The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has wrapped up for 2023, with the event having brought together those that work in creative communications and advertising from every corner of the planet. 

Mediaweek has been on location in the South of France, and spoke to some of the most influential people in both Australian and global media. Today is the Initiative Australia team: CEO, Melissa Fein; managing director, Sam Geer; and chief strategy and product officer, Chris Colter.

Initiative in Cannes

Bringing the Initiative team across the world to France is no small task, but the trip has a number of benefits for the trio, including reflection on their own work – and sizing up the global competition. 

Fein: “It’s the midpoint in the year where we can take stock and reflect on the last 12 months – we’re now using this as a flagship moment of the year to look at the work that we’ve been producing and find inspiration and motivation. 

“But we’re a competitive bunch, and we also submitted work this year, so we want to make sure that we’re here to celebrate the work that we’re producing. We’ve got amazing marketers on the ground with us, that are also looking for that inspiration and motivation. 

“It’s also just a wonderful time to connect with some of our global teams and our global clients. We don’t get a lot of the senior global marketers coming to Australia, this is a perfect opportunity to get some face time with them and make sure they understand how important Australia is for their business as well.”

Colter: “We definitely come here for the work first and foremost, we pride ourselves on being a very creative media agency. Coming to the festival of creativity is really important because you get the top echelon of work.

“The calibre of the speakers is really good as well, you learn some things, take away a nugget or two, and that sets you up for what the benchmark is to beat next year – which is important for us as competitive people.”

The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is nothing if not an event that gets people thinking. When it came to the work put forward at this year’s festival compared to other times that the trio have made the trek to Cannes, Colter says that there is one particular difference in this year’s highlighted work.

Colter: “I haven’t walked away this year going ‘that’s the one absolute standout campaign’ like I have in other years, when it was really obvious as to what one piece of work got everyone talking about around town. I think that’s interesting in and of itself, and might be symptomatic of breadth, it might be symptomatic not having nailed that one industry-defining piece of work. 

“From a media perspective, I thought the work that got through in that was really interesting – the separation between using media to innovate and propel an idea versus just distribute, I thought the line was a bit too blurred there if I’m honest. I think they could have had the role that media plays in accelerating ideas in culture a lot more front and centre.”

Reflecting on the work from all corners of the globe on the world stage at the 2023 Cannes Lions Awards, Geer says that “we can do much better defining the role of media, and I think that should be something that the jury is super clear on.” 

Geer: “We talked to some of the jury members this year, and I think there was a lot of debate and a lot of questioning in the room about whether or not something was media –  and given how much debate there was, I still saw a lot of the work and thought, ‘well, that’s not media’.

“People will say ‘this is a great use of print’, and I look at it and think ‘no, that’s a print ad’. The use of media is they printed a great idea on a double-page spread, that’s not a great use of print, that’s a great idea that happens to be amplified through print. I think a lot of media agencies see it as their role to just amplify and not actually take the same creative craft, care, and attention into every single media execution to try and push it as far as it can go – and for us, that’s been a big, competitive advantage.”

Colter: “I don’t care if creative agencies win media awards, so long as the media is interesting, and you can see how it elevated the idea, or expanded it, or used media in an innovative way. I think the reason why they’re winning awards more often than media agencies is that media agencies are shithouse at writing awards – we don’t have production teams on tap so we can get a creative director to look at this and a videographer to create it. It’s usually Sam and I together in a room, in the five minutes we have in between pitching.

“I wish there was a way for us to get better at packaging the work, because I do think that in the media work out of Australia, there is some game-changing work that exists out there. But its potential is lost in its packaging.”

One region that did particularly well at this year’s awards was South America, with Geer pointing towards their willingness to tackle particularly ambitious work as a reason for the success.

Geer: “There’s so much focus on agencies in Cannes, we’re all talking about the media agencies, the creatives, and who’s picking up work. At the end of the day, you need clients to be encouraging you to do brave work and be willing to sign that off. 

“In South America, countries like Brazil, there is a greater level of acceptance with ambitious or brave work – there’s a feeling of less to lose and more to gain. Whereas there’s a huge amount of discussion around risk appetite in Australia, which is completely fair. The onus is on an agency partner to try and push those clients and give them the safety or support around ideas to know that it’s going to be okay, and that they should have a risk appetite.”

Outside of the awards, the Initiative trio say that there have been two major themes the team have noticed at this year’s event – the first being the hot topic on everyone’s mind: Artificial Intelligence.

Fein: “Everyone’s here to see AI, I think that’s been the theme of the week. It’s topical, we come here to hear some of the best speakers that we might not get access to in Australia, so there have been some really interesting takes on the human element and how we’re going be able to execute the algorithms. There have been some really good takeouts.”

Aside from AI dominating conversations across Cannes, Diversity Equity and Inclusion has also been thoroughly discussed in the festival’s speaking sessions.

Geer: “DE&I was a big one, when you look at the agenda every day in the Palais it’s either an AI or DE&I conversation. I think that’s great, those two things are intrinsically linked and DE&I has been a big part of Cannes for a number of years now.”

Fein: “What I was welcoming in some of those DE&I panels is the evolution that we’ve seen come from just the inclusion conversation. There was some really amazing focus on disability and the areas that we haven’t really, as an industry, formally addressed because we’ve all been so focused on gender equality and inclusion. That is really important, but I’ve been really encouraged to see how that was so progressed in those conversations.”

On the flip side of the coin, what is missing can be just as important as what is being shouted from the rooftops.  

Geer: “I was very interested in things I didn’t see – the Metaverse was massive last year, and there was not even one conversation this year. It was a punch line. I think it shows how obsessive we can get about things in a cultural moment, but I don’t think AI is going to be like that.”

Colter, Fein, and Geer at Mediaweek’s Next of the Best Awards

Looking Ahead

It’s always difficult to predict what comes next without a crystal ball, but the trio are certain of one thing: it’s full speed ahead for Initiative Australia. 

Geer: “We’ve still got a lot of growth left. People talk about the awards and new business wins, but what comes with that is building a lot of depth in the agency. There’s depth at every single level in the agency, we can come here and the team is still absolutely smashing it on the ground. I think that allows you to continue to scale and not scale too quickly, or sacrifice other things and grow for the sake of it.”

Fein: “It hasn’t always been roses, we haven’t always been able to come to Cannes and feel like things are okay back at the ranch. This has been years of brick-by-brick making to get to this point. 

“This is where we can also not just look inwards, but outwards. The lens we put over everything is asking ‘can we open source this idea?’ – the impact on industry becomes really a big focus of ours as well. We’ve got some amazing things coming up that we’re not doing as a closed Initiative event, it’s for the industry that we’re creating things.”

One of the big future focuses for Initiative is continuing to invest in the up-and-coming talent in the industry. 

Geer: “We’ve become pretty notorious for having the best youth talent, and investing in that next generation for us means that we’re building a stable that we can continue to grow.”

Fein: “There have been a lot of naysayers in the industry, they’ll say ‘you’re hiring kids’. Sam and Colts are the two smartest people in the industry – of course, I’m very biased – and what that delivers is that we can attract some of the biggest young talent.

“I’ve never been ageist on either side, old or young. I think that that’s really important because people see young people coming in and think they’re inexperienced, what would they know? But they are bloody smart, these kids.”

Under the guidance of the trio, Initiative Australia has picked up a swathe of accolades – including gold at the Campaign Global Agency of the Year awards, and two trophies at Mediaweek’s inaugural Next of the Best awards. 

When asked how the relationship works between the three of them, and why it’s resulted in such success for Initiative, the trio all point to the trust and respect between them.

Fein: “There’s a basic, complementary skill set. We all know where each other’s strengths and weaknesses are, and we don’t bother even wasting each other’s time. We say it as it is to each other, and there’s no duplication in workloads – we divide and conquer.

“There’s no bullshit, and we just have so much mutual respect for each other.”

Colter: “Everyone’s got your back at any given moment – If Sam or Mel are on something, I’ve got abject trust that they’re going to absolutely nail it. That is something that’s really rare and special to have at this level. 

“Also, the speed at which we make business decisions together. We joke that we run this business on text, but it’s only possible because of that trust and intuitive understanding of what everyone brings to the table. You can’t fake it.”

Geer: “There’s a lot of appreciation for each other, and everything the others said as well. The other thing that you can’t fake is that we just really like each other, genuinely, we spend a lot of time together. I think so many business environments see relationships or partnerships crack, we’ve had the opposite.”

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Top Image: Initiative Australia’s Chris Colter, Melissa Fein, Sam Geer

On May 26th, Mediaweek’s Next of the Best awards celebrated the best of under 40s talent across the media industry – including TV, radio, media agencies and PR.

Taking home gold for Media Agency Specialist – All Agencies was Chris Colter, chief strategy and product officer at Initiative.

Colter stepped up to the chief strategy & product officer last year and as part of his extended remit, will continue to lead the overall strategic output and team within the organisation but broaden his impact across the Mediabrands group with a specific focus on performance and e-commerce.

Colter’s tenure as Initiative’s chief strategy officer has seen Initiative become the most awarded media agency in Australia for their work, producing campaigns such as Swintopia (Swinburne University of Technology), Wonder Recycling Awards (Goodman Fielder), and A Fire Inside (NRMA).

Mediaweek caught up with Colter about his Next of the Best win and the future of the industry.

Mediaweek: Congratulations on winning gold; how do you feel about the win?

CC: Obviously elated and very humbled. Not going to lie, feels particularly special to be recognised in the inaugural event.

MW: How does this award reflect you and your team’s work?

CC: It is 100% a reflection of my strategy team, our amazing senior leadership team and the wider Initiative Australia agency…not to mention our amazing clients and media partners. In this industry you’re only ever as good as the people you surround yourself with, and I’m genuinely lucky to be surrounded by the best.

MW: What are three industry issues on your mind, and in your opinion, how can they be solved or achieved?

CC: I think our obsession with ‘issues’ and having a default of our industry is broken is an issue in itself. Truth is, our industry is awesome, we’re doing incredible things and we should be proud of what we do. Any changes I think we need to make are optimisations verse overhauls.

From a purpose point-of-view I think we need to accelerate the shift towards triple-bottom-line reporting, as accountability drives action. Effective media planning will always remain a priority, but broadening that definition towards delivering positive outcomes for people, planet and profit is critical. As custodians of corporate investment, we wield a powerful weapon to change the world for the better and I think we all need to take that responsibility seriously, especially in an increasingly informed and activist society.

From a product perspective you’d have to say generative AI (cringe, I know) as it has serious implications for our industry. Unlike doom-and-gloom predictions of robots taking over careers, or the argument that only humans can be creative, I see it as what it is…a tool. The calculator didn’t kill mathematicians. Garage Band didn’t kill musicians. They just stripped the busy work and allows people to get to the evolutionary thinking quicker…which can only be a good thing. Good technology only empowers good thinkers, otherwise it’s useless.

From a people perspective I think the legacy of salary secrecy and, to be honest, respectful remuneration is coming to a head. We need to get ahead of this as an industry before legislation mandates it as it’s not only the right thing to do but on-the-whole we have a good story to tell. There’s definitely areas for improvement but unless we start publicly reporting and declaring banding and benefits we’re not going to see the change this generation is rightfully demanding.

MW: The Next of the Best is an under-40s award, how will today’s upcoming talent impact the industry in the future?

CC: I’d say they already are, more than they ever have. I’ve personally seen the democratisation of opinion and opportunities dramatically change over my career. Whether its reverse mentoring, bringing executives into pitch teams and even giving them a stage to agitate for positive change in forums like MFA Ex, the ability to accelerate careers and impact on industry has never been greater. We’ve shifted from cascading to coaching, and it’s creating a new wave of more confident, supported and capable talent that is only going to impact the industry for the better.

Add to that agencies investing in automation, which in our business has literally cut thousands of hours of mindless data-entry and reconciling tasks that used to be a shitty rite of passage for young talent entering the industry (and the largest contributor to them leaving early), means the next generation are being trained on meaningful thinking from day one – which is only going to have an exponential impact on the pride in, and output of, our industry.

MW: What’s your outlook for the year ahead?

CC: I’m an optimist. Times are tough now, horrifically tough for many, but I believe that difficult times create opportunity. The best is yet to come!

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Top image: Chris Colter

Ten Four Media is the only 100% owned Indigenous, digital media buying agency in Australia that specialises in delivering custom solutions for businesses wanting to get the best return on investment for their media spend. 

Since its inception in 2019, the agency has worked for various new and established businesses to launch and grow with strategy and consulting, advertising and media and creative development. 

From health and fitness, online coaches, eCommerce and manufacturing to service businesses, Ten Four Media has worked with a wide variety of clients including The University of Newcastle, The Faculty, Social Futures, Harrison & Harrison, Rugby League Gold Coast, Rebel Liquor Group and Gillette. 

In celebration of NAIDOC Week, Mediaweek caught up with the sole director and owner of Ten Four Media, Bundjalung woman Tamra Forde. 

Forde has worked in the advertising and media industry for over 11 years working across marketing sectors, from traditional to digital marketing, specialising in advertising. 

From being an internal marketing manager for a large education production company in Australia to SMEs, and large multi-national companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Forde has worked with a broad range of clients. 

MW: How did you get your start in the industry?

TF: “I started using digital advertising when I had my own e-commerce business in 2012. This is when Google Ads was the only online platform to send traffic to your website. Once Facebook ads came out it was a game changer and getting people to see your business across Australia was a lot easier. So I had to master the online media platforms to send traffic to my own website, but when you are spending your own money, every dollar needs to count in a small business. All of a sudden other small businesses saw what I was doing and were approaching me to ask how I could help with their Lead Generation so I started an Ads business specialising in Facebook Ads in 2015. 

“I had a successful consulting business across Australia and the USA for a few years when my now husband asked me to come and work at a creative agency he had bought for a couple of years. We built the agency to be a full-service advertising and marketing agency. 

“I set up Ten Four Media in 2019 as a wholly owned Indigenous business to cater to corporates and SMEs and to offer a different service to Supply Nation businesses.”

MW: How was Ten Four Media’s performance in 2022, and how has that set the agency up for this year?

TF: “We had a strong performance coming off the back of COVID, it was consistent without too many fluctuations. I believe the foundations we set up last year, showcasing our work and being out in the market more often has led us to some great clients this year who we have long-term retainers with, which has led to some bigger projects. Getting our foot in the door gives us the opportunity to show clients what we can do and how nimble we are. We can move fast and they don’t need several agencies to do what they need, they just need Ten Four Media.”

MW: Is there a career highlight that stands out for you so far?

TF: “So far the best highlight would be winning the contract with Procter and Gamble to build out a subscription model for razors for Gillette. It was a large undertaking and a new strategy for them in e-commerce.”

MW: What does NAIDOC week mean to you as an Indigenous professional in the industry?

TF: “To me, NAIDOC week brings Indigenous culture to the forefront and allows people to be more open and engage with me about who I am, my background and have a discussion about culture. NAIDOC week gives all Indigenous people time to shine and be proud of who they are and for them to stand up and be seen.”

MW: What are your thoughts on the representation and visibility of First Nations people working in the industry and in the work produced? How can it be improved?

TF: “In my industry, I believe there are pockets of successful businesses in certain media – like video and marketing in general – but in advertising, I don’t see any Indigenous-led businesses out there. I am seeing some awesome Indigenous video companies produce amazing work across Australia.

“I would love to see an initiative led in the media and advertising industry that allows big media businesses to hire smaller indigenous companies or subcontract to help them get a foot in the industry. Too many contracts are won by the bigger guys without even a glance at the new smaller agencies like Tenfour Media.”

MW: What advice do you have for young First Nations people about the advertising and media industry?

TF: “This industry is fast-moving and allows First Nations people to become part of an evolving media landscape. If you are looking for an exciting challenge and want to learn many skills across creative, brand, digital and advertising to help build businesses or market businesses better, this is a great industry to get started in.”

MW: Ten For is part of the IMAA, what have been the benefits of being part of that organisation?

TF: “We joined in 2022, so we haven’t been in long enough yet but we have enjoyed being part of a group of highly successful media agencies. As the first Indigenous agency, we have a lot to learn from the members and can’t wait to see how being part of IMAA can help us grow to the next stage.”

MW: What does the year ahead look like for yourself and Ten Four Media? What can the industry expect from the agency?

TF: “Our focus for the rest of this year is on getting a few more contracts in to allow us to put more indigenous staff on. 

“We have just released our zero/first-party data tool and it is now available to the public and for other agencies to use. It empowers the client to have full ownership of their data, with a privacy focus, and to send the data to any media platform they wish. It has already been tested by some of the largest companies in the world in advertising and approved for use. 

“We believe this is the most powerful data tool to combat signal data loss in the marketplace today. If any agencies are interested in chatting about this, they can contact my team for a further chat.”

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Top Image: Tamra Forde

Almost a decade after making the move from SCA’s 2Day FM to ARN’s Mix 106.5 (now KIIS), radio giants Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O could be considering returning to their original home.

The Australian Financial Review spoke to multiple sources familiar with the matter, with an unnamed network insider telling the publication that SCA was “pretty aggressive” in pursuing a deal with the pair. If it were to go ahead, “It’s very likely it’ll end up being the biggest talent media deal ever,” one source said.

“It’s about more money and making it a bigger show, meaning reaching more markets,” they continued, although which markets the show could be extended into was not explicitly mentioned. 

Describing the negotiations, one media executive said “This is like sports rights for radio.” 

The pair are currently in the last 18 months of their current contract with ARN, originally signed in 2019, and reported to be worth up to $8 million a year each.

In the most recent radio ratings survey, The Kyle and Jackie O Show came in as overall breakfast champs with 17.9%, their best result ever after surging up an additional 2.9 points. They also recorded a record cume of 921,000.

After the results, Mediaweek spoke to ARN’s chief content officer Duncan Campbell, who said that the reason they continue to grow is that the pair remain relevant.

See Also: Smashing records: Duncan Campbell on ARN’s Survey Three

“They’ve always remained in touch with the audience, and they always make that show exciting,” says Campbell. “There’s always something going on – the old positioning line was Expect The Unexpected, and that’s still the case many, many years later. 

“With a lot of shows, they would get into a bit of a rhythm and they wouldn’t put as much effort in as they did in the past. These guys are still as hungry as ever. They’ve got a fantastic production team behind them, and they won’t accept content that’s not first class.”

Data from Voz has revealed a rise in numbers for the Seven Network in the second quarter of 2023.

The figures show Seven reached 17 million viewers a month across all screens in Q2. Since April, Seven has grown its audience by 16% compared with the previous three months, ending Q2 with a dominant 41% commercial share.

The network has also grown in key demos more than any other competitor in Q2, up 16% in 25 to 54s and 20% in 18 to 39s. In BVOD, 7plus’ audience soared 38%, ahead of any other free streaming service.

Across the first half of 2023, Seven was #1 nationally, with a 40% commercial share of viewers across all screens, underpinned by the most-watched news, sport and local drama on Australian
screens.

Seven’s strong Q2 has been underpinned by Australia’s most-watched news program, 7NEWS; the #1 winter sport, the AFL; the #1 entertainment show post-Easter, Farmer Wants A Wife; the #1 new entertainment show in 2023, The 1% Club; the #1 breakfast program, Sunrise; the #1 local drama series, Home and Away; the #1 game show, The Chase Australia; and the #1 lifestyle program, Better Homes and Gardens.

Angus Ross, Seven chief content officer, entertainment programming, said of the VOZ data: “We’re thrilled that Seven remains home to Australia’s biggest viewing audience, with our hit news, sport and entertainment content uniting audiences on an unrivalled scale and providing exceptional year- on-year growth in our commercial share.

“New VOZ data confirms Seven is home to the most-viewed content across all screens and has been dominant in Q2, delivering the most-loved shows that connect with audiences right across Australia.

“The best is still to come this year on Seven, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM, which is set to be the biggest women’s sporting event in history, more Dancing With The Stars, the TV Week Logie Awards, The Voice, RFDS, SAS Australia, My Kitchen Rules, Big Brother, The 1% Club, the rest of the AFL season, the Brownlow Medal, the AFL Grand Final, Bathurst 1000, cricket, horse racing and much more,” he said.

Seven West Media chief revenue officer, Kurt Burnette, said: “Our audience and growth in Q2 provides our partner brands with unrivalled reach through premium and brand-safe content that is proven to connect with consumers.

“From the heartland to the beating heart of cities across the country, our strategy is to continue to reach Australians across the screens of Seven, every day of the year.

“Our content is created to drive the national conversation, create emotional connections with audiences, to inspire, challenge and entertain. For brands looking to connect with 17 million engaged viewers a month across the biggest mass cultural moments, the screens of Seven is where the crowd is, and will be, with even more cultural moments to connect with to come in 2023.”

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Top image: Jim Jefferies – The 1% Club

One of the word’s biggest sporting events, The Tour de France returns from July 1st on SBS. From Bilbao to Paris – with 2,115 gruelling miles in between – 2023 will be the 120th anniversary of the tour.

Ahead of the starting gun, Mediaweek caught up with Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme and SBS director of media sales, Adam Sadler.

Christian Prudhomme and Adam Sadler

MW: There are a lot of major events on the global sporting calendar, how significant is the Tour de France?

Prudhomme: “The Tour is broadcast in 90 countries, and it’s three, four, or five hours a day during the three weeks. It’s sport of course, that’s the most important part, but its history, its geography makes people proud of their region. On a lot of the routes, you see smiles on everybody’s face – young, old, women, men, French, people from abroad. It’s it’s a social event, it’s not only a sporting event.”

Sadler: “It’s more than just a cycling event for SBS. We’ve recently adopted a French chef by the name of Guillaume Brahimi, he’s passionate about France, passionate about Australia, and he infuses that beautiful French culture into our cycling event. When we take this beautiful content out to our advertising agencies or partners, it’s more than just lycra and cycling. It’s about culture.”

MW: SBS and Tour de France have a long-standing relationship, what’s the importance of this partnership?

Prudhomme: “The longest agreement we have with a TV channel is the one held by SBS. It’s something this is very important for us.”

Sadler: “We’ve had this beautiful partnership since 1991 through until 2030, and what that means from a media perspective is that every year the broadcast, the broadcast quality, the broadcast hours, the broadcast talent, only gets better. This will no doubt be one of our best Tour de France broadcasts.”

MW: What can we expect this year from the Tour de France coverage?

Sadler: “SBS is the home of cycling in Australia, there’s the Giro, the Vuelta, and the jewel in the crown is the Tour de France. Over 3.6 million Australians tune in to the Tour de France. This year we will be broadcasting in 1080p high definition, which you would have seen during the World Cup in 2022. We’ll give it the audience it deserves on our main channel, and also the best on-demand streaming service in Australia – Apple rated SBS On Demand 4.8, the highest rating in Australia.

Prudhomme: “It’s thanks to the TV coverage, this is the only sports event you can love even if you don’t love the sport. That’s thanks to culture, thanks to geography, and to history. Last summer in France, the 15 to 24 year olds were the second largest group of viewers watching the Tour on TV, so there’s something for everyone.”

MW: The Tour de France Femmes is back this year after last year’s launch, which was incredibly significant. From your perspective, how did the event go last year?

Sadler: “We were very, very happy with the results. I think there’s a big opportunity for the Tour de Femmes to grow, especially on our digital platforms. Noting the popularity of female pelotons we’re seeing now getting around Australia, and female participation in sport, it will only continue to grow.

Prudhomme: “It was above our expectations. There were many, many people along the roads, there were more women along the roads than during the three weeks of the mens competition. What is very important for us is for a little girl alongside the route to have a dream, and maybe one day, one of them could be in, or win, the Tour.”

MW: What are you most looking forward to this season?

Sadler: “We’ve got more Australian participation during this Tour de France than ever before. I’m also looking forward to seeing our commentary continue to evolve – we’ve got a really diverse group of commentators on this year’s Tour de France with Dr. Bridie O’Donnell and Matt Keenan. Guillaume Brahimi will join us on the panel as well.

“You’re going to get the culture, you’re going to get the performance, you’re going to get the cycling. You’re going to get a real breadth and depth of the cycling event, and also the culture itself.”

News Corp Australia has appointed Nathalie Delpierre to the role of general manager commercial operations for the company’s Client Product division.

In this new role, Delpierre will play a crucial role in driving sustainable growth of News Corp Australia’s advertising business. She will report to managing director client product, Pippa Leary.

Delpierre will be responsible for enhancing the company’s client product initiatives, maximising the value of current products and inventory, and delivering market-leading insights. She will also lead and deliver on the company’s ad tech strategy, including new technologies and maintaining the existing ad products and ad platforms to grow revenue and user experience.

Leary said Delpierre’s experience in media and ad tech would further strengthen News Corp Australia’s focus on growing its digital capabilities.

“Nathalie was the ideal choice to lead our commercial operations team and I’m delighted to appoint her to this new, key role,” she said.

“Consolidating ad tech, pricing and revenue optimisation under her remit will enable us to provide a comprehensive and streamlined approach to these critical areas to better serve our clients.

“Nathalie will spearhead our product and inventory initiatives to ensure we are running our business as efficiently as possible, while also looking for new areas of growth,” Leary added.

Delpierre joins News Corp Australia with more than 15 years of experience in media and ad tech at companies such as Fairfax Media, Gumtree and Yahoo!, where she was most recently director business strategy and operations APAC. Her roles have spanned strategy planning, development and implementation, business operations, commercial and consumer analytics, consumer and trade research.

Delpierre said she was pleased to join News Corp Australia and lead the commercial operations team.

“I am excited to work closely with the talented professionals at News Corp Australia and contribute to the company’s digital growth strategy,” Delpierre said. “Together, we will drive operational excellence, foster innovation, and deliver outstanding results for our clients.”

The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has released its 2022 Annual Report, reflecting a continued commitment to sustainable communities and innovations for advertisers.

OMA CEO Elizabeth McIntyre said: “The Outdoor industry had a successful 2022, with revenue goals reached, a growing membership and positive market feedback across initiatives including the Creative Collection, Creative Guidelines, Industry Standards, and the launch of MOVE 1.5.

“This positions us well for the launch of MOVE 2.0, which will revolutionise audience measurement and provide increased granularity on Out of Home audiences. It’s all part of our evolving strategy to build a stronger, more prosperous and resilient industry into the long term.”

Key Highlights from the report include:

• Community responsibility: OMA members have generously donated advertising space valued at more than $126M to over 218 organisations. This includes the OMA led healthy eating campaign Better than you Remember, launched in partnership with Health and Wellbeing Queensland and Nutrition Australia, valued at $8M and reaching 10.4M people over four weeks.
• Digital transformation: The industry continues to grow digital Out of Home (DOOH) opportunities, with DOOH revenue reaching 64.1 per cent of total revenue.
• Innovation propelling growth: The OMA launched MOVE 1.5, a significant upgrade on MOVE to provide audience data and user-friendly reporting for both classic and digital signs. Industry Standards and the Neuro Impact Factor (NIF) are giving agencies and advertisers a qualitative measure to help better understand the impact of their campaigns and supercharge their campaign decision making power.
• Future Focused: Attention, reach and impact metrics will be coupled with the release of an industry Impression Multiplier that provides a standard measurement methodology for campaigns bought programmatically. The automated Insertion Order (IO) is also in development, allowing for one source of information for media owners, agencies, and verification providers. All set for release in 2023 and paving the way for what’s to come with MOVE 2.0.

McIntyre said: “The Out of Home channel is one of the most trusted for broadcasting community awareness messaging with the power to influence positive sentiment and behavioural change. As an example, 40 per cent of survey respondents indicated they were inspired to add more vegetables to their own and their children’s meals after having seen the Better than you Remember campaign.
 
“We recognise our significant role and responsibility as an industry, in supporting charity and government initiatives by supplying them access to audiences,” she added.

The OOH industry again united to deliver other community awareness messaging in 2022 such as National Missing Persons Week in partnership with the Australian Federal Police (AFP), and RSL campaign’s Light up the Dawn Anzac Day and Remember to Remember Remembrance Day campaigns.

The report highlights another milestone in 2022: the OMA experienced its most significant increase in membership since its establishment in 1939 with 12 new members joining the Association, bringing the OMA closer to representing 100 per cent of the industry.

“The Annual Report is testament to the remarkable growth and resilience of the OOH advertising industry in Australia. With our $17M investment in developing and launching MOVE 2.0 in 2024, the industry will continue to evolve and thrive, driven by solid data, technology, creativity, and a commitment to community and sustainability,” McIntyre concluded.

Launching in 2024, MOVE 2.0 will deliver accurate audience data of digital and classic signs in a more granular way that allows for monthly and seasonal variations, as well as hourly movements, 365 days a year, across more than 100,000 metro and regional OOH sites.

–
 
Top image: Elizabeth McIntyre

Journalists, TV personalities and APAC’s top marketers are heading to Luna Park on the 1-2 of August for this year’s Advertising Week APAC event. 

The names in the lineup include: 

– Will & Woody, KIIS FM National Drive Show
– Brooke Boney, Journalist and TV Presenter
– Edwina Bartholomew, Journalist and TV Presenter
– Rica Facundo, APC Editor, WARC 
– Russel Howcroft, Co-host 3AW Breakfast
– Gemma Battenbough, International lead, brand partnership studio, Twitch 
– Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy UK (Virtually)
– Suzana Ristevski, CMO, NAB
– Dina Zaitman, General Manager, IHAC
– Imran Masood, Country Manager, Australia and New Zealand, DoubleVerify
– Mel Silva, VP & Managing Director, Google Australia and New Zealand 
– Sherilyn Shackell, Founder & Global CEO, The Marketing Academy

The list joins an ever growing lineup of speakers – including Mediaweek’s Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham, founder of The Nest Consultancy. Also taking to the stage this year will be speakers such as Matty Johns, rugby league commentator and former NRL player, Susan Coghill, CMO of Tourism Australia, Jordi Davieson, musicians San Cisco, and Sunita Gloster, founder of Gloster Advisory.

Last week, AdWeek APAC announced that William Shatner will be beaming up to the AWAPAC23 stage via a life size hologram.

As the event’s keynote speaker, the renowned actor, director, and philanthropist, William Shatner is famously known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek.

Shatner will discuss the ever-evolving role of technology in advertising, from the impact of social media to the innovative use of hologram technology – such as the technology being used live on stage to produce his appearance as a life size hologram.

See Also: Beam me in, Scotty: William Shatner to speak at Advertising Week via life size hologram

This week, Advertising Week APAC also revealed its four stages and six tracks that are at the heart of the 2023 event. 

The stages are:
• Great Minds
• The Innovaiton Factory
• The Tech Lab
• The Creative Showcase.

According to the conference, “Each of our four stages embodies a crucial aspect of our industry, ranging from the latest technological advancements featured on the Tech Lab, discussions surrounding creativity at the Creative Showcase and innovative ideas explored on the Innovation Factory Stage. And, of course, our renowned Great Minds Stage hosts the most influential figures in Advertising and Entertainment, delving into popular culture and beyond.”

The six tracks are:
• Ideas and Innovation
• TV and Media
• AdTech and Automation
• Trends and Insights
• Creative Concepts
• Storytelling and Entertainment 

The conference says: “Each stage offers a diverse range of daily changing tracks, each honing in on a specific topic to help guide your experience through the program.”

See Also: Advertising week APAC lifts the lid on 2023 stages and tracks

TorchMedia is throwing its supporting NAIDOC Week 2023 with donated media campaigns across Sydney Light Rail, Canberra Light Rail and Sydney Trains.

The 2023 NAIDOC Week poster, ‘For Our Elders’, was created by artist Bobbi Lockyer, a proud Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul and Yawuru artist. Lockyer’s poster showcases the important role Elders play in passing down traditions and culture to future generations. 

TorchMedia’s design team worked with the NAIDOC Secretariat, the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the artist to adapt the 2023 NAIDOC poster for the light rail formats. The campaign launched on 19 June and will run until mid-July.

TorchMedia’s managing director Kirsty Dollisson said of the campaign: “The annual NAIDOC Week campaign is one of many reconciliation initiatives TorchMedia is actioning in line with developing our first Reconciliation Action Plan in 2023.

“The goal with these donated campaigns is to raise awareness of the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian history, community and culture, as well as the many events celebrating the oldest continuous living culture on earth.

“Diversity, inclusion and cultural respect are key priorities within TorchMedia’s external and internal operations and supporting NAIDOC is an important step in our commitment towards these priorities,” Dollisson added.

The transit media specialist’s annual NAIDOC campaigns are one aspect of the company’s commitment towards advancing reconciliation, whilst acknowledging the lands on which their assets operate.

The business is currently working to develop its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), enabling it to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation.

Two Sydney Light Rail vehicles and one in Canberra are wrapped with the NAIDOC Week 2023 poster; while three Sydney Trains feature NAIDOC Week branding.

TorchMedia worked with its valued partners Transdev Sydney, ALTRAC Light Rail, Transport for New South Wales, Transport Canberra and City Services and Canberra Metro to facilitate the campaigns. The value of media donated by TorchMedia for NAIDOC Week is over $275,000. National NAIDOC Week is running from 2-9 July.

–

Top image: Kirsty Dollisson

South Australian-based national publishing company, Solstice Media, which produces multiple publications including InDaily and CityMag, has appointed a senior journalist, David Simmons, and journalist, Claudia Dichiera.

David joins InDaily with eight years of experience as a journalist, previously at Business News Australia, where he covered breaking news and features, reporting on topics including startups, technology, financial markets, economics, and biotechnology.

Alongside this role, David was also an executive producer at Fresh 92.7 for three years where he managed a team of young journalists to produce a weekly current affairs program and was a contributor to CityMag and Broadsheet.

Claudia joins CityMag after completing a three-month internship with Solstice Media and was previously a freelance journalist for Adelaide Food Central. 

The two journalists join a team of over 100 staff producing multiple publications and operating across Australia.

Earlier this month, Solstice Media announced their partnership with the Government of South Australia to launch a new project, The Post. 

The new initiative between the publisher and the SA government aims to inform young South Australians about the policies and issues affecting their lives.

The way people consume and digest news and information is changing. The Post is a multi-platform media brand that distributes its content via Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and its weekly podcast, Hot Topics.

Through these various platforms, it aims to unpack the latest changes and policies to health, infrastructure, community, events, environment, education, industry, lifestyle, and more of what’s happening in South Australia.

Anna Kantilaftas, The Post’s editor, said she is excited to deliver news in a fresh way. Kantilaftas previously worked as the managing editor for RAA’s samotor magazine (now SAmove) and brings more than a decade of media experience to The Post, having worked across multiple industries and using this knowledge in the classroom to teach the next generation of media, communications and PR students.

“We know the way people consume news is different to anything we’ve seen before, and how they engage with the decisions and policies impacting their lives is changing, too… this is where the idea for The Post was born.”

Read more: Solstice Media partners with SA Government to launch The Post

Emma Macey, group account director at Atomic 212’s Melbourne office and her family have launched a Gofundme page in order to raise funds to take her 10-year-old daughter, Bella overseas to receive specialist treatment for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). 

CRPS is a rare neurological dysfunction of the central nervous system, a disease for which there is unfortunately no explanation. 

After working closely with the Royal Children’s Hospital, Emma and her family have exhausted all treatment options in Australia and as a result, are now looking to take her to a specialist CRPS clinic overseas for intensive treatments. 

Emma Macey shared on LinkedIn that Bella’s life changed overnight. 

“From a small infection in her foot that could be very common, for no rhyme or reason this turned into CRPS for Bella,” she said. “A cruel and painful disease for which there is no explanation.

“Working closely with the Royal Children’s Hospital, we have exhausted all the treatment options available here. After connecting with other families and speaking to many specialists here in Australia, we feel that taking Bella to a specialist CRPS clinic overseas that can provide a more intensive treatment where she will be with several other children fighting this disease, we think of it like a team sport supporting each other.

“The Spero Clinic, located in the USA , is at the forefront of treating CRPS. Their dedicated team of specialists utilizes innovative therapies, including physical therapy, and neurostimulation techniques, which have shown promising results in relieving pain and restoring function for CRPS patients. Through connections with parents who have overcome this with their children or are receiving treatment at Spero at the moment, we believe that the Spero Clinic holds the key to giving her back the life she deserves, but the cost of the treatment is substantial, and it’s beyond our means to cover it on our own.

“Please donate if you can, any amount no matter how small will help us get Bella the treatment she so urgently needs.”

The link to Bella’s Gofundme page can be found here.

Kerser’s A Gift & A Kers makes a #1 debut on the ARIA Albums Chart this week, marking a second straight week of #1 albums by Australians, the first time this has occurred in 2023. 

A Gift & A Kers is the 10th studio album from the Aussie rapper and his eighth top 10 album. On his success, Kerser said: “I just want to thank my fans for the ongoing support, it’s actually crazy. I would like to thank the ADA team at Warner and my management for all the support. We did it. Number 1!”
 
ARIA CEO, Annabelle Herd, said: “Kerser is a phenomenal example of independent artist success in Australia and someone whose career path we need to celebrate at a time where we search for more ways for artists to connect with Australian listeners. Huge congratulations are in order, especially as we hit two weeks in a row of Australian #1s!”

Rounding out the local debut successes are Trophy Eyes with Suicide and Sunshine, breaking the top 10 with a #8 debut, and Perfect World by Lastlings, new at #39. The 30th-anniversary edition of The Cruel Sea’s The Honeymoon Is Over also arrives at #23; it peaked at #4 in 1993.

Suicide and Sunshine is the fourth studio album and third top 10 from the Aussie punk band after Chemical Miracle got to #8 in 2016 and The American Dream also peaked at #8 in 2018. The second studio album from Lastlings marks a top 50 debut for the Australian electronic pop duo after First Contact topped out at #89 in 2020.

From abroad, The Good Witch by English singer-songwriter Maisie Peters debuts at #4, her second studio album and first to chart in Australia. Chemistry by Kelly Clarkson is new at #31, and Business Is Business by Young Thug debuts at #36, his best performance on the charts after Punk climbed to #26 in 2021.
 
It’s also a good week to be Taylor Swift. Off the back of the announcement of her 2024 Australian tour, it’s estimated 4 million Australians were trying to secure a ticket for her Eras Tour in February of next year. Five of her albums sit in the top 10: Midnights climbs from #5 to #2, Lover is up from #11 to #3, 1989 rises from #9 to #5, Reputation is up from #13 to #6, and Folklore climbs from #16 to #10.
 
On the Singles Chart, it’s four weeks at #1 for Sprinter by Dave and Central Cee, which is its entire chart run. Taylor’s 2019 song Cruel Summer (her favourite track from the Lover album) flies from #29 to a new peak of #3, giving her three singles in the top 10: former #1 hit Anti-Hero is at #7 and Karma is at #8.

2023 ARIA Chart Toppers

Singles
January 2 Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Is You
January 9 Sam Smith & Kim Petras Unholy
January 16 SZA Kill Bill
January 23 Miley Cyrus Flowers
January 30 Miley Cyrus Flowers
February 6 Miley Cyrus Flowers
February 13 Miley Cyrus Flowers
February 20 Miley Cyrus Flowers
February 27 Miley Cyrus Flowers
March 6 Miley Cyrus Flowers
March 13 Miley Cyrus Flowers
March 20 Miley Cyrus Flowers
March 27 Miley Cyrus Flowers
April 3 Miley Cyrus Flowers
April 10 Miley Cyrus Flowers
April 17 Morgan Wallen Last Night
April 24 Morgan Wallen Last Night
May 1 Morgan Wallen Last Night
May 8 Morgan Wallen Last Night
May 15 Morgan Wallen Last Night
May 29 Morgan Wallen Last Night
June 5 Morgan Wallen Last Night
June 12 Central Cee & Dave Sprinter
June 19 Central Cee & Dave Sprinter
June 26 Central Cee & Dave Sprinter
July 3 Central Cee & Dave Sprinter

Albums
January 2 Taylor Swift Midnights
January 9 Taylor Swift Midnights
January 16 Taylor Swift Midnights
January 23 Taylor Swift Midnights
January 30 SZA SOS
February 6 Sam Smith Gloria
February 13 Taylor Swift Midnights
February 20 Paramore This Is Why
February 27 P!nk Trustfall
March 6 Harry Styles Harry’s House
March 13 Harry Styles Harry’s House
March 20 Miley Cyrus Endless Summer Vacation
March 27 Morgan Wallen One Day At A Time
April 3 Lana Del Ray Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
April 10 Melanie Martinez Portals
April 17 Cub Sport Jesus At The Gay Bar
April 24 Metallica 72 Reasons
May 1 Morgan Wallen One Thing At A Time
May 8 Peach PRC Manic Dream Pixie
May 15 Ed Sheeran –
May 29 Lewis Capaldi Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent
June 5 Taylor Swift Midnights
June 12 Foo Fighters But Here We Are 
June 19 Niall Horan The Show
June 26 The Teskey Brothers The Winding Way
July 3 Kerser A Gift & A Kers

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beIN SPORTS has announced a substantial price reduction for its monthly and annual subscriptions. Effective 1 July, a 25% reduction on the standard monthly price will be in place, now priced at $14.99 per month compared to the previous rate of $19.99.

For a limited-time offer, the platform will offer an additional discount of 28% on its annual plan. For $129.99, fans can secure a 12-month subscription, down from the original price of $179.99. The promotion is valid until 19 August 2023.

beIN SPORTS recently parted ways with a long-standing 7-year partnership with Foxtel and Kayo. The beIN SPORTS CONNECT OTT platform offers a wide array of live and on-demand football content, including the Serie A, Ligue 1, English Football League, SPFL, and more. Fans can catch tennis and rugby events, encompassing the ATP, WTA tours, and European Rugby Union in Australia.

John Armitage, director of beIN SPORTS Australia and New Zealand, said, “While many subscription services are increasing prices, beIN SPORTS remains dedicated to providing fans unrivalled access to their favourite content. We, at beIN SPORTS, are passionate sports fans ourselves. So with this price change, we aim to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to offering customers the best possible sports viewing experience at the best possible value.”

Fetch TV will continue to be a major distribution partner of the platform, offering three special curated premium linear channels via the Fetch aggregation platform and the Fetch Mobi companion app, at the reduced price. Recent updates to the Fetch user interface include optimisation for sports fans, further enhancing the overall viewing experience.

Sam Hall, chief content and commercial officer at Fetch TV, said, “Fetch TV is delighted to continue to offer our subscribers access to premium sports content via beIN SPORTS. The Fetch customer proposition is centred around aggregation, and providing viewers with easy access to content from the world’s best providers. The beIN SPORTS channels are essential viewing for our sports-minded subscribers.”

The new pricing will take effect on 1 July 2023 for new and existing subscribers.

Total TV Ratings, June 25

1,091,000 watched the second set of celebrities take to the floor for Seven’s Dancing with the Stars, up 17%. 

968,000 tuned into Nine’s major drama event, Warnie. Episode one of the made-for-TV mini-series documented the rise of Shane Warne’s career, starring Aussie actor Alex Williams as the cricket legend and cultural icon, lifting 28%.

778,000 viewed 10’s MasterChef Australia. Adi, Declan, Rue and Brent were each assigned a colour at random which had to act as inspiration for their dish. Adi was eliminated during the episode, up 24%.

Overnight TV Ratings, July 2

Primetime News
Seven News 106,000 (5.00 pm) / 917,000 (6.00 pm)
Nine News 862,000 (6.00 pm) / 215,000 (9.30 pm)
ABC News 533,000
10 News First 186,000 (5:00 pm)/ 146,000 (6:00 pm)
SBS World News 177,000 (6:30 pm)/ 117,000 (7:00 pm)

Daily Current Affairs
Insiders 358,000
60 Minutes 341,000
The Sunday Project 187,000 (6:30pm) / 289,000 (7pm) 

Breakfast TV
Weekend Sunrise 203,000
Weekend Today 176,000
Weekend Breakfast 85,000

Nine won Sunday night with a primary share of 14.7% and a network share of 41.7%. The Ashes have seen 9Gem smash the win for multi channels with a 22.9% share – higher than the main channel.

It was a day filled with sport, as earlier in the afternoon, the Sea Eagles took on the Roosters in Nine’s NRL. Manly scooped up the win, beating Sydney 18 – 16 in front of 244,000.

It was a big – and somewhat controversial – day at Lord’s as the Aussies landed a 43-run win. 750,000 also tuned in for Session One, Day Five of The Ashes with 696,000 watching Lunch, 558,000 watching Session Two and 554,000 tuning in for the Tea break. 314,000 also saw Session Three while the Pre-Match was viewed by 280,000.

Then, 301,000 began their evening with the premiere of Nine’s Rush hosted by international supermodel and reality TV star David Genat. Deprived of all sight and sound, three teams were dropped into the Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, the world’s most pulsating cultural festival. They had just one goal – be the first to get out and move on to the next destination. Traveller Najmah was eliminated. Then on 60 Minutes, there was finally some action and long-awaited hope for the Australian victims of scammers as well as a looked into how a man who is more evil than Vladimir Putin, brought the tyrant to his knees. 341,000 tuned in.

SEE ALSO: Rush 2023 Recap Episode One: The travellers complete their first mission in Brazil

647,000 began their evening with Seven’s Dancing with the Stars. The first group of celebrities returned to the dancefloor for a second time followed by an elimination. Emily Weir scored a perfect 40 while the bottom two were announced as Gavin Wanganeen and Matt Preston. While a dance-off was set to take place between the two male celebrities, Preston bowed out of the competition due to a “cooked” ankle. 7News Spotlight followed as the program uncovered a religious cult that is recruiting, brainwashing and grooming young Australian girls at shopping centres. 303,000 watched on in horror.

SEE ALSO: Dancing with the Stars Recap Episode 3: A shock walk-out and a perfect score rock the competition

Earlier in the afternoon, the Demons took on the Giants in the AFL. Greater Western Sydney beat Melbourne FC, finishing 7.5 (47) to 5.15 (45) in front of 300,000 viewers.

On 10, The Sunday Project (187,000 (6:30pm) / 289,000 (7pm) ) welcomed the stars of Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One with Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Hayley Atwell joining the desk. Cruise revealed how he pulled off the biggest stunt in cinema history. The answer? “Lots of skydiving”. Then, on MasterChef Australia, 411,000 tuned in to see Declan, Brent, Rhiannon, Cath and Malissa compete to secure their spot in the Top Five. Brent struggled during the first round, using his Immunity Pin to stay safe, while Malissa’s use of baking powder in her biscuits during the second round overpowered her dish, sending her home.

336,000 watched ABC’s Grand Designs Revisited. During the episode, builder Paul and his wife Carol set out to create a fortress-like home on the southern edge of the wild West Pennine Moors in 2015, but money and time ran out. Fast-forward to 2023 and Kevin was back to see if this home was finally finished. Silent Witness followed with 274,000 tuning in.

Earlier, 101,000 tuned in for a repeat of Bluey, where Indy thought she was no good because her model horse looked like a cow; however, Calypso encouraged her not to give up.

On SBS, 126,000 tuned into History’s Greatest Mysteries. 92,000 also tuned in for the Tour de France: Live Stage. French rider Victor Lafay won the longest and second leg of the race (from Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastián); however, British competitor Adam Yates held on to his overall lead. 

SEE ALSO: “It’s more than just a cycling event”: Behind the Tour de France broadcast