Episoder
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Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. On the day the annual Infinite Dial results exploring audio adoption patterns in Australia are released, we discuss the planning and buying of podcast advertising.
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‘Too many brands are still thinking about reach when they're thinking about podcast advertising, and a successful campaign being about cheap CPMs.’
A year on from the launch of Australia’s first, and to date only, media agency specialising in the planning and buying of podcast advertising, we check in with the team at Earmax - Andy Maxwell and Ralph van Dijk.
Maxwell and van Dijk linked up to launch Earmax a year ago. Prior to coming to Australia, Maxwell spent most of his career in the UK, working within marketing and podcasting, while van Dijk is adland’s elder statesman of audio, having run specialist radio agency Eardrum for 35 years.
During the podcast conversation with Unmade’s Tim Burrowes, the duo discuss the high engagement levels of podcast listeners, why reach isn’t everything, and the challenges of the specialist agency cutting through in the market.
According to Maxwell: “As a podcast listener, you hear how much wastage there is, you hear how you get served the wrong ads in the wrong environments. When you do get served the right ads it’s powerful.”
Maxwell argues that one of the major errors being made by marketers and planners is making conversations about podcasts one of reach rather than specialisation. He argues: “One of the big issues itself is that people are still thinking about reach and incremental reach, when actually the podcast medium should be about driving consideration and conversions.
“These big brands, you can get your reach from everywhere else, but podcasts, because of the environment, because of how engaged the audience is, you have such a massive opportunity, whether the reach is 100,000 or a million.
“You can find a specific audience interested in a specific subject and get them in an environment where they are so leaned in.”
He adds: “Too many brands are still thinking about reach when they're thinking about podcast advertising and a successful campaign being about cheap CPMs. Five podcasts of 50,000 listeners is more effective than one podcast of 250,000.”
Meanwhile, van Dijk is frank about the pace of adoption of Earmax in the market, saying it has gone more slowly than he anticipated. He says: “I just thought that word would catch on and they'd all be telling their mates and there would be people banging down the door to have us look at their campaigns.
“The reality is that there's structures, processes, arrangements, partnerships in place for both the creative and the media, which a tough decision has to be made to go around that.”
He adds: “There's a lot of politics.”
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
In the meantime, don’t forget to join us for The Infinite Dial Australia, in a couple of hours.
I’m hosting a conversation with ARN Media’s Lauren Joyce, Thinkerbell’s Margie Reid, and Edison Research’s Larry Rosin about the state of play in audio.
Have a great day
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade + Mumbrella
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.
Today’s edition contains highlights from the finale of Mumbrella360, with our Compass panel reflecting on FY25 and projecting for FY26. Plus, Vinyl Group is the worst performer on the Unmade Index for a second day in a row.
To get maximum value from a paid membership of Unmade, sign up today.
Your annual membership gets you tickets to September’s REmade conference on retail media; to October’s Unlock conference on marketing in the nighttime economy; and to Unmade’s Compass end-of-year roadshow.
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AI b******t; agency ageism; and finding reasons for optimism - Compass live from Mumbrella360
It was a strong finish to Mumbrella360, with our Compass format coming to the conference for the first time.
In a panel moderated by Tim Burrowes, we heard from Josh Faulks, CEO of the Australian Association of National Advertisers, Natalie Harvey, CEO of Mamamia; Jacquie Alley, chair of the Independent Media Agencies Association and John Schoolcraft, the brains behind the Oatly brand.
In a fast-paced conversation, the panel romped across topics including the benefits and perils of LinkedIn, the state of the market, and the permanent staple of the effectiveness versus creativity debate
Schoolcraft, who earlier in the day had delivered Mumbrella360’s opening keynote, focused on the sweeping changes being caused by generative AI: “The moats are gone now - AI just leveled the playing field.”
Faulks was slightly more sceptical and argued that concerns about job losses in the industry are overblown: ”We’re hitting the peak of the AI hype cycle. There’s a lot of b******t. I don’t think it’s about job losses. We spend way too much time talking about the bad things that could happen with AI and not enough on the opportunities.”
Alley nominated a topic that requires more discussion: “The ageism that sits in this industry. My prediction is that strategic thinking is only going to get more important. I’m hopeful the more experienced employees will finally start to be valued. They (clients) want the head of strategy in the retainer… Experienced people aren’t billable, and that’s a problem.”
And Harvey urged publishers and platforms to seek a peace process: “With the globals, the challenge is, it’s not about creativity, it’s about mass reach and getting things cheaper. That’s what’s weird about the fight with Australian publishers - we make their platforms better.”
More from Mumbrella…
* Schwartz Media to sell 7am podcast
* Ten names The Project’s replacement news show: Ten News+
* Adam Sadler to lead Scentre Group’s Brandspace retail media push
* M+C Saatchi kills off Bohemia brand
* Starcom appoints Matt Houltham as CEO
* Mumbrellacast: The Project and Q+A get the boot; Challenges women face in media; and Greg Hywood’s verdict on Nine
Unmade Index grows as Vinyl falls again
Vinyl Group saw the biggest fall on the Unmade Index for the second day in a row on Wednesday. It lost 4.2% to land on a market capitalisation of $144m.
Vinyl had briefly traded on a bigger valuation than audio companies Southern Cross Austereo and ARN Media. SCA gained 1.6% to land on $152m; ARN lost 1.9% to land on $158m.
Elsewhere on the Unmade Index, Ooh Media gained 2.5% and Nine gained 1.6%.
The Unmade Index closed up 1.1% on 564.1 points.
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio. We’ll be back with more soon.
Have a great day
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade + Mumbrella
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Manglende episoder?
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Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.
Today, we talk to Clive Dickens, one of media’s innovators, about what he’ll be doing next.
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Your annual membership gets you tickets to September’s REmade conference on retail media; to October’s Unlock conference on marketing in the nighttime economy; and to Unmade’s Compass end-of-year roadshow.
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Clive Dickens unveils his plans for Meliora, something that’s a little more than a typical media consultancy
After some big digital roles at Southern Cross Austereo, Seven West Media and Optus, Clive Dickens launching a media advisory service seems a logical next step. Particularly when you factor in some big radio jobs in the UK along with proximity to some successful audio startups.
But Meliora appears to be a little more than your typical one-person, stay-occupied-until-something-else-comes-up advisory.
Dickens says that he’s recurited another five partners to eventually join the business, and in the meantime identified another 10 “associates” to fill the gap in the mean time.
He also plans an investment arm which will focus on startups, and additionally a creative IP fund to put money behind interesting creators.
Dickens expands on his plans in the podcast interview with Unmade’s Tim Burrowes.
He says: “They're not just investments. They're partners. The significant number are in the AI space. And we want to bring and leverage some of those products and services to our clients as well to help them unlock that AI value.”
The conversation also touches on his plans around media equity - working with media companies to offer distressed inventory in exchange for stakes in busiensses that need to build their profile. It was a model he successfully applied on behalf of Seven West Media with Airtasker.
And he says that his plan to invest in creative work is in part at least a response to the disruption being caused by generative AI. “In a world where there's going to be less traditional jobs because of gen AI, we wanted to invest in jobs that we believe only humans will be able to do.”
More from Mumbrella…
* Getting ahead and the importance of progress to brands
* Brittany Higgins joins Third Hemisphere
* Free TV chair Greg Hywood steps down
* Is the PR industry still a great place to work?
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio.
Time to leave you to your evening. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Have a great day
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade + Mumbrella
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade, recorded earlier today live on stage at Mumbrella360.
To get maximum value from a paid membership of Unmade, sign up today.
Your annual membership gets you tickets to September’s REmade conference on retail media; to October’s Unlock conference on marketing in the nighttime economy; and to Unmade’s Compass end-of-year roadshow.
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Radio salaries; the rise of LinkedIn video, Google’s AI video magic and the Mumbrella360 origin story
Today’s podcast was recorded live on stage at Mumbrella360 this afternoon.
In a panel anchored by Abe’s Audio’s Abe Udy, editorial director Hal Crawford, head of curation Cat McGinn and Tim Burrowes were joined by Genero marketer Christie Poulos.
We chewed over highlights from Mumbrella360 including creator Rob Mayhew’s assertion that LinkedIn and YouTube provide the greatest opportunity for B2B video creators. We also discussed this week’s ranking of radio salaries, the impact of Google’s new video generation offering Veo 3, and the development of Mumbrella360 over the last 14 years.
More from the Mumbrella departure lounge…
* David Droga steps down as Accenture Song CEO
* Justin Graham to step down as APAC CEO of M+C Saatchi Group
* Coles' chief customer officer Amanda McVay to depart amid overhaul
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio. Time to leave you to your afternoon. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Have a great day
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade + Mumbrella
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today’s Unmade podcast was recorded at last month’s AI conference HumAIn, with a panel of practitioners exploring the evolving role of AI chatbots in media and marketing, highlighting the wide spectrum from chatbots as utility, and chatbots as personality.
Today is a good day to upgrade to a paid membership of Unmade. Your annual membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including our retail media conference REmade (September 23), Unlock (October), and Compass (across November)
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Upgrade today.
As a member of the Unmade community you have unlocked exclusive ticket savings to attend Mumbrella360, taking place at Carriageworks Sydney next week, May 27-29.
Simply enter code 20UNMADE360 to save 20% on any ticket type, whether that's the all-access pass or the 'conference only' two-day pass.
From sludge to snark: the divide between form and function in AI chatbots
Cat McGinn, curator of HumAIn, writes:
With generative AI finally giving brands the opportunity to roll out chatbots that work, we tackled the topic at HumAIn.
The discussion features Foxtel’s head of marketing operations and strategic programs Aaron Mitchie, Bastion’s AI consultant Shaun Davies, columnist and strategist at Agency C, Parnell Palme McGuinness, and creative director Emma Barbato.
McGuinness and Davies discussed the development of “Yell At Parnell”, a chatbot trained on McGuinness’s published columns, and designed to replicate her editorial tone and views. The aim was to extend engagement beyond the limitations of comment sections and to experiment with scaling an opinion columnist’s voice.
Davies noted that prompt engineering required over 4,000 words to capture not only factual grounding but also the columnist’s personality, including humour, tone, and political perspectives.
“There is a desperate desire to engage, and this is another opportunity for people to engage. I think that they would also like that opportunity to be supported by the media outlets they're engaging with; I think that it would reverse in some degree the decline in users,” said McGuinness, pointing to closed comments as a missed opportunity for newsrooms.
Creative director Emma Barbato took it further, introducing Bruce Ryder, Australia’s first fictional AI celebrity, a 1970s larrikin launched as a synthetic brand ambassador (see video below). Audiences bought into Bruce rather than the product: “The intrigue was the storytelling, and him as the product,” she said. Barbato highlighted the creative opportunities available to brands when working with immersive, character-led AI tools, particularly in environments unconstrained by conventional briefs.
In contrast, Foxtel’s Aaron Mitchie outlined a strictly functional approach. His team is rolling out a bot to eliminate internal admin, trained on corporate policies. “We’re purposely trying to be boring,” he said. “The idea is eventually everyone's going to get back a day in their week back from admin.”
The panel also raised questions around the ethics of disclosure with users, synthetic identities, emotional attachment to bots, and the future role of anthropomorphised AI in consumer engagement.
Barbato ended the panel with a rallying cry for the creative industries, saying,
“For the first time in my time in the creative arts, we have no hierarchy of anyone being better. We have zero gatekeepers, and it has attracted a brand new creative. And that's what I'm the most excited about: the community that is coming together. I don't know how long we've got. But right now, it’s a garden of Eden with no weeds.”
More from Mumbrella…
* Mumbrellacast: ABC, SBS and the gender pay gaps data; inside outdoor media; marketers and Google’s AI Mode; Resolution Digital’s new chapter
* SBS beats ABC as gender pay gaps revealed
* Catalano slams SCA activist investor over vote meddling
* Tropfest organisers hint at ‘epic comeback’
* Google launches AI Mode, marketers ponder impact
* M+C Saatchi CEO Michael McEwan joins Droga5 Melbourne
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio.
We’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow or on your podcatcher next week.
Adios amigos,
Cat McGinn
Curator - HumAIn
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. In today’s edition of The Unmakers we talk to creative legend Chas Bayfield about his new venture 21 Madison, fixing the mistakes made by AI. Plus, Seven West Media shares continue their surge on the Unmade Index
To get maximum value from a paid membership of Unmade, sign up today.
Your annual membership gets you tickets to September’s REmade conference on retail media; to October’s Unlock conference on marketing in the nighttime economy; and to Unmade’s Compass end-of-year roadshow.
You also get access to our paywalled archive.
Upgrade today.
Introducing 21 Madison: Fixing ads knocked up in Canva by the business owner’s talented niece
In today’s audio-led edition of Unmade, we talk to an adland legend who quietly slipped into Australia under cover of Covid and now does global work from his home in Hobart.
Bayfield has a world-beating portfolio. His work is still instantly recognisable to anybody who grew up in the UK. Blackcurrant Tango’s 1996 90-second epic, ‘St George’ won most major advertising awards.
Now a freelance creative, Bayfield lives in Tasmania with most of his work for overseas brands.
This month Bayfield has launched a new business, 21 Madison. Recognising the fact that AI and tools such as Canva have made it possible for anyone to create an ad, even if they lack the skills to write a message that sells, Bayfield aims to overlay his human talents onto the machinery.
In the podcast interview with Unmade’s Tim Burrowes, Bayfield describes his target market as those who cannot afford to commission an ad agency: “It's people who, for whatever reason, are self-generating their advertising. Potentially AI, potentially Canva. It might just be that they've got a talented niece or nephews, knocked something up in their year seven graphics class. Largely, I'm guessing it's going to be AI.”
Bayfield sees 21 Madison’s role as stepping in to turn the copy into something that sells. Recognising that these are not the big budget players, he adds: “These are people who are going to be putting ads out on Facebook and Instagram.”
According to the 21 Madison website, prices start from a $79 “quick fix” to $999 per month for a virtual creative director helping create eight ads per month.
Bayfield says 21 Madison is his attempt to make the best of the disruption being wrought by the likes of ChatGPT:
“We can sit around and shake our fists at the system and the way it is, a bit like blacksmiths in the early 1900s, just angry at cars. And where does that get you?
“So you have to work out, what can I do to move it on? I've never been one just to sit back and go, ‘this is always going to be the same forever.’”
During the interview, Bayfield also tackles the most controversial period in his career, when he and a colleague won a sex discrimination claim against ad agency JWT alleging that they lost their roles because the agency wanted to lose its reputation as “a boys club”.
Despite winning the case, Bayfield suffered a brutal social media backlash.
He reveals: “The backlash that came afterwards was off the scale.
And I got a monstrous amount of social media hatred and people telling me that I wasn't going to work. And I certainly wasn't going to work in Australia.
“I won a works tribunal. It was all I had done.
“It was nasty. That was pretty tough. Especially as I've always felt that I've been the one looking at what's next in advertising. To be cast as this washed up dinosaur was horrible.”
Seven extends its ASX charge
Seven West Media continued its charge on the Unmade Index, rising another 6.9% yesterday to a market capitalisation of $247m. The stock has now risen by more than 10% over the last week. However, in the bigger picture the stock is still trading close to a historic low.
Meanwhile it was a down day for the two major audio stocks with Southern Cross Austereo losing 5.9% and ARN Media losing 1.9%.
The Unmade Index, which tracks the performance of media and marketing stocks, lost 0.6% to land on 551.5 points.
More from Mumbrella…
* Stop calling us influencers, says influencer
* GroupM workforce braces for major restructure impacts
* AI is no longer a disruptor, it’s part of the process: D&AD report
* CNN and Fox take on their own legacies with new streaming services
* SBS goes fully nude in streaker ad campaign
Time to leave you to your Friday.
We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Have a great day
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade + Mumbrella
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today we hear from Getty Images’ global creative boss Rebecca Swift, on the impact and risk of AI on creative industries.
Today is a good day to upgrade to a paid membership of Unmade. Your annual membership includes:
A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including tomorrow’s AI conference HumAIn (May 6), REmade (September 23), Unlock (October), and Compass (across November)
Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Upgrade today.
‘Business loves bargains’: Rebecca Swift on how generative AI could undermine creativity and consumer confidence
The growing wave of low-quality, mass-generated imagery is threatening both brand trust and the long-term viability of creative industries, warns Rebecca Swift, senior vice president of creative at Getty Images. Dr Swift warns that what she terms “AI slop”is on the rise.
In the podcast conversation with Unmade’s Cat McGinn, Swift said the deluge of generative content risks homogenising brand expression, eroding legal safety, and discouraging future talent from entering the creative workforce.
“AI slop” refers to the easily created, highly distributed output from generative AI tools, which is often divorced from original intent, training data transparency, or creative integrity. While acknowledging that the issue predates AI, Swift argued that the explosion in tools has made the problem more visible—and more dangerous.
Swift said Getty has deliberately kept its content library free from AI-generated assets to ensure provenance, avoid contamination of training sets, and protect creator rights.
“It would be easy to follow the money. But we chose to follow our values.”
She also warned that some large models are now training on content that is itself AI-generated, compounding quality and IP risks.
“For global brands, there’s no guarantee that marketers in different regions aren’t using content that breaches trademarks or contains copyrighted elements,” Swift said. “There are real legal and reputational implications.”
Consumer trust is also on the line. Getty’s research shows that while AI-generated content has become harder for the average consumer to spot, the appetite for disclosure has increased. More than 90% of survey respondents said they want to know when an image is AI-generated.
“We’re seeing consumers approach images with a default mindset of distrust,” Swift said. “That has implications not just for media, but for any brand that trades on authenticity.”
Unmade’s AI conference for media and marketing, humAIn, takes place tomorrow. Tickets are still available.
Correction: Dr Swift refers to Getty’s consumer research as beginning in 2003; the research began in 2023.
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio.
See you at HumAIn - or in your inbox - tomorrow.
Have a lovely day,
Cat McGinn
Curator - HumAIn
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today we hear from adland satirist Rob Mayhew about making it in the creator economy, why he loves TikTok and LinkedIn, and how Facebook is just too greedy.
Today is a good day to upgrade to a paid membership of Unmade. Your annual membership includes:
A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn (May 6), REmade (September 23), Unlock (October), and Compass (across November)
Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Upgrade today.
‘We need a new playbook’ - Rob Mayhew on how agencies are failing to make the most of the creator economy
In the extremely niche specialty of advertising industry satirist, Rob Mayhew is the leading light.
The agency creative turned TikTok and LinkedIn creator has amassed a dedicated following in the English-speaking marketing world.
Mayhew started his career in the UK in a below the line agency, before cutting his teeth as a social media strategist. He found his place as a content maker during Covid lockdowns by satirising adland and agency culture.
He now mainly works with B2B brands including Adobe, WeTransfer and Sitecore looking to tap into his burgeoning followings particularly on TikTok and LinkedIn.
In the podcast conversation with Tim Burrowes, Mayhew discusses his forthcoming keynote at next month’s Mumbrella360, what marketers are getting wrong when they jump on social media trends, and why he is no fan of Facebook.
He explains: “I'm a huge fan of TikTok. It's my favorite platform, closely followed by LinkedIn and then YouTube. Meta, Instagram, I'm kind of not really a fan of… I just feel like they're greedy.”
* Mumbrella360 is from May 27-29. Find out more here.
Time to leave you to your day. Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio.
If you’d like more from me in your ears, last night’s edition of the Mumbrellacast is now in your favorite podcatcher. Hal Crawford and I discuss Facebook’s ghost stores; Ben Shepherd’s proposed walled garden for premium advertising; and Albo’s love of newspapers.
I’ll be back on Saturday with Best of the Week
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Mumbrella + Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an end-of-week update from Unmade.
In today’s audio-led post we share the panel discussion from the launch of the Edelman Trust Barometer. And further down on the Unmade Index, three minnows see price jumps while Enero slumps some more.
Unmade’s AI event for the media and marketing industry, HumAIn, is coming fast. Our annual paying members are entitled to a free ticket. It’s just one of the benefits of a paying membership. Upgrade today.
‘Is it fragmented? Absolutely. Is it going to improve? I can’t see it.’
In today’s podcast we share the panel discussion that accompanied the launch of the Edelman Trust Barometer.
In a key statistic, of the four key Australian public institutions surveyed, public trust in media is the worst, with just 37% now saying they trusted the media. That was behind government (47%), business (54%) and non-governmental organisations (56%).
The podcast features the event’s introduction from Tom Robinson, CEO of Edelman Australia, ahead of the panel led by Unmade’s Tim Burrowes.
The discussion featured:
* Terry Flew, Professor of Digital Communication and Culture, The University of Sydney and Co-Director, Centre for AI, Trust and Governance;
* Kim Portrate, previously CEO of industry body Think TV;
* Gen Z strategist Milly Bannister, founder and CEO of the ALLKND charity focusing on mental health for young Australians;
* Jared Mondschein, Director of Research at the United States Studies Centre.
The questions tackled included the challenges to societal cohesion as trust in institutions fades, geopolitical headwinds, and why the next generation is losing trust so badly.
Portrate, who departed Think TV at the end of the year amidst obvious divisions between her TV network stakeholders, told the room: “Is it fragmented? Absolutely. Is it going to improve? I can’t see it. Not in the current environment and not when you’ve got the competitive pressure and don’t abide by any of the legislation that protects the population at large.”
Read more on the barometer:
A good day for the little guys of the Unmade Index
Three of the smaller stocks on the Unmade Index enjoyed sources in their price yesterday, although none of them released new updates to the market.
Out of home advertising company Motio saw its share price jump by 18.5%, taking it up to a market capitalisation of $8m. Boss Adam Cadwallader is due to give a trading update on Tuesday.
Sports Entertainment Group, owner of radio network SEN, rose by 13.6% to a $70m market cap. And Pureprofile rose 9.1% to a $47m market cap.
Enero Group, owner of agencies including BMF and Hotwire, continued to tank, with the price losing another 4.3% to what is its lowest point in almost a decade.
The Unmade Index, which looks at the movements of all the locally listed media and marketing companies, ended the day in equilibrium, remaining on 526.2 points.
Declaration of interest: My travel and accommodation to take part in the Trust Barometer event were covered by Edelman.
Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.
Time to leave you to your Friday. We’ll be back with Best of the Week tomorrow. Have a great day.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade + Mumbrella
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio edition from Unmade.
Today: humAIn curator Cat McGinn talks to Jodie Sangster about her new co-venture aimed at upskilling CMOs with AI, the Australian Centre for AI in Marketing, and what’s stopping marketers from getting on board with AI transformation.
If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn (6 May 2025), REmade (23 Sept), Unlock (Oct 2025), and Compass Australia (Nov 2025);
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Are marketers being left behind on their AI journeys?
A new industry initiative, the Australian Centre for AI in Marketing, snappily abbreviated to ACAM, has been launched by four senior marketing leaders, including former ADMA CEO and IBM CMO, Jodie Sangster.
In today’s audio-led post, HumAIn curator Cat McGinn sits down with Sangster to find out more about ACAM, its purpose, and whether success means being out of a job for the four founders.
According to Sangster, despite the increasing availability of AI tools and investment in AI infrastructure, most marketers are not ready to implement AI in practice. Common barriers include a lack of time, limited understanding of how to apply the technology, and a general sense of scepticism after marketers have been burnt by years of overhyped digital solutions.
ACAM’s founders claim it has been designed to address these issues by offering education, peer learning, and access to practical tools. Its structure includes a Pioneers Circle—a group of CMOs from a range of industries and AI maturity levels—created to facilitate open sharing of implementation experiences, challenges, and outcomes.
The founders also offer a consultancy arm, but are at pains to distinguish the “for-purpose’ initiative, which Sangster describes as “a calling,” from the for-profit division.
Sangster is clear that ACAM will not act as a policy maker or regulatory body, but will focus on translating evolving frameworks into practical guidance for marketers. “Our role is to help marketers understand how AI applies to their work and how to use it responsibly,” she said.
Sangster doesn’t see the risk of ACAM putting itself out of business as an imminent threat.
“We’re still at the very start of AI adoption,” she says. “This is about making sure marketers don’t get left behind.”
Time to leave you to your Thursday.
Good luck at tonight’s CommsCon Awards, for those who are in the running.
We’ll be back with more soon.
Have a lovely evening.
Cat McGinn
Head of Curated Content - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to a midweek update from Unmade, on the morning after News Corp’s main marketing-industry focused event of the year, D_Coded. Yesterday’s big announcement was Tubi. Two months after announcing the sale of Foxtel, News Corp is back in the TV business.
Also today, Enero’s sinking share price hits the lowest point in more than a decade.
News Corp Australia gets back into TV with Tubi
For a while now, I’ve been puzzled by Tubi.
It’s the biggest asset in the extended News Corp universe not to have a presence in Australia. In the US, Tubi is a big deal. Its share of total TV viewing is nearly 2% and it’s bigger than Peacock, Paramount+ and Max. In some quarters it’s been bigger than Disney+.
Actually, it’s not entirely true to say that Tubi has not had a presence in Australia. Tubi has been here all along and repped by Foxtel Media. But it didn’t receive much love, even as it built towards 1.3m active monthly users locally.
When I interviewed Foxtel boss Patrick Delany this time last year, I told him I was surprised they were not doing more with Tubi.
At the time, Delany argued that the reason for Tubi’s success in the US is the fact that it’s entirely free to its audience. While Australia’s free to air networks are available over the airwaves, US viewers are used to paying for everything they watch via cable. So Tubi was a bigger point of difference, he argued.
However, I suspect that was not the only reason. With Foxtel about to pass into the ownership of DAZN, Tubi now represents News Corp’s seat back at the table of television. It didn’t make sense for News Corp to go hard until the Foxtel deal was done.
Tubi has a straightforward business model. There’s no paid membership tier. It’s pureplay FAST - free ad-supported streaming TV.
That puts Tubi in the same space as 7plus, 9now, Tenplay, along with global players like Paramount’s Pluto TV. And of course, with the FAST services being offered by the connected TV providers.
Incidentally, Tubi lives within the other half of the Murdoch empire, Fox Corp. News Corp is effectively a local rep.
In today’s podcast I interview News Corp’s executive chairman Michael Miller. He pushes back against my assumption that Tubi lacks premium content. And while it’s true that Tubi has a deep archive, a look at the home page this morning reminds me of the experience of standing in the discount section of my local video store. They looked like blockbusters, but I just hadn’t heard of them.
(Titanic 2, anyone? Jack’s back… and he’s got a score to settle about the whole floating door episode.)
Tubi’s secret weapon is the world’s favourite price point: free. There are plenty of Australians who can’t or won’t afford to pay for their streaming.
And its not-so-secret weapon is the marketing firepower of News Corp. Would Kayo or Binge have grown without the company’s cross promotion?
In my conversation with Miller, he places Tubi as a “top three or four” marketing priority for the year.
And News Corp is backing the push with an aggressive price point - a launch price of a $15cpm.
Considering that’s likely to be big brand advertising on the main lounge room screen, that’s an aggressive price.
By the way, in case you can’t read the small print on the screen behind sales boss Barrett in the photo above, the price is for campaigns with a minimum spend of $20,000, running before June 30. And “independent measurement unavailable”.
The rest of today’s conversation with Miller spans the other announcements around D_Coded, including marketer-friendly expansions of its Intent Connect planning system, and the company’s continuing efforts to make the concept of engaged reach a thing.
Miller also makes it clear that News Corp still views the coming election and US trade war concerns as a delay, not an end to the News Media Bargaining Code framework. “We have been patient,” he says.
Unmade Index fights off Trumpcession fears as Enero sinks to decade-long low
Despite an early selloff triggered by global concerns over a looming Trumpcession, the Unmade Index bounced back in later trading yesterday to finish flat.
The biggest local weight on the Unmade Index, Nine, was lifted by its majority-owned real estate platform Domain. Nine was up by 1.3%, while Domain rose 1.8%.
ARN Media was up by 4.9%, taking it back above a $200m market capitalisation.
Among stocks moving in the other direction, print and marketing group IVE lost 8.6%, while Seven West Media lost 3.2% to land on its lowest point since January. Southern Cross Austereo was down by 3.6%.
Enero Group, owner of ad agency BMF among others, slumped by 6.7% to land on its lowest share price in more than a decade.
The Unmade Index ticked up by a fraction, rising by 0.09% to land on 551.2 points.
Time to leave you to your Thursday. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.
We’ll be back with more soon
Have a great day.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade + Mumbrella
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to a Best of the Day wrap from Unmade.
Today: We share the highlights from Compass Auckland, Ooh Media finally discovers some momentum, and big moves on the Unmade Index.
If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn (6 May), REmade (23 September), Unlock, and Compass (November), all returning in 2025.
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
‘Embrace AI, or face an extinction-level event’
The final episode of the 2024-25 series of Compass rolled into Auckland last week.
The audience at the iHeart Lounge heard from Matt Martel, managing editor for audience and platforms at the New Zealand Herald, Jo Mitchell, CMO of The Warehouse Group; Paul Pritchard, group CEO of Overdose, and Angela Watson, CEO of Colenso BBDO on some of the key topics getting adland out of bed and keeping it awake at night.
The topics ranged from the impact of last year’s closure of Newshub to the disruption being wrought by AI, to whether it’s time for marketers to dial back on their platform spend.
Pritchard told the audience that the biggest challenge he saw the industry face last year was “lack of control”. He added: “I felt like things happened to us, not because of us.”
According to Martel, the closure of Newshub should be taken as a signal for action. “It was a strong and important part of New Zealand media. It's now gone.
“We need to act. Because if we don't act, we can see the train that's coming down the tracks at us.
“The problem is not the quality of what we do, it's the monetisation of what we do. If we don't change what we do now, if we don't embrace AI, if we don't embrace different ways of doing what we've always done, then there will be an extinction-level event for everyone in this room in ten years, if not sooner.”
And Pritchard urged a rethink for where the industry spends its marketing budgets: “We spent a lot of time letting international technology players come to every market and sell, sell, sell at really low costs. And that disrupted the media. It challenged the content and the quality of that content. And then when they disrupted it, they decided to put the prices up.
“And it's a pretty simple economic environment that we're all facing. The thing we can do to counter it is we can own our own content. We can own our own customer.
“We decided that it was just better to throw money at something that continually worked, right? Those metrics of return on ad spend and cost of customer acquisition -they were really attractive for a long time.
“Now they're less attractive, but everyone's hooked on it. So maybe we need to go cold turkey for a little bit.”
The event was organised by Unmade with the support of NZME, Lumo and Scentre Group’s BrandSpace.
Ooh Media’s turnaround begins
Ooh Media will likely soon make it official with its acting chief revenue officer Mark Fairhurst after his first two months in the chair sparked a turnaround in the company’s sales trajectory.
The emergency appointment of Fairhurst, previously executive general manager of QMS, came in December following the exit of chief revenue officer Paul Sigaloff after just 19 months.
In its full-year results released this morning, Ooh Media’s revenue and profits were virtually flat for the year, up by 0.3% to $635.6m and 3% to $287m respectively
Ooh Media’s 2023 and 2024 results were almost identical. However the company’s momentum entering the first quarter has radically improved
Ooh Media is on track to bring in 14% more revenue in the current quarter compared to the same time last year.
CEO Cathy O’Connor again acknowledged that Ooh Media’s sales operation has been slow and hard to deal with. She told today’s analysts’ call: “We heard from the market that we were slow to respond.”
Ooh Media’s said its new offering Reo - which assists mid-tier retailers enter the retail media space by outsourcing sales operations and assisting with the digital side - is also picking up momentum. Newly announced clients include Officeworks, Petbarn, and Australia Post, with others in the pipeline.
Unmade Index buoyed by Ooh Media and IVE Group results
Ooh Media’s improved performance saw it lock in a hefty 15.6% jump in market capitalisation during an action-packed day on the Unmade Index.
IVE Group, which also reported solid results today, rose by 6.4% while Seven West Media gained 2.9%.
Meanwhile, Nine lost 5.8% as the market continued to digest news of CoStar’s bid to buy its majority-owned real estate platform Domain.
As a result of the decline of Nine - the biggest weighted stock - the Unmade Index sank by 0.3% to 560.6 points.
Best of the Day: News winners; Clems loser; Slater & Gordon’s struggles
ABC back at the top
ABC News moved back past News Corp’s news.com.au as the site with the biggest audience. According to Ipsos Iris, the ABC’s monthly audience grew to 12.5m in January, ahead of news.com.au which lost 3.4% to land on 11.8m.
Another Omnicom ad restructure
Dani Bassil became the latest Clemenger Group CEO to be ousted after failing to recapture the creative brand’s glories of previous decades. Omnicom announced that Clemenger, Traffik and CHEP Network will all be folded into the Clems brand. Under chief creative officer Ant Keogh, who departed in 2017, and CEO Peter Biggs, who left in 2014, Clemenger Melbourne was regularly the world’s most awarded agency.
Too little, too Slater
Law firm Slater & Gordon was criticised for failing to adequately handle a PR crisis after a critical all-staff email leaked the salary details of employees along with criticism of management.
Meanwhile IVF clinic Genea was tonight dealing with an even bigger PR crisis after revealing that a data leak has seen hackers seize highly personal patient details.
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio.
Time to leave you to your evening.
We’ll be back with more tomorrow. Have a great night.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade + Mumbrella
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade in which we talk to the two key players behind Publicis Group’s purchase of independent Media agency Atomic 212.
If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including Compass Auckland (February 18), HumAIn (May 6), REmade (September 23), Unlock (October), and the Compass Australia series (throughout November);
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Capabilities and conflict: Why Publicis bought Atomic 212
Last week’s news that Australia’s biggest media agency Atomic 212 had been sold was not a huge surprise. The agency had been rumoured to be considering offers for some time.
What was a little more surprising though was the buyer. Despite rumours that consultancy Accenture was in the frame, holding company Publicis Group emerged as the winner.
It ran counter to the trend of holdcos in retreat and consolidating their number of agency brands.
In today’s audio-led conversation, Atomic 212 chairman Barry O’Brien and Publicis Group’s ANZ CEO Michael Rebelo discuss with Tim Burrowes the rationale for the deal.
O’Brien acknowledges the ups and downs of the agency’s journey, including when Atomic’s client, retail chain Dick Smith went into administration, leaving its agency potentially owing media companies millions of dollars.
“When we first kicked off, Dick Smith went belly up and left $400-odd million of debt right around Australia.
“As a young agency, we were left with a considerable amount of that. That was a pretty dark time.”
The agency also faced a reputation crisis when Mumbrella revealed that former boss Jason Dooris had been cheating in award entries. Dooris eventually left the business. O’Brien says, dryly, “It was not a highlight.”
Meanwhile, Rebelo explains the rationale for the acquisition at a time when many groups are trimming their rosters. Capabilities and client conflict are two of the factors.
When he built a three year plan for his group in 2023, “acquisition of a media agency like Atomic was literally one of our top strategic priorities,” reveals Rebelo.
“What we were looking at with Atomic was how can we supercharge what we've already got? What we like to curate and cultivate in the group are specialized weapons in terms of the agencies in how they can help our clients solve their marketing problems. And Atomic represented an independent agency with really sophisticated capabilities.”
Rebelo, insists that unlike previous acquisition Match, which is these days folded in to Spark Foundry, Atomic will remain as its own brand. “Conflict and managing conflict is still a big part of the market and the industry. So we are fortunate to have those independent brands that can manage different agencies across the verticals. Having another media brand to take on and help us manage that is certainly a benefit to this.”
Time to leave you to your Monday. Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio.
We’ll be back with more soon.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade, taking in the Melbourne edition of Compass. And below, a down day on the Unmade Index.
You should be at next year’s Compass. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the day to make a decision. If you sign up for an annual membership before the end of today you’ll get a $50 gift voucher.
Your membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025.
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
‘We should be prepared for rage’ - Compass Melbourne on the rise of activism
The final stop on Unmade’s six-state Compass tour of Australia was Victoria, for a feisty conversation around the state of the industry, the Campaign Brief imbroglio and the state of the Melbourne radio wars.
Today’s podcast features highlights. The speakers were Gold’s breakfast host Christian O'Connell, NAB’s CMO Thomas Dobson, CHEP’s executive strategy director Nomfundo Msomi, and Kimberlee Wells, CEO of TBWA.
As has been the case in several states, the topic of Campaign Brief’s all-male coverage of the creative industry was nominated as the industry’s worst moment of the year. Wells told the audience: “The industry's biggest loss, controversial, I know, is Campaign Brief.”
In October the publication experienced a fierce backlash after publishing a review on Australia and New Zealand’s top creative talent featuring 20 men and no women. It triggered a debate about the masthead’s behaviour over many years.
Many agency groups took the decision to stop submitting their work for publication on the Campaign Brief blog. The controversy appears to have given momentum to the local operation of Little Black Book to fill some of the void.
Wells, also a board member of industry association the Advertising Council, went on: “And it is not because of the changes that are being made, but I think there's a lot of questions being asked at the moment around what becomes the central dialogue for creativity in the industry.
“And it's something that I know we're certainly grappling with at the Ad Council. So there are a lot of changes that needed to be made, but we need to make sure as a result of that, we're not actually losing creativity and a space for creativity to be elevated and to be celebrated across the board.”
Msomi added: “As far as our biggest gain, it's the opportunity to have difficult conversations as an industry. So we've been talking about representation and opportunities for women, minorities, people from different ethnic groups, diversity within our industry.
“I'm really hoping that after we go away for the two mandatory weeks where Australia shuts down, that we come back with that same fervor in place.
“This is an opportunity. It's uncomfortable for some people, and for others, it is exhausting. We've gained the chance to really talk and to be vulnerable if we want to save the industry.
“We've lost, and we continue to lose women. Let's acknowledge that it's happening under our watch. But more than just losing women, I think we're losing the trust of women as an industry to make change.”
On the topic of advertising creativity, Melbourne was another edition of Compass where panellists nominated Telstra’s work this year as a plus for the industry. Msomi told the room: “I'm going to take the biggest win as being Telstra. I think there's a lot of lessons in that for all of us around the importance of brand, the importance of craft the importance of getting back to creativity - and the importance of not listening to everyone in your organization who wants to have a point of view on the work, but actually backing your own gut.”
Melbourne has also been home to the biggest radio story of the year - ARN Media’s decision to network the Sydney-based The Kyle & Jackie O Show into the city on Kiis. While maintaining its lead in Sydney, the show has failed to find an audience in Melbourne.
ARN stablemate O’Connell, whose own show on Gold has regularly topped the FM ratings, argued that while the battle has been great for drawing attention to radio, some stations have been wasting money on short term promotions rather than focusing on the quality of their shows. He said: “It's just really interesting - people are talking about it. Breakfast radio still matters to people which I think is really great for my industry.
“The loss for the industry is how a lot of the other shows I go up against are chucking so much money at buying listeners - big, noisy cash giveaways. I understand why they do that; I've never done that - I think it's about deepening the connection you have with the audience. I think it's transactional and I think actually it's hurting radio.
“The big noisy cash giveaways to me is dumb, moronic radio.”
The panel also tackled the rise of retail media (Dobson was sceptical); rebuilding business confidence in a tough economy, the next wave of agency consolidations, and predictions of a rise in consumer activism.
In prescient comments which she made before the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thomson in New York, Msomi warned: “I think we should be prepared for rage. I think the bubbling under, and now bubbling over, of the real palpable rage that we feel in our industry and in our society, I think it's not going to die down.
“With anger comes activism, and with activism comes change.
“There's this misnomer that people who are activists and people who are trying to change things are always upset and that their anger is not productive. But that's how you get International Women's Day, that's how you get Black History Month, from organizing and from actioning that rage into something more.”
* The next stop for Unmade’s Compass roadshow is Auckland on Tuesday February 18, at NZME’s iHeart Lounge on Graham Street. Tickets are on sale now.
How Unmade’s 2024 Compass tour has unfolded:
Unmade Index sinks
The Unmade Index retreated by 0.48% yesterday, to land on 431.7 points.
Among the worst performers was Nine’s real estate platform Domain, which lost 1.2% yesterday. Domain’s market capitalisation has sagged by 17% since the ousting of CEO Jason Pellegrino two months ago
Audio stocks Southern Cross Austereo and ARN Media both went backwards yesterday, by 0.9% and 0.7% respectively.
Ooh Media beat the wider trend, rising by 1.7%
Time to leave you to your Thursday.
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio.
We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Have a great day.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today: Hugh Marks firms up for the ABC as Matt Stanton makes an inside run on Nine; Plus, what we learned this year, and what we’re expecting in 2025.
This is the perfect time to upgrade your Unmade membership
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025;
* Members-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Do it before the end of next week, and we’ll give you a $50 gift voucher of your choice too. Upgrade today.
Hugh Marks for the ABC?; Matt Stanton tightens grip on Nine; James Manning returns; and our 2025 predictions
The Australian seems confident Hugh Marks is about to be named managing director of the ABC. As its Media Diary column puts it today: “Here’s one rumour that just won’t go away, and we reckon it’s true: Hugh Marks will be the new managing director of the ABC. As far as media rumours go, we’re almost certain it’s rolled, gold, wheat.”
Marks was a transformational boss for Nine, overseeing its evolution from a TV network to Australia’s largest media company via the takeover of Fairfax Media. In the podcast we discuss whether there’s room in the ABC management for both Kim Williams as chair and Marks as MD.
Also today: we discuss acting Nine CEO Matt Stanton’s tightening grip on the role, and the return of former Mediaweek owner James Manning to media after a long absence of 17 days.
We look back on a year of AI ubiquity and a media downturn. And in our predictions we talk about taming the platforms, the return of jingles, and the rise of AI agents.
Today’s episode features Tim Burrowes, Abe Udy and Cat McGinn
Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design, and podcast production. The cicadas were not their fault.
Time to leave you to start your week. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today’s episode of the Unmade podcast features the fifth stop on our Compass tour, when we visited Adelaide. Plus, further down, the Unmade Index sinks further while Vinyl Group buys Concrete Playground.
You should be at next year’s Compass. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, why not do it today? Your annual membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
* PLUS: If you subscribe before the end of next week, you’ll also receive a $50 gift voucher of your choice
“A big disappointment” to cancel Campaign Brief?; Uncredentialled CMOs; and too many client pitches
Unmade’s Compass roadshow rolled into Adelaide last month for a lively discussion on the big industry topics.
Our speakers were:
Taylor Martin, chair of the Adelaide Advertising and Design Club Awards, and GM of Simple integrated marketing. She’s also on the committee of She Creates championing women working in the communications industry here in Adelaide
David Penberthy, co-presenter of 5AA’s Breakfast with David & Will and News Corp columnist .
Erik de Roos, Executive Director of Marketing for South Australian Tourism Commission.
And Jamie Scott, Managing Director, of Showpony and former AADC co-president.
Among the debate points, Taylor Martin flagged the controversy over Campaign Brief - which was slated for only featuring men in its rundown of creative talent - as the industry’s loss of the year.
But Jamie Scott argued that the debate that followed was a lost opportunity for the industry to commit to real change. He added: “When Campaign Brief apologised and said they would commit to change, they were still cancelled by half the industry. So the very behaviours the industry was looking for was then punished. People said ‘Oh we’re going to cancel our subscription anyway’. So that was a big disappointment.”
Meanwhile, Erik de Roos called out the rise of uncredentialled marketers calling themselves ”chief marketing officer”.
“I could start a company tomorrow and hire some kid from the street and call them chief marketing officer, and that’s fine. It’s a conversation we need to be having as an industry.”
Unmade Index takes another hit
The Unmade Index had a second day of triple basis point decline on Wednesday, losing another 1.62% to land on 438.7 points.
Amongst the larger stocks, Ooh Media had the worst of it, losing 3.3% despite the good news that it has won a stay of execution on its Auckland Transport contract, which expires on December 31. Auckland Transport has decided to restart the tender process, meaning the contract, which Ooh Media was likely to either lose or renew on much less profitable terms, will be extended.
Meanwhile Nine is once again trading below a $2bn market capitalisation.
* As Unmade was about to go out of the door, Vinyl Group announced it had agreed to buy Concrete Playground for $3.5m in cash and $1.5m in shares. It said Concrete Playground had made EBITDA profits for the year of $1.5m on $4m turnover. Concrete Playground founder Rich Fogarty will leave the business.
Time to leave you to your Thursday.
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio. (Special thanks to Team Abe’s for doing an amazing editing job on cleaning up our back-up recording)
We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Have a great day.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today: We analyse the big news that Omnicom is set to take over Interpublic Group in a giant deal which would remake the advertising industry; Should Nine sell its radio stations?; and is the government about to finally make up its mind about designating Meta?
If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass , all returning in 2025.
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Here comes Intercom
News broke last night of a deal which would remake the agency landscape. Omnicom is negotiating a takeover of Interpublic. It would create a new industry leader. We consider the global and local implications, and ask whetehr it will change the timeline for the replacement of Omnicom Media Group’s outgoing CEO Peter Horgan.
Also today, we discuss whether Nine should sell its radio network.
And are we finally going to see movement from the government on its decision whether to designate Facebook owner Meta under the News Media Bargaining Code.
Further reading:
* Wall Street Journal: Advertising Firms Omnicom and Interpublic Nearing Merger That Would Reshape Industry
* Madison & Wall: Omnicom-Interpublic M&A Report: Analysis and Considerations
* Mi3: Kristiaan Kroon firming as successor to Omnicom Media Group CEO Peter Horgan
* Unmade: The fateful eight: How Publicis, WPP, Omnicom, Dentsu, Havas, IPG, S4 Capital and Enero rank
* Australian Financial Review: Exits, cuts and Smooth FM: Nine mulls future of 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR
* The Australian: D-day on the horizon for Meta: Stephen Jones set to make a call on news media bargaining code
* Capital Brief: Google renews news deal with Country Press Australia
* Unmade: How Google bought the silence of Australia’s media establishment
Today’s episode features Tim Burrowes and Abe Udy.
Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.
Time to leave you to start your week.
We’ll be back with more on Wednesday.
Have a great day
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today’s episode of the Unmade podcast features the fourth stop on our Compass tour, when we visited Perth. Plus, further down, bad news on the economy tanks the Unmade Index.
You should be at next year’s Compass. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, why not do it today? Your membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Taxing the platforms, shaking Perth out of creative complacency, and the ‘b******t’ about what it really takes
The fourth stop on Unmade’s end of year Compass tour took the team to Perth, for an entertaining panel featuring five veterans of the WA media and marketing scene.
Clive Bingwa became MD of Nine Perth six years ago after a media agency career including 303 and IPG Mediabrands. Steve Harris is CEO of Perth’s biggest agency, The Brand Agency, as well as being a board director of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of WA and of Fremantle Football Club. Taryn Hare is Executive Manager, Brand and Customer Strategy at Bankwest and was previously at 303, and part of the Brand Agency team that launched Bunnings Warehouse into the UK. Meg Coffey is the Founder of State of Social and managing director of digital marketing agency Coffey & Tea. And Amber Martin is the cofounder of the Hypnosis creative agency after stints at Wieden + Kennedy in London, and Host in Singapore.
The conversation ranged from the lessons to be learned from the elites sidelining Donald Trump to what it really takes to succeed in the industry, and the barriers that creates for mothers.
The lessons of the US election
On Trump, Harris - who traveled to the US to watch the election unfold - argued that the media failed to capture some of the nuance. “Trump is grossly misrepresented by the Australian media. I think it's a sport to show the 10-second sound bite where he said something and not show the 30 seconds or the 60 seconds around that. And so I think everyone missed it.”
Hare observed: “The fact that someone with that history is leading the free world is because Harris and her team potentially underestimated the needs of common people and campaigned on things that weren't that relevant Listening and truly understanding customers and what they need is the real lesson here.”
Coffey argued that poor media literacy contributed to the result. She said: “I think media literacy has never been more important, and I think that we've lost track of that.”
Whi is Google getting a free pass?
The debate moved to the topic of Australia’s relationship with social media. Harris pointed out that the negative impacts of social media only moved up the news agenda once Meta had decided to stop paying publishers.
He said: “If you look at the big media war on social media, particularly the big major media companies, it wasn't really an issue until Facebook stopped paying under the Media Bargaining Code. When they were taking several hundred million dollars from Facebook, then it was okay. Well, it wasn't okay, but it wasn't an issue.”
Harris suggested that Google is getting preferential treatment in news coverage of the social damage it contributes to because it still gives money to publishers. He said: “I’m not a big fan of Facebook for a range of reasons, but I just think it's worth noting everything you read is about Facebook. Google's getting a free reign because Google maybe still pays the money towards the media bargaining code.”
He added: “Why don't these companies pay their fair share of tax? We wouldn't need a media bargaining code if they paid proper tax and they were structured correctly.”
Raising the bar on creativity
The dual themes of the economic slowdown and the level of advertising creativity in the Perth market came together after Hare nominated raising the bar as a key topic that needs to be discussed. She said: “The issue that I talk about a lot is how we raise the creative quality in a market like Perth, where there are so many forces working against us.
“It's very small. There are lots of businesses here that are the sole business in their vertical. They don't have to try as hard.”
Harris agreed: “I think Perth is very comfortable. It's been easy to make money. It doesn't matter if you're selling coffee, selling cars, building homes, selling real estate, whatever you do in Perth in the last 15 years, it's an easy, easy economy.
“And we've become a bit lazy.”
The painful truth about finding career success
Meanwhile Harris nominated his own unspoken conversation: “I don't think honest conversations are had about what it takes to be really, really successful. Everyone sits around and talks about your doona day, your mental health day, your right to disconnect.
“And it's all b******t. If you want to be really, really successful, you don't see any Olympic gold medal winner saying, ‘I didn't train because I wanted a doona day’.
“If you want to be really, really successful, you're going to have to make sacrifices, you're going to have to work harder than other people, it's going to hurt, it's going to be painful. There are things that aren't going to be nice but you'll get to be really, really successful. And I just don't think those conversations are had in any sense because they're just politically incorrect and everyone shies away from them.”
Bingwa, agreed, saying” It’s a tough industry, it’s very competitive and there are no short cuts.”
Amber Martin took a different tack, arguing that the industry loses women who become mothers. She said: “An important conversation that we need to have is around how hard this industry can be though when you're a woman and you have a baby and you try and come back into this industry, which does expect you to work really, really hard to reap the rewards.”
She went on: “In our industry we're not seeing very many women at the top despite them making up the bulk of this industry that we work in, and I wonder if that's because we have this culture of ‘you have to work really hard to reap the rewards’ which I agree with, but what does that look like? Is that about presenteeism, is that about being in the office all the time? What can we do to make that an easier transition for women once they've had children?
“It's just too hard to have work-life balance and come back and work in a job like this.
“I get a lot of satisfaction out of my baby, but I get a hell of a lot of satisfaction out of working in advertising as well. I don't want to give it up, but gosh, it's hard.”
Slowing economy drags on Unmade Index
The Unmade Index sank by nearly a full percentage point yesterday as the market digested implications of new numbers indicating slumping gross domestic product growth.
Advertising spend is disproportionately affected by economic performance, and the Unmade Index fell more badly than the wider ASX All Ordinaries which lost 0.3%
Nine fell back below a $2bn market capitalisation after losing 0.8%. Southern Cross Austereo had the worst day on the index, losing 3.7%.
ARN Media moved in the other direction, improving by 3.6%
Time to leave you to your Thursday.
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio. (Special thanks to Team Abe’s for cleaning up what was poor audio recorded at the venue.)
We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Have a great day.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.
In today’s audio-led edition, the government helps the ACCC muscle up against the platforms as Meta belatedly acts on scammy celeb ads; The Monkeys nostalgia as they rebrand to Droga5; acting on AI content kleptomania; and the end of the TV ratings year, but did anybody notice?
If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass , all returning in 2025.
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
It turns out Meta thinks it can do something about scam celebrity ads after all
In today’s conversation: the government says it will give the ACCC more powers to take on the platforms; a fortnight after promises of a duty of care law, Meta discovers that there is more it can do about scam ads on its platform after all; Disrupt Radio makes its monthly pledge that more funding is on the way; Seven claims victory in the annual TV ratings.
Further reading:
* Australian Financial Review: Labor targets Meta, Apple, Amazon and Google with tough new rules
* The Australian: Labor grants ACCC new powers to crack down on digital platforms
* Unmade: End of term, end of government?
* The Guardian: Meta to force financial advertisers to be verified in bid to prevent celebrity scam ads targeting Australians
* The Australian: Disrupt Radio in final talks to resume live broadcasting
* The Australian: Seven gets the eyeballs, but not the advertising dollars
* The Australian: The Monkeys: From congealed blood to the world stage
Today’s episode features Tim Burrowes, Abe Udy and Cat McGinn
Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design, and podcast production.
Time to leave you to start your week. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe -
Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today’s episode of the Unmade podcast features the third stop on our Compass tour, when we rolled into Sydney. Plus, further down, the board of radio network SEN signal that they want to be dealt into the deal-making action.
You should be at next year’s Compass. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, why not do it today? Your membership includes:
* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade’s events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025
* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;
* Your own copy of Media Unmade.
Transparency deprioritised: ’If there are dodgy agencies out there, those two probably deserve each other’
The third chapter of this year’s expanded six-state Compass Roadshow rolled into Sydney earlier this month with four of the industry’s most high-profile people.
Telstra CMO Brent Smart has been the client behind some of the industry’s most talked-about advertising work this year. Peter Horgan chairs the Media Federation and is the outgoing CEO of Omnicom Media Group. Lou Barrett leads sales at News Corp Australia. Jasmin Bedir is CEO of creative agency Innocean and founder of gender equality initiative Fck the Cupcakes
An early topic was the price of not doing distinctive work.
According to Smart: “I think the really brave marketers are the ones who create boring things. That’s super brave.”
Later in the conversation, he expanded on the point: “The bravest markers are the ones doing boring, invisible marketing.” Of the Telstra work, Smart said: I don’t think it’s brave, I think I’m commercially smart. I do it to drive a commercial result. I don’t do it for vanity or to win awards. I do it because it’s more commercially effective to be creative.”
Meanwhile Horgan flagged the challenge of procurement departments driving down agency remuneration. He told the room that his challenge of the year was : “Pushing back on weaponised procurement, which means we don’t need humans any more in the communications ecosystem, trying to push back on that reductive narrative.”
He added: “Two years ago the revenue was easy… and the humans were hard. This year, humans aren’t easy, but the revenue is bloody hard.”
Smart argued that it is in brands’ best interests to avoid simply chasing the lowest cost with agencies.. “Screwing down your partners is not how you get discretionary effort from your partners. A lot of clients forget we can pay an agency a fee, but the bit you can’t buy is their passion and how much they care, and that’s a good commercial decision.”
For Bedir, a theme of the year was the rise of generative AI. “I am deeply concerned about gen AI. What I hear from clients is there’s a lack of governance in most organisations. There’s so many suppliers trying to peddle you stuff that magically makes your problems go away. That’s the latest gold rush.”
Accountants on the march
And Barrett warned of a media landscape dominated by CEOs who had come up through finance. Recent months have seen Seven West Media, Nine and Southern Cross Austereo all put their chief financial officers in the top chair
Asked to nominate a challenge for the industry, Barrett said: “The rise and rise of the CFO. With so many CFOs running media companies now, I worry we’re going to end up with a lack of creativity.”
Bedir also warned that the industry is struggling to find diverse new talent: “I’m concerned about the pathway of getting people in to the industry. If you’ve got the same group of people we end up with the same outputs.”
And Horgan also flagged as a problem for the industry, the issue of brands investing less in understanding their media investments, He said: “Transparency is a double edged word, which needs to be owned on the client side as well.
"It’s not the focus that was. There’s a bell curve of clients out there who have ten person team, haven’t been able to sell expertise they need to board and are not able to sell the expertise to the board. You do the maths. If there are dodgy agencies out there, those two probably deserve each other.
And Barrett added as an issue: “Over reliance on social and platforms. These guys are not paying taxes in Australia. They are not paying for content.” She added: “I’m not talking about Google, I’m talking about Meta.”
Smart also acknowledged that he had learned a new lesson this year, having not previously given enough priority to influencing the staff of the brands where he has worked. He said: “Something that is often overlooked by marketers is, make your staff proud to work for the brand. That has an incredible impact on how they show up. I wouldn’t have thought as much about that in the past. But I’ve seen some incredible impact.”
Unmade Index rises as SEN tells the M&A market: Deal us in
The Unmade Index nudged upwards for a second day on Wednesday, while SEN Radio’s owner Sports Entertainment Group used its AGM to signal that it wants to be a player in media deal making.
SEG’s chairman Craig Coleman told shareholders that the company has been tidying up its balance sheet including selling Perth Wildcats and its New Zealand station SENZ. SEN has reduced its net debt to $13.3m and delivered an EBITDA profit of $9.6m in the last financial year.
Coleman told investors: “We are now well positioned to be an active participant in beneficial media consolidation moves.”
However, although SEN said it was on track to improve its profitability in this financial half, it said the radio market remains tough. “Our media division is seeing a tightening in the economy with businesses feeling the impacts of a lingering slowdown which is not isolated to any particular industry.”
SEG is the smallest of the ASX-listed audio players with a market cap of $64m, compared to ARN’s $225m and Southern Cross Austereo’s $130m.
SEN’s share price did not move after the update yesterday, after seeing a drop of 8% the day before.
The Unmade Index closed 0.41% down on 451.6 points.
Time to leave you to your Thursday.
Today’s podcast was edited by Abe’s Audio. (Special thanks to Team Abe’s for cleaning up what was poor audio recorded at the venue.)
We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Have a great day.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe - Vis mere
