Spend most of the holidays watching the cricket? Or sunning yourself on the beach? Not to worry as we've got the top 10 stories across media, marketing and advertising that you may have missed while enjoying the summer break.
1. Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight will replace Karl Stefanovic on The Today Show
Nine revealed the new line-up for its breakfast show following the high-profile exit of Karl Stefanovic last month. In a first for breakfast TV, current Today co-host Georgie Gardner will be joined by respected broadcaster and journalist Deborah Knight. The all-female cast is a big gamble for Nine following a period of flailing ratings after the departure of Lisa Wilkinson and the personal controversy surrounding Stefanovic. Triple J’s Brooke Boney will also replace Richard Wilkins on the program.
2. Government advertising spend jumps $57 million in one year
The federal government spent $157 million on government advertising campaigns in 2017-18, with the same-sex marriage postal survey contributing to an increase in overall spending. There was a $57 million increase on the previous year when $100.1 million was spent on government advertising campaigns. That year included $19.2 million on the 2016 census. Defence was again the biggest spender, with $30.1 million going to recruitment advertising and $16 million spent on "defence industry skills and jobs". Read a breakdown of campaign expenditure here.
3. CBS at "contractual impasse" with ratings provider Nielsen
Following the end of CBS and Nielsen's contract on the 31 December, the two companies have failed to agree on a new deal. CBS, which last year acquired Channel Ten, said it's currently in a "contractual impasse” with Nielsen and could end up working instead with measurement rival Comscore if a new deal cannot be reached. CBS and Nielsen have been negotiating for six months on a new contract, but failed to come to an agreement before the current one expired on 31December, which complicates the network’s advertising buys. That means CBS no longer has access to current or historical data from the measurement company - the very same metrics that the network uses to sell much of its advertising inventory. It's still unclear how the stand off will impact the Australian market.
4. Government influencer campaign under review
The controversial Girls Make your Move influencer campaign will be examined by the Auditor General in a review of the federal government’s advertising guidelines. The Health Department campaign came under fire for spending more than $600,000 on influencer social media posts and resulted in the federal government banning the use of influencers. In its review, the Australian National Audit Office will assess the effectiveness of the Department of Finance’s and departments’ implementation of the government’s campaign advertising framework.
5. Telstra loses appeal against Optus ads
Telstra has failed in another attempt to stop its rival, Singtel Optus, from running advertisements showing Telstra's phone boxes sinking in the desert, after a court threw out its case. Optus’ win in the Victorian Court of Appeal over its campaign is the latest legal setback for Telstra as the two companies continue to battle it out in court. The advertisements have seen the two telcos in court since May, with Telstra arguing the marketing campaign suggested there was a "significant and permanent change" making Optus' network now better than Telstra's. Telstra wanted the advertisements stopped on the basis they were misleading and deceptive.
Optus ad shows a Telstra booth melting into the sand
6. Matt Eastwood named the global chief creative officer of McCann Health
Aussie expat Matt Eastwood has been named the global chief creative officer of McCann Health. He replaces Jeremy Perrott who was fired by McCann after the company revealed he breached the agency's code of conduct. Eastwood was previously the chief creative officer for JWT before the role was made redundant in March this year. He had held the position of worldwide chief creative officer since 2014 and prior to that worked in a number of Sydney and Melbourne agencies, including DDB, Saatchi & Saatchi and M&C Saatchi, before heading overseas.
7. Bumble recruits Serena Williams for Super Bowl campaign
Dating app Bumble has announced plans to release a new campaign during the Super Bowl starring the company’s recently recruited global advisor Serena Williams. The tennis superstar will stress the importance of women’s empowerment in the campaign called 'The Ball is in Her Court'. Williams has long been a vocal advocate for women and is also an ambassador for Berlei in Australia.
8. Steve Smith addresses ball tampering scandal in Vodafone ad
Cheating in international sport hasn’t been enough to ruin Australia’s love for cricketer Steve Smith, according to a new Vodafone ad positioning him as a hero for the game. Created by WPP bespoke agency Team Red, the spot shows Smith playing cricket and speaking to the younger generation, while apologising for the ball tampering incident. The campaign, ‘Gutsy is calling’, seeks to highlight the courage he’s displayed since being caught. Since its release in December, the video has racked up nearly one million views.
9. Nova Entertainment admits listener information has been leaked
Nova Entertainment said information it collected from listeners over a two-year period has been "publicly disclosed". The company said in December it recently became aware listener information from May 2009 to October 2011 has been leaked and it is in the process of contacting those affected. CEO Cathy O'Connor said the company had notified the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner of the incident and contacted law enforcement bodies. The information disclosed may include names, gender, dates of birth, addresses, emails and phone numbers and user account details such as user names and passwords, which are protected by a security technique, known as 'hashing'.
10. Sandra Bullock's Bird Box sets new record for Netflix
Sandra Bullock's new film Bird Box has become Netflix's most popular original release. The streaming giant has claimed more than 45 million subscribers watched the post-apocalyptic thriller within seven days of its debut. To put that number in context, it means around a third of Netflix subscribers have already watched the film. While the streaming giant was quick to tout Bird Box's popularity amid a backdrop of lukewarm reviews, it is unclear exactly how many subscribers finished the film. Netflix initially declined to clarify what it meant by 45 million views.
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