Mumbrellacast

iSentia is set to be taken over by Access Intelligence, after 12 months of the falling share prices for the media monitoring company. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions provider Access Intelligence will acquire 100% of the share capital in Isentia it does not already own at a price of A$0.175 a share. The team breaks down what this means for both iSentia and Access Intelligence customers, and what the takeover means for iSentia CEO Ed Harrison. Seven West Media has released a trading update, highlighting positive trading conditions in the fourth quarter of FY21, predicting that its digital earnings will double in FY22. Managing director and CEO James Warburton praised the company for making it through the "risky" part of its early-year slate. So, what should audiences expect from Seven for the rest of the year, and why is the network now expecting more 7Plus users by the time the Olympics rolls around than it originally anticipated? Plus, Zanda Wilson provides a brief rundown of today's virtual upfront

Marketers need to stop allowing their brands to pander to purpose, chief marketing and technology officer for Koala, Peter Sloterdyk, has told the Mumbrellacast. Speaking to Mumbrella’s head of content, Damian Francis during Pride Month, Sloterdyk delivered a strong opinion on the growing regularity of brands attaching themselves to causes, particularly when it is without the necessary thought required to do justice to the strategy. Sloterdyk spoke to Francis for the Mumbrellacast over 45 minutes in a wide-ranging interview that touched on running the marketing for one of Australia’s most well-known startups from the other side of the world (Denver, Colorado), taking on the leadership of the technology side of the business as well as marketing, and toning down some of the messaging in order to appeal to a wider market while not losing the Koala authenticity.

Game one of the 2021 State Of Origin series showed a significant recovery in audience when compared with 2020’s first clash, with 1.911 million viewers across metro markets, making it the top-rating program of the year to date. So how did the first clash of the series compare to ratings from previous years, what impact is 9Now having on audience numbers, and what do media buyers think about it all? This week Hearst Magazines International announced that Harper’s Bazaar will relaunch its iconic glossy magazine in Australia. The debut issue of Harper’s Bazaar Australia, a special collector’s edition, will hit newsstands in September 2021. It has since been revealed that Eugenie Kelly will again take the helm as editor-in-chief. The team discusses whether magazines are really viable option in 2021 amid a declining print market. Independent agency Howatson + White has announced a string of appointments across both its Melbourne and Sydney offices. The appointments total 14 and include hires in the creative and

Former Dollar Shave Club VP and executive creative, Matt Knapp, is the latest guest on Mumbrella’s new weekly standalone interview series, and joins Damian Francis this week for an extended chat. In it, Knapp chats about pulling the pin on his US adventure when COVID hit hard in April 2020, and how he came to the decision to move back to Australia a year earlier than planned. He speaks about a desire to do new things beyond “worrying about how to sell razors”, and how that drove him to spread his wings beyond Dollar Shave Club, though he continues to freelance for the company and says he still has a lot of love for the brand.

The third GfK radio ratings of 2021 dropped this week, with Sydney providing the most noteworthy movers as 2GB continued its downward trajectory. Breakfast host Ben Fordham lost share too and now sits just above the ABC and KIIS 106.5's Kyle and Jackie O, who set their own personal best record share this book. Can Fordham hold on to #1 or will 2GB lose its grip on the position that Alan Jones held for almost two full decades? Interpublic Group has sold a majority of its stake in Australian creative agency 303 MullenLowe and a minority of its stake in sister media agency Mediahub, as revealed by Mumbrella. The purchaser is the fast-growing New Zealand-based holding company Attivo, which is led by Cam Murchison, a former Ogilvy and DDB executive. The Mumbrella team breaks down the implications of the move for IPG and how Attivo got the deal over the line. Industry stalwart Brent Hill has resigned from his position with the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC), having joined the body in 2015. The SATC ha

Christian O'Connell was the host of a #1 national breakfast show in the UK before Australian Radio Network took a punt on bringing him to Melbourne's GOLD FM - a move that has paid dividends. In this chat with Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes, O'Connell goes behind the stories contained his new book 'No One Listens To Your Dad's Radio Show', to talk about the move itself, the impact on his family, and more.

This week Facebook Australia has reported that its 2020 advertising revenue collected in Australia was $712.66 million, up $3.2 million on the prior year. Only $155.34 million is taxable, however, with that figure down from $167.1 million in 2019. So how is Facebook able to take in more revenue but pay less in tax? A near-two year saga around the rights to Australia’s premier football competition came to a close this week when ViacomCBS signed a five-year deal with the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) to broadcast the A-League and W-League on Network Ten and also new streaming service Paramount+. The platform will launch on 11 August, so will football fans in Australia sign up to Paramount+ for $8.99 a month, and will it prove to be worth the reported $200 million investment from ViacomCBS? Clemenger Group is set to give staff who had a temporary pay reduction in 2020 and earn less than $200,000 a 5% pay increase, Mumbrella revealed this week. The decision to give staff the increased pay, to be paid mo

Media monitoring company iSentia has made six redundancies and a number of staff changes to its commercial team as its share price and market value plummet. While the share price recovered slightly today, iSentia has had a tough time of it recently, having suffered a cyber attack in late 2020 which saw its financial revenue for the first half of the financial year suffer. So what does iSentia need to do to succeed, and is Ed Harrison the right person to lead the company forward? It was a week of developments in the world of paid streaming services, with Amazon Prime Video holding a showcase event and announcing a stack of new and original Australian content, while Network Ten owner Viacom CBS revealed it will launch Paramount+ in Australia to replace Ten All Access. The Mumbrella team breaks down the state of play among Subscription Video On Demand services at current and looks ahead to the rest of 2020 including where the A-League rights are going, and how anti-siphoning laws may be affecting new players en

The global pandemic had a significant impact on the Australian media and marketing industry, with many businesses forced to put staff on reduced hours and/or reduce pay on a temporary basis. Mumbrella was recently contacted by a group of “disheartened and angry” staff from Clemenger Group who voiced their frustrations at salary cuts, forced leave, and redundancies, particularly in light of the company going on to post a healthy profit for the 2020 calendar year. So should profit always the most important goal of a business, and how do you balance the needs of a business with the needs of staff? Coles announced this week that Samantha McLeod will join its marketing team as general manager of brand, digital and design, returning from the UK in September for the role. It follows the announcement that GroupM is bringing Seb Rennie back from Canada to be its CIO in Australia. The two are the latest in a steady stream of Aussies returning for executive roles in media and marketing, so is it just a COVID thing? And

Verizon announced the sale of Verizon Media this week, with private equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc. for US$5 billion. The company will go forward under the name Yahoo with Verizon retaining a 10% stake in the company. The team looks at how the deal may affect the company's Australian outpost, led by Paul Sigaloff, as well as what it means for the future of telcos trying to become media companies, and vice versa. Things are looking up for the Australian ad industry, with Standard Media Index reporting an upward turn in spend for the month of March and a surge in forward bookings for April. So which sectors are looking rosy going into the rest of the year, and how do you measure ad spend year-on-year when looking at a lockdown-punctuated 2020? Also this week, Seven West Media became the latest publisher to ink payment deals with Google and Facebook, thanks to the introduction of the News Media Bargaining code. The team analyses the ins and outs of the agreements, and other recent deals, and Tim Burr

This week Apple deployed iOS14.5 - a relatively standard operation for Apple when it comes to its update schedule for iPhones. But this one had some big ramifications for the media and marketing industry. The new operating system included Apple’s App Tracking Transparency updates that significantly change the relationship between users and the apps they use. The Mumbrellacast team dives into the implications for customers, as well as for advertisers. The game of musical chairs at WPP and GroupM continued this week, when news broke that MediaCom AUNZ CEO Willie Pang is stepping away from the agency to take a broader role across GroupM as managing director of GroupM services. Pang’s appointment follows the March departure of GroupM’s local CEO Mark Lollback, and with the search for the CEO is still underway, what's WWP's next move likely to be? Plus, Sunrise Weatherman Sam Mac jones a rare club of repeat guests on the Mumbrellacast, as he chats with Tim Burrowes to chat about his new book Accidental Weatherma

Content Warning: This episode discusses the Government's 'Moving the Line' consent video, and touches on the issues of family violence and sexual assault. For those needing support, contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000. On this week's Mumbrellacast, the team breaks down the multiple failures in the Government's Milkshake consent video. Launching at a time when the Coalition Government is surrounded by allegations of sexual assault within Parliament House, discrimination against female staffers, and sexual misconduct of its members, the Mumbrellacast team asks how no one twigged that the videos would completely miss the mark? And, WPP AUNZ is set to become a fully-fledged member of the WPP empire now that its minority shareholders have voted in favour of the takeover bid. Speculation is rampant in the industry about what's next. So who are the main players, and are their futures bright or shrouded in shadow? Plus, the Australian Influencer Marketing Coun

It is the 190th anniversary of The Sydney Morning Herald this month, and to mark the event editor Lisa Davies and head of subscribers and growth, Dave Eisman, joined the Mumbrellacast to chat about the enduring strength of the printed newspaper. Coming out of COVID-19 the pair also reflect on the effect the pandemic had on subscriber growth and the Herald's approach to journalism. And, just weeks after the cyber attack on Nine sent the whole business into a spin, Davies and Eisman give an insight on what happened at the Herald and how they managed to keep the paper rolling out the door. It's been a week full of significant events; Seven hit 100 days until the 2021 Tokyo Olympics begins, radio got a look at the second survey of the year, and the first case on an influencer breaching the AANA Code of Ethics' new rule about distinguishable advertising was revealed. Now that Seven is as confident as it will ever be that the Olympics will finally press ahead, what is in store for advertisers, aside from a State o

Pitch debate reignited this week after World Vision Australia's procurement agency was revealed to be charging interested parties in its media account tender $80 to view the pitch documents. The revelation is poor timing for World Vision and Procurement Australia, coming just a week after the Media Federation of Australia released best practice guidelines for the pitching process. And, are automotive marketers struggling to keep up with their industry? The Mumbrellacast team discusses why it appears marketing in the sector keeps returning to the 'same old, same old', despite sales figures climbing higher and higher. Plus, now that they are well settled as part of Accenture Interactive, The Monkeys' co-founders Mark Green and Scott Nowell discuss how agencies are repositioning themselves to compete with consultancies and the changing landscape of the creative industry. The pair also talk about what the new era of The Monkeys looks like following Justin Drape’s departure from the agency earlier this year.

It's April Fool's Day but have brands lost their edge? After an influx press releases declaring it's a prank before even revealing what the prank is, the team looks at the highs and lows of the day (here's looking at you 'Voltswagen'), and Tim Burrowes asks 'why does marketing spoil everything?'. Plus, the influencer marketplace which mistakenly signed the fake account of an SBS reporter from The Feed was revealed to be The Right Fit. But who is to blame when a phoney account slips through the cracks? Should social media companies be doing more to regulate fake followers or should agencies and marketplaces be cracking down on vetting? And, amidst the continued changes and sudden lockdowns the tourism industry is still chipping away at recovery. Tourism Australia's chief marketing officer Susan Coghill joins the Mumbrellacast to talk about the evolution of 'Holiday Here This Year' from bushfire response to COVID-19 recovery (20:56). Plus, have any opportunities arisen from the pandemic for marketers, and wil

This week, Mumbrella's Brittney Rigby started a conversation about advertising's alcohol culture with an in-depth feature. In this episode, she discusses the key issues and gives an insight into how agency leaders have reacted to the piece. Over in TV, WIN's CEO Andrew Lancaster has gained a seat on the Nine's board in the wake of the companies' recent affiliate deal. Plus, Ten is taking a comedic look back at 2020... in April 2021. Is the idea past its prime? And, to mark the 10th anniversary of The Conversation, founder Andrew Jaspan reflects on founding the publication and the speed with which it grew. And, with publishers reaching agreements with Google and Facebook, Jaspan gives his view on the state of journalism in Australia as well as what the future holds.

Influencer marketing is in the spotlight again, with SBS' The Feed airing a four-part investigation into the industry. The team unpacks some of the shadier aspects of influencer marketing and discusses why it is so difficult to regulate. Plus, the team analyses the WPP AUNZ scheme implementation booklet as the takeover bid from WPP plc moves forward. Also at WPP this week, Group M CEO Mark Lollback departed. What's next for the group's media agencies while the search for his replacement is underway? News Corp and Nine struck news payment deals with Facebook, after weeks of the social media platform reportedly dragging its feet. The two major players join Seven, Schwartz Media, Private Media, and Solstice Media on the deals list, but the ABC still doesn't have an agreement with Facebook or Google. And, ahead of the 2021 season's launch, AFL Media's Julian Dunne gives a deeper insight into the return of the game to stadiums and what that means for the code as well as the brands and marketers that partner wit

International Women's Day took place this week, and to mark the occasion Leo Burnett CEO Melinda Geertz joined the Mumbrellacast to talk about the importance of supporting women in advertising. By reflecting on her own experiences and who inspired has inspired her career, Geertz dives into the importance of fostering a culture understands the needs of women in the workplace and reflecting the diversity of the talent pool in the make up of an agency. The first radio ratings of 2021 also landed this week, which saw Melburnians change their radios back to FM while Sydneysiders stuck to AM and talk back. The survey also gave a glance at the performance of an abundance of new shows and re-branded stations across Australia. So, who do the Mumbrellacast team have their eye on? And, ACM head Antony Catalano made another play to boost his regional media empire by making a deal to purchase nearly 19 million shares in Prime Media Group at a cost of $4.245 million, from fellow media mogul Bruce Gordon. The move for Pr

It was a week of CEO appointments. Leading the pack was Mike Sneesby, Hugh Marks' successor for the chief executive job at Nine. Few in the industry were shocked about the news, but what does this mean for the internal execs who unsuccessfully applied? Can Sneesby succeed if the board is as fractured as Nine's own newspapers suggest? And, where does this leave Stan? Over in adland, UM, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and Havas PR all also named new CEOs. The team chats through how each appointment indicates something different about the state of each business. And ahead of the first radio ratings survey of the year, Triple M's Mike Fitzpatrick give a preview of the network's status in 2021. From the launch of Triple M Perth - bringing Basil Zempilas on board - to the 'dynamic' sound of The Marty Sheargold Show, and the importance of regional radio, Fitzpatrick feels confident about 2021.

This week, Facebook backtracked on its decision to pull news sharing from Australian users and, with some amendments, the News Media Bargaining Code passed the senate. Everyone seems to have come out a winner... except the small publishers. It's hardly the end of this saga, so what's next? The media and marketing industry is in the throes of financial reporting season; first up on the podcast is Nine, which reported $1.2 billion in revenue and net profit up 79% to $182 million. It's the last results for outgoing CEO Hugh Marks, so the Mumbrellacast team dives into which parts of Nine were the most successful in the first half of the year, and speculate on who will take the chief executive crown. It was also a full-year report from WPP AUNZ, and despite a decline in sales and EBIT, the group was heartened by its results being on-par with market projections. COVID-19 cost cutting and the implementation of CEO Jens Monees' transformation plan saw the group also manage to significantly lower costs. With a poten