News Analysis

Network 10 and ViacomCBS ANZ CEO Paul Anderson hasn't ruled out a wider play for content deals in the wake of the news the network would be assuming ad sales responsibilities for ViacomCBS channel assets on MTV, MTV Dance, MTV Music, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and their related digital and event properties.

Questions have been raised over how long local content deals between rival networks will continue, following the decision by Disney over the last six months to strip out all of its content from platforms such as Nine's Stan and Foxtel's movie library.

As it stands, content owned by ViacomCBS is housed across multiple rival networks to 10, including Nine and SBS. Anderson says while it is still early days the business has its eyes on the future of its parent company's content in Australia.

Last week it was revealed former McCann Australia CEO Ben Lilley would be returning to the agency he exited two years prior, acquiring his former creative home from holding group IPG - but remaining a McCann Worldgroup affiliate business partner and retaining access to its tools and clients. Is the move a one off, or are witnessing the rise of the franchise model in advertising?

It's "jaded industry types" that are driving the negativity and anonymous commentary on trade press sites, say twentysomethings industry observers. According to industry research by The Trenches, a cross-industry mentoring group, younger tribes see the negativity, carping and anonymous comments as "weak critique" for industry.

Speaking at the local launch of LinkedIn’s global B2B Institute, Fran Cassidy adviser to the Insititute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) UK and principle of Cassidy Media Partnership, urged CMOs to stop speaking marketing and better align themselves with the CFO. 

Doing so will help them keep their job and secure more budget and credibility. Using financial language in reporting is critical, she says.

"I can't stress how important this is. If you continue to use marketing jargon and marketing-only metrics, you don't come across as really important. You just come across as irrelevant - because your peers cannot understand how you are contributing to what matters. You have to demonstrate you are disciplined."

After months of speculation, WPP's AUNZ boss Jens Monsees has laid out his mandate for how the company will look in 2020, as the holding group tilts towards a heavier tech focus and introduces its new 'campus' operating model. 

Marketers are becoming more siloed at an early age, which could be heavily influenced by the type of courses and degrees offered by some of Australia's leading universities.

KPMG partner Sudeep Gohil, Volvo marketer Julie Hutchinson, AANA CEO John Broome and Brand Traction principle, Jon Bradshaw, discuss the impact universities are having on the country's next wave of young marketers, and suggest there may be a need to reexamine what they are being fed and revisit the key principles of marketing.

Following the recent advertising funding injection of $76 million from the Morrison Government, Tourism Australia has launched a new push for encouraging local tourism, with a focus on regional areas, however, the government body has elected to put the lion's share of the money into the duopoly.

All of the major networks have reported little to no spend from Tourism Australia or its media agency UM, with concerns being raised over why the medium with arguably the biggest reach in the country isn't being used.

Similarly, key radio networks have also reported briefs of less than $100,000 coming in at a time for regional radio, despite last year launching the Boomtown initiative which was geared toward promoting Australia's regional hubs.

The campaign in question is Holiday Here This Year, which is being backed by $20m of the total tourism funding.

Despite being rolled out across print, social, OOH and radio, many media execs believe Google and Facebook must be taking most of the spoils, based on the lack of activity in other media and a swathe of work seen across the likes of Instagram.

Virtual Australia's (VOZ) launch is getting closer by the minute, with lofty promises of bringing together data and measurement across TV and connected device viewing to provide an all-screen, cross-platform planning and reporting platform for Australia’s television industry.

The messaging coming out of industry body ThinkTV and the major networks has been a story of extending reach through broadcast video on demand (BVOD) and finding 'missing' TV viewers.

Nine's sales boss Michael Stephenson publicly stated at the network's upfronts last year that when comparing TV audiences from 10 years ago to current TV audiences, plus those viewing on connected devices, the figure is roughly the same (there was still an overall decline).

VOZ has long promised to "revolutionise" the way TV is bought and sold. If that is true, then agencies, owners and brands may need to rethink who handles the day-to-day inventory trading. Is it the traditional TV teams or the digital video buyers that form the vanguard of the revolution?

Top marketers at Lion and Campbell Arnott's have exited as two of Australia's heavyweight consumer marketing companies feel changing tastes start to eat into sales.