seven’s new director of sport Chris Jones has given the team a makeover for 2025. Here’s what the team looks like.
IN: Kane Cornes, Nick Riewoldt, Caroline Wilson (unconfirmed), Craig Hutchison (unconfirmed), Gerard Whateley (speculation)
OUT: Luke Darcy, Tim Watson (unannounced)

Seven’s existing AFL team on air for Grand Final

Game day: Brian Taylor, James Brayshaw, Bruce McAvaney, Hamish McLachlan, Luke Hodge, Matthew Richardson, Abbey Holmes, Dale Thomas, Max Gawn, Luke Darcy, Shaun Burgoyne, Jude Bolton, Scott Pendlebury, Chris Johnson, Rebecca Maddern, Joel Selwood, Campbell Brown, Cameron Ling, Kate McCarthy and Katie Brown
AFL 7News reporters: Mitch Cleary, Theo Doropoulos and Kate Massey

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

A leading voice in AFL since his retirement in 2017, Nick Riewoldt arrives at Seven with an exceptional knowledge and passion for the game.

His new employer revealed footy fans can look forward to seeing Riewoldt on Seven and 7plus Sport multiple times a week.

Ahead of his arrival at Seven, Riewoldt said: “After living in Cath’s hometown of Houston for two years, working full-time in stadium and event technology with PMY, we are all really looking forward to coming back to Melbourne and joining the Seven family.

“I’m excited about joining 7AFL and being part of the new vision for the network’s football coverage and programming in 2025 and beyond.

“Seven has assembled a great team and I cannot wait to get started and working alongside the team in bringing the game directly to footy fans all over Australia,” he said.

Seven Network director of sport, Chris Jones, said: “We are beyond excited to welcome Nick to the Seven family in 2025.

“Nick is one of the game’s greatest modern-day players and an elite football analyst. He’ll be a perfect addition to our already star-studded team of 7AFL experts, callers, and hosts.

“As we expand our AFL programming, more opportunities open up for industry talent to join football’s #1 commentary team, and we can’t wait to see how Nick’s expertise will elevate and complement our already outstanding coverage in 2025,” he said.

Seven’s head of AFL and sport onnovation, Gary O’Keeffe added: “Not only is Nick one of the industry’s most respected voices, he is also a natural leader and a brilliant football mind who brings an unbridled passion to his commentary.

“His ability to simplify complex plays for the viewer, paired with his deep understanding of the modern game will make him an invaluable addition to our already talent-stacked team.

“While our focus is set firmly on this Saturday’s 2024 AFL Grand Final on Seven and 7plus Sport, we are deep in planning to deliver more footy content than ever before in 2025, and we look forward to welcoming our new signings in the new year.”

See also: Bruce McAvaney back at the G: Broadcasting icon to supercharge 7AFL finals

ARIA has revealed the nominees for the Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement, inspired by the Our Soundtrack Our Ads campaign.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 ARIA Awards, which will be held on Wednesday, 20 November, at the Hordern Pavilion on Gadigal Land.

This year’s nominees are Bolster Group for Cancer Council: End The Trend, Fox Sports Australia’s NRL and AFL: Warriors and Storytellers, Howatson+Company for Qantas Olympics: Already Proud, 72andSunny’s Keep Moving campaign for realestate.com.au, and Go Full Speedo by Collider/Mirimar for Speedo International.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nominees for the award were determined by an academy of advertising and music sync experts to ensure a rigorous judging process.

Annabelle Herd, ARIA CEO, said: “We’re thrilled to see such a great range of agencies and their clients participate in our second year of this award.

“Advertising can not only play a huge role in the careers of Australian artists, using Australian music allows brands to connect with their markets more authentically with home-grown sounds. Congratulations to all the nominees, and thank you for your support of Aussie music.”

The Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement category was launched in 2022, as part of Our Soundtrack Our Ads: a joint initiative between Our Soundtrack Our Stories and M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment.
 
It is an extension of the existing Our Soundtrack Our Stories, launched in 2021 to promote the use of Australian music across the local business and media landscape.
 
Last year’s winners were Innocean Australia and Australian Marine Conservation Society, for their Voice of the Sea campaign featuring music by John Williamson in the over two minute category; while 72andSunny with Campfire X took under two minutes, for Google Helping You Help Others with music from Baker Boy.
 
See also:
ARIA Awards mark one month until entries open for Adland category
More than a soundtrack: The inaugural Adland ARIAs and how music elevates ads

Following the confirmation that Foxtel Group and Foxtel Media are exiting OzTAM, there have been a number of comments.

We reported on the message to the market from OzTAM chief executive Karen Halligan earlier this week.

Yesterday Foxtel Media CEO Mark Frain shared his thoughts on the move with the trade via a statement.

One interesting comment also came from another significant player in the video space. See below for the thoughts of Andrew Gilbert from Yahoo.

Commentary from Mark Frain, CEO Foxtel Media:

“Following consultation with the industry we have decided to move away from legacy measurements, that have been built and are owned by free to air networks, and partner with a progressive digital first analytics consultancy to provide our valued partners with the transparency that digital measurement affords. Foxtel linear TV will continue to be plagued with the same instabilities in audience reporting, should we remain under the new VOZ measurement system.

“As we announced at last year’s Upfront on October 26, we have engaged globally renowned market research firm Kantar Media to unlock the power of big data from over 1 million Foxtel set top boxes in Australia. This will provide richer, more accurate subscription TV data for clients who want a greater understanding of the audiences engaging with their brands.

See also: Kaboom – Foxtel Media Upfront announcements destined to shake-up TV sector

Over half Foxtel Media dollars come from digital video

“Now, more than 50% of our revenue comes from premium digital video, this revenue comes with a responsibility to report back to our clients with the most accurate data we can provide. We understand that the free to air networks must continue to leverage existing services, as there is no alternative to a panel of audio listening devices to understand how many people are still watching television via an aerial connection.

“We are not being contrary for the sake of it, we are leveraging the data we have available to partner with a global business with experience of delivering a new and authenticated standard of reporting for premium digital video.

“We have been working hard to ensure we are in the best position to begin trading using Kantar as our official currency in 2025. A new measurement solution we have proudly stood up in just 12 months, with more to be announced at our Upfront in three weeks time. Watch this space.”

Mark Frain

Foxtel move ‘will change way measurement being done’

Additional comments came from Andrew Gilbert, director, commercial & platforms AUSEA, Yahoo.

“The fact is that the Australian market has been a multi-currency market for a couple of years already. The news that Foxtel is withdrawing from OzTAM will undoubtedly change the way TV measurement is being done, and importantly Foxtel are bringing other people on that journey.

“While linear TV viewership is consistently decreasing, digital TV is increasing, and not just across BVOD platforms owned by the networks. We have to face the reality that OzTAM does not measure the full picture of TV viewership. VOZ only accounts for a part of the pie – that of the Australian broadcast networks.

“We have HBO [Max] coming into the market at the start of next year, Disney+ soon, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are also on the rise. Prime has about 4.8 million customers right now that they push straight onto an ad-supported tier.

“One-to-two years from now, I suspect we’re going to have two or three different types of measurement solutions. It’ll be similar to the US, where there need to be different approaches that help paint the whole picture, that won’t be done by one solution. Advertisers are going to have to tap into multiple different tools to get the whole picture.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been named as Australia’s most powerful person but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is close behind according to The Australian Financial Review Magazine’s Power List revealed today.

Trade Minister Don Farrell remains at the top of the list of covert power players, while Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira – who raised the ire of mining magnate Gina Rinehart with his portrait of her at the National Portrait Gallery – is No.1 on the cultural power list.

This year’s Power List issue of AFR Magazine contains photographic portraits featuring topical backdrops illustrated by the Financial Review’s cartoonist, David Rowe. Rowe drew the illustrations, which were then printed onto fabric and used as giant backdrops.

The portrait photos include Treasurer Jim Chalmers taming an inflation dragon, Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus relaxing on the beach and Albanese with a DJ’s turntable.

AFR Power List Cover

Said Rowe of his creative process: “I usually start with the character, so it took me a while to warm up given I had to leave them out of the cartoon. You have to lose the worry about what people will think.”

Other subjects photographed against a cartoon backdrop include the founders of the Betoota Advocate; the RBA governor Michele Bullock; ACTU national secretary Sally McManus and teals backer Simon Holmes à Court.

“There are quite a few debutants on this year’s list, which was also marked by big swings in the rankings given next year’s federal election,” said AFR Magazine editor Matthew Drummond.

The Power List consists of three main categories – Overt, Covert and Cultural – which are debated at length by two separate panels of insiders drawn from Australia’s political, business and cultural spheres.

Panellists who decided the Overt and Covert Lists were Joel Fitzgibbon and Christopher Pyne – both former ministers – Scott Morrison’s former private secretary, Yaron Finkelstein, director of AGL Kerry Schott, chancellor of Western Sydney University Jennifer Westacott; pollster Kos Samaras, data strategist Annie O’Rourke, Labor insider Lidija Ivanovski and the Financial Review’s Phillip Coorey and editor-at-large Michael Stutchbury.

The panel that decided the AFR Cultural Power list included Warner Music Australasia president Dan Rosen, Curio Pictures managing director Jo Porter, director of National Gallery of Victoria Tony Ellwood, acting commissioner Infrastructure Australia Gabrielle Trainor and the Financial Review’s Mark di Stefano and Matthew Drummond.

Overt List:

1) Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese
2) Reserve Bank Governor, Michele Bullock
3) Foreign Minister, Penny Wong
4) Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton
5) Federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers
6) Defence Minister, Richard Marles
7) BHP Chief Executive, Mike Henry
8) ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus
9) Greens Housing Spokesman, Max Chandler-Mather
10) Coalition Indigenous Spokeswoman, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price

Covert List:

1) Trade and Tourism Minister, Don Farrell
2) Chair of Hancock Prospecting, Gina Rinehart
3) Prime Minister Chief of Staff, Tim Gartrell
4) Finance Minister, Katy Gallagher
5) ALP National Secretary, Paul Erickson
6) Chair of News Corp and Fox Corporation, Lachlan Murdoch
7) Businessman and Organiser, Simon Holmes à Court
8) Treasury Secretary, Steven Kennedy
9) ACCC Chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb
10) Commonwealth Bank CEO, Matt Comyn

Cultural List:

1) Artist, Vincent Namatjira
2) Olympic Canoeist, Jessica Fox
3) Artist, Archie Moore
4) Musician, Troye Sivan
5) Federal Court Judge, Michael Lee
6) Betoota Advocate Founders, Clancy Overell and Errol Parker
7) Olympic Swimmer, Ariarne Titmus
8) CEO Racing NSW, Chairman of Australian Rugby League Commission, Peter V’landys
9) Actor, Sarah Snook
10) Singer, Kylie Minogue

The 35th Australian Commercial Radio & Audio (ACRA) Awards are taking over The Star Sydney on Saturday, 12 October.

The ACRAs are carefully slotted into the calendar every year after the AFL and NRL grand finals, and just before SXSW Australia.

This year the organiser Commercial Radio and Audio (CRA) is promising a spectacular celebration of Australia’s top radio and music stars. This will be the first awards night under new CRA chief executive Lizzie Young (pictured above).

ARN’s Jonesy and Amanda with their 2023 ACRA trophy.

Presenters sharing the stage will be some of Australia’s most iconic audio talent, including Brooke Blurton & Matty Mills, Deb Knight, Jimmy Smith & Nath Roye, Katie Woolf, Melissa Doyle & Richard Wilkins, Neil ‘Wilko’ Wilcock & Courtenay ‘Courts’ Kneen, Ray Hadley, Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald & Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli with Kate Richie, Steph Claire Smith & Laura Henshaw, Tim Blackwell & Joel Creasey, and Will McMahon & Woody Whitelaw.

“Radio is at the centre of Australian culture, offering vital information, entertainment, and connection around the clock. This year’s ACRA Awards will unite the industry’s pioneers and rising trailblazers who continue to reimagine the future of audio,” commented Lizzie Young.

The awards celebrate outstanding on-air talent and recognise excellence across content, production, podcasting, sales and marketing.

See also: 2023 ACRA Awards: Jonesy & Amanda win big while Kyle Sandilands takes home Talent of the Year

CRA also announced Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland will make a special appearance to present the awards for Best Community Campaign and Diversity and Inclusion.

Joining the celebrations are prominent voices shaping the Australian music scene. Rock legends The Screaming Jets will bring their signature high-octane energy to the stage, with lead singer Dave Gleeson sharing, “From a listener to a presenter I love everything about radio. I can’t wait to perform at the ACRA Awards, such a great night with all the luminaries of Oz radio in one room.”

Ahead of his sell-out Australian tour and highly anticipated third album, The Epilogue, ARIA & APRA award-winning and 14 billion streaming artist Dean Lewis will also grace the ACRA stage. “I’m looking forward to performing at radio’s night of nights. To be invited to perform at the 2024 ACRA Awards is an honour,” said Lewis.

Also performing this year are Award-winning Yolŋu hip hop artist Baker Boy, and IVANA, the breakout star from Australian Idol.

This week’s Meeting of the Minds sees Alex Hougton and Chloe Geggus from creative agency 72andSunny reveal their leadership heroes, current streaming binge, and career goals.

The Mediaweek series showcases diverse perspectives, thoughts and opinions by bringing together two different points of view from an industry rookie and an experienced expert.

Alex Houghton, strategy lead – 72andSunny

Favourite podcast/read – Digital Native by Rex Woodbury. Staying on top of everything happening in the digital landscape is impossible, but he does an amazing job of summarising the latest trends you must know about.

Current streaming binge – A great show that deserves a bigger audience: Snabba Cash on Netflix. It means ‘easy money’ in Swedish, and follows the fortunes of an entrepreneur whose business is funded by shady friends. She discovers the money does not come easily.

Guilty pleasure content – Endless YouTube videos about which Solana memecoin to invest in next.

What do you have on repeat – R’n’B singer Cassie’s classic mixtape RockaByeBaby. No thanks to Diddy, her career never soared, which is a shame. Check it out, it reveals just how talented she is.

Best career advice – Michael Bay – director of Transformers – isn’t for everyone. But his mantra of ‘shoot for the edit’ – don’t waste your time on stuff that will end up on the cutting room floor – becomes increasingly relevant as we get busier each year.

Leadership hero – Prof. Scott Galloway. His thought-provoking takes on the worlds of business, marketing and finance have taught me a lot. His perspective is especially relevant for anyone in their 20s.

Best training course/session – Andrew Roberstson, CEO of BBDO Worldwide, presented his vision for this new thing called ‘creatively compelling content’ in the early 2000s, with no presentation slides, armed with only a Blackberry as a prop. His ability to hold a room for an hour was inspiring.

I wish someone had told me – To buy Bitcoin ten years ago.

Favourite place to network – Industry events are a great way to network.

Something that’s surprised you about the industry – The enduring relevance of film. There’s been many calls for its demise, but it’s still the most effective way to build a brand.

What is your hot take on the industry – It will be at least 5 years before AI truly makes an impact on what marketers do.

Career goal for 2024 – Inspire more young people to join the industry, as it’s been a great ride for me.

Chloe Geggus, brand director – 72andSunny

Favorite podcast/read – I regularly listen to ‘On Purpose with Jay Shetty’, which is a podcast in which he interviews a wide range of guests, including celebrities, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders, on topics related to personal development, mindfulness, and living with purpose. 

Current streaming binge – I am binging Big Little Lies starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. 

Guilty pleasure content – My guilty pleasure is watching talented artists, especially singers. I enjoy watching standout performances from reality shows like The X Factor and The Voice, as well as discovering early performances of now-famous singers before the made it big.

What do you have on repeat – Lately I’ve had Teddy Swims album on repeat. I love how soulful and powerful his voice is. It gives me such a positive vibe!

Best career advice – The best career advice I have had is not to fear failure – failure is part of growth so we should view failures as lessons and stepping stones to our success. 

Leadership hero – My Dad who has worked for my Grandad’s business from the age of 16 to now being an owner of a successful business. He has taught me no matter what challenges come your way, you should face them head-on with determination, showing me that real leadership is about staying strong, pushing through, and never giving up on what you’re working toward.

Best training course/session – I recently took part in a Youtube summit which I found really educational and beneficial on how my advertising clients can make the most out of Youtube. 

I wish someone had told me – That you don’t always have to have everything figured out – life is unpredictable. It’s more important to make progress, learn, and grow, rather than trying to figure everything out before you start.

Favourite place to network – Industry Conferences and Events as well as agency hosted events.

Something that surprised you about the industry –  The advertising industry has surprised me with the variety of skill sets you can gain. As an account person, I’ve had the chance to wear many different hats, learning everything from client management, creative strategy and production and much more! It’s been an incredible opportunity for growth and versatility.

What is your hot take on the industry – The advertising industry constantly pushes you to learn and evolve.

Career goal for 2024 – My goal is to continue growing and learning and taking on any new challenge that comes my way positively.

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To take part in future editions of Meeting of the Minds, please email: [email protected]

Past editions of Meeting of the Minds.

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Top image: Alex Houghton and Chloe Geggus

Clear Hayes House will return to SXSW Sydney for a second year, hosting a week of events tailored to the advertising, media, and marketing industry.

From Monday, October 14 to Friday, October 18 SXSW Sydney badge holders and non-badge holders will be able to access an unforgettable lineup of events for free, including insightful thought leadership, unique networking opportunities, meetups and more.

Alex Hayes, principal at event organisers Clear Hayes Consulting, said: “Our aim with Clear Hayes House has always been to create a space that’s as impactful as it is enjoyable. This year, we’ve curated an even more exciting lineup, where the industry’s brightest minds can come together, have open and honest conversations and explore the future. And, of course, we’ll be throwing in plenty of fun along the way with great food, drinks and music.”

Events throughout the week include an afternoon takeover from ADMA exploring hot topics relevant to marketers, the official SXSW Sydney Creator Meetup, an afternoon exploring how the industry can do more around climate change and a Pub Quiz for Good run by UnLtd.

Industry heavyweights already confirmed to speak at the House include top marketers, senior executives and even politicians.

Among them RyanCap founder Simon Ryan; The Iconic’s Georgia Thomas; On Device global CEO Alistair Hill; and The Payback Project’s James Greet. 

On the final day of SXSW Sydney, indie agencies take centre stage with the Indie Agency Takeover which includes a morning of content from industry experts looking at everything from M&A trends, selling your ideas, global agency development and promoting your business, ahead of a Leaders’ Long Lunch providing a relaxed atmosphere to network with fellow agency heads.

Partners participating in the house this year include 1000heads, ADMA, Avid Collective, Channel Factory, CHPR, Cognizant, GumGum, KMint, Magnite, Meta, MOOD Tea, Murmur, On Device, Ryvalmedia, Samba TV, SI Partners, Snack Drawer, UnLtd and Yahoo.

The preliminary schedule of events is now available here with more speakers and events to be announced ahead of the festival week.

DDB Group Melbourne, New York’s Adam&EveDDB and Collider have teamed up to launch University of Dyslexic Thinking, or DyslexicU, with Made By Dyslexia, Virgin and its founder Sir Richard Branson, who himself is dyslexic.

Described by the World Health Organisation as a ‘learning difficulty’, dyslexia is often associated with poor performance in school, resulting in low self-esteem and creating a barrier to entering the workplace as an adult.

However, the Intelligence 5.0 Report from Made By Dyslexia and recruitment company Randstad revealed that the skills most in-demand by businesses in today’s AI-driven world are complex problem-solving, communication, and creative thinking, skills inherent to dyslexics.

DyslexicU, housed on Open University, aims to provide a ‘new school of thought’, teaching the world the principles of Dyslexic Thinking and repositioning Dyslexic Thinking as the world’s most valuable skill set. DyslexicU was launched during the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, September 24th.

The modules will be accessible worldwide as TikTok partners on the project to host an educational hub that turns the university content into simple, digestible lessons. The platform’s innovative Symphony feature will seamlessly translate lessons into 12 languages to speak to a total audience of more than 3.82 billion.

Psembi Kinstan

DDB Group Melbourne executive creative director, Psembi Kinstan, said: “After working with Kate Griggs since she founded Made by Dyslexia, we are so proud to launch our most ambitious idea yet, one that will continue to transform the perceptions of dyslexia around the world and has the potential to reach millions of students for years to come.”

DDB Group Melbourne conceived the idea of the university and began developing it with the charity over two years ago and the Australian agency is leading partnerships with Adam&EveDDB.

The scale of the idea has grown with the Melbourne agency leading the partnerships with Adam&EveDDB to also bring the launch event to New York. Meanwhile, Collider produced the global commencement speech, and TikTok to scale the content globally.

Sir Richard Branson said at the DyslexicU launch event: “DyslexicU is for anyone, at any stage of life, with a curiosity to learn more about the skills so relevant to this new world. I’m a proud Dyslexic Thinker – it’s made Virgin the brand what it is today. Thinking differently has always been an asset but, in this new world – it’s essential. Being visionary and thinking creatively is a new marker of intelligence that can help you succeed.”

His disruptive ‘Anti-commencement speech’ film was played at the launch event to press and ambassadors and was created by Collider by director duo VERSUS. 

Sir Richard and Kate Griggs, the founder of Made By Dyslexia, officially opened the university at the New York event and discussed the findings of the report.

They were joined on stage by an incredible line up of successful dyslexics who also feature in the university courses – including changemaker and ambassador Princess Beatrice, chief executive of Randstad Enterprise Michael Smith, director for education and skills OECD Andreas Schleicher, and space scientist, chancellor of the University of Leicester and ambassador Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Other contributing dyslexics include Dash Water founder Alex Wright, Shark Tank USA star Barbara Corcoran, Trunki founder Rob Law, Virgin Unite founding CEO Jean Oelwang, activist Erin Brockovich, activist Princess Sarah Zeid, and Lonnie Ali who shared lessons from her late dyslexic husband, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali.

Kate Griggs, founder of Made By Dyslexia, said: “Problem solving, innovation, lateral thinking and interpersonal skills are the most sought-after skills in every job, in every sector, worldwide. And these are all Dyslexic Thinking skills.”

Tamara Pickett, Virgin group director of communications and external relations, said: “The world needs Dyslexic Thinking. Richard and the Virgin Group have supported Made By Dyslexia in its mission to redefine dyslexia since Kate Griggs founded the charity. From adding Dyslexic Thinking to the dictionary, to making it an official drop-down skill on LinkedIn  – today’s launch of the world’s first University of Dyslexic Thinking is another huge step forward in re-positioning Dyslexic Thinking as the world’s most aspirational skill set.”

Alex Lefley, Mango Melbourne general manager, part of DDB Group Melbourne, said: “As someone proud of their Dyslexic tag, it’s been an incredible experience leading the global earned media strategy for such a fantastic and important project – the world needs more dyslexic thinking and this is an incredible first step.”

CREDITS:

Company: DDB Group Melbourne
Global Chief Creative Officer: Chaka Sobhani
Group Executive Creative Director: Psembi Kinstan
Deputy Executive Creative Director: Giles Watson – Dyslexic
Head of Copy and Group Creative Partner: James Cowie
Copywriter: Rory Moore
Art Director: Phoenix Santamaria
GM of Mango Melbourne: Alex Lefley – Dyslexic
Head of Craft: Adam Hengstberger – Dyslexic
Studio Manager: Aaron Wickers
Head of Production: Sonia McLaverty
Chief Strategy Officer: Matt Pearce
Head of Social and Content: Sam Snowden
Social Content Creative: Charlotte Funnell
Creative Technologist: Andy Rovenko
General Manager: Khia Croy
Account Director: Oliver Corcoran
Account Manager: Sam Simpson – Dyslexic
Account Manager: Mango: Ruby Loosli
Chief Creative Officer: Stephen de Wolf
CEO: Mike Napolitano

Company: adam&eveDDB, NY
Managing Director: James Rowe
Chief Executive Officer: Caroline Winterton
Executive Creative Director: Cheryl Horsfall
Associate Creative Director, Art: Maggie Garcia
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Javier Toledo
Senior Project Manager: Ross Kessler
Account Director: Nicole Tobias
Video Content Creator: Dillon Smith
Head of Social: Scott Barrett

Company:Virgin
Global Communications Director: Tamara Pickett
Content and Communications Director: Greg Rose
Internal Communications Director: Lea Hawkins-Gaboc
Head of Communications and Content: Tania Steere
Senior Marketing and Communications Manager: Ben Murphy
Communications Manager, UK and ROW: Ellie Ball
Communications Manager, US and Australia: Angela Palmer
Content and Social Producer: Harry Kinnaird

Company: Made by Dyslexia
Founder & CEO: Kate Griggs
Director of Partnerships & Philanthropy: Lucy Squance
Senior Copywriter & Strategist: Shirley Short
Senior Events and Marketing Project Manager: Isabelle Higham
Strategic Executive Assistant & Project Manager: Rachel Carter

Company: Collider
Managing Director: Rachael Ford-Davies
Executive Producer: Tom Slater
Directors: VERSUS (Tanya Babic & Jason Sukadana)
Cinematographer: Grégoire Lière
Production Designer: Karla Milat
Costume Designer: Elle Hioe
Make Up Artist: Chrisato Chris Arai
Casting: Daisy Hicks
Post production: Collider Studio
Creative Director/Co-Founder: Andrew Van Der Westhuyzen
Head of 3D: Dave Sujono
Head of Studio: Hoss Ghonouie
Post Producer: Lara Allen
Editor: Sean McDermott
Colourist: Alina Bermingham
Music and Sound Post: Sonar Music
Composer: Jono Ma
Executive Producer: Sophie Haydon

Company: TikTok
Creative Agency Partners: Nick O’Donnell, Smaran Jworchan
Client Solutions Managers: Kevin O’Neill, Rohan Gupta
Head of Brand & Creative Consultancy: Anthony Dever

Mediaweek’s Media Movers charts the biggest people moves in the industry over the past week.

Tony Armstrong has announced he will leave ABC News Breakfast in October after three years on the show.

Armstrong, a proud Gamilaroi man, will continue to work with ABC, hosting a new show to be announced later this year and begin airing in 2025.

Caroline Wilson’s colleague at 3AW and on Footy Classified, Matthew Lloyd, confirmed tonight he’s “bitterly disappointed” Wilson has decided to make a bombshell move to Channel 7.

He was speaking on 3AW’s Wide World of Sports. “I’m bitterly disappointed but no one is bigger than the show,” he said on 3AW.

As first flagged on 3AW’s Rumour File on Monday morning, Matthew Lloyd has confirmed Wilson will make the shock TV switch.

Malcom Connor will depart UM Australia after 20 years as part of the agency’s structural alignment across IPG Mediabrands.

Anathea Ruys, CEO of UM Australia, explained that the structural alignment is part of the centralisation of operations at an IPG Mediabrands level as the Group continues to work more closely together and as tools, processes and operations across the Group become more standardised to enable agencies to effectively and efficiently scale their business.

Nine has announced the appointment of Gareth Parker, currently 9News Perth’s director of news, to the newly created role of network news content director.

Reporting to the 9Network’s Director of News and Current Affairs, Fiona Dear, this position will see Parker relocate to Sydney and work from the Network’s headquarters, where he will oversee and help coordinate critical news coverage to Channel 9’s state-based newsrooms.

Jessica Honeychurch

SBS has appointed Jessica Honeychurch as Victorian digital sales manager for the hybrid-funded national broadcaster.

The new role sees Honeychurch drive ongoing growth of leading BVOD service SBS On Demand. She steps into the role after spending the past two and half years as SBS’s NSW digital sales manager

Before joining SBS, she held sales roles at Paramount and MCN. She also held digital planner and buyer roles at media agency Wavemaker, in Adelaide.

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.

A memorable 2024 AFL season is set for a spectacular finish, with legendary sports broadcaster Bruce McAvaney to return home to Seven’s AFL coverage for this weekend’s two preliminary finals and then the premiership decider on Saturday, 28 September.

McAvaney will join AFL football’s FTA commentary team in a key hosting role across the final epic three games of the season.

Bruce McAvaney said: “The 2024 season has turned out to be unpredictable and thrilling. To have the opportunity to be part of it is a privilege and I’m incredibly excited to be joining my colleagues in broadcasting the finals on Seven.”

Bruce McAveney has joined 7AFL’s coverage of the finals series.

Broad Radio is a new radio station that started broadcasting loud, clear and fiercely this morning.

Spearheading the new broadcast offering is former Fox FM breakfast star Jo Stanley. Stanley was #1 in Melbourne FM breakfast radio for six years alongside Matt Tilley on The Matt & Jo Show on Fox FM. She then later teamed with Anthony ‘Lehmo’ Lehmann with The Jo & Lehmo Show on Gold 104.3.

The arrival of Stanley back open the airwaves is another challenge for Kyle and Jackie O who are jostling with all the other talented breakfast teams to secure a Melbourne audience.

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

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.

Danielle St. George and Phil Benedictus

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.

Deepend Group has appointed Chris Rollings to the newly created role of head of product innovation.

The group comprises boutique consultancy Deepend, History Will Be Kind communications agency and innovation agency How To Impact.

In the role, Rollings will drive the group’s efforts to create and launch groundbreaking products, platforms, and movements that align with the evolving needs of the market. He will work closely with clients to help identify white space, create and test new concepts, and track performance.

History Will Be Kind (HWBK) has revealed three new hires and three internal promotions. Helen Little has joined HWBK as senior account director. Her previous experience includes work across a range of global media, consumer and third-sector brands including Guardian News & Media, UK child protection charity the NSPCC, as well as Disney and Universal Pictures.

Rinca Capewell steps into the role of account coordinator. Prior to joining HWBK, she worked at Blackmores Group as event and marketing coordinator where she supported execution at major pharmacy and allied health events, along with strategy development.

Tayla Appleby, a graduate in public relations, communications and commerce, also joins HWBK as account coordinator. Tayla previously interned at Pet Circle, where she supported media relations, influencer marketing and partnership projects.

Rinca Capewell, account coordinator, Tayla Appleby, account coordinator, Helen Little, senior account director

Alongside these new hires, Georgie Wilson has stepped into the role of senior account director, Sam Hayes is now account director and Sophie Moudawar has been promoted to integrated account executive.

Today the Brave has appointed Cyndall McInerney as senior copywriter, partnering with art director, Kate Idle.

McInerney joins from The Monkeys, Part of Accenture Song, bringing her quirky tone has earned her a range of international awards from her time working in both Sydney and London with both large networks and small independent agencies.

Tourism Fiji has teamed up with Havas Host to encourage locals and visitors to thoughtfully dispose of rubbish even when there are no bins nearby.

The ‘If you can’t bin it, bag it’ initiative was created from the insight that a campaign to put litter in bins wouldn’t be enough given the shortage of public rubbish bins.

The initiative extends beyond messaging with the distribution of specially designed, sustainably made reusable tote-style bags to inspire Fijians with a practical way to take their litter with them until they find a suitable bin.

The agency developed an illustrated mascot, Kasikasi—a small Fijian hermit crab who uses his shell as a bag to store rubbish until he can find a bin—as the campaign’s face of responsible waste management. Kasikasi features across the initiative in visuals, a song, and on the bags.

Havas Host collaborated with local artists to bring the initiative to life in a distinctive Fijian way. Local musician Kuki created the campaign song’s jingle, while illustrations by Fijian creative designer Lily Vallance appear across visuals and on the bags.

The song will feature on radio and digital platforms to drive behaviour change by educating locals, especially children, on the importance of picking up litter. Signs featuring Kasikasi will be strategically located at areas typically impacted by rubbish, including beaches, walking paths and parks, to remind people to keep it with them until they find a bin.

The Tourism Fiji-led campaign was supported by a coalition of 15 travel and tourism industry partners including leading resorts and hotels as part of a united industry commitment to environmental conservation.

“We are thrilled to launch the ‘If you can’t bin it, bag it’ campaign alongside our dedicated partners,” Brent Hill, CEO of Tourism Fiji said.

“This initiative embodies our commitment to sustainable tourism practices and highlights the collective responsibility we share in safeguarding Fiji’s environment. As we roll out this initiative, we encourage all Fijians and visitors to embrace the ethos of ‘If you can’t bin it, bag it.'”

“As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, we believe collaborating with communities, industry and the Government can greatly preserve Fiji’s natural beauty,” Tourism Fiji’s chief marketing officer, Srishti Narayan.

“We appreciate our numerous partners who have joined us in this endeavour. It is now over to all of us in Fiji – locals and tourists – to grab a bag, either the specially designed bags, or any reusable bag, and to dispose of our waste thoughtfully and keep Fiji clean and beautiful.”

Havas Host MD Ant Moore said, “This is an exciting initiative that fosters a change in behaviour among different generations through multiple partners and channels. We are thrilled to help bring it to life and look forward to its benefits for Fiji and its natural beauty.”

The campaign will run across roadside billboards and other OOH locations, newspapers, radio and digital platforms, with the reusable bags available at various outlets throughout Fiji.

Credits:
Agency: Havas Host
MD: Ant Moore
ECD: Sebastian Vizor
Associate Creative Director: Pete Sherrah 
Senior Art Director: Anastasia Simone
Senior Copy Writer: Jay Lee
Managing Director: Ant Moore 
Account Director: Maisie La Costa 
Head of Strategy: Alyce Gillis
Head of Production: Alistair Ferrier

Client: Tourism Fiji
Chief Marketing Officer: Srishti Narayan
Global Marketing Manager: Anaseini Bakaniceva
Global Marketing Specialist: Ashwina Ghutla

Production: 
Studio: Lily Kate
Illustrator: Lily Vallance
Singer/Songwriter: Apakuki Nalawa
Musician: Kuki

Launching across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, Palmolive’s latest campaign, “Paahhlmolive”, created in partnership with VML, taps into the revitalisation that comes from using Palmolive Naturals.

In an increasingly disconnected world, Palmolive states its aim is to offer those brief but powerful moments of helping people reconnect with themselves, with nature and feel re-energised.

Anthony Crewes, senior marketing director for Colgate-Palmolive South Pacific, explained, “With this campaign, we wanted to deliver a message that really resonates with the daily grind. ‘Paahhlmolive’ playfully captures Palmolive’s dedication to make washing feel less passive and more energising.”

Paul Nagy, chief creative officer, VML APAC commented, “The campaign is a fun interpretation of what brief moments of revitalisation can feel like on the inside, like a moment in nature… or that shower you have at the end of a long day… you know the one.”

“Paahhlmolive” will leverage a mix of digital and social film channels, complemented by digital spots airing across Australia, and TV and digital spots airing across Aotearoa New Zealand. Additionally, strategically placed out-of-home (OOH) advertisements will appear near supermarkets and in shopping centres.

Credits:

Palmolive Equity
Client: Colgate-Palmolive
Creative: VML
Media: Wavemaker ANZ
Production: Austin Studio
Director: Toby Morris
Postproduction & VFX: Josh Regoli
Colourist: Matt Campbell
Audio & Music Composition: Sonar
Casting: i4 Casting-END-

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has teamed up with M&C Saatchi Group to launch its new brand platform, Life Is The Reason.
 
The campaign aims to gather 100,000 personal reasons for blood, plasma, and platelet donation and attract 100,000 new donors each year.

It amplifies the real, personal, and life-saving reasons of real Lifeblood donors; with just 3% of the eligible population currently donating, the campaign challenges all Australians to find their reason to give.

“We’re asking people to find just one reason why they should donate,” Jeremy Weiss, Lifeblood’s chief marketing officer.

“The campaign aims to change the mindset from why people don’t donate to the many powerful reasons why they should,” he added.
 
Lifeblood has invited Australians to visit their Reasons Hub and share their personal motivations for donating, allowing Lifeblood to showcase their reason and image within the campaign. This initiative engages the public and is part of the broader to inspire 100,000 new donors annually and sustain the life-saving work that benefits countless individuals in need.

“Our goal together was to create a campaign that can talk to all blood product donations and makes people feel both the urgency but also the impact of their donation,” Emma Robbins, M&C Saatchi’s national executive creative director, said.

“‘Life is the Reason’ is about connecting deeply with every Australian’s innate sense of generosity, empathy and community. It’s a campaign that makes you stop, think, and realise that whatever your reason, you have the power to save lives.”

The creative agency was appointed as Lifeblood’s behaviour change agency in July 2024 following a competitive pitch.

The agency has developed a dynamic creative campaign that spans multiple platforms, including out-of-home (OOH), TVOD, digital, and social media, aiming to reach a wide audience and drive action with a purpose-built filter encouraging Aussies to share their own reason using the ‘storytime’ trend.

Earned and influencer amplification of the campaign is being driven via the passion marketing specialist arm, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment.

To rally more Australians to join this life-saving mission, Lifeblood will have a mobile donor centre outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the official AFL Footy Festival, from Wednesday, September 25 to Saturday, September 28 (Grand Final Day).

High profile Australian talent partnering with Lifeblood to share their reasons to donate include Ben and Hester Brown, Jack Riewoldt, Chantelle Otten, Dave Hughes, Erin Molan and Tim Robards.

See also: Lifeblood appoints M&C Saatchi as creative behaviour change agency