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Travel is now surpassing pre-pandemic levels – even amid an economic crunch – and airports are looking to up their CX act with millions in Capex outlay to refine the terminal experience. JCDecaux has taken the wrappers off a new ‘connected journey’ media buying proposition across Australian airports for brands plus new program options that go beyond the screen. With the final arrival of Move 2.0, it’s not just the OOH provider’s CEO who sees a more compelling full-funnel narrative in his sights – agencies are welcoming on the flight to better outcomes for brands.

If you’re in a marketing team still attempting to crack how AI can be deployed safely, effectively, and efficiently with some scale and real ROI scenarios, saddle up to an industry peer in the next six months who’s road-testing the “no code” drag-and-drop templates and process-collapsing, easy-build, AI capability claims launched last month by Salesforce across its multiple cloud offers. The customer tech giant this week is on the Australian leg of its “World Tour” to 3000 delegates and such is the pitch - that it has simplified and revolutionised “applied AI” for businesses that have struggled so far to cut through their hallucinogenic concerns and deployment complexity - that all industry eyes and ears in the next six months should be on whether early users agree with the bold claims pasted on the Salesforce can.

National Dental Care has been growing aggressively through a strategy of acquisitions. However, to mitigate the inevitable toothache of growing pains, it has embarked on an online transformation with its digital agency Nightjar, rationalising a network of 80+ sites under a master website, and delivering better customer services and efficiency gains into the bargain.

Deloitte's decision to abandon its creative and advertising services locally sparked plenty of speculation, but its former creative partners Adrian Mills and Matt Lawson insist there's nothing to see here. As does Deloitte – hence the duo setting up shop with a team of 15 ex-staffers and bunch of the consulting firm's former clients and the prospect of more Deloitte work. They say the focus is tight: "brand, distinctiveness and differentiation" over "service design".

Concern is mounting that firms are deprioritising data and privacy compliance after a weaker than anticipated first tranche of legislation. The worry is it’s eroding gains marketers had built with cross-functional peers and the board. The Privacy Commissioner, ADMA, Clayton Utz, Civic Data, Data Synergies and marketers on why taking the foot off the gas is a big mistake – and the grey areas that now require immediate attention.

In the last six months, Salesforce ANZ chief Frank Fillmann has met 70 Australian CEOs. They're facing pressure to move on AI from four sides, but he says leading with cost-out won’t relieve that pressure. Leading with experience will. That’s what Hipages is now doing, cutting tradie onboarding from an hour to 10 minutes. Likewise Fisher & Paykel is using autonomous agents to cull service enquiries by 30 per cent, freeing 3,300 hours a month. Which means cost out, employee experience in, and customer experience wins. The trade-off between cost efficiency and experience, reckons Fillmann, “is rapidly becoming a myth.”

Job cuts, restructures, depressed spend and corporate reputation firefighting. It's hardly a surprise that free-to-air networks have toned down the upfronts razzle dazzle – and some agency execs welcome a more tailored conversation. But could the shift put TV's recovery narrative at risk just as streamers are hitting the ads accelerator? OMG's Kristiaan Kroon reckons it might. Foxtel Media's Mark Frain sees things the same way. He's still planning to go large.

There’s a brand and business renewal going on at Bega as it cements its position as a consumer goods business with an iconic house of brands and a market cap of $1.64 billion. Former marketer and now EGM of beverages, Darryn Wallace, reveals the restructure and brand repositioning, agency switch outs and commitment to elevating consumer insights that’s helping Bega become more than the sum of its acquired FMCG parts.

News Corp-controlled REA Group is reaping the benefits of a long-term CX investment strategy, with some key metrics powering by an order of magnitude. The firm was the first to combine Tealium's CDP and Braze's customer engagement platform – and the likes of Kmart have since followed. As well as soaring conversions and clickthroughs – and the Holy Grail of personalisation at scale – Audience and Marketing GM Sarah Myers says the stack now driving earned media she estimates is worth circa $10m a year.